Looking Ahead
Hi once again and welcome for some more Strikers Road Climb. In this chapter a season ends with one more bang of a week. The best of the rest battle once again before the knockouts. That's next as the action continues.
Like always I do not own Mario or Mario Strikers Charged all rights belong to Nintendo and Next Level Games.
It was always lamentable seeing something you were invested in end. After a while the finest had to move on, not satisfied until an undisputed best could be figured. Two teams would be left in the rearview window and four spectacular groups of five continued for an opportunity to challenge the Crystal Cup Champion.
However, the playoffs weren't for another week and certain teams were yet a lock for a postseason run. Being the last set of games the strikers league put the matches with stakes on last while contests with little consequences were broadcasted first.
Mario and Daisy were the pinnacle of the standing combined; the two had seventeen wins and one overtime loss. The defeat for the Sarasaland monarch only came from the red plumber. The two sides qualified for the knockouts weeks in advance, all the rest of the time they competed to top the other.
Amid the constant back and forth the two teams never lost themselves in a funnel of hate. The two captains could never force hostility, the two saw much of each other throughout weeks.
Luigi was a mutual link the two shared. One being the green machine's older brother who had been with him through thick and thin. The other was the love of his life, the flower of his eye, the girl the red capped hero could soon become his sister in law in the upcoming years.
Mario had a first hand account of the green thunder and redhead's relationship. His brother, as brave as he could be during dire situations, still got cases of butterflies when being alone with Daisy. In an effort to combat the anxiousness Luigi made it a habit, dragging his shorter brother to hang with the spunky princess, before Mario could decline.
The elder sibling never felt right about the set up. Daisy understanding, felt embarrassed by the situation. Luigi deep down had a pit of guiltiness but it was the only way he wouldn't say or do anything humiliating.
During one of their dates Mario snuck away allowing the two to be at peace. He stayed nearby if his younger sibling needed his assistance following them from a comfortable distance.
But the disaster never occurred, Luigi though timid let loose with the princess who likewise enjoyed their alone time. Holding to his arm and giggling at his cheesy jokes. Mario watched with a proud smirk around the corner leaning against a wall, arms folded. The two were a perfect match, he could only wait until the couple undoubtedly settled down.
A cool midday autumn breeze passed by. The Palace field was to be the last stop of Daisy and Mario. The best were to play a meaningless contest with no more than bragging rights on the table.
Sidekicks and goalies made pleasantries, greeting and shaking hands out of mutual appreciation. Their first encounter was considered match of the year by many. Countless waited impatiently for a climatic end, suitable for wrapping up the two and a half month season.
Kenny the Koopa occupied himself, tying his cleat laces in preparation. Henry kicked at the turf, mindlessly repeating the act again and again. Dean made a final look over his threadbare uniform held together.
A unique trait of the Dry Bones was his refusal of accepting new gear. At first money was thought to be the issue, Mario offered to supply him new equipment out of pocket, valuing the defender more than any amount of currency.
No matter, Dean assured money wasn't a problem. His tattered gear had been a personal choice. Every crack and stain on his armor had a story worth sharing from his many experiences from the field.
For every tumble he took to the ground was a tale of the light Dry Bones bringing down a foe many times his size. Dean wasn't bothered by his gear, seeing them as an advantage to his performance. Countless moments the lovable undead turtle swore he ran faster in relation to his light wear gear.
The flower princess' sidekicks kept busy, stretching in preparation. Toad, Shy Guy and Birdo seemed all set. From their last battle Daisy hadn't lost any steam, four straight wins against the rest of the competition trailblazing during the month.
She was no doubt the plumber's biggest hurdle. If anyone had a chance of wrecking the Mushroom Kingdom's protector season, ironically a princess from another kingdom he saved had the tools to accomplish the feat.
"Fine day, it's almost too nice of a day to play." Dean let out breathlessly. The sun felt good on the skin, clouds occupied the sky living among the morning star peacefully. A subtle wind kissed the players' faces gently, the late noon game had ideal conditions for a fierce game.
