Roy: How could you.
Marth: I can't believe you.
Ardath: Abandoning us? For a week?
I'm sorry guys, but its Los Angeles! And like Ardath said, its only for a week.
Ardath: hmph.
Roy: Well, I'll forgive you if you give me a Christmas present.
Okay. Here's one. The update is one for everyone. I would say don't read it until Christmas, but that doesn't matter.
Marth: Okay. Last Chapter we started the Guessing Game. The only guess so far is:
Roy: I think the guesser thinks Luan is the Killer
Ardath: and Mewtwo is the Evil Master
Now these aren't the actual ones (Or are they...?) So don't jump to conclusions. Now time for the next chapter!
Chapter 5: Fight at the Mall
The entire mansion was unusually quiet that day. Outside, a freezing rain fell, mourning for the loss of the 2D figure. Not even the villains or usually rowdy smashers, who didn't care about Mr. Game and Watch, made any loud sound.
Katan looked around, her eyes large and looking frightened. Some of the Smashers were staring at her brother, Luan, who sat on her shoulder. Luan was a bit unnerved by the staring, and retreated to the seeming safety of Katan's cape.
Marth sat next to the two, looking for the entire world like their guardian. He stayed with them wherever they went, never letting them split up. Some of the smashers thought that the little dragon, Luan, had done it. They might have wanted to hurt him.
Roy and Samus came in just then, followed by Link, Zelda, and Young Link. Due to the murder, none of the young smashers were aloud to be alone. Each of the young smashers was assigned a "buddy" for the time being. Roy sat down on in a chair, his hair a mess, his eyes looking a bit dull. He made a big yawn. Samus sat down next to Katan to reassure her and Luan that they had friends.
"How many more are missing?" Link asked Marth.
"Only a couple, but they're bound to be late." Marth replied. Master Hand had called for a meeting the most common of the common rooms. This one was used for group events, such as Christmas, group dances, New Years Eve, and other group get-togethers.
Finally, the last straggling smashers came in and sat down. Master Hand looked over the scared group, then started. "Smashers, we gather here today to honor a lost friend. Mr. Game and Watch."
A wail went up from a few smashers, Mr. Game and Watch's friends. Master Hand continued. "We also have to take safety measures. Mr. Game and Watch was murdered in the hallway, found by Peach and Mario. To make sure no one else is attacked, I ask you to sleep in groups of at least three or more people. That way, the murderer won't get anymore ideas."
There was murmuring around the room. "This actually would be fun, if it weren't so we could save ourselves from getting murdered." Young Link told his friends solemnly.
"Mr. Game and Watch's funeral will be held tomorrow. I ask everyone to attend, though you don't have to. Remember to stay in groups for safety." Master Hand then disappeared. The common room remained silent for several seconds before all hell broke loose.
"We're all going to die!" wailed Jigglypuff. The other two little pokemon joined her in her crying.
"Who ever killed Mr. Game and Watch is so going down!" Captain Falcon growled, punching his other hand.
"Oh dear, what are we going to do?" Peach cried, grabbing Mario and squeezing him.
"Poor Mr. Game and Watch…" Young Link bowed his head.
Several arguments broke out among the smashers, and a lot of crying took place. Midst the mayhem, Katan remained silent. She just stared straight at the carpet.
"I bet it was one of the new smashers!" came Falcon's voice. Everyone suddenly went quiet. All eyes turned to Roy, Katan, and Luan. One or two of the other smashers even looked at Marth.
Link stood up. "Hey now, I don't think that they did a thing. They've only been here for barely a day. Why would they want to kill Game?"
"They want to scare us!" came someone's voice.
"They were probably sent here to kill us all for some revengeful freak!" came another.
The three newest additions gathered in a little group for comfort, seeing as they were all in this together. Finally, Zelda stood up.
"Enough!" she screeched. The room went deathly quiet. All of the smashers respected Zelda. "Just because they're new, doesn't mean that they are the only ones on the suspect list. Right now, we all are on the suspect list, including myself and those at Captain Falcon's party last night. Placing the blame on someone is just going to push everyone into panic. We don't need that right now. Right now, we need to stand together. For all we know, the murderer could be someone who isn't a smasher, merely one of the city folk in Smash City."
There were murmurs of agreement and apologies to the three. Everyone began to form little groups in which they would stay each night until the murder was solved. The crowd then dispersed to go due their duties.
"Hey, wanna go to the city?" Link asked Zelda. "We can go get some lunch or something."
"Are you asking me on a date, you big lug?" Zelda punched Link fondly. "I know! Let's take some friends with us, and we can get some pizza!"
