Super Smash Bros.: MELEE
Roy's story…
Chapter Five: Fight for First
For the next full week, Roy didn't have any fights scheduled. When he wasn't watching other Smashers' fights and memorizing every other person's fighting style he was in the training yard or practice rooms working on new combos and working on his speed. He would emerge hours later, sweating and exhausted only to get something to eat and drink.
Oddly, on the first morning Roy awoke to find a letter pushed under his door. Yawning and stretching, he picked it up and sat back down on his bed to read it. It was from Marth.
Roy,
We both want that number one spot. It's easy to tell. Since we're so equally matched (although you'll noticed I did end up higher than you on the standings) I think we should call a temporary truce. That way we can eliminate those who pose more of a threat to us. Think carefully on this and give me your answer as soon as possible.
-Marth
Before Roy got very far down the hallway toward the kitchen, Marth intercepted him.
"Well?"
Roy frowned slightly at the demand but replied anyway.
"I'll agree. But it only lasts till the other two are gone."
Smiling – smirking really – Marth clapped him on the shoulder and strode by down the hall, dodging the two yellow Pokémon as they raced down the hall.
vvvvvvvvv
Because he spent so much time alone, Roy was behind on the rest of the occupants of the strange mansion. Taking a quick break for food on the fourth day off, he passed Link in the hall. He grinned and started to say hi…and Link walked right past him staring straight ahead.
"Uh…hey?" Roy said, staring after him, incredulous. Muttering to himself and shaking his head, the flame haired man turned and almost ran into Zelda, standing in front of him and looking very, very angry.
"What. The hell. Is this?" she demanded, shaking a piece of paper under his nose and glaring furiously. Puzzled, Roy grabbed the paper and scanned over it.
Zelda,
I know what you were doing with that pointy-eared bastard and I want you to know I think it's disgusting. You give up your body like it's just a piece of trash. Well I guess that makes you a piece of trash. I hope you're happy knowing you're now a whore to everyone here. May you live badly and die worse,
-Roy
By the time he finished the letter for the third time, Roy realized he was breathing heavily through his nose and his fingers were punching holes through the paper. This wasn't the only letter Marth had written in the past few days. And his mistake had just caught up with him. Grabbing Zelda by the arm, ignoring her protests, he pulled her into the nearest alcove.
"I did not write this," he whispered fiercely. "I know who did though!" Pulling out the letter from Marth, he thrust it at her. "Look at this!"
Every time she finished a line, Zelda's eyes grew wider. She snatched the other letter from him and compared the two. "The writing is identical," she muttered, "but why?"
"Because he's a conniving traitor," Roy replied sourly. "Show whoever else has seen your letter this. I'm going to go set that blue-haired menace straight."
vvvvvvvvv
Marth was out on the front lawn, staring at the distant stadium. He turned when he heard Roy approaching. Breaking into an obviously false grin he spread his arms in greeting.
"Ah, hello again, Roy. Come to enjoy the fresh air, too?"
Roy didn't stop until he was about two feet away. Glaring he raised the note to Zelda.
"What the fuck were you trying to do?" he demanded loudly. He hadn't meant to curse but it had just come out. It fit though, and he wasn't going to worry about crudeness when there was something more important at hand. "Do you really think I'm that stupid?" Kirby, Ness and Young Link, who were over on another side of the lawn stared at them, slack-jawed.
Marth's expression was grim now. "Do you really think I'm going to leave you in peace?" he said through gritted teeth. "I want the glory of being the one to save universes. Me! And right now, you are a threat; one I won't let go free."
"So take the glory! I don't want it. I knew you were thick-sculled but not this low. Petty, not to mention badly executed, tricks to try to make my life miserable? Almost everyone knows about that letter!"
Putting on a cruel smile, Marth stepped closer so they were nose to nose. "I think that you're just mad because Zelda is mad," he taunted. "You know you still want her. You know you resent that elf for taking her."
"Not anymore. Now leave me alone or I will have to hurt you."
Roy started to stalk away, but Marth had one last remark.
"Maybe you're mad that she got him then."
How dare he? How dare he!
Pivoting smoothly, Roy's heel caught Marth across the face, sending him sprawling in the dirt. Yanking his sword out of his sheath, Roy raised it over his head. Men like Marth deserved this.
A huge hand grabbing his arms interrupted his swing. A booming voice sounded from behind him.
"Maybe you should take this into the arena."
The host's face was grim, but there was a sparkle in his eyes. "I'd just come over to set up a screen where everyone could see their ranks, but I think I just thought of another announcement to make. Grudge Matches!"
Yanking his hand free and holding his head from the volume of the man's voice, Roy wondered sourly if the man had a way to turn everything into a match. By then, everyone had heard the noise and was coming out to investigate. Some looked at his sword questioningly and Roy hurriedly put it back into its sheath. Listening to the host's explanation, he decided that Grudge Matches were just what everyone needed.
vvvvvvvvv
From the Smasher's Box, Roy watched as Mario and Luigi battled fiercely, maybe more fiercely than he has seen either fight before. It was Luigi's choice and maybe being brothers had something to do with it, but they were a non-stop flurry of action.
"D' you think that Luigi chose this 'cause he's always second best?" Captain Falcon asked.
Chuckling, Fox, Falco and Ganondorf murmured their assent.
After Luigi's third straight K.O., the crowd started up a chant of "Lu – i – gi, Lu – i – gi!"
