Final Stage!
"Mamma mia…" said Luigi.
He looked around. He seemed to be deep in outer space or something. The stage he stood on was octagonal, with markings and patterns all over it. White stars streaked in diagonal patterns all around. And an eerie silence permeated the place.
"Where am I?" he demanded. "What the heck is this place?"
The silence was broken by a deep, resounding laugh. Luigi's head instantly snapped in the direction of the laugh, every fiber in his body standing stark still. That laugh was one of the most menacing laughs he'd ever heard in his entire life.
"Show yourself!" he commanded.
"I'm already here, Luigi."
On those words, the giant glove floated ominously towards him, the brave fighter who'd decided to take on his single-player challenge. He was going to go as hard as he could against this one, just as he did with the other eleven. This man in green had shown him many talents and unbelievable grace so far. Quite a worthy opponent, indeed.
"Mio Dio," breathed Luigi. "It's you."
"Yes," boomed the glove. "I am the all-powerful Hand of Creation, the being who united twelve heroes for a friendly contest of strength, speed, brilliance, power and willpower. All of which you've exhibited grandly."
Luigi blushed. "Not bad for the worst fighter in the whole affair," he stated humbly.
"However, your ultimate test lies before you. You have five minutes and one stock life, and I have turned off the item machine. As you can see, this stage has no gimmicks or hazards of any kind. All you have to worry about—is whether you'll be able to stop me!" He let out a sinister laugh.
Luigi's eyes flashed. "I have fought long and hard to get to this moment. I took punches, kicks, headbutts, jolts of electricity, sword slashes, Blaster fire, Bombs and God knows what else. I faced a clone, a gleaming metal brute, a merciless, hulking giant ape and even multiple opponents at once. I have knuckled tight and dug in my heels and fingernails because I committed myself to arriving at this point. So, don't think for one second that I can't stand a chance against you—Master Hand."
To emphasize his point, he boldly advanced toward Master Hand until he was about a millimeter away from the fingers.
"You made a noble and wise choice to accept my ultimate challenge," boomed Master Hand. "Now, let's see how well your brawn, brains and determination hold out against mine! Brace yourself for the fight of your life, Luigi!" He laughed again.
The laughter stopped when Luigi locked his jaw and put up his dukes, his knuckles straining against his gloves. Master Hand had never seen that look from any of his previous opponents. It smelled like determination. At the edges of those expressive eyes, nerves danced, but then Luigi reflected back to those eleven battles. He faced the Hero of Time, eighteen Yoshis, the Leader of Star Fox, his own brother, the iconic electric mouse, a giant-sized King of the Jungle, eight Kirbies, the Intergalactic Bounty Hunter, a metallic Mario and thirty Polygons—and he won. Then, he mused over those fleeting urges to turn back, those moments of self-doubt and faltering courage, and how he beat them all back. All of his previous foes were formidable, as was the one floating before his eyes now, but he fought his hardest against the others, and he was going to fight even harder against Master Hand!
"You brace yourself, Master Hand," he said quietly, "because I'm going to give you my all and make sure you remember this moment."
"So be it."
There was no countdown. There was no shout of "GO!" There was only the intense, synth-pop music and the stars and the occasional swirling ambience.
Though Luigi's blood was pumping like crazy, he dared not make a blind rush at Master Hand. This enemy was no one to underestimate, and this was confirmed seconds later when he made a fist and charged at Luigi. The plumber rolled aside, legs propelling him high in the air, and executed a quick downwards corkscrew kick. His heart jumped when he saw the glove flinch, and he punctuated his attack with two big-fisted punches and some fireballs. Master Hand recovered and swatted at Luigi once—twice—three times, until he flipped himself back up from the ledge with a powerful kick and followed up with a Cyclone. Out of the blue, something hard crashed onto him—it was Master Hand, trying to flatten him! The attack sent Luigi spiraling upwards, Master Hand following him and then drilling him painfully against the stage with his fingers. Luigi shook off the pain, did a swift leg sweep and hopped up, still bursting with energy. His eyes seared across Master Hand, from the edges of his wrist to his wide palm, to his knuckles and his carpals and finally his fingertips. He noticed several of those fingertips glittering and wasted no time looking around, anticipating and evading the fiery projectiles shot at him. Seconds after Master Hand finished the attack, Luigi dashed back into the fray, spinning into him four times with a Cyclone, headbutting him, rocketing aerial kicks into him, punching him furiously and adding to the damage with fireballs and hooks. He positioned himself right in the center of Master's palm and let the brunt of his flaming epinephrine explode into a Super Jump Punch. Master Hand was smoldering and reeling!
The plumber licked his lips and continued to go at his fearsome foe. His forward smash cannoned into Master's carpals, wrist and fingers. His Cyclone battered him everywhere. His kicks had so much thrust to them. He bicycle-kicked him upwards and then twirl-kicked him back down. He also twirl-kicked him forward. He rolled and shielded as he anticipated the glove's very powerful attacks. Master could slam his fist down on him from above, viciously poke him with his index finger, swipe him back and forth, "kick" him around with his index and middle fingers, blast into the air (the flames coming out of the wrist did lots of damage) and then drill him against the hard, unforgiving floor and also do one quick swipe over the stage. He could sneak-attack Luigi by flying at him from the background, or he could have his punching and kicking attacks have electrical or fiery effects. Luigi quickly learned not to rely so much on his shield, as all of Master's moves had the power to break it. He used his reflexes instead, rolling or dodging, or simply attacked first, slipping behind the wrist to knock those Finger Bullets off course or stunning him with more Super Jump Punches and up tilts. He was being true to his word and giving him everything he had left!
