Captain Falcon: Welcome to another exciting chapter of Swordplay!
Samus: Chapter.
Captain Falcon: ... No, I said chapter this time. Not episode.
Samus: Oh, I guess so. I've just had a lot on my mind lately. And apparently, so has Marth.
Captain Falcon: I can sort of relate. I'm still wondering how things are going to turn out now that Mewtwo will be staying on the same floor as me. Like what sort of effect he'll have on Marth, Link, and Luigi.
Samus: Well, we can ponder this sort of thing later. Disclaimer time!
Diddy Kong: bijoukaiba claims no ownership of Super Smash Brothers, the characters, or any of their respective franchises and games.
Captain Falcon: Thanks for reading! Enjoy the chapter!
Chapter 23: Eventful Revelations
As if his newly realized crush wasn't bothering him enough, there was something else bothering Marth.
It was the fact that now, more than ever, Captain Falcon seemed to be obsessing over Master and Crazy.
The prince had been trying so hard to reassure the bounty hunter that things would be okay, but Captain Falcon refused to believe him. Marth had to admit, sometimes he did provide good evidence.
Like... the fact that during the past week, Master and Crazy were starting to limit the number of regular fights the fighters used to always compete in, insisting that they engage in more of the event fights, target tests, and multi-man battles, although the latter were held far less frequently.
"You don't find it odd? At all? That Master and Crazy would suddenly have us participate in all of these event matches out of the blue?" Captain Falcon had debated.
"I think that's the issue," Marth argued. "We have been engaging in a lot of regular fights lately."
"Still, I thought the main purpose was for us to fight. At the very least, they could be mixing up these fights and single-person matches a bit more."
That had been one of the debates Marth had flat out lost, left speechless and unable to come up with a reasonable answer.
"I'm just... I'm worried about him, Link. Remember what happened when he fought with Ganondorf and threatened Master afterwards? Even if Falcon didn't mean to threaten him, he still got into trouble. He's already upsetting them quite a bit, and if he finally pushes his accusations too far... there's no telling how much trouble he'd be in."
"Hmm..." Link stared at his waffles in thought. "I think..."
His voice trailed off as he took a bite out of his breakfast.
"I think these are the best waffles I've ever tasted!"
"Link! Seriously!"
"Sorry! I just - "
Before Link could comment, the afore-mentioned bounty hunter took a seat beside the Hylian. Marth folded his hands in his lap and didn't comment further.
"Kind of quiet today, aren't we?" Captain Falcon asked.
Marth looked up at him, before turning his concentration to the waffles on his plate.
"Seriously, what's with him?" he asked.
"He's just worried about something..." Link replied. Captain Falcon appeared ready to ask, so Link quickly added, "But... Marth asked me not to talk about it."
"All right, I won't ask any further."
Marth looked up with a smile at the Hero. The prince's expression brightened even more, as he stood up suddenly.
"Mewtwo! Over here!"
The psychic Pokemon, telepathically carrying its plate of food, hovered over to where the swordsmen and racer were sitting.
Hello, Marth. Link. Captain.
Marth patted the chair beside him. "Sit with us?"
The Pokemon telepathically placed its food on the table, before hovering into the chair next to Marth.
"How did you sleep?" the prince asked.
Adequately.
Link and Captain Falcon exchanged a look.
"Well, that's... good..." Marth replied.
The bounty hunter's brow furrowed. The prince was surprised by his sudden change of expression, so he turned around.
"Good morning, everyone," Master greeted.
So THAT was why Captain Falcon's mood had changed so suddenly.
"I thought we would start out this morning..."
"... with more target-breaking matches," the racer murmured.
" - with more target-breaking matches!" Master exclaimed, trying to excite the fighters. "After that, we will resume the event matches!"
"Why am I not surprised?" the bounty hunter rolled his eyes.
Link glanced across the table at Marth.
"See what I mean?" the prince silently mouthed to the Hylian.
"Apparently..." Master mused, reading over a list. "Jigglypuff, Roy, and Ness are the only ones left who need to complete their Target Tests... would any of you like to go first?"
"Jiggly!" (Me first!)
"And I'd like to go next!" Roy added, raising a hand.
"Very well, we'll give Jigglypuff a run, then Roy, and then Ness. We'll even give you a second, if necessary. Then we'll have lunch, and then we'll work on some event matches. See you all in a few minutes!"
Crazy didn't speak, but he had been grinning and gently patting his pants pocket during his brother's announcements.
"How much do you wanna bet we'll probably be getting a new fighter today?" Captain Falcon asked.
"You can't be certain, Captain..." Marth debated.