Mario had just reappeared onto the stage and dropped down from the platform when Luigi began his trademark pose, which was to hang his head bashfully and scuff his foot. Using the time to charge up a Smash Attack, Mario made the mistake of standing directly in front of him. Luigi's foot came up and into Mario's shin, disrupting his attack. Luigi used the brief pause to use Tornado Punch, spinning quickly while rising into the air, each revolution causing damage. After about three spins, he tucked into a ball and then burst out, sending Mario back over to the edge of the arena. Using Dive, a move that rocketed him toward an opponent, Luigi smashed headfirst into Mario and sent him off the edge for the final K.O.
"GAME!" came the announcer's shout. "Winner, LUIGI!"
After three more fights; Falco beating Captain Falcon, Link tying with Ganondorf and Pichu losing to Pikachu, it was Roy's turn to choose. His decision was easy. Without looking at the other swordsman, Roy stated "Marth," and walked into the transporter.
vvvvvvvvv
Roy sweated and panted through clenched teeth. Circling around on the platform – the Pokémon stadium from the first day – and watched his adversary carefully. Marth was doing the same; their battle so far had been fierce, Marth using his speed and Roy his strength, and both the combatants were tired. Marth was in the lead by one K.O., it was one to two. Setting his teeth, Roy searched Marth's eyes for any sign of weakness. They flickered slightly to the left and Roy made his move.
Rolling to the right, he popped up to the blue-haired man's other side and immediately swung into a variation of Dancing Blade, going up, down, mid-height and down again. Catching Marth off guard, he fell heavily, partly from exhaustion and partly from a high damage count; 200 when Roy checked his wristband.
Seizing the opportunity, Roy charged up a Smash Attack. The other swordsman climbed groggily to his feet. The pain they felt may have been distant but the energy taken to fight was the same.
He tilted his head up and saw Roy standing in front of him, almost at full power and his eyes widened. Just as Roy released, Marth jumped up into a Counter pose, caught the blow and reversed it. Roy went sprawling twenty feet away. He lay there, catching his breath partly, but also waiting for the other man's slow, shaky steps to take him closer. With a cry, Marth raised his sword over his head. Roy rolled backward just as the blow came down where he had been laying and grabbed Marth by his tunic. He struck the other man in the face twice and then, using all the force he could muster, tossed him off the side of the arena.
Marth grabbed desperately at the edge of the main platform. Feeling his fingers close on something solid, he closed his eyes and sighed in relief. And then the platform shook as the stage changed. Losing his grip, he fell, passing through that invisible barrier with the roar of the crowd in his ears.
"Roy's our boy! Roy's our boy!"
The stadium had changed to its Fire stage, all dead trees, a burning building and heat. Sweltering, blistering heat that Roy took strength from. The shared fire element of the area and himself seemed to ease some of the weariness away from him. Standing with little difficulty for the first time in the last fifteen minutes, Roy watched Marth descend from above on his return platform.
Marth dropped down onto the top of the burning building and wiped sweat from his face. Roy still didn't move except to shift into a better ready position, sword turned backwards in his hand, standing sideways and facing his opponent. Glaring at him, Marth charged toward the fiery-haired swordsman. His steps were still a little clumsy from effort and now from his opposite element being so strong. Roy dodged his attack easily and struck him from behind, sending him sprawling into the dirt.
Double jumping up onto the dead half-tree, Roy crouched down and focused energy into his sword once again. As expected, Marth jumped up after him and caught the low Smash Attack Roy had been preparing in the chest. He started to hurtle backwards, then corrected himself with a second jump and flashed upward with Dolphin Blow, his version of Roy's Blazer, only faster and without the flames.
The move caught Roy off guard and sent him high into the air. Trying vainly to correct himself, he rolled sideways, trying to keep as low as possible. Roy felt a familiar tingle and braced himself…and then he was falling again. Gasping for breath and marveling at how close he had come to losing this fight, he gathered his thoughts and watched Marth, still on the ground. By this time the stadium had changed back to the original mode and the other swordsman was standing on the left platform, waiting for Roy to come within reach of his blade.
Roy let himself fall, tensing as he got closer. Marth began charging his Shield Breaker. Time seemed to slow for Roy, yet go so fast at the same time. One second he was above Marth, then he was level with him, staring into his eyes as he smiled wickedly and brought his attack down. Roy smiled back and paused in the air, then rolled just out of reach. Marth's attack passed millimeters away from his face and the man himself was thrown off balance, falling off the small platform and on to the main one.
Using the last scraps of energy he had left, Roy flowed through the forms of Dancing Blade, hitting legs, chest and arms before slamming into Marth's middle, sending him off into the distance a ways. Barely recovering, Marth jumped in midair and glided back down to the platform only to be met by an almost fully charge Flare Blade. The attack nearly stunned him and he hurtled through the air and past that invisible barrier that told him he'd lost.
vvvvvvvvv
Roy stared at where Marth had disappeared, panting. The exhaustion from before returned, only ten times as much. Dropping to one knee and leaning heavily on his sword so that he didn't fall face first on the ground right then, he was barely aware of the announcer proclaiming his victory, nor the feeling of being transported back to the mansion. The only thing he could think was how good it felt to see the shock on Marth's face when he realized that he had lost. Dimly aware of people crowding around him, he looked up, smiled at them and passed out on the floor.