"That's a great idea, Zel." Link grinned at his girlfriend. "Who should we take with us?"
"Oh, how about… Peach, Katan, Roy, Marth, Luan, and maybe Samus?" Zelda listed.
"Yeah, Young Link too." Link said. "Let's go ask them."
Of those that were invited, Luan and Peach stayed behind. Peach had some work to do, and Luan was going out for a fly, for the sun had come out finally. Those who accepted met Link and Zelda down in front of the Mansion. They then began their long walk to the city. And for once, Samus wasn't wearing her armor.
"Should we hit the mall?" Zelda asked the two girls in the group.
"The Mall…?" Katan thought for a moment.
"Yeah, the Mall. It's a big collection of all sorts of stores! It's a great place to hang out." Samus told Zelda. "We have to go, so we can show Katan what a great place it can be."
Link and Marth groaned at this while Roy looked back and forth between the two parties. Link and Marth knew that girls and malls were a dangerous thing for men and their money. Young Link was just feeling excited. He loved going to the mall with Zelda. It usually meant that he could get candy.
"And after that, we can go see a movie or something!" Katan exclaimed. The three girls let loose little shrieks of excitement, while the boys inched away from the crazy girls. Young Link joined the older boys.
"It feels like we're on a triple date, huh? Only you and Zelda are the only ones together. And we also have Young Link here." Marth said to Link while Roy was trying to take in all that was said.
"Yeah, although you and Samus would make a nice couple…" Link said evilly to Marth, making sure to keep his voice down so the girls wouldn't hear him.
"Actually, she really does seem to be my type…" Marth grinned. The other two laughed at this. "And Roy, you would be perfect for Katan!" Marth told Roy with an evil grin. "I heard that Zelda made you take her armor off last night.
"Huh?" Roy's face turned almost as red as his hair. Link, Young Link, and Marth burst out laughing. The girls, who were in front of them, looked back in confusion.
"We really don't want to know what you're talking about back their." Zelda said bluntly. Then something popped into her mind. "You know what? I think you guys should lead the way."
"Sure, why not." Link shrugged, taking the lead. The girls allowed them to pass before continuing.
"So Zel, how long have you and Link been together?" Katan asked. She felt very comfortable around the Bounty Hunter and the Hylian Princess.
"Oh, for years. Link's rescued me so many times from Gannondorf and his stronger counterpart, Ganon. Of course, it's an odd predicament with Sheik being my counterpart, but still, its rather nice. Link's such a nice guy." Zelda said with dreamy eyes. She then turned to Samus. "So tell me, do you have something for Marth?"
"Huh?" Samus was caught off guard. "Why do you ask that?"
"Oh, don't play dumb. I've seen you watching him. I'm a pro at this kind of stuff." Zelda smiled evilly.
Samus sighed. "Alright, alright. I guess I kind of have a crush on him…"
"Kind of!" Zelda said a little bit too loudly. The four boys looked back. Zelda waved at them, then returned to their conversation as the boys went back to theirs. "You should talk to him some more, Sammy."
"Yeah, Sam, you should tell him." Katan patted Samus's shoulder.
"I know I should… It's just… I'm not quite sure how to do it… I didn't grow up with humans, I grew up with what you would call aliens. They didn't act like a human would."
"I guess you've got a point there." Zelda said. "How about I teach you how?"
"Really?" Samus looked up at her hopefully.
"Really."
"Thank you, Zel. You're a great friend." Samus smiled one of her rare smiles. Zelda made a note about those smiles.
"How about you, Katan? Do you like someone? I haven't really gotten to observe you very well…" Zelda asked the girl.
"W-who, me?" she stuttered.
"Yeah, you. You're the only Katan I know." Zelda smiled at her.
"Well…" Katan thought for a moment.
"It's okay, we won't tell anyone unless we really need to." Samus told the girl.
"I-I'm not quite sure…" Katan said, her thoughts trailing off. Zelda looked at Samus, who looked at Zelda.
"Well, that's okay. You've only just gotten here." Zelda smiled sweetly at the girl. "But you know, I think you've taken a liking to Roy boy over there…"
"Huh!" Katan looked at Zelda, her eyes wide, her face turning a bit red. Zelda laughed gently.
"Never mind." Zelda laughed some more. Katan looked away, her face still warm and blushing, and Samus smiled kindly at her.
The trip to the mall didn't take too long, though Young Link started complaining that his feet hurt. But as soon as they got to the huge mall, all other thoughts were forgotten as the little group set their eyes on the huge place.
The first thing the group did was went and ordered a pizza. While they waited for their pizza to cook, they sat and chatted as a group, instead of by their genders.
