"Oh my..."
Nana Climber backed away from her formidable foe in terror. Bowser towered over her menacingly. Nana knew she had barely seconds left to live, and trembled in fear. Bowser took a final step, putting him in easy killing range... and then the floor made a creaking, cracking sound. For the first time, Nana and Bowser inspected their surroundings.
They were standing atop the highest branch of a colossal, magnificent oak tree, whose branches were wide enough that five men could lay abreast, while still being comfortable and without fear of falling off; and a width the size of a truck. Below the lowest branches about 500 metres below, oblivion beckoned. The lowest branches preceded only open air. What would happen if they were to fall was an intriguing mystery, though it goes without saying that neither felt particularly inclined to find out. If certain death awaited in the abyss, they were likely to tumble right into certain death if they fell, being as the mighty tree's branches were sparsely populated upon the rich oak, seldom offering aid for foolhardy individuals who lose their footing.
Nana's breath caught in her throat as she regarded the beauty of the tree. She was so distracted that she barely managed to roll aside as Bowser's spines embedded themselves in the branch, the result of an idiotic attempt to leap backwards and both crush, and impale Nana. Their half of the branch shuddered. They were nowhere near as sturdy as they appeared, because even their enormous size wasn't enough to defend against the impact of Bowser. Only the half of branch farthest from the trunk was shuddering.
Nana scampered to her feet and dashed a few metres before hopping nimbly to the safe area, just as the branch began gradually tearing away. It had torn halfway when Bowser finally managed to prise his spikes from the unyielding oak. He ran with the most effort that he'd ever run before. It was pitiful to watch. Each of his footsteps detached the branch ever more, and when it finally came free, he leapt further than ever before. Nana judged he went airborne for a whole quarter of a second and soared a monumental 50 centimetres. Nevertheless, one grasping hand clutched the edge. He held on for a few seconds until his downwards momentum dragged him down.
He relinquished his grip and dropped like a stone; he tucked himself into his shell. By pure luck, he struck a branch, and ricocheted off, bouncing from off of various branches like a pinball. Eventually, he was sent ricocheting directly downwards towards the lowest branch. He landed spine-down about three quarters along the branch. Bowser came out of his shell; he was pinned down by the spines. Then the branch snapped in half. The Koopa's stomach lurched as he fell to his death.
Fortunately for him, his death was brought to an abrupt halt; his half of the branch (the outer half) was hanging vertically with an upside-down Bowser stuck to it. The two halves were connected by a tiny piece of wood. That tiny piece of wood was supporting Bowser's whole section of branch.
Nana groaned. She had been hoping Bowser would just fall into the vast emptiness; but now it was within her power to help him. With agility that would have caused professional gymnasts to lay on the floor and weep, Nana traversed the tree, leaping, swinging, and somersaulting around branches until she was plummeting towards the branch. As she descended, she noticed the narrow strip of supporting wood coming away. She pointed her fingers, and ice shot forth. Her aim was true, and the weak strip of wood became encased in ice, strengthening it beyond measure. Then she did the only thing she could do- she began calling out encouragement and advice as Bowser began his incredibly dangerous recovery.
First he planted his hands firmly on either side of the branch. Then he swivelled, his spines revolving in their makeshift sockets until he was the right way up. Then he planted his feet firmly on either side of the branch, before pushing with his hands to dislodge the spikes. When they finally came free, he should have fallen to his death. But because of his feet pressing against the branch, rather than falling, he did an odd kind of slow-motion face-plant. As he face-planted heavily on his front, he grabbed the branch with his hands. His position now was being on his front, facing downwards, while holding on with hands and feet. Then he somehow managed to turn himself around until he was in the exact same position as before, but facing upwards. Finally, he began his slow and dangerous ascent, climbing steadily.
Nana began to wonder whether her generosity had sealed her fate and whether she should have just left him to die. As a precaution, she leapt up to a nearby branch. Bowser eventually scrambled to the top and lay breathlessly for a moment. Just when he was about to say a grudging 'thanks', the remainder of the branch began to detach. The poor Koopa barely had the strength to clamber to his feet, but clamber he did. He desperately jumped for the nearest branch, not realising that Nana was occupying it. Nana yelped as all of Bowser's weight slammed into her, sending her flying off the branch and down into the open air. Bowser watched her fall for a few seconds before gritting his teeth and leaping after her. He had to make things right.
Ness almost achieved liftoff, rocketing upwards on a small section of the warehouse's corrugated roof. As he began descending, he looked down and noticed Dedede, who had somehow managed to get onto the roof after sending Ness skywards on the Space Express. Ness noticed the sharp edges of the section of roof and formulated a plan. He held it in front of him like a knife, falling straight towards Dedede. The sound the sharp edge made slicing through Dedede was the stuff of nightmares. But it was a small price to pay for victory.
The hook reached the summit of the construction site. Mario sprung at Pikachu, aiming to flying-kick the small mouse Pokemon. Pikachu dodged so fast it almost looked like teleportation. Mario flew right over Pikachu and down a gap, dropping down to the second highest level. Pikachu launched a quick burst of lightning. The Italian barrel-rolled aside, dashing away. Pikachu hopped down and chased Mario to the edge with a surprisingly evil grin on his face. He thought Mario was scared. When Mario reached the edge, Pikachu leapt at him. Mario deftly caught him and casually tossed him off the edge. Pikachu plummeted right to ground level, where he landed in a huge vat of cement. SPLAT! Pikachu submerged completely. But it was only a matter of time before the Pokemon escaped.
Mario leapt off fearlessly, shooting towards the ground at high speed. He could see Pikachu struggling to escape the cement that encased him. Mario pulled out his cape and held it above his head. It billowed out above him as it filled with wind, slowing his descent just enough for him to reach the ground safely.
He dusted off his overalls, before overturning the cement vat, leaving Pikachu to suffocate and die. Which he did.
Nana's limbs flailed wildly as she shot downwards. She just managed to make out Bowser's guttural growl shouting something about slowing herself down so he could help. She couldn't see what the Koopa King could do to help, nor why he wanted to in the first place. Nevertheless, she heeded his call. Nana tugged off her parka and opened it above her head. It billowed in the wind, slowing her descent considerably. The wind and g-force however, were so ferocious that the parka was whisked from her grasp. She desperately spread her arms and legs like a star, slowing her down whilstBowser shot downwards headfirst, making him more aerodynamic. Finally the ground came into sight. Theywere dropping downwards straight towards a small city. Then Bowser caught up. He smothered her in his hands and threw her upwards like a baseball pitcher.
Nana understood. If Bowser hit the ground and died first, then she could be saved. Bowser closed his eyes, waiting...waiting...waiting... He cautiously opened his eyes. He was hovering a millimetre above the ground. He was momentarily confused... until he spotted Nana. She had been speared on a church steeple. Bowser's eyes widened in shock. She had saved him. And he had failed to save her. Bowser vowed, that whatever happened, he was not going to kill anyone else.
Ever again.