Hi! Sorry about the problem with chapter 10. It's fixed now, so go and read
it first!
Disclaimer: I only own Pi2 and Scales. And maybe a few other things.
The place was a bar inside the coliseum. The time was after the first round of the tournament. Several of the characters that had lost their matches were sitting together around a big table, trying to drink their troubles away. Gary sighed and took a long sip from his mug. "Well, there goes my chance to find something to rub in Ash's face. Now I have nothing to show for my troubles. Just some stupid badges and not even a single trophy. What am I gonna do?" "Why is it so important for you to rub something in this kid's face?" asked Boo. "Because he beats me at every turn! Sure, I've won plenty of fights against him, but the little twerp keeps on coming back! Despite the fact that I'm way more mature than him, and can actually drive a car, he keeps winning! He's been the freaking champion of the Pokemon League for two years running, and I was champ for all of ten minutes! The dweeb even has a girlfriend now. And what do I have? Just a bunch of dumb groupies with implants. I tell you, it ain't fair." K. Rool frowned. "Come on, Gary. Look at yourself! You may keep losing to your rival, but that doesn't necessarily mean you need to prove you're better than him or anything. After all, you can drive! All he can do is walk all over the game and occasionally ride a bicycle. And even if they are dumb cheerleaders, your groupies are loyal to you. You should be thankful for that, at least." "I guess." Muttered Gary, not really reassured. K. Rool grinned. "Now look at me! Thanks to the number Scales and Wario did on me, I doubt I'll ever be able to breed again. I'm going to have to walk around for the next month or so with this air-conditioned loincloth wrapped around me! And what kind of king doesn't have an offspring, huh? I'm probably going to be dethroned or something! Not to mention that without the grand prize money, I'm not going to be able to construct my latest anti-simian superweapon, the Kremling Krusher." The other occupants at the table frowned at him. "Why do you sound so cheerful about this? You've pretty much lost your motivation an anything else important to you." Commented Cortex. K. Rool kept grinning, but strangely looked like he wanted to cry. "Those damn doctors gave me too much laughing gas. I'm going to be in a cheerful mood for another half hour or so, before my true emotions can come out and I can bawl in a matter unsuitable for royalty. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go back to my room so I won't flood the corridors with my tears." K. Rool got up and left. The other losers looked after him sadly, shaking their heads. "Hey, where's Oxygen?" asked Gary, trying to get their minds off of poor K. Rool. "He was traumatized by Ganondorf's cruelty. He's going back to Dark Star for therapy." Said Cortex. "Yarr, how do ye know that?" asked Razorbeard. "I went to see him after the medical agents fixed him up. The poor thing looked even paler than he already was." Said Cortex sadly. "I'll be pale too, by the time my boss catches up to me." "What do you mean?" asked Boo. Cortex sighed. "Well, it's like this. After that stupid bandicoot wrecked my last evil plot for world domination, I had lost so much money trying to build all the complex death machinery and stuff that I was completely broke. That meant none of my minions would get paid, and seeing as how they're bloodthirsty animals, you can guess who they'd take it out on. My boss, Uka Uka, sided with my minions and threatened to do something really horrible to me if I didn't get the money. Desperate, I searched the web for some way to get money quickly and came across this tournament. So I came here, hoping to win, and lost horribly." He moaned. "I've spent all afternoon trying to evade the boss. If he finds me, I'm done for." King Boo looked around. "Uh, Cortex, is this Uka Uka guy a floating mask with red eyes and bone decorations?" "Yes, why?" "He's right behind you." Cortex screamed and turned around. The malevolent shaman/mask hovered in the air, looking very displeased. "Cortex, we need to have a serious talk. Now." The little yellow man gulped. "S-s-s-s-s-sir, I assure you that I can make up the debt somehow by, er, shrinking all the banks in the world and-" "Cortex, shut up! I have good news." "Eh?" "We knew you would lose the match. Hell, you can't even win against a fly! So we bet a great deal of money on you losing. At 10 to 1 odds, we won more than enough money to pay off the lackeys and finance our next evil scheme. Congratulations for losing!" Cortex sighed in relief. "Th-thank you sir." Uka Uka still looked displeased. "However, there is something else to discuss." "Er, what would that be?" "WHY DID YOU KEEP RUNNING AWAY FROM ME?! YOU KNOW I GET VERY ANGRY WHEN YOU RUN AWAY WHEN I'M LOOKING FOR YOU!" "Eep." "Come outside, so I can punish you properly for this." "Y-y-y-yes sir." Looking haggard, Cortex walked towards the bar exit followed by Uka. "Ooh, that mask has that boy whipped!" yelled a random guy, getting out from under the table, cracking a whip.
"How long have you been waiting to do that joke?" asked Gary. "Nine months." Said the guy. "And you've been waiting under the table that long?" ".Yes." "Then don't you think you should shower or something?" "Uh, good point." The guy walked away in seek of a sanitary facility. The losers went back to their drinking. "Well, it looks like I will soon have no home." Said King Boo sadly. "Why is that?" asked Gary. "My huge mansion is worth a lot of money. The mortgage hasn't been paid for fifty years. If I don't get ten million dollars to pay the banks, and soon, I'll lose the place. And do you know how many ghosts live with me in the place? Where are we all going to go? Back into E. Gadd's paintings? As if!" said Boo, taking a swig from his mug. Of course, since he was a ghost the liquid just went right through him and splattered all over his chair. "Hey wait a minute, I thought your mansion is full of pearls, gems, bills and coins. Although the Mushroom gold coin to Nintendo dollar rate is fairly high, don't you have enough money in the house to fully pay the banks and make it yours for real?" asked Gary. Boo blinked. "I.did not think of that. Excuse me!" King Boo flew away to call his subjects back at the mansion and tell them to pay off the banks with the vast repository in their home. "Well, there goes another one. So Captain, why did you enter the tournament?" asked Gary. "Yarr, after Rayman defeated me, I lost my entire fleet of ships. Me and my boys are now stranded, and need the cash to purchase a new fleet of warships so we can go back to pillaging the stars." Gary thought a moment. "You guys are pirates, aren't you?" "Yarr, that we be." "So why not just steal some ships? I mean, I thought you pirates didn't like doing normal business." Razorbeard stared at Gary for a moment, then slapped his forehead. "Arrgh! Now why didn't I think of that?" "Heh, and you machines are always saying you're superior to us fleshlings." The robot scowled. "I'd slit your gizzard if I didn't have to organize me crew and go to rob a ship dealership. So long!" The Captain left the bar. Gary sighed. "Great. Now I'm all alone. Won't someone please sit here and keep me company?" Nobody came to the table. "Damn it."
