Author's Note: And so the next prompt on our plate is… the 51st one? Yes, rather than making you all wait for me to eventually get to the second half of my prompts, I decided that it's best to alternate. Unlike the past chapters, this one is actually decently long. This chapter has spoilers for Attack of Giygas (obviously) and spoilers for The War Against Giygas around Chapter 13.

51: Sport

5

The sound of cheering crowds is music to Marth's ears, the roar of people from all directions in a stadium strengthening his sense of self-worth. And ego.

Normally, Marth would indulge the crowds with a flourish of his fencing sword, or flip his cape like any cool guy with a cape would do. That sort of stuff would drive people (especially anyone into pretty boys like him) crazy.

However, he couldn't do that. He did not have his trusty sword at his side at the moment. He lacked the nice cape that accentuated his pretty boy stature. Marth didn't even have any armor, actually. In fact, the stadium he was in wasn't the gladiatorial coliseum he was used to.

He's in a soccer stadium. He's in a soccer uniform.

Marth's a soccer player.

But a pretty damn good one. He looked at the defeated team of Koopas, who were all despairing over their loss, with a sense of pride. The red mist that filled the air egged on his more selfish thoughts, telling him not to worry about how they feel. 5-2 victory? Marth deserves nothing but praise, the voices told him.

The voices are annoying, but they know how it is, Marth thinks every time they talk to him.

1

Mario, Luigi, Ganondorf, and the Ice Climbers arrived to the universe of the first two, enjoying a life of peace.

They weren't the only ones that arrived in the universe, however. Marth, too, had come; with a Warp Star stowed away on the Halberd, he followed the closest people he saw as the airship was destroyed.

Unfortunately, Marth got lost on the way and ended up in some desert.

When he first arrived, the swordsman hovered above the ground on the Warp Star (out of refusal to get sand all over himself) and held his cape over himself (to shield from the deadly heat of the sun).

"Is this desert part of the Mushroom Kingdom?" Marth asked no one in particular. "How many desert levels are in Mario's games anyway…"

Then, a sudden gust of hot wind blew throughout the desert. Marth found himself losing his grip on his cape, which proceeds to fly away forever. He also lost his grip on the Warp Star and fell into a sand bank, getting sand all over his clothes.

To add insult to injury, sand particles and tiny pebbles ended up getting stuck in the Warp Star's engine, causing it to stall and crash into the ground, completely unusable.

"...Well. This is it then." Marth sighed in resignation. He stood up, not even bothering to dust himself off, and looked over the horizon. Not a settlement, nothing in sight. "...I'm going to die."

So, he drew his sword. "Well, I want to at least die while I think I'm still hot."

Marth woke up in a stone building in a comfy bed, an air conditioner positioned nearby. The swordsman was dressed in much lighter clothing fit for the desert. He turned in his bed and saw a mirror positioned on a wall, and he smiled at his reflection.

"Damn, I still look good." He said to himself.

"Oh, you're awake." Somebody said. The door to the room was pushed over, allowing a Toad of sorts inside. He was dressed up in light clothing and had a turban instead of one of those mushroom hats - clearly, he was a local to the area. Marth's rescuer looked at him with narrowed eyes, with confusion. "...I found you in the middle of the desert with your own sword through your chest. Were you accosted by bandits?"

"...Er… yes." Marth stammered. Thinking a bit, he asked, "Why am I still alive? I mean, I still look good so I'm not complaining."

"You had the extra lives to spare, don't be daft."

"Oh, I stabbed myself for no reason, then?"

"What."

"...Anyway." The swordsman coughed, wanting to get away from the subject. "I appreciate your help, but I really must get going, I need to get to the Mushroom Kingdom." He speculated that if Mario and Luigi had been leading the way, they would have most likely gone back to where they live; he thought that regrouping with people he knew would help him cope with his unusual situation better.

"The Mushroom Kingdom?" The desert Toad's eyes were wide open, amused. "You are aware that the Mushroom Kingdom's on another continent, right?"

"This world has continents?"

Now the Toad was concerned. "The desert heat must have really done a number on you, huh? Well, for a quick refresher: you're on the Yucatan continent, in the Stupei region. The Yucatan continent is characterized by its abundance of deserts and mountains, and holds a foothold in the world economy because of its precious minerals and ore…"

Marth stared at him blankly, not wanting to be subjected to fictional world building.

And so, minutes later…

"...so, my knowledge on these things led me to becoming a teacher on world history and geography. With the brutal wars between the Supei, Amada, and Orgia regions two decades ago as well as the assassination of Archduke Ferdikoopa, there's a lot of instability and a desperate need of education. For you see, I believe that education gives people the knowledge to avoid the mistakes on the past and build for the future."

"Okay." Marth said, half-tired; he kinda lived through wars and political intrigue already. "That's real fascinating. But how do I get off of this continent?"

