The Day of the Finals….
Mario was the first to wake from his sleep. He looked around, and realized that he was in their own home, rather than Peach's Castle infirmary. He guessed that Peach and the Toads had carried him and Luigi home during their long rest. He slowly stood up, thinking about what he had to do was to come; then, he took a deep breath. After putting on his trademark uniform and red cap, he left his room and saw Luigi, looking out one of the windows, shaking.
Mario looked at Luigi's back for a few moments, and then said, "Luigi, let's-a go."
Luigi turned, startled to see Mario. He paused for a moment, then nodded. They both departed from their house, and were met Peach and Toadsworth right outside their front door. Mario was slightly surprised to see them waiting, but he smiled: he knew he wouldn't have this final journey begin any other way.
Peach looked at Mario with a smile, and asked, "Mario, Luigi, are you both ready? There wasn't a lot of time to heal…."
Mario smiled and nodded, and Luigi gave a shaky nod.
Toadsworth turned, and the said, "Let's get to it then, young masters!", and they all began walking to the designated warp pipe area.
As they neared the area, Toadsworth turned and exclaimed, "Wait!"
Everyone stopped, and turned, listening.
"Master Mario, let's walk and talk for a moment before we enter, shall we?" he said. Mario looked questioningly at Peach, but she shrugged. Mario nodded in trepidation, and followed Toadsworth out of Luigi and Peach's earshot.
Toadsworth turned to Mario, looked at him. Mario stared back, wondering what this could be about.
"Master Mario, this is it. The final round." Mario said nothing. "These two opponents are not going to just hand you the victory, and you shouldn't expect, or desire anything akin to your scuffle with Wario and Waluigi to occur now. You're going to have to get through this with your own strength and willpower, as you always have!"
Toadsworth sighed and began to pace. "I can see in your eyes, in spite of your usual calm demeanor, you're worried about this match…. Specifically, for Master Luigi."
For a split second, Mario's eyes gave away his surprise, and he looked down.
Toadsworth stopped pacing, and he looked directly into Mario's eyes, and said, "He's your brother, Master Mario. Despite his timid nature, he is perfectly capable of defeating the opponents that stand before him, and overcoming his own fears. You saw for yourself in the first match, didn't you?"
He paused, and continued, "This is one match where I'm almost certain somewhere along the lines, you'll both be required to completely concentrate. You'll need to focus all your attention on the person that stands before you, because he'll be focused on you. You're both something of the 'underdogs' of this little escapade."
Toadsworth reached into a pocket, and pulled out a red and yellow colored flower, emitting a slight red flaming aura. Mario's eyes widened in recognition.
"I'm giving this to you as a failsafe, just in case. However…you can only use this when you're truly ready to focus, only on the fight you're sure to have on your hands. After all, you know how potent and dangerous these Fire Flowers are, eh?"
Mario took the flower from Toadsworth, and looked at it for a second, and stowed it away in a pocket.
Then, Toadsworth's mouth split into a wide smile. "Just take home the gold, Master Mario. The Princess and I both know you and Master Luigi can do it! No doubt!" He turned, and walked back to the warp pipe area. Mario looked at elder toad as he walked away, thinking about the words he had just spoken. Everything he and Luigi had been through within the past few days seemed to circulate around him. The red brother smiled, and followed Toadsworth back to the pipe.
As Toadsworth led Mario away, Luigi and Peach were both left standing in the empty warp pipe area. Neither of them said a word. Peach glanced at Luigi, and saw he was shaking again, looking frightened.
"Luigi?" she asked. Luigi stopped shaking and turned, and saw the princess looking at him. He put on a quick smile, as if to say that everything was ok. Peach smiled back, then pretended to look away, all while continuing to sneak glances at Luigi. Sure enough, as she pretended to look away, he began to shake and quiver again. She could clearly see that Luigi was scared about the coming confrontation.
Peach closed her eyes, and then turned, and walked over to Luigi, and put her hand on his shoulder.
"It'll be all right, Luigi. You can do this…you know we all have the utmost faith in you."
Luigi seemed to calm down at these words, but he still didn't reply, and then Mario and Toadsworth re-appeared in the clearing.
"Is everyone ready?" Toadsworth asked.
