Swordplay
Captain Falcon: Cool, I managed to sneak on stage before the author did!
Samus: Don't get your hopes up. She's probably gonna be here any second.
Any minute now...
Give or take, one hour...
Captain Falcon: Oh great, what'll we do? I've never hosted anything!!
Samus: (clears her throat) Does F-Zero: Falcon Densetsu ring a bell?
Captain Falcon: Oh, yeah... but you'll have to be my cohost then!
Samus: Oo What?
Captain Falcon: LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WELCOME TO THIS EPISODE OF SWORDPLAY!!!
Samus: Chapter. --
Captain Falcon: CHAPTER! YES, THANK YOU!!! WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, HERE'S MY LOVELY COHOST, SAMUS ARAN, WITH THE DISCLAIMER!!
Samus: Lovely? (smiles a bit) Anyway, we- uh... (pauses to glance at script) I mean, bijoukaiba doesn't own Nintendo, Super Smash Bros. Melee, or any of its characters.
Captain Falcon: I gotta do this more often:D
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Chapter 8: Fire in the Swordsman's Eyes
The fateful Thursday had rolled around at last, where Marth would get to have his very own Classic match. Like Fox before him, he was slightly nervous about what would lie before him, so he decided to go with a Very Easy match as well, with five stock.
Marth innocently entered the cafeteria dressed in his green and black tunic. A few people stared at him briefly before going on with their normal lives, eating breakfast. The prince took his share of fried eggs and grapefruit juice before taking a seat with Peach and Link.
"Is it just me, or is everyone staring at me?" Marth asked softly.
"Well, you certainly look heroic today, quite fitting for the challenge you're up against today!" Peach commented. Marth's cheeks flushed with a pale pink tint at her compliment
"I think they're worried about you," Link stated. "Remember, last time Fox went entered this, he ended up facing a mysterious new opponent. Same thing happened to Pikachu. There's still no telling what you'll be up against. Some of us have enemies with incredibly impressive power. Fox has Andross, Samus has Ridley, Kirby has Dedede, though I doubt a penguin could be dangerous, and Zelda and I have Ganondorf."
"I see what you're saying; it could also be Medeus or Hardin. But what if the opponent isn't an enemy, but a friend? What if it was someone, say, like the Daisy or Saria girls I've heard about, or Oguma? If it is a friend and not a foe, they will need someone there for reassurance, for trust. That is why I believe we still fight subconsciously, whether we realize we could be putting our lives in danger or not. Not only that, but we were born warriors." Marth replied.
"You might not even fight anyone at all," Peach commented, dabbing her mouth daintily with a napkin.
Link and Marth glanced at each other simultaneously.
"I guess you'll just have to wait and see..."
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Guess what Donkey Kong's strategy was in his match against Samus? Yep. He kept throwing her off the edge of Green Greens until she had accumulated enough damage, then grabbed her once more.
"Keep trying, DK," she sighed. "It's gonna take a long time to get me out of range, and you're gonna be getting a lot more punches." With that, she smacked her rocket-launching arm against his nose. A definite nose-bleeder, if the smashers could be hurt. Several of the fighters watching even flinched after the hit.
"Okay, you crossed the line there!" The simian grunted, this time turning around and hurling her at the wall of bombs. Samus's head made direct contact with one, and her damage percentage was increased 16. DK swung his fists down like hammers and smashed Samus off the screen, disappearing as a star.
"GAME! This game's winner is... DONKEY KONG!!" He pounded his chest proudly in victory.
Samus walked out, appearing slightly wobbly. Captain Falcon had to run over and catch her from falling over almost immediately upon her exit. A few smashers appeared worried. Donkey Kong hung his head in guilt, but Zelda patted his arm, reassuring him it might not be from his attacks. And if the fight was the cause of her dizziness, it was merely an accident.
"Are you okay?" Captain Falcon asked, concerned.
"I'm fine, don't worry," Samus reassured. Her anger at him had cooled down after yesterday. "I think I hit my head a little too hard... I'm a little dizzy, but I've got a splitting headache."
She tried to regain her footing and take a few more steps, only to collapse again, with her fellow bounty hunter ready to catch her again.
"Then you're definitely not okay, if you're feeling dizzy, Samus. Come on, we'll get something from the medical supply room for that." He lifted her arm around his shoulder and helped support her up to the third floor.
"Puff ig jigglypuff," (What a gentleman,) Jigglypuff remarked.
Bowser had a toothy grin on his face. He was writing down something on a sheet of paper, but only the readers could see it.
IDEAS FOR BLACKMAIL
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Peach appeared slightly nervous about her next fight.
Zelda is undefeated and she has the most wins! What if I can't do this?
