12-1: Final Destination
Final Destination.
Those two words alone were enough to send epinephrine shooting through Luigi's entire being.
The stage had changed significantly in two years' time. Instead of an octagonal, round shape, it had more of a flat, rectangular shape and a simpler design. The edges of the platform were lined with purple, and the rest of the stage was black. As before, the ambience and the background were very futuristic, green squiggles sometimes breaking up the monotony of black. The stage itself remained basic, as there were no gimmicks or hazards whatsoever. Luigi was quite pleased with the current layout of Final Destination, as he had greater freedom of movement and increased space to utilize.
Standing before him on Final Destination at the moment was none other than Luigi's final opponent in Adventure Mode. The opponent he'd faced not too long ago, to whom he'd suffered a terrible defeat. The opponent who not only defeated him in front of Mario, Peach and the rest of his friends but also castigated him and rubbed buckets of salt into his wounds shortly thereafter, dragging him into the replay room to torture him emotionally by making him watch and by saying those words and physically whenever he dared to look away. The opponent who spent most of Melee so far bullying almost everyone on the roster alongside his Gerudo friend. The reason why Luigi had tackled Adventure Mode. The reason why he'd fought, sweated, bled and bruised his way through eleven worlds to get where he was now.
King Koopa.
And as Luigi looked at his opponent, he knew—he knew that the overgrown turtle was going to use their earlier battle as ammo against him. He was going to get inside his head, he was going to taunt him, he was going to get a rise out of him and try to force raw emotion to take control. But Luigi wouldn't let that happen. He was going to fight the rage, fight the memories, fight the words. Fight his nerves, creeping up behind him from the shadows. Whatever mistakes he made that day—he wasn't going to make them again. He was going to focus on the battle before him—the right attacks, the right combos and the right defensive and evasive maneuvers. Koopa wasn't about to overpower him mentally—or physically, for that matter!
Koopa smirked at Luigi down the length of his snout, still sporting some bruises and aches from their earlier battle. He thanked Master Hand in his mind for this opportunity. Second helpings of the pitiful Green 'Stache—how fortunate could he get? As soon as MH told him, Koopa had given Ganondorf a buzz, the King of Evil agreeing to drop whatever he was doing to come cheer him on. He glanced over at the stands and saw him, sitting at the far left of the front row, crunching on peanuts and Cracker Jacks. He was clad in a tan jersey with Koopa's name on it and tan gym shorts. Presently, he waved at his friend, a smirk etched on his features as he anticipated seeing more of the green bean's blood painting a stage.
Luigi didn't notice this; he'd completely shut it out. All he saw was his opponent, just as loaded for bear as he was. His posture was straight and tall, once again cutting a figure in his Wrecking Crew outfit. Blue eyes gave his foe the once-over, smiling internally at the leftover damage from their last encounter. He shouldn't count out that he gave Koopa a big, big beating before things took a sour turn. He'd fought his best—his hardest—and that was all that mattered.
But man, I was so close to winning! I should've won! Peach and Mario were there, and they saw me get trounced! Where did I go wrong?!
No, don't worry about that. It's in the past. Yesterday. Ancient history. You can't do anything about it. Stewing over it won't change the events of that battle. But you can do something about this battle.
That turtle—who did he think he was, saying those things to me?! I'm not a failure! I'm no weakling! And I can prove it!
Yes, you can, by calming down and watching more carefully. Now, for the last time, stop thinking about it! Stop thinking about what he and Ganon said to you! Your anger means nothing to them—if anything, it'll be encouragement. You can't let their words get under your skin.
Well, I can't help it! They hurt me! They made me feel like dirt—useless and worthless. They played on my current situation in my own universe—left-out, zero credit, clumsy and cowardly! What am I supposed to do—let them get away with it?!
No, L. I'm not saying that. They're not gonna get away with it. This ends today. Forever. But you need to calm down right now. Okay?
Okay. I'll try.
Don't try—only do.
Yes.
A heavy weight lifted itself from Luigi's spirit as he purged it of those words, of the sight of him being used as a punching bag on the Battlefield. He sent the toxins that were his rage, his frustration and the mockery of those two far, far away, where they could no longer hurt him. He closed his eyes, feeling and hearing the rhythm of his breath, and now focused on the relaxation of his muscles. Loosen that jaw a little. Now relax those limbs. Unclench those fists. Now the chest. And the abdomen. Chest and belly worked in tandem as he breathed, focusing his attention on his navel, mentally moving the ball of energy back there, feeling the navel flex with each breath in and then relax with each breath out. His heart rate came back down to a close-to-normal range, and his brain edited and rewound every moment of that fight. The defeat itself had been discarded, condemned to the cutting room floor. But everything else—from the start to the turning point—served a purpose. Perhaps during the battle, he could figure out just where he went wrong—
And why did I go wrong? Why did I mess up like that and embarrass myself? Oh, Dio—
Focus. Focus.