"Well, much of the passenger boats and airships had been used for war and were subsequently destroyed, and most of the ones that remain are currently being used for trade and reconstruction."

"Uh-huh."

"So, with there being so few passenger rides, tickets are ludicrously expensive."

And so, there was the problem. Marth initially scoffed. "I'm royalty, they have to let me have a ticket."

"I admit that you're quite attractive, but royalty? Preposterous. I'll get you some water, you must be really out of it." With that the Toad left, believing that the self-proclaimed prince is suffering from heat stroke.

Well, he wasn't a self-proclaimed prince, but Marth realized that it's how he'd be viewed in this universe - his status no longer had any sway.

When the Toad professor returned, Marth gratefully gulped down the glass of water he brought. "Thank you. Now, do you know any way to make money in this country?"

"Hm… well, there's plenty of labor jobs to help with reconstruction."

"Nah." Marth answered, believing himself to be too good for menial labor.

"You can take up mercenary work; you have a sword and there are plenty of bandits out there threatening peace."

"Tempting."

"Or, you can try soccer."

"...Soccer?"

2

In the midst of disasters, people tend to look toward something to revitalize their spirits, something happy that can unite them as a community; this is what the Toad professor had explained at some point during his spiel, describing the sudden boom of the entertainment industry during the continent's reconstruction (but alas, Marth did not care). One of the things that had been introduced was the sport of soccer (or football for you non-Americans), which was still taking in players at the time.

So, Marth stood in the middle of a stadium, built with sandstone in pristine glory. Marth looked at the walls, baffled. "This seems fairly new. They prioritized building a stadium over anything else?"

The Toad professor, who had accompanied him there, nodded sadly. "There's a reason why there's why we want our president ousted."

"...This continent is weird." Marth really wanted to get out of this place, before he gets caught up in a war or something. "Where are the other players?"

"There… are no other players yet!" The sand in front of Marth exploded (thank goodness his Toad friend has his fine clothes stowed away), a Sumo Brother emerging from below the ground. "I am the Coach Bro, and I've tested the mettle of many rookies! This country needs a strong team, but no one's met my expectations yet! Do you have what it takes, son?"

Brushing the sand off of himself, Marth confidently said, "I'll take you up on the challenge."

His Toad friend patted him on the back. "Good luck."

Then he proceeded to run, hiding in the bleachers.

Coach Bro made a wide grin. "You're pretty cocky, boy! Hm, looking at you, you've got an alright physique for soccer - but let's see if it isn't just for show!"

He slammed his foot down and suddenly a cannon of sorts rose out of the sand, along with the net. "Show me your kicks, son!"

Then, the cannon shot out a soccer ball, rolling at Marth at high speeds,

But this isn't the first time a soccer ball was launched at him at high speeds. He's hit plenty of them before too; granted, it was with his sword, but same thing.

Seeing it as just another launched attack, Marth kicked at the ball as soon as it reached him, flying it toward the net.

Coach Bro smiled. "Beginner's luck."

Then, more soccer balls started getting launched at Marth. At first, the swordsman didn't see any problem, scoring goals continually…

Then more cannons popped up and started shooting green shells at him. On top of that, several posts rose out of the ground and create and electrical field around the soccer stadium.

"What the hell?" He questioned, wondering why regular soccer can't be this hardcore. Marth started dodging the green shells, jumping or stepping to the side, striking out his legs to kick the balls toward the goal; some began to miss, but, Coach Bro still looked on approvingly.

After several kicks and tripping on a green shell once, Marth fell to the ground, exhausted. Thankfully, the cannons stopped firing, not hitting him while he's down. Coach Bro walked over, standing over him.

"Son… that was the finest display of footwork I've seen!" He complimented.

"Wait, what? I still failed!"

"Bah, the test goes on forever - it's just to see how long you last. You, you made more than 15 goals the last guy, and you lasted 5 whole minutes!" Coach Bro pulled him up, slapping him on the shoulder. "Welcome to the team!"

3

After a few months, Marth was leader of the Stupei Shells, leading them against the threat of the Amada Spears. Over the past few months, he helped Coach Bro build up a whole new team, some members he helped train himself, and together, they clashed with many of the teams on the Yukatan continent, with a flawless win streak. The upcoming game with the Amada Spears, the last formidable team on the continent, held high stakes, especially for Marth. The winning team would be accepted into the United Strikers Federation, which would also grant the team travel visas, which would allow Marth to finally get together with the other estranged Smashers, as well as to move about when any threats come about.

"Have you heard of the red clouds over the Mushroom Kingdom?" His Toad pal, or rather, Scholar T. as he learned, informed him during breakfast; Marth had pretty much been staying with the guy, as the two grew to enjoy each other's company.