"Peach?" Mario walked up to her in the hallway, the two of them alone. "Are-a you troubled by-a something?"
She sighed. "I just really want to win this match... Zelda's undefeated, so I'm a little unsure of myself,"
"That's-a no way to think-a!" Mario blurted. "What-a I mean is, it's a visualization-a thing. I saw it-a on a golf video-a once. You have to-a picture the ball-a going in the hole-a!"
"So, if I believe I can win... there's no way I can fail!"
"Of-a course! Although I've-a tried the mental-a picture thing, but-a I haven't won any-a matches yet!" Mario smiled briefly. "And-a anyway..."
He gently took the princess's hands into his own.
"I believe in-a you."
She was about to thank him, when she heard Master make the announcement for the match to begin. Thank goodness, enough with the cheesy filler details! XP
Peach and Zelda, both wearing a pink dress, entered the city arena of Onett.
Zelda started out with her trademark Din's Fire technique. Peach dodged and floated over to Zelda, delivering a barrage of kicks.
"Yeah, Peach!" Mario cheered, pumping a fist into the air.
"Come on, Zelda! You can beat her! Let's go for 5-0!" Fox chanted in reply.
Zelda tried to shock Peach with a burst of magic, but Toad was there to reflect the magic back onto the Hyrulian princess. She flipped down into the road, just as a large black van came speeding by. She was thrown against one of the houses. Fox cringed at the sight. Peach leapt down and swiped the sharp edges of her crown at Zelda, who ducked in the nick of time to deliver a powerful lightning kick to Peach's stomach. She took a heavy increase in damage and was sent a fair distance away from Zelda.
She shook her head and leapt back into the fray, exchanging slaps, magic, turnips, and crystal barrages with the Hyrulian princess.
It seemed hard to take notice of traffic. Zelda seemed to flee from battle after taking a powerful swat to the neck, but she was using Farore's Wind to merely avoid being struck by a pink car. Peach was thrown atop the clothesline in Onett.
"I hope that's not my laundry hanging there!" Ness jested. Unfortunately for him, everyone was so entwined in the battle scene they ignored his lame joke completely.
Zelda leapt forward as Peach got to her feet, preparing to strike her foot forward to her chest. A lightning kick for the finishing move.
Like a golf video, picture the ball rolling into the hole...
Peach pulled out a golf club from her weapons arsenal that appeared from nowhere. She positioned herself, ready to swing the club. She had to swing it fast and far out enough so Zelda couldn't extend her leg to complete the kick. The princess of the Mushroom Kingdom narrowed her eyes, waiting for the precise moment.
Zelda's knee twitched, preparing to stretch. Peach squeezed her eyes shut and she swung the golf club with all her might. It collided heavily with Zelda's hip bone. She wailed as she flew off the screen in a similar fashion to Samus. Peach twirled around on one foot and winked at the camera.
"Suh-weet!!"
"GAME!!" Master shouted. Even he appeared shocked that Zelda had lost her first match. "Uh, this game's winner is... PEACH!!!"
She folded her hands innocently and gazed upward happily, modestly asking, "Oh, did I win?"
Upon exitting the elevator, the first thing she did was sweep up Mario in a hug.
Zelda congratulated her politely and walked up to Fox.
"I can't believe you lost!" he exclaimed. "You didn't go easy on her, did you?"
"Of course not!" Zelda responded. "I treat all my opponents with respect. Even for someone as cruel as Bowser or as innocent as Pikachu, I still treat them as powerful opponents and prepare myself for the worst. That's why one should always fight their best. However, there's only one of my opponents I respect slightly more, though,"
"Who's that? Link?"
Zelda gently laid a hand on his shoulder.
"You."
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Jigglypuff and Bowser's match didn't go quite as well as Kirby had predicted yesterday. She ran up to Bowser and immediately fell asleep. But nothing happened. The koopa king appeared confused at first, then snatched her up in his claws immediately and began gnawing upon her marshmallow-like body before he tossed her aside. Thinking resourcefully, Jigglypuff grabbed a Poke'ball and hurled it at Bowser, releasing the most feared Poke'mon in the game.
Moltres? No. Lugia? No. Ho-Oh? Hell no.
Goldeen. The minute that worthless Poke'mon was summoned, Jigglypuff knew she was doomed. It only got worse when Bowser found a Bomb-Omb. I think you know what happened next...
"JIGGLYPUUUUUFF!!!" (WOE IS MEEEEE!!!)
Kirby ran up to Jigglypuff after the match. She appeared fairly depressed about the results of her match, and Bowser's boasting only made it worse.
