Anonymous Guest
Me too.
breath20k
I agree.
LiamTheYoshi
As I said during A Twisted Tennis Tournament, the Mario Bros' relationship is the heart-burning type.
mariobroultimate
I did hear of King K. Rool's inclusion in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, but I haven't really played the Donkey Kong games.
Nataly Guardado
Luigi: Hello, Nataly! Thank you so much for thinking of me! It really warms my heart to be recognized as a hero. Regardless if you know me personally or not, you'll always be my best friend. *hugs you*
...
Chapter 24: Fighting Like Champs
"Gooood morning, ladies and gentlemen!" Grubba announced over the audience's cheers. "Are you ready for another beatdown today?"
It's 8:30 AM, on July 24, 2004. Just earlier, Mario and Luigi ate their breakfast in a nearby break room and prepared for their next match.
This time, the Mario Bros were bound to fight The Dead Bones on the condition that they do not jump at all and defeat their opponents in three turns or less.
"Fer our next battle, let's welcome...the Bone-Rattling Rockers...ready to shake up the ring...the DEEEEEEAD BOOOOOONES!"
Right on cue, three Dull Bones strolled their way into the ring.
"And you want to know who's coming back for Round 4?" Grubba asked. Most audience members waited to cheer at the right time while a few called out Mario and Luigi's ring names.
"I do. The Merciless and Superstar Executioners...the GREEEEAAT GOOONZÁLEZ and the INCREEEEDIBLE IBÁÑEZ!"
As Mario and Luigi entered the ring, one of the Dull Bones glared at them. "You may have burnt the skin off our bones, but guess what? We're gonna burn the skin off your bones!"
"Burn the skin off our bones? Coming from three skeletons who don't know how to use a Fire Flower," Mario teased.
"Get yerselves ready to...GO!" Grubba exclaimed as the bell rang.
To start the battle, all three Dull Bones each threw a bone at the Mario Bros. Both dodged all but one of the bones, which Luigi caught for himself.
Mario's quick strategy was to hammer a Dull Bones at the same time Luigi hit it with his bone weapon. By doing so, the combined attack turned the Dull Bones into dust rather than bone fragments.
Mario and Luigi did the same attack twice more on the remaining two Dull Bones, winning the match within the "three turns or less" condition.
"Oh my God! There's literally nothing left of the Dead Bones! Ladies and gentlemen, the GREAT GONZÁLEZ and the INCREDIBLE IBÁÑEZ win again!" Grubba cried amidst the audience's applause.
...
Back in the locker room, Mario and Luigi stood at Rank 16 and were each awarded 150 Coins, upping their totals to 515.
"Man, congrats yet again!" King K exclaimed from the quarters, catching the Mario Bros' attention. "You sure as hell knockedsome blocks off! Not bad, Double-G-dog and Double-I-dog!"
"How's it going for you?" Mario asked.
"Just waiting for me and the KP Koopas' next match. You keep bustin' heads! An' if anyone gives you lip, you just tell 'em King K said to back it up!" King K did a forward punch exclaiming, "Biz-OWWWW!"
Suddenly, an agonizing cry sounded from the hallway, startling everyone.
"IT HURTS! WHY DID THAT DUMBHEAD WRECK MY FOOT?!"
Mario lunged for the door, wanting to check on the injured person, but Luigi held his arm in front.
"Bro, let him be," Luigi calmly ordered Mario.
"But he's hurt! Someone needs to help him!" Mario protested.
"Hey, man, this is a brutal sport sometimes, you know? This stuff happens," King K said. "Lucky for me, no one stomped my feet to bits."
Mario let out a sigh and walked back to the computer to reserve the next match. "I just feel sorry for that poor guy out there."
"Me too," Luigi agreed.
For the next match, Mario and Luigi were to fight Spike Storm with the conditions being to use a special move at least once and to show off during at least one attack. The match would begin at 9:15 AM.
These conditions are getting weirder and weirder, Mario said to himself.
...
"All right, everyone! Fer our next battle, we have...the Midnight Spike-Bombers...ready for a fight to the finish...SPIIIIIIIKE STORRRRRM!"