"Red clouds?" Marth said, greatly interested; the last time he's seen clouds was that was when Giygas attacked.

"Yes. See, they appeared following an explosion a while ago, and the resulting mist has odd properties, and it's only been labeled a major concern recently…" Scholar T. explained. "According to scientists, anyone that's had substantial contact with the mist has heightened aggression and paranoia, on top of rambling about something called 'Giygas'. See, they believe that it's a chemical weapon, and scientists are thinking about naming the resulting affliction, "Giygas Syndrome"."

"Uh-huh…. say, do you know what happened to the Mario brothers?"

Scholar T. knew that his end goal was to reunite with them, and thankfully, the Toad had good news. "Well, newspapers informed that the Mario brothers - as well as these two children - led an evacuation of Toad Town and surrounding areas, and they've found sanctuary in Isle Delfino. However, this might not be the last time something like this would happen; there's been reported sightings of red clouds all over the world, as well as pockets of people with increased aggression."

"Well, I hope that doesn't happen here. This place already sucks enough." Marth bluntly stated.

"You'll be able to get away soon." He reassured him, in sports movie fashion. "You can win the soccer game, I believe in you. Your team believes in you."

A week later was the big game. The game was being held at Stupei's home stadium, packed with fans from all regions. Marth came out with his motley gang, a ragtag team of Toads, Koopas, and Boos, all united by common skill. The crowd cheered (minus the Amada Spears supporters, who booed) as the team arrived, and went even more wild as Marth blew a kiss in their direction; being a pretty boy ruled sometimes.

The other team appeared. The Amada Spears were made up of both Spear Guys and Anuboos ("...Aren't they from the Beanbean Kingdom?" Marth thought). One Spear Guy with an angry expression painted on his mask - presumably the captain - stepped forth, staring Marth down. "Do your best - my team's gone too far to be disappointed by weak competition."

"Then let's have a battle worthy of each other." Marth said nodding; in his head though, he thought of all kinds of trash talk.

The players went off on their sides of the field, facing each other off. A Lakitu floated in the middle of the field, between Marth and the Spear Guy captain, prepared to drop the ball.

Then part of the stadium exploded into red smoke. This shocked the Lakitu intro dropping the ball; The Spear Guy honestly mistook it all to be some kinda special effect and he took the initiative and kicked the ball.

The teams begin to play, unaware of the pandemonium that was going on in the bleachers; it wasn't until they begin hearing the panic above that they started suspecting that something was wrong. The Stupei Shells and Amada Spears looked at each other, wondering whether they should keep going or not.

That was until the gas that was spreading in the stands and floating into the clouds started seeping down onto the playing field. Marth, who had the ball, started coughing, a sense of dread filling him, realizing what's really happening.

Appearing in front of him, one of the enemy Anuboos came, and kicked the ball away from his feet. "W-what are you doing?" Marth questioned, the game forgotten. "Don't you see what's happening? This is the least of our concerns!"

Further shocking him, the Anuboo turned their head and growled angrily before going after the ball. Marth looked further and saw that despite him recognizing that there was a bigger problem at hand, the game goes on; however, the players had changed. The kicks became harder and aggressive, players were tackling enemies or any allies that were unfortunate enough to get in the way in pursuit of the ball, and some unfortunate players were thrown into the electric fence more often than they usually are.

"...I have to get out of here." Marth concluded. He turned and began to flee, covering his mouth with his arm to stop himself from breathing any more gas.

"Where are you going?" A harsh voice rasped in his ears.

"Wha- who are you?" He thought, rather than saying out loud.

"Does it matter? Look at yourself, running away. You have a game to play."

"No I don't."

"Yes you do. I thought this match was important to you?"

"It is - but this is more important, I have to get away."

"Don't go away. Just breathe it all in." The voice tempted him. "The gas isn't hurting you. It will only strengthen you. You will become as strong as the other players - stronger, in fact."

"I -" Marth's thought processes were interrupted when the ball was kicked his way, knocking him onto his stomach - and leaving him able to breathe the air in.

The soccer game continued on around him, the players - even his own - ignoring him while he was involuntarily breathing the gas in; they all felt the urge to finish the game - no matter the cost.

The voice in his head seemed to get stronger, speaking of its desires… or rather, Marth's as it claims. "You're doing this to reunite with your friends, I gather? But that's not the truth, is it? I know who you are - a fighter. You would have fared much better as a mercenary; in fact, you'd have likely gotten enough money to get off of Yukatan a long time ago if you stuck to the route of the sword."

"What's this supposed to mean?" He thought, weakly.

"You chose to be a soccer player - but you didn't need to. You chose to be one for one thing: fame. You want everybody's eyes to be on you, to be praised by everyone. It's been about you, it's always about you. You only see those teammates as hanger-ons; you don't even remember their names, or in fact, bothered to learn them. It's not even in the narration."

