LiamTheYoshi

Not exactly. Luigi only took Spanish in school. He didn't consider taking Japanese.

mariobroultimate

I agree that Spanish is beautiful. The ring name "Incredible Ibáñez" came to me because the word "incredible" sounds better than "great". And Luigi totally deserves being called "incredible".

...

Chapter 23: Get Ready to Rumble!

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get fighting," Luigi advised Mario.

"Okey-dokey."

Mario logged into the computer, which first showed two choices: "Reserve Match" and "View Rankings". Mario immediately selected "Reserve Match", which took him to the "Name Entry" screen.

Since there were no special Spanish characters on the touch screen's keyboard, Mario typed out his ring name using the regular English letters. After pressing "Enter", three more choices came up: "Add Partner", "Go Solo", and "Finish".

Mario stepped aside to let Luigi type in his ring name and press "Finish" afterward. The computer showed a loading bar, which took around ten seconds to reserve the match. Then, Mario and Luigi's ring names flashed on the screen with "The Goomba Bros" flashing beneath the word "Vs".

"Huh? I thought we killed the Goomba Bros," Mario wondered out loud. He was referring to when he and Goombario took down Red Goomba, Blue Goomba, and Goomboss nearly four years ago.

"It's probably a common name nowadays," Luigi said.

The computer then showed a text box saying, "Fight will start at 7:55 PM. Good luck."

"All right-y. There we go," Mario sighed. He and Luigi sat on one of the benches in the middle of the room.

"Luigi, I have a question," Mario said.

"What is it?"

"Will there be one or more matches where either of us goes solo?" Mario asked.

"Probably. Let's say we make our way up to the highest ranks," Luigi explained. "The time will come to fight Rawk Hawk. There're two options at that point. Either both of us work together, or one of us goes alone. But if you have to go by yourself, I'll do everything I can to negotiate a two-against-one because I made a promise never to leave you behind. And I did a good job sticking to that promise since I first learned to speak."

"Me too. I'll do the same if it's just you against Rawk Hawk," Mario said. "I swear I'll give to you just as much as you give to me. I'll never just take."

"I know you won't."

For the next several minutes, the Mario Bros talked with each other until a security guard walked into the locker room.

"González! Ibáñez! Match time!"

Mario and Luigi immediately got up and followed the security guard to the corridor leading to the west side of the arena.

"We got this, bro," Luigi whispered.

"Thanks," Mario quietly replied.

...

"Ladies and gentlemen! It's go time once again!" Grubba's voice called out. "Squarin' off next are...the Meteorite Hardheads...the GOOOOMBA BROOOOS!"

The audience cheered as five regular Goombas entered the ring.

"And on the other side...a newcomer...with a hankerin' for hammerin'...the GREEEEAAT GOOONZÁLEZ!"

Mario casually walked into the ring as the audience booed in the response.

I knew they're going to boo me and Luigi, Mario thought.

"And tagging alongside González...is another newcomer...with the need for speed...the INCREEEEDIBLE IBÁÑEZ!"

Luigi speed-walked into the ring despite the audience continuing to boo.

"Yo, dudes!" one of the Goomba Bros said. "You'll never stomp on us like our other comrades! Tonight, me and my bros have a new strategy those weaklings never thought of!"

"Oh, please!" Luigi responded. "A new strategy? In your dreams!"

"If you are all ready, then the time has come to get set...GO!"

The bell rang, prompting the Goomba Bros to start running at Mario and Luigi.

But the Goomba Bros didn't even move two steps as Mario took his hammer out and slammed it on the floor, knocking all five Goomba Bros on their heads. Then, Luigi stomped on the Goomba Bros, squashing them flat.

The referee pounded the floor three times and ended the match, raising Mario and Luigi's arms up. The bell rang again.

"Whoa! Only five seconds and the Goomba Bros are down and out?!" Grubba cried amidst the gasps of the audience. "I guess the win goes to the Great González and the Incredible Ibáñez!"

Grubba rushed into the ring with a microphone to interview the Mario Bros.

