Chapter Eight
Everyone was exhausted as the ledge moved up. Mario gave Jigglypuff her bow, explained the situation, then let her cry on his lap when she learned about Pikachu. Link was already fast asleep, too tired to talk to anyone about his fight. The Allstars wanted to ask how his first fight was like for him, 'first' because they all thought he was GB Link. He gave them all a tight-mouthed look, the 'Link Lock', then sat down and dozed off, leaning against the mountain. The doors had changed. Where there once had been eight doors, there were now seven. Pikachu's door was completely gone.
"Makes sense. If a fighter isn't here, then there's no need for them to have his door still here." Samus remarked and stretched. "We'll get him back. In the meantime, let's catch some z's. I'm bushed and I need my beauty rest."
"Link's way ahead of ya. He's out like a light." Yoshi added with a grin. The group curled up and drifted off to sleep, recovering for their next difficult match.
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"What do you mean they got another one?!" Master Hand bellowed at the Polygon servant. It blubbered fearfully, trying to think of an explanation. "And did you find the wrong character?!" The Polygon blubbered more. "NO?! Then DIE!" Master Hand blasted the creature with one of his attacks. The Polygon shattered into a hundred pieces as the others watched in fear. "Find me that character and bring him to me, or the rest of you will meet the same fate as this fool! You have a choice! Either the wrong character takes my wrath, or you do! Get moving!" The Polygons rushed off, frantic. Master Hand looked at Pikachu, who stood in a glass capsule in front of him, pounding his paws on the glass and yelling, "Pika, pika!"
"You can't escape me now. I have you and soon, your friends will be in those capsules next to you. Once I have them all, I will begin my plans of conquest. And once I have the fraudulent character, I will CRUSH him!" Master Hand laughed evilly.
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Morning brought the Nintendo fighters their next challenge. Each door had their symbols and a lightning bolt. Samus frowned and folded her arms on her chest.
"Figures. Have the woman go last. Everyone will be against my copy, huh? Well, bring it on! I can take my mirror image with both hands tied behind my back!" she declared.
"I'd be careful what I wish for in this freaky tournament." Yoshi muttered, "Master Hand might indulge you and tie you up for a laugh."
"Once we get past this level, there shouldn't be anymore challenges. After all, we started with eight fighters. We fought seven copies and this will be the eighth." Mario remarked. Fox snorted.
"Shouldn't. And we're down to seven fighters now." he grumbled. Captain Falcon, Luigi, and Jigglypuff watched the group take their places around the mountaintop and enter the doors.
"I should be fighting this tournament and not my dear Samus. I should be the one to defeat Master Hand in the name of my beloved bounty hunter!" the racer declared, shaking his fist passionately. Luigi gave him an annoyed look.
"Give it up. Sit on that rock and be quiet." he ordered. Captain Falcon drooped and went to sit on the rock, grumbling under his breath.
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Samus stepped out of her portal and looked around in shock at the arena. It looked just like planet Zebes from her games, the planet where she went to hunt down the Metroids. This was to be her arena? What about the lava down below? She looked down and saw it swell and bubble, as if it as ready to rise up and swallow the small island of platforms and land.
"This can't be a good sign." Samus muttered as her copy entered the arena the same way she did.
"It wasn't meant to be good, Samus. You shall fall in this challenge. You were lucky the first few rounds, but now your luck's run out!" the copy yelled and fired an energy hookshot at her as soon as the announcer declared the match to begin. Samus leaped up onto a platform and began to charge up her gun. The clone began to charge hers up as well. Then she jumped up and fired it at Samus before she could put up her shield. Samus twisted in midair and jumped back onto the land. The arena began to rumble and the swelling grew bigger.
"This is bad!" Samus exclaimed and raced to another platform, scrambling to safe ground just as the acid rose and swallowed the land below her. Clone Samus went back to charging as an item fell from the sky, a barrel. Samus jumped to it and lifted it up. "Here! Maybe this will help your plans!" she yelled and hurled it at the copy, throwing her out of her charging and blasting her into the lava. As the acid tossed her up and down, adding damage to her meter, Samus ran down and collected the item that fell out. A motion detector bomb had appeared and she threw it right where she was, then raced to the top platform. Clone Samus returned to the platforms, leaped over the booby trap, and resumed attacking Samus.
"You thought you could get me with that trick?!" she screamed and went into a Superspin attack, punching and knocking Samus around for a few hits. Then she slammed her onto the platform. Samus lay in pain, then rolled away from the onslaught of bombs that the clone dropped on her.
"Hey! That's my specialty!" Samus exclaimed as she scrambled to stay away from her clone and the rising lava. The acid bubbled, then fell back below the arena. She jumped down to open some space between herself and the evil Samus. As she did, the lava rose right back up again. Samus gasped. "No! Oh no!" she screamed as she was thrown up and slammed into the booby trap. Clone Samus laughed as she was thrown high into the air.
"Your end has come, Samus Aran! Master Hand will take control of your games!" she crowed. Samus flew higher and higher, uncontrollably spinning head over heels until she hit the force field. Screaming in pain, Samus writhed on the field that zapped her suit and held her tight.
"No, no, no! Let me go! Let me go!" she screamed as she began to disappear into the force field, transported to Master Hand's special capture capsules. "Captain Falcon! Mario! Link! Help me! Help! Help!" she screamed out her last words, then vanished.
"Samus defeated!" the announcer declared triumphantly, "Samus Aran disqualified from the remainder of the Master Tournament!" Clone Samus grinned evilly and left through the portal to return to the top of Tournament Mountain.
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The mountain shook again when Samus hit the force field. The fighters all look startled and horrified. Link held onto the floor, gritting his teeth.
"This wasn't supposed to happen!" he told himself, "No one else was supposed to fall! Who could it be?!"
"Don't tell me another one bit the dust!" Yoshi exclaimed as thunder rumbled. Master Hand laughed in triumph as the Nintendo characters looked around to see who was missing now.
"I have another of your friends, Allstars!" Master Hand laughed and Samus' voice could be heard screaming in rage.
"Samus! My beautiful bounty hunter!" Capt. Falcon screamed in fury, "Release my beloved Samus, you infidel! Or prepare to face the wrath of the great Captain Falcon!"
"What are you gonna do, huh?" Fox growled, "Shake your fist and make a lot of scary faces? That's about all you can do, chump."
"The lovely Samus Aran is now my prisoner! And soon, all of you will follow suit!" Master Hand declared, "Now, tell me the name of the incorrect character! Who among you is not a popular game character?!"
"We're all the most popular characters! Even if one of us is the wrong one, we won't tell you!" Mario shouted angrily. Samus' door vanished from the mountainside and the other characters emerged from the arenas to learn what had happened. Master Hand laughed again and the mountain shook a second time.
"This can't be a good thing." Luigi muttered. The group stared in shock as Kirby's door vanished as well. The puffy fighter's voice was then heard, shouting and screaming from high above.
"Looks like another of your fighters has fallen! And so quickly too.... It appears that you are growing weaker and weaker! Soon you will all be my slaves!" With that, the shaking ended and the sounds of laughter and thunder faded away. Link unplugged his ears and looked up angrily at the faraway mountain peak.
"Just you wait, Master Hand. When Pikachu and I reach you, you'll regret messing with Nintendo!" he growled under his breath. The level rose again to another section of the mountain. The battle wasn't over yet....