"Crazy seems excited, and the conditions seem too specific. Think about it, Marth... I've completed my Target Test... you've done yours... Link and Mewtwo have done theirs... almost everyone else has done theirs as well. Only three people aren't done yet - Jigglypuff, Roy, and Ness. And there's also the fact that there's still that empty room left." the bounty hunter argued.
Marth's mouth hung open for a moment, then chewed on his lip, trying to decide what to say.
"I am about ninety-five percent certain that if Jigglypuff, Roy, and Ness are successful in their tests, we will be seeing that new fighter show up. The last time Crazy was acting like this, Samus wound up fighting against Mewtwo."
The bounty huntress - seated behind Captain Falcon - glanced over her shoulder at the sound of her name.
"I thought you were just worried about that fight because it was Samus fighting," Marth commented.
"Well... okay, that was a major part of it..." Captain Falcon admitted. Although he couldn't see her, Samus smiled a little at that statement. "... but you can't deny that when some of the other fighters showed up, Master and Crazy started acting funny!"
"Like when Pichu arrived?" Marth inquired.
"Well, the thing is... Pichu..."
Pichu does not exactly perform at the same level as the other fighters.
"... Yeah. That might have been why we didn't have to - " Captain Falcon started.
"Mewtwo! What did you say?" Marth interrupted. Rather than seeming offended by the belittling statement towards Pichu, he actually seemed excited. The prince's eyes were certainly lit up.
I stated that Pichu does not perform at the same level as the other fighters. And then Captain Falcon's statement seemed to suggest that he agreed with me.
"Yes! Don't you see? I think you might have just read Captain Falcon's mind!"
Marth... I believe we both simply agreed on my statement. We both think that Pichu does not match the fighting quality of the other fighters.
"He has a point, Marth... wouldn't you agree that Pichu isn't exactly as good as the rest of us?"
"No, I just think Pichu needs a little help!" the prince argued. "You wouldn't have said the same thing about Ness, would you?"
Link shook his head with a smile. Marth was willing to stand up for anybody, wasn't he? Well, maybe not anybody, but there were still plenty of people he would defend.
You only doubt Ganondorf because he is your own foe.
Link, Captain Falcon, and Marth looked over at Mewtwo.
You did not say this? The psychic Pokemon glanced at Link.
The Hylian shook his head. "No... I was just thinking that Marth would stand up for anyone, except for maybe Ganondorf..."
"Mewtwo... I think your powers are coming back!" the prince gently held the Pokemon's 'hand' in his own. "Isn't this exciting?"
I suppose so. It could be used to my advantage. But it could also be used to the advantage of others, which could be negative.
"Oh... then I won't ask," Marth replied.
"You won't?" Link and Captain Falcon asked the prince.
"Mewtwo's right... we'd just be trying to find out why I had this dream... to see if it had anything to do with why we ended up here... why I arrived differently... face it, it only works to our advantage."
Perhaps not. If it explains why all of the fighters arrived here, it would also work to my advantage. Any memories hidden in your mind could help us leave this place, Marth.
"Then... then you'd be willing to help us?" the prince asked.
The psychic Pokemon nodded.
"Thank you, Mewtwo. You might just be the answer to any questions we have." Captain Falcon stated.
Who is Adam Malkovich?
"Who?" the three other fighters exchanged a confused look.
At the table behind them, Samus seemed to be in a hurry to leave.
-This-is-a-separation-block-to-split-up-scenes-
"Look, there she is!" Kirby exclaimed, pointing to Jigglypuff on the screen.
Jigglypuff began her test by smashing the two targets on her immediate left and right. She then jumped and dodged her way between two force fields to find a target in that space. Jigglypuff jumped and hit that target by waving an arm over her head. She then dodged to get through the final two force fields. Spotting an overhead target in front of her, Jigglypuff floated over to it and broke it with her Pound attack.
Now, glancing below her, she could see what looked like floating force fields, sweeping past a target down below. Jigglypuff floated down cautiously. She dodged underneath one of the force fields, landing on the log platform. She walked closer to the first target, pausing to duck underneath one of the floating force fields. She was soon up again, and smacked the target. Carefully avoiding the force fields by ducking or dodging, she soon made her way to the other end of the platform. Jigglypuff jumped into the air and smacked the overhead target.
"She only needs four more," Ness remarked.
Jigglypuff paused on a small overhang, glancing across from her at four targets in a straight line. She could do this, but she'd have to be careful with how she jumped.
Jigglypuff bounced into the air, and hit the first target by twirling in the air. She bounced again, and smacked the second target by twirling again. With a third jump, she hit the next target by kicking her legs out behind her. With a fourth jump, she kicked her legs out once more... and succeeded in breaking the final target.
"A new record!" Master announced.
"Good job, Jigglypuff!" Link cheered.