"I agree with you buddy, especially after the downpour we dealt with last week." Henry replied, still looking and kicking at the ground. Mentioning their previous game a prior seven days ago stormy weather.
The Dry Bones eyed the weary Hammer Bro. Henry wasn't acting how he presented himself. Loud, confrontational, and brash were common words to describe the right fielder. In all his encounters he was the first to talk and pick a fight.
But on this day he seemed languid, lost of his bluster and bravado. A shock revelation by a simple factor, their opponent. Henry's attraction to Daisy was shamefully obvious, from the first look he was head over heels.
Dean lived in Sarasaland, a kingdom having a dense population of Dry Bones. The tomboy royal was beloved in her borders, her approval rating rivaled her best friend and ally Peach in their lands.
Dean thought well of the red head. Her contagious energy resonated with her subjects as her extrovert personality had tended to do so. Her appearance was pleasant to the eye, red orange head stopping at the end of her neck, big blue sapphire eyes and fair tanned skin courtesy of the scorching summers of Sarasaland.
Mario fell in front of his team, a smug face painted the plumber's features. Adjusting his red hat the man's deep rich blue irises became visible to the Flower Petals' players. The sight was a refreshing one, the plucky plumber had returned better than ever.
The charismatic hero's leg healed after being crumbled two weeks earlier versus Bowser Junior. The injury badly damaged the red leader's playstyle, slowing him down and making any amount of movement a chore. However time healed the wound and Mario was set to rebound from last week's forgettable performance.
Surprisingly the crowd filled with an overwhelming majority of Daisy fans applauded the admired protagonist. The gesture was heartwarming with the red plumber mouthing a thank you.
The day improved with the bubbly ruler of Sarasaland making her grand entrance. The volume surpassed the reaction Mario received, the noise so great the ground felt as it was vibrating under the players' feet.
"Oh this should be-a good!" Mario semi yelled, prepping into the right mindset.
Daisy barely caught the plumber's words, a big smile spread over her mouth. "My blood is pumping, you better not go easy on me Mario!"
The capped crusader nodded, raising his fists to his chest. The orange princess winked before falling back to her team. The mustached captain watched her briefly until doing the same, walking to his trio of shelled sidekicks.
"How's the leg holding Mario sir?" Dean asked, glad to see the Fireballs' leader be back to health.
The right edge of Mario's lips curved into a grin. "Just fine but there's-a more is-a important matters." Mario bent down on one knee for a more private setting.
"I-a know this our final game but don't-a do anything stupid. This-a game does nothing for us and I-a value your three more than-a pretty stat line."
Kenny placed a finger on his chin allowing the words Mario gave to them to process in his mind. A few seconds after the Koopa shook his head. "I'm sorry Mario but that's a no go."
Mario wasn't thrilled with the reply. He was set to talk but the red turtle beat him to the punch. "You've always said to play at our best, never perform at anything but our best no matter the circumstances."
The plumber rolled his eyes. "I-a know but this is-a different."
Kenny shook his head once more. "No it's isn't, we're here to win. Daisy is trying her best, why should we lay down and let her win?"
Dean agreed wholeheartedly backing Kenny. "He's right Mario, I'm going all in. I thought you would to with your leg healed. Don't you want to go all out feeling the rush only achieved by playing this game at your fullest?"
The short leader sighed deeply. His precaution was a direct effect of his shin injury, he had been lucky to recover quickly but what if he reaggravated the sore spot or worse one of his dependable players came down with a season ending injury.
Everything the Fireballs work for would be for nothing. However, that was the risk of participating in the strikers league. The danger was an inherent part of the game's appeal and all went in, full well about the bodily damage.
Mario raised to his feet, eyes closed and hands hanging to his side. His pupils opened halfway earning his team's attention. "Okay will-a have it your way, remember-a Daisy is no pushover. She-a has earned her eight-and-a-one record, whatever you-a do don't allow her to-a scare you."
