Vs Fox

"Now that you've rested up," said the glove, "here is your third opponent. A one-on-one this time."

"Take me there," Luigi commanded.

"As you wish."

The Warp Pipe transported Luigi to the top of the Great Fox. The starship was slowly moving through space, crossing stars, nebulae and the occasional Arwing fighter. This could only mean one thing…

"Ready to fight, L?"

Luigi turned and found himself face-to-face with Fox McCloud, leader of the Star Fox team. The vulpine was clad in his dark green shirt, silver pants and silver jacket, a Blaster slung onto his hip. He also had a Reflector clipped to his belt.

"I was about to ask you the same thing," Luigi told him, closing the distance between them, "but the answer is a definite 'yes'."

"So feisty," demurred Fox. "I'm definitely not going to forget this battle."

"No, you won't. I'll make sure of that," promised Luigi, his voice deceptively soft as fire sparkled along his gloved fingers.

Fox hesitated. Luigi's voice was in his ear, his nose nearly touching his snout.

"I'd keep an eye on those handy-dandy gizmos of yours if I were you," Luigi continued.

"I keep them on my person at all times. No way I'll lose them," crowed Fox, "but I don't think it's my arsenal you should be worried about."

"If you think I'm understocked, then that's a big mistake on your part," said Luigi. He then drew the vulpine closer to him and spoke straight into his ear. "I may not have any fancy weapons, but your fancy weapons are no match for what I do have. Hope. Confidence. Strength. Courage. When our battle begins, you'll see for yourself. And you can tell your crew all about it when this tournament is finished."

"You're really riling me up, L," smiled Fox, "but I really can't believe you until we're actually in battle. So do me a huge favor and show me."

"On one condition—you provide more than just your fancy gadgets to the table."

"We have a deal."

Luigi's hand grasped Fox's paw, and they shook.

"Good luck, L. You'll need it."

"Not as much as you."

3…2…1…GO!

Luigi got right down to business with strong punches to Fox's midsection, a breakdance sweep and a flurry of aerial attacks. He wasted no time getting his opponent to the stern of the Great Fox, behind the wing, where he could really go to work on Fox with those combos. Fox did his best to defend himself, but Luigi seemed to be everywhere at once. Exclamations echoed across the void of space, and fierce, blue eyes seemed to strip Fox bare.

As a pilot and a leader, Fox never went back on his word. He used his Blaster, his FireFox and his Reflector to get back onto safe ground, but once that was accomplished, he switched to punches and kicks. In a lot of his missions, he had to rely on hand-to-hand combat. His old man, the dearly departed James, had taught him some martial arts skills when he was a pup. Besides, what if he was in a situation where he couldn't get to his weapons?

Now that Fox had leveled the playing field, he commenced to put on a one-man demonstration of what his lithe and agile body could do. Most of his attacks consisted of kicks. Split kicks, spinning kicks, flip kicks and forward kicks. These kicks, along with fast sweeps of his fuzzy tail, could really fling Luigi around as much as his throws. They maneuvered about the bow and the middle section of the starship, getting closer and closer in as their blood really circulated through their veins. Though Fox was a good kicker, he wasn't much of a puncher, so most of the time, he left his face and upper body unprotected. Those areas were the primary targets of Luigi's blows. His favorites here were his forward smash, dash attack, all of his aerials, his down-B and his up-B. His fireballs were next to useless, since they could be reflected. But he sure made Fox catch some air with his back throw.

Very often, Fox would peck away at Luigi with his Blaster, the plumber barely feeling its shots. Or an Arwing or two would speed past, firing lasers. Both parties were quick to notice this and wasted no time knocking or throwing each other into an Arwing's trajectory. There were even times when they'd stand atop an Arwing and fiercely engage one another, only to jump off before the vehicle flew off the stage. Then, Luigi would kick Fox squarely in the face, and it would all begin again. The man in green would attempt to force Fox back to the rear engines of the Great Fox, and Fox would try to stop him. But it grew to the point when Fox started giving his challenger a taste of his own medicine. The fight moved from bow to stern to Arwing and back again, and both sides didn't want to stop whaling away at the other anytime soon. Covered in bruises, lathered in sweat, even bleeding in some areas, and yet they pressed harder and harder, forcing the opponent into many a disadvantageous situation.

Fox was a fast fighter, and he sure didn't get the number 4 spot on the tier list just for his good looks. But Luigi could care less about said tier list; he could be fast, too! Seeing Fox jerk up his Blaster, Luigi deftly kicked it out of his hands and sent it skittering from the stage. While the vulpine stood in shock, Luigi landed some more body blows, cracking the Reflector in the process.

"You know, Slippy can fix those right back up," warned Fox.

"Let him," replied Luigi.

Now on the top wing of the Great Fox, the two were almost in a frenzy, hacking away at one another with brutal strikes and talking to each other with their eyes. Time was running out, and both of them knew it. Still, it wouldn't hurt to rack up some more damage before landing the finishing blow.

Fox thought he had Luigi when he did his up smash, but the plumber was able to come to his senses and surprise the mercenary leader. He bent him over with one last punch, grabbed him, swung him around thrice and hurled him with the power he had left. This was the final straw for Fox, who was sent beyond the blast line.

GAME SET!

"That was electrifying," murmured Luigi as he took the Warp Pipe back to the waiting station.

The glove was there, with a cool, damp towel and a bottle of ICE sparkling water.

"I think it's time we take a little break from the fighting," said the glove as Luigi enjoyed the towel on his sweaty face. "What do you say to a Bonus Stage?"