As usual, Kirby greeted her when exiting the elevator. Roy trotted past her, exchanging a high-five with the Pokemon before stepping into the elevator.
"I'm ready!" he confirmed, with a thumbs up.
Master smiled, configuring the controls, before returning the gesture. The doors closed, and Roy was soon transported to his target arena.
Landing upon a sandy red platform, he immediately destroyed the target above him with a jumping sweep of his blade.
He jumped off, heading towards two blocks that encased two targets. Below the lower block, Roy recovered with his Blazer technique, destroying the target in the process. Upon landing, all it took was a sweep of his blade to destroy the encased target and a moving one nearby.
Roy now leapt into the air, using Blazer to destroy a target that moved behind a small platform. After landing, Roy moved onto a slightly longer platform. He jumped from it and swung his blade around his body to destroy a target in front of him. Now he had destroyed over half of his targets.
The fiery swordsman dashed off the platform, falling naturally. He swept his blade in front of him during the fall to eliminate a target, then - later spotting another platform near two targets - he used a mid-air jump and Blazer to land safely upon the platform and destroy both targets.
"One left!" Donkey Kong cheered, pointing at the screen.
Roy examined the flippers in front of him. A collision could throw off the direction and timing of an attack. It might not matter as much if he hit the top flipper; after all, he would likely hit it in the process of destroying the target. But he would have to be careful about avoiding the bottom one.
He jumped a fair distance away from it, then leapt forward from his mid-air jump. Blazer connected successfully with the target, completing Roy's target test.
"A new record!" Master announced.
Ness turned to the elevator doors, knowing it was now his turn.
Roy exited, giving Ness a thumbs-up.
"Don't worry, you'll do fine!" the swordsman reassured.
"Thanks!" Ness adjusted his baseball cap with a smile, before entering the elevator.
Ness's arena appeared much different than Roy's had; rather than bricks forming the support areas, the floors and walls appeared to be made of some kind of metal. It gave the scene a 'factory' feeling.
Ness landed inside a small pit, immediately noticing a target placed above him. He jumped up and destroyed it with a few sparks generated from his hands. The psychic boy landed on the metal platform to his left, and then turned to notice two targets beyond an area of platforms made of red metal - perhaps their unique color had been caused by rust? Ness cautiously leapt over to them, ready to jump away in case the rusty metal crumbled beneath his feet. However, it seemed as though this metal was capable of holding his weight; the metal was colored red from other methods.
"PK FLASH!" Ness shouted, generating an orb of green energy. It floated upward and destroyed the uppermost target.
"PK FIRE!" Ness threw his arms forward, generating a small spark that erupted into a column of flames upon contact with the lower target.
He turned around to head back, when he noticed a target below him almost completely surrounded by the metal framework. How could he possibly destroy that one? Sure, there had to be some way to reach it... but he'd likely have to maneuver himself like a snake to get to it. Wait - that was it!
"PK THUNDER!" Ness closed his eyes, concentrating on the movements of the energy orb he had generated. It slipped downward, between two metal walls, underneath a small metal platform, upwards through a small opening, and finally curved it backwards into the small pocket. Ness smiled at the sound of the target shattering as he opened his eyes again.
The boy jumped over to the pit again, heading to the right side, where he spotted two targets. While inside the pit, he tried out the attack he enjoyed using while running - generating small sparks from his hands. It did seem to have a fair range... maybe the sparks could hit the target on the other side of the metal? There was only one way to know. Ness dashed against the wall, using the shocking attack. This time, his smile widened into a grin as the target shattered. The psychic youth leapt onto the top of the wall, firing a PK Fire attack at the remaining target. His attack fell a little short, but after moving forward a little more, he was able to successfully hit it.
Now there was the issue of the four remaining targets. Ness glanced upward, spotting a smaller platform that floated slowly from side to side.
Of course.
Ness jumped up, landing on the platform with an added boost from his PK Thunder attack. He jumped again, barely landing on top of a metal wall that was also red in color. Ness turned around and destroyed the target he had missed on the way up with a PK Fire attack. There was also another target across from him, one target directly below him, and one target directly to the right of the lower one. Remembering how he had destroyed a previous target with his running attack, Ness decided to try his similar aerial attack on the way down to destroy the target that had been below him. The attack connected successfully. Ness turned around and used the actual dashing attack on the target behind him.
Great! That means I'm down to the last one! The boy thought to himself.
Great! That means we're down to the last one! Master thought to himself. Based on Crazy's grin across the room, he was thinking the same thing.
Captain Falcon glanced between the two men, noticing their suspiciously excited expressions.
Prove me wrong, gentlemen. I dare you.
"Captain Falcon, look!" Marth cheered, pointing at the screen. "He did it!"
