Captain Falcon: Goooooooooood morning, everyone! And welcome to this fine installation of Swordplay!
Samus: I take it you're excited about this hosting job?
Falcon: Why not? I got to host my own TV show before this!
Samus: True, true.
Falcon: Anyway... last time, Marth, Link, Samus, and I finally returned from the medical ward to find everyone awaiting us. Four matches went by normally, then Event Matches and Multi-Man Melee Matches were introduced. Donkey Kong successfully completed the 100-Man competition, and ended up fighting yet another newcomer- Fox's buddy, Falco.
Samus: But you've become suspicious about all of these newcomers and you decided to investigate, didn't you?
Falcon: That's right! And I figured, what better way than taking on an Adventure?
Samus: Whoa, time's running out! I'm going to turn it over to our special guest for the disclaimer! (curtains open to reveal...)
Marth: (talking on a cell phone) So Link, d'you wanna catch a movie after the chapter?
Falcon: Marth! You're on!
Marth: (slams phone shut) I'm WHAT?
Falcon and Samus: Make the disclaimer!
Marth: Finally! bijoukaiba doesn't own SSBM, Nintendo, or any of its related characters. (curtains close)
Falcon: And that'll do it for our intro today! See you next time, everyone!
Samus: Bye!
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Chapter 12: Lucky Number 12
The next morning, breakfast came and went quickly, with bacon and eggs passed out. After giving food time to digest, everyone went to the battle tower to await the Adventure battle starring Captain Falcon. As they walked there, a few people noted that the air seemed much cooler this morning, and a few people complained of goosebumps. Master and Crazy had returned to make their announcements for the Adventure.
"Now, Falcon, there are twelve levels to fight your way through. You have five chances to make it all the way through. There'll be many opponents to fight, and some levels have special conditions to meet, like team battles or-" Master paused to catch Captain Falcon's eye. "racing to the end of a level. Are you ready?"
Captain Falcon cracked his knuckles and nodded.
"Go get them, Falcon!" Marth cheered. "You'll do great!"
Crazy took the attention once again. "There's a LOT of fighting to do in this. For our first match, I'll need Yoshi, Peach, and Mario."
The three residents of the Mushroom Kingdom glanced over at him.
"Just step in the elevator and you'll be brought to your destinations." They obeyed Crazy's instructions and entered.
"All right Falcon, when the elevator returns, you'll be ready to start your adventure. There's a minor waiting time between each level... that's just how big this game is."
Just as the elevator arrived, he could briefly hear Samus whispering, "Be careful. Good luck."
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LEVEL 1: MUSHROOM KINGDOM
The TV screen displayed several views of the level, clearly a long one, with brick platforms, pipes to stand upon, and walking brown mushrooms and turtles with red or green shells either walking or flying.
"The mushrooms are called Goombas," Bowser explained, "the walking turtles are Koopa Troopas, and the flying turtles are called Koopa Paratroopas."
"How do you know?" asked Link.
"Because some of them are my minions back in the REAL Mushroom Kingdom," the Koopa King replied.
"Look!" Marth exclaimed, attracting everyone's attention. "There's Captain Falcon!"
"READY... GO!!" Master announced.
Captain Falcon sprinted off of the pipe immediately, only to come crashing against a Goomba for 8 damage.
"That doesn't bode well for him, does it?" Popo commented. Bowser laughed.
Captain Falcon jumped on top of it, figuring out how to defeat it, and used the extra spring in his step to climb over the wall in front of him. Two more Goombas ambled toward him, and he jumped onto both of their heads to pass. He continued to sprint through his quest, kicking away the Koopa Troopas and Goombas that threatened him, until he finally reached a small lake, over-run with the flying turtles, the walking turtles, and the mushroom critters that opposed him.
Looks like I'll have some extra jumps to make...
Falcon leapt onto the back of a red Koopa Paratroopa, knocking its wings off as he sprang higher into the air. He performed a mid-air jump, then used his Falcon Dive technique for extra air. He let himself fall down, leaning his body to the right for extra distance. He finally landed on a small platform just above the water that was below two other platforms against the side of a small, round plateau. Falcon leapt onto the two platforms, then climbed on top of the plateau. The top was completely flat, with the grassy emblem of a mushroom carved into it. Popo, Nana, Pikachu, and Ness giggled to see Toad scrambling back and forth at the far edge of the plateau. Two slanted platforms hovered above the area.
"And here's where the first fight begins!" Crazy explained, clicking a button. "We have a special 'mirror' program to create artificial clones of a character to fight in mass teams!"
Just as he had explained, three Yoshis, in the colors of dark blue, yellow, and faint pink, dropped in to fight Falcon. Performing a roundhouse kick, he sent all three of them flying away. Three more fell into the arena. One managed to swipe Captain Falcon with its tail to increase his percentage to 18. He sent it flying with a powerful, flaming jab from his elbow and blasted away the other two with a Raptor Boost technique. Three more Yoshis tumbled in, then tumbled back out after a Falcon Kick. And the final Yoshi... what better finale than a Falcon Punch?
Seeing his battle was done, Captain Falcon leapt down on the right side of the plateau onto a long, green pipe extended across the other side of the lake, with Goombas travelling across it. Using his Falcon Kick technique, he blazed past all of the enemies in his way. He paused after crossing to eat a strawberry he found.
"He picked it up off the ground and ate it?" Samus asked.
"Sure, why not?" Master replied. "It helps recover damage, and besides, it was placed on a piece of wax paper so it wouldn't get dirty."
He was correct; Falcon's damage had dropped from 18 to 13. The bounty hunter leapt over to a final stretch of pure land, where checkerboard-printed land lay before him. He ran forward and crossed the finish line with 3 minutes and 12 seconds remaining. He had started the game with 5 minutes to clear the level, so he figured he had performed fairly well.
"GAME!" Master declared. Captain Falcon's score for the level was displayed, then the screen faded out to black. When it returned, Princess Peach's Castle could be seen.
"Look! There's Mario!" Roy called, pointing to the plumber on the screen.
Mario leapt up to the center of Princess Peach's Castle...
