The Unexpected

The brawling went on for around two hours, and in the end, Link won. Ness was exhausted, as were the others, but it struck him the hardest. Ness made it to the last round, but lost due to a small slip up he made. He came out of the dining hall covered in food, and with his clothes torn all over. Lucas helped Ness to their room, with Claus following close behind, and sat him down on his bed.

"God, it was much tougher than I thought it would be. I can't believe I even made it that far. Link congratulated me, and even gave me a high five. He's so quiet all the time, mainly because that's how he is, but he's really friendly."

Dr. Mario knocked on the door, and let himself in after Lucas answered the door. "Um, may I have a minute with you, Ness?"

Ness was a bit confused, but stood up and walked over to him. Ness noticed that he seemed to be limping a small bit as he walked, and it got worse the longer he was on his feet.

"What's up, doc?"

"Well, I noticed that you landed at a strange angle during the banquet, and you were affected by it pretty badly. It may have cost you the win, but I'm just making sure that you're health is in tip-top shape. We need you ready at all times, because none of us know when we're being selected next."

"So, do you want to check on my ankle?"

Dr. Mario brings his clipboard closer to his chest, and starts walking back to the health center. "Yes. It will only be a few minutes."

Ness looks back to the door, then makes his way down to the health center. It was installed over a year ago for Dr. Mario, so he could help the characters out if they had any health issues. They make their way into one of the rooms, and Ness sits on the bed.

Dr. Mario brings out a pen, and then starts the routine. He puts Ness through a series of tests, then leaves the room. He comes back with a cast and crutches.

"So I really did sprain my ankle? Damn... Well, Lucas isn't gonna like seeing me like this..."

"I'd want you walking around normally as well, but that injury won't heal any faster with you putting pressure on it."

(I wish I had Lifeup and Healing again...)

Ness exited the health center and made his way to the stairs. It was nearly impossible for him to make his way up, so when Zelda made her way by and saw him struggling, she helped him up. He thanked her as she walked away, and opened the door to his room.

Lucas saw Ness in crutches and nearly broke down in tears. "Ness, y-you're hurt?!"

Ness shrugs Lucas' comment off. "Yeah, but I didn't notice it until I was walking to the health center. I'll be like this for a while, but I should be just fine..."

"But... How are you going to fight when you're injured?"

"Hmm... Never thought of that yet..." Ness gets an idea. "Hey, Claus can fight in my place!"

Claus starts sweating, and Lucas moves in front of his brother. "He would have a different move set than you. Plus, it was stated that he was not supposed to fight, only be an acquaintance."

"Well, how would you fix the problem?"

"Um..."

Someone starts knocking on the door, so Ness answers it, having been by it the entire time. He opens the door and Pit is there. He seems to be the messenger of the place.

"Lucas, you're up."

Both Claus and Lucas are surprised. "R-Really?"

"Come on, I'm in there too. Hurry, the round is starting in 30 seconds!"

Lucas runs out the door and onto the field. He's warped onto the stage, Battlefield, and prepares to start. The other characters, Pit, Olimar, and Greninja, took their places as well. Claus was watching from a screen that was provided. Ness came by as fast as he could and stood behind Claus.

"He's really gonna go through with this?!"

"Lucas is a lot tougher than you think, Claus. I know he can do it..."

"Well, if he loses, tell him 'I told you so'."

Ness rolls his eyes at the orange haired boy as the round started. Claus expected Lucas to get pummeled, but he moved as if he were walking on air. Lucas was proving to his brother that he can do what everyone else here can do. He turned to Olimar and struck him with his side smash. The round lasted for ten and a half minutes, with it being a five stock match, and the winner in the end was Lucas, with three stock remaining.

Lucas warped back down to the ground and Claus wrapped his arms around his younger twin. "Lucas, you did it!"

"You... doubted me?"

Claus took two steps back, and twiddled his fingers together. "Well, it's not that I 'doubted' you, it's just that I never knew you were so good at fighting."

Lucas gave a warm smile. "Aw, thanks. The only reason I did so good was that TRIP was using me. I didn't realize how good a player she was until I was put into her hands."

Claus put his hand on his brother's shoulder. "I think you did amazing out there today. You should teach me some of those things."

"Maybe some other time..." Lucas notices Kirby running to them. "Kirby has something to tell us, apparently."

Kirby skids to a stop, then frantically points to the mansion. Lucas takes action by scooping Ness up into his arms and running back. Claus follows after Kirby and the two, but sees Ness and Lucas smiling at each other.

Ness' face turns bright red. "Lucas, you didn't have to do this."

"I didn't want you lagging behind. It's probably really hard getting around in those."

"Yeah..."

Lucas gets to the front of the mansion and puts Ness down before opening up the doors. He sees Dark Pit looking at them with a bit of scorn, but he laughs it off. Dark Pit has a fake hate for them, and always likes the way Lucas reacts towards it.

Lucas walks in, with his brother, Ness, and Kirby behind him. "So, what's up?"

Mario holds up a paper with the Nintendo logo on it. "There's gonna be a tournament here soon. It's being held next week, and everyone's invited."

Claus' attention raises upon hearing 'everyone'. "A-Are you serious?! Does that mean I get to be in it?"

"Why not; the more the merrier!"

Claus jumps for joy and shakes his brother.

"What is with everyone and shaking me today?!"

"Come on, I get to be in this Smash Bros. tournament, and there's no stopping me!" Claus' smile turns devious. "I have a bet for the both of us..."

"Yeah?"

"If I win, I'm taking you back to Tazmily for a week."

"And if I win...?"

"Well, you can do whatever you want to me, as long as it isn't inappropriate."

Lucas grabs his brother's hand, and they share a firm handshake. "Deal."

"Good luck, bro."

(I'm gonna need more than luck to get through this... I'm gonna need a miracle at this rate...)

The twins release themselves from the handshake and part ways for the day. Ness lowers his head and sighs.

"What have you done...?"