Sure enough, Ness had just destroyed the last target with a PK Fire attack.
"A new record!" Master declared.
Crazy nodded, and pressed the button on the secret controller.
Gasps arose in the room as the familiar 'New Challenger' screen appeared on the monitors. The new fighter's silhouette, oddly enough, seemed to resemble a stick figure, though perhaps a bit thicker, and with actual hands and feet added on.
The prince's smile disappeared, looking up at the bounty hunter standing beside him. He had been right. Was Captain Falcon... right about Master and Crazy too?
-This-is-a-separation-block-to-split-up-scenes-
Ness reawakened in a very strange environment. It appeared simple enough - there was a house nearby, and he appeared to be standing in a dirt field, like a possible backyard - but something just felt odd... he kind of had this sensation of being pressed against a window.
His opponent... looked like some sort of thin line... what was going on? Ness rolled away from the line, noticing in mid-dodge that the side of his opponent looked like some sort of stick figure. His opponent was... a paper cutout, perhaps? Ness looked down at his hands, and was horrified to discover they looked like lines as well.
"Wha-?" Ness gasped, turning his hand. When rotated, his hand did look fine - from the top and bottom view. But on the side, it looked like a thin line. Apparently, in this world, he was a paper cutout as well. Was he... stuck this way? Maybe if he defeated this strange opponent of his, this transformation could be reversed.
"PK Fire!" Ness shouted, hitting the enemy with the flaming attack. The two-dimensional foe was tossed about in the flames, but 'he' was not consumed. Clearly, this fighter wasn't made of paper - which relieved Ness upon reflection, as such an attack - for all he knew - could have possibly killed him. The new fighter tossed some sort of projectiles at him, but Ness couldn't really see what they were. They certainly smelled good, though... almost like bacon or sausage. For a brief moment, he remembered his mother's cooking - whether it was bacon and eggs for breakfast, or some of that steak he craved so much.
Ness shook these thoughts away, dashing forward and shocking the opponent. The mysterious fighter did not cry out, but appeared to beep in displeasure. The psychic boy swung his baseball bat and struck the 'paper man'. The fighter crumpled - figuratively speaking - under the force and was thrown backwards, off the stage. Three loud beeps from his foe indicated to Ness that he had been victorious. He found himself suddenly back in the elevator, returning to the bottom floor. Also, much to his relief, he seemed to be back in three-dimensional form.
Meanwhile, the mysterious gray room had appeared, indicating to the other fighters that Ness had been victorious. Most of the room cleared out to see who would be joining them; Ness's friends, however, remained to greet the boy.
"Ness!" Marth exclaimed, walking over to the boy. "How was it?"
"Everything seemed okay to me, but..." Ness frowned. "The place I fought in was so weird... I was flat, like paper... and so was my opponent!"
"Paper-thin environment, eh?" Link asked.
"Makes you wonder what Master and Crazy are capable of," Captain Falcon mused.
The doors opened, allowing the new fighter to enter the room, surrounded by a huge crowd of fighters.
"... Why do you look like that? You're so... thin?"
"Well... where. I. am. from. everyone. is. 'flat'. Beep."
"Like an alternate dimension?"
"I. suppose. so. Beep."
"Well, Mr..." Master's voice trailed off, searching for the newest fighter's name.
"Game. and. Watch. Beep."
"... Game and Watch...?"
"Yes. Beep."
"Well, Mr. Game and Watch, we have a room selected for you that should make your stay with us quite pleasant."
"That's right!" Peach exclaimed. "There was only one room left!"
"My point exactly," Master agreed. "Now then! We have some new Event matches for today. Who wants to fight?"
He removed his own remote from his pocket to change the channel, showing off the menu of new Event matches. There were now numbers 40-50 added. Captain Falcon's eyes immediately fell on the Event at the bottom of the list - Final Destination Match. Before he could speak, Fox had lifted his hand.
"I'd like to try out number 40... the All-Star Match... if that's okay," the pilot requested.
"Perfectly fine," Master replied. "Now then, I'll also need Marth, Luigi, Mewtwo, Jigglypuff... and actually, you as well, Mr. Game and Watch."
"Beep! I. have. to. fight? Beep?"
"No worries, it's perfectly safe. You weren't hurt in your fight with Ness, were you?"
"But. the. boy..." Game and Watch turned towards his previous opponent. "He. used. some. kind. of. fire. attack! Beep! I. was. afraid. I. was. going. to. be. burned. alive! Beep!"
Ness glanced at the floor awkwardly.
"It's just how the boy fights," Master stated nonchalantly. "Almost everyone here has fire incorporated into how they fight. But you cannot be burned... as stated, you cannot be hurt at all."