Mario looked at Luigi, and Luigi looked down, then back. Mario nodded, and turned to the golden pipe. Luigi gave a shaky nod, and also turned to the pipe. They both stood still for a moment, and Mario and Luigi leaped into the pipe, with Peach and Toadsworth behind them.
Mario and Luigi popped out of the pipe in humongous broken arena. They were instantly greeted by a thunderous noise, and they looked around to see stands completely surrounding the arena, with an unbelievable amount of cheering fans and spectators. From those top stands, Peach and Toadsworth stood, looking down at them. Peach looked around, but saw no one from the previous fights.
Toadsworth apparently knew what she was thinking, and he said, "Worry not, Princess. I know for a fact that the other wounded contenders are still being healed by Master Tendo. Our own Masters would have been in the same boat had they not won their semifinal bout."
Peach nodded. Then, Toadsworth pointed down, and said, "Princess!" Peach looked down, and the spectators again began to cheer, because Roy and Marth had entered the arena. They both walked forward, towards Mario and Luigi. Mario grimaced, and also stepped forward and began to walk. Luigi followed slowly.
Roy's eyes never left Mario, and Mario's never left Roy's, and they stopped about 10 feet from each other. Marth and Luigi did the same. The spectators quieted. A tension seemed to spark between the fighters, especially Mario and Roy. Roy's hand slowly reached for his sword handle, while Mario's fist clenched, and a small fire burst into being, surrounding it.
"Hey, hey!" said a voice, seemingly out of nowhere.
Mario's fire dissipated, and Roy's hand lowered away from his blade, and Tendo suddenly appeared in the arena, in a flash of light. "Calm down, guys. Jeez…." Tendo scratched his head, with a sigh. He then opened his eyes with a smirk, and fixed his black eyes on Mario, and then Roy.
"First, let me explain a little bit of history about where we are now. First, the reason this arena is so battered and broken?" Tendo paused, and then said, "A great battle, the likes of which you all have never seen, occurred here a long time ago. Well…here and there. Kinda…. It's hard to explain."
He paused, shaking his head, before continuing, "An army of unbelievable proportions, led by a god, a deity of unbelievable power tried to destroy and change this place, and many others. This is where one of the many battles took place."
There was a silence, as everyone listened.
"The deity and his army were defeated, and sealed in a separate dimension to be trapped and isolated for the rest of time. So, given the nature of this battle, one can assume this field has distinct….properties."
Tendo snapped his fingers, and at every corner of the arena, a glowing hole in space appeared, colored silver, totaling five. "The collision caused these rifts to form in the very space. If you enter one of these portals, you'll be taken to a different area. Of course, by jumping into another one, you could come back here, or go to a different area entirely. All these areas are connected one way or another. But enter at your own risk."
Tendo then turned. "From the large 'screen' in the air, I'll be able to see both fights simultaneously. Obviously, the winner of this fight is the winner of the tournament. Both members of the team must be unable to continue fighting to be declared losers."
He disappeared from sight, and appeared on the top stands.
"Roy, Marth." He looked at them.
"Mario, Luigi." He turned to them.
"Winner takes all here."
Mario turned to Roy, and spun into his battle stance. Roy drew his blade, and pointed it at Mario. Marth drew his sword, and Luigi shook and crouched slightly.
Peach crossed her hands in prayer, and Toadsworth's eyes widened in expectation. The spectators were totally silent, waiting with bated breath.
"Fight," spoke Tendo, and even though he didn't yell, it carried throughout the entire area, and Mario and Roy's eyes widened as the pressure around them both increased as they both leaped at each other, and collided with a blow that rocketed them into one of the portals.
Mario flew out of the portal into a barren dusty area with few trees, similar to a wasteland. He skidded on the ground, and turned. Roy flew out and did the same. They looked at each other, then Roy shook his head in disdain.
"I'll warn you right now." Mario's eye twitched, as Roy continued, "Show me the power you used to defeat the other two during the semifinals. If you don't….." Roy cocked his blade back. His eyes narrowed, as he finished, "This'll be quick."