The Happy Mask Salesman whistled the Song of Healing as he walked through the Coliseum's large indoor garden. He was carrying the evil mask with him, as always, to keep it from being stolen from his room. He was startled when something jumped out on the path ahead of him. "What the.oh, it's you. Trying to rob me again?" the salesman asked, annoyed. The thing ahead of him was an imp with two fairies, one yellow, and one purple. It was the Skull Kid. "Look, mister, I'm not going to steal from you. But I need to have a talk with you." The man frowned. "What about?" "The mask." Said Tatl, the yellow fairy. "Majora's Mask." Said Tael, the purple fairy. The Salesman was intrigued. "What about it?" "Sir, you have to take Majora out of the competition. If you don't, things could get very bad." Said Skull Kid. "How do you mean?" "Look, you saw what that thing did to Garm, didn't you? He's comatose!" said Tatl. "Majora will probably do the same thing to all of the other fighters he faces." Added Tael. The Mask man shrugged. "So? Anything goes. Those are the rules." "Yes, but we think that Majora took something from Garm in the last match. Didn't it seem weird when he grabbed the wizard for a few moments? Why did the guy scream?" asked Skull Kid. "Oh, posh. Majora was just frightening him." Said the man. "Then why is Garm comatose if that's all that happened? Answer me that, will you?" said Tatl. The man frowned, but shook it off. "No, no, don't be silly. I'm sure it was nothing. Look, I'm sorry but I don't have time for your hooligan shenanigans. If you will excuse me, I have a walk to complete." "But-" started Tael. "Good day." The man said briskly. He started to walk around the imp, but paused when he heard his mask's voice from his sack. "Master.please let me see the imp. It will only take a moment." The Happy Mask Salesman had some slight misgivings, but figured there couldn't really be any harm, could there? He took off his sack, rummaged through it, and pulled out the evil mask. Skull Kid recoiled a bit, having many bad memories of this relic. However, there was also another reason he feared the mask, not just because of his possession.The mask spoke telepathically to Skull Kid, frightening the imp. "Stay out of my business, you wretched imp. Do not interfere in my plans. If you try to warn Link or somebody else, I will know it. And I will kill you. And this time, nobody, not Link, not the giants, not your mother, can save you." He broke off as his "master" put him back in the sack and continued down the garden path, still whistling the tune to the Song of Healing. Skull Kid shivered for a moment, then walked away, followed by his worried fairies.
In another section of the garden, Ganondorf Dragmire was strutting around proudly, still carrying the Slave Sword. He was on top of the world. He had finally wiped away the shame from last year's tournament and would win for sure. With the money he would receive as grand prize, he would be able to finance a new army of stronger, more powerful monsters than ever before. He would invade Hyrule and finally get the complete Triforce! And then, then the world would be his! His thoughts of conquest and destruction were broken off when he saw a familiar critter on the path ahead of him, sniffing the flowers. His blood boiled. It was she, the one who had ruined him at the last Super Smash Tournament. Furious, he strode over to the critter, towering over her. The creature stopped sniffing the flowers and looked up. "Oh, hi Ganny! How are you doing?" asked Pichu. Ganondorf grinned evilly. "Oh, just fine. I'm feeling great! And you?" "Wonderful. I just love flowers." "Well, you won't be feeling wonderful in a minute! I finally have the chance for revenge!" Pichu blinked. "Revenge? What for?" "You know what for! For how you defeated me last year! By beating you now, I can avenge my honor and wipe away the stigma of shame you cast upon me! So, prepare to die rodent!" Ganondorf drew the Slave Sword and brought it down, intending to cleave the yellow rat in two. As the sword came down, Pichu turned around, her lightning bolt-shaped tail making contact with the flat of the dark blade. Ganondorf screamed as a thousand volts raced up the metal of the sword and into his body, electrocuting him. He dropped the sword and fell to his knees, blackened by the electricity. The Pokemon smiled cheerfully. "Sorry Ganny. Hey, looks like I beat you again! And in only three seconds too! Wish I could stay, but I've got more flowers to see before I have to meet up with my mommy. Bye bye!" She ran off, frolicking through the flowers. If anyone had come by at that moment, they would have seen Ganondorf Dragmire, mighty king of Thieves and Evil, wielder of the Triforce of Power, throwing a tantrum. "WHY? WHY?!?! WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY??????????????????!!!!!!!!!?!?!?!?!?!"
The tall, thin witch knocked on the door. "Come on Grunty, open up!" "No, I'm not coming out!" wailed the witch from inside her room. "But sister Grunty, we have great news for you!" said Brunella, the short, fat witch. "I'm not coming out. You can't make me!" wailed the witch. There was a small explosion as the two witches blasted down the door to Grunty's room. "Okay, maybe you can. What do you want?" Grunty's room was dark and dingy, with candles and a cot. She had a large talking spellbook on a pedestal and a big grunting cauldron. Grunty was wearing a paper bag over her head. "Grunty, I know you're probably upset about losing-" started Mingella. "You have no idea!" screamed Grunty. "Now I'll never be able to rebuild the lair and get an extreme face and body lift!" "Actually, you can. Rebuild the lair, that is." Said Brunella. "What are you talking about?" asked Gruntilda suspiciously. Mingella held up two large sacks of cash. "We used our crystal balls to predict the most likely outcome of each match. We then bet a thousand dollars on each match. At 10 to 1 odds, we won a hundred thousand dollars!" she said happily. "We can do the same thing for the rest of the tournament, and make enough money to not only rebuild your lair, but give all three of us extensive face and body lists!" added Brunella. "We'll look like models when we're done!" Stunned, Grunty pulled off her paper bag. Then she gave her sisters a bear hug. "Have I ever told you girls how much I love you?"
Wario and Waluigi were meeting in an Italian restaurant. (What else?) As they were waiting for their order, they had a serious discussion. "Man, you- a totally creamed that big-a lizard!" said Waluigi. Okay, semi-serious. "Yeah, I hope I-a do as well with-a the next guy." Wario said, sighing. "Well-a, why wouldn't you?" Wario frowned deeply and sadly. "Brother, in the next round I'm fighting Heinrich." Waluigi blinked. "Oh. Well-a in that case, you're-a screwed." "Your-a encouragement is-a moving." "Hey, it's-a not my fault that you're-a going up against an incredibly dangerous and-a violent alien. I guess I could-a wish you good luck, but it- a wouldn't help." Wario sighed again. "Looks like-a Daisy's doomed, then." Waluigi looked confused. "Why?" Wario got angry. "You idiot! Have-a you forgotten why I-a entered in the first place?" "Yes?" Wario grunted. "Okay, here's what happened."
Wario walked over the hill, whistling and holding a bunch of flowers. Up ahead was the castle, capital of the Vegetable Kingdom. Earlier that day, his girlfriend Princess Daisy had sent him an E-mail asking him to come over and try this cake she had made for him. Being a man to appreciate good cooking, Wario could not resist. So when he opened the front doors of the great castle, he was surprised to find.nothing. Nobody there. On an average day there were lots of vegetables in the castle, all there for some reason or another. But the place was completely empty. "Yoo-hoo! Daisy! Where-a are you, Daisy?" In reply to his call, a loud voice boomed throughout the edifice. "Ribbit! Wario, so we meet again!" Wario was confused. "Uh, who are-a you? I don't think-a we've ever met." "Grrr! I am Wart, king of the Frogs! I have invaded the castle and will soon rule the Vegetable Kingdom!" "Oh, okay. Where's Daisy?" "She's here! With us! If you want to save her, you can either give me ten million Nintendo dollars or try to work your way through the castle's numerous secret painting worlds, collecting magical stars and keys so that you can get to the top of the castle and beat me in three battles to the death. So, what do you say?" "Hmm. I-a think I'll try to get-a the money." "Wha-really?" "Hey, I'm not-a good at this hero stuff. I'll-a get you the money, you get- a the hell out of the castle, okay?" "Um, sure. Didn't actually think you would go for the ransom money." And so Wario left the castle and headed home, trying to figure out how he would get the money.
"So when I-a got home, I went on the web to-a try and figure out how to get the cash, when I got-a this E-mail inviting me to-a compete in the tournament. I saw how-a much the prize money is, and realized this-a was my break. So I headed over here and-a signed up. End of story." Finished Wario. Waluigi applauded. "Bravo! Bravo! So, since you're gonna definitely lose to- a Heinrich, how-a are we going to get the money?" "Well, I guess-a I could-a do the painting world thing instead. I-a mean, Mario did it, didn't he? If he can do it, then-a so can I!" "That's the spirit! Now, when-a is that food gonna get here? I'm-a starving!"