"I. suppose. I. will. try. then. Beep."
The chosen fighters stepped into the elevator, awaiting their matches to begin.
"So, what's the deal with Final Destination Match?" Captain Falcon asked Master, as Marth and Fox appeared on screen to fight. "I mean, we've all fought the one hand before in Classic Mode. But two? Where did the second one come from?"
"I use controls to manipulate one hand; the other hand will be manipulated by Crazy. It's why we always wear gloves, you know... these hands you fight against are essentially the 'mascots' of the Battle Royale Suites."
"It does make sense," Link remarked, flinching at the sound of Marth crying out as he flew off in the background of the Temple arena.
"Yes, it seems a lot more clear to me now," Captain Falcon agreed, leaving to stand with Samus and watch Luigi battle Fox. Link turned around, watching the fight as well.
I know he's lying... Master sneered.
I know he's lying... Captain Falcon thought to himself, folding his arms.
-This-is-a-separation-block-to-split-up-scenes-
Fox had ended the event match victoriously, and Master and Crazy immediately declared lunchtime. Ruby had prepared a variety of sub sandwiches for the fighters that day, giving them plenty to eat.
However, some fighters chose to forego the smorgasbord of sandwiches and ate lightly; namely, the residents of the third floor.
Marth, Luigi, Captain Falcon, Link, and Mewtwo had gathered in the prince's room. Marth sat on the edge of his bed, facing Mewtwo, who was seated in a chair in front of him. Link sat beside Marth on the bed, and Falcon and Luigi stood in the corner of the room.
I will be penetrating into your deepest memories, and the images that have appeared in your dreams. I am not sure what effect this will have on you...
Marth appeared a little uneasy, but he looked up into the psychic Pokemon's eyes.
"I'll be okay, Mewtwo. I trust you."
The Pokemon pressed its orb-like fingertips to Marth's forehead and closed its eyes in concentration.
Marth's eyes widened, taking in a sharp breath, as he suddenly felt a strange rushing sensation sweep throughout his body - it felt like he was flying through his memories.
First, there was the marketplace - he had been shopping with Shiida. Then some sort of dark room - being here made him feel cold, frightened, and hungry. He saw the two floating gloves again, and heard a mysterious voice, speaking in his native tongue - "And it's just like I warned you - they're dead." He saw the Fountain of Dreams, and Pikachu - yet he heard that same voice mention Link's name. He saw the gloves, clenching Shiida and Elice, as they cried out for help.
"Stop!" Marth cried out. Mewtwo's eyes shot open, concentration broken.
The last thing he saw was Link, looking down at him, asking, "Hmm... you really have no idea where you are, do you?"
Mewtwo removed its digits from the prince's forehead. Marth's eyes wearily shut, and he started to fall backwards. Link quickly caught him with one arm, the prince's head collapsing against the Hylian's shoulder.
"Marth-a!"
"Is he okay?"
The two other fighters in the room had now rushed to their friend's side.
"I think so... I think he was just... 'overwhelmed'..." Link replied, looking down at the prince resting against him.
Yes. Marth should be back to normal soon.
"What did you see?" Captain Falcon asked.
He was apparently in a marketplace before being sent here. There was also a dark room, which evoked cold sensations and hunger.
"That-a could be the 'room'-a everyone talks about-a," Luigi suggested.
"Yeah, but Marth didn't arrive in the room like everyone else," Link argued. "So, it must be someplace else."
He also seems to hold memories of Pikachu and the Fountain of Dreams.
"Now that one makes sense," Captain Falcon commented. "Pikachu told us that it fought Marth at the Fountain of Dreams, remember?"
There were also images of two women, about the same age as Marth. One seemed older, but looked very much like him.
"Elice," Link stated. "She's Marth's older sister. And the other girl was Shiida, I'd bet."
I heard a voice, but I could not recognize it. If Marth could not remember what it sounds like, I could not either. But the voice mentioned Link's name, and told Marth that 'they were dead', and he had apparently 'been warned' about this.
"Me?" Link asked. "What would anyone want with me?"
"Well, you ARE-a the Hero of-a Time where you're-a from," Luigi pointed out. "They could-a have wanted to eliminate-a such a hero,"
"Not only that, but remember the 'they were dead' and Marth being warned about something..." Captain Falcon placed a hand to his chin in thought, and suddenly snapped his fingers.
"Wait a minute! Pikachu fought against you in your first match... right, Link? Everyone was surprised when you lost, remember? I think... you were intended to fight against Marth that day. I think... whatever happened that day... Marth realized that Pikachu wasn't you either. So he quit fighting, like Pikachu said. It makes sense... Marth isn't really the type to attack someone else without reason."
"Okay, then. So, why would Marth even be willing to fight me in the first place?"
