Vs Kirby Team
Steam swirled around Luigi as he reclined in the sauna, a white towel wrapped round his waist, eyes closed, feeling the warmth condense on his skin. He breathed in the clean, fresh smell, feeling his muscles relax and the neurons in his brain settle. The ache drained away, the events of the previous battles melting away like fog in the sunshine. The Luigi clone and the battle with Giant DK seemed distant memories. He was enfolded in complete silence except for the sound of his breathing and the hiss of steam. The sauna cleansed him, both inside and out; the dirt and toxins bubbling out of and evaporating from his skin so good to feel. While his body turned pink under the temperature, his mind did a purge of its own, repairing, resetting and refocusing. By the time the steam shut off and Luigi's hair was flattened against his forehead, he felt ready to continue with his adventure.
He stepped out of the sauna and took a deep breath of the cooler air. The Jacuzzi had been grand, too, the bubbles massaging away at his tense body. But the sauna had been the highlight, from the soothing steam to the blissful quiet to the wrapping, cascading warmth.
Retreating to his locker, he dried himself off and slipped into a clean white shirt and green overalls. He brushed his hair back into place and situated a new white "L"-emblazoned ball-cap onto his head.
The glove appeared, handing Luigi a glass of cucumber-infused water. "I take it the spa was to your liking?"
"Yes, it was. So, who's next?"
"I'm pitting you against a team of eight," said the glove. "Your opponents are lightweight, but are not to be underestimated."
"Okeydokey," said Luigi.
"One more thing—they tend to be quite the copycats."
"Copycats? I know who you're talking about!" shouted Luigi.
The glove summoned a Warp Pipe which took Luigi to the peaceful burg of Dreamland. More specifically, the Whispy Woods located in Dreamland. The man in green knew all about the gale-blowing, apple-dropping tree and the stage hazard it would pose. If he was facing against the wind, then he could be blown off the stage!
Around Luigi, eight Warp Stars zipped through the blue sky. They each landed one after the other onto the stage with a crash. Out of each Warp Star tumbled a familiar, pink, round, eight-inch-tall hero with big eyes, blushing cheeks, red shoes and stubs for arms.
"Hii!"
"Hii!"
"Hii!"
"Hii!"
"Hii!"
"Hii!"
"Hii!"
"Hii!"
"You must be the Kirby Team," said Luigi.
"Poyo!" they replied as one.
"Each of you has an ability pertaining to the eight starters," Luigi went on.
The regular Kirby identified himself with a happy "Poyo!"
Luigi smiled. "'Poyo' all you want, but you won't be able to stop me," he said. "You can give it your best shot, though."
The Kirby team drew themselves in a circle around their opponent, allowing him to look them over whilst they did unto him in a similar fashion. There was Mario Kirby, DK Kirby (complete with full-body fur), Link Kirby (with a hat similar to Sword Kirby), Samus Kirby (whose helmet took up his whole body), Yoshi Kirby, Fox Kirby (look at those ears!), Pikachu Kirby and normal Kirby. Using these hats, these Kirbies could copy the B moves of the Great Eight. Sometimes, there would be a Kirby version of one of the Formidable Four hidden characters, but the glove had the system randomized. Maybe next time…
3…2…1…GO!
A frenetic cover of Gourmet Race played as Luigi charged into battle against the Kirby Team. The first Kirby he confronted was Mario Kirby. The little red-capped puffball began launching red fireballs which bounced along the ground, but Luigi evaded them, countering with his own gravity-defying fireballs. After a brief exchange of fireballs, they moved in for close-range hand-to-appendage, which was bad news for Mario Kirby. Since his already light-weight had been tweaked further, Luigi's blows could launch him further and higher. But many of Kirby's moves were based on his Ninja, Fighter, Backdrop and Suplex abilities. His Vulcan Jab, Final Cutter, Stone and throws could rack up some hurt. He wasn't ranked second on that stupid list for being one of the most adorable fighters. But the fluffball's abilities were no match for Luigi's determination, and after forward smashing him into submission, he grabbed Mario Kirby, swung him thrice and tossed him with enviable power off the stage.
DK Kirby was the next to challenge him, and the sight of him charging up his version of the Giant Punch was enough to set Luigi off. He remembered what the giant-sized Giant Punch had done to Mario. He breathed heavily, shoving the memory aside, and sidestepped the Kirby-sized Giant Punch. After unleashing the blow, DK Kirby made a cute little noise. Luigi attacked with his flailing punches, a low kick, a roundhouse kick and a flurry of Smashes, K.O-ing DK Kirby within thirty seconds.
Link Kirby began their confrontation by hurling his boomerang at Luigi a few times. It managed to hit once, stunning the man in green enough for Link Kirby to lay a few smash attacks on him. But Luigi rolled away, executed a get-up attack and launched a relentless offensive on his opponent, sending him on his way with a Cyclone.
Samus Kirby charged up a Charge Shot and tottered toward Luigi, who slipped behind him, popped him into the air with a few punches and then went to town with an aerial combo. He didn't even give him the chance to fire off the Charge Shot, unleashing a Giant Punch which sent him beyond the blast line.
Yoshi Kirby was a little difficult, given his better combo versatility after using Egg Lay on Luigi. But the man in green held on, finishing off Yoshi Kirby with a flaming uppercut.
Fox Kirby opened fire with his Blaster, but Luigi did the same thing he did to the real deal—knocked the Blaster clean out of his stubby arms—before smashing him off stage.
Pikachu Kirby sent bursts of electricity toward Luigi, even letting out Pikachu's signature battle cry as he did. The man in green took a few jolts and was bodied quite a bit before knocking the puffball away with a giant punch and combo-ing him into submission, using his forward throw to K.O. him.
At long last, normal Kirby was standing before him, waving and saying "Hii!"
"You ready, Kirby?" asked Luigi.
"Poy!"
Kirby opened his mouth and inhaled, sucking Luigi in. Two seconds later, he spat the plumber back out. He now sported a green cap with a white "L" on it, having obtained his ability. "Poyo!" he giggled triumphantly.
"I don't think so, Kirby!" laughed Luigi as the two charged one another.
Green fireballs flew and punches were landed as the duo squared off. Kirby was giving Luigi a taste of his own medicine, but his opponent didn't waver then. His cheeks were redder than his, and his breath came briskly as he punched and kicked for all he was worth. One hard blow knocked Kirby's copy ability away in the form of a star. Kirby used his Suplex-style throws and other fast attacks to get even, but Luigi would always come roaring back. In the end, Luigi nailed Kirby with his down aerial and launched him into the sky with an up-B.
GAME SET!
"Kirby Ranks?" Luigi asked the glove as he rested at the waiting station.
"You should be thanking me; that's a hefty bonus," said the glove.
Luigi enjoyed a refreshing glass of lemonade, wondering what the glove had in store for him next.
"When you're done with that, how about you head back into the sauna for a few more minutes?" suggested the glove. "Your next opponent is tough as nails."
Please review!