Chapter Seven
Dinner was light and so was breakfast. Though no one noticed, except for the ever vigilant Link, the mysterious Polygon creatures had been coming down every night, scanning the Nintendo characters for signs of flaws, anything that could help them figure out which of them was the wrong character. When they couldn't find anything, they would fly back up to their master at the top of Tournament Mountain. Link was worried, what was the mysterious Master Hand up to way up there?
"Is it another minigame where we break more targets?" Fox yawned, "My blaster doesn't have unlimited energy, you know. I only have about five carts with me and each is only good for about a hundred shots."
"How long have we been here?" Yoshi grumbled, "It feels like ages since we've had a decent meal at Nintendo Home Base."
"About ten days, eleven if you count today." Mario muttered. Captain Falcon and Luigi stood back as the Nintendo fighters took their places around the mountain. Link looked at Pikachu. The mouse stood in front of the door leading to his room.
"Pikachu, enter the challenge. Do what I told you to do." Link whispered to the robot. The mouse nodded and entered the door, vanishing into the challenge arena. Link took a deep breath, hoped Master Hand would fall for the trick, and entered his own door. Mario gave a few practice punches to the air, then marched into his door as Luigi called out well wishes.
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Mario dropped onto a steel platform and looked around. There was a map of red spots. He looked ahead and spotted platforms with red lights.
"Board the platforms! Jump on all the platforms without falling out of the arena! Fail to light all ten and you are disqualified from the Master Tournament!" the announcer declared.
"Yeah, I think I know the drill." Mario grumbled as he raced ahead and jumped down to the first platform. He did a quick double jump to get to the next one, then looked down at the third platform. It was a little far, but if he could maneuver well enough, he could hit it. He leaped and waved his arms to steady himself. Tap! He landed safely.
"This looks easy." he muttered and turned around to see the other platforms. They rose up and down fairly quickly from a strange floor. Mario eyed it and dug into his pocket, pulling out a plastic cap from a soda NES Link once bought him when he lost a bet against Mario. He dropped it out over the floor and watched it. As soon as the cap touched the floor, it was incinerated. The floor was blazing hot!
"That might hurt a little." Mario remarked sarcastically as he waited for the ledge to pop up with the platform. "Okay, it's all in the timing." He waited a few seconds longer, then leaped just as the platform popped up. He touched it and jumped again, landing on the next platform to pop up. He jumped again, landed on the next ledge and jumped a second time, landing on the black and yellow striped ledge. He panted, fighting to catch his breath. He hadn't gone against anything that hard since the Player in Super Mario 64 rammed him into a giant penguin by accident. He looked up at the scoreboard.
"Let's see. That would be six platforms down. Whoa. I'm almost finished! That's quick." he exclaimed and jumped down to the steel platform below him. He ran ahead, dropped down into a gap and then jumped up onto another ledge. Behind him, a wall periodically fell and rose into the ceiling. "Okay, these walls must be the things that moved the platforms on the upper level. Got it." Mario muttered as he stared out at the platform in midair before him. He watched the wall come down, then as it rose up, he dropped forward and landed stomach down on the platform. The wall came down again, but stopped a foot or so above him.
"Gee, couldn't you have cut it any closer?!" Mario yelled out in anger as it rose back up. He made a jump and scrambled to the next ledge. There, he saw a gap between him and the next ledge. No platform. "Oh, this is so not fair." he grumbled and took a deep breath. His midair jump could help him reach the next ledge, if he didn't screw up his timing. He waited for the wall to come up and then he jumped down. Just as he was right between the two ledges, Mario used another jump and grabbed onto the next ledge. He pulled himself up and then hopped down onto the next platform.
"Okay, that's eight platforms. The challenges are getting tougher. I hope we don't have anymore like this in the later levels." he muttered as he jumped up to the next steel ledge. There was a wide gap between him and a blue ledge. "Looks like I'll need to double jump again." the plumber thought aloud and leaped forward. At the peak of his jump, he did a second one and it carried him onto the blue ledge. He rested for a bit, then double jumped to the ninth platform. Jump, jump, jump! He scaled the platforms, using double jumps to help. When he reached the last one, he found that the double jump couldn't reach the last platform.
"This one's kinda tricky. Wait a second. My Jump Uppercut can act like a third jump." Mario declared, then looked worried, "But if I screw up, I'll fall and either have to start this over, or wind up out of the tournament." He stretched his legs and flexed his arms in preparation. "Okay. You can do it, Mario. You're not an Allstar for nothing, you know!" He told himself and held up a thumb's-up. "Here we go!" He double jumped up and used an uppercut at the peak of the jumps. In a flash, Mario grabbed onto the edge of the platform and climbed up, lighting it up.