"I wonder who murdered Game…" Link said, messing around with his soft drink, poking at the ice cubes with his straw.
"I bet it was someone evil." Marth pointed out.
Roy snorted at this comment. "One point for Marth the Wise One."
"And you know it." Marth started pretending to meditate. Zelda and Katan giggled.
"But I mean, seriously. Who would want to kill a two dimensional figure who doesn't really have any enemies, at least that I know of?" Link pointed at Marth with his straw, sending a few drops of the soda flying onto the table.
"Maybe the killer isn't fully an enemy of Mr. Game and Watch." Katan spoke up. "Maybe the killer wants to get back at the Smashers for something? Like, revenge?"
"Yeah, that's a good guess. Unfortunately, we can't answer anything as of yet." Samus sucked at her milkshake straw. The little group fell into silence, except for Young Link, who had already finished off his soda and was trying to slurp up what ever was left.
"Number 234, please come and get your pizza." Came a voice over the loudspeaker.
"That's us!" Young Link jumped up with the receipt and rushed to the counter to get the pizza. Only when he came back did everyone realize how hungry they were. No one had really eaten breakfast that morning, not even the two bottomless pits, Kirby and Yoshi.
"Wow, I sure am hungry…" Roy said as he watched Young Link making his way over with the pizza. "And I've never had pizza before."
"Oh, you're going to love it." Link and Marth spoke together. Marth's stomach rumbled loudly.
Finally Young Link put the pizza on the table. Immediately it was torn apart by the ravenous smashers. In seemingly no time at all, the smashers had demolished the pizza and were ready to hit the stores.
"Wow, that was good!" Link grinned.
"I still like Luigi's pizzas better." Zelda said.
"That's because he's Italian, and he's one of the best cooks in the Mansion!" Marth said. Luigi was one of the best out of all the smashers. The only smashers that surpassed his skills in cooking were Kirby, Peach, and much to everyone's surprise, Ganondorf.
"So where should we go to first?" Samus asked. Everyone stopped. They turned to Zelda.
"Um…" Zelda thought for a moment. "How about…"
"That one store with all the weapons!" Link, Young Link, and Marth all yelled rabidly.
"Okay then, we'll go to the weapons store." Zelda led the way. Katan looked around at the numerous stores and all the people in amazement. There was nothing like this back at home! Heck, there wasn't even a market, let alone a village.
The little group entered the weapon store. It smelt of fresh burnt incense. On the walls, there was numerous swords, battle axes, lances, spears, and all sizes of guns. In the middle of the room were cannons, ballistae, and a table with arrows, bows, slings, darts, kunai knives, and so much more. In another corner there was a row of different types of armor in all colors.
"Wow, this is like an armory!" Roy bounced over to the wall to look at a long sword. Marth and Katan joined him, while Samus looked at the guns. Young Link and Link went to the table to look at the bows.
"Hey, Marth, Katan, look at this sword!" Roy called as he gently took a sword down.
"Hey, don't mess with those!" came a grumpy old voice. An old man hobbled around a corner from a back room and swung his cane at Roy. He had silver hair that shined dully in the store's light. He wore some type of old armor covered with dents from a long past war. His cane had a small dragon's head for a handle.
"Ack!" Roy swung around to avoid the swing, only to trip over some stray armor, and fall on Katan, who in turn fell on Marth. The old man, seeing as he tried to use his cane on Roy, fell backwards. Fortunately for him, Samus was standing nearby, and zipped over to catch him before he fell.
"Ah, thank you, lass." The old man thanked Samus. He then hobbled over to the tangle of Roy, Katan, and Marth. "I don't want some crazy teenagers messin' with me swords! Only actual warriors can mess with them."
"But we are warriors!" Katan squeaked from beneath Roy.
"What's that, lassy?" the old man leaned in. "Been goin' a bit deaf in me ol' ears."
"I said we are warriors!" Katan said louder as Roy managed to roll off her finally.
"Ye are?" the old man cocked an eyebrow.
"Yes, they are. We all are, even the kid over there." Samus pointed to Young Link.
"Oh, why didn' ye say so, kiddies?" the old man chuckled. "Me name, tis Eula. I've been workin' 'ere since me ol' pappy died thirty years ago. Come, not too many come 'ere, they all be goin' to them hip young places, like those tv stores across the way. Have no thanks for weapons. Come, I like ye kiddies, come have some tea."
"Oh, that's okay, but we-" Samus started to decline when Katan stood up.
"Oh, I love tea!" Katan followed Eula into the backroom.
"Come along, kiddies, got some good fresh chamomile tea." Eula called back.