Right. Focus—
Luigi breathed again, a soothing breathing exercise which extinguished the fire threatening to fan out of control and burn his strategy to a crisp. His shoulders released and then rolled back. His chin lifted. His shoulder blades snapped taut. He opened his eyes and stared Koopa down. No emotion. This was his game face. His war face. He felt the soft fabric of his shirt and overalls caress his skin. He felt the intensity wrap around his body and shoot twin rays from his eyes at his adversary. He felt like a slate had been wiped clean, that he was ready to redeem himself by facing this beast once more. Lips compressed firmly—but not too firmly, and jaw locked. Allowing jaw and neck muscles to flex occasionally to prevent aches. He angled his gaze so that Koopa would be forced to look him straight in the face. His lips parted slightly as he felt cold anger sweeping down, though he was battling it back. Azure eyes gleamed brightly, dangerously, with total confidence.
Be careful what you wish for, Koopa. Because you just might get it.
Koopa lumbered forward and held out a clawed hand. "You'd better hope Mario and the Princess are here," he snickered.
Luigi refused to grace that statement with a response. Instead, he grasped the proffered claw and silently shook hands with him. His eyes could say enough. So could his blows.
"Quite a grip you've got there, Greenie," chuckled Koopa. "What's the matter? Still sore over last time? Well, too bad, because I'm gonna make you go through that again. And again and again and again and again…"
He trailed off as he saw a strange illumination creep over Luigi's body. So intense was his focus and his optimism that they cast their light upon his already golden skin. And then there was the flamingo-pink hat and shirt and the Twizzler-red overalls and—were those green sparkles dancing on him?
"Mad now, aren't you?" the reptile snorted. "That's fine; see if I care. By the time I'm done with you, Mario and the Princess—you'll really have something to be made about. GWAA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!" He laughed and laughed and laughed, calming down only when he saw Luigi refusing to play into his claws.
He huffed. "Fine. Let's get to it."
Okeydokey. Say your prayers, you ignorant fiend.
READY—
The energy thrumming around deep inside his navel, coupled with the warmth inside his chest, was so good to feel. Luigi didn't even take his eyes off of Koopa as he raised his fists.
GO!
His fists shook, just a little bit, but then they steadied as Koopa ran toward him.
He deftly flicked fireballs from his right hand even though his body screamed at him to charge…
Luigi read what Koopa was doing and calmly dodged, rather than meet the charge head-on. Koopa was sent into confusion as his claw met air. Confusion which turned to pain as "sissy-fists", a brutal forward kick and a knifehand thrust met him. Luigi then executed a short-hop and kicked below him, feeling his opponent's hair and the tip of his horns touch his hipbone. He smiled inside as the meteor-smash connected. Koopa was on the floor. Again, Luigi kicked him. In the face. Harder than he'd ever kicked anyone in Smash. And then a low kick. A hollow crunch as heel met bone. Thank God for premium-grade work boots. Another short hop and an intricate chain of karate chops. Forcing him off the stage. But Koopa knew what Luigi was trying to do.
Luigi had instantly punished Koopa's impatient charge with a barrage of furious, vicious punches. He stunned him with a flip-kick, grabbed him, and slammed him down, the first throw of the match. Eyes followed Koopa as he tried to DI, and he greeted him during his descent with another down throw. And then more of them.
Koopa's Whirling Fortress disrupted Luigi's combo as it recovered him back onto the stage. Luigi picked himself up and sent out fireballs with his left hand, his right hand slightly beckoning to Koopa in a "come and get it" gesture. His tongue peeked out over his upper lip and then retreated back into his mouth. He was worried that Koopa was starting to catch on to his strategy, but then he thought back, just for a moment, to how low he thought of him. Just as he predicted, set off by the sight of this green bean standing tall against his might, Koopa roared and aimed a running dropkick at him. Luigi dodged, grabbed, threw him up and dealt out some painful flip kicks before switching to quick karate chops and finally another d-air when his breath started to come fairly fast. Koopa slammed hard onto the stage, only to be grabbed and slammed back down by Luigi, over and over.