Both sides said their final words and motioned into formation. With nothing to gain for either side in today's contest both captains would be reserved this round. All the while neither would let the other out do them leading to an interesting conundrum.
Daisy started better with her team maintaining a clear hold of the metal ball. Her, Toad and Shy Guy made a triangle formation keeping the ball to themselves. Each pass powered the energy of the ball greater before reaching its max white hue.
Kenny rushed into Toad using his built up speed to knock over the lightweight fielder. After bashing the mushroom Kenny hid in his shell, dodging the attempt of Shy Guy to knock his head off.
Forming out his wearable fortress the Koopa found the ball alone and waiting. Without second thought the turtle went for the still ball. A few steps in, a colossal force slammed on Kenny's side, a dynamic knee dug into his ribs squeezing the wind out of the red left fielder.
Daisy made the hard hit, defending the ball. Her playstyle hadn't changed with bruising defense being her speciality. Shy Guy hurried to her side guarding the royal to safely recover possession of the ball.
The Flower Petals' defender, Birdo joined forward lending a hand. For all the princess' strengths, offensive was Daisy's achilles tendon. She wasn't scoring many goals, preferring not allowing any to be scored on her.
Shy Guy brushed off Mario, swinging around the plumber. Passing the ball through the freshly cut turf traveling undisturbed. Birdo bashed the metal soccer ball forcing all her vigor in the point black shot.
Kingston threw himself in the way of the shot. The metallic sphere bounced against the Kritter's chestplate, denying the female striker a scoring chance. The sphere rebounded to the awaiting Henry who jogged in the opposite direction.
The Hammer Bro gave the ball to Mario allowing him to run his heart out. A sudden realization stun the hero, he would fully be able to move how he pleased. No caution, no hesitation, only his mind could limit him. With a defiant smirk the plumber rushed ahead.
The red plumber streaked in between the middle, his legs pumping. Shy Guy missed for the second time landing behind the capped captain. Green shells were hurled by Daisy spinning on their way to Mario.
As the projectiles flowed through the turf the Italian leader displayed an unperturbed face. He hurdled the firing shells, jumping over the three as his nickname applied, gaining plenty of air. Feet returning to the ground Mario didn't lose his footing and continued his aggressive run.
Birdo stood in his way blocking Mario's path. The defender held her ground, determined to cut Mario off his legs. The mustached man silently accepted the challenge and quickened his sprinting, dribbling furiously and legs churning.
The cyan dinosaur grew a little hesitant, the red opposing hero was charging and fast. The sight made Daisy's main defender from thinking straight. She pondered on the idea of letting the plumber go free because if she impeded him, there's no telling what he'll do to pass her.
She shook her head, the bow wearing biped would face Mario. Her mind was swayed by the picture of an irate Daisy. The sweetheart had a temper when peaked, as difficult a task to manage her rage was to be feared.
She rushed forward to meet the plumber head on. The act didn't disturb Mario who smirked at the defiant choice. When both players came within mere inches the plumber chipped the ball over the dinosaur's shoulder.
Birdo turned her head to witness the ball go over her. To her horror Kenny was going along the bottom sideline, the ball landed flawlessly by the turtle's feet. Mario had been a diversion to hide Kenny from any notice.
Birdo pressed her attention on the Koopa. Kenny increased the space between him and the Flower Petals' centerback with his superior pace. However he was running out of field to run with, Birdo cornered the turtle in the bottom corner of the turf.
Before the female power defender could strike, Kenny passed the ball back. The cyan biped watched the fully charged soccer ball fly over her bow, the lobbed pass headed back to Mario. She was tricked once again, Kenny drew her away from the lovable plumber to clear the middle for Mario.