... When suddenly, a foot came crashing down onto his head. The foot was covered in a brown shoe, and this mysterious figure had legs clothed in denim, just like Mario. Oh, the drama! The fighters gasped for additional dramatic effect!
Mario was kicked backwards into the water with a cry, as the other fighter leapt forward. Much to everyone's surprise... he looked almost exactly like Mario, except he was taller, slimmer, had brighter eyes, and he was dressed in a green shirt and green cap with his overalls.
"GO!!" Master shouted to start the match. Princess Peach and "Mr. Green" walked towards Captain Falcon, prepared to fight. He performed a roundhouse kick to send Peach flying away, then grabbed Green and tossed him against Peach. Trying to launch himself back onto the castle's roof, Green shot his body forward in a puff of smoke, like a weaker version of Pikachu's Skull Bash attack. His launch failed, and like Peach he splashed into the water.
"GAME!" Master shouted. I'm impressed. Falcon didn't take any damage... that round.
Mario and Peach emerged from the elevator, Mario clutching the top of his head.
"Chu pi pika?" (Are you okay?)
"Yeah, but that stomp-a on my head gave-a me such a headache. Mama mia..." he muttered. "Who was-a that jerk anyway?"
Peach laughed awkwardly. "Uh... heheh... that was your brother, Mario..."
"What did you-a say?!"
"That was Mario's brother?" Falco asked.
"Yes, I have a younger-a brother, Luigi," Mario said. "Just-a like how I wear-a red, Luigi likes to-a wear green."
"Did you guys even NOTICE?!" Ness shouted over the conversation. "I've been trying to get your attention! The room came back!"
"Yep, that's-a Luigi!" Mario commented.
"Then let's go see him!" Ness chirped. Many of the fighters followed him; Samus, Marth, Bowser, and Link stayed behind to keep track of Falcon. Donkey Kong was also pulled aside, as he was the next to fight Falcon.
"You're actually staying to watch Falcon?" Samus asked, surprised.
"Nope. I could care less about the birdbrain. I just would rather stay here than go out and see my second-greatest enemy who happens to be the younger brother of my greatest enemy." Bowser replied indignantly.
LEVEL 2: KONGO JUNGLE
Captain Falcon stepped onto the wooden 'island' out in the middle of a rushing waterfall. Two smaller versions of Donkey Kong landed on wooden platforms above him. Falcon made no attempt to pursue them, waiting instead on the same logs where he had landed.
What's he doing? Marth thought to himself.
Then his questions were answered as Falcon lifted his leg a few inches off the ground and held it behind him, building up his potential energy. Donkey Kong and... Donkey Kong leapt down from the platforms and ambled over to the bounty hunter. When they were in close enough range... he slammed his leg forward in a sweeping kick and then swung it behind him to smack the other monkey away. Both of the clones were sent flying off the sides of the screen.
"All right Falcon!" Link cheered as Master declared the end of the match in the background.
The screen faded black for a few minutes, then the image of Jungle Japes faded onto the TV screen. Captain Falcon was waiting on the left side of the arena, Donkey Kong- now twice his normal size- was waiting on the right.
"Look at the size of him!" Marth marveled. "He's like the King of Kongs!"
Samus chuckled at his comments, though Marth couldn't figure out why. ((A/N: I hope you got that joke...))
Donkey Kong leapt onto the center deck, where a small house could be seen. He spun himself around rapidly, swinging his arms around his body. Captain Falcon was caught in the vortex and he was smacked around eight times, enough for 40. He was thrown into the air above DK. Captain Falcon raised his knees to waist level, then jammed his feet down into the shoulder of the giant monkey for 17. Donkey Kong, in reply, swatted a hand above his head, smacking Falcon onto the deck on the left. He climbed back up and ran back to the monkey. Leaping up into the air, he pulled his fists back and slammed his knee forward into the arm of the monkey. He flinched as he was thrown backwards, into the space of water between the central deck and the one on the right. Just as he was about to grip onto the deck, a Klap Trap leapt up, bit him in the thigh, and dragged him into the dark waters.
"GAME!!" Master shouted.
As he said that, the other fighters came walking through the door. They all surrounded Luigi, who had now become their newest fighter.
"So, Luigi, where-a will you be rooming?" his older brother asked.
"Actually," Luigi replied, "I'm-a going to be staying in Room-a 15. I think that's-a on the third floor?"
Link and Marth turned around.
"Yes, it's on the third floor," Link commented.
"You'll be staying on the same floor as us!" Marth added with a smile. "My name is Marth,"
"And I'm Link," the Hylian said as he and the prince shook hands with the plumber. "And the other person on the same floor as you is actually the guy you fought earlier."
Luigi frowned. "You mean-a the guy who wears-a the red helmet? Seems a bit hostile to me-a..."
Marth immediately spoke up in defense. "His name is Captain Falcon. And no, he's not hostile at all!" What could almost be described as a 'dreamy' look appeared in the prince's eyes. "He's nice, and brave, and polite, and noble, and intelligent, and funny, and a good sport, and-"
"You can stop complimenting him now, Marth. I think he gets the idea." Link muttered with a hint of jealousy in his voice.
"Sorry, sorry!" Marth chuckled.
"Excuse me, Link!" Master called. "I need you for the next fight! Zelda, you too!"
He nodded and parted from the two men who lived on the same floor as him.
"So, how would you-a describe Link?" Luigi asked Marth as Link boarded the elevator.
"Link?" Marth asked, blushing faintly. "Hmmm... I don't even know where to start! He's definitely nice. He's also brave, and smart, and noble, and handsome... he's just... he's beyond my words to describe. You'd really have to get to know him." Marth smiled. "Link and Captain Falcon are really great guys- they're probably my best friends. I'm looking forward to getting to know you too, Luigi."
Luigi nodded with a grin and turned his attention back to the screen. "Look-a, Marth! The fight's about to start-a!"
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LEVEL 3: HYRULE TEMPLE
Captain Falcon appeared in a dark corridor in what appeared to be a giant temple. He glanced around himself briefly, before continuing down the corridor to a huge room in the temple. Everywhere, there were slow-moving creatures that almost appeared human- because they were zombies. Glancing down, Falcon could see a huge drop to the floor below. Giant drop or zombies?
