REVIEW RESPONSES: I've already mentioned this to all reviewers who reviewed last chapter, but for those who don't know, I should definitely announce this: Due to the threat of this story becoming removed from this site (which I found out from a reliable source), I must use the reply button in the reviews part of my story to respond to reviews now. Gasp! So, no longer will responses to reviews be posted here. They will come to each reviewer individually via the message system on Fan This presents some advantages and disadvantages (mainly for me, because I'm still getting used to responding this way), but it's for all the best. Thanks everyone for your understanding!

NOTES: I feel the need to apologize for the fact that I said the first battle would start next chapter, but it would have been too much to fit in, and I honestly didn't want to try it. Also, I know I haven't updated in awhile, but I've had a good reason: I've been sick with a extremely bad case of the flu all last week, and I had to finish up school. But now I'm on vacation, and I finally have some time to update! My thanks like always to my reviewers, whose reviews have kept haunting me this past week. Just a warning: EXTREMELY LONG CHAPTER AHEAD! Read only if you have the time. Now, let's get started shall we?

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Super Smash Brothers Melee, Star Fox: Assault, Metroid Fusion, or The Legend of Zelda series. These franchises belong to Nintendo, SSBM belongs to HAL Laboratories, and Star Fox: Assault belongs to Namco. Oh, and guess I should also say that I don't own anything that has to do with the world of Mario. Obviously, that belongs to Nintendo as well. I'm telling you, that corporation is preparing for a large-scale assault on the world to take it over! Why don't you believe me?

Chapter 16: WARNING! Beware of Rabid Fangirls!

Mario, the proclaimed hero of the Mushroom Kingdom, stood in a secluded room, surrounded by a circle of red punching bags, all marked with his trademark "M". He was dressed in a white T-shirt, with his usual blue overalls and red "M" hat on. He was tired and sweaty, but wasn't ready to quit his training. He had been close to perfecting his "Mario Tornado" attack, yet he knew there was still something missing.

Right before he started to perform his attack again however, he heard the door open and a certain green-clad mustached figure walked in.

"Hey Mario," he said, "Your next opponent's been announced over the loudspeaker."

"Yeah, I missed the announcements. Who am I fighting?"

"Link, of the former land of Hyrule. Both of you are fighting in the Holo-Stadium on the stage Fourside in Eagleland. Seems Master Hand thought it better for everyone if your match was just fought in the Holo-Stadium, since Eagleland isn't having particularly good weather right now."

"Hmm, he's an excellent opponent. Perfect person to fight against in a first match."

"Yeah, true. But bro, what are ya doin' in here? Shouldn't you be getting over to the stadium?"

"I'll leave in ten minutes."

"Yeah, but bro, Peach and I were…"

"I said in ten minutes, dammit!"

Luigi became speechless. Never in all his years had he seen Mario this uptight, nor this angry. It scared him to see his big brother like this, but he decided to just let him be, so he left without another word.

Mario continued to train, not once looking up as his brother left. He thought of nothing else other than winning his first match.

'Then I can win her back from that, scumbag, by proving I'm more powerful than he'll ever hope to be…'

"Link, you sure you got the second room key, cause I'm taking the spare!" called Marth as he hoisted his travel bag over his shoulder.

His first match was going to take place in Jungle Japes against Donkey Kong, so he had packed all of his camping gear since there weren't any hotels on DK Isle. DK himself had offered rooming at his house, but Marth had declined. He also had decided to travel by horseback, despite Samus' offer to fly him there en route to her match on the planet Pop Star, where she was to fight Kirby in the capital of Dream Land.

Marth wasn't one to accept favors often, no matter who the person was. Now that he thought about it, it was probably due to his training as a soldier, and his lone wolf nature when traveling alone. (A/N: I don't know that for sure, since I haven't played any of the Fire Emblem games. If anyone has any suggestions on how they think Marth or Roy should be acting, let me know in a review. I'm open to suggestions, like I said earlier.)

"Yeah, I got it right here. See you in two days, okay?" Link called from the bathroom.

"Yup, just make sure no one breaks into our room."

"Okay, good luck!"

"Thanks, bye!"

With that, he walked out of the room towards the stables, where all the Smasher's animals were kept.

Link came out of the bathroom, clad in his red Goron Tunic with his chain-mail on underneath it and his white sweats. He then put on his matching hat, covering his semi-short, messy blonde hair. His belt and harness was also attached to him, the blue and golden colored sheath attached to the back of his harness. He was still having trouble getting one buckle to go through on his Kokiri boots, however.