Mario smiled widely, he found the spot the white glowing ball would be in his reach. He jumped and twisted his body upside down, feet pointing to the sky. He connected with a bicycle kick, the ball flew at Daisy's goalie a white streak visible by the sheer velocity created by Mario's leg.
The ball rocketed at the top right corner, the cyan armored crocodile leap, hands extended out. In a flash the green goalkeeper fell to the grassy pitch, chestplate breaking his tumble.
In his gloved hands he had the pulsing ball. The incredible effort on Daisy's Kritter part had denied a first score. Mario clapped his hands together in a moment of frustration, but his minute grin hadn't waivered. In the failed push Mario proved he had returned to full strength, set to being the heat.
As Mario brought the house down with his energetic style Henry's lackluster heart seemed more out of place. His play hadn't been horrible, passes were completed and mistakes eliminated to none.
But Henry strived for much more than well. The Hammer Bro regularly put himself in harm's way for an advantage for him or the reds, bullying the competition into submission with punishing hits from his heavy hammers.
In the ensuing push Henry encountered Daisy. The mallet dueling snapping turtle had met his dread. Leading into the week Henry knew his attraction to the redhead would be his team's downfall. In preparation he blocked out those emotions, he found being detached his best way of focusing.
But being once again in her presence brought those feelings up to air. Her heavenly aroma pleasantly tickled his nostrils, a scent of freshly picked daisies came to mind. The wind blew her shoulder length hair to the side elegantly, almost tempting him to give in to his desires. Finally his eyes wandered downwards to her midriff, her exposed tight tummy on display firm and glistening.
Against his better judgement the same stupid smile only the tomboy princess could inflict spread on Henry's face. His head in the clouds fell back down as he grunted in pain. Daisy drove the bottom of her cleat in Henry's undershell, stealing the ball in the process.
Henry looked at the sky, back of his shell on the turf. Snapping out of his daze, Henry groaned, slamming the bottom of his palms on his forehead. "UGH! That's what I get for getting distracted!".
Defense was the way of the game. Dean held his ground blocking any of the home cyan team from passing him. When successful, Kingston would pick up the pieces and catch any shot.
Daisy and Birdo made a formidable duo on the defensive side. Birdo held put behind being trusted to hold back the fearsome offensive trio of the Fireballs. When the three became overwhelming in their approach Daisy's blazing speed would even the side snuffing out the reds.
Daisy's Toad crossed by Mario entering enemy grounds. The plumber tailed the fungus, not allowing the speedy winger to find space. Figuring the capped captain would continue the chase, Toad flipped the ball back to center field.
Birdo caught the yellow hued ball out of the air with her mouth. She was instantly met with resistance from Henry. The sluggish Hammer Bro was intercepted by Shy Guy, bashing him with a brutal headbutt to the shoulder, neutralizing him for the foreseeable future.
The light blue dinosaur trotted past Henry linking with Shy Guy. Safe from danger Birdo alerted her well rounded teammate to move out the way. After the masked sidekick shuffled behind the power defender she forced out her giant egg skillshot.
Moments after the egg was formed it was broken. The shell exploded into pieces letting the ball fly out of its cocoon. Birdo was flabbergasted, what had her hard boiled shot broken on?
Observing the scene her eyes widened. Laying on the ground out cold in the sea of egg shell pieces was Mario's Koopa! The female striker figured the red left fielder must have thrown himself in front of the egg before it had developed its hard outer shell. Astonished, Birdo hadn't noticed a looming threat behind her. A sick thud to the back of her head striking her down, she fell on her front gripping her neck for support.
Over her trembling body Henry stood over, huffing for breath. His attention was grabbed by a furious Shy Guy, somehow presenting anger on his white mask. He dashed for Henry who in turn tightened his grip on his black headed hammer.
He blinked for a moment's notice, Henry mused of how he could countered the light blue robed right fielder. Perhaps a slugging of the noggin was in due, or maybe driving the head into his side taking a swing at his ribs.