Zombies. Falcon leapt onto the platform in front of him. Upon getting to his feet, one of the zombies immediately latched onto his shoulders with a loud moan, for 20 damage. The bounty hunter was left immobilized for a few seconds, then it stopped draining his energy. He yanked his shoulders free from its grasp, but he leaned so far backwards he tumbled off of the platform.
"Captain Falcon!" Samus shouted.
"FALCON KICK!!" in a bright trail of flames, he flew down to the left, close to the wall. He fell a few more feet before landing on a small stone floor to another corridor. The bounty hunter followed this trail until he came to a small room with a sword sticking into the floor.
Should I go in to grab it?
He stepped into the room, only to have everything around him grow dark and the sword before him disappeared. Link, dressed in his familiar green tunic leapt down from the heavens to fight. He swept his sword in front of him at Falcon, but he dodged by rolling behind the Hylian. He delivered a flaming jab to the back of Link's neck.
"Link!" Marth gasped.
Link turned around and slammed his sword into Falcon's shoulder, sending him flying backwards.
"Captain Falcon!" Marth cried.
"Oh brother! Whose side are you on?" Bowser asked impatiently.
Link shot an arrow into Falcon's upper arm, but he ignored it, grabbing Link. He threw the Hylian behind him and kicked him in the stomach, enough to send him out of the arena.
"Kyaah!" Link grunted.
The color returned to the screen, and the path to the rest of the temple was revealed. Captain Falcon ran through, only to find a low-ceiling hallway. What was worse, the whole floor in front of him seemed to be a pool of lava. Trying to jump over the pool would be difficult. Falcon attempted to get a running start, but it wasn't enough to propel his jump over the pit of lava. He fell into the red liquid, a quick sensation of heat flashing through his body. Like a trampoline, for some odd reason, he was bounced out of the lava and onto a small stone platform at the edge of the pool. What appeared to be a barrel-sized leech was lurking there too. Falcon had just gotten to his feet when suddenly the leech-like creature swallowed Falcon and spit him out against the wall. With a shout, he ricocheted off and was flung back into the lava pit, where he bounced back up again- but this time didn't land back on the stone platform.
Samus and Marth glared at Master and Crazy, who were laughing at the bounty hunter's misfortune.
Falcon panted heavily, sweat running down his neck. The lava's heat was starting to tire him out. His damage percentage now rested at 92.
"Wait a minute- I'm standing in it!" It hadn't burned him for a few seconds; it was almost like standing in a pool of water. Deciding not to wait for it to turn and burn him again, the bounty hunter leapt up towards a platform above him. With his mid-air jump and Falcon Dive technique, he landed on it successfully. There were several other platforms above him as well. He leapt up to each one until he spotted another room like the one he had previously fought Link in. Only this one had a rotating Triforce emblem. Falcon stepped cautiously into it, when suddenly-
"GAME!!" Master shouted.
"That's a relief," Marth sighed. "Falcon looked a bit overwhelmed... I don't know if he could have handled another fight so soon."
There was a pause of a few moments, then Captain Falcon emerged in the more commonly seen Hyrule Temple, his energy fully restored. Zelda could be seen on the opposite side, firing her Din's Fire attack at him. He performed a rolling dodge to avoid it, then jumped forward and kneed her in the stomach. He dropped to her knees and kicked him in the ankles twice, before slamming her hands into his torso with a burst of magic to send him flying backwards into a pillar.
"I see why you were undefeated, Princess," Falcon commented. "Fighting you face-to-face really shows what a warrior you are..." He dodged backwards as she threw a kick at him.
"Thank you," she replied, when he suddenly caught her by the arm and threw her behind him over the edge of the arena. She jumped in mid air to return to the platform, when she heard the most infamous phrase in all of Smash.
"FALCOOONNN... PUUUNCH!!!" She saw his fist, in the form of a flaming falcon. The punch slammed her squarely in the collarbone, knocking her backwards off the arena with a short shriek.
"GAME!" Master announced. The screen went black and Zelda and Link returned from the elevator.
"Now then, who wants lunch?" Master asked. Marth frowned.
"Wait a minute... what about Captain Falcon? Doesn't he get to eat too?"
Master shook his head. "No. He took the challenge, and he has to stick with it until he completes it! Now go get your food... you can bring it back here to watch the next match if you'd like..."
Crazy sniggered. "But I'd reccomend you eat especially fast, Miss Aran,"
Samus glanced at him confused. His gloved hand pointed at the display screen behind her.
She turned around and gasped softly to see the words "Brinstar" printed on the screen.
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Everyone sped through the cafeteria line, taking tacos or ravioli with them on a tray to return to the battle room.
"Hello Miss Aran," Ruby greeted with her traditional smile. "Can I get you anything?"
"I'm in a hurry, so I need something quick and easy..."
"Perhaps a corn dog, or...?"
"No... hmmm... how about one of those instant ramen cups- yes, I think shrimp will be okay, a bag of chips, and an energy drink- the canned kind... please?"
"Very well... we have Star Power, Ultimate Race, Black Bull-"
"The race one, that's perfect! Do you have a pen and paper as well?" she said. Ruby handed her the food, paper, and pen. "Thanks!"
She carried it out on the tray to the battle room.
"Ah, a very fast meal indeed, Miss Aran... but don't you think you should have eaten it by now?" Crazy commented.
"I eat quickly," Samus lied, as she wrote something on the paper, "I can finish this meal in the elevator!"
"All right, go ahead, Miss Aran." she carried the food into the elevator, still writing.
The Brinstar screen suddenly went black, indicating the fight was about to start!
Marth's eyes were sparkling. "This is going to be such an exciting match! I can't decide who to cheer for!"
LEVEL 4: BRINSTAR
Captain Falcon appeared on the right side of the field; Samus Aran, clad in her Power Suit, appeared on the left, but she appeared to be kneeling before she stood up.
"The Battle of the Bounty Hunters..." Captain Falcon grinned. "I've been awaiting this match for a long time... too bad it's not official..."