"Well, well, well! Tell me, sons, what was this first taste of victory like?" Grubba asked.

"That fight? It was nothing," Mario answered. "But at least there's one down with a lot more to go."

"Same," Luigi added in.

"I'll tell you what I just saw, folks: a whuppin'! These kids got skills! We got ourselves two new heroes! Let's hear it for them, folks! Yeah! The Great González and the Incredible Ibáñez!"

The audience politely applauded and cheered lightly. All at once, Mario and Luigi were escorted out of the arena while the flattened Goomba Bros were carried away by a medic.

...

Back in the locker room, Jolene waited for Mario and Luigi's arrival. She smiled upon their entrance.

"Mr. González and Mr. Ibáñez! Good start!"

"Thanks." "Gracias, (Thank you.)" Mario and Luigi replied in unison.

"As a reward, you each get 100 Coins put in your money banks," Jolene said. "The prize money rewards will grow larger the more you rank up. As of right now, you two are at Rank 19. Once you get to Rank 11, there will be an opportunity for you to upgrade to the major league."

"Sounds good," Mario said with a bigger smile than Jolene's. "I feel a bit better than before the match."

"Keep in mind your next match will not begin until you reserve it," Jolene said. "Feel free to do whatever you like until your next fight."

Jolene proceeded to leave the locker room.

"What time do you want to go to bed?" Luigi asked.

Mario looked at the wall clock for a moment. It was 8:01 PM. "Around 10-ish. I know the Goomba Bros' battle was easy, but I'd rather not do too many all at once."

"Yo, Rook! How was your first fight, dog?" a Yellow Koopa Troopa with sunglasses called out. Mario assumed the Koopa Troopa was only talking to him.

"Easy."

The Koopa Troopa approached Mario and shook his hand.

"I'm King K, man. Just a bush-league scrub like you."

"I'm what people call me 'The Great González'," Mario said. "And my brother next to me is known as 'The Incredible Ibáñez'."

"Well, good meetin' you, guys," King K said before shaking Luigi's hand too.

"Good meeting you too," Luigi returned the greeting.

"Hey, so, why don't you meet the gang, huh?" King K offered.

"We'd love to," Mario replied.

"All right, then." King K pointed to a Bob-omb standing next to a water fountain. "This guy's Master Crash."

Hearing King K introducing him, Master Crash stepped forward.

"Nice to meet you BOMB! Well. Now that we've gotten to know each other, I will give you advice BOMB!"

"Sure," Mario replied.

"As Ms. Jolene was saying, you'd better BOMB obey Mr. Grubba's conditions," Master Crash explained. "If you follow the conditions and win, you get to fight higher-ranked foes BOMB! If you can't do them right, you BOMB end up battling a lower-ranked fighter BOMB! You can't climb the BOMB ranks fighting the bottom of the barrel BOMB-BOMB!"

"Is something wrong?" Luigi asked. "Why do you keep saying 'BOMB'?"

"Yeah. My man's got, you know, some speech issues, but he's got good advice sometimes," King K pointed out.

"Not just sometimes BOMB! Advice is always useful BOMB-BOMB!" Master Crash exclaimed.

"Riiiight, man, whatever." Next, King K turned to a green Bandit standing between the computer and a locker row. "Anyway, this lean machine over here is Bandy Andy."

"Heh. Nice to meet you. I'm not in here too often, but if you see me around, say hi," Bandy Andy said.

"No advice?" Mario asked.

"Not at this time."

Lastly, King K showed the Mario Bros a Hyper Bald Cleft standing below one of two windows on the back wall.

"This last guy with the sweet purple kicks is known as Cleftor."

"Grack! Cleftor no like make friends with mustaches," Cleftor belted.

"Easy there, Cleft-dog! Dudes ain't the friendliest guys, but you get used to them," King K told Cleftor. "Anyway, González and Ibáñez, that's the core minor-league crew. You need something, ask us."

"Okey-dokey," Mario replied.