Even so, Master was still going strong, and time was fast escaping. Luigi could feel his breath pounding against his chest and throat. His pulse beat against his ears. Both of his eyes were swollen, one almost shut, and he couldn't breathe through his nose without wincing. Both sides of his jaw had ballooned up, and pain pulsed all over his body. Little bits of his skin peeled from the fiery attacks he'd taken, but the burns were not serious. His fists and feet ached slightly from attacking, but his blows didn't cease for even a microsecond. Fierce joy threatened to overtake him when he saw the bruising and bleeding through Master's glove. Just a few more good ones, and he'd be staggering!
Then, he took in the warm pulses of blood from his nose and mouth and the perspiration covering the rest of his body. He had to be careful. He had only one shot, and he was at a dangerously high percentage. Bait him, he thought, slowing his breaths slightly, green fire lighting up in one fist and blue eyes continuing to slice Master Hand to the bone. He let a controlled barrage of fireballs fly, dancing left, dancing right, tricking his foe into thinking he was retreating, faltering, giving up, defending himself only for the sake of form. The giant glove bought it hook, line and sinker and moved in to finish him off.
Master Hand was met with a blistering punch which made his vision go in and out of focus for a few seconds. Luigi lunged at him again and again, eyes fierce, shouting mightily, unbreakable and determined. He was operating fully on Smash attacks and special moves. He was a sitting duck whenever he was in the air. One minute, he could be spinning rapidly like a top, and the next, he could be doing a forward smash or an up smash. He'd end a mighty pounding session with an up-B. He observed Master with keener eyes, trying to evade them outright or suffer just a glancing blow. Still, that glove managed to trip him up and go back on the offensive for a spell. Yet he knew that with this man in green, Master Hand surely met his match. The decisive final battle took on a ferocity of its own, Master Hand's godlike might and force winning one moment, and Luigi's strategy, powerful attacks, defiance and passion taking over the next.
Fifty seconds left on the clock. Luigi calmly picked himself up from the floor after taking a brutal offensive streak from Master Hand. The glove himself had 8 HP remaining. One more strong hit, and the battle would be won! Through hazy eyesight, Master admiringly studied his challenger, bleeding and sweating and hurting but still standing firm and tall. His eyes were clearer than Lake Tahoe on a sunny day, locking the pain away. His cap gave his appearance a perky touch, sitting on his head at the perfect angle, the hair underneath it now moist ringlets plastered against his forehead. And on that cap was his signature "L", not a mark of shame but a symbol of his individuality. Underneath his shirt, slight muscles bulged, and via rolled-up sleeves, Master Hand saw how tanned and toned his arms were. Chest heaving, head pounding, fists and mouth clenched, Luigi faced his ultimate opponent, blazing and beautiful, giving him a look which packed more of a punch than any of his attacks combined.
Thirty seconds remaining. With steady steps, Luigi walked toward Master Hand, feeling all of his soul and his spirit flow into his tightly clenched fists. He winced slightly, but his shoulders were pushed back, his pace was resolute and he seemed to be enveloped in this light…
Fifteen seconds. Luigi now cornered Master Hand at the edge of the stage. Once again, he raised his fists to his face, humble triumph beginning to color him. A final, meaningful look passed between the two combatants, where Master Hand finally gained a window into his green-clad challenger's mind.
Ten seconds. Eyes closed, the man in green took in a breath and gently let it out. He felt the drip-drop of sweat and an overwhelming sense of impending accomplishment.
And then he spoke.
"Oggi sono sopravvissuto."
In two solemn motions, Luigi blasted two furious punches into Master Hand. The glove screamed and writhed, flying spasmodically into the background.
Then, everything went white.
Luigi found himself not in the Waiting Area, but inside Master Hand's spacious office. The Hand sat in the big chair at his desk, bandaged but in a jovial mood.
"Congratulations, Luigi," he said. "You have successfully cleared 1P Mode."
"Thank you," Luigi stated humbly. "I know it was something extremely difficult to accomplish."
"It was your hard work and tenacity which brought you from your first match against Link to your final match against me," said Master Hand. "No matter what else happens in your life, I hope you will remember this."
"Yes, Master Hand."
"And one more thing," said the glove. "They've said you're the worst fighter. They've called you 'the last-place loser'. They never thought you had a chance. But now, they'll think differently—because today, you proved them all wrong."
"I knew I could," Luigi said in a quivering voice. "I knew I could."
Master Hand withdrew a camera. "Now, could you stand against that wall, please?"
Half an hour later, as Luigi slept off his adventure in his room, Master Hand tacked up a new piece of paper on the Smash bulletin board, deliberately covering the bottom half of the tier list with it. When he was finished, he stepped back and smiled.
"Thing of beauty," he said.
It was a picture of Luigi, that mustachioed man in green with a can-do attitude, the overshadowed and timid Mario Brother finally coming into his own. He stood straight and tall against a simple white background, looking energetic and tanned and happy and accomplished. A little proud, maybe, but never arrogant. That just wasn't the way he was. And the eyes, cerulian blue, like a storm beginning to clear, confidence and persistence riddled into one. Master Hand had never seen any of his fighters look so determined while posing for a picture.
Below the picture was the following:
Although he's often hidden in his older brother Mario's shadow, Luigi is very popular. Taller than Mario, Luigi also jumps higher. Although he didn't appear in Super Mario 64, in Mario Kart 64 he performed to the best of his ability. For one who seems always to be in the background, he has many fans eagerly awaiting his appearance.
Translation: Today I have survived.
Please review. There will be an epilogue.