His match was scheduled to take place today in the Holo-Stadium against Mario, which he had overheard on the loudspeakers.

'Hmm, odd matchup, since in the Melee tournament, we were both in the finals…'

FLASHBACK

'Ow, ow, ow! That's hot!' thought Link as he was clipped by one of Mario's fireballs. There was only one more minute in the finals, and Mario was up by one KO. Unfortunately for Link, Final Destination wasn't his best stage, yet he still managed to get in at least three knockouts, even though Mario still was beating him by four knockouts.

'Let's try a different strategy…'

He took out his bow, took out three arrows, and shot them off where Mario would be in a second. Like he predicted, Mario jumped up to avoid the flying arrows before Link had even shot them off, but he instead was hit by all three. This gave Link the opening he needed to get in close. He started to perform a running slash, catching Mario while he was still recovering from the arrow attack. This sent him flying upwards, his damage indicator rising to 280 percent. Link watched him fly off in to the distance, glad both of them were at least even now.

"30 seconds left on the clock!" said the announcer as Mario respawned on the stage, cursing himself for the way he reacted.

'That's it; no more games!'

All of a sudden, a crate with the Smash Bros. logo spontaneously appeared next to his location. Thinking quickly, he punched it open. A beam sword, shell, and a piece of food appeared out of the crate. Link saw this, and started running towards the other side of the stage.

Mario took the shell and threw it at Link, which he nimbly dodged with ease. After eating the piece of food, he grabbed the beam sword, and ignited its purple blade. Just as Link reached him, he swung with a purple flash, igniting sparks that rose from the two blades. The crowd went crazy as a series of sword strikes followed, each Smasher parrying the other's attacks. After about twenty seconds, Link managed to knock the beam sword out of Mario's hand, giving him a perfect opening at Mario's exposed knees.

Link went for it, but Mario managed to barely dodge the attack. Link stumbled as a result of missing his target, giving Mario an opportunity for a Smash Attack from Link's exposed backside. He went flying off the stage, disbelieving that he'd actually lost to the red-clad plumber. The words "Game!" echoed in his head, disclosing the fact that Mario was the Melee tournament champion.

END FLASHBACK

'Well, he won't beat me this time. Unlike last time, I'm fighting for more than just myself.' thought Link as he finally fixed his right boot. He then proceeded to grab his Hylian Shield and the Master Sword, sheathing the sacred blade in its respectable sheath and attaching his shield to it as well. Making sure he had his boomerang, bombs, and bow and arrows equipped, he walked out of his and Marth's room, locking the door behind him, and started heading towards Zelda and Samus' room. He and Zelda had planned to ride over to the Holo-Stadium on horseback with Roy.

'Awh crap, I'm late! Roy's gonna break my kneecaps…' he thought as he glanced at a nearby clock, quickening his pace.

"Hey Zel, Roy, I'll see you guys in two days, okay?" said Samus as she started towards the Docking Bays, fully outfitted in her new Fusion Suit.

"Okay, good luck, Sam!" said Zelda, waving to her friend.

"Make sure you win!" said Roy.

"I'll be sure to fry that pink puffball, don't worry," said Samus, almost to herself as she walked down the hallway, putting on her helmet.

Zelda didn't even notice Link come up behind her.

"Hey Zel, you ready to go?"

"Yeah, just seeing Sam off, that's all," said Zelda, spinning around to face Link.

"I've been ready for at least an hour now. I've just been waiting for you two…" said a disgruntled Roy as he walked up behind them, dressed in his traditional blue and white clothing and armor.

"Relax Roy; my match isn't for at least another hour, and your match against Luigi isn't until after ours. Look, I know I'm late, but keep your sword sheathed, for Goddesses' sakes!" said Link to his wise friend.

"Well, if you don't want to avoid being mobbed by fans, that's fine with me. But if I had known you two would be this late, I would have just given up and left!"

"Roy, shut up." said an unconcerned Link as he started heading towards the stables, Zelda following closely behind him.

"Hey, don't blame me when we're attacked by rabid fans!" yelled Roy, running after them.

'Man, he really knows how to get under my skin!' thought Roy as he chased after his two friends.

The stables smelled of the usual fresh hay and grains as the three Smashers entered it, glancing at all the many animals that were contained in its stables. However, Link was looking for a particular stable, which he found almost straight away.