Mario's eyes narrowed, and he lashed out directly at Roy with a brutal kick, but Roy blocked with his forearm. They were suspended in space for a moment, and then Roy swung his blade to cut at Mario's torso, but Mario managed to dodge, landed in a crouch, and sweep kick twice at Roy's feet. Roy rolled out of the way, and cleaved his sword through the ground vertically, straight at Mario, whose eyes widened as he sidestepped just in time, feeling the heat from the wave of fire. Mario stood there for a moment in complete shock as Roy spoke quietly, "Burst…" then Mario snapped back to reality as swordsman slashed forward, and said, "Flare."
"Mama Mia!" cried Mario, and a fiery explosion overtook him and Roy.
From the original stadium, Tendo watched the viewing portal he created in the air, along with the roaring spectators. Peach looked worried as she watched…. As the smoke cleared, the figure of Mario appeared, looking slightly bruised and battered, but standing in defiance. It also showed Roy, and for a moment, his eyes glinted red with intent as he instantly dashed forward at Mario once more.
Luigi and Marth had entered another portal, this one being a more rocky and jagged area. Luigi had a look of fear on his face, surveying the area around him, then he caught movement, and dived out of the way as suddenly a large rock behind him was split in half, and the figure of Marth skidded to a halt.
Marth slowly stood, surveyed Luigi, and then dashed right at him, and cut at his body three times, and Luigi quickly dodged twice, then hopped back, and wall jumped over the blade and Marth to dodge the final cut. The moment he touched down, he grimaced, and then cried in fear, and took off in the opposite direction.
Marth glared, and followed in hot pursuit. Luigi dodged five of Marth's strikes in motion, diving out of the way, and leaping across the rocks, until Marth suddenly disappeared in a flash of quick movement.
Luigi looked back for a moment, and then suddenly Marth was under him, and thrusted upwards with his hilt, knocking the wind out of Luigi, his mouth agape in pain. He careened into the air, and Marth bounded after him, turning the sword around, and aiming a thrust right at Luigi in an attempt to decisively finish the fight.
As Luigi still spasmed in pain, his eyes wide, his mind flashed back to the point in which Mario fought Zero. As Marth's blade neared his open torso, he reacted instantly: Marth's eye's showed slight surprise, as his thrust collided with the head of Luigi's hammer.
Sparks flew back, but then Marth drew back, drawing his sheath with his other hand, and slammed slammed it into Luigi's shoulder, sending Luigi straight into the ground, his hammer falling after him into the dust. Marth twirled his sheath, and smoothly re-synched it to his side, and landed in a crouch, standing before the dust cloud. He twirled his sword around, flicked it, and the dust blew away, as if cut aside. Through the dust, Luigi still stood shakily, holding his hammer, looking frightened out of his mind. Marth grimaced, and he drew back his blade once more, and said, "Well?", as if taunting Luigi. Luigi twitched a few times and then cried wildly as he ran at Marth, hammer drawn.
At the same point in the wasteland area, Mario dodged a shockwave of fire, running at full speed as Roy dove from the sky at Mario, and plunged his blade into the ground, sending a wave of pressure and fire outwards. Mario spun out of the way, and leaped towards a tree, hopping up the various branches, climbing higher and higher. Roy unstuck his blade from the ground and looked at the tree his adversary climbed.
He turned, and lashed his blade at it, and slowly, the tree began to split vertically in two, and from the bottom began to slowly burn. Mario gasped, and as he reached the top of the tree, he leaped skyward. In midair, he turned his body to face Roy, and drew his hands back. Between his two hands, a flame burst into existence, burning brighter and brighter, and he cried, "EEEEEE-YAAAH!" as he hurled the flame right at Roy, whose eyes narrowed. He didn't move as the ball drew closer and closer…and then sliced right through it. Two explosions brightened both sides of Roy, lighting his face and eyes.
Mario couldn't believe it, his mouth wide, unable to believe what he had just seen. The spectators were silent, and all of the sudden, Roy's sword ignited with the intensity of a jet burner, and he pointed his sword down, and he jetted into the sky.
Mario was only able to gasp in shock, as Roy sliced Mario 5 quick times before yelling, "Burst Flare!", engulfing him in a flame that sent him careening across the sky. He landed lightly as Mario fell to the ground far away. Roy sneered in disdain, and turned his back to the fallen Mario. From the stands, Peach gasped in horror.
