It was a beautiful and sunny day in Smasher City, and the streets were packed and bustling as usual.
'Such a nuisance.' thought Matthias. He was walking with his girlfriend Sara as she went from shop to shop along the strip. He didn't care for throngs of people around him, with the exception of the thousands of screaming fans at the Stadium. The only reason Sara had talked the ninja into coming with her while she shopped was the fact that he needed to have his uniform mended, and he needed to pick up some supplies. That, along with the fact that he could never tell her no, a fact Sara used to her advantage quite often.
The crowd gave him room as he walked, instantly recognizing his loose black clothing and red staff, the legendary Spirit Staff and his birthright. As he walked past, people turned around and saw the red design on his back that matched the birthmark on his chest, the Greek letter Omega encircling the Ki symbol for Fire.
Sara watched in the windows of the stores as they walked by, not at the merchandise being offered, but at their reflection. She thought it funny; here she was about a head shorter than him, and with a slender build in contrast to his broad shoulders and large frame. Even their clothing was different. She wore a blue jacket, jeans, and white sneakers; he wore all black, even the cloth over his mouth. Her hair was blonde and kept back in a ponytail; his was black, short, and unkempt.
She pulled at his hand as they walked towards a book store, and he nodded as they approached. When they walked inside, he could sense people crowd around the doors to watch him. He grew uncomfortable as he followed Sara to the fiction section and from there to the Sci-Fi. As she knelt down to check out what books were in stock, he bent down after her.
"Love, I'm gonna cut out to get some air. Too many people around here." as he said this, he saw a few more people walk into their isle and stare at them.
"Okay, I guess I can meet up with you at the Stadium after today's fights." she told him as she pulled a small group of books off of the shelf.
"Here." Matthias said as he handed her a small pouch of dark powder. "Smoke powder. In case they try to mob you after I'm gone."
After getting up, he walked to the front counter and asked the cashier for the location of the back door, and as he walked back, the crowd outside walked in and started to follow after him. He picked up his walking pace and turned down another isle towards the door.
As he left the building, he quickly shut the door and looked around at his surroundings. The building he had just left was three stories tall, and there was a dumpster up against a wall nearby. Next to the dumpster, a bum was sleeping under some newspaper. The noise of the commotion stirred him awake, and the sight of the dark ninja with he red staff gave him a drunken shock.
Matthias broke into a sprint towards the dumpster, simultaneously slipping a climbing claw onto his left hand, and jumped enough to get a foot on the lid, then launched himself up onto the wall. He then pushed off and slammed his claw into the brick and mortar of the bookstore's second story wall. Hoisting himself, he launched upwards and landed gracefully on the roof.
Looking around, he found the shop he was looking for across the street. Assessing the distance from his roof to one across from him, he closed his eyes and focused on his energy. He pulled it into him, and moved it into his legs, aiding the strength in his muscles and lifting him a bit. Opening his eyes, he bolted for the edge of the building and launched high into the air, coming down on the other side. People shouted after him as they saw him cross over.
When he landed, he ran over a few buildings and then ducked down, to throw off the crowd that would chase him, and then while crawling to hide, he doubled back to the store he wanted. Dropping down behind the store, he walked in the back door and signalled to the manager that he was there.
The manager nodded and motioned for Matthias to follow him as he walked through a door marked EMPLOYEES ONLY. Together, they made their way down a hallway and into an unmarked room, a store specifically for the Smashers, or celebrity fighters in the Super Smash Bros. competition, and hidden from the general public. Inside, the walls were lined with weapons, tools, potions, powders, and anything else a warrior could want. The ninja's deep brown eyes seemed to brighten like those of a young child in a candy shop.
Walking over to a curtain, he stepped behind it and began to undress. First, he placed the Spirit Staff against the wall pulled off his gloves, the fingers of the index and middle fingers removed. Next, he took off his black headband, then his vest. After that came his shirt and turtle neck that covered the lower half of his face. He paused for a moment, looking down at his birthmark, and the horrible scars that crisscrossed his body. He had matching scars on his back, and only one person knew why they were there. After he had completely undressed, he wrapped in a towel and pulled back the curtain.
He walked out and handed his uniform to the manager, and pointed to the tears and rips he needed fixing. The manager nodded and took the clothing into yet another room. Not a word was given on Matthias' part. He preferred not to speak unless it was absolutely required.
As Matthias stood alone, he studied the display cases. He looked at the descriptions of powders, and took a mental note of a few. He then moved on and looked at a case of throwing stars. After that, he looked at a display of magic items and jewels. Magic. How he hated that word. There was no such thing as magic. Instead, some items had qualities that allowed them to manipulate Ki differently, just as he did on his own with the Spirit Staff.
Before long, his clothing was returned to him and he went into the changing room again. When he emerged, he saw a woman with flowing blonde hair wearing a large red bionic suit be led into the room. On her right arm was a small energy blaster, and held in her left hand was her space helmet. She was the galactic bounty hunter Samus Aran.
"Getting ready for the fight later on?" she asked Matthias. He just nodded. "I think you're up in a boss fight just after my fight with Donkey Kong." she gave a pause to see if he'd say anything, but she just got another nod.
As Samus went over the modifications she wanted made to her Power Suit, Matthew walked up to the worker who had led him in. He pointed over to the display case with powders, and from there he pointed to which ones he wanted.
"Alright, put these on your account, Master Park?" once again, just a nod. Matthias felt the only person who warranted an extended response was Sara. "Okay, they'll be waiting for you at the Stadium."