His eyelids snapped open, he sported a menacing grin, top row of teeth exposed. A smug expression quickly wiped off and replaced by horror. Shy Guy halved the gap between the two closing in the Hammer Bro. Out of time Henry took full impact on his chest, the secretive minion collided his crown against the snapping turtle.
Grasping his hammer Henry mustered the strength to retaliate. With his back exposed Mario's Hammer Bro struck his blind side. Shy Guy's body went limp crashing on the hard turf. Henry stumbled back into the sideline electric fence, after grueling seconds trapped in the electric web the reds' scoring ace collapsed, chuckling while short on breath.
He effectively brought an end to his and Shy Guy's day. His big hit was unavoidable but he had solace knowing he wouldn't black out alone. Resting his head weakly on the cool ground a black darkness draped his eyes.
The ball migrated into the home side of Daisy. Dean passed the ball forward to Mario, jumping into the danger. The princess captain directed her Toad to watch her flanks, in case something slipped by her.
Mario attempted to run by her but her pace trumped his. The rowdy royal pushed her shoulder against the portly plumber who put his arm out, holding at arm length away. Occasionally she poked at the ball with her foot stressing the plumber with her unceasing defensive minded play.
The brown haired man knew Daisy would soon prevail in breaking the ball from him. In recklessness Mario halted his momentum, the redhead prematurely took a few more steps forward before turning around.
Without a clear window Mario's head began to scramble for a possible way out. His normally calm collective eyes displayed panic and uncertainty. Daisy's blue eyes showed the opposite, confidence and a hint of smugness.
She restarted her dash towards Mario, still fumbling in his own mind. "There's no way out Mario! You might as well quit!"
Her taunting made the plumber stress skyrocket. If some occurrence didn't occur he would be flatten. Shaking his head frantically his ocean blue irises fell upon an undead clearing.
Dean, mostly providing defense, left his main position passing into Daisy's half. Toad couldn't be shaken off however, the Dry Bones wasn't exactly the stealthy individual with his bones clattering with each of his footsteps.
Mario saw an opening, as nanoscopic a chance, it was better than nothing. Revving his legs Mario spun around the nimble princess with a simple spin move. Running to the bottom edge of the field the Fireballs' leader crossed the ball.
Dean had his speed hindered by the below statured mushroom grabbing to his arm. The skeleton pulled his hand away and dove. At the peak of his jump Dean aligned the crown of his head with the ball, header as good as they come.
Time slowed down, all eyes locked on the airborne ball. Spectators held their breaths, balling their fists or hiding their faces. The few strikers who still had conscience were paralyzed, both sides hoping for divergent outcomes.
The white glowing ball zipped to Daisy's goal, The cyan-clothed Kritter stood his ground in the center under the crossbar. The ball drifted left and the two legged reptile jumped leftwards, his metal gloved hands extended out stretching his muscles to their capacity in the air.
Miraculously the green goalie swatted the ball down, inches from crossing the goal line. He covered the ball with his body, protecting the sphere under his chin and guarded by his hugging arms.
A sigh of relief left the fans' mouths. Daisy lifted a hand over her heart, the peppy princess ironically felt exhausted by the tense shot. Dean's face fell, scornfully tightening his fists.
Looking at the grass he slammed his firm fist frustrated. "If only I was a little stronger. If only I was a little bit STRONGER!" his voice began in a whisper escalating in volume and spleen at his failure.
As the Flower Petals' goalie rose a horn was heard. A small Toad in a white and black striped shirt ran to the middle of the field. Holding his open palms with a heavy amount of concern.
"Stop! Time is up, the game is over!"
Everyone's brow raised, five minutes had passed so quickly? However it felt the massive scoreboard had three zeros on the clock and two more for the scores. Five minutes hadn't been enough to settle a winner. The referee cleared his throat, the miniature mic on his collar attracted all eyes.
"After regular five minute time no clear winner was decided. We will now move to sudden death overtime, time is indefinite and golden goal rule applies. First team to score is the winner."