Then…. "Let's-a Go!" was heard from the distance, and suddenly, a large, resounding "BOOM" was heard from the area. Roy turned, and redrew his blade, right in time to see a fireball about to crash into him. With a shout, he adeptly sliced through it.
He paused, and saw many more fireballs all careening at him, arcing through the sky. He smirked, and blitzed straight forward, dodging and swerving, slicing, and avoiding every explosion, and sent 3 shockwaves at the area where he believed Mario to be. From that area, he saw a figure of Mario dodge all three, running straight at him. Roy kept running, and his blade ignited with flame as he sped up. Mario's hands clenched tightly, and they also ignited with a fire. As they neared, both fires seemed to grow greater until they both leaped at each other, and collided once more, with greater power. Their fire's collided, clashing and swirling around each other in a torrent of energy.
From his battlefield, Luigi felt the tremor of the fiery collision. His eyes were twitching in terror, as his body was battered and beaten….Marth stood before him, not a wound on his body, not even breathing hard.
Luigi drew his arm back, and he attempted to concentrate his fire enough to throw a fireball just as Mario did, but instead of a strong flame, out came a weak ember of green. Marth didn't blink….but he instead sheathed his sword.
"Just give up." Luigi froze in surprise. "You're not cut out for this. It's obvious that you're not even as powerful as your brother, and he isn't a match for Roy, or me for that matter." He turned his back. "I actually understand what Roy was initially upset about now…."
As he said this, the spectators watched and listened silently. Peach was near tears, and Toadsworth began shouting insults at the portal. Tendo also gazed silently, listening.
"Finishing you now would be more than a waste of time: it would be dishonorable. You're too frightened to fight on your own, even if it is for your allies." He paused, and then finished, "You, yourself, aren't worth the effort." He began to walk away.
"W-W-Wait-a!" stuttered Luigi, trying to stand.
Marth's head snapped back, and he stopped. "This is your only warning. If you stand up again, without the will to fight…." His blue eyes locked with Luigi's. "I won't hold back. And I can't say you won't regret it."
At that exact moment he spoke those words, Marth's energy exploded into being for a moment, ripping at the ground itself, blasting pressure and air back. Luigi's eye's widened to the size of plates. The fight completely left his body, and his hands dropped. The energy dissipated as quickly as it had come, as Luigi lowered his head. Marth began to walk again, looking away.
'Master Luigi is perfectly capable of fighting his own battles.'
Marth paused, but continued to walk, even though he heard nothing, and no one, the spectators, Tendo, Peach, even Toadsworth had said anything. Tendo, from the stands, also had turned his head slightly, as if he, too had heard the echo of that memory. Then, Luigi's body twitched, and Marth stopped. The ground tremored, again from another clash of power between Roy and Mario.
'We all believe in you.'
The quote from Peach echoed in Luigi's head for a brief moment. Luigi slowly struggled to his feet from his knees. Tendo glanced to his side, and saw Peach and Toadsworth gazing at the portal, but they hadn't said anything. He looked back at the portal. Marth turned, and saw Luigi on his feet. He grimaced.
"Very well," he snarled. The blade suddenly glowed a bright blue, and Marth dashed straight at Luigi, and swung directly at Luigi's head…. But the blade stopped. Luigi had blocked with his hand…but an unseen force separated the blade from contact. A small arc of lightning appeared, and lanced across the ground.
'Luigi….we're going to win.'
The final past quote from Mario seemed to resonate within Luigi, through the very air itself, beyond the limitations of space. Luigi's teeth clenched. His eyes rose and locked with Marth's, whose eyes widened to see something different within them. The force grew greater, as the spectators, Peach, Toadsworth, all watched as the ground pulsated around Luigi, shaking the area, as more tiny tendrils of lightning and pressure encircled his entire body as he held Marth's blade at bay.
The ground around Luigi's feet splintered.
"W-what?!" Marth thought, his eyes wide, and Luigi roared, "Let's-a GO!" and with intense focus, hit Marth straight in the jaw with a furious punch that sent Marth reeling back, blasting him through the debris.
A small smile crossed Tendo's face. Peach's eyes shone, and she glanced at Tendo, but his smile was gone, and he stared intently at the portal.
Marth slowly got up, and looked forward. He picked up his blade.