Luigi, thanks to steadfast practice, had become polished in neutral. After his chain-throw of Koopa, he next forced him to sample a stinging combo. He comboed his f-airs into fastfall u-tilts, which came out pretty rapidly. With a simple flick of his wrist, he could clobber his enemy from overhead. Or, he could shoot out fireballs when the pressure got too much. And at any point during a combo, he could re-grab and begin again…
A handmade necklace had small beads, medium-sized beads and large beads. One could make different combinations of these three beads. Luigi liked to think of his combo tools in the selfsame fashion. The first bead—the combo starter—was a large bead, which was either an up or a down throw. His small beads were his weaker attacks—his jab, his L-cancelled jab and his "sissy-fists"—and his spacers—his fireballs and strong side attack. For his middle beads, his other strong attacks and all of his aerials fell into this category, especially those which could chain into themselves (karate chops, anyone?). And finally, his large beads consisted of his Smash attacks, his Super Jump Punch and his Green Missile, as well as a combo-ending option or a re-grab. Chain-grabs could also qualify for a string of large beads.
But like all necklaces, no two were alike, and they were subject to flaws in their design. Sometimes, beads had to be removed and strung all over again. Koopa eagerly and expertly exploited those flaws, except that he wasn't making necklaces. He was simply throwing things into a blender and mixing them together, hoping to come up with something palatable. Still, his size and strength were nothing to laugh at. Blood lazily drooled from the wounds his claws, spines and horns left on his body, peeking through the overalls of the same color. Already, he was peppered with bruises and swollen places, and there was pain everywhere. Additionally, he miscalculated and wound up in the dreaded Koopa Klaw. He was either grabbed and chomped on repeatedly, the agony exploding tenfold with each bite, or slashed into the air or hurled down. If he was thrown after the Koopa Klaw, Luigi was able to stop combos in their tracks, stun with fireballs and steadily guide his way back onto the offensive like a boat to shore.
Koopa's frustration was so amusing to see, because it wasn't like it was gonna get him anywhere in this match! Here, Luigi would hold his position and stay on guard, even as the adrenaline overcame his body and he could take no more, he would wait, breathing, taking in his wounds, taking in the sticky blood dripping down his face and sliding into his mouth like his sweat. Here, the energy ball at his navel would recharge, growing back to its original size, as Koopa fumed. Roaring, the turtle charged, but Luigi's kick intercepted him, leading to a free Cyclone, a quick chain grab and a longer combo which moved from air to ground and back again. The d-air was the ideal air-to-ground transition, while the re-grab was the perfect ground-to-air transition. Each hit came out on a specific beat, establishing a cadence Luigi worked well with, making his energy last a good while.
Luigi found himself slammed down by Koopa's down special, prevented a follow-up with an air-dodge and quickly regrouped, rolling up his sleeves. Koopa could see some muscle on the green bean's arms, and look—a sports watch! Oh, he was something else with that sports watch, wasn't he? He'd show him. He'd show him good…
The plumber read his mind and set his face, waiting for the frustration and the blind charge. Then, the possibility of stale move negation occurred to him, so he tried a different tactic. He danced lightly on the balls of his feet, around the stage, around Koopa. If he kept standing there, waiting, then Koopa would figure him out, right? Luigi didn't want that, right? So, he had to be on the move.
As Koopa tried to track Luigi's movements, the man in green rapidly darted out of the turtle's line of vision, and—misfire! The Green Missile knocked Koopa onto his belly, which Luigi didn't really want, because that was the most vulnerable area of his body. So, he tiptoed close, and with a bashful kick, popped Koopa upwards before sending a series of flip kicks into that fleshy tummy. And then—PIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGG! The center of that tummy fell victim to a Fire Jump Punch!
But it wasn't enough to KO this big lug. Oh, no. It was time for Luigi to pull out all the stops now. These next necklaces were gonna be plentiful in large beads, maybe even larger beads for fully charged Smash attacks. Luigi grabbed a lungful of air and went to work. First, distract with fireballs. Then, go for the throat and grab him. Slam him down. Let him have it with the Smash attacks!
Sometimes, he aimed his Trowel Stab straight. The diagonal trajectory in its wake was fertile with follow-ups. But angling it up hurt more, and he'd jump to catch Koopa in a full-on Cyclone. Koopa's air mobility left something to be desired, so it was hard for him to air-dodge or DI in time. On rare, and I mean rare, occasions, Luigi aimed his forward smash down in order to do a grounded combo.
