5-3: Giant Kirby

Slowly, Luigi turned. Standing there on one of the upper platforms was the hugest, roundest ball of pink adorableness he'd ever seen. His long, bean-shaped eyes reflected his opponent's image like a mirror. Presently, his mouth curved into a small smile as he towered over the man in green.

"HIIIIIIIII!"

"A Giant Kirby," breathed Luigi.

"POYO!" laughed Giant Kirby as he dropped down onto the main platform, causing the ground to tremble.

"You did such a good job with the other Kirbies that I decided to throw this one out," explained Master Hand.

"Well—thanks," said Luigi as he stared down Giant Kirby, evening his breaths and raising his fists. "We're going to have a good time, aren't we, Giant Kirby?"

"POY!"

READY…GO!

The orchestral cover of Green Greens was replaced by the frenetic rendition of Gourmet Race, the same tune playing during Luigi's tangle with the 8 Kirbies two years ago. Knowing the dangers of stale moves, Luigi baited Giant Kirby a different way instead of throwing out fireballs. He wavedashed over to the edge, and Giant Kirby took the bait, attempting to grab him for a Kirbycide. Luigi dodged the large appendage, and instead of jabs, he launched right into his smashes. Upward-angled Trowel Stabs and breakdance sweeps. Hard-hitting head-butts. When he needed to retreat, that was where his roundhouse kick and Green Missile came in. Could he grab Giant Kirby? Would he be able to hold him long enough? After stunning the fluffy giant with a blow, Luigi took his gamble and seized Giant Kirby with both hands, pummeling him several times, and then heaved him downwards with a grunt. Giant Kirby bounced up like a ball, so Luigi snatched him out of thin air and slammed him again and again. After one slam, Luigi started one of his combos. He made this one fiercer than normal, due to his foe's inflated size. But then Giant Kirby escaped, and Luigi felt himself being sucked up by a powerful vortex.

He was spat back out, and he turned to see Giant Kirby wearing his hat.

"I don't think so," he said calmly, sliding out of range of the giant fireballs thrown at him. He threw his own fireballs, before setting up a surprise aerial attack and following through with a combo on the ground, throwing and attacking. But here, Giant Kirby got blows of his own in. His Vulcan Jab. All of his specials. Even a few aerials and smash attacks. They dealt more damage and launched Luigi further. The increased damage only increased his power and adrenaline rush. Giant Kirby was shocked. Normally, his opponents would be begging for mercy by now! Perhaps he didn't know Luigi as much as he thought.

Kirby peeped into the replay area and quickly wished that he hadn't. There, on the monitors, in crisp detail, was Koopa, eyes full of rage and bloodlust, as he set upon Luigi with claws and spikes and kicks and slams. He was beating the poor man with savage blows until he could barely stand; still, he kept going. Despite this, Luigi hadn't stopped fighting for even a moment, tweaking his battle plan again and again, laying on more Smash attacks and even halting Koopa's offensive for a while. But his clever tactics eventually failed him as Koopa pounded and slashed him into submission, making him bleed all over himself and the stage. The images played again and again, Kirby managing to tear himself away only when he heard the voices. He flattened himself like a pancake against the wall so he could see without being seen. There was Koopa, his face inches from Luigi's as he mocked him. His lips moved, and spittle sprinkled out on occasions, but Kirby's innocent little mind, in some sort of defense mechanism, muted the sound of the words. There was Luigi, veins throbbing in his temple and neck, his face hard, his hands fists at his side, his eyes searing into his tormentor. There was Ganondorf, standing there with arms folded, head thrown back in laughter as he watched his friend give Luigi what he thought he deserved and tossing in his own two cents. Kirby felt himself slump to the floor, tears coming to his eyes. He couldn't let those two treat Luigi like that! He had to tell someone! As quietly as he could, Kirby picked himself up and floated toward Master Hand's office

Giant Kirby was brought back to the present with a brutal knifehand thrust between his eyes, followed by a volley of hard blows. Luigi had him trapped against those yellow blocks, and as he continued to eat him up, Giant Kirby saw it all in the plumber's eyes. The scars from the words spoken to him that day. His battle wounds had gone, but the words stayed with him. They motivated him to work harder and seek out areas for improvement, to drag himself out of bed every morning to train, to hold his own against the likes of 20XX and to make himself heard. While juggling with his up tilt and Cyclone, stabbing his hand into Giant Kirby till his fingers ached and kicking and throwing, Luigi knew that those two villains were wrong about him, and he yelled enthusiastically with each blow he landed, praying that they'd come back for him so he could tell them so.

Giant Kirby grabbed Luigi and did a back Suplex into the blocks, rocketing Luigi upward. Before he could follow up, the plumber spiked him with his downward kick, chucked him upward and threw his short hop f-airs, ending with a forward smash. And with one mighty blow, Luigi knocked Giant Kirby's Copy Ability away.

For two minutes, they rallied, and they rallied hard. Mostly Smash attacks were exchanged between them. Giant Kirby's size had its perks, but it was no match for Luigi's power and strength. After taking a forward kick to the abdomen, Luigi rose to his feet, sweaty and bruised, and sucked in a deep breath. He locked his jaw as he strode toward Giant Kirby, removing everything else from his mind except for the oversized Star Warrior. Once he reached his opponent, he focused the sting from those words and the resentment towards those two into one of his fists, closed his eyes and then—

PIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGG!

The Super Jump Punch hurled Giant Kirby clean out of the stage!

SUCCESS!

"Well done, L," said MH. "You've just earned the Giant Kirby KO bonus."

Luigi nodded in approval. "I just love these little bonuses," he mused. "So, where to next?"

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