A Lakitu floated into the ring with two Spinies as his sidekicks.
"And now, let's welcome our veteran fighters...the Merciless and Superstar Executioners...the GREEEEAAT GOOONZÁLEZ and the INCREEEEDIBLE IBÁÑEZ!"
The audience cheered for Mario and Luigi more than Spike Storm as they took the ring too.
"Listen, punks! Me and my cronies are going to spike-bomb you into submission!" the Lakitu declared.
"Try us," Mario said while cracking his knuckles.
This time, Grubba didn't shout "GO!" before the match began.
Milliseconds after the bell rang, Mario and Luigi shouted in unison, "TICK TOCK FREEZE!" and pointed their index fingers at the Lakitu and its Spinies.
In a brief white flash, all three enemies froze in place without getting a chance to move one step.
Mario went and leaped toward the Lakitu. But at the apex of his jump, he turned to the audience, crossed his arms, and did the V-sign with both hands. The audience cheered as he did his aerial pose.
Mario landed on the Lakitu, knocking it off its cloud. He then hopped into the cloud and floated above the still-frozen Spinies.
"¡Aquí voy! (Here I go!)" Luigi said in Spanish. He threw his right hand toward the cloud and shot an electric bolt at it. The bolt engulfed the cloud, causing it to spread a shockwave across the floor.
Luigi jumped to avoid the shockwave while the Spinies got electrocuted and rolled off the ring.
The referee ended the match immediately, prompting the bell to ring.
"Whoa! What a shocking finish!" Grubba announced. "The GREAT GONZÁLEZ and the INCREDIBLE IBÁÑEZ have done it again!"
"Thank you!" "Gracias a todos! (Thank you, everyone!)" Mario and Luigi thanked the audience.
...
Back in the locker room, Mario and Luigi saw themselves at Rank 15 and they were subsequently awarded 160 Coins. This put their individual money banks at 675 Coins.
"You see this, King K?" Mario told King K. "Me and my brother are making money hand over fist! How much are you making per fight?"
"Not that much," King K sighed. "It's, like, 40 for me now that you're soarin' up the ranks. However, I heard the Hot Dog Stand outside's gettin' a new menu item. Yeah, sounds like it's some crazy hot dog made with an egg from a southern island. Some fool was even sayin' the hot dog'll help you win fights! You oughta snack out on one!"
"Sounds pretty good to me," Mario agreed. He turned to Luigi and asked, "You hungry, bro?"
"Not now. I might have a hot dog later," Luigi replied.
...
Outside the Glitz Pit, Mario summoned Flurrie and updated her about his and Luigi's progress.
"Amazing job! I'm so proud of you two!" Flurrie said with glee. "You'll be the champs by the end of the day, I tell you!"
The Hot Dog Stand was located just across from the Fresh Gelato Shop. It resembled a larger version of a typical street dog vendor one would see in New York.
However, the vendor was seen chasing a rainbow-spotted egg that hopped all around the stand. "No! Bad! Come back! Help! My imported egg escaped! Somebody, catch it!"
"I got it!" Mario exclaimed as he ran for the egg. He grabbed it easily given he was faster than the vendor. But before he could let out a sigh of relief, the egg hopped out of his hands and landed on top of the stand.
"MOST AWFULLY BAD! Come down from there, bad egg!" the vendor shouted with anger. "How am I supposed to get it now? Fly there?!"
"Hey. Easy, sir. I'm trying to help you," Mario coaxed the vendor.
"I know..." the vendor grouched. "It's just so frustrating for me to chase this thing!"
Mario immediately climbed onto the stand as Flurrie followed him up. Luigi stayed on the ground for now.
"Hmmm, now? You wish for us to help you, you darling little egg?" Flurrie asked. "Mario, hon, what do you think we ought to do?"
"Well, I guess it doesn't want to be eaten... So..." Mario wondered out loud. "Uh, sir?"
"What?" the vendor replied.
"You mind if we take the egg for ourselves?"
"I guess so... Most people don't like eating stuff that jumps all over the place anyway."
"A positively endearing choice, Mario, not that I expected any less. We shall free him!" Flurrie said happily. "Dear egg, you're free to do whatever you like. Farewell!"