"I… no…."

"These are your desires - and I can give you the initiative to achieve it. Come on… one little soccer game won't hurt…"

Deep within Marth, he could feel something boiling. A rush of adrenaline spreads through him, a deep fire acting as his engine…

So, Marth stood.

Across the field, the teams… no, everyone else, continued the game; some people had resorted to fist fighting with each other over the game, which would probably be a penalty were the referee still lucid. The swordsman saw the captain of the other team, trying to keep the ball away from his goal.

With his newfound energy, Marth sprinted at him, and before the Spear Guy could pass the ball, Marth delivered a solid kick - right into the goal.

The patches of audience members that had not yet fled cheered - though, they were much more ferocious about it than usual.

The cheers of the crowd was music to his ears.

4

Unfortunately, before the game could even reach a conclusion, it was rudely interrupted by the Stupei government declaring martial law, and there was an army of sorts . Marth found himself detained along with many others in the stadium; of course, there was a violent backlash, and with the spreading gas cloud, the army had to pull away.

With a sense of anger boiling inside of him, unsatisfied that a proper victory wasn't achieved, Marth went back to his roommate's house, ignoring the sounds of siren and chaos around him.

"M-Marth, are you okay?" Scholar T. said when he saw the soccer player. "I heard about what happened on tv; did you get away in time?"

"No." Marth said simply. "Relax, I'm not going to hurt you."

Scholar T. clearly did not believe him, what with raising a frying pan at him and all.

"...but I do have something to say. I think I'm moving out." Marth said. "I'm better than this. I don't need to mooch off of your kindness."

"...Marth? You certainly seem more egotistical as usual."

"Really? Nah, it seems fitting. I am a great soccer player after all, And one of the finest swordsmen to boot." Marth went into his room and gathered all his things, fully intent on leaving. "I can get my own place - I deserve it. I can get by on my player paychecks…"

"I thought you were going to buy that ticke-"

"Screw the ticket. I don't need them." Marth opened the front door, not even looking back. "I can take care of myself in this world."

"And you'll prosper as well." The voice in his head said.

6

Marth was in the locker room to relax after the game… or rather, his private locker room. After he roughed up Coach Bro a little, he convinced him that he needed it. He didn't need to share breath with the others anyway.

The government of Stupei simply collapsed in the following months, as the red clouds completely blotted the skies over the region. Instead, all affairs would be ruled by King Boo… ...who was completely incompetent and easily manipulated, which led to New Stupei being founded, on top of getting the funding for soccer games to continue (King Boo was a sucker for soccer). There's a reason why King Boo hadn't yet effectively taken over the universe yet, and thanks to that incompetence, Marth managed to get back on the map as a star soccer player. Team? What team?

He's kinda forgotten his original goals in this universe, nor did he really care to know. His current position just made him feel good.

As he was going over to his locker, he heard a voice: "Hey."

Marth looked around wildly, pulling out his sword from his locker; many spiteful players had attempted to assassinate him before, and he sure wasn't going to let it happen now. "Who's there?"

"Hey Marth, relax, it's me." A worried Falco stepped into view, arms raised in the air.

"Oh… why are you here? Oh wait, don't tell me, you want an autograph, don't you? Everyone wants my autograph."

"What? No, I don't want your stinking autograph!"

Marth took a step toward him. "Excuse me?"

"...I didn't bring a pen."

"...Don't worry about it, I have my own." Marth casually retrieved that too from his locker, while keeping his sword at his side. "I don't see you have any pictures of me. I'll just sign your face, if you don't mind."

"Wait, what?"

"Hey, plebeians like you should be grateful to have their foreheads signed by me!" Marth shouted, grip tightening on his sword, his aggression clearly rising.

"Oh for the love of -" Falco looked past him. "Will you just kidnap him already!"

Marth only saw the giant hand for a second before he was trapped in his soft confines. Before the swordsman could start swinging or kicking his way out, Master Hand squeezed, putting him into a sleeper hold.

"Master Hand, are you sure we should bring him along? He's more out of it than he used to be." Falco pointed out, thankful that he didn't need to get a signature on his forehead.

"I'm positive. The thing is, despite the gas' influence, he clearly has no loyalty to Giygas - if anything, the gas only made him loyal to himself." Master Hand said. When they found Marth on the surveillance screen (which depicted a particularly violent soccer match he was in), the hand had observed that Marth was completely self-serving (which he noted when he saw Marth kicking the ball away from his own teammates to score goals himself). "I feel that we could get him on our side - we just need to appeal to him."

"Appeal to his supersized, even worse ego, you mean?"

"...Yeah, I suppose so." Master Hand sighed, keeping Marth firmly in his palm. "Well, let's get going before those soccer fans out there notice their star player is missing."