"Perfect!" the announcer declared and a portal appeared below Mario. The plumber eyed it warily, then took a risk and jumped to it. He fell into the portal and was transported out of the arena.
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Mario waited while the other characters came out from their challenges. Link limped a little as he came out of his room. Luigi gave him a worried look.
"Hey, Link! Are you okay?" Kirby called out as he headed up to the campfire Fox set up. Link nodded.
"Yeah. I just stubbed my toe on one of those platforms. It moved when I wasn't watching it." he replied as he sat down next to him.
"Yeah, you've gotta watch out for those things. They like to try to get you to screw up." Mario pointed out. Yoshi stretched his arms and looked around.
"Hey, we're still missing one more character." he remarked.
"Yeah, you're right. Hey, Link. Where's Pikachu?" Samus asked just as the mountain began to shake. Everyone flattened themselves onto the ground and covered their heads.
"Earthquake!" DK shouted. A clap of thunder sounded, booming overhead. Link cried in pain. None of the elder Links had him ready for loud noises, it was something he couldn't handle. Suddenly, there was a screaming.
"PIKAAAA!" Pikachu's voice screeched and was swallowed by Masters Hand's laughter. The Nintendo fighters sat up in horror as the mountain stopped shuddering violently.
"Looks like one of your friends has failed the challenge! One down, seven to go! Ha, ha, ha! My first new slave has just arrived! I think I'll wait until I have the rest of you before I begin brainwashing. That way, you'll have the pleasure of watching your other comrades fall one by one!" the evil lord taunted and laughed again, his voice fading after a little bit.
"Oh, no! Not Pikachu! We just barely got him settled into Nintendo's routine!" Samus cried tearfully. The others expressed anger and sorrow in their own ways. Link stepped back away from the group and tightened his mouth.
"Okay. Step three is done. Now for step four. I've got to survive this tournament and get all the way up to Master Hand so Pikachu and I can beat him!" he muttered, "I only hope no one falls for real."
Fox Versus Kirby Team
That night, the Nintendo fighters slept uneasily, knowing one of their own was trapped somewhere. Link slept the same way, worried about his own plan and hoping he wouldn't fail his friends. Plagued with nightmares of his own failure and inferiority, Link tossed and turned in his sleep, moaning softly.
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The three Links stood on the stage in the home computer, ready to reveal their latest addition to the series. Everyone waited in anticipation, eager to see the new Link step in and take command for the Nintendo 64 series of Zelda games.
"After many days of deliberation and experimentation, we heroes of the Legend of Zelda series have decided to change the appearance of the new Link. The new era of games should have a new era of Links and this will be the first of that new era." GB Link had declared in his speech, causing every Nintendo character to have their jaws drop open in shock. They had dared to stray from the routine look and make a whole new Link?! Again?! Were they insane? "We present to you, and to the Players of the Realm of Humanity, Nintendo 64 Link, star of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time!" GB Link exclaimed and stepped out of the way, bringing aside a red curtain to reveal the latest addition.
N64 Link stood timidly on the stage, dressed in his best Kokiri tunic and Deku shield, his Kokiri sword shined up bright. His blonde hair was brushed and styled neatly, with his solid green cap snug on his head. He looked out at the audience with bright blue eyes full of shy eagerness, a sort of excitement that made him look as if he could burst into laughter at any moment. With a perky, slightly pointed nose, and a hand up to his mouth as if to suck on his thumb, the new Link was actually cute, giving him that innocent quality that made you want to like the guy, despite the fact that he was a little boy instead of the preteens the other Links were designed to be.
"Loser." someone coughed as the whole place was set in silence. N64 Link shrank a little, the eagerness quickly replaced by hurt. Why did someone call him a loser? What had he done?
"Um... GB Link?" Allstar Luigi asked hesitantly, "Not to sound cruel or anything but... is that some kind of joke? Do you really think that Players will accept that... well, accept him as the new Link? Especially after your last attempt at a new Link design?" GB Link looked slightly confused, then irritated, as N64 Link began to cry and ran to NES Link, hugging his leg and hiding his face.
"What do you mean? The Programmers agreed that Trainee Link's new design will help the N64 and the new game. Players who have enjoyed the Zelda series will accept him once they get a feel for him in the game. And please don't bring up that first attempt again." GB Link replied. NES Link picked up the trainee and hugged him, then set him down and gave him a gentle nudge forward. N64 Link didn't want to be put in the spotlight. "Okay, Link. Give them the speech you worked out." GB Link told him gently.