Samus stepped carefully over the platform she had landed on, jumping to the center platform. Captain Falcon was puzzled by her cautious nature, but he followed her to the center platform as well. She leapt up and kicked him in the neck, but he returned the favor shortly after, by flipping in mid-air and kicking her under the chin. He landed on the base platform, positioning his body carefully. Samus tried to drop a bomb on him as she pursued him, but he spun his body around and leapt up quickly, hitting her with two poweful kicks. The bomb still fell on him, and he felt the same heat sensation he had experienced when he had fallen into the lava. Samus swung her cannon-arm underneath her, smacking Falcon into the ground. He rose to his feet by kicking her away when she landed. She shot a missile at him; Falcon put up his energy shield to block it.
The bounty huntress ran towards him, in an attempt to tackle him; the bounty hunter grabbed her by the shoulders and kneed her in the stomach twice, before slamming her to the ground. She rolled aside and got to her feet; she shot a missile at him that actually hit, then he came towards her at full speed with a Raptor Boost technique which knocked her into the air. He flew up after her with his Falcon Dive technique.
He grabbed her by the shoulders and planted his feet against the torso of her suit. He could vaguely see her eyes through the green visor of her suit. Then he kicked her down into the acid of Brinstar.
"Kyeh!"
Samus grunted as she fell off screen. So, the hunter defeated the huntress... I'll get him next time...
Captain Falcon returned to the platform Samus had landed on. He had been puzzled as to why she had taken such caution in stepping across it, when he noticed something that made him smile.
There was a tray of food, with a cup of noodles, a bag of chips, and an "Ultimate Race" energy drink. Come to think of it, he hadn't gotten much to eat today! There was also a piece of paper attached.
Captain:
According to Master, you weren't allowed to leave until you completed the challenge. So I got you a little something. I hope this will give you an extra "boost" in your fights ahead, Captain, although you probably won't need it. You're doing a great job of fighting, and we're all rooting for you... especially Marth and myself. Keep fighting, Falcon.
- Samus
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The screen had faded black after Samus had been defeated. She stepped from the elevator, removing her helmet, and was greeted by a few people applauding.
"Excellent fight!" Zelda cheered. "You and Captain Falcon had an excellent match! It's the best fight I've seen since Marth and Link were in battle!"
"Thank you," Samus replied, brushing some hair out of her face. "May I have a taco?"
Zelda glanced down at her food. "I hope you don't find me as rude, but didn't I already see you taking a tray of food with you into the elevator to eat?"
"Well, I don't have the tray with me, now do I?" Samus commented, showing her open hands. "I never said that I would be eating the food either..."
Zelda smiled in understanding. "In that case, please, help yourself."
Mario had overheard and added, "If-a you'd like some ravioli, you can-a take some too."
"Thanks, Mario."
"You must be thirsty! Here, have some soda!" Marth offered.
Samus smiled and sat down with the three of them to eat.
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The fighters were given five minutes to clean up after themselves, then the Adventure continued. It had also given Captain Falcon a chance to finish the lunch Samus had brought him.
He stood up, but he already felt the urge to run. That energy drink sure packed an extra kick!
At that moment, he felt the ground shake beneath his feet, and the arena seemed to turn red in color. Multiple platforms suddenly appeared before him in the sky, as well as some rocky ledges. A siren could be heard blaring in the background.
The spectators watching this were also alarmed.
"What's going on?" Marth gasped. He pointed at Master and Crazy. "What's wrong? Did you two do anything?!"
"Yes," Master replied calmly. "We did this. But no, nothing's wrong. This is a normal part of the Adventure."
"Then what's with the loud noises?"
"Atmosphere," Crazy snickered. "To set the mood."
"He's being timed to get to the top as fast as he can," Master explained, gesturing to the screen.
Sure enough, Captain Falcon could be seen leaping higher and higher, sometimes using his Falcon Dive technique for extra boost. At last he reached the top, with six seconds to spare.
A brief movie showed the planet exploding (Marth squeaked, but Link assured him it was fine); however, a small white light could be seen streaking over to a giant yellow star.
"Based on your expression, Kirby, I probably don't have to tell you that you're next to fight." Master stated. "But first..."
He walked over to Marth without a sound.
"Yes...? Ow!" Master plucked a hair from the prince's head. "Hey! Don't mess with my pretty hair!"
"Why did you do that to Marth, Mas- yowch!" Master had also plucked a hair from Link's bangs.
Before he stepped over to Zelda, she asked him, "I can manage it myself, thank you. But first tell us WHY you need the hair."
"For Kirby's fight." Master explained. "We're going to have a multi-clone team of Kirby fighting him-"
"Sweet!" Kirby shouted.
"And I figured it would be more interesting to have him copy your abilities by absorbing just a little piece of you before he fights. It would certainly beat having only twelve Kirby warriors that all do the same thing." Master finished.
Zelda delicately fingered a lock of hair that rested behind her ear, then plucked a strand from it.
"Ooooh, me too!" Roy exclaimed, "I want my Kirby identity to fight the Captain!" He put a hand into his wild, fiery locks and ripped out several strands.
"Thank you, but I only need one." Master replied, pulling out a bright red strand from Roy's hand.
Fox, DK, and Pikachu also gave him a strand of fur. Peach, Mario, and Ness each gave him a strand of hair as well. Falco plucked a blue feather from his arm, and Yoshi handed Master a piece of white and green eggshell.
He put all of the samples into a bag and handed them to Kirby.
"Hold onto these; you'll need them for the second part of your match." Master explained.
LEVEL 5: GREEN GREENS
Captain Falcon found himself in the familiar bright surroundings of Green Greens. Much like he had expected, his opponent was Kirby. He immediately dashed forward and rammed Kirby with his shoulder. The puffball-like warrior was sent backwards a short distance, but he countered by spinning his body around and sticking his arms and feet out to hit Falcon several times.
Falcon hit Kirby with a flaming jab from his elbow, with enough force to send Kirby flying backwards into a wall of blocks, including an explosive one with a picture of a bomb on it. Kirby flew off into the sky... and collided with the screen.
A brief five minute interval was given for Kirby to be cloned, and to give each of his duplicates a piece of the other fighters to absorb.
"All right!" said the original Kirby, who now sported Roy's wild red hair, headband, and a mini sword, "Let's go fight a Falcon!"