"I don't get it. What happened out there? Why'd you fall asleep like that?" he asked.
"Jigglypuff. Ig jig iggly jigpuff jigglypuff puff puff, ig iggly ig puff jiggly, puff jig ig puff jiggly." (I don't know. I felt such a huge surge of power in me, and after I fell asleep, I felt it all release.)
"Ya know what? Jigglypuff must be pretty cocky and stupid!" Bowser was shouting to the others, loud enough so Jigglypuff could hear. "She must've thought she could beat me in her sleep, but she had her facts wrong! It's the other way around!!"
Kirby frowned at him, then escorted the Poke'mon puffball from the room.
"Do you wanna get some lunch now, Jigglypuff?" he asked.
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Popcorn chicken, a house salad with honey mustard dressing, and a light chocolate pudding were distributed for lunch that day. Marth took only a few spoonfuls of pudding before falling in love with it.
"I still can't believe how tasty the food from the future is!" He spooned down another glob. "Sometimes, I wish..."
Link lowered his spoon. "Wish what?"
Marth smiled and shook his head. "It's selfish thinking on my part, but I wish there was someway we could stay here forever... there's only friendly fighting for entertainment, the food is great, and we've had a steady increase in the number of new friends we're making," he paused for a moment and waved Ness over to sit with him. "Do you know what I mean?"
Link smiled as he watched Fox and Zelda laughing, apparently over something the vulpine had said.
"I think I do. Hyrule's been in danger several times in the past and it's always been my duty to save the day. It's even harder for Zelda, because she's the heir to the throne in danger. And when I see her so happy like this... I want to stay even more. I'd give anything if she could live a normal, happy life like she has now. Sometimes I wonder if she'll invite Fox to return to Hyrule with her..."
"That's because Fox loooooves Zelda!" Ness joked.
Link tried to hide a grin and Marth frowned at Ness.
"There's no way to tell for certain, my friend." Marth argued.
"Ever since they fought each other in the first match, he's been attached to her. She did seem pretty worried about him in Classic mode, and he's followed her everywhere like a mind slave since she hugged him." Link debated.
"It's probably safe to say Fox has something for her, but I think it's debatable if her feelings are returned. I don't know Zelda's heart, then again..." Marth added. "All I hope is neither of them have their hearts broken by the other..."
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"Samus is really feeling that bad?" Marth asked. He was sitting on the edge of Captain Falcon's bed, which had navy blue bed sheets as well, with a pattern of red falcons on it. They closely resembled the falcon emblem he had on his helmet.
"Yeah," Captain Falcon responded from his closet, where he was changing clothes. "Joy recommended that she rests until at least dinner, despite her lack of knowledge in human medicine."
He finished changing and stepped out, clad in his green body suit. "I think this'll be fine for my match! Pass me my helmet, will you?"
"Sure!" Marth replied, handing him the brown helmet next to him on the bed. He paused briefly. "I've never seen you without your helmet."
Captain Falcon flicked some of his brown hair away from the scar over his left eye. "Yeah, I wear it all the time... I guess it's just a habit." He replaced the helmet and smiled.
"Wish me luck in my match!"
Marth grinned. "You know I always do."
(A/N: Yes, this means I'm using Captain Falcon's appearance from the anime. If you want a better idea of his anime appearance, search for the "Falcon Punch" video on Youtube. Personally, I think he's extremely handsome and very heroic:3)
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Fox had been spamming his blaster gun on Captain Falcon throughout their match, but he kept holding out strong, managing to deliver some kicks of decent power to the vulpine. Captain Falcon delivered two heavy kicks in a row to Fox's jaw, launching him upwards. The bounty hunter leapt up as well, forcefully kneeing Fox in the side. He made a painful yell and was hurled off the arena. Falcon's knee was so powerful it had produced shockwaves upon impact.
"GAME!!" Master announced. "This game's winner is... CAPTAIN FALCON!!"
Captain Falcon performed a roundhouse kick before kneeling upon the ground as a sign of victory.
Master seemed to assume a bored state as Captain Falcon and Fox exitted the elevator.
"Anyway... this means it's time for your Classic match, Marth. Yeah. So, here's the line-up for you..."
Link
Ice Climbers
Captain Falcon
Jigglypuff
Bowser
Yoshi
Mario
Fox
Peach
Zelda
Ness
Best of luck, bastard. Master thought with a smirk, leaving the building. He was going to let Crazy handle the announcements this match.
Marth stepped into the empty elevator.
"Okay, first up! Marth versus Yoshi!"
Marth found himself transported to the Yoshi's Island stage.