In the medical ward of the Coliseum, a tall man with a beard and yellow robes looked down sadly at the little man on the bed. Garm's coma was beyond anything Sumner could fathom. The great magician had tried every trick he had to revive his brother, but nothing worked. He had probed Garm's mind and found nothing. It was as if that dark mask had taken something important from Garm, something special, but for all his knowledge, Sumner could not figure out what. He shook his head. "I'm sorry, Garm. I know you can't hear me, but I thought you should know.I've tried everything I could, but there seems to be no way to save you. I regret whatever it is I did that made you jealous of me in the first place, and I want you to know that I never really thought of you as an inferior, even if your magical skills are not the greatest. I just want you to know that I always did, and always will, think of you as my brother." Garm didn't respond. But that was to be expected, seeing as he had lost his soul.
Bowser lay on his belly on the couch of his room. It looked much like his room back home, slightly creepy, medieval, with a little lava here and there. His Star Rod rotated in place in the air, suspended by a beam of light. Bowser reached into his shell and pulled out a framed photograph. As always, when he looked at the picture his hardened heart softened a bit. It was taken in better years, before the war between the Turtle Tribe and the Mushroom Kingdom. The war that he had started himself. The picture showed himself and his seven children Larry, Morton, Wendy, Iggy, Roy, Lemmy, and Ludwig. There was one other person in the picture, one who had meant everything to Bowser. His late wife, Lara. He remembered the day the picture had been taken so well. The whole family was taking a day off from the duties of running the Koopa nation, and were relaxing in the woods. They played plenty of games, the last of which had been hide and seek. Bowser had been "it". He looked all over for the kids and Lara, getting all the children. When he finally found his wife, things took a turn for the worse. She was dead. Killed by a group of soldier Toads. He slaughtered them in rage, after discovering that they had been ordered to do so by Princess Peach, ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom. And so he had no other choice but revenge. And so the war began. That was where the first Mario game had begun. He had managed to capture the bitch, but that stupid plumber had gotten her back after beating him. The Koopa King had tried time and time again to get Peach back, but that Mario always foiled his plans. Everyone in the Mushroom Kingdom had even started to believe Bowser was infatuated with the Princess. As if! He only kept up the act of loving her so she wouldn't know that he knew the reason for his wife's death. If only that foolish Mario knew the truth, that his little Peach was a murderer. He still didn't know why she had ordered the death, but he knew that someday.when he finally defeated Mario or told him the truth.he would find out why. And then he would kill the whore. He growled to himself. He put the picture away, not wanting to remember at the moment. He didn't want to remember the day it had happened. And for the moment, he did not want to be reminded of why he was fighting in this tournament. (The reason why will be revealed after the second round, I promise.)
Mewtwo sat cross-legged in midair, meditating. The room around him was bizarre, full of shifting colors and shapes. He was broken from his trance by a knock on the door. "Come in!" The door opened. Mew and Pikachu came in. "Mom! Pikachu! What are you doing here?" "We came by to see you and congratulate you for your victory in your first match." Said Mew. "I must commend you for defeating that disgusting pretty boy. However, I would very much like to see you in a real fight instead of something turn- based." Said Pikachu. "Well, you don't have to worry about that. Tomorrow I'm fighting Majora. That should promise to be an interesting match." Said Mewtwo. "You can beat him, son. Just try to do your best, okay?" said Mew. "I will, Mom. So, where're Pichu and Jigglypuff? I saw them in the stands earlier." "Pichu went to look for Ganondorf. She said something about trying to make up for beating him so badly last year." Said Pikachu. Mewtwo grinned. "Ah, thank you for reminding me of that hilarious match. Your daughter is a very strong fighter, Pikachu." "I'm sure she got it from her father's side of the family." Pikachu said proudly. "Yes, but her father didn't win the first Super Smash Brothers tournament, did she now?" joked Mew. "No, I did. Maybe it was my side, then." Admitted Pikachu. "Now, where is Jigglypuff?" asked Mewtwo. "She's on a date." Said Mew. "Really? Who with?" "The only other pink rubbery balloon around here, who else?" said Pikachu. "You're kidding me. Kirby is going out with Jigglypuff?" asked Mewtwo, incredulous. "It was a surprise to us too. We always thought Jigglypuff's only real relationship was with her marker." Said Mew. "Amazing. Do you think they'll hit it off?" asked Mewtwo. "No doubt! At least I know my daughter isn't interested in any boys, at least not yet. So Mewtwo, what brings you to this tournament anyway? What use do you have for the prize money?" asked Pikachu. "Ah, that is an interesting tale. Mewtwo, show her." Commanded Mew. "Yes Mother." He said, beginning the telepathic show.
The ancient city of Pokemopolis was once again under attack. The members of team Rocket were making yet another attempt to penetrate the city and capture the rare and powerful Pokemon within. Of course, the Pokemon did not just give in. They fought to protect their home, and so far had won without many casualties to their side. So far, at least. But sooner or later, the Rocket leader Giovanni would find a way to destroy the city and recapture his former pawn, Mewtwo. The city's three leaders met in the ruins of the Great Palace to discuss how to deal with this threat once and for all. The leaders were Celebi; the psychic insect with a knack for surfing the web, Mewtwo; mutant psychic and chief of defense for the city, and Mew; veritable goddess and ruler of the city. Mew came up with an idea to make the city impenetrable as her two second-in-commands listened. "Long ago, the Pokemopolitans were at war with a foreign kingdom. Despite the strength of their Pokemon legions, they feared for the safety of this, their capital. They looked to me, their deity, to give them a special form of protection. I created a relic called the Master Stone, a magic rock that would protect the city from any dangerous outsiders as long as it remained in the central temple. The Stone protected the city from harm for centuries before the eventual fall of the empire. The Stone was lost, and remains lot to this day. If we could find where the Stone is now, we could ensure the safety of our citizens for all future time." "That's all very well and good, but how do we find this thing?" asked Mewtwo. "I can find it!" said Celebi. "All I need is a description of the thing and I can probably find it on the Internet!" (Of course they have Internet access) "The Master Stone is a rectangular cube made out of a greenish crystal. Runes resembling the carvings in the Alph Ruins should be inscribed on the sides." She said. Celebi came back with a report on the Stone's location a few hours later. "I have good news and bad news. I've found the Stone! It's on E-Bay." "That's good." Said Mewtwo. "The current top bid is over a million dollars. The bidding closes in a few days." "That's bad." Said Mew. "Where are we going to get the money to outbid that? The city's treasury was emptied by looters a long time ago." Mewtwo complained. "Ah, but I have some more good news. I have found a way to get the money we need. Mewtwo, you have mail." Celebi handed a sheet of printed paper to Mewtwo. Mewtwo read the letter aloud. "Dear final boss, we of the Nintendo Corporation are hosting a third Super Smash brothers tournament in a day's time. It is eligible only to final bosses from our games. If you would like to participate, please come to the Coliseum in N-City, Virtual Earth. The grand prize is ten million dollars, followed by smaller consecutive cash awards for the Smashers in the preceding rounds." He looked up from the letter. "This is it! I can participate in this tournament and win at least some of the money we need!" "And even if you don't win outright, you should get some money. How much money did Mewtwo receive in last year's tournament, Celebi?" asked Mew. "Half a million dollars. And since Mewtwo made it to the second to last round, I would assume that they would give half of the current grand prize to him if he loses there. That should be more than enough to get the Stone." Said Celebi. "Okay, here's what we'll do. Mewtwo, you start for the city and register yourself. After I set up arrangements here, I'll come after you. Celebi, you get to the computer and place a higher bid for the rock. Watch for the tournament on TV to know how much to place on the Stone." Mew said. Mewtwo got up. "I'll get started. See you in the arena, Mom." With that, Mewtwo teleported away.
"And so I'm here now. Hopefully I'll pass the next round, but even if I don't I'll get a consolation of two and a half million dollars. Hopefully that'll be enough to get the Stone, as long as nobody bids too high." Mewtwo said after the vision was over. "And if someone else does outbid you and get the Stone?" asked Pikachu. He smiled. "Then Celebi will hack into E-Bay's records to find out who did it, and we'll go to the person's house and steal the rock. Simple." "I guess so. Hey, want to get some ice cream?" asked Pikachu. "Sure!"