Three of the Kirbys flew in on Warp Stars to fight the bounty hunter- one had a red cap on, one had dark fur patched on his body like Donkey Kong, and the other wore a pink and white headdress.
Falcon did a backflip and kicked away the furry Kirby and the one with the headdress. The one in the cap shot a fireball at Falcon as his allies came in to fight- one had blue hair and a sword like Marth, and the other was wearing a baseball cap.
"PK Flash!" shouted a Kirby in a cute squeaky voice. Falcon fell to his knees and swung his legs to the side to kick the PK-ing Kirby away. Returning to his feet, he delivered a combo of punches to knock away the Mario-Kirby.
"Eeyah!!" The tiny Marth Kirby had launched a Shield Breaker against Falcon's shoulder for a decent 17 damage. Falcon turned around and grabbed the Kirby, kneed him once, then threw him up into the air. The Marth-Kirby crashed into the incoming Link-Kirby, sending both of them flying off. The Yoshi Kirby came in after Link-Kirby had been smacked out, and Falco-Kirby and Pikachu-Kirby had come in to avenge the Marth and Mario ones. Falcon swung his leg forward and behind him in a sweeping kick to knock away the Yoshi and Pikachu ones, but the latter managed to zap him briefly. Falco-Kirby shot the captain twice, before getting a Raptor Boost to the face. Finally, the final three Kirby identities- Fox, Peach, and Roy- flew in to fight the bounty hunter. With a shout of "Falcon Kick!", the bounty hunter sped across the main platform, knocking the final trio of puffballs back into the air. He had completed the match in 47 seconds.
The screen faded black briefly, then one lone Kirby emerged from the elevator.
"Good fight, Kirby! How do you feel?" Fox asked.
"My stomach feels funny, but other than that I'm fine," Kirby replied, going over to stand with Jigglypuff.
"All right. Fox, Falco, we need you for this round." Master stated, pointing to the elevator. "Well... we might not need Falco, but we definitely need Fox."
The two Lylatians stepped into the elevator, Fox waving to Zelda and Roy before the door closed.
"You ready for this, Falco? This might be your first official fight, you know."
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LEVEL 6: CORNERIA
Fox dropped onto the back of his beloved ship, the Great Fox, to fight against Captain Falcon. He ran forward, prepared to deliver a running kick strike. He kicked Captain Falcon at the same time as he delivered a flaming elbow to Fox's jaw. The vulpine warrior was thrown backwards a considerable distance, and even Captain Falcon had to shake off the impact, but they both stepped back into the fray of battle.
"FALCON..."
"Oh no you don't!" Fox leapt up and spun his body around, drilling his feet into the bounty hunter's shoulder. The punch was interrupted, but Captain Falcon shook off the blow and retaliated by performing a roundhouse kick that slammed Fox in the neck and sent him tumbling off the back of the screen. This victory came at a much more impressive time of 12.32 seconds. The screen froze briefly, then showed a short movie.
Three jets came flying in, and the bottom of the screen showed a picture of what appeared to be a rabbit- or perhaps a hare- speaking on a communication device.
"Fox! Are you all right?"
A green frog appeared next. He had a high pitched voice that could get annoying after hearing it for a while.
"Looks like we're just in time!"
The fighters held their breath, awaiting to see if there was any sign of Falco being next to fight. Instead, he was next to speak.
"Sheesh! You're such a pain!"
His communicator closed, and the three jets flew off. Two seconds later, the next fight started. Fox was now clad in a red jacket and his damage percentage had returned to zero, like Falcon's.
Fox ran forward and kicked Falcon backwards. The bounty hunter was caught off guard and stumbled slightly. Fox stepped forward again and punched Falcon twice, then started barraging him with kicks. They gradually made his percentage rise until he slid backwards out of range and delivered a barrage of punches in return. Captain Falcon leaned forward and grabbed Fox by the jacket, kneed him in the stomach, then slammed him against the ground. Falcon got to his knees to try out a familiar move.
"FALCON..."
By the time Fox had stood up to try and escape, it was too late.
"PUNCH!!"
The pilot flew backwards in a stream of fire off the side of the screen, but not before his buddies in the Arwings shot Falcon three times and brought him to the ground.
Fox and Falco emerged from the elevator a few moments after Master declared the match over.
"I just don't get it... why didn't you get to fight?" Fox asked his fellow pilot.
"Hell if I know," Falco replied, "but I did shoot Captain Falcon for ya. I scored the first hit on him, in fact. By the way, I swear I heard Peppy and Slippy over the Arwing's communicator, but maybe it was just me."
"That can't be! Peppy and Slippy aren't anywhere around here. It must have just been a computer simulation." Fox answered. But programming that into the arena? Maybe Master and Crazy know more about our homes than we realize...
"Guys? Everything okay?" Zelda asked.
"Yeah... we're cool." Falco replied.
"Very well then," Master interrupted. "We're going to start our next match now. Pikachu, Jigglypuff, you're up next."
LEVEL 7: POKE'MON STADIUM
Captain Falcon found himself standing on the turf of the Poke'mon Stadium, three Pikachus falling from the sky to fight him. He exhaled deeply, wiping some sweat from his neck.
How many more levels do I have to go through?
He spotted a familiar red and white ball on the platform across from him and leapt towards it. He grabbed it and threw it to the ground. A purple ball-like Poke'mon came out and hovered in the air. It began spewing scentfree gas around its body that still sent shockwaves out to the foes that touched it. Captain Falcon ducked underneath the platform and ran off to kick some Pika-butt! He grabbed one Pikachu and threw it against the fumes. It rocked off of the gas and off the side of the arena as if it had hit a brick wall.
Cool.
He spotted another Poke'ball and threw it at the other two Pikachu. The one that got hit was thrown off of the arena. Out of the Poke'ball came a large, red, dragon-like creature with wings that began breathing fire on both sides of its body. The other Pikachu was toasted and thrown into the sky. An incoming Jigglypuff and Pikachu were also subdued by the flames, but two more Pikachus came in to replace them.
Hey, why let all the Poke'mon take the glory?