"I think that's where the 'warning' part comes in. I think Shiida and Elice were being held hostage, and Marth had to fight to save their lives. Think about it - fighting for someone he loves? That definitely sounds like something Marth would be willing to do."
He also had memories of two large floating hands. Both of them were covered with gloves.
"Kind of-a sounds like the large-a glove we fight against-a at the end of-a Classic Mode," Luigi mused. "Captain-a Falcon, what's wrong?"
"Captain?" Link asked the bounty hunter, whose expression had suddenly turned more serious, as if he had realized something.
It all made sense now. The gloves. Shiida and Elice's tragic deaths. The hostility towards Marth. It all had been tied up in a complex knot.
"Captain Falcon!" Link called his name a little more loudly.
The racer shook his head.
"What's on your mind?" Link asked.
Captain Falcon looked around the room - at Luigi, at Mewtwo, at Link, and at Marth, still passed out in Link's arms. He thought of Zelda, Ness, and Fox.
And then... then he thought of Samus.
If he said something now, he could be putting any of them - all of them - in danger.
"I just stared off into space for a moment. Sorry about that," he lied. "Anyway, guys... I think lunch is probably almost done. We should probably head back."
"I'll just stay here, until Marth wakes up," Link commented. "... Just want to make sure he's okay."
"I'm-a sure Master won't-a mind. We're-a just doing Event matches-a anyway."
Captain Falcon and Luigi left the room. Link shifted himself to lay Marth down against his pillow, but still sat by the prince's bedside.
He thinks about you a lot.
"Hmm?" Link asked.
Marth.
"Oh," Link replied, blushing. He looked down at the resting prince.
Do you think about him a lot too?
"I... well... I don't know..."
You know if you do.
Mewtwo exited the room, leaving behind a confused Hylian.
-This-is-a-separation-block-to-split-up-scenes-
"What?" Master groaned. "What do you mean, Marth can't come down to fight? We need him for two of the Event Matches!"
"He started feeling ill after lunch, so he went to lie down in his room. Link's taking care of him right now," Captain Falcon defended.
"That's disappointing, but not as bad. The match we needed him for was one we needed Marth for as well."
That's right, blame Marth for it. Just prove me right even more.
Now, Captain Falcon could suggest that Master could hold the remaining Event Matches - to get him closer to checking out the Final Destination Match - but to suddenly agree to a plan that Master would support? That would be very odd for him.
"What's wrong? Can't we do any of the other matches? Or did you need Marth or Link to battle some sort of secret fighter?" Captain Falcon challenged.
"No. We'll just go through the remaining Event Matches that don't require them. We'll postpone those other matches for another day. Luigi!" the plumber jumped, startled by having his name called. "Get ready. You have an Event Match right now!"
Captain Falcon walked away to watch the match, a small smirk - invisible to Master - on his face. Reverse psychology... it never failed!
This was apparently a match titled "Trouble King 2". Bowser had also been assigned to fight Luigi, but his size had been doubled, and their match was on the Poke Floats arena.
"Hey... Captain Falcon?"
The bounty hunter looked around, then spotted the person who had asked for him.
"Ness! ... Everything okay?"
The boy appeared slightly uncomfortable, tugging at the bottom of his shirt.
"Well... you remember what Mr. Game and Watch said, right? I want to apologize somehow, but I want to do more for him than just say sorry."
"Why not make him something? You could make him some sort of welcome card to help him feel more... uh, welcome," Samus suggested. "Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to overhear."
"Yeah... that might work! I could even get everyone to sign it! Oh, but... Ganondorf and Bowser probably wouldn't sign it. And Pikachu and Pichu probably can't write..."
The mentioned Koopa King could be heard roaring in defeat, after Luigi had knocked him off the stage.
"Who says you need Ganondorf and Bowser to sign? Just let whoever wants to sign it, sign it," Samus stated. "And you could use paint to make it. Anybody signing it could paint out their name, or put a handprint to sign. Come to think of it, paw-prints from Pikachu and Pichu could actually be pretty cute..."
"Paint..." Captain Falcon murmured. "... Paint! That's it! That's a great idea!"
"Oh, well... thank you," Samus returned.
"Captain Falcon!" Master yelled. "You're needed for the next match!"
"Don't get started yet," Captain Falcon requested of the boy.
"Um... I don't really have anything to work with, so I can't..."
"That's great. Now wait here."
The racer dashed off to the elevator, meeting Falco and Fox there.
"This should be an interesting fight," Fox commented.
"I know... pilot versus pilot! Two Starfox members fighting in combat... against each other..."
"Uh, Captain Falcon?" Falco asked. "We're on the same team. You're supposed to help me, you know, fight."