His up smash was mainly a hard read. He baited Koopa to roll right into him, and POW! He didn't use this too much, for it caused headaches, and he didn't want to scramble things up there, did he? So, he stuck to his breakdance sweep and Trowel Stab, following up with aerials and fireballs to peck away at his massive foe.
Koopa inhaled and sent bright orange flames Luigi's way! Luigi dodged with a "Whoa!", his first interjection in battle. He retreated until the Fire Breath spurted out, and rather than run back in, he let loose with a fiery assault of his own, lime green flames searing into Koopa's hide until he put up his shield.
Yet before Koopa shielded, Luigi caught something in his eyes. Glee. Glee over him crying out as he dodged his Fire Breath. He was standing there, laughing at him with his green eyes! But Luigi got even by continuing to throw out fireballs, resisting the temptation to march up there and jam fiery fingers into those laughing eyes, shield-pressuring him. The shield shrank and shrank, and when it was no bigger than a small child's ball, Luigi generated a slightly larger fireball and launched it, breaking the protective bubble.
There was a sound like shattering glass, and Koopa went flying into the air before toppling back down, clutching his head and growling. The shield break had left him dizzy. Luigi wasted no time gawking at him. In seconds, he dashed to the disoriented reptile and lit into him, pounding him as savagely as he'd been pounded that day. Now he could launch an open hand stab into those eyes. Now he could make him regret smirking at him as he did. Just as quickly, he snapped himself out of those thoughts. He had to think about his game plan, not about revenge, or he'd lose a second time to this monster.
Luigi made a fiery fist, pivoted his body and shot it directly into Koopa's side, doing the same to the other side. He nearly gasped as the shock wave resonated deep inside his body like strings on a lute. Koopa doubled over, and thus couldn't see Luigi charging himself up, mustering all of his willpower to deliberately get a misfire. And he got it. Heat flashed all around him as he flew across the Battlefield, a plume of fire trailing behind him. The top of his head, softened by his cap, made contact with Koopa's belly. It was like popping a balloon, the air leaving his adversary in a rush, crumpling him. Luigi dropped low and swept his legs around, and then laid on more Smash attacks before deciding to switch things up and set up an aerial combo.
Luigi cupped his palm, swung it in a precise arc and slammed it into Koopa's ear, followed by the same hit to the other ear. Koopa's eyes rolled back for a few seconds as discombobulation swept over him; at the same time, Luigi jumped and landed a strong flying kick to his face. Right into one eye he aimed a sharp, swift karate chop. Plus, several more at the base of the chin. On the inhale, he jumped, and on the exhale, he twirled his feet in that familiar way, timing things carefully so he'd get yet another meteor-smash. And he got it. Horns and hair gently scraping his hipbone, the downward twirling kick colliding with the top of Koopa's head. The monster was now between a rock and a hard place—and at the mercy of Luigi's ground attacks. After laying on some short hop aerial attacks, he misfired into Koopa's battered face, deciding to switch things up and set up a grounded combo.
And oh, how he yelled as he continued to drive in his blows!
How his violent shouts tore loose from his throat!
It was as if fireworks were going off inside his body.
He was a volcano wanting to erupt, but he couldn't; he couldn't give in to the rage now because that was a weakness. If Koopa saw that he was remembering, then he'd start in on him.
Koopa tucked into his shell and spun at him, but Luigi rolled to safety.
His combos were cut off with the Whirling Fortress. After taking the attack, Luigi tried to tech, but Koopa noticed and punished with a down smash. Luigi covered his retreat with his fireballs.
Luigi moved to the edge of the stage and baited Koopa to use Whirling Fortress again, only to dodge at the right moment. Koopa, in a helpless state at the end of the move, dropped off the stage and lost a stock.
The toxins threatening to cloud rational thought were now being expelled from him as Luigi released more defiant cries. He fought defensively till he managed a hard read on Koopa—then resumed his offensive attacks as if nothing happened. Dio, how he yelled! Taking notice of the pain pounding into him, he maintained a greater space between the two with his strong side and his amazing, gravity-defying fireballs. His eyes skimmed over the battered form of his monstrous opponent, mentally patting himself on the back as he did.
And then, in an exploding moment of clarity—
He figured it out!
HE NOW KNEW WHERE HE'D FLUBBED!