"There you are old girl!" said Link happily as he arrived at Epona's stable. She whinnied in happiness as she saw her old friend again, who opened the stall for her while giving her a carrot as she walked out. Zelda was also glad to see her, as this was the animal that had kept them alive in their flight from Hyrule. Link patted her head as she came to a stop, waiting for her two riders to hop on. He climbed up on the aged Hylian saddle, grabbing the reins, and then lifted Zelda on to his beloved steed.

'Boy, it's been forever since I've ridden Epona. But now that I think about it, she's the only thing that still links me to Hyrule. I still hope Malon got out safely…' thought Link, reliving fond memories of the only girl who ever called him "Fairy Boy".

'Navi…' he thought sadly, as he never did find his lost companion.

"Link, you done daydreaming yet?" asked Roy as he rode towards them with his own steed. Zelda shook him a little bit, bringing him out of his thoughts. He looked deep into her blue eyes, and couldn't focus on anything else at the moment.

'She's so beautiful, more beautiful than all the Goddesses combined…'

"Are you two done yet? LET'S GO!" yelled Roy as he sped out the main gate, the hooves of his horse picking up dirt as it rode out.

The two Hylians sighed as they followed, causing a ruckus from the other animals still trapped in their stables. When it came to Roy, patience was not his strongest virtue.

The sun shone brightly in the clear blue sky above them as the three Smashers galloped through the wide open fields in front of the mansion on their horses. However, the silence was interrupted as they saw a familiar purple spacecraft blast its way out of the underground Docking Bay. It disappeared as quickly as it had come as it entered the atmosphere. All three were used to this, as ships blasted out and arrived in the Docking Bay almost every day. They continued riding in silence, looking towards the town they were about to pass through, known "unofficially" as Smasher Town.

Originally, the town was always called by its real name of Sapphire, but ever since the corporate takeover of the town and land by the two Hands brothers and their organization Smash Bros. Inc., it mainly has been called by its unofficial name. The town was once quite prosperous, filled with restaurants, inns, bakeries, butcher shops, a main marketplace where fresh fruit and vegetables were sold, and other places. Due to the surrounding kingdoms, it was a popular town by adventurers and journeymen alike, who stopped for supplies and rest frequently. Master Hand thought the town would be the perfect accessory for his "Smash Mansion" he was about to build, so he bought the rights to the town and surrounding land, and built his huge mansion. The town became even bigger as the tournaments started, but since then, the town lost its hometown feeling due to frequent tourism. This fact saddened the two Hylians as they rode slowly through the streets of Sapphire Town, watching its occupants go about their daily activities.

At first, people went about their business without any notice of who the three riders were, demonstrating how used to travelers they were and the frequent times the Smashers visited the town. But, just as they were about three quarters through the town, someone finally noticed them. The man was only a curious tourist, who just happened to be walking out of a nearby bakery.

"Hey, aren't you Link? Wait, you're Zelda right? Hey, I know you, you're Roy! What are you three doing here?"

A quick series of events followed, for somehow word got around in less than three seconds of the three Smasher's presence. Many heads of rabid fangirls stuck their heads out of some souvenir shops, screaming with delight as they saw the two handsome swordsmen.

"OH MY GOD, IT'S LINK AND ROY!" screamed the fangirls, all pulling out posters and autograph books.

"THEY'RE SO HOTT!"

"I KNOW, I JUST LOVE THEIR HAIR!"

"QUICK, LET'S GET AN AUTOGRAPH!

"I think we should be going, don't you think?" hissed Zelda in Link's right ear, who had gained an anime sweat drop on his face.

"I agree, let's get the hell out of here!" yelled Roy as he snapped the reins of his steed, urging her to go at breakneck speed. Link did the same with Epona, who dashed off against the wind.

Not to be outdone, a huge mob of fangirls, all wanting autographs and various other disturbing things not to be discussed openly, took off after them, yelling random things at the retreating figures. The sea of fangirls seemed to grow as they passed shop after shop, more quickly joining the hunt after finding out what all the noise was about. Link looked back worriedly for a moment as the crowd seemed to be gaining on them. Roy interrupted his thoughts, a sense of urgency in his voice.

"Link, remember when Master Hand said we should always nice to the fans!" yelled Roy over the growing noise of the fangirls.

"Yeah?" responded Link in a loud voice.

"Well, I say screw what he said. I don't think he'd want us risking our lives!" yelled Roy.