Yoshi leapt down upon Marth, barraging him with kicks. Marth switched his blade against his chest, awaiting an attack. Yoshi attempted to kick him again, when Marth whipped the blade forward, striking Yoshi in the snout to counter the kick. Then he swung the blade down Yoshi's head, the tip of it spiking him with considerable strength. He was nearly hurled off the edge of the arena, but Yoshi's impressive jumping ability allowed him to recover easily.
Marth dashed forward and elegantly swept his blade in front of him, forcing Yoshi into the air, then slashing at him from behind. Yoshi wailed as he flew off the screen.
Crazy nodded as the score display appeared on screen, then beckoned Zelda, Link, and Peach into the elevator.
"ROUND 2!!!" The screen displayed Marth and Link as allies, who knew? They were fighting against Peach and Zelda in Hyrule Temple.
"If you don't want to fight her, I'll combat Zelda!" Marth offered.
"Thanks, but no thanks!" Link replied. "I've been her ally for seven years and now I wanna know how she REALLY fights!!"
Zelda rolled her eyes at her old friend's humor.
Peach was still feeling pretty confident since her match with Zelda.
"Don't worry sweetie, leave everything to me!" She ran forward, taking a strike from Marth's blade then shoving the prince backwards, toppling him. Link leapt down and spiked his sword heavily into Peach's shoulder. He drove his sword at her twice, but it knocked her backwards enough to put her in range of hitting Marth.
"I hate to do this to you! I really do think you're cute!" Peach whispered.
"Don't let Mario hear you say that!" Marth hissed.
Peach grinned. "That's why I have to do this!"
She grabbed Marth with one hand and slapped him across the face twice, before throwing him behind her towards Link. He caught the delicate prince in his arms, also being shoved backwards slightly on impact.
"Gotcha!"
"Thanks," Marth replied, appearing bashful. "DUCK!" He shoved Link to the ground and ducked as well, watching the fiery results of Din's Fire inches above their heads.
"Okay, go take Peach, I'll get Zelda." Marth replied. "You seem to be better off fighting her than I am."
"Right!" The swordsmen exchanged a hi-five before switching directions and fighting their new princess opponents. Marth barraged Zelda with a series of aerial strikes from his blade, before knocking her off the side of the field.
He turned around and dashed back to help Link. Peach had grabbed onto him and was preparing to slam him onto the ground when Marth's forward aerial slash broke her grip and Link rolled to safety. Peach's damage percentage had risen very high since the start of the battle- it was now at 121!!
Marth made a cute, innocent smile at Link. "Shall we finish her off now?"
Link grinned. "Let's."
Peach growled playfully. "You silly swordsmen, what are you- WAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!"
Marth and Link swung their blades upon her at the same time, catapulting her into the sky.
"See ya!" Link laughed.
"Sayonara!" Marth added.
Just as Marth was starting his target test, Link, Zelda, and Peach left the elevator. Now LINK was the one feeling confident. Did I say confident? I meant cocky.
"Woo-hoo! Did you see the way we totally obliterated you?!"
Peach rolled her eyes and walked off with Zelda. As Marth smashed a target, an idea smashed into Peach's head.
"Hey! Why don't we ask Ruby to borrow the kitchen for a bit and bake a get-well-soon cake for Samus? I'm sure you're a great chef, Zelda!" Peach suggested.
Captain Falcon, overhearing this, frowned. "I don't think that's a good idea," he contradicted. "Samus really isn't feeling very well and she just wants to rest. You should probably leave her alone. Not only that, but if she IS developing an illness, I don't think she wants to pass it on to either of you."
Zelda glanced over at Peach. "He has a point. But I still thought it was a nice idea, Peach."
Marth could be heard making a small shout in the background as he tumbled off the arena, barely missing his final target. Several groans were heard as well.
"Aww, come on!" Peach groaned. "What if we just dropped the cake off and left? That wouldn't hurt, would it?"
"Hmmm... well, I suppose if you're really quiet and leave quickly, you could-"
"Yay! Thanks, Captain Falcon!" Before Zelda could even blink, Peach had grabbed her by the arm and dragged her off to the kitchen.
They better not cause any trouble... Captain Falcon (with an anime sweatdrop, naturally) thought with a sigh.
"Hey! Captain Falcon!!" Crazy shouted. "The Ice Climbers just went down! It's time for your match!!"
Marth, Ness, and Captain Falcon had been teamed up for taking down a GIANT Bowser. Yes, it was the infamous Super Mushroom Soup created by Ruby that had rocketed Bowser's growth rate exponentially. Okay, enough nerd talk. XD
Bowser had grown large enough to take up the right half of Princess Peach's Castle by merely standing.
"Damn, and I thought he was huge before!" Captain Falcon muttered, leaping into battle alongside his sword-wielding and PSI-gifted allies.