Captain Falcon ignored another Poke'ball that had come onto the arena, and leapt forward with his Raptor Boost attack, slamming away a Pikachu. The other two shot a Thundershock attack at him, both successfully jolting the Captain. He turned on them with a Falcon Kick. His final three opponents, two Pikachus and a Jigglypuff, came in to finish the fight.
On second thought, we'll make the finale a TRUE Poke'mon battle!
Captain Falcon leapt onto a platform and grabbed a Poke'ball. He held it into the air and shouted for dramatic effect.
"Mighty Poke'mon, hear my cry! Unleash the power you hold inside! GOOOO!!" He threw the Poke'ball at the feet of the other three Poke'mon.
"Goldeen, goldeen."
Everyone watching the match either burst out laughing or sighed.
The bounty hunter clapped a hand to his forehead (or he would have, if it weren't for the helmet). "Let's try that again." He grabbed another Poke'ball. "POKE'MON, GO!!"
A large bird with plumage of different colors hovered out of the ball then flew toward the horizon. It suddenly began to flap its wings furiously, and a huge flaming tornado erupted where it had been summoned. The three Poke'mon were sent tumbling around inside it, like a Poke'mon flambe prepared in a blender. When the tornado subsided, the three Poke'mon were sent spiraling off into the sky.
"THAT'S more like it!" Captain Falcon shouted.
Master announced the end of the match, and the Poke'mon- now without clones- stepped from the elevator.
"Let's start the next round. I think it'll be quite fitting." Crazy commented.
Several fighters grinned when they saw the next stage.
LEVEL 8: F-ZERO GRAND PRIX
Captain Falcon dropped onto the road beneath his feet. It was hovering above beautiful blue waters and a winding track could be seen in front of his eyes, as well as several pink platforms that were raised above the surface of the water.
It's nice to see Big Blue again. Ahh... home, sweet home! But if this is the race track, then there must be...
At that moment, he took off sprinting down the road. To the spectators, the background seemed to just fly past as he ran. Clearly, the bounty hunter had to be the fastest runner of them all.
"He's so fast!" Peach marveled. "Yet I can't help but wonder why he took off so quickly..."
A small flashing emblem with an exclamation mark began flashing and beeping at the bottom of the screen.
"I don't know, but I think we're about to find out!" Kirby gasped.
Captain Falcon turned his head quickly at the sound of the beeping, and spotted the F-Zero machines approaching, led by a blue car out in front.
Sweet! I'm winning!
Glancing up, he spotted the underside of a platform. With a running leap, he climbed on top of the platform and watched the racers drive by. After the last car went past, he leapt down and continued sprinting until the road ended above a stretch of water. The next piece of track was a jump away. Taking a few steps back, Captain Falcon ran forward and leapt, then ran across the track until reaching another gap. He leapt across it, back to the main road. He ran across a short piece of the main road, where two pink platforms were suspended in mid-air. The beeping sound filled the air again.
"Puff, Jiggly! Puff!" (Jump, Captain! Jump!) Jigglypuff pleaded with the big screen.
Sure enough, Captain Falcon leapt onto the pink platform and ducked; however, the F-Zero machines were flying well above his head. After they passed, he stood up and jumped to the next platform with the help of his Falcon Dive technique. He leapt up and over to the main road. He could see the checkered pattern of the finish line on the road in front of him. He sprinted forward, ready to finish the race, when suddenly the beeping sound filled the air again... and the nearest platform was a fair distance behind him.
It's too late to go back now! He told himself. A smile passed over his face. Now the race comes down to the Falcons: Captain versus Blue!
He sprinted forward with all his might, but the cars still proved faster. Captain Falcon was rammed by his beloved Blue Falcon, taking 35 damage, but he was thrown across the finish line... so he had technically finished the race after all.
The screen faded black briefly, then redisplayed the Mute City arena.
"Hold on a minute..." Marth gasped. "Look at the screen!"
The match-up was Captain Falcon... versus Captain Falcon. On the left side of the screen was the bounty hunter clad in dark blue that everyone knew well; the one on the right was dressed in red with dark purple gloves, boots, and a dark purple helmet to match.
So I'm fighting myself in this match? How clever, they even dressed 'me' up like my evil clone!
Before Captain Falcon could react, his clone dove forward and rocketed him skyward with a Raptor Boost attack. Flames engulfed his body, but he slammed his two feet down into the shoulder blades of his duplicate. Captain Falcon landed as his copy returned to his feet. He ambled over to the Captain, who used a round kick to tap him away.
Well, one thing's for certain: He didn't copy my brain!
The clone shook off the blow and started to walk back towards the racer.
I have to time this just right...
He got down on his knees after about two seconds.
"FALCON..."
At that moment, his clone pulled his arm back swiftly and dove forward in a Raptor Boost attack.
"...PUNCH!"
Both Falcons were hit, but the clone was sent flying off the edge of the arena. The real Captain was thrown a short height into the air.
"Game!" Master declared. "All right, next fight belongs to Ness. Get in the elevator, kid."
"Go get-a him, tiger!" Mario encouraged as Ness grinned and waved from the elevator.
"He's gonna get knocked off in under ten seconds..." Bowser muttered to himself.
LEVEL 9: ONETT
Captain Falcon landed on the bright red roof of a sunflower-yellow house. His opponent, Ness, landed on the blue roof of a house far across from him. Two clones of Ness dropped in as well: one on top of a striped sunroof at the drugstore, the other one on the grass.
Deciding not to waste time by tracking down each copy and eliminating them alone, he decided to try and lure them out to one area together before attacking them all together. He waited a few moments for Ness, Ness, and Ness to start approaching, then leapt up to the second sunroof of the drugstore. He turned his back to them and crouched, then when he felt them land on the sunroof, he spun around and performed two high kicks, sending them flying off in the air as stars.
That was short. Captain Falcon thought to himself. The kid didn't even get a chance to hit me... maybe I should have let him get in a punch or two...
Ness- the real one, alone- stepped out of the elevator. He clearly appeared frustrated, and did his best to avoid eye contact with Bowser.
"Well, at least it didn't count towards your record," Link commented.
"Yeah, there's always next time!" Kirby added.