Mario and Flurrie came down from the stand, but the egg hopped down with them. Mario and friends stared at the egg confusingly.
"Why is it following us?" Luigi asked.
"How would I know?" Mario answered.
"I daresay this little dumpling wants to stay with us, Mario and Luigi," Flurrie suggested. "What do you think?"
"All right-y. Whatever," Mario said with a shrug before turning to the egg. "Just stay out of the way, kid. You don't want anyone to crack you open."
The egg hopped in the response and followed the group back into the Glitz Pit's minor league locker room.
Before Mario could sign up for the next match, he sent Flurrie back into his Partner Collection Band as he didn't want to get in trouble for having a third fighter with him and Luigi.
The next match the Mario Bros signed up for was against the Hand-It-Overs at 9:45 AM. Suddenly, Luigi's ring name was crossed out before the "Conditions" text box appeared.
"I knew it..." Mario sighed.
The only condition listed was, "Stay in place; do not move one step."
"Luigi, watch the egg so it doesn't hop away or get eaten by anybody," Mario said.
"Okey-dokey," Luigi responded.
...
"If you all are ready, let's bring in...the Grim Death Burglars...with big, fat wallets...the HAAAND-IT-OOOOOVERS!" Grubba shouted.
Bandy Andy, two red Bandits, and another green Bandit took the ring to mediocre applause.
"And on the other side of the ring is...the-"
Grubba stopped mid-sentence, seeing Mario at the entrance by himself without Luigi. He decided to fake being surprised as he knew about the fight condition ahead of time.
"Wait a second... Where is the Incredible Ibáñez?" Grubba asked.
The audience murmured with concern.
"Let's not worry about him for now. At least we got...the Merciless Executioner...the GREEEEAAT GOOONZÁLEZ!"
Despite them being bummed about Luigi not being available, the crowd cheered for Mario as he entered the ring.
"Well, Bandy Andy. We finally get to duke it out," Mario said with a small smile.
"Where's your pal, González?" Bandy Andy teased. "Is he too scared to battle-"
"You're lucky Ibáñez isn't with me," Mario interrupted Bandy Andy while glaring at him. "If you said it straight to his face-"
"He'd do what? Rob us?"
"Probably," Mario responded after a short delay.
The bell rang, prompting Mario to stand tall with his arms at his sides. He also made a blank face.
The Hand-It-Overs chuckled at Mario's pose.
"Oh, look at him!" one of the Bandits said. "He's turned into a punching bag!"
"Yeah! Let's rough him up!" another Bandit added in.
The Hand-It-Overs immediately started throwing punches at Mario, who tried his hardest to not retaliate at the wrong moment.
During the beatdown, the audience became confused at the sight of Mario not doing anything except getting bruised all over.
At some points, Mario was flung back against the ropes and fell face-first, but was picked back up before the Hand-It-Overs started attacking again.
"Guys, stop!" Bandy Andy shouted after ten seconds.
The Hand-It-Overs ceased attacking and examined Mario's condition. Both of his eyes were blackened, his face was deep red, he was struggling to breathe in and out his nose, and his arms and legs were shaking from suppressing all the pain he was enduring.
"What's going on?" the first red Bandit asked.
"I don't know. Did we overdo it?" the second red Bandit wondered. "I mean, look at González! He hasn't moved a muscle!"
"Maybe we should-"
Suddenly, Bandy Andy was interrupted by Mario doing his Mario Tornado move, letting out a scream loud enough to be heard all across Glitz Pit. All four Hand-It-Over members were caught in the attack.
...
Meanwhile, Luigi sat next to the rainbow-spotted egg, waiting for the match to be over.
"You're very lucky the vendor didn't turn you into-" Luigi started to tell the egg, but was startled by Mario's agonized scream. Whoa! What happened to Mario?
"What was that?" King K asked.
"I don't know if González is getting stomped on or something..." Luigi answered in a worried tone of voice.
...
The Hand-It-Overs continued to be spun around in Mario's attack before Mario threw his fists up, launching them in the air. The audience and Grubba had covered their ears due to Mario's scream.