"FALCON KICK!!" Captain Falcon started the match by delivering an aerial variation of his infamous kick, which barreled down against the giant Koopa's neck.
"PK THUNDER!! WHOAAA!!!!" Ness charged his thunder move powerfully enough to charge him against Bowser's belly, delivering decent knockback and heavy damage.
Marth leapt in with a Dancing Blade combo, shouting to his comrades, "Let's finish him off in a trio!" The prince leapt backwards and began to charge his Shield Breaker technique on the highest pillar on the castle. Captain Falcon used a Raptor Boost to send Bowser into the air. Ness leapt up next and sparked some PSI on Bowser, knocking him backwards into a fully charged Shield Breaker. It was impressive to see the overgrown koopa spiraling off in the sky.
On Marth's trophy collecting stage, he collected a trophy of what appeared to be an elephant holding up a sign of some kind, one with an elderly looking rabbit dressed similarly to Fox, and a trophy of a Goldeen.
"Wow, one of those trophies looked just like my pal, Peppy! I swear!" Fox commented.
Jigglypuff was next to fight Marth. He finished her off quickly.
Now Mario was given nine clones of himself to combat Marth. He performed a different combo to kill off each clone.
When Marth navigated through the same labyrinth as Fox had, he ventured out even further, earning bonus points.
Speaking of Fox, he had been given a metal coat to combat Marth. Despite the added weight, Fox was still impressively limber. Marth had nearly been thrown from the stage twice before finally knocking Fox from recovery range.
Now came the part Fox feared.
"You guys will NOT believe what you're about to see."
As Marth landed upon the empty, black stage, a massive white glove twisted and writhed, laughing wickedly. The prince appeared taken aback for a brief moment, then resumed a more courageous state. It was time to start the battle!
Marth leapt forward, swiping his sword against the knuckles of the hand. Its HP dropped from 150 to 138. Marth added in two strikes from Dancing Blade combo to lower the HP to 131. Now the giant hand had its turn to attack, flying into the air then returning as a giant fist. Marth countered quickly, lowering the damage further to 125. Next, the prince charged some energy and thrust his sword upward, creating massive damage upon the hand. Its damage fell to 101. He released a shield breaker attack (for 94 damage) quickly so he could dodge a sweeping attack. He landed two more forward aerial assaults, to bring the sum of the hand's damage down to 68.
"Impressive!" Fox marveled. "He hasn't taken a single point of damage yet!"
The hand began to spew lasers from the tip of its fingers. One of them managed to spew against Marth's cheek, raising his damage to 6.
"I believe you stand corrected," Kirby stated.
Not letting it hold him back, Marth leapt forward with another frontal aerial assault, then performed a backflip, swinging his sword in an arc parallel to his graceful and lithe body. He leapt up once again and swung the sword around his body twice. The hand's damage was lowered to 29. Marth charged another stabbing thrust and delivered it fast for a decent 20 damage.
"Yeah, Marth!!" Captain Falcon cheered. "He's no longer in the double digits!"
"FINISH HIM!!" Bowser roared.
Marth flicked his sword in front of him twice nonchalantly, lowering the HP to 0. The hand made a familiar screaming and roaring sound as it flew off in the background.
"I think it's being a little overdramatic," Link muttered. "Like when Crazy's hand was hit by the baseball."
After a few moments of displaying Marth's score, the minigame of firing at random targets started. Marth had poor accuracy, but he could rapidly fire the gun to hit targets within his range multiple times. He finished with a score of 76 targets. A movie of Marth's impressive speed, lithe movements, and incredible swordplay was displayed, before showing a picture of Marth performing a fully-powered shield breaker assault.
"Congratulations!!" Crazy cheered. He flicked on a button on the communicator in his pocket. Sucker...
The screen faded away, only to return with a familiar screen with a blue background and the letters "A NEW CHALLENGER HAS APPEARED".
"Marth!" Link cried, as several of the other fighters gasped.
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Marth stepped down onto the dirt roads in Hyrule Temple.
"Is this a bonus match?" He questioned the atmosphere.
Silence. And then...
"SHINI!!!" A blade of flames arched forward against Marth's chest. The prince was thrown backwards, whipping out his blade. The opponent running towards him had red hair to match the flaming power of his sword.
He... he speaks the same language I did!
He threw his blade forward in a powerful arch, knocking the red-head back. Marth leapt up and whipped his blade forward once more, smashing him backwards.
Communicate, Marth! Communicate!!
With a roar, the red-head swordsman threw his blade forward.
"MATTE!" the prince cried.
Too late. The blade struck Marth's shoulder and he was shoved backwards.