Well at least his last regular season game would be memorable to end the season. Moving back to his side Mario called for his team to regroup. Kenny and Dean brought themselves, minorly beat up.
Mario cleared his throat before holding his tongue. The Koopa quirked an eyebrow. "What's wrong Mario?"
"Where's-a Henry?" the mustached leader asked quizzically. Scratching the top of his hair looking all about. His sight landed on Henry's face buried in the turf, body motionless near the sideline.
The plumber jogged over to observe the scene. Henry was in bad condition, he was barely breathing only enough to survive. Gray soot marked up his face and arms, a ramification for being pushed into the hellish electric wall.
The blued eyed Italian lowered on one knee. Placing his hand gently atop the Hammer Bro's shell and shaked him lightly. "Henry? Henry, you-a need to get up."
The snapping turtle made a throaty groan without splitting his lips. His eyelids opened halfway, unable to lift them any further. Vision askew and off centered before adjusting to normal.
"Boss?" the dazed right fielder questioned, his first sight returning to responsiveness was his captain. "Is it over? Did we win?"
Mario presented a warm smile. "No sorry-a Henry, we're not done yet."
Of course the competitive natured right winger would be worried more about their standing than his health. Henry being as hard headed as he was brought a chuckle out of the plumber. Draping Henry's arm around his shoulders, raising him to his feet, allowing him to lean off him.
While Mario helped his sidekick walk, Daisy ran past the two. Mario halted and watched her as she went. She stood over her cyan Shy Guy in a similar state to Henry. Crouching down the feisty royal flipped the masked sidekick to his front side and awoke him as a result of the sun's light.
Shy Guy sat up rapidly, a mistake as a sharp pain shot through his back. He slightly winced before he caught a glimpse of the princess.
Daisy smiled warmly, a pretty grin able to relax any nerves to the robed all rounder. "You're awake, good!"
"What, is it over? We must have won, correct?"
The peppy ruler of Sarasaland shook her head, smile in tact. "Nope, in fact we're about to play sudden death."
"Oh, lovely." The light blue dressed player stood up and took a step. His sore back flared up, preventing him from moving again.
"Let me help you." Daisy made her way to the balanced soccer player.
He however waved her off. "It's fine, I'll manage. Let's focus on sudden death."
His captain was at first stunned, nodding her approval and both traveled to their home half of the pitch. Mario witnessed the scene in its entirety with his classic grin, Daisy really was quite the catch for his brother.
Henry suffered through the mushy scene, only taunting him more. "She really is perfect." echoed in his head causing more suffering only emotionally.
Neither side postponed the deciding round. Lining to formation instinctively made the procedures effortless. A defensive stalemate would be broken by a crack in the invincible wall either side couldn't penetrate. Both squads had limitless time to tear at one another, who would be first to bend and break?
Toad dashed, free running from uptop to the middle in blinding fashion. His outline was a blur, impossible to make out the popular playmaker. His blinding speed led him to the ball and his fall.
Without realizing his path the blue Toad bashed his head against an extended hammer. His head bounced off the head of the mallet leading to another gruesome bump on the back of head on the ground. From a brief observation Toad would be inactive for a while.
"You fall as fast as you rise." Henry commented adding the finishing flair to his simple yet effective counter.
Dean took possession and changed the tide. Before anyone could react he moved the ball. Kenny became the ball holder, drawing the attention of the Flower Petals. He stalled but was cornered by Daisy and Birdo sandwiching him in between a breath squeezing double check.
Daisy dashed off with the ball. Stylishly dribbling around the flower captain vanished. Mario ran back and turned every which way, he had forgotten Daisy's vanish technique. Smart of her only to bring her ace out of the bag in the waning end.
A collection of smoke unveiled the missing princess, teleporting to a danger free area planted on the away half of the pitch. The beloved plumber found his brother's love location and chased after her.