Finally, Mario did his forward smash attack from the Super Smash Bros. games that blasted the Hand-It-Overs at the east wall, defeating them immediately. The referee went and ended the match, but the audience didn't applaud.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the Great González has won yet again, but it looks like he took his fighting condition too literally," Grubba said.
Mario dropped on his knees, exhausted from his powerful attacks. A medic approached the ring and tried to escort him out of the arena.
"Leave me alone..." Mario groaned. "I don't need your help..."
The medic left immediately and the security guard led Mario back to the minor-league locker room.
As soon as the battered Mario entered the locker room, Luigi ran up to him and took him to the bunk bed he slept on.
"What happened, bro?" Luigi asked.
"I won..." Mario replied in a scratchy voice. "I did what I was supposed to do... I stayed in place and waited for the right time to attack..."
"But why? That's not what I would've done. I would've-"
"Luigi, I followed the rules... Please understand me..." Mario interrupted Luigi.
"I do, Mario. I'm glad you won, but you can't just let your opponents beat you up and do nothing."
"I'm sorry, Luigi..." Mario apologized. He was too hurt to even cry because of his black eyes.
"What's hurting the most?" Luigi asked.
"My throat..." Mario coughed. "Ow..."
"I'll be right back."
Luigi hurried to the water cooler, wrapped a pile of ice in a plastic bag, and filled two cups of warm water.
Mario took the ice bag and applied it to his eyes after laying on his back.
"You need a break for now. I'll go by myself for the next few matches," Luigi said. He sat the cups of water next to Mario and went to the computer to reserve the next match. First, he checked Mario's money bank and both their ranks.
"FYI, you won 170 Coins and you have 845," Luigi called out. "We're also at Rank 14."
"Great..." Mario sighed. "You're welcome, bro..."
...
"Say, I-dog, you hear the latest?" King K asked.
"About what?" Luigi answered.
"My boys said they saw a stunnin'babe havin' a cup at the Fresh Gelato Shop. King K could use a little shortie in his life, dig? Check her out for me, man!"
"I'm sorry. I don't do that kind of stuff."
This time, Luigi purposely reserved a solo match against the Punk Rocks at 10:25 AM. The conditions text box read, "Do an attack starting with a push-up, no special moves."
Luigi chuckled at the first condition. "Are you freaking kidding me? A push-up attack?"
At exactly 10:25 AM, right as the security guard walked in, Luigi overheard Mario saying, "Sucrosa Chow!"
Having recited the first Star Spell taught to him and Luigi, Mario was healed immediately, removing his black eyes and all the bruises he sustained during the Hand-It-Overs battle.
...
"All right, ladies and gentlemen! Are you ready for another?" Grubba announced over the audience's cheers.
"For this match, we have...the Green Torture Squad...made out of the greenest rocks on the planet...the PUUUUNK ROOOOOCKS!"
Cleftor and two Hyper Bald Clefts stomped into the ring and formed a triangle shape.
"As of right now, one of our veteran fighters, the Great González, is out due to injuries he sustained while battling the Hand-It-Overs," Grubba stated. "But we do have his companion ready to avenge him...the Superstar Executioner...the INCREEEEDIBLE IBÁÑEZ!"
Luigi speed-walked into the ring and stared Cleftor in the eye.
"This no take long. This end in pain for mustache," Cleftor said before the bell rang.
Luigi got into his push-up position at the same time the Punk Rocks started charging forward. At the lowest point of his push-up, he did a breakdance kick that knocked back his opponents slightly. He then sprung on his feet and leaped above the Punk Rocks.
At the apex of his jump, Luigi Ground Pounded the floor, flipping all three Punk Rocks on their heads. Since the Punk Rocks weighed a lot, they were unable to flip back on their feet, effectively ending the match.
As the referee held Luigi's arm up with victory, Grubba announced, "Oh yes! We got ourselves a winner! The INCREDIBLE IBÁÑEZ continues his way up the leaderboard along with the Great González!"
...
After entering the locker room again, Luigi saw Mario sitting on the bench next to the egg.
"Congrats, Luigi," Mario said with a smile.
"Thank you, Mario. Good to see you're feeling better," Luigi responded.