He won't listen... I have no choice but to fight back!
Marth unleashed a heavy combo of aerials similar to those he pulled off when fighting the giant hand. The new fighter's damage rose heavily, and he was having a harder time striking the blue-haired swordsman. What Marth lacked in power, he made up for with speed.
Just as the newcomer was deducing this, Marth dodged behind him and heavily slashed him up into the air. The newcomer was sent howling through the air.
"Gomen nasai!" Marth shouted.
The arena fizzled out from behind him and he oddly found himself in the elevator heading down to the base floor. When the doors opened he found Link awaiting him.
"Link!" he exclaimed.
"Thank goodness you're okay!" the elf sighed. He placed his hands on Marth's shoulders. "I was... worried."
"I'm okay, really. Not a scratch on me! Before you ask, my opponent was a red-haired swordsman that wielded a sword with the power to unleash fire. Do you know anyone like that?"
Link thought for a moment. "Did he have dark, ugly greenish-gray skin? Big, ugly nose? Covered in stupid looking robes and jewelry? Smells like a cow pie? Did he have a voice like the offspring of a cow and frog?"
Marth blinked at him in confusion. "Umm... no..."
"Hmmm..." Link mused, rubbing his chin. "Then that rules out Ganondorf. I have no idea."
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"Ooooh!!! I can't wait to see the look on her face!!!" Peach giggled.
"Peach, keep it down!" Zelda warned. "We're just dropping off the cake and maybe saying hi. That's it."
"Pssh. Whatever!" She opened up the door to Samus's room. She was sitting under the covers of her bed, dressed in a red leather tank top and blue jeans. She had been reading an action-adventure novel known as The Falsebound Kingdom. I swear, I love making allusions!
"Samus!!" Peach squealed. "How are you feeling?"
She removed her reading glasses and closed her novel.
"Oh, much better. I've taken some medicine to reduce the headache, and I should be fine by dinner. Hey, what smells so good?"
Peach grinned, holding the treat out to her. "We baked you a cake!!"
Samus folded her arms and smirked.
"Did Falcon put you up to this?"
Zelda shook her head, replying, "No, this was all Peach's idea. Captain Falcon was actually against the idea, he was worried we might disturb you."
Peach giggled. "He's so serious sometimes, it's funny! It's also pretty cute how much he worries about you..."
Samus rolled her eyes. Don't remind me...
"But seriously, though, he hopes you feel better soon," Zelda commented. "Everyone- well, except for maybe Bowser, of course- does. Marth, Kirby, Pika-"
Zelda froze as a bright flash of light could be seen outside Samus's window. The other two women had failed to see it. Samus looked at Zelda, confused.
"Something wrong?" the bounty huntress asked.
Zelda blinked and shook her head. "N-no, I just remembered there's something I was supposed to do right now. Sorry, Samus, I have to go!"
She closed the door behind her.
"I wonder what's up with her?" Peach questioned. Samus shrugged.
Zelda ran down the hallway.
What was that flash of light anyway?
She exitted at the first floor and turned her head in the direction of the battle tower. It was just as the princess suspected.
The room was back.
She cautiously stepped up to it, twisting the door open. Just like the previous two times, the room dissolved away into nothingness. Left in its spot was a young man, slightly younger than herself, lying on the ground.
A new fighter? Zelda considered for a moment. She knelt upon the ground beside him and gently shook his shoulders, trying to rouse him.
He blinked briefly, revealing bright blue eyes similar to Marth's, but brighter. They demonstrated more energy, more boldness, and mixed with his wild red hair, they showed signs of fiery aggression. When his sight focused, Zelda was the first thing he saw.
"Are you okay?" She asked him.
He gave a shout and rolled out of her grasp, sitting up straight with his sword in front of him.
"A... anata wa dare desu ka?"
Zelda assumed he was speaking the same language as Marth was. Too bad she never picked up on any of it herself. She had to communicate with him somehow. At least get her name across.
"Hello," Zelda said as she slowly stood up. He hadn't taken his eyes off of her. "My name is Princess Zelda."
He cocked his head at her, confused.
"Ore wa wakarimasen. Ore wa... doko desu ka?"
She could tell he wasn't understanding. She simplified it even further.
She pointed at herself and said, "Zelda. Zelda." Then gestured at the swordsman.
He perked up slightly.
"Ore wa Roy!"
Zelda smiled and repeated, pointing at herself. "Zelda," Then pointed back at him. "Ore wa Roy."
He shook his head, then pointed at himself. "Roy. Roy," Then pointed at her. "Zeruda. Zeruda."
He was having a hard time pronouncing the L sound, like Marth had when he met "Rinku".