"Oh, yeah... I almost forgot," King K said, having remembered something else. "You and me gotta eventually square off, so good luck." He walked back to the quarters, which contained five bunk beds.

Mario took the next 15 minutes to come up with some strategies before going back to the computer. The Mario Bros signed themselves in and waited for the computer to load their next opponents.

Below the word "Vs" was "The KP Koopas". The following text box read, "Fight will start at 8:40 PM. Conditions: No weapons, allow opponents to attack twice first. Good luck."

Mario placed his hammer on the middle bench and waited for the security guard to call him and Luigi up again.

"KP Koopas! It's showtime!" the guard said, prompting King K to follow him out.

How many others does King K have with him? Mario thought.

A few minutes later, the guard came back and escorted Mario and Luigi to the arena.

...

"Fer our next battle, we got...three Shell Machines of Doom...waiting to get the drop on their challengers...the KP KOOOOPAAAS!" Grubba announced.

The audience cheered as King K, a Yellow Paratroopa, and another Yellow Koopa Troopa entered the ring.

"And now, would you please welcome back...the Merciless and Superstar Executioners...the GREEEEAAT GOOONZÁLEZ and the INCREEEEDIBLE IBÁÑEZ!"

This time, a few audience members called Mario and Luigi's ring names while the rest continued to boo. Luckily, the Mario Bros weren't fazed by the boos.

"Hey, dogs. Good luck to all of us," King K with a smug smile. His allies nodded in agreement.

"Get yerselves ready to set yourself up! GO!"

The bell rang, prompting all three KP Koopas to retreat into their shells. Right as they went to attack Mario and Luigi, the latter blocked their faces with their fists, preventing themselves from getting hurt.

Then, Mario and Luigi used their Earth Tremor spell to knock over King K and his Yellow Koopa Troopa ally. The Yellow Paratroopa only lost his wings.

Mario's next attack involved jumping on the Yellow Paratroopa and throwing his shell at King K and the other Yellow Koopa Troopa; all three flew out the ring.

The referee ended the match at the same time the bell rang again.

"We got ourselves two winners! The GREAT GONZÁLEZ and the INCREDIBLE IBÁÑEZ!" Grubba shouted amidst the mellow cheers.

Mario and Luigi high-fived each other right as the security guard led them back to the locker room.

Mario checked the computer to see how much he and Luigi won. This time, both won 125 Coins each and their money banks showed 225. Finally, the screen showed both at Rank 18.

"Hey, way to hand out a beatdown there, guys," King K told Mario and Luigi as he entered the locker room too. "You beat me, straight up. Could swing the other way next time, though. You know what I'm sayin'?"

"We'll see," Mario said as he winked. He and Luigi went to the water cooler and got themselves a drink.

"I think one more match and I'll shower up," Mario said.

"Good idea," Luigi agreed.

Both Mario Bros waited 15 more minutes before reserving the next match. This time, the computer showed them versus The Pokey Triplets. And the text box read, "Fight will start at 9:35 PM. Conditions: Hands-free, pose for the audience immediately after final attack. Good luck."

"I guess 'hands-free' also means I can't use my hammer again," Mario said.

Just before the security guard could escort Mario and Luigi to the arena, he suddenly handcuffed their wrists.

"What?!" Mario laughed in disbelief. "How are we gonna pose with handcuffs?"

"This is no joking matter!" the guard retorted, kicking Mario in the butt.

"Okay! Jesus!"

...

"Welcome back! To kick off the next fight, we have...the Spiked Terror Triplets...their minds as sharp as knives...the POKEEEEEY TRIPLETS!" Grubba shouted.

Right on cue, three Pokeys took to the ring.

"And here come our veteran fighters ready for action... the GREEEEAAT GOOONZÁLEZ and the INCREEEEDIBLE IBÁÑEZ!"

More audience members cheered as the number of boos lessened.

After Mario and Luigi entered the ring, the former blushed, thinking the audience would laugh at him and Luigi being handcuffed.

Just then one of the Pokeys leaned toward Mario, making him feel awkward.