"Maybe this will convince them to stop!" yelled Zelda holding up a needle, as she turned in to Sheik in a flash of pink smoke.

Grabbing some needles out of her clothing, she started throwing them at the feet of the young females. They seemed to stop for a moment as the sharp shards of metal hit the ground in front of them, but they resumed after the attack ended, yelling inaudible things as they gained even more speed. Some even went so far as to start throwing things of their own at them.

"YOU DIRTY WITCH!"

"LINK DESERVES BETTER!" yelled an angry fangirl, who shifted her aim towards Zelda.

"Um Zel, I think you just made them even more angry!" yelled Link in front of her, ducking from the books and other things that were being thrown at them.

"Really, I didn't notice!" yelled Sheik over the noise as she changed back in to Zelda.

"Guys, we're almost there!" yelled Roy, avoiding projectiles thrown by the now-maddened fangirls.

He was right, as the size of the globular Holo-Stadium was growing before their eyes. They could barely make out the pairs of stone stairways that led into the entrance of the stadium.

"C'mon old girl, faster!" Link told his faithful horse, who seemed to gain speed as she realized sanctuary was in sight. Zelda's grip tightened on his waist as both horses gained speed, their sights set on reaching the entrance.

Before they knew it, in a few seconds both horses had jumped the stairs and were in front of the main entrance. The two swordsmen hopped off their horses, both using a key to open the front door.

Since matches were frequently held at the Holo-Stadium, each Smasher was given a key to the main entrance. Using this, they could arrive early before a match to train, or verse another Smasher on one of the stages. Since the installation of the Hologram Transporters in the Smash Mansion however, the Holo-Stadium was hardly used for practice anymore, just matches.

Once they opened a pair of doors they hastily led their horses inside, barely managing to close and lock them as the mass of fangirls reached the entrance. They banged on the huge glass panels on the doors, begging to be let in. Half of the original crowd left, knowing it was hopeless. Others, more desperate than their weaker counterparts, continued banging on the glass.

"Thank Naryu for these keys," said Link as he helped Zelda off of Epona.

"Yeah, and that glass is reinforced and bulletproof!" said a relieved Roy, nodding towards the many fangirls banging on the glass.

"Really? I didn't know that," said Link in a curious voice.

"Let's just get to the training room, where we can find some privacy," said Zelda, brushing herself off.

The determined fangirls persisted to bang on the glass, desperate for at least one autograph. Yells and screams emanated from all of them, now synchronized in their attempts to break the glass.

"Don't they realize the glass is reinforced?" said Link, watching curiously as a pair of girls lamely tried to coax him into unlocking the door.

"Obviously they don't learn very fast," said an unconcerned Roy, making sure he had all of his equipment off of his horse.

"I don't know guys, maybe we should start getting away from the windows…" said Zelda in a concerned tone. She'd noticed, unlike the guys, that the glass had begun to crack in some places.

"Ah don't worry Zel, didn't you hear what Roy said?" asked Link as he patted Epona, who galloped towards the back of the stadium, where the stables were kept.

"Roy's confidence is what scares me the most," Zelda replied.

All of a sudden, the glass that had provided protection for its occupants shattered to the ground, allowing frantic fangirls access to the besieged building.

Roy's horse took off after Epona, both of them galloping at a fast pace towards the entrance of the stables, leaving behind their doomed riders. Before anyone could reach her, Zelda had cast Farore's Wind, teleporting her to the top of the main staircase.

'Yes, all the training paid off!' thought Zelda happily.

Link, thinking quickly, took out the Ocarina of Time and played the Song of Soaring, despite the absence of an owl statue. Knowing the song wasn't fully mastered yet, Zelda taught him how to teleport without any statues while playing it shortly after they had arrived at Smash Mansion.

He appeared right next to Zelda in a brilliant flash of white light, both of them now on top of the main staircase.

"Never did thank you for teaching me that…" muttered Link as he finished teleporting.

"Hey guys, what about me?" yelled Roy as he started climbing the stairs. Someone grabbed his cape as he reached the second step, causing him to trip and be mauled by the mass of fangirls. He tried to stay calm, quickly getting up and signing a few autographs with a pen. It worked until he suddenly got tackled by a desperate fangirl, while the rest started closing in on the struggling Altean.

"Want to go help him now?" asked Link, slightly amused by the scene below them.