"You…." He muttered. That same pressure resonated around Luigi's entire body continuously, as small tendrils and arcs of lightning arced around Luigi's person. He stood tall, glaring right into Marth's eyes, without a hint of fear or trepidation. At this, the corners of Marth's mouth actually curved upwards with the hint of a smile, as he saw the change in Luigi's behavior. He drew his blade back.
"Now…..". The steel began to glint with a voracious blue light. "Let's see what you've got."
The pressure and lightning flared around Luigi as if in response, and his eyes narrowed. He disappeared, the ground ripping apart around where he just was. Blue energy circulated around Marth as if in response, his eyes glinting blue, as he also disappeared.
Time seemed to slow, as they both were instantly in front of each other, and then shattered into normality as they both clashed, sending a wave of force back, and instantly disappeared again, and reappeared at another part of the area.
Marth lashed out with ten quick blows, but Luigi blocked all of them with his hammer, and counter attacked with a downwards swing that Marth parried. They disappeared again, and reappeared as Luigi punched at three times at Marth, but he dodged all three. Both vanished once more, and reappeared to exchange five clashing blows, and disappeared again, and finally reappeared on the ground a few steps in front of each other.
Marth yelled a wordless yell, whipping his blade at Luigi, and Luigi also yelled, swinging his hammer at Marth: the two collided at full force, sending a screaming vortex outward that obliterated everything around it in a dome of sheer destruction.
Tendo's eyes swiveled to a different aspect of the portal; apparently the force had expelled Luigi and Marth into a different battlefield. In a linear fashion, shockwave after shockwave burst outwards from the clashing of blows between Luigi and Marth, destroying everything in their path.
Finally, Marth skidded to an abrupt stopped, turned, and swung his blade right at the force that was Luigi. The blow was so powerful that Marth and Luigi stood in a grinding stalemate for a split second, but finally Luigi was sent rocketing into the air. But this time, Marth added a trick to the blow: as he followed through with the strike, a blue shockwave of intense energy flowed through the sword, ripping after the airborne Mario brother.
Luigi flip-turned, seeing the shockwave just in time, and caught the shockwave between his hands. As it forced him higher, he grimaced, and clenched his eyes. The force was outstanding, but no way was he just going to allow it through his guard. He widened his eyes with intense focus, and with a yell, pushed it to the side, as it split the sky above him.
He dived down, dodging countless shockwaves from Marth, before disappearing entirely from view.
However, Marth anticipated the blow, turned, and swung a great shockwave his back as Luigi was appearing to punch. Marth smirked, as he knew this time, there was no way his adversary could find the time to dodge this strike.
Luigi saw the wave coming at him, and in that moment, he thought about what his brother would do. He had witnessed Mario face down impossible threats before with just his willpower and faith. And Luigi knew, in that moment, that he wanted to make his brother proud of him. With a shout, he lashed out directly at the wave of energy, to Marth's shock.
Without hesitation, Luigi barreled right through the wave, and punched Marth in the stomach with a rigid strike.
Marth spat in pain, unable to move.
Luigi flashed outwards with punches and kicks, and as he kept moving forward, afterimages began appearing behind him, shadowing his previous movements as he went faster and faster.
Marth could do nothing against the rapid strikes; Luigi was simply moving too fast for him to react decisively.
Then Luigi crouched. He clenched his fist, and bounded forward at the defenseless Marth, and drew his right arm back. The pressure increased to an unstable point as the arcs of lightning crackled around his arm and hand.
"EEEE-YAH!", he shouted as he chopped Marth right in the face. The air itself cracked with noise, and the ground below him split with force as the blue haired swordsman was repulsed backwards across the terrain.
Mario and Roy stood in a stalemate of fire and energy. Both stood stalwart as their fire torched the surrounding area, swirling around them. Roy's eyes narrowed in apparent anger.
"Pathetic…" he muttered.
Mario's eyebrow rose slightly.
"You don't belong in this fight." Roy spoke. The fire on his side of the collision suddenly swirled with vicious intensity, more than before. "Tell me, 'hero', why exactly did you participate in this tournament?"
Mario's eyes widened in surprise, as Roy continued.
"You're not worthy of being here. Other teams that have been eliminated are far more capable than you." He spoke quietly, and the flames increased in heat even more. Mario slightly slid back, pushed by the force of the flames.