The three fighters found themselves transported to the Big Blue arena.
"Falco..." the bounty hunter placed a hand on the pilot's shoulder. He kept his voice low so the spectators couldn't hear him - not that they could, over the background music. "Any other time, you know I would be fighting beside you, giving my all. But something has come up, and... well... it's very important. It's so important, I can't spend my time fighting here."
"WHAT?"
Much to the bird's surprise, Captain Falcon leapt off the nose of the Falcon Flyer, landing on the road below him and whizzing past off screen.
"What is he...?" Samus asked as Captain Falcon was suddenly revived. Only a few moments after landing on the back of his aircraft, he ran to the tail end and jumped off, once again falling onto the road and speedily being marked as out-of-bounds. Fox and Falco were speechless for a few moments after the bounty hunter's actions, but soon remembered that they had to actually fight each other.
As soon as Captain Falcon emerged from the elevator, Samus came walking over to him.
"What was that about?"
"I'm just not in the mood to fight right now," he stated.
"If you say so," Samus replied, noticing the way he had said 'right now'.
Whatever he's planning, I just hope it doesn't land him in trouble...
Fox did emerge victorious in the match against Falco. The latter of the two pilots shot a glare at Captain Falcon upon his exit; the former went to spend time with Princess Zelda - time that did not last very long, as she was called aside for the 44th Event Match. She and Mewtwo were called in to fight the Ice Climbers. They remembered the assignment - to only fight Mewtwo, not Zelda - and succeeded.
Game and Watch competed in the next match, having to defeat 25 miniature clones of himself.
A third Trophy Tussle was the next event match; Roy defeated Young Link, Peach, and Donkey Kong to win the fight.
Bowser was amused by the idea of battling the smaller electric Pokemon in "Pikachu and Pichu", so he chose to take on the challenge of the Event Match. He failed once, but after realizing he didn't need to worry about Pikachu, the Koopa King had a much easier time on his second try.
Mario opted to try out the 49th Event - "All-Star Match Deluxe" - and also proved victorious, though he had lost a stock in battling Roy.
Now the only match that remained that could be held that day was the Final Destination Match. Master knew it, Captain Falcon knew it, everyone knew it.
"Well, we certainly did a great job fighting today! Everyone has worked so hard... I think we should call it quits for today. I would also like to announce that we will be introducing a new mode of fighting known as the 'All-Star Mode'... assuming everyone is feeling well. One fighter is pitted against a clone of themselves, as well as the other twenty-four fighters!"
"Jiggly jigglypuff, jig?" (Not at the same time, right?)
"No, not at all. They start with four one-on-one matches, then four matches against a team of two, and then four matches against a team of three fighters. The final fight is... quite a free-for-all, shall we say? You can thank Mr. Game and Watch for that."
"They. can? Beep?"
"After that, we will have some more of our usual versus matches, classic one-on-one style. See you all at dinner."
-This-is-a-separation-block-to-split-up-scenes-
Grilled chicken or pork, asparagus, green beans, potato salad, and mashed potatoes were served for dinner that night. Iced tea, lemonade, and water were also available to drink.
Captain Falcon took a seat with Samus, Roy, and Ness.
"What was up with you today?" Roy asked. "Losing fights on purpose? Are you crazy?"
"Roy!" Samus and Ness hissed.
"What? I'm just saying..."
"Anyway, changing the subject..." Ness commented, "I decided to take your advice, Samus. I'm going to make that card for Mr. Game and Watch. With paint, too."
"Good to hear!" Captain Falcon agreed. "But... when do you plan to start working on it?"
The psychic boy shrugged. "I figured around lunchtime tomorrow. Everyone would be gathered in one place, and it would be pretty good timing for me, since I'm - "
"Good evening, everyone!" Master announced. "Because there will be an All-Star match - thus, everyone will be doing some fighting tomorrow - we figured we would cut back on the afternoon matches... don't want to wear out our fighters! Here are our plans for tomorrow!"
All-Star Mode: NESS
Fountain of Dreams - 1:00 pm
Captain Falcon vs Marth
Onett - 2:00 pm
Luigi vs Link
Mushroom Kingdom - 3:00 pm
Mario vs Roy
Icicle Mountain - 4:00 pm
Samus vs Peach
Captain Falcon read over the schedule and knew.
He was fairly close friends with almost everyone on the list - he knew they would hear him out if he asked them to forfeit. They just HAD to... it was the only way.
The evidence. Ness's project. The new Event Matches. The arranged matches.
Captain Falcon knew... it had to be tomorrow.
-This-is-a-separation-block-to-split-up-scenes-
"You really didn't have to do this, you know," Marth commented.