Chaos lounged in his "bed". Well, it wasn't so much of a bed as it was a shallow pit for him to inhabit like a swimming pool. He had watched the rest of the round on the TV, and was glad to know another product of Sonic Team was progressing. Too bad they would have to fight one another in the next round. He formed a head as he suddenly heard the phone ringing. (Yes, the room comes with a phone!) He formed a tentacle that grabbed the phone, pulled it off the hook, and brought it back to him. "Hello?" "Chaos? Is that you?" Chaos lurched a bit in surprise. "Tikal! How did you get this number?" Tikal was a pink echidna, remnant of a tribe from a few thousand years ago. Aside from helping Chaos take care of the Chao (For those of you who have never played Sonic Adventure1 or 2, Chao are the cutest, sweetest, most adorable little creatures in all video game land.) she was also sort of his girlfriend. "I had to inquire with the operator. I saw your fight with that hideous witch. I thought you did great!" "Really?" asked Chaos, his watery depths turning slightly pink. "You think so?" "Yeah! But those spells looked like they hurt. Were you okay?" "Nothing too bad. I've been hit by worse. That hedgehog packed a harder punch than anything that witch threw at me!" "Well, that's good. But you're sure you're okay?" "Of course, why wouldn't I be?" "No reason, I just don't want the Chao to be without a strong father influence." The water got a little pinker. "Th-thanks. I think I'll be okay. Did you call for any particular reason, or just to check up on me?" "Actually, I have something to tell you. Chaima and Zo's egg has hatched." "Really? Damn, I wanted to be there for the hatching." "Don't worry, by the time the tournament is over another few eggs should be just about ready to hatch. You'll be present for their births." She paused. "Oh, the new baby wants to say hi. Hold on.okay Cho, say hello to Daddy Chaos." "Hewo Daddy Kaos!" "Hello baby Cho. Are you being a good boy and listening to your parents?" asked Chaos. "Uh-huh!" "Good Chao. Tikal, I'm afraid I have to go, our favorite soap opera will be on any minute." "Oh! Thanks for reminding me, I've got to get to the TV before it starts! Call you tomorrow. Bye!" "Bye." The line went dead. Chaos replaced the phone and grabbed the remote. Just before turning on the TV, he said to himself, "I love that woman."
Scales was interrupted from her nap by a knocking on the door. Her room was a bit strange. It looked a little like an indoor jungle, with a small stream and pond. There was a television, computer and telephone, but the rest of the room seemed like the wild. She opened the door and found a black and red hedgehog. "SHADOW!" As her brother protested, she grabbed him in a very strong hug. "Ugh.Sis.please.let go." "Oh, sorry. It's just that I've never really been able to hug you before or really do anything with you!" She put him down. "Come on in. Is there something you wanted to see me about?" Shadow walked in and sat on a rock. "Well, I wanted to say you did very well at the match. I thought your strategy was quite clever. You looked like you knew what you were doing the whole time." "Really? Actually, I was kind of nervous, it being my first fight and all. I was worried I would lose to that rustbucket." "So? It's all right to be nervous about a fight. You think I wasn't shaking in my hover shoes when I had to fight you as the Biolizard or Final Hazard?" Scales was surprised. "You were nervous? You didn't look like you were even remotely worried." "Of course I was nervous! I mean, come on, Ultimate Lifeform or not, I was a small hedgehog and you were a giant monster! You bet I was worried. But did that stop me from kicking your ass? I think not." She smirked. "True. Of course, the beating you and Sonic gave me wasn't nearly as bad as falling through the atmosphere." He chuckled. "You think that you had it bad? All that happened to you when you fell (aside from reentry) was that you landed in the ocean, where your old gills came in handy. When I fell, I caromed off an airplane, ricocheted off of twelve skyscrapers, smashed through twenty cars while plowing through the paved asphalt of the street for twenty yards before slamming face first into a tree. And then the tree fell on me." "Ouch." "Healed in two days, was out on the streets on the third. Painful, but fleeting. Kind of like fear. Once you conquer it, it goes away. If you're worried about losing a match, just believe you won't, and you stand a good chance of winning. That's the best advice I can think of for this matter." "Thanks bro." "Well, I'd love to chat some more, but I've got a date." "Really? With whom?" "Would you believe Amy Rose?" "What! I thought she refused to go out with anyone but Sonic." "Well, I managed to change her mind."
Shadow walked out of his room, whistling his theme song (Throw it All Away) en route to Scales' room. He passed the room Rouge and Knuckles were sharing, and was not that surprised to find Amy was positioned right outside of Sonic's room, trying to peek through a crack in the door. As usual, the pink hedgehog was doing everything she could to try to get close to her hero. It was kind of sad. Sonic as always, firmly rejected Amy's advances. Shadow for one wished Amy would chase after somebody else, perhaps himself. Hmm, there's an idea."Hello, Ms. Rose." "Aaahh! Oh, it's just you, Shadow. Don't scare me like that!" "What are you doing?" "I think Sonikku is trying to take a shower. I know it sounds kind of dirty, but I wouldn't mind seeing him without his clothes on." Shadow eyed her. "Amy, you always see Sonic without clothes on. None of us wear clothes except for you, Eggman, and Rouge." "Yeah, but I've never seen him without his gloves or shoes on!" she protested, admittedly a little weakly. "Look, Amy, Sonic really doesn't want to have a serious relationship with you." "Oh I know that, but I think I might be able to persuade him to change his mind." "How? By constantly following him and causing endless aggravation? He doesn't appreciate that, Amy." She frowned. "Okay then, what would you suggest?" "Maybe you should stop chasing someone you can't catch, and go after someone you can. Someone you know will care about you and not just leave you behind. Someone like." "You?" said Amy, trying not to laugh. "Well, I was kind of hoping." "I don't know, Shadow. What can you give me that Sonic can't?" "Well, I won't run away from you every time you're around me." "Well, that's a start. What else?" "I can care about you for who you are, and not be attracted to someone else because of their looks." "Hmm." Privately, she thought, His reasons sound pretty good so far. And he is as cute as Sonikku, if not cuter. Let's see. "What else?" "I could take you out on a date worthy for a woman as good as yourself." Ooh, nice line. But what's he offering? "What sort of date?" "I could take you to the mall, do some shopping for starters." This is sounding better. "And then?" "Dinner of the restaurant of your choice, whatever that may be." Getting warmer. "And after that?" "We could see a movie." Better test him. See what movie he's thinking of. "What movie?" "Would you be amenable to seeing the new James Bond movie?" Bingo! "Okay, I'm yours!" "Wha-really?" "Sure. In a few hours sound good for this date?" "O-of course." "Great! See you then. Got to go get myself ready." She walked off to her own room. Shadow stood there for a few moments, astonished. "I don't believe it.I did it! I got a date with Amy! Oh, that faker Sonic will be eating out of my hand for this one"
"And so I have a date to attend to. Any advice?" "How should I know? I've never been to a mall, a restaurant, or a movie! All I can say is good luck, Shadow." "Then that's all I can ask for. I'll see you later, sis. And don't worry about your fight with Chaos tomorrow. You'll do fine. Well, gotta jet. Don't want to keep the lovely Miss Rose waiting." Shadow got up and left the room. "Thanks bro."
How was that? All right, I admit that was kinda weird, but it had to be done. You now know most of the Smasher's reasons for entering the tournament, and more reasons will be made available later on. Please remember to review. Next time: Pi2 is confronted with the news of two surprising and outrageous thefts. But the tournament must go on, so he has to deal with the problem later. More importantly, Majora and Mewtwo come together in an awesome war of psychic strength. Which of the two fighters will win? Find out next time on.Super Smash Bosses! Heinrich."