"Chamomile tea? I love chamomile tea!" Roy bounced into the room. With a shrug, the others followed.
If the outer room seemed like a armory, then the back room was like a weapon warehouse. There were weapons everywhere! Katan was sitting on a box labeled 'sabers' while Roy was climbing onto another box, the label hidden from view. Eula was pulling out a box labeled 'tea cups' from an old dusty cupboard.
"'Aven't used these in a good while. Got them when I was a travelin' merchant, travelin' between worlds. Been to a lot too. So where are ye all from? I can tell that ye are all smashers now, from the Smash Mansion. Why do ye tell me yar names while ye are at it."
"I am Zelda, Princess of Hyrule." Zelda started.
"I'm Katan from the Dread Isles off of Elibe."
"I'm Roy, Son of Marquess Eliwood Pherae of Elibe."
"Marth of Altea. Ex-prince."
"Link, Hero of Time and Hyrule. And this is my younger self-"
"Young Link of Hyrule! At your service!" Young Link bowed.
"I'm Samus. I don't really have a home planet." (A/N This probably isn't true, I just don't know)
"Ah, its nice to meet you all." Eula smiled. "And you all have wonderful homelands. Been to all but one of them, and that's the Dread Isles."
"Yeah, no body really goes there." Katan giggled.
Eula pored the tea into the separate cups and handed them to the smashers. "Tis been a long time since I've last seen them places. But I know that they're wonderful places all the same." Eula rambled on. Roy and Katan gratefully accepted the tea. They both began to drink the hot tea immediately, not bothered at all by the heat. When Link went to drink his, he found it to be scalding hot, making him wonder how the two fore mentioned teens were gulping theirs down.
"So Eula, it seems like you don't get a lot of business." Samus started.
"No, sadly enough. Everyone is out doing their shopping, but they don't want weapons, which are pretty critical here on Nintendo. (A/N Nintendo is the name of the planet they're on) Everyone is going for the latest fashion style, not life saving armor.
The smashers were silent. Some of them had taken a liking to the little old man. Katan then spoke up. "Is there anything we can do?" Katan asked.
"Well…" Eula thought for a moment. "I think there is something you can do…"
An hour later…"Come one, come all! See the fight of a life time between three professional sword fighters!" Young Link and Zelda were calling. Samus and Roy were making all sorts of hot drinks for refreshments, and Katan, Marth, and Link were preparing to duel in a three way friendly battle. They were wearing old armor and using dull swords. Katan even put on an old helmet, making her mysterious.
A large crowd gathered in front of the little shop, looking in on the transformed shop. The little group had moved the table, the ballistae, and the rest of the weapons in the center of the shop to the back room, making room for a little arena. Soon Young Link and Zelda helped Samus and Roy pass out hot drinks through out the crowd.
Eula stepped into the middle of the room, still wearing his dented armor. "Hello, Ladys and gents! Welcome to me little show! Before we begin, I would like to thank ye all for coming."
The crowd let out a murmur, some growing impatient. Eula waved the three sword fighters onto the stage. "I would like to welcome me three friends, whose names I shall save for after the little shuffle. Now take your places, me buckos!"
Marth, Link, and Katan spread out on the arena. The boundaries were marked with tape. If one of the three were to step out of the arena, it would be forfeit and they would loose.
"Ready, fight!" Eula waved a little flag.
Katan bounced from foot to foot lightly while Link charged. He went for Marth first. It was pretty even so far, considering none of the fighters had fought each other yet. Link feinted a blow at Marth, who threw his sword up to parry it. Suddenly, like a flash, Link saw a sword slip into the little space between Marth and himself. Katan had made her move. She flung herself back, dancing lightly on her feet.
"I'm going to get you, Kat." Link growled playfully. He dodged a stab by Marth and lunged at Katan. Katan parried his blade and flourished. Marth tried to attack while she flourished, but she parried that too. Link swung his blade at her, which she ducked under, only for the blade to hit Marth's armor. He fell to the ground, 'dead' as Eula had instructed them to do when they got hit. The crowd burst into applause.
Now it was just Link and Katan. Katan was still bouncing from foot to foot, watching Link closely. Link knew that he had a great opponent. He taunted her, but she remained in her current position, bouncing back and forth… Back and Fourth… Back and-
Suddenly, Katan's blade flashed past Link's ear as Katan lunged forward. She started to swing downwards, but Link parried hurriedly. He hadn't seen her move at all!
Katan's foot shot out as she tried to trip Link. But he saw this and jumped, hacking his blade at her. She parried and flourished again. It was like she was dancing with her sword. Everything she did was graceful, like a cat when it was hunting, or a dragon in flight.