Luigi tapped Marth on the shoulder. "I don't see why-a the kid is so-a frustrated. A lot of-a us have lost to-a Captain Falcon today too,"
Marth sighed and explained softly, "The truth is... Ness hasn't won a single fight since he got here, and it's really starting to frustrate him."
"Popo and Nana! Ice Climbers, it's time for your fight!" Master declared.
LEVEL 10: ICICLE MOUNTAIN
A white snowy mountainside with platforms of steel, rock, and solid ice set the arena for the tenth fight of the day. The temperature was considerably colder in this arena; Captain Falcon could even see his breath.
I better keep moving to stay warm... and the only way out is up!
He began to jump to the platforms to climb up the mountainside. About four platforms up, a white hairball came skating into him. Captain Falcon considered it an enemy and kicked it aside. Several more platforms up, he came face to face with a polar bear standing upright and wearing sunglasses and pink shorts. He decided it was also an enemy, but judging by its slow pace it couldn't do much harm and it might be heavy and hard to kick out of the arena.
The fighters watched him jump up further and further until he finally encountered Popo and Nana and another Ice Climber team. He used a Falcon Kick to knock them into the air, then elbowed the duplicate team off the side of the arena. A giant mallet smacked him over the head, cartoon style. Nana had just hammered Captain Falcon.
That one's for you, Ness! I hope you saw that!
"You know, he might need some aspirin after the adventure," Peach said.
Captain Falcon dove forward with the Raptor Boost technique, sending Popo and Nana into the air, then got down to his knees.
"FALCON..."
"...PUNCH!!!" several fighters cheered as he punched the Ice Climbers, sending them both off the left side of the arena.
They left the elevator appearing fairly satisfied.
"He's a good fighter, isn't he?" Popo commented to his best friend.
"I liked the part when I hit him with my hammer!" Nana giggled.
Master laughed out loud. "Haha!! Moving on, I need Mario for this next fight... and Luigi too, if you'd like to."
"Should I?" Luigi asked Marth. The prince grinned.
"Go for it! Brothers as allies!"
"That's-a right, Luigi! We're a great-a team!"
Crazy handed them green boxes with silver exclamation marks on them.
"You'll be needing these. Careful how you hold them! Hitting the mark will activate the effects, and you need them for your fight."
Boxes in hand, the plumber brothers stepped into the elevator.
LEVEL 11: BATTLEFIELD
In the midst of pure darkness, Captain Falcon found himself standing on one of three levitating platforms above a larger one. The larger platform seemed to be levitating with the powers of a crystal orb at its base. It was also emanating some light, which was why Captain Falcon could still see his hands in front of his face. At that moment, five wireframes teleported onto the arena.
"Falcon Kick!" he shouted, blazing a flaming trail to the platform across from him. He knocked away three wire frames in that one hit. He jumped up and threw out two kicks to knock away a fourth wireframe. He noticed that he had jumped fairly high into the air and that he was gently floating towards the ground.
This stage has different gravity than all the others! I'm practically flying!
An amused smile passed over his face briefly, but disappeared after getting kicked by a male wireframe. He returned to his feet and barraged it with punches to send it flying away. He used Raptor Boost to eliminate two female wire frames, and used a flaming jab from his elbow to take out a male and female- by a stroke of good fortune, the male collided with another female and sent her flying off as well. Two seconds of silence, then five wireframes teleported in- two males, three females. He waited for them to group together, then led them to the platform in the right, where there was open airspace above their heads. He jumped above them and let gravity lower him until he was in striking range. He slammed his feet down with enough force to knock all of them off at the same time.
Everything was quiet.
Or, as the cliched line would say, too quiet.
A thrumming sound filled the air, and Mario and Luigi came flying onto the top platform... but they looked quite different. Both of their bodies had been covered by a metal layer. It was practically liquid because it fit the forms of their bodies precisely; they looked like little platinum statues of their true forms. Both of them returned to their feet, then ducked below the platform to land on level with the bounty hunter. He jabbed them away, then used a Falcon Kick to knock one of them aside- in their metal forms, he couldn't quite tell them apart. The other brother squeezed his fists tight and launched himself like a rocket at Captain Falcon. He headbutted him in the stomach, earning a winded grunt from the racer. He pulled his foot back and used a sweeping kick to knock him away, off the side of the arena. The metal suit greatly weighted him down, and Luigi fell to his doom.
That's their disadvantage! The metal suit acts like armor, but it acts like an anchor too! If I can get Mario off of the arena, the metal's weight should pull him down too quickly for him to recover!
Captain Falcon approached Mario and used a sweeping kick to knock him off the smaller platform. He flew off, but recovered quickly enough to land on the large one. Captain Falcon had prepared for this by ducking to the same platform and pulling back his elbow for potential energy. When Mario found footing upon the platform, he was greeted by a flmaing jab to the face. He soared off the edge in a low trajectory, falling to his doom like his younger brother.
Mario and Luigi exitted the elevator, shaking hands.
"Good-a fight, brother!"
"Same-a to you!"
"Speaking of which..." Master added. "It's time for the final fight of the day."
"Seriously?" Marth gasped. "Who's his last opponent?"
"You are," Crazy replied.
"Really?!" Marth appeared excited and nervous at the same time.
"No," Master replied.
Bowser laughed.
"... Bowser is."
The Koopa King stomped over to the elevator.
Of course.
LEVEL 12: FINAL DESTINATION
Captain Falcon stepped upon a flat platform. There were no hidden obstacles or levitating platforms here.
Clearly, they didn't want any distractions here. This is an arena for a true fight based only on the skills of the fighter. And if that's the case, then this is probably my last opponent... and the toughest one too.
Sure enough, Bowser appeared on the opposite side of the arena, appearing slightly larger than normal.
I knew it!
Captain Falcon ran forward and rammed Bowser with his shoulder. The overgrown Koopa flinched slightly, then swiped his claws twice to knock the bounty hunter away, then ambled closer.
"Falcon Kick!" upon standing up, he jabbed Bowser in the chest. "HOOAH!"
Bowser grunted as he stumbled backwards, then began spewing flames. Captain Falcon was in close range and therefore got scorched for a long time. When the flames died down, he jumped out of range.