"Well…I guess. After all, Peach would kill me if I just left him for dead, even if he is being a jerk," said Zelda, as she teleported with Farore's Wind again. She appeared for a moment, grabbing Roy's outstretched hand underneath the fangirls. Without even a sound, she disappeared again, reappearing next to Link with Roy next to her.

"Okay, there's the perfect example of why I like to leave early!" yelled Roy as he stamped off down the hallway, Link and Zelda laughing behind him as they followed.

The remaining fangirls started leaving in defeat, while a select few were jumping for joy, as Roy had signed their autograph books.

'Are you sure you don't know what's wrong with him?' asked Link telepathically as the threesome made their way towards the training room.

'Nope, he was fine this morning. Well, he did get turned down by Peach to come with us…you think that had something to do with it?' asked Zelda telepathically.

'I don't know, but I got a feeling we're gonna find out soon enough,' responded Link as they saw the training room door come into sight, along with three familiar figures.

"Mario, what's the rush? We're already here!" complained Peach as she struggled with Luigi to keep up with the red-clad plumber, both of them weighed down by his heavy gear. Despite Roy's pleas for her to come with him, Peach decided to arrive at the stadium with her two heroes. They arrived at the other end of the stadium, at Mario's request. He had been quiet all throughout the drive there (they had borrowed Captain Falcon's number 07 F-Zero machine Blue Falcon, who had taken off in the Falcon Flyer earlier heading to Yoshi's Island where his first match against Pikachu was to be fought), and still remained so as they walked down the empty hallway.

Peach looked worriedly at her savior of so many occasions, wondering why he was acting like this. Luigi looked just as concerned, and had consulted with Peach about it earlier before they had left. Mario continued to say he was fine, but his attitude told his two friends otherwise. Even Yoshi was worried about his friend's attitude, but unfortunately he had a match in the Mushroom Kingdom against Ness, so he couldn't stay to help.

"Hey Mario, what's up?" said a familiar voice ahead of them. Peach looked up to see the faces of Link, Zelda, and Roy. Her heart seemed to flutter as she saw her boyfriend, even though he didn't seem too pleased at the moment. Mario just nodded at Roy as he walked into the training room. Roy then walked over to Luigi and Peach, while Link and Zelda went inside to give him some privacy.

"So you noticed his attitude, too?" asked Luigi, relieved that he could finally put down Mario's gear as well as his own.

"Yeah, I did. No offense to you Luigi, but he's the reason why I wanted my girlfriend here to come with me instead."

"No offense taken," said Luigi, shrugging it off.

"Roy, I told you, I can take care of myself!" said Peach, placing her hands on her hips.

"That doesn't change the fact that there's something wrong with him."

"I feel safe around him!"

"He's not himself!"

"He's saved me more times than I can count, most of them before I even met you!"

"Look, I'm just trying to protect you!"

"And since when did you make yourself my bodyguard and protector, Roy?"

"When I became your boyfriend, that's when!"

Peach yelled in frustration and threw her hands in the air, walking down the hallway towards the grandstands. Roy stared after her, realizing what had just come out of his mouth.

"Wait Peach, I'm sorry! Please? Come on now, I'm sorry!" yelled Roy, starting off after her.

"Shut up, you don't care about me!" screamed Peach as she broke into a run, tears in her eyes, while the sounds of the entrance doors being opened echoed off the walls, the noise of anxious fans arriving to watch the matches filling the empty hallways. Luigi ran after her, telling Roy that he'd try to calm her down.

Little did they know, a certain red-clad figure was watching from the entrance to the lockers in the training room, smiling evilly at what had just taken place.

'Good, she hates him now! Now, I just have to beat elf-boy here for points, defeat Roy when I face him,and then she'll see…she'll see how much I really care about her!' thought the figure, who continued preparing for his match.

Is this the end of Roy and Peach's relationship? You'll find out next chapter. Look, okay, I realize I said I would begin the match this chapter, but my reasons why not remain the same, as this turned into a pretty long chapter! Well, don't worry, as I'm releasing the next chapter on Sunday at the latest. Expect it Saturday though; I just said Sunday in case I got too overwhelmed. The long anticipated fight between Mario/Link will be next chapter first thing, so don't worry I'm not postponing it anymore! I realize Mario's out of character, but you'll find out why next chapter. Well, thanks for staying awake to read this, as I realize this was a LONG chapter, but I had lots to fit in. Expect lots of action next chapter, and some answers to your forming questions. Anyways, thanks for reading and like always, please review!