He didn't want to. Someone made fun of him and Luigi couldn't think of him as a person, as a Link. They said he was a joke. That he wasn't the real Link designed for the N64. But the other Links said to give the speech, so he began in a shy, soft voice.
"Um, hello. My... my name is Trainee Link and I'm going to be the N64 Link for this season." he started hesitantly.
"Loser." another character coughed. GB Link looked out at the audience with a cold glare. N64 Link paused, fighting back tears. Why were they calling him that? What was wrong with him? Did he do or say something wrong?
"I hope I'll live up to the standards set by my teachers and make them proud." N64 Link went on, tracing circles on the floor with the toe of one boot in a nervous manner. "I... I'll do my very best to be a good Link in the game...."
"Who does he think he is? A Link? How can he be a Link? He doesn't even look like them!" someone whispered, but Link's ears picked up the words. He gasped sharply, freezing in place as he looked out at the crowd, eyes wide. Was that what was wrong with him? He wasn't a Link because of his looks?
"...SoIcanmakeyouallproud. Thankyouverymuch." he hurried and fled the stage. NES Link grabbed him as he raced off and held him in a hug as the crowd clapped tentatively.
"It's okay. They'll get used to you, Link. Give them time. Don't let them get to you. Once they see the you we see, they will know that you truly are a Link to be proud of." the elder hero whispered to him, smoothing back his hair and rocking him back and forth. The damage had been done already. N64 Link began to reject his own image. He wasn't a real Link. He was just some kid who looked a little like them, but not enough to deserve the name. He was different from the real Links and, so, didn't deserve the name. He would never fit in, never be accepted by the Players. N64 Link sobbed as he was carried away and GB Link proceeded to yell at the crowd for insulting them and the new Link. He wasn't Link, he was a mistake, a waste of the Links' time and efforts.
A mistake.
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Morning dawned and the group had breakfast, quiet in silent sorrow over the loss of Pikachu. Link sat far from them, dark circles under his eyes and a sort of withdrawn look on his face, as if he weren't quite 'there'. The others watched him for a bit.
"What's with GB Link? I've never seen him look like that before." Fox muttered.
"Creepy. He looks like he's ready to drop dead." Yoshi added, "I hope he doesn't. He's the only one who can keep N64 Link from tearing out his hair or swallowing Peach's perfume."
"Which Peach?" Kirby asked.
"All of them! Any Peach's perfume he can get his hands on, he tries to drink it." Mario replied.
"That's nuts. Whoever heard of a suicidal Link?" Fox muttered.
"You think it might have something to do with that hazing we gave him when he first came out?" Luigi asked softly. Fox shook his head.
"No way. We always haze the new guys. You did it to me when I was first introduced to the lineup. I came out fine." Fox pointed out. Kirby snorted and laughed.
"Yeah, right! 'Oh, Father! Father! They're attacking my name and voice! I can't stand these people, Father! Why did I have to be programmed with a voice?'" he acted out, faking a devastated look on his face. Fox threw a boot at him.
"Hey! Shut up!" he growled, "That's not funny!"
"Oh, yes it is!" Kirby laughed and fell over in laughter. Mario shook his head and sighed.
"All right. That's enough, you two. We're on the next level, so let's deal with the next opponent." he declared and stood up, looking over his friends, "And please, each of you, be careful! We've lost Pikachu. Let's not lose any more people. We have to beat Master Hand and rescue him so we can all go home." The Nintendo fighters nodded grimly and took their places around the mountain.
"Aw man! We're fighting copies of me next?" Kirby wailed, then blinked. "Hey, if it has my copy power, and it sucks me in to copy me, doesn't that make his power kind of pointless since he already has my powers?" he wondered aloud.
"Well, there's only one way to find out, Blobby. Get in there and fight!" Fox snapped before marching into his doorway.
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Fox leaped out of his Arwing and landed on the tiny, wooded field. There were three platforms above him. The announcer's voice rang out. For some reason, it sounded more triumphant this time.
"Eighth battle for Fox McCloud! Fox versus Kirby Team!" the announcer declared, "Three, two, one, GO!" Two Kirbys dropped onto a couple of the platforms. One had a Mario hat and the other was dressed up like DK. Fox jumped up and kicked through the top platform, knocking the Mario Kirby into the air.
