Vs Metal Mario
The stage he was now on was alien to him. He was on a silver base platform, with a smaller platform and a floating platform above him. Large, metallic crystalline structures adorned the backdrop, and the silence was broken up by small echoes. The air felt strangely cool, and Luigi didn't know whether or not it was just him. He took a deep breath and surveyed this mysterious arena.
"You're on Meta Crystal," explained the glove. "Your metallic opponent lives here."
Leaden footsteps sounded toward them. Quickly, Luigi assumed his fighting position.
"Luigi, say hello to Metal Mario!"
The short, squat, silvery figure now approaching was definitely Metal Mario. To become Metal, one had to obtain a certain green block with an exclamation point on it. And yet the glove could bypass that to have Mario assume his Metal form!
"I created this metal clone of your brother myself," explained the glove. "Looks good, doesn't he?"
Metal Mario waved.
"You've really outdone yourself," Luigi said tonelessly.
"Remember, he's made out of pure alloy. He'll be harder to K.O., and he can withstand more of your attacks, but he's also heavier, and gravity really likes heavier things. Your priority is to get gravity on your side."
"Got it," said Luigi as the glove disappeared.
The man in green met Metal Mario at the center of Meta Crystal and stuck out his hand. A cold, metallic hand grabbed his, and they shook. Then, they readied themselves, Luigi pressing his lips into a firm line and breathing through his nostrils.
3…2…1…GO!
Ambient music with a heavy drumbeat began to blast over the loudspeakers as the two charged at each other.
Focus, L. Don't get overconfident. Watch out for those metal fists; they hit like a supersonic train. Use gravity to your advantage. Use his momentum to your advantage. Jump right in with those smash attacks to get him in the red quickly. He'll most likely use his down-B if you're at low percentages and go for an up-B if you're damaged enough. Try sending him downward with your attacks. His jump height has decreased, so if you get him off the stage, and he tries to recover, he'll drop like an anvil. If your advantage is slipping, end the fight as quickly as possible. Don't forget to breathe. Focus, L, focus!
Due to the increased tonnage on his opponent, Luigi opened this battle more aggressively than the previous ones. His forward smash and down smash did a great job of chipping away at this gleaming brute. The dense alloy hurt his fists, but he tuned himself out to the pain, continuing to throw those mighty, big-fisted punches of his. Now, Metal Mario was more sluggish than his flesh-and-blood counterpart, sacrificing speed for might. So, it was hard for him to dodge Luigi's attacks and easy for Luigi to dodge his. MM couldn't run; he just walked about the stage with those footsteps: twow, twow, twow. Almost like a machine. Luigi studied MM's face and saw that he didn't really have one—this one was faceless, soulless—not like the Metal Mario he was used to in his home world adventures. All he could see was his own reflection staring back at him.
When MM grabbed him, his hold was iron. Luigi couldn't break free as easily as with the others. If he let MM combo up on him, then he was done for. So, he DI'd once MM threw him and went back to attacking. His stance, however, didn't stop him from taking crushing, vicious blows from his metal foe. The Mario Tornado had slammed into him multiple times, and other moves, like punches, headbutts and kicks, also had his damage percentage in the red along with MM. Luigi further chipped away at MM with his fireballs before shaking out his hands and punching and kicking some more. He could feel his face continue to swell, the pain like some enormous heartbeat all over his body. There was the wetness of sweat and blood. The swelling was making it difficult for him to see. He knew without looking at his image on MM that he looked a mess.
He licked the sweet-and-sour taste of blood from his lips and slammed even more Smash attacks into MM, who was now trying to land Super Jump Punches on him. Luigi slid out of range every time and began to move towards the edge. Metal Mario, unaware of what his foe was planning, steadily marched after him, attacking ferociously. Soon, Luigi was close to the edge but not teetering on it, and MM, thinking that he'd trapped his challenger, took the bait. As he curled up and began to spin with his Tornado, Luigi sidestepped, sending MM spinning off the edge. As he predicted, gravity began to pull MM down. Desperate, he tried to use his up-B to recover, but since his vertical distance was limited, he only wound up in a helpless freefalling state. Luigi watched as MM silently dropped like a stone into the abyss.
GAME SET!
"Believe it or not, you're almost there," the glove said to him as he tended to Luigi's wounds. "Only two more fights, and your journey will be over. But these two fights won't be easy."
"Tell me about it," murmured Luigi.
"Of course, I can't tell you what your final two challenges will be just yet," winked the glove.
"I know," said Luigi.
"Before we get into that, however," said the glove, "I have one last Bonus Stage for you."
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