Hey everybody. Sorry this chapter took a while, I was trying to think of a way around the plot device used somewhere in here. . . But anyway, it's here now! Woo!


Chapter 39: Super Swordio Brothers


WHACK! WHACK!

"Ken. . . how pleasant to meet you under these conditions." Phil withdrew his sword from it's position of crossing with Ken's staff.

"I've been searching for you." Ken stated, lowering his weapon as well, "I've been meaning to talk to you."

"Pull up a rotting log, I got time." Phil motioned to one of the downed trees that was sitting about three feet from both of them.

"I'd rather not. You've been more accustomed to violence, recently. . ."

"About that. . ." Phil sheathed his sword, ". . . I have really been meaning to speak to Skye. . ."

"What about Jenna?"

"Don't mention her name!" Phil turned his head to avert Ken's eyes, "She doesn't love me anymore. And I understand that. I can handle it."

"Can you?"

"Look, I don't want to talk about that now. I'm looking for Mario. You want to help me, fine. If not, leave me alone."

"I can't force you to do anything. But I will help you, if that's what you want."

"Good. Follow me." Phil started off in one direction.

"Wait. . . how do you know where to go?"

"I've had Mario's trail for the past day and a half. I'm getting closer. . . I. . . wait. . ." Phil paused. "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what. . ."

"Shh!" Phil took off his headband so his Hylian ears could listen even more intently. "He's here."

"What do you mean, he's- AAAAAGH!"

"Ken? . . Ken!"

"He's not dead, if that's what you want to know."

Phil turned around. "Mario!" He drew his sword.

"Ah ah ah. . . one more move forward and he dies." Mario was standing on top of Ken, the annoyingly long blade touching the edges of his throat.

Ken winked at Phil and mouthed Play along. Phil sheathed his sword again. "Alright." He raised his hands, "What do you want?"

"Nothing. Don't get in my way."

WHAM!

Mario suddenly flew 20 feet backwards towards a particularly large tree, slamming against it and dropping to the ground. Ken picked himself up and dusted himself off. "That wasn't nearly as difficult as it should have been." He commented, having kicked Mario quite a distance.

Phil wasted no time in unsheathing his sword and taking out his sheild. Mario jumped to his feet. His katana had fallen out of his hand, and was now some ways behind Phil and Ken.

"Block him!" Ken yelled.

Mario leaped ove them both.

"I forgot about that. . ." Phil sighed.

Mario tumbled across the jungle floor and picked up his sword, then stood, facing both warriors with the sheer determination matched back in the clearing.

"We've both gotten stronger," Phil said to his enemy, "So I'll ask you, if you could, please die quickly honorably. But mostly quickly."

The fight commenced.

Mario charged forward, his sword ready to strike from the left, but Phil turned his shield to block. Ken lunged forward, but Mario flipped over the attack with ease. He quickly spun around again to strike, but Phil blocked again, this time with his sword, and charged. Mario made a seemingly clumsy move of swinging the blade from overhead, Which Phil prepped his shield for while charging forward with his sword. But instead, Mario leaped on top of the shield, stabbing underneath before Ken could help.

But Phil wasn't there.

WHAM! Mario fell to the ground. Phil had let go his shield and quickly jumped flankside and kicked him in the gut. Ken raced ahead again to attack, but Mario was already on his feet again, countering the spear with his sword. As Ken's staff moved helplessly to one side, he planted it into the ground and spun himself about in the edge, foot flying. Mario rolled out of the way, and Phil attacked, having released the shield and with both hands on his own sword. Mario rose his sword to block in a deafening clang, and Ken rammed him in the side with the blunt end of his staff. Mario again rolled to try and absorb the shock.

Phil withdrew. "You aren't running."

Mario stood up, spitting blood to his left. "You haven't seen my real power yet!"

SLICE!

Mario had almost teleported toward Phil in the flash of an instant, and cut his katana through the air.

Again. . . Phil wasn't there to receive the blow.

CLANG! Phil's sword glanced just off the neck of Mario's armor. Ken leaped toward Mario who spun around to counterattack, and his spearhead nicked the breastplate of the armor. Mario leaped back in surprise.

And he then did something neither Phil nor Ken expected him to do. He blasted a fireball.

And this was not ordinary fireball. Mario's body had become so finely attuned to the magic of the Fire Flower, the ball of flame was enormous. It tore it's way between the trees directly at Phil.

And to Ken and Mario's surprise, Phil caught it.

Phil was literally bracing himself behind it, his hands outstretched, his sword, fallen to the ground, just holding the fireball right there, until it shrunk into his hands.