"Link…..Kirby, Metaknight….Every one of them fought me with all they had, and despite that, they forfeited, leaving me to pass. I had high hopes for this final battle, and I moved on….only to be 'rewarded' by this farce of a fight."
The energy then exploded with a fiery heat, and Mario was expulsed backwards, landing in a heap on the ground. He struggled to push himself up. From the smoke, the figure that was Roy walked through towards Mario.
As he walked, he spoke, "I had hoped you would be my final challenge. But you're not as strong as Link, or as Kirby. You know nothing of resolve. Your mind isn't even completely on this fight." He stopped at Mario, and stood over him. "This is a waste of my time."
He finished and he pointed his sword down at Mario's neck. As Mario stared at the tip, he caught a glance at Roy's eyes, and suddenly understood: Roy was here to test himself. Above all else, he chose to participate in this tournament against fighters who, he assumed, could and would challenge him. It was the same look that Mario had seen in the other competitors, in Metaknight, in Kirby, even in fighters such as Bowser. They were there for the same reason Mario had entered: to prove themselves.
In a flash, Mario remembered Roy's fights. His battle with Link, ending in a decisive draw; but Link had forfeited for unknown reasons. He remembered how upset Roy had looked. He also remembered Peach's retelling of Kirby and Metaknight's duel with the two swordsman. They had fought with all their might, but had fallen short, leaving Roy and Marth the victors of another forfeit. The two swordsmen had been left with this as the last opportunity to truly test themselves; and Mario was falling short of their expectations.
All of the sudden, Mario's mind flashed back to his fight with Zero, just as, unbeknownst to Mario, Luigi's had. He remembered how he had been completely outmatched, and how Luigi, despite wanting to help, couldn't do it. He perfectly remembered Luigi's face, how he had looked to the ground with apparent shame. But then… he remembered Luigi's promise to him, their promise to win. At this point, Tendo looked from Luigi's portal to Mario's.
"Come on, Mario," Tendo said quietly.
Toadsworth, turned to Tendo and asked, "What?", but Tendo didn't answer.
Mario closed his eyes for a moment…. Then, he felt something he hadn't felt before in the air around him, an energy coming from another area that felt familiar, but different and more powerful. Mario's eyes popped open, and all the sudden, he bounded upwards into the sky, as Roy's eyes widened in surprise.
He landed on his feet 20 feet away from Roy. Mario stood up, his eyes completely focused. He reached into his pocket, and pulled out the red fire flower, and held it in front of him with an outstretched arm.
Roy's eyes narrowed, and he shook his head. "I expected more." Then, he took off at the red plumber, intending to finish it.
His sword ignited, and he leaped into the air and roared, "Burst….FLARE!"
Mario didn't move an inch, and the flower suddenly burst into flames and evaporated into the air.
Roy swung as the area around Mario was engulfed in a fiery cataclysmic explosion that blew debris and dust everywhere.
He leaped back, as the fire smoldered in a dome around the area. The spectators gasped…. Then, Roy saw movement. His eyes widened in shock…..for a brief moment, he saw the glint of red eyes within the flame.
"What?!" he muttered, and suddenly, the flames blasted outwards, and parted, revealing Mario.
His clothes had changed color: his hat and shirt were white in color, and his blue overalls had turned a crimson red.
Roy's eyes widened in greater shock, and flames seemed to dance in Mario's eyes.
Mario prepped his fists back, and roared "LET'S-A GO!", but unlike Luigi's a bit earlier, this shout resounded and echoed across the entire stadium battlefield, and as he yelled, red fire blasted everywhere in a whirlwind of power that almost blew Roy away, having to shield himself.
At this, Tendo closed his eyes as he heard the shout, and gave a slight nod, as Peach and Toadsworth again cheered.
Roy stared at Mario, and for a moment, saw the shadow of a black, red eyed Mario figure shadowing his fiery aura….. then it was gone. Roy's eye's widened, and a smirk crossed his face. He drew his sword back and pointed the tip behind him. The sword ignited with quick bursts of a jet like fire.
"Now we see what we both are truly made of." He twirled the sword around his arm, and got into a battle stance.
The aura around Mario increased, and Mario took off at Roy with flames surrounding him, and leaped at Roy, and punched at him, as Roy jetted out of the way with his sword, then instantly changed directions.