"I-" Zelda pointed at herself. "-can help you-" she pointed at Roy. "-understand." She pointed at her ears.
Roy eyed her curiously. "Undastand?"
She nodded. "Yes, Roy. Come with me-" she pointed at herself. "To the building." She pointed at the dorms.
He frowned and looked down at his boots.
"Do you trust me?" Zelda asked, offering her hand to him.
Roy gazed up into her eyes. There was no sign of hatred or dishonesty in them.
"H-hai," he agreed, taking her hand and standing up. He sheathed his sword. "Z-Zeruda."
He gently wove her arm into his own and pointed at the dorms. Zelda blushed faintly, then led him up to the dorms.
A heart-broken Fox McCloud had seen everything from the side of the battle tower.
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Roy sat down on one of the medical beds, swinging his legs back and forth carelessly as Zelda browsed through the medical cabinet.
"Tylenol? No. Emotion Elixir? No. Ipecac? Yuck, certainly not! Oh, here it is! Translation Water!"
She walked over to Roy, commenting. "I think this is the last bottle."
"Sore wa nan desu ka?" he asked, pointing at the bottle.
"You-" she pointed at him. "Have to drink this." She made a drinking gesture with the closed bottle.
She opened it and placed it in front of him. Roy sniffed the fluid briefly, then took a few sips.
"Hey, this stuff has bubbles in it!" He clamped a hand over his mouth. "Whoa! Listen to me!"
He leapt up, placing the bottle aside. He laughed, "Incredible! Listen to me talk! I never studied this language!!"
Zelda clasped her hands together. "Roy, it really did work! I can understand you!"
Roy clasped his hands over the princess's, making her blush.
"I can understand you too! I cannot thank you enough!"
He frowned slightly.
"But... what will I do for a home? I'll need a place to stay. Somewhere near you. You're the only one who understands me."
Zelda smiled at him. "No, no, it's okay! Everyone will understand you, trust me! And I know how to get you a room here. Follow me."
She gently took his hand and led him downstairs. She pressed a buzzer, calling Joy up to the office.
"Wow, another new face already?" she asked.
Roy's face was beaming. "I can understand her too, Zelda!"
"Translation Water," Zelda whispered with a giggle to Joy. "He really wants a room near mine. Does he have to pick randomly, or..."
"Well, he's technically supposed to pick randomly, but..." Joy winked. "I got it!"
She began pulling out pieces of paper, reading each one and pulling it out, except for one.
Zelda was trying to stifle laughter. Joy was pretty witty!
"Okay, what was your name?"
"Roy!"
"Aren't we cheerful? Please, pick out a number from the box."
He pulled out the only slip of paper remaining and handed it to Joy.
"It's number 20."
Joy smiled and nodded.
"Very well then, you'll be boarding on the fourth floor, along with Kirby, Zelda, and Bowser. You're right next to Zelda's room."
He nodded and bowed slightly before her. "Thank you, Miss Joy."
Zelda nodded her head gratefully at Joy. "I owe you one of Diddy's fruit smoothies," she whispered.
"It's nothing, I can understand when someone has a crush!" Joy replied.
Zelda's face flushed with color. "Crush?! I just met Roy!!"
Joy grinned and giggled slightly. "Actually, I was referring to Roy." Zelda blushed. "But still, it's never too early or too late to-"
"What's with these three little holes in the wall? They look like a face!" Joy and Zelda looked at Roy, who was close to poking his finger into an outlet.
"AAAAAAAHHHH!!!! ROY, DON'T TOUCH THAT!!!!!" Joy screamed.
He stood up and grinned apologetically. "Okay... sorry."
"Here's your room key," Joy explained, handing him the key. "Zelda, you get the honors of showing around our new friend."
Of course, our sweetheart Roy took Zelda's hand into his own, awaiting his tour.
... Which obviously led to more blushing.
---------------------------------------------
Zelda had finally gotten Roy how to understand electricity and plumbing, and explained the rules of the Battle Royale Suites. And of course she showed him where all the rooms were- the bathing rooms, the medical facility, the balcony (where she pointed out the Battle Tower), and she was able to show him around his room.
"Okay, I fully understand how to use a toilet now." He confirmed with a nod. Zelda sighed.
"Good, because that was the last of my peppermints. Why did you have to flush them ALL down?"
He laughed. "I'm sorry, I really couldn't help it. I'm so curious about the way this new world works." Roy glanced at Zelda behind him. "Were you ever this curious upon arrival?"
Zelda shrugged. "I guess I was at the time... now that I understand how it all works, I'm not that impressed."
"You must be a very wise person."