"I'm just not sure if you're ready to be walking around yet. Maybe give it a good night's rest, and a full stomach, and see how you feel tomorrow," Link insisted, stepping into the prince's room with two plates each of grilled chicken breast, mashed potatoes, and asparagus.
Marth shook his head with a smile, already tucked in bed and seated upright with a pillow behind his head. He had been awake for about two hours, and even Dr. Mario had said the prince would be okay, but Link insisted that Marth continue to rest.
The prince took a few bites of chicken, before setting his plate on his bedside table. He wiped his mouth with a napkin, watching the Hylian prepare two cups of instant lemonade for them both.
"So, Captain Falcon sort of ran off after hearing all that stuff? And Luigi and Mewtwo followed him?"
"Pretty much..." Link responded, stirring his mashed potatoes awkwardly.
"What is it?" Marth asked.
"Well, Mewtwo also said that you..."
Marth tensed suddenly, his heart beating a little faster.
"... Said that I...?"
Link blushed.
"Mewtwo said that you... you think about me. A lot."
"Well... ah... with you... there's a lot to think about," the royal quickly replied.
Marth scooped a bite of mashed potatoes into his mouth, attempting to use the 'my mouth is full, so I can't talk right now' excuse.
The Hero followed suit, eating a few bites of asparagus. They both sat there, eating silently for a few minutes, before finally the blond snapped the silence.
"Because... I mean... I think about you a lot, too," Link admitted, taking a few sips of lemonade.
Marth lowered his cup from his lips.
"You... do?" he asked. "Like... what do you think about?"
"Probably the same thing you do," Link answered.
"You mean..." Marth blushed.
"Yeah, last winter," the Hylian confirmed. "I kind of wonder what would have happened if Captain Falcon and Samus saw us..."
"They probably would've been quite surprised, no doubt," Marth smiled.
"Might have even thrown a few snowballs," Link chuckled.
The prince slapped the Hylian's knee playfully but gently. "They would not!"
The swordsmen leaned forward in laughter, accidentally bumping their heads together, which made Marth laugh even more but made Link freak out.
"Your head... you're okay, right?" he asked, gently cradling the prince's head in his hands.
"Yes!" Marth laughed, starting to calm down. "Yes, I'm fine. Really!"
Link chuckled a little more. When they had both quieted down, the two swordsmen suddenly realized how close together their faces were.
"You know..." Marth commented softly, "I almost wonder what would have happened if they hadn't shown up..."
"I hadn't considered that..." Link pondered.
"It's kind of a similar situation, sort of..." Marth added. "I mean, we're both alone..."
The Hero's hands gently shifted to the prince's cheeks, running through that silky blue hair.
"We could... find out..." the Hylian's voice was barely above a whisper.
The prince blushed heavily - so surprised he couldn't even speak - but nodded.
Needing no further bidding, Link leaned forward and captured Marth's lips in a kiss. The prince's hands clung to the front of the Hylian's tunic desperately, leaning further into the kiss.
Who would've thought Link would be kissing Marth right now? Or that he would have actually kissed him several months prior? The thought of it made Link mentally roll his eyes, but also smile.
It was similar to how he had been holding Marth in his arms when he awakened several hours ago, and how he had done the same thing when they first met. It was similar to how they had occasionally spent the day together several times, before they had actually gone on an official 'date' - granted, a date to spy on Zelda and Roy - but it was a date nonetheless. How they could go from being friends one day, to not talking to each other for another day, to being even closer friends the day after that. Or like how Marth had started out as just his friend - his best friend, even - and now he...
... Now, he...
Link's eyes opened, gently pulling away from Marth. The prince opened his eyes slowly.
"Link...?" The Hylian gently placed a finger to the prince's lips.
"Sshh. I've got to go," he explained calmly, but smiled. "... Thank you."
"... Sure thing..." Marth replied with a dreamy smile.
The Hylian quickly and quietly left the prince's room, silently closing the door behind him. Out in the hallway, Link placed a hand to his face in frustration, leaning against the wall.
He had first realized it when he kissed Marth that winter, but he tried to ignore it. When Zelda asked him, he tried to deny it. But that kiss... and how quickly he gave in to kissing the prince in the first place... now there was nowhere to hide, nowhere to run, and nothing he could do about it.
Link knew.
He loved Marth.
-Chapter-End-
bijoukaiba: WOW! What a way to end the chapter! I'm overcome by all the drama, aren't you? This is a very important chapter because it's sort of like a 'season finale' to me, but it's very important because of the next chapter and the next 'season' of Swordplay. Why? Because the next chapter was one of the very first chapters of SP I drafted, and because it pretty much starts the "final season" of Swordplay. That's right!
Thank you all for reading, and I hope you're excited - the finale is getting closer!