The place was a bar inside the coliseum. The time was after the first round of the tournament. Several of the characters that had lost their matches were sitting together around a big table, trying to drink their troubles away. Gary sighed and took a long sip from his mug. "Well, there goes my chance to find something to rub in Ash's face. Now I have nothing to show for my troubles. Just some stupid badges and not even a single trophy. What am I gonna do?" "Why is it so important for you to rub something in this kid's face?" asked Boo. "Because he beats me at every turn! Sure, I've won plenty of fights against him, but the little twerp keeps on coming back! Despite the fact that I'm way more mature than him, and can actually drive a car, he keeps winning! He's been the freaking champion of the Pokemon League for two years running, and I was champ for all of ten minutes! The dweeb even has a girlfriend now. And what do I have? Just a bunch of dumb groupies with implants. I tell you, it ain't fair." K. Rool frowned. "Come on, Gary. Look at yourself! You may keep losing to your rival, but that doesn't necessarily mean you need to prove you're better than him or anything. After all, you can drive! All he can do is walk all over the game and occasionally ride a bicycle. And even if they are dumb cheerleaders, your groupies are loyal to you. You should be thankful for that, at least." "I guess." Muttered Gary, not really reassured. K. Rool grinned. "Now look at me! Thanks to the number Scales and Wario did on me, I doubt I'll ever be able to breed again. I'm going to have to walk around for the next month or so with this air-conditioned loincloth wrapped around me! And what kind of king doesn't have an offspring, huh? I'm probably going to be dethroned or something! Not to mention that without the grand prize money, I'm not going to be able to construct my latest anti-simian superweapon, the Kremling Krusher." The other occupants at the table frowned at him. "Why do you sound so cheerful about this? You've pretty much lost your motivation an anything else important to you." Commented Cortex. K. Rool kept grinning, but strangely looked like he wanted to cry. "Those damn doctors gave me too much laughing gas. I'm going to be in a cheerful mood for another half hour or so, before my true emotions can come out and I can bawl in a matter unsuitable for royalty. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go back to my room so I won't flood the corridors with my tears." K. Rool got up and left. The other losers looked after him sadly, shaking their heads. "Hey, where's Oxygen?" asked Gary, trying to get their minds off of poor K. Rool. "He was traumatized by Ganondorf's cruelty. He's going back to Dark Star for therapy." Said Cortex. "Yarr, how do ye know that?" asked Razorbeard. "I went to see him after the medical agents fixed him up. The poor thing looked even paler than he already was." Said Cortex sadly. "I'll be pale too, by the time my boss catches up to me." "What do you mean?" asked Boo. Cortex sighed. "Well, it's like this. After that stupid bandicoot wrecked my last evil plot for world domination, I had lost so much money trying to build all the complex death machinery and stuff that I was completely broke. That meant none of my minions would get paid, and seeing as how they're bloodthirsty animals, you can guess who they'd take it out on. My boss, Uka Uka, sided with my minions and threatened to do something really horrible to me if I didn't get the money. Desperate, I searched the web for some way to get money quickly and came across this tournament. So I came here, hoping to win, and lost horribly." He moaned. "I've spent all afternoon trying to evade the boss. If he finds me, I'm done for." King Boo looked around. "Uh, Cortex, is this Uka Uka guy a floating mask with red eyes and bone decorations?" "Yes, why?" "He's right behind you." Cortex screamed and turned around. The malevolent shaman/mask hovered in the air, looking very displeased. "Cortex, we need to have a serious talk. Now." The little yellow man gulped. "S-s-s-s-s-sir, I assure you that I can make up the debt somehow by, er, shrinking all the banks in the world and-" "Cortex, shut up! I have good news." "Eh?" "We knew you would lose the match. Hell, you can't even win against a fly! So we bet a great deal of money on you losing. At 10 to 1 odds, we won more than enough money to pay off the lackeys and finance our next evil scheme. Congratulations for losing!" Cortex sighed in relief. "Th-thank you sir." Uka Uka still looked displeased. "However, there is something else to discuss." "Er, what would that be?" "WHY DID YOU KEEP RUNNING AWAY FROM ME?! YOU KNOW I GET VERY ANGRY WHEN YOU RUN AWAY WHEN I'M LOOKING FOR YOU!" "Eep." "Come outside, so I can punish you properly for this." "Y-y-y-yes sir." Looking haggard, Cortex walked towards the bar exit followed by Uka. "Ooh, that mask has that boy whipped!" yelled a random guy, getting out from under the table, cracking a whip.
"How long have you been waiting to do that joke?" asked Gary. "Nine months." Said the guy. "And you've been waiting under the table that long?" ".Yes." "Then don't you think you should shower or something?" "Uh, good point." The guy walked away in seek of a sanitary facility. The losers went back to their drinking. "Well, it looks like I will soon have no home." Said King Boo sadly. "Why is that?" asked Gary. "My huge mansion is worth a lot of money. The mortgage hasn't been paid for fifty years. If I don't get ten million dollars to pay the banks, and soon, I'll lose the place. And do you know how many ghosts live with me in the place? Where are we all going to go? Back into E. Gadd's paintings? As if!" said Boo, taking a swig from his mug. Of course, since he was a ghost the liquid just went right through him and splattered all over his chair. "Hey wait a minute, I thought your mansion is full of pearls, gems, bills and coins. Although the Mushroom gold coin to Nintendo dollar rate is fairly high, don't you have enough money in the house to fully pay the banks and make it yours for real?" asked Gary. Boo blinked. "I.did not think of that. Excuse me!" King Boo flew away to call his subjects back at the mansion and tell them to pay off the banks with the vast repository in their home. "Well, there goes another one. So Captain, why did you enter the tournament?" asked Gary. "Yarr, after Rayman defeated me, I lost my entire fleet of ships. Me and my boys are now stranded, and need the cash to purchase a new fleet of warships so we can go back to pillaging the stars." Gary thought a moment. "You guys are pirates, aren't you?" "Yarr, that we be." "So why not just steal some ships? I mean, I thought you pirates didn't like doing normal business." Razorbeard stared at Gary for a moment, then slapped his forehead. "Arrgh! Now why didn't I think of that?" "Heh, and you machines are always saying you're superior to us fleshlings." The robot scowled. "I'd slit your gizzard if I didn't have to organize me crew and go to rob a ship dealership. So long!" The Captain left the bar. Gary sighed. "Great. Now I'm all alone. Won't someone please sit here and keep me company?" Nobody came to the table. "Damn it."
The Happy Mask Salesman whistled the Song of Healing as he walked through the Coliseum's large indoor garden. He was carrying the evil mask with him, as always, to keep it from being stolen from his room. He was startled when something jumped out on the path ahead of him. "What the.oh, it's you. Trying to rob me again?" the salesman asked, annoyed. The thing ahead of him was an imp with two fairies, one yellow, and one purple. It was the Skull Kid. "Look, mister, I'm not going to steal from you. But I need to have a talk with you." The man frowned. "What about?" "The mask." Said Tatl, the yellow fairy. "Majora's Mask." Said Tael, the purple fairy. The Salesman was intrigued. "What about it?" "Sir, you have to take Majora out of the competition. If you don't, things could get very bad." Said Skull Kid. "How do you mean?" "Look, you saw what that thing did to Garm, didn't you? He's comatose!" said Tatl. "Majora will probably do the same thing to all of the other fighters he faces." Added Tael. The Mask man shrugged. "So? Anything goes. Those are the rules." "Yes, but we think that Majora took something from Garm in the last match. Didn't it seem weird when he grabbed the wizard for a few moments? Why did the guy scream?" asked Skull Kid. "Oh, posh. Majora was just frightening him." Said the man. "Then why is Garm comatose if that's all that happened? Answer me that, will you?" said Tatl. The man frowned, but shook it off. "No, no, don't be silly. I'm sure it was nothing. Look, I'm sorry but I don't have time for your hooligan shenanigans. If you will excuse me, I have a walk to complete." "But-" started Tael. "Good day." The man said briskly. He started to walk around the imp, but paused when he heard his mask's voice from his sack. "Master.please let me see the imp. It will only take a moment." The Happy Mask Salesman had some slight misgivings, but figured there couldn't really be any harm, could there? He took off his sack, rummaged through it, and pulled out the evil mask. Skull Kid recoiled a bit, having many bad memories of this relic. However, there was also another reason he feared the mask, not just because of his possession.The mask spoke telepathically to Skull Kid, frightening the imp. "Stay out of my business, you wretched imp. Do not interfere in my plans. If you try to warn Link or somebody else, I will know it. And I will kill you. And this time, nobody, not Link, not the giants, not your mother, can save you." He broke off as his "master" put him back in the sack and continued down the garden path, still whistling the tune to the Song of Healing. Skull Kid shivered for a moment, then walked away, followed by his worried fairies.