He had surveyed the bruises and blood covering his opponents and allowed himself a brief smile. Koopa had been filled with an unimaginable anger at this and let loose with his Fire Breath. Thinking quickly, Luigi had vaulted over Koopa, only to find himself in his mighty claw!
Letting his guard down for a single instant was all it took for victory to turn into defeat.
He wasn't going to let that mistake happen again.
Stay focused. Stay alert. The battle's not over until he's beyond the blast line.
Molding his features into a neutral expression, Luigi got Koopa to approach him once more and hammered away at him like never before. Now that those jeering words had stopped replaying for once, he could look upon that match with fresh eyes. He'd started off with his head in the game and his eyes on the prize—but veered off when he smirked at Koopa's wounds, with catastrophic results. But which prize was his eyes on—victory or respect? Which was more important? Luigi hadn't been in Smash to win—he'd jumped at the opportunity to make new friends and hopefully climb out of the rut of being Player Two. Then, he reasoned—perhaps he let his longstanding rivalry with Koopa get to him in those brief seconds, and the turtle took full advantage.
But not today. Luigi had always learned from his mistakes—and that was certainly the case after losing a Smash battle. And when Koopa looked into Luigi's eyes, he quickly figured that out, too.
Still, it wouldn't hurt to rattle him some more.
Grinning, Koopa executed his Koopa Klaw attack one last time and got in a few big bites before Luigi wrenched himself free, got into position and executed his trademark fiery uppercut. This mighty Super Jump Punch was punctuated with an equally mighty war cry. Koopa roared in dismay as he was ejected into oblivion.
SUCCESS!
Luigi calmly watched Koopa plummet earthward in trophy form and disappear into the darkness.
Then, a feeling of triumph overtook him.
"I did it!" he cried, striking a victorious pose. "Let's-a go!"
Then, he heard a deep chuckle from Master Hand. "Who said this stage was finished?" boomed the glove.
"What? I beat the final boss, fair and square, didn't I?"
Luigi watched in disbelief as the Koopa trophy floated back up and onto Final Destination.
"You didn't actually think I was gonna make the final boss that easy, did you?" challenged MH.
"If you're trying to intimidate me, then it's not working," Luigi said levelly. "I have spent weeks upon weeks upon weeks training for this moment, awaiting the day when Koopa and I once again came face-to-face in combat. There wasn't a day when his words weren't echoing in my ears or when I felt his mocking gaze on my back. When he mocked me, I made a quiet vow—that he would never break me! He may slash me with his claws, roast me with his Fire Breath, chew me up and spit me out with his Koopa Klaw or put me down with cruel words—but he'll never break me! I swear to God—he'll never break me!" He whirled on the Koopa trophy. "You'll never destroy me, you understand?!" His voice echoed all around Final Destination. "You think you decimated me that day?! Think again! You think I can't take you on a second time?! Think again! Two years ago, I took on the godlike Hand of Creation after toiling my way through eleven battles! He made me bleed all over myself and the stage—just like you did—but in spite of his awesome power, I overcame him! He saw the vibrant glow of my fire! He heard the resounding crack of my blows against him! And on that day, he looked into the whites of my eyes and he realized what I could do—by the sweat of my brow, by the strength of my back—by the courage of my heart! I'm standing here, Koopa, and I'm telling you that even if I have to bleed again and again and again and again—I will overcome you!"
MH chuckled again. "We'll see about that."
A bolt of lightning struck the Koopa trophy. At the same time, Ganon, in the stands, raised his arms. Luigi heard loud cracking sounds from around him as the trophy began to reanimate—and grow.
"What are you up to, Master Hand?" he murmured.
Koopa's claws, horns and shell spines lengthened and sharpened as he grew. His shell color darkened, as did his skin tone. His hair became spikier, his snout became less rounded, and his eyes—bloodshot, feral and soulless. He stretched out his less-bulky arms as life and energy returned to him.
"Mamma mia…" Luigi had seen this form of Koopa before—a form engineered only to maul and destroy. A form of Koopa which would be significantly more difficult to beat.
Giga Koopa.
The inflated beast's eyes suddenly focused on Luigi and lit up demonically and hungrily as he caught the plumber's scent. His mouth opened, and from it came a roar putting to rest all doubts of his newfound bloodlust, a roar which drowned out Ganondorf's laughter.
Prepare yourself, Luigi, for the ultimate test of mettle!
Mmmm-hmm!