Katan lunged back at him, but this time, he was too slow. She poked him in the chest, so he fell to the ground and made his dramatic end. Katan stood over him, adding to the dramatic effect. She lifted her sword, and stabbed it between his arm and side.
The audience went crazy. Even Young Link, Zelda, Samus, Roy, Eula, and Marth joined in on Katan and Link's fantastic battle. Katan leaned down and helped Link up, her face still hidden from the world by the helmet.
"Wow, great job, Katan! You could easily be the best Smasher ever!" Link clapped her on the back. Marth joined them.
"Wow, Katan. That was amazing. Only a true swordswoman can do that." He said as Eula hobbled back up onto the arena in front of the three fighters.
"Okay, now I'll announce me good friends, in order of third, second, then first. In third place, we have Marth!"
Marth waved to the crowd as the applauded. "Thank you, thank you, I'm here till Thursday!"
"In second, our very own, Link!" Link also waved. "And in first, our best fighter, Katan!"
Katan pulled her helmet off, revealing her black hair. The crowed really burst into applause. "Now, if ye would like, ye can come up here and meet them, single file please, and no cutting. And don't forget to get a sword of ye own! Starting the week afore Christmas, we'll be selling hand made replica's of our fighter's own swords, autographed an' everything!" Eula smiled at the crowd. "And we also would like to thank Samus, Roy, Young Link, and Zelda for the won'erful drinks this 'ere evening. Now first up…"
"Wow, today sure was fun!" The group had finally escaped the crowd. Katan had a huge grin on her face. Roy clapped her on the shoulder.
"Great job today Katan. You're a wonderful swordswoman." He grinned some more.
"Thank you, Roy." She returned his grin with a smile. The air had grown rather cold over the evening. It was about seven PM, meaning they might have missed dinner. Not that they cared.
"I sort of feel like I'm forgetting all about Game's death by having fun." Marth said aloud to no one in particular.
"I know what you mean." Samus replied to him. "And for a while today, I did forget. But I'm sure that he wouldn't want us to be sad in the first place."
"Yeah…" Marth looked up at the cloudy sky. It was already rather dark, so he could see the silhouette of the moon behind the clouds.
"It's supposed to snow tonight." Zelda told Link and Young Link. "If it snows enough, we can have another fun day tomorrow!"
"Yeah! I hope it does snow a lot!" Young Link bounced a head. The mansion came into view as the little group passed through the inner gate. They ended up having a race to the Mansion. Marth lost, seeing as he tripped and ended up rolling the rest of the way, while the other six laughed from the stairs. They then went into the house, only to find it was about as warm as a freezer inside.
"Why is it so cold?" Roy asked as he spotted Fox hauling blankets into the Main Common Room. Fox looked at him.
"Bowser broke the heaters. All of them. Don't know how, he just did it." Fox went back to hauling the blankets in. "Oh, and Master Hand says that since we need to be in groups anyways, we can all stay in the main common room tonight to stay warm."
"Okay." The seven replied.
"We should go get our blankets. Samus, Katan, come with me. We'll split it boys and girls. And we don't need one of you strong boys, because we have little Katan here who moves like a shadow." Zelda said as the boys looked at her, their faces all saying "Don't you need protection?"
"I want to find Luan, just to make sure he's okay." Katan said as they split up.
"Okay. We'll stop at your room first and see if he's there, though he shouldn't be-"
"Katan!" Luan flew through the doorway from the Main Common Room. "How was your day?"
"It was good, Lu." Katan smiled. "It was good."
Whew, this was a good sized chapter, now wasn't it? Aww, I can't update till next week. cries I'll just have to take some paper with me and write the next few chapters, then I'll copy them onto the computer, then walla!
Roy: a bunch of chapters! yay!
Marth: Aren't you all so excited?
Ardath: I don't think I like that little Eula man. He talks too much.
Roy: Aww, you're so mean.
Geesh, Ardath. What's the matter with you?
Ardath: I'm being controlled! eyes turn demonish RAAAAAaaaaa..aaaa...aaa...aa...r...zzzzzzzzzzzzz...
Marth: This tranquilizer comes in handy.
Roy: How could you do such a thing to a beautiful lady! You fiend! (Attacks Marth with his sword)
Okay, well, I'll be working on this while I'm down in Los Angeles. Good bye! I'll miss you all!
Roy: I'll miss you too!
Marth: Pay attention to your enemy, dimwit.
(Watches sword fight scene again)
Ardath: ZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzz... Read...&...Review...zzzzzzzzz...or no...update...zzzzzzzzz