In another section of the garden, Ganondorf Dragmire was strutting around proudly, still carrying the Slave Sword. He was on top of the world. He had finally wiped away the shame from last year's tournament and would win for sure. With the money he would receive as grand prize, he would be able to finance a new army of stronger, more powerful monsters than ever before. He would invade Hyrule and finally get the complete Triforce! And then, then the world would be his! His thoughts of conquest and destruction were broken off when he saw a familiar critter on the path ahead of him, sniffing the flowers. His blood boiled. It was she, the one who had ruined him at the last Super Smash Tournament. Furious, he strode over to the critter, towering over her. The creature stopped sniffing the flowers and looked up. "Oh, hi Ganny! How are you doing?" asked Pichu. Ganondorf grinned evilly. "Oh, just fine. I'm feeling great! And you?" "Wonderful. I just love flowers." "Well, you won't be feeling wonderful in a minute! I finally have the chance for revenge!" Pichu blinked. "Revenge? What for?" "You know what for! For how you defeated me last year! By beating you now, I can avenge my honor and wipe away the stigma of shame you cast upon me! So, prepare to die rodent!" Ganondorf drew the Slave Sword and brought it down, intending to cleave the yellow rat in two. As the sword came down, Pichu turned around, her lightning bolt-shaped tail making contact with the flat of the dark blade. Ganondorf screamed as a thousand volts raced up the metal of the sword and into his body, electrocuting him. He dropped the sword and fell to his knees, blackened by the electricity. The Pokemon smiled cheerfully. "Sorry Ganny. Hey, looks like I beat you again! And in only three seconds too! Wish I could stay, but I've got more flowers to see before I have to meet up with my mommy. Bye bye!" She ran off, frolicking through the flowers. If anyone had come by at that moment, they would have seen Ganondorf Dragmire, mighty king of Thieves and Evil, wielder of the Triforce of Power, throwing a tantrum. "WHY? WHY?!?! WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY??????????????????!!!!!!!!!?!?!?!?!?!"
The tall, thin witch knocked on the door. "Come on Grunty, open up!" "No, I'm not coming out!" wailed the witch from inside her room. "But sister Grunty, we have great news for you!" said Brunella, the short, fat witch. "I'm not coming out. You can't make me!" wailed the witch. There was a small explosion as the two witches blasted down the door to Grunty's room. "Okay, maybe you can. What do you want?" Grunty's room was dark and dingy, with candles and a cot. She had a large talking spellbook on a pedestal and a big grunting cauldron. Grunty was wearing a paper bag over her head. "Grunty, I know you're probably upset about losing-" started Mingella. "You have no idea!" screamed Grunty. "Now I'll never be able to rebuild the lair and get an extreme face and body lift!" "Actually, you can. Rebuild the lair, that is." Said Brunella. "What are you talking about?" asked Gruntilda suspiciously. Mingella held up two large sacks of cash. "We used our crystal balls to predict the most likely outcome of each match. We then bet a thousand dollars on each match. At 10 to 1 odds, we won a hundred thousand dollars!" she said happily. "We can do the same thing for the rest of the tournament, and make enough money to not only rebuild your lair, but give all three of us extensive face and body lists!" added Brunella. "We'll look like models when we're done!" Stunned, Grunty pulled off her paper bag. Then she gave her sisters a bear hug. "Have I ever told you girls how much I love you?"
Wario and Waluigi were meeting in an Italian restaurant. (What else?) As they were waiting for their order, they had a serious discussion. "Man, you- a totally creamed that big-a lizard!" said Waluigi. Okay, semi-serious. "Yeah, I hope I-a do as well with-a the next guy." Wario said, sighing. "Well-a, why wouldn't you?" Wario frowned deeply and sadly. "Brother, in the next round I'm fighting Heinrich." Waluigi blinked. "Oh. Well-a in that case, you're-a screwed." "Your-a encouragement is-a moving." "Hey, it's-a not my fault that you're-a going up against an incredibly dangerous and-a violent alien. I guess I could-a wish you good luck, but it- a wouldn't help." Wario sighed again. "Looks like-a Daisy's doomed, then." Waluigi looked confused. "Why?" Wario got angry. "You idiot! Have-a you forgotten why I-a entered in the first place?" "Yes?" Wario grunted. "Okay, here's what happened."
Wario walked over the hill, whistling and holding a bunch of flowers. Up ahead was the castle, capital of the Vegetable Kingdom. Earlier that day, his girlfriend Princess Daisy had sent him an E-mail asking him to come over and try this cake she had made for him. Being a man to appreciate good cooking, Wario could not resist. So when he opened the front doors of the great castle, he was surprised to find.nothing. Nobody there. On an average day there were lots of vegetables in the castle, all there for some reason or another. But the place was completely empty. "Yoo-hoo! Daisy! Where-a are you, Daisy?" In reply to his call, a loud voice boomed throughout the edifice. "Ribbit! Wario, so we meet again!" Wario was confused. "Uh, who are-a you? I don't think-a we've ever met." "Grrr! I am Wart, king of the Frogs! I have invaded the castle and will soon rule the Vegetable Kingdom!" "Oh, okay. Where's Daisy?" "She's here! With us! If you want to save her, you can either give me ten million Nintendo dollars or try to work your way through the castle's numerous secret painting worlds, collecting magical stars and keys so that you can get to the top of the castle and beat me in three battles to the death. So, what do you say?" "Hmm. I-a think I'll try to get-a the money." "Wha-really?" "Hey, I'm not-a good at this hero stuff. I'll-a get you the money, you get- a the hell out of the castle, okay?" "Um, sure. Didn't actually think you would go for the ransom money." And so Wario left the castle and headed home, trying to figure out how he would get the money.
"So when I-a got home, I went on the web to-a try and figure out how to get the cash, when I got-a this E-mail inviting me to-a compete in the tournament. I saw how-a much the prize money is, and realized this-a was my break. So I headed over here and-a signed up. End of story." Finished Wario. Waluigi applauded. "Bravo! Bravo! So, since you're gonna definitely lose to- a Heinrich, how-a are we going to get the money?" "Well, I guess-a I could-a do the painting world thing instead. I-a mean, Mario did it, didn't he? If he can do it, then-a so can I!" "That's the spirit! Now, when-a is that food gonna get here? I'm-a starving!"