He swung at Mario, but Mario blocked adeptly, and retaliated with several fiery punches. Roy blocked two, and jetted into the air with the last one, and swung down at Mario's head, but Mario slid out of the way, hopped up, and with a yell, punched the ground, sending a column of flame straight at Roy, who pointed his sword backwards, and jetted right through it.
He shouted, and thrusted his blade at Mario, who blocked; but the force from the blow pushed them both into the air above. Both flames expanded outwards, as they both clashed quickly across the air above, back and forth with Roy moving across the air quickly with his sword's jet fire, and Mario following with his flames.
Roy then struck down at Mario's head, bashing Mario to earth, but before Mario hit the ground, he landed on his feet in a crouch, a small crater forcing its way outwards around and beneath him. He jetted down, using his speed, to increase the force and swung at Mario's head again, but Mario retaliated with a brutal hammer strike that sent a fiery vortex ripping up the ground.
Both he and Roy were expulsed backwards; and both landed on their feet. But, the moment Mario hit the ground, his flaming aura expanded outwards voraciously. In a flash, he was in front of Roy, and hit him with the hammer, once, twice, then three times, spinning once to hit once more, and then another.
Roy was being hit too hard and quick to react. Mario swung faster and faster, gaining centrifugal force until finally, his hammer caught fire. He yelled, "Wa-HOOOOO!", As he spun rapidly with the blazing hammer driving Roy further and further back, tearing up the ground around them. Then, Mario broke out of the spin.
Time seemed to slow, and the pressure around Mario condensed. As he spun one final time, he gathered the centrifugal speed of the turn. The ground cracked beneath him as he pivoted.
Roy's eyes widened in shock, as he could do nothing to guard or defend himself, as Mario cried, "Game over!" and swung his hammer into Roy's stomach at full force, blasting Roy backwards across the terrain with a force that seemed to go through the air itself, and fire blew outwards from the recoil that scorched the landscape surrounding them.
A bright light erupted from the center of the battlefield, and at this point, the portal that the spectators and Tendo were viewing shattered with energy, and a light flashed outward from that center. Peach cried out, and shielded her eyes, along with Toadsworth and the spectators. Tendo stared straight ahead into the light as it slowly dissipated…..and there stood Mario and Luigi, standing side by side, as if that was part of the plan from the beginning.
Peach gasped in happiness, and the smoke continued to clear, revealing Roy and Marth, in crouches. Roy picked up his fallen sword, staring straight at Mario, who was still in his fire form. Marth stared straight at Luigi, and returned the look in turn. The tension in the air was thick. Then Mario spoke.
"You-a said we didn't belong here-a." Mario turned to look at Luigi, who kept staring forward.
Roy and Marth still looked forward, and slowly stood straight up.
"Then by all means…" spoke Roy quietly, and he flashed his blade back, his eyes glinting. "Prove me wrong."
Mario and Luigi's eyes widened, and they suddenly both powered up, a vortex ripping up the ground, as Mario's fire swirled around the stadium, and Luigi's pressure and small arcs of lightning ripped the ground apart.
As if in response, Roy and Marth suddenly powered up as well, sending shockwaves across the ground. Roy's sword ignited with an intense flame that rose into the air itself, and fire tore across the ground, while Marth's sword and body was surrounded with a fluid blue aura that lanced across the arena.
All four of their aura's got stronger and stronger, as debris began to slowly rise into the air.
Tendo looked down, and thought, "This is it…. It all ends right here." Peach crossed her fingers in prayer, as the wind blew her hair back, and Toadsworth held on for dear life as the wind picked up.
For a moment, all four figures stared at each other's counterparts. Then, Mario and Luigi took off right at Marth and Roy, who took off right back at Mario and Luigi. As they drew nearer and nearer, there aura's grew brighter and brighter with every step.
"Luigi!" cried Mario.
"Mario!" cried Luigi.
They both hopped into the air, and both of their energies pulsed outwards, and they shouted, "HERE WE GO-A!", and they collided with one another.
The spectators watched as the brothers grabbed each other's feet and respective hands to become a single spinning ball of destruction that mixed both their separate energies into one bright sparkling light.