"Try me now." Phil stated boldly.

Mario raised his sword up again.

FLASH! FLASH! CLANG! CLANG!

It was all to fast for Ken to see. He held his spear up in defense lest any stray blows came his way. Phil and Mario were going at it top speed, for a great many minutes, maybe even hours.

Phil flew backward against a tree, his sword flying out of his hand, and landing several yards away. Mario wasted no time lunging forward to attack. In a flash of fire, Phil's sword reappeared in his hand and swung at Mario's exposed armor.

CRAAAACK!!

Mario fell over. His body armor broke in two. He sighed, Phil drawing his sword up to his neck. "In as one kind of magic, out as another. . ."

"You can't kill me. I have the magic of the Life Mushrooms. I'll just come back at a later time and strike you down."

"I was aware of that. I would hunt you down until all ninety nine of your lives are diminished. You took away something from me that nobody takes away from Phil Harmonics! You took away my girl!"

Mario blinked. "Your girl?"

"Yes. . . you saw her. She was the one that thunder blasted you into the sky last we met."

"Ah, yes. The yellow furred one. Then how did I make you lose her?"

"I was in the hospital wing of Bowser's keep. I didn't know it then, but her new friend, Skye, the orange furred one, took her behind my back. And even more so. . . she loves me no longer, I can tell you that much! If I was there. . ."

"If you were there!" Mario shouted, "If you were there, nothing would have been different. Tell me, if she truly loved you in the first place, why did she dump you for this 'Skye'?"

"I. . . oh no. . ." Phil pulled back his sword, but Mario made no moves to attack. "Oh no. . . that's not possible. . . sh-sh-she loved me. . . I was sure of it! I-I. . ."

"You know of her past, don't you? Were there any reasonable explanations for her to love you?"

"I. . . she loved me once, I know it. . . One day. . . she wanted some time to herself. . . I didn't want to hear it, because I was madly in love with her. . ."

Ken blinked. "Oh dear. . . you mean you don't know?"

"Don't know what? She was my girl, after all. . ."

"You were bing overprotective of her! Jealousy and anger played a large part, didn't they?"

". . . yeah. . ."

"It's obvious." Mario butted back in, "She wanted badly to get away from you, but afraid to leave the relationship because you would most likely killed yourself or worse had she done so."

". . . Oh no. . ." Phil's yellow eyes opened up into shock. "Oh no! What have I done? I. . . I never wanted to hurt her. . . I need to see her. . ." Phil turned his back, "I need to tell her. . . that I'm sorry. If she doesn't want to be with me anymore. . . I should have accepted it. . . What will she say? What will Skye say?"

"It matters not. Take my sword. . ." Phil and Ken were surprised by this move. "In ten years, there has not been one that could overpower me. . . yes, I've been blown away a couple times, but never to the point where I have actually died." Mario tossed his long katana, newly wrapped again in its sheath to Phil, who took it, and set off running back to the palace.

"It should be good you did that." Ken said, "I have a message for you."

"Speak, koopa."

"Phil, whom you just met, convinced your brother to join Bowser."

"What!"

"Hear me out, first." Ken backed off in a defensive position before Mario lowered Phil's sword which he collected off the ground. "Phil is not what he appears to be. Underneath his headband, his ears are pointed. He is a denizen of Hyrule, or at least seems to be."

"Hyrule? I've heard of that. . . from the Zelda game, right?"

"It's no longer a game. I shall prove it to you. . . go three miles to the west, and you'll see a spacecraft not from this universe. Ten miles south of that, a castle that periodically releases a purple smog, and is constantly surrounded by thunderclouds. Six more miles south, a city and forest that contain some creatures more extraordinary that the ones even on this world. And seven miles west of that. . . The most peculiar thing. A normal neighborhood, not from even our own environment, from a world where Phil came. See that alone. . . you may believe me. Princess Peach is not dead, says Ben, a denizen of the Outer World, as I call it. She, as well as all of us, are trapped here. Your emotions have been controlled by the Game Master. Your further abuse would only bring the end of the empire of Koopa, and what then? You would have had your vengeance, and lost everything else."

"I shall believe you."

"What! After your ten-year grudge?"

"I've known for three days now. As a matter of fact, I know that Phil's girlfriend has traveled miles south of here. . . I shall follow her."

"Why didn't you tell Phil?"

"Some things. . ." Mario said, "Are better left to age. . ."



Next time, on Video Game! Phil arrives at the castle, only to be informed something drastic! Tune in next time, same Video Game time, same Video Game channel! Until then, Ciao!