Sure, I can outpower him with speed... but he's much heavier, so he's got more power plus he's harder to knock off the stage. And if I try to get close, he just goes after me with that hot breath of his! Attacking from a distance is my best bet, but I don't have any projectiles at my disposal!
A Super Scope landed at his feet at that moment.
... Or do I?...
He picked it up.
I wasn't expecting items in this fight, but I'll use them if they're available!
He charged up a shot.
"I don't think so!" Bowser mocked. He put up his shield as the semi-charged shot hit.
Captain Falcon set the gun to rapid fire, shooting little blasts rapidly in a high number. Each one pummeled Bowser's shield, breaking it little by little.
"I've got to time it just right..." he told himself. A few shots later, the shield shattered.
"He broke it! He broke it!" Roy cheered.
Bowser was still standing, but he was clearly stunned by his shield's destruction. He was quite wobbly on his feet. Captain Falcon tossed the gun aside and dashed forward in front of Bowser. Standing in close range, he got to his knees.
"PIKACHU PIKA!!" (EVERYONE SAY IT!!) Pikachu screamed enthusiastically. Sure enough, everyone- even Master and Crazy!- shouted it along with the bounty hunter.
"FALCON... PUNCH!!!"
Bowser was whacked in the face and was flung off the right side of the arena with a short roar.
"GAME!!" Master declared.
In victory, Captain Falcon pulled off his helmet and held it under his left arm, saluted with his right hand, and proudly declared, "Show me your moves!"
Bowser reappeared from the elevator as the shooting game appeared on screen.
"You did a good job fighting, Bowser," Zelda commented politely.
"Yeah, yeah..." he took a deep breath. "... Thanks..."
The shooting game came to an end at last, and the screen faded out to black. Everyone held their breath, expecting the warning of a new challenger to appear on screen...
But it didn't. The elevator reached the bottom safely, and Captain Falcon, helmet in hand, exitted safely. Everyone applauded him for a fight well done.
"You didn't even lose a single stock!"
"Great fight, Captain!
"You showed-a some good strategies, Captain-a."
Captain Falcon chuckled. "Thanks, everyone!"
"That was a great finale, Captain Falcon!" He recognized the voice immediately. But what he didn't expect was to be hugged around the waist. "I always knew you'd fight well... but that was incredible! It's nice to see you again!!"
Captain Falcon laughed, although perhaps a bit awkwardly. "It's nice to see you too, Marth." The prince released his grip as the bounty hunter walked through the crowd to greet some of the others.
"You know-a," Luigi commented, "I thought at-a first you meant to hurt-a me, but Marth explained everything-a. He said that-a you're a nice-a guy too. Which is-a good, because I'm-a staying on the third-a floor too! My name-a is Luigi,"
"Well, we got some more company! Marth probably told you my name too, but I believe a formal introduction would be more proper. Nice to meet you, Luigi, I'm Captain Falcon." The bounty hunter shook hands with the plumber.
At last, he finally made his way over to Samus.
"You're welcome... for lunch, I mean." She told him. Captain Falcon grinned.
"What? No 'welcome back' hug?"
"... How about just a pat on the back..." she patted his shoulder. "You owe me."
"Yeah, yeah..." Falcon laughed.
"Dinner will be served shortly," Master stated, interrupting the good mood. "So get down there if you want supper."
Samus walked off, and Falcon watched her go. As she stepped out the door with Zelda and Jigglypuff, she turned to smile at him.
Falcon smiled back and waved as she left, still watching the door. Sure she had always smiled at him... but something about her seemed different this time.
"Captain Falcon?" Link asked, waving a hand in front of his eyes.
"Yes? Ah, Link. What's up?"
"I wanted to ask if you'd join Luigi, Marth, and I for dinner? You know, a 'third-floor' sort of thing."
"Sounds good to me. Let's go, they can't hold our seats forever!"
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Everyone was seated to enjoy sweet & sour shrimp, chicken, and pork with vegetable lo mein. As usual, about halfway through dinner, Master had stepped forward to make his announcements.
"I see that Ruby has once again succeeded in pleasing everyone with her cooking!"
"I'll-a say!" Luigi commented to Marth, who was sitting next to him.
"First off, I'd like to welcome Luigi to the Suites. I hope you will enjoy your stay here. Second, I'd also like to congratulate Captain Falcon once again for his excellent performance in Adventure Mode. Now, here's where we get to business. I'm sure you've noticed that it has gotten a bit cooler outside. That's because we are now approaching winter. There will be recognition of the holidays and no fighting will be assigned on those days. Now then, as for fighting..."
Falco and Luigi grinned. Finally, the time to prove themselves as fighters had come!
"... there will be no fighting tomorrow, Thursday, or Friday in recognition of Thanksgiving. Monday, we will resume fighting. The good news is that during that wait, we will be installing two new fighting arenas. That being said, here are the assigned fights."
DAY OFF: SAMUS, DONKEY KONG, JIGGLYPUFF, NESS
Mute City: 10:00 a.m.
Zelda vs. Marth
Fountain of Dreams: 10:45 a.m.
Mario vs. Roy
Big Blue: 11:30 a.m.
Yoshi vs. Fox
Princess Peach's Castle: 1:30 p.m.
Falco vs. Dr. Mario
Termina: 2:15 p.m.
Kirby vs. Link
Onett: 3:00 p.m.
Peach vs. Luigi
Mushroom Kingdom: 3:45 p.m.
Ice Climbers vs. Bowser
Green Greens: 4:30 p.m.
Captain Falcon vs. Pikachu
"That is all. Have a nice evening; and I hope to see you all here for fighting on Monday."
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Captain Falcon: And that concludes our chapter for today.
Samus: The authoress would like to apologize for the extreme delay; it was caused by vacation, AP classes, and much more.
Captain Falcon: You gotta admit, this was a pretty lengthy chapter too.
Samus: According to my stats, this has been the second longest chapter written to date! So, anyway, let's give our guest speaker today a big thank you.
Marth: I was glad to be your first guest! (smiles) I shall also do the honors of politely asking the readers to leave a review.
Captain Falcon and Samus: Thanks for reading! Keep your eye out for Chapter 13! See you later!