"Gotcha! Those little costumes won't help you! I'll knock you off like I did the Yoshi Team!" he laughed and turned to see the DK Kirby punch him hard in the stomach. Fox was sent flying backwards, tumbling along the ground. He dug in his fingers and managed to stay on the arena. "Yow! What was that?!" he exclaimed after catching his breath. M. Kirby landed on the arena and the two Kirbys grinned.
"We're much stronger than the Yoshi Team. It'll take more than a punch or kick to get rid of us!" they said in unison. Fox got to his feet and jumped up to avoid a fireball attack from M. Kirby. "Give it up, Fox! We captured Pikachu! Now we'll capture you!" Fox leaped down on the Mario Kirby and began to kick as fast as he could, building up damage on him. DK Kirby came up from behind, his Super Punch charged up and ready to fire. Fox flicked an ear, then leaped straight up as he let the fist fly. Mario Kirby was slammed out of the arena, defeated by its own comrade. The remaining Kirby looked startled, then furious as a new Kirby came down to take its place. This time, it wore a green hat with yellow-green brim, Link's hat.
"Great. A DK Kirby, and now a Link Kirby." Fox muttered as a Poké Ball dropped from the sky. He raced forward, feinted a kick and jumped up to the platform. He grabbed it, jumped again to avoid the winds now being blown by the center tree, and hurled it down. The ball burst open and a Hitmonlee popped out. It jumped and kicked the Link Kirby, throwing it up into the air so Fox could give it a mid-air side kick and throw it off the arena. While the Link Kirby began to puff its way back onto the platforms, Fox jumped down to deal with the DK Kirby.
"You may have tricked me into defeating one of my kind, but you will still fail. As long as we are together, we are invincible!" the two Kirbys shouted. Fox stuck his tongue out at them.
"Talk, talk, talk! That's all you do! Quit yapping and start fighting! I'm not done yet, so try and take me out!" he taunted and charged at them. DK Kirby began to charge up another Super Punch while the Link Kirby landed and threw out a boomerang. Fox activated his deflector shield, bounced it back and slid a kick into the two of them. Link Kirby jumped and used a Rock Drop attack on him, throwing Fox across the floor. He scrabbled to get up and flipped onto a platform just as the Link Kirby used a Final Cutter attack on the spot where he had been. The DK Kirby followed him and gave a hard punch. Again, Fox dodged, twisted and gave him a hard kick. He landed on the bottom of the arena and began to open fire with his blaster, shooting any Kirbys that came at him. The scoreboard continued to show the damage meters climbing.
"You cannot hope to win this round, Fox! You will fail!" the Kirbys yelled as yet another item fell to the platforms.
"I seriously doubt that." Fox sneered and jumped up to grab the Hammer item. It came to life, slamming away as Fox followed it around in shock. "Whoa! It's possessed! Help!" he yelped and jumped down. The two Kirbys looked startled, then scrambled to get away. Too late. The Hammer smashed them, sending both Kirbys flying into the force field. Another pair of Kirbys came down to face Fox, one with a Samus suit and the other with a Yoshi hat. The Yoshi Kirby landed right on the Hammer and was knocked upwards. Fox jumped to follow it and the Hammer smashed it again. Samus Kirby began to charge up his gun as the Hammer expired and set Fox free. He fired and Fox spun around, turning on the shield and bouncing the shot back at it.
"You will fail! We are all-powerful! You can't win!" the Samus Kirby shouted at the same time as the Yoshi Kirby. The second Kirby landed and Fox jumped up, giving it a kick that slammed it into the Samus Kirby.
"Shut up!" he snapped as the two collided. They came apart and both used Final Cutters, Samus Kirby hitting Yoshi Kirby in the process. Fox was thrown back by the force of the blow and almost went over the edge.
"Fire Fox!" he shouted and activated a jetpack that boosted him back onto the arena. "You almost got me that time! But almost only counts in Mario Golf!" Fox barked at the twin fighters and fired his blaster again. More items fell from the sky, a tomato and a Star Rod. He jumped up, gulped down the tomato and grabbed the rod. The Kirbys tried another Final Cutter team-up, but Yoshi Kirby took more damage and Fox only jumped up to avoid it. Once he landed, he brandished the rod. "Now let's get down to business!" he yelled and swung the rod hard. A star flew out from it and slammed Yoshi Kirby, sending it flying. Samus Kirby fired its shot, which was blocked by another star from the Star Rod. In the midst of the explosion, Fox raced forward and slammed the rod into Samus Kirby, throwing it over onto its back. Fox dropped the rod, grabbed Samus Kirby and hurled him off into the distance. He grabbed the Star Rod again and turned to face the next pair of Kirbys. One came down wearing a helmet just like his, with a pair of fox ears on his head!