Mario's slidetackle merely didn't arrive in time. Connecting milliseconds after the stunning redhead kicked off her shot. She fell backwards on her tush, eyes locked ahead to Kingston.
The goalie caught the ball effortlessly with major assistance from his chest. Shifting the ball over to his right hand he scalped the field. His eyes bulged, unbeknown to the rest there was a hole in the Flower Petals' defense.
Sneaking behind Shy Guy and Birdo was a familiar red jersey. Kingston gathered himself mentality and physically, time was of the essence all depending on him. Heaving the ball with a mighty toss.
The metallic sphere spiraled through the air. Beyond from anyone's reach the ball landed in Daisy's half. Kenny ran fearlessly, gaining possession of the flying sphere and continued his sprint.
The all rounder styled fielder eyed the net. Pressure mounted on his head, he had the fate of the game in between his feet. All that stood before him was Daisy's Kritter, a brick wall of a goal stopper who ended many chances to replace the zero on the board with a one.
Opposing Kenny, the cyan armored crocodile prepared his stance with a creeping smile. He had been lights out the entire contest, why would he expect to fall to Mario's left fielder?
With overestimations in his abilities he darted forward, his attempt of bewildering Kenny. The unorthodox move had the intended effect on the turtle, strange as an idea formed his astute head.
He doubled down his pace, approaching as close as he could while out of the reptile's range. The act drawled out the goalkeeper until he was dangerously out of his goal box. The red left winger chipped the ball over his head.
The ball soard past the Kritter falling from the peak of the arch downwards, making its way to the exposed goal. Panicking, the towering green goalie stumbled backwards, tripping from his own foot and face planting. After seeming like hours the metallic ball hit the ground rolled slowly, moving ahead it broke the goal line for the decisive goal.
Horns sounded off alerting the game was over. Kenny's emotions bursted out with running and shouting. His legs felt weightless carrying him across the shiny turf, he was grabbed and pulled down to his shock being forced to the ground on his shell.
His vision realigned, his eyes found Henry's face with a smug grin. "You legend! You won us the game!" shaking him violently. The Koopa could only laugh with his head already beginning to spin.
Dean and Kingston made their way over joining the midfield shenanigans. The crocodile hoisted the Koopa Troopa on his shoulder propping him as a throne. The four raised their arms clinching their tenth win.
Mario hadn't joined yet with his team, on the lookout for a certain princess. To his surprise he found him first tapping him on the shoulder. Turning around he was greeted by a smile. One of display, not genuine but not two faced either.
"Hi Mario, I just wanna say good game. You were the better team." she admitted, holding a fist out to the plumber. Mario flushed at her words, unable to look her in her eyes. After his nerves subsided he tapped his knuckles with her own, his mind already set in the future for a possible three game between the two.
Later in the day Yoshi fended off Bowser Jr with a three to one victory. Ending the regular season was the final primetime match featuring the troublesome duo of Waluigi and Wario. A back and forth ensued, three lead changes occurred. When all was said and done the purple pest snuck by with a seven to six victory.
With week ten done the four squads of Mario, Daisy, Waluigi and Yoshi would advance to the knockout rounds. Leaving behind Wario and Junior who couldn't handle the pace of the other.
Next week the semi-final rounds would eliminate two more teams from the competition. Mario earning the first seed would be rewarded with facing fourth place seeded squad, Yoshi. Following the end of their game Daisy and Waluigi would wrap up the night deciding the second finalist.
All teams' had one core thought, win. Win two games in a row and be selected for the chance of dethroning the reigning Crystal Cup champion. The most intense and heart stopping action was about to begin and a new chapter was to be turned in the aging season.
Author's Note
Welp, After ten chapters we know our final four. Hopefully you all are just a excited about how this will all end.
As for me I've been doing fine. I've been able to balance writing and school well enough to my liking. So don't expect too long of a wait for the next update. That's about it so enjoy yourself and remember to keep your hands clean!
Have a good one!