"I almost forgot that I had the Tasty Treat spell," Mario chuckled. "Should've used it instead of exploding in front of everyone."
Mario approached the computer and saw him and Luigi at Rank 13. Luigi also won 170 Coins from winning against the Punk Rocks, equaling Mario's Coin total.
"Yo, guys," King K called from the quarter entrance. "Keep it under your hat, but I'm thinkin' 'bout retirin' soon."
"What?!" Mario gasped.
"You heard me, G-dog."
"But we were just starting to become friends!"
"I'm sorry, but if I stay any longer... Well, my future might get shorter, dig? After next match, I'm gone. It ain't cool, man, that's for sure. But you know what? That's life."
"We're gonna miss you, King K," Mario sighed.
"It was fun getting to know each other," Luigi added in.
"Same. You be cool, guys. Promise me you won't forget you once knew the King K!" King K said.
With that, Mario reserved the next match, resuming him teaming up with Luigi. At 10:40 AM, the Mario Bros would fight the Mind-Bogglers with no conditions being listed.
The Mind-Bogglers consisted of a Pale Piranha, a Pider, and a Dark Puff; they were no match for the Mario Bros as they did the Thunder Bros. attack to defeat the Mind-Bogglers immediately.
As a result of their win, the Mario Bros were each awarded 185 Coins and stood at Rank 12 with their money totals at 1,030 Coins.
Next, Mario and Luigi reserved an 11:15 AM match against the Bob-omb Squad led by Master Crash himself. The conditions were to pose immediately after the last attack and not jump at all.
All four Bob-ombs that made up the Bob-omb Squad lit their fuses one by one so as to create a large explosion. However, Mario and Luigi took turns batting away the Bob-ombs with Mario's hammer, making each of them explode in mid-air.
At the end of the match, Mario and Luigi high-fived each other and did the V-sign for the audience.
The Mario Bros' victory awarded them 190 Coins each, giving them an individual total of 1,220. They also made it to Rank 11.
"Oh crap. One more battle and we're going to the major leagues," Mario said with awe after checking the leaderboard.
"Yeah! How awesome is that?" Luigi responded with enthusiasm.
"You know, it is quite lonely without King K around BOMB..." Master Crash said from behind.
"No lonely... Him too weak... Now him not here. Sound normal to Cleftor," Cleftor said.
"Heh! You are in BOMB denial, Cleftor. I saw you weeping in that locker BOMB-BOMB!" Master Crash retorted.
"Can you cut out the drama, please?" Mario requested. "If King K doesn't want to fight anymore, he doesn't want to fight anymore."
"I know BOMB..."
Suddenly, Jolene walked into the minor-league locker room with a purple Swoop.
"Right this way, Sir Swoop. This is your dressing room," Jolene said. "You're starting in the minor league, of course, as you've just now started your career. If you don't like this dingy room, I suggest you make your way up through the ranks."
While Jolene taught Sir Swoop how to use the computer to reserve matches, Mario thought to himself, He's not gonna make it far. Sir Swoop won't even make it past Rank 17.
After being assigned to his first match against the Goomba Bros., Sir Swoop had only one condition: to do a triple flip and meow at some point in the fight.
Mario and Luigi laughed at Sir Swoop reading the condition with disbelief.
"Hey! That's not funny!" Sir Swoop angrily said. "Do you understand how embarrassing this is for me to be a cat and not my own self?"
"Sorry, Sir Swoop," Mario apologized after composing himself. "It just sounds ridiculous."
"I know. What's going to happen during my second match? Am I gonna bark like a dog every five seconds?" Sir Swoop said with sarcasm.
"It's Mr. Grubba's choice," Mario answered while trying to hold back his laughter.
At 11:32 AM, the security guard arrived to escort Sir Swoop to the arena.
"You. Yes, you. Sir Swoop. Time for your battle, bub. Follow me," the guard said.
"Good luck," Mario told Sir Swoop as he left the locker room.
The Mario Bros sat on the bench again and spent some time coming up with possible conditions they could be put under for the major league qualification.
Will Mario and Luigi emerge as the victors and make it closer to the highest rank, or will they go back to square one?