Roy roared a wordless shout, and his entire body caught fire as he sped up to meet the brother's challenge, and Marth yelled as the blue energy consumed his entire body: they both took a final step, and their energies combined. In a vicious reaction, they both sliced forward simultaneously, sending an 'X' shaped force of glowing energy, and the ball that was the Mario bros. blitzed forward in a burst of unbelievable speed, tearing up the arena.
Then the two collided. The reaction was tremendous, ripping up the air and arena itself in a dome of sheer destructive power, that engulfed the arena, the stands, even the outer surrounding area. Peach screamed as she was engulfed by the power, along with Toadsworth, as Tendo gazed forward unmoving as he, too, was engulfed. The dome grew for a moment, and then, exploded and dispersed outwards, wiping out the very area itself.
First, there was a silence, as the power dispersed throughout the area. Then, the dust slowly cleared, revealing Tendo, still standing, watching the arena. His clothes weren't even dirty.
Peach was frozen in a cringing phase, her eyes shut tightly, but then she blinked, and looked around. All the spectators were completely safe, albeit looking surprised. The smoke still hadn't cleared from the arena itself, which hadn't been spared from the collision force. As the smoke continued to evaporate, they realized it was even more battered and broken than before. Then, the dust blew away completely with a gust of wind, revealing….Marth and Roy were on the ground, swords out of their hands.
While not unconscious, they both couldn't, despite their trying, stand up. However, Mario and Luigi were nowhere to be seen.
Peach gasped, and the spectators were whispering. Then from the sky, a figure came into view…then a second. Peach glanced up, and her eyes teared at the sight. The spectators shouted, pointing into the sky above, and Tendo looked up, and smiled. Toadsworth let out a cheer, and fell to his knees, crying... and Mario flipped, and landed on his feet in a crouch, with Luigi right beside him; albeit the green brother landed on his face. Mario stood up slowly in his regular clothes; his fire form had been lost. Luigi also got up, chuckling embarrassingly. The arcs of lightning that had permeated his body were no more.
For a moment, there was a complete silence. Then, the spectators let out a roar of approval, cheering loudly, shaking the stadium with their cheers. Toadsworth was in tears with pride, clapping himself, and Peach just looked down, and smiled at both of them.
Tendo closed his eyes, and smirked, crossing his arms.
"So that's how it is, hm?" he thought, as Mario and Luigi walked forward to the fallen Marth and Roy. They stopped a foot in front of them, and there was a pause….then Mario extended his hand to Roy. Luigi did the same to Marth.
For a moment, Roy looked genuinely surprised. Then, he actually smiled, and took it, and with Mario's help, stood up. Marth did the same.
Roy closed his eyes, still smiling, and said, "I guess I was wrong. You took everything I had, and returned it to me full force." Marth nodded, smiling as well, looking at Luigi with new respect.
Mario and Luigi both smiled, as Tendo appeared in the arena. Roy and Marth turned, picking up their respective swords. Roy sheathed his, and nodded at Mario.
"You win, Mario."
Marth also sheathed his blade, and said, "Well done, Luigi."
Tendo then stepped forward. "Nice job, both of you teams; on another note, I'm glad I upped the shields around this place…but then again it was already fortified….but it's whatever, I guess."
He stopped, seemingly realizing he was rambling.
Now….Mario and Luigi." Tendo turned, and smirked. "What do you both –" Then Tendo cut short, as he felt something. His head snapped up, and his eyes widened.
For a moment, Mario didn't understand, and he mimicked Tendo's look up….his eyes widened, and he gasped. Luigi's mouth gaped, as he too saw. The sky had turned dark red and cloudy, and small dark purple sphere's rained from the sky above.
"What's happening?!" cried Peach. Toadsworth shrugged a panicked shrug, and attempted to hide. Lightning flashed as the sphere's rained on the arena and the surrounding area…..and then the spheres began to coalesce into separate strange looking creatures.
The spectators began to run out of the stadium, screaming in panic and fear.
"It's begun….and so soon?!" Muttered Tendo in shock.
Then he felt a sharp pain in his chest, and fell to his knees. "Tendo!" cried Mario and Luigi, and they both got into battle stances. Roy grimaced, ad re-drew his blade, along with Marth. It seemed that the tournament, despite officially ending, was far from over, as the brothers stared directly into the eyes of the forming army.