"I... guess you could say that," Zelda replied, rubbing one of her hands shyly over the Triforce symbol on the other one.
"I still have to show you the cafeteria... shall we go?"
"Yeah! I need to know where to get food!"
Zelda led him into the cafeteria and introduced him to Ruby. She was willing to prepare him a small snack: Nothing fancy, just a strip of teriyaki-basted chicken on a kabob. Whenever I'm hungry, I always elaborate about tastier foods. Ruby also offered Zelda something, but the princess politely declined.
Roy was putting down his kabob when he froze suddenly.
"What's wrong, Roy?"
His face showed signs of anger.
"Stay behind me, Zelda."
He leapt forward suddenly, drawing his sword.
Marth and Link had just entered the cafeteria, looking for a soda from Malon.
"Marth, watch out!" Link shouted, pushing the prince aside. He withdrew the Master Sword and was about to strike Roy, when Zelda leapt into the midst of the fight. Link immediately froze and lowered the blade to his side.
Roy dropped his blade in surprise.
"Zelda, why did you stop me? That blue-haired... girl, I think-" He pointed at Marth, who was being pulled to his feet by Link. "- attacked me! I didn't want her to do the same to either of us!"
"Roy, remember when I told you about the rules of fighting? You were supposed to be an opponent to Marth!"
Roy made the "o" shape with his mouth, then walked over to Marth.
"Forgive me, my lady." He apologized, kissing Marth's hand.
Zelda looked pretty angry. Link didn't look too happy either. Marth looked horribly shocked.
"Ummm... I appreciate your apology, but..." he chuckled slightly. "I'm a boy. A prince, too." Marth gently wiped off the back of his hand.
Roy appeared freaked out for a moment, then burst out laughing. He clearly had a decent sense of humor.
"HAHA!! Okay, I understand. I was actually about to ask if "she" was your "girlfriend", my friend!" He chuckled, pointing at Link.
Link blushed, laughing awkwardly, exchanging a confused glance with Marth. "Girlfriend? No, no, nothing like that. He's just a friend. HE is just a friend."
"Why did you want to know?" Zelda muttered.
Ruby glanced at the clock.
"Well, look at the time! I should probably get started with dinner, shouldn't I? We're having tempura for dinner tonight, and I'm sure you'll enjoy it!"
I really think the author needs a snack...
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Roy was welcomed warmly by most- except for Bowser, obviously. Fox gave him a proper greeting, but he still didn't seem quite too happy about Roy's appearance. Especially when he sat next to Zelda.
ARGH! That's MY seat!!
He had to settle for a seat with Bowser and Ness, since Jigglypuff and Mario had chosen to sit with Roy and Zelda.
Marth and Link were engaged in an exciting conversation with Kirby. They had no idea Master was announcing the matches for the next day. Fox had been given the day off.
Onett: 10:00 am
Samus vs. Ness
Poke'mon Stadium: 10:45 am
Bowser vs. Kirby
Mushroom Kingdom: 11:30 am
Zelda vs. Yoshi
Mute City: 1:30 pm
Roy vs. Pikachu
Termina: 2:15 pm
Jigglypuff vs. Mario
Fountain of Dreams: 3:00 pm
Peach vs. Captain Falcon
Master continued to read off the list of names and the current records.
"So, Marth, how does it feel, knowing there's another swordsman amidst us?" Link asked, nudging him with his elbow. Marth stared up at the list of fights, a shocked look on his face with a hint of sadness. "Hello? Marth?"
"Oh no..." the prince whispered, without even making eye contact with Link. He continued staring at the screen.
"What, Marth? Did you end up matched against Bowser?"
"No," Marth replied softly. "Worse."
"Besides, I got matched against Bowser," Kirby groaned.
"Well then, who? Who could possibly be such a horrible opp-" Link froze as well when he saw the Match-Up screen. "Oh no..."
HYRULE TEMPLE: 4:30 pm
LINK VS. MARTH
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Samus: WHAT... A... CLIFFHANGER!
Captain Falcon: WAS THAT EXCITING OR WHAT?!
bijoukaiba: (shaking hands with Roy) Welcome to the Battle Royale Suites, dahling. I see you're going to get along well with Zelda... (kissy noises)
Captain Falcon: (points at author) HEY! Where were you for the intro?
Samus: Yeah! You better have a good reason!
bijoukaiba: (awkward grin) I wanted you two to have some bonding time!!
Captain Falcon and Samus: THAT'S IT!!!! (Capt. Falcon grabs a Bomb-Omb and Samus grabs a Hammer)
bijoukaiba: O.o Ummm... (runs off screaming) PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!
Captain Falcon and Samus: GET HER!!!