Chapter 8: The Tournament
Fox collapsed into the command chair on the Great Fox. He was exhausted. Now Pyra had one of the strongest Smashers in the tournament. Sure, if it were just Fox and Mewtwo, Fox might stand a chance. His speed would counter Mewtwo's strength. But Pyra was both strong and fast. Plus he had four Smashers now. You weren't even able to go up against four Smashers in a normal tournament. The Master Hand wouldn't let them.
But who knew how that would change if Pyra got control of the tournament? Pyra would most likely use it to entertainment himself; pitting three on one just see one get the crap beat out of the one. Plus he would rule the galaxy. What damage could he do then? It was too upsetting to think about.
What was also upsetting but needed his full attention was how to figure out where Pyra was heading next. Fox called up a list of all the Smashers, new and old. There were dozens of Smashers left. Who would Pyra think strong enough?
"Where are you going?" Fox growled to himself.
Frustrated, he turned the monitor to the tournament. The match was between Marth and the Ice Climbers, Popo and Nana, some more new people who got to fight as a team. It was taking place at The Fountain of Dreams. Marth ran at the Ice Climbers. The Ice Climbers launched some of their ice blocks at him. He hit the first with his sword. He destroyed the second one with a mild Shield Breaker.
The Ice Climbers took the time to jump at Marth, hammers swinging. Marth watched them. Popo was coming down first. Marth jumped, smacking Popo in the chest. He did a flip, before crashing to the platform. Then Marth turned on Nana, getting her with a Dolphin Splash. The edge of the blade sliced up her chest, before she crashed next to Popo.
While on his way down, Marth was helpless. Popo knew that. He grabbed Nana and threw her at Marth. She went up halfway and pulled the cord connecting her with Popo. Popo was launched into the air and intercepted Marth, smacking him with his massive hammer. Marth was caught under the chin and was sent into the air. The Ice Climbers landed on the shimmering platform unharmed.
Marth recovered and landed, also. Once he did, he ran at the Ice Climbers. Popo managed to get over him, but Marth's Dancing Blades hit Nana full in the chest. She was knocked back to the edge of the platform. Popo smacked Marth in the back, distracting him enough to let Nana get away.
Marth spun around and swung at Popo. He ducked under it while bringing his hammer down on Marth's foot. Marth yelled in pain as he grabbed Popo and threw him off to the side. He then jumped over the charging Nana, kicking her in the back. She fell forward, skidded across the platform, and went over the edge. She tried to get a grip on anything, but the fountain made the ledge slick. She plummeted down and burst out of the bottom of the level.
Popo watched his teammate go. He ran at Marth in rage, swinging his hammer wildly. Marth jumped back, evading the attacks. Once he was far enough back, Marth countered Popo's swings. With one swift swipe, Marth knocked the hammer to the ground. He then pulled his sword back and lashed out with a full powered Shield Breaker. Popo was hit full on and shot out of the stage.
The screen faded from the arena to a scoreboard. Marth's head was pictured over a two-pronged fork. "Winner" was written across it. The head went back to the left prong and slid up to sit across from Kirby. They would fight in the next round.
"At least they're safe," Fox muttered to himself.
The screen then flashed to show all of the people left in the tournament. To Fox's surprise, there were only four more combatants. Marth, Kirby, Luigi and Link. Fox let out a laugh, realizing that Mario wasn't in anymore, even though Luigi was. Mario had always been a big shot in the old version of the tournament.
Fox switched back to the list of Smashers. He clicked on Mario's name, bringing up his profile. Fox cleared his throat for no apparent reason while he read over the plumber's file. A well-balanced Smasher, he was quick, but not too quick. He was strong, but not too strong. He had special moves for close- and ranged-combat. And one of the tournament's main figureheads, holding a position in the top ten Smashers.
Fox came to the conclusion that if Pyra was going to go after anyone, it would be Mario. Quickly, Fox put in the coordinates for the Mushroom Kingdom. It was a one in a million chance, but Fox had no other ideas.