Hello, everybody. Herr Wozzeck typing this all up.
For those of you that don't seem to know me, I have a tendency to go on and on whenever I get into my writing. In fact, one time I was writing up a fight scene for my Fire Emblem-related epic Atrorie: Land of Dreams, and I wasn't able to stop for several minutes. You can see where I did that by checking the A/N's thoughout the novel.
Anyways, we've begun sightreading the opera we're doing in school this year. This year, we are planning on doing Hansel and Gretel by Engelbert Humperdinck. It's probably going to be the best thing we're ever going to do in my time in that school, so I'm an extremely happy camper here.
Oh, by the way, I normally like to end the chapter with the end of the chapter. I don't normally do A/N's at the end of a chapter unless I need to announce a hiatus or the story ended.
Anyways, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!
Chapter 2
The eyes of the paintings in the halls of the mansion seemed to follow the people that walked in the corridors every day. The red paint was enough to make any grown man feel nervous, and every two tables a floating candelabrum was seen.
Ness wondered why this mansion was the one they had been housed in as he walked. He knew many mansions that could have housed the twenty-six combatants in the newly begun tournament. Heck, even the mansion of the brother of the most famed combatant could have served as a housing place.
Of all the places he was able to pick, the man who organized the tournament picked one that nobody knew of, and the one that was probably the creepiest at that.
It was really quite strange how the events of the past few months had unfolded. A man named Albrecht had volunteered to host a tournament, and the members of the group of twenty-six combatants known as the Super Smash Brothers were very thrilled. However, Albrecht had warned that the 'smashers', as they were so called, would need all the training they could get, as this tournament was to be a legendary chapter in the course of the history of the Super Smash Brothers.
Walking down those halls, Ness was not totally sure how this tournament would be like that. It had looked and felt pretty much like a normal tournament, except for maybe the fact that it was being broadcast on all the major television stations throughout Smash Island and the locales where the technology was advanced enough to be able to show electronic images.
Then again, it was labeled the "SSB Masters", so Ness figured it was something important.
Ness adjusted the visor of his red cap as he walked down the halls. As he did, a large, somewhat burdensome figure walked, or rather stomped, into view. Spikes were seen jutting out of his back.
"Oh, hello Bowser," said Ness.
The creature turned his head to look at Ness.
"Hello," said Bowser. "What's up?"
"Not much," said Ness. "Although, I did miss my telepathic conversation with Mewtwo last night."
"Really?" asked Bowser. "Why would that be?"
"I'm not sure," Ness replied. "All I know is that he didn't seem to want to talk to me last night."
Everybody in the Super Smash Brothers knew that Ness and Mewtwo were both capable of psychic powers. Since these two shared a common trait that very few people had, it was like them to have a telepathic conversation in the middle of the night when everybody else was asleep. Oftentimes, these conversations went on for hours without rest. One time the conversation lasted so long that Ness fell asleep in his food at breakfast the next morning.
"He didn't want to talk?" asked Bowser. "That's strange…"
"I know," said Ness. "All I remember is that he didn't respond to my 'hello'."
"That is very strange indeed," said Bowser.
"Have you seen him anywhere?" asked Ness.
"I'm afraid not," said Bowser. "Nobody's seen him all morning."
"I guess he's busy feeling bad about the match yesterday," said Ness.
"I think that's what it is too," said Bowser. "He really needs to lighten up though. I mean, it's only a match. A match shouldn't be able to mess people up, yes?"
"Yes," said Ness. "Anyways, I'll see you later."
"Same here," said Bowser.
The two went their separate ways.
Roy sat on a couch in the so-called 'match lounge'. The smashers that were not participating in this fight were sitting there watching the currently just beginning match between Doctor Mario and Bowser that was taking place at Princess Peach's castle.
Roy paid enough attention to notice Dr. Mario running up to Bowser to punch him. Of course, Roy figured that Bowser would just grab Dr. Mario in those large claws of his. Indeed, this is exactly what happened, and once Bowser had Dr. Mario in his clutches, he threw him to the other side of the stage.
Once he had seen that, Roy's mind began to wonder from the match. It wondered to the feeling of strangeness he had experienced the night before.
He had woken up in the middle of last night's thunderstorm outside of his bed. In fact, he had been having an entire conversation with Peach, who was not able to sleep that night and had gone to the kitchen to have a snack. Roy had no idea what he had been doing in his time sleepwalking, so he had answered honestly to Peach's questions.
It was quite strange how he had been sleepwalking these past few days. Since the night the smashers arrived at this mansion they resided in, Roy had found himself waking up in strange places. It was quite weird actually. He went to sleep in his bed every night and woke up in some outlandish place to be at that time of the night. One morning, he woke up to a chef screaming at him for sleeping on the intended breakfast that morning.
He heard a couple of people gasp, and his attention turned back to the screen. Apparently, Bowser had almost been knocked off, but he had come back and used a spinning shell attack on Dr. Mario. This sent Dr. Mario across the stage.
Roy looked over to Mario. Dr. Mario was a second iteration of Mario that Master Hand had made a separate entity just for the Super Smash Brothers tournament. He had done that to a select few people in the tournament and to list some would take a while to do. Of course, Mario treated this separate entity of himself as a separate person, treating him with the amiability he gave to everybody else, so it would be natural for him to be concerned.
Of course, Roy knew that Dr. Mario was a little different. Since Dr. Mario was the medical expert of the group, he was always under stress of time to run around and heal every little cut and sickness the smashers endured.
Dr. Mario landed a punch on Bowser as Roy thought of Jigglypuff's absence from the tournament. Jigglypuff was reportedly ill when the tournament started, but she told Roy the truth; she felt that this tournament did not feel in any way correct. Looking at the blood-red walls of the mansion, Roy was only able to think that Jigglypuff was correct.
Roy looked back at the monitor just in time to see Bowser slam his spiky shell into Dr. Mario. This sent him flying out of the arena.
"Game!" shouted a voice somewhere.
"Relax, doctor," said a sweet woman's voice.
"I know I should relax," said