"Hey! You've got my attacks!" Fox exclaimed as the Pikachu Kirby dropped down behind him.
"Precisely. That is why you cannot defeat us!" they exclaimed. Pikachu Kirby fired an electric bolt while Fox Kirby fired a blaster shot. Fox jumped straight up and let the attacks hit the two Kirbys.
"Wrong again, marshmallow men!" he growled and swung the rod hard, sending a flurry of stars at both copies. When the rod ran out of power, he threw it at the Fox Kirby. The copies flew off the arena, but still had enough energy to float back to it. Meanwhile, Fox stood, trying to regain his strength and catch his breath. This fight was harder than he thought. As soon as the Fox Kirby came close, Fox jumped and punched it hard, slamming it to the force field.
"Curse you!" the Pikachu Kirby squeaked as it tried to swallow more air.
"Ooh, I'm scared! The puffy rubber ball cursed me! I'm really gonna get it now!" Fox taunted and waited for another item to drop. A crate fell and Fox jumped down to shoot at it. Experience told him some of them were booby trapped. The crate blew open, revealing a baseball bat, a Bob-omb, and a heart container. Fox grabbed the heart container, was immediately re-energized and refreshed, then grabbed the Bob-omb, chucking it over the edge of the arena. "I don't want to deal with that." he muttered and grabbed the Home Run Bat. He faced the Pikachu Kirby, waving the bat. "Okay! Let's play ball!" he laughed and urged the copy to charge him. A second Kirby dropped onto the field, this one uncostumed.
"You will not defeat us! We will triumph over you!" the Kirbys bellowed angrily. Fox snorted and charged the Pikachu Kirby.
"You keep saying that, but it won't happen! You guys talk too much!" he shrieked and swung the bat so hard, it sparkled. The wood connected with the Kirby, slamming it into the force field for an instant KO. He turned on the final Kirby. "Your turn, Puffcheeks!" he snapped.
"Here I come!" Kirby yelled and raced forward. Fox swung the bat, but Kirby put up a shield and rolled underneath, coming up behind Fox. He went into a series of lightning fast punches as Fox whirled around. The fighter was pummeled over and over as Kirby went on punching at high speed. Finally, he was thrown backwards, tumbling through the air and slamming onto the floor. He struggled to get up, then lay still. Kirby grinned and laughed. "As I said before, you will not defeat me!" he declared and waddled over to his fallen opponent.
"And I said it wouldn't happen! Gotcha now, Blubberbutt!" Fox yelled, jumping up suddenly and swinging the bat. The Kirby was caught off guard and slammed into the force field before he could even cry out in shock.
"Kirby Team defeated! The battle goes to Fox!" the announcer declared, "Hostage being released!" Fox perked up an ear and watched as a metal box was dropped onto the arena. He circled it warily, sniffing at it. Then, he knocked on the door. No answer. Scratching his head, Fox opened the door and looked inside.
A Poké Ball was set in the middle of the floor of the box. Fox picked it up, puzzled, then tossed it out in front of him. The ball burst open and a Jigglypuff popped out with an angry look on her face.
"Okay! Who's the wise guy what pulled me out of the game in Pokémon Blue before I got the chance to level up?!" she grumbled. Fox grinned slightly, reminded of the loss of Pikachu.
"You must be the Jigglypuff that was kidnapped. And it was Master Hand that grabbed you and the rest of us." he replied. Jigglypuff blinked at him and thought it over. "I freed you when I defeated his evil copies. We're in a tournament to defeat Master Hand, free ourselves, and save the Realm of Humanity and the home base from his invasion."
"Oh. A rescue mission, eh? Okay. Count me in!" she declared and puffed herself up a little. "I can take on any challenge! Bring 'em on, Master Plant!" she declared.
"Uh, that's Master Hand. And, you're not in the tournament, just the Allstars and some others, myself included." Fox pointed out bluntly. Jigglypuff blinked again and let go of her breath, making a noise with her tongue as she did.
"Oh, poo! And I wanted to get some exercise too!" she whined and sighed, "All right, then. Up and at 'em, Fox! Let's get going!" she added and looked up at him. "Which way do we go?"
"Through that portal." Fox replied, pointing at the white exit. Jigglypuff twirled around and marched through the portal, Fox following behind and wondering if he should have left her in the cage after all.