In the medical ward of the Coliseum, a tall man with a beard and yellow robes looked down sadly at the little man on the bed. Garm's coma was beyond anything Sumner could fathom. The great magician had tried every trick he had to revive his brother, but nothing worked. He had probed Garm's mind and found nothing. It was as if that dark mask had taken something important from Garm, something special, but for all his knowledge, Sumner could not figure out what. He shook his head. "I'm sorry, Garm. I know you can't hear me, but I thought you should know.I've tried everything I could, but there seems to be no way to save you. I regret whatever it is I did that made you jealous of me in the first place, and I want you to know that I never really thought of you as an inferior, even if your magical skills are not the greatest. I just want you to know that I always did, and always will, think of you as my brother." Garm didn't respond. But that was to be expected, seeing as he had lost his soul.
Bowser lay on his belly on the couch of his room. It looked much like his room back home, slightly creepy, medieval, with a little lava here and there. His Star Rod rotated in place in the air, suspended by a beam of light. Bowser reached into his shell and pulled out a framed photograph. As always, when he looked at the picture his hardened heart softened a bit. It was taken in better years, before the war between the Turtle Tribe and the Mushroom Kingdom. The war that he had started himself. The picture showed himself and his seven children Larry, Morton, Wendy, Iggy, Roy, Lemmy, and Ludwig. There was one other person in the picture, one who had meant everything to Bowser. His late wife, Lara. He remembered the day the picture had been taken so well. The whole family was taking a day off from the duties of running the Koopa nation, and were relaxing in the woods. They played plenty of games, the last of which had been hide and seek. Bowser had been "it". He looked all over for the kids and Lara, getting all the children. When he finally found his wife, things took a turn for the worse. She was dead. Killed by a group of soldier Toads. He slaughtered them in rage, after discovering that they had been ordered to do so by Princess Peach, ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom. And so he had no other choice but revenge. And so the war began. That was where the first Mario game had begun. He had managed to capture the bitch, but that stupid plumber had gotten her back after beating him. The Koopa King had tried time and time again to get Peach back, but that Mario always foiled his plans. Everyone in the Mushroom Kingdom had even started to believe Bowser was infatuated with the Princess. As if! He only kept up the act of loving her so she wouldn't know that he knew the reason for his wife's death. If only that foolish Mario knew the truth, that his little Peach was a murderer. He still didn't know why she had ordered the death, but he knew that someday.when he finally defeated Mario or told him the truth.he would find out why. And then he would kill the whore. He growled to himself. He put the picture away, not wanting to remember at the moment. He didn't want to remember the day it had happened. And for the moment, he did not want to be reminded of why he was fighting in this tournament. (The reason why will be revealed after the second round, I promise.)
Mewtwo sat cross-legged in midair, meditating. The room around him was bizarre, full of shifting colors and shapes. He was broken from his trance by a knock on the door. "Come in!" The door opened. Mew and Pikachu came in. "Mom! Pikachu! What are you doing here?" "We came by to see you and congratulate you for your victory in your first match." Said Mew. "I must commend you for defeating that disgusting pretty boy. However, I would very much like to see you in a real fight instead of something turn- based." Said Pikachu. "Well, you don't have to worry about that. Tomorrow I'm fighting Majora. That should promise to be an interesting match." Said Mewtwo. "You can beat him, son. Just try to do your best, okay?" said Mew. "I will, Mom. So, where're Pichu and Jigglypuff? I saw them in the stands earlier." "Pichu went to look for Ganondorf. She said something about trying to make up for beating him so badly last year." Said Pikachu. Mewtwo grinned. "Ah, thank you for reminding me of that hilarious match. Your daughter is a very strong fighter, Pikachu." "I'm sure she got it from her father's side of the family." Pikachu said proudly. "Yes, but her father didn't win the first Super Smash Brothers tournament, did she now?" joked Mew. "No, I did. Maybe it was my side, then." Admitted Pikachu. "Now, where is Jigglypuff?" asked Mewtwo. "She's on a date." Said Mew. "Really? Who with?" "The only other pink rubbery balloon around here, who else?" said Pikachu. "You're kidding me. Kirby is going out with Jigglypuff?" asked Mewtwo, incredulous. "It was a surprise to us too. We always thought Jigglypuff's only real relationship was with her marker." Said Mew. "Amazing. Do you think they'll hit it off?" asked Mewtwo. "No doubt! At least I know my daughter isn't interested in any boys, at least not yet. So Mewtwo, what brings you to this tournament anyway? What use do you have for the prize money?" asked Pikachu. "Ah, that is an interesting tale. Mewtwo, show her." Commanded Mew. "Yes Mother." He said, beginning the telepathic show.
The ancient city of Pokemopolis was once again under attack. The members of team Rocket were making yet another attempt to penetrate the city and capture the rare and powerful Pokemon within. Of course, the Pokemon did not just give in. They fought to protect their home, and so far had won without many casualties to their side. So far, at least. But sooner or later, the Rocket leader Giovanni would find a way to destroy the city and recapture his former pawn, Mewtwo. The city's three leaders met in the ruins of the Great Palace to discuss how to deal with this threat once and for all. The leaders were Celebi; the psychic insect with a knack for surfing the web, Mewtwo; mutant psychic and chief of defense for the city, and Mew; veritable goddess and ruler of the city. Mew came up with an idea to make the city impenetrable as her two second-in-commands listened. "Long ago, the Pokemopolitans were at war with a foreign kingdom. Despite the strength of their Pokemon legions, they feared for the safety of this, their capital. They looked to me, their deity, to give them a special form of protection. I created a relic called the Master Stone, a magic rock that would protect the city from any dangerous outsiders as long as it remained in the central temple. The Stone protected the city from harm for centuries before the eventual fall of the empire. The Stone was lost, and remains lot to this day. If we could find where the Stone is now, we could ensure the safety of our citizens for all future time." "That's all very well and good, but how do we find this thing?" asked Mewtwo. "I can find it!" said Celebi. "All I need is a description of the thing and I can probably find it on the Internet!" (Of course they have Internet access) "The Master Stone is a rectangular cube made out of a greenish crystal. Runes resembling the carvings in the Alph Ruins should be inscribed on the sides." She said. Celebi came back with a report on the Stone's location a few hours later. "I have good news and bad news. I've found the Stone! It's on E-Bay." "That's good." Said Mewtwo. "The current top bid is over a million dollars. The bidding closes in a few days." "That's bad." Said Mew. "Where are we going to get the money to outbid that? The city's treasury was emptied by looters a long time ago." Mewtwo complained. "Ah, but I have some more good news. I have found a way to get the money we need. Mewtwo, you have mail." Celebi handed a sheet of printed paper to Mewtwo. Mewtwo read the letter aloud. "Dear final boss, we of the Nintendo Corporation are hosting a third Super Smash brothers tournament in a day's time. It is eligible only to final bosses from our games. If you would like to participate, please come to the Coliseum in N-City, Virtual Earth. The grand prize is ten million dollars, followed by smaller consecutive cash awards for the Smashers in the preceding rounds." He looked up from the letter. "This is it! I can participate in this tournament and win at least some of the money we need!" "And even if you don't win outright, you should get some money. How much money did Mewtwo receive in last year's tournament, Celebi?" asked Mew. "Half a million dollars. And since Mewtwo made it to the second to last round, I would assume that they would give half of the current grand prize to him if he loses there. That should be more than enough to get the Stone." Said Celebi. "Okay, here's what we'll do. Mewtwo, you start for the city and register yourself. After I set up arrangements here, I'll come after you. Celebi, you get to the computer and place a higher bid for the rock. Watch for the tournament on TV to know how much to place on the Stone." Mew said. Mewtwo got up. "I'll get started. See you in the arena, Mom." With that, Mewtwo teleported away.
"And so I'm here now. Hopefully I'll pass the next round, but even if I don't I'll get a consolation of two and a half million dollars. Hopefully that'll be enough to get the Stone, as long as nobody bids too high." Mewtwo said after the vision was over. "And if someone else does outbid you and get the Stone?" asked Pikachu. He smiled. "Then Celebi will hack into E-Bay's records to find out who did it, and we'll go to the person's house and steal the rock. Simple." "I guess so. Hey, want to get some ice cream?" asked Pikachu. "Sure!"