"Go ahead... Touch usssssss... It won't hurrrrrrrrrrrrt...too muchhhhh..." the Pokey said slowly.

"Can you back the frick off...?" Mario requested. "Thank you..."

The Pokey obeyed immediately as Grubba's voice called out, "If yer ready and all set, then let's GO!"

Mario and Luigi only had a few seconds to improvise an attack or two since they were handcuffed.

Right as the first Pokey ran up to the Mario Bros, Luigi leaped as high as its head and drill kicked it into the second Pokey's head, defeating both immediately.

For Mario, he managed to Spin Jump and unleash a barrage of fireballs that burnt the third Pokey to ashes.

In quick succession, the referee ended the match and took the handcuffs off Mario and Luigi.

"All right-y!" Mario cheered. He leaped onto Luigi's hands after the latter raised them up, and both pumped their fists in the air, granting them a bigger round of applause than the last match.

"Oh, I love it!" Grubba announced. "Give it up for our winners with a streak of three: the GREAT GONZÁLEZ and the INCREDIBLE IBÁÑEZ!"

...

After Mario and Luigi went back to the locker room, Mario checked the computer and saw he and Luigi were now at Rank 17. In addition, they were each awarded 140 Coins, giving them an individual total of 365.

Thank you, Mr. Grubba, Mario said to himself while smiling.

"Yo! What's crackin', G-man and I-man?" King K asked from the middle bench.

"The crowd is loving us more," Luigi answered. "And we're going to walk out with two hefty cheques once we reach Rank 1."

"Good for you. Say, the old King K wouldn't mind a little bit of your luck, guys. Yeah, that'd be nice."

"You'll win next time, King K," Mario reassured King K. "I know you-"

"Get in there, you!" a familiar voice called out from the hall.

Suddenly, Bandy Andy was pushed into the locker room by Jolene.

"How many times do I have to tell you: that room is absolutely off-limits!" Jolene scolded Bandy Andy. "If you want to remain on our fighter roster, you must follow the rules. And don't think I haven't noticed you following me. Stop that too because it's creepy. If you don't obey the rules, we'll ban you from the Glitz Pit. Understood?"

"Yes, Jolene," Bandy Andy sighed as Jolene walked away.

"Again, dude? Man, you just a magnet for trouble!" King K told Bandy Andy.

"What happened out there?" Luigi asked.

"Dude's tryin' to stalk Jolene out there," King K replied.

"Hehehehe... Sorry, King K. Didn't mean to bring Queen Nag in here," Bandy Andy nervously chuckled.

"Aw, don't sweat it, B-money. Jolene can take that 'tude and shove it up her ass. Why you always chasin' that girl, anyway, man? You got a little thing for her?"

"Urgh! Just shut up!" Bandy Andy exclaimed. "Uh... If you folks will pardon me, I must be off." Bandy Andy ran back out the locker room again.

"Sorry, you had to see that," King K apologized.

"No worries, King K," Luigi answered. "Me and my brother are pretty much done for tonight anyway. But we'll be back at it tomorrow."

"Yup," Mario agreed. He immediately went to the bathroom and took a quick shower.

Right after Mario got out, Luigi took his own shower. Both slipped on white T-shirts and gray gym shorts as their nightclothes.

On the far end of the bathroom was a washing machine and dryer, which relieved Mario; he was concerned about his outfit staying dirty during his time at the Glitz Pit.

Mario and Luigi hung their outfits on a rack next to the laundry section and found the middle bunk bed on the right row within the quarters.

"Bro, can I sleep on the bottom bunk?" Mario asked.

"Why? You always liked sleeping on the top," Luigi said.

"Uh... Because...you're number-one," Mario hesitated.

"Oh, thank you, Mario. That's very nice," Luigi beamed. "I know you weren't feeling yourself, but tomorrow's a new day. Nothing bad's gonna happen to us. Okay?"

"Okay."

Luigi gave Mario a hug before he climbed into the top bunk. Mario settled himself in the bottom bunk too.

"Good night, Mario."

"Good night, Luigi."