Chaos lounged in his "bed". Well, it wasn't so much of a bed as it was a shallow pit for him to inhabit like a swimming pool. He had watched the rest of the round on the TV, and was glad to know another product of Sonic Team was progressing. Too bad they would have to fight one another in the next round. He formed a head as he suddenly heard the phone ringing. (Yes, the room comes with a phone!) He formed a tentacle that grabbed the phone, pulled it off the hook, and brought it back to him. "Hello?" "Chaos? Is that you?" Chaos lurched a bit in surprise. "Tikal! How did you get this number?" Tikal was a pink echidna, remnant of a tribe from a few thousand years ago. Aside from helping Chaos take care of the Chao (For those of you who have never played Sonic Adventure1 or 2, Chao are the cutest, sweetest, most adorable little creatures in all video game land.) she was also sort of his girlfriend. "I had to inquire with the operator. I saw your fight with that hideous witch. I thought you did great!" "Really?" asked Chaos, his watery depths turning slightly pink. "You think so?" "Yeah! But those spells looked like they hurt. Were you okay?" "Nothing too bad. I've been hit by worse. That hedgehog packed a harder punch than anything that witch threw at me!" "Well, that's good. But you're sure you're okay?" "Of course, why wouldn't I be?" "No reason, I just don't want the Chao to be without a strong father influence." The water got a little pinker. "Th-thanks. I think I'll be okay. Did you call for any particular reason, or just to check up on me?" "Actually, I have something to tell you. Chaima and Zo's egg has hatched." "Really? Damn, I wanted to be there for the hatching." "Don't worry, by the time the tournament is over another few eggs should be just about ready to hatch. You'll be present for their births." She paused. "Oh, the new baby wants to say hi. Hold on.okay Cho, say hello to Daddy Chaos." "Hewo Daddy Kaos!" "Hello baby Cho. Are you being a good boy and listening to your parents?" asked Chaos. "Uh-huh!" "Good Chao. Tikal, I'm afraid I have to go, our favorite soap opera will be on any minute." "Oh! Thanks for reminding me, I've got to get to the TV before it starts! Call you tomorrow. Bye!" "Bye." The line went dead. Chaos replaced the phone and grabbed the remote. Just before turning on the TV, he said to himself, "I love that woman."
Scales was interrupted from her nap by a knocking on the door. Her room was a bit strange. It looked a little like an indoor jungle, with a small stream and pond. There was a television, computer and telephone, but the rest of the room seemed like the wild. She opened the door and found a black and red hedgehog. "SHADOW!" As her brother protested, she grabbed him in a very strong hug. "Ugh.Sis.please.let go." "Oh, sorry. It's just that I've never really been able to hug you before or really do anything with you!" She put him down. "Come on in. Is there something you wanted to see me about?" Shadow walked in and sat on a rock. "Well, I wanted to say you did very well at the match. I thought your strategy was quite clever. You looked like you knew what you were doing the whole time." "Really? Actually, I was kind of nervous, it being my first fight and all. I was worried I would lose to that rustbucket." "So? It's all right to be nervous about a fight. You think I wasn't shaking in my hover shoes when I had to fight you as the Biolizard or Final Hazard?" Scales was surprised. "You were nervous? You didn't look like you were even remotely worried." "Of course I was nervous! I mean, come on, Ultimate Lifeform or not, I was a small hedgehog and you were a giant monster! You bet I was worried. But did that stop me from kicking your ass? I think not." She smirked. "True. Of course, the beating you and Sonic gave me wasn't nearly as bad as falling through the atmosphere." He chuckled. "You think that you had it bad? All that happened to you when you fell (aside from reentry) was that you landed in the ocean, where your old gills came in handy. When I fell, I caromed off an airplane, ricocheted off of twelve skyscrapers, smashed through twenty cars while plowing through the paved asphalt of the street for twenty yards before slamming face first into a tree. And then the tree fell on me." "Ouch." "Healed in two days, was out on the streets on the third. Painful, but fleeting. Kind of like fear. Once you conquer it, it goes away. If you're worried about losing a match, just believe you won't, and you stand a good chance of winning. That's the best advice I can think of for this matter." "Thanks bro." "Well, I'd love to chat some more, but I've got a date." "Really? With whom?" "Would you believe Amy Rose?" "What! I thought she refused to go out with anyone but Sonic." "Well, I managed to change her mind."
Shadow walked out of his room, whistling his theme song (Throw it All Away) en route to Scales' room. He passed the room Rouge and Knuckles were sharing, and was not that surprised to find Amy was positioned right outside of Sonic's room, trying to peek through a crack in the door. As usual, the pink hedgehog was doing everything she could to try to get close to her hero. It was kind of sad. Sonic as always, firmly rejected Amy's advances. Shadow for one wished Amy would chase after somebody else, perhaps himself. Hmm, there's an idea."Hello, Ms. Rose." "Aaahh! Oh, it's just you, Shadow. Don't scare me like that!" "What are you doing?" "I think Sonikku is trying to take a shower. I know it sounds kind of dirty, but I wouldn't mind seeing him without his clothes on." Shadow eyed her. "Amy, you always see Sonic without clothes on. None of us wear clothes except for you, Eggman, and Rouge." "Yeah, but I've never seen him without his gloves or shoes on!" she protested, admittedly a little weakly. "Look, Amy, Sonic really doesn't want to have a serious relationship with you." "Oh I know that, but I think I might be able to persuade him to change his mind." "How? By constantly following him and causing endless aggravation? He doesn't appreciate that, Amy." She frowned. "Okay then, what would you suggest?" "Maybe you should stop chasing someone you can't catch, and go after someone you can. Someone you know will care about you and not just leave you behind. Someone like." "You?" said Amy, trying not to laugh. "Well, I was kind of hoping." "I don't know, Shadow. What can you give me that Sonic can't?" "Well, I won't run away from you every time you're around me." "Well, that's a start. What else?" "I can care about you for who you are, and not be attracted to someone else because of their looks." "Hmm." Privately, she thought, His reasons sound pretty good so far. And he is as cute as Sonikku, if not cuter. Let's see. "What else?" "I could take you out on a date worthy for a woman as good as yourself." Ooh, nice line. But what's he offering? "What sort of date?" "I could take you to the mall, do some shopping for starters." This is sounding better. "And then?" "Dinner of the restaurant of your choice, whatever that may be." Getting warmer. "And after that?" "We could see a movie." Better test him. See what movie he's thinking of. "What movie?" "Would you be amenable to seeing the new James Bond movie?" Bingo! "Okay, I'm yours!" "Wha-really?" "Sure. In a few hours sound good for this date?" "O-of course." "Great! See you then. Got to go get myself ready." She walked off to her own room. Shadow stood there for a few moments, astonished. "I don't believe it.I did it! I got a date with Amy! Oh, that faker Sonic will be eating out of my hand for this one"
"And so I have a date to attend to. Any advice?" "How should I know? I've never been to a mall, a restaurant, or a movie! All I can say is good luck, Shadow." "Then that's all I can ask for. I'll see you later, sis. And don't worry about your fight with Chaos tomorrow. You'll do fine. Well, gotta jet. Don't want to keep the lovely Miss Rose waiting." Shadow got up and left the room. "Thanks bro."
How was that? All right, I admit that was kinda weird, but it had to be done. You now know most of the Smasher's reasons for entering the tournament, and more reasons will be made available later on. Please remember to review. Next time: Pi2 is confronted with the news of two surprising and outrageous thefts. But the tournament must go on, so he has to deal with the problem later. More importantly, Majora and Mewtwo come together in an awesome war of psychic strength. Which of the two fighters will win? Find out next time on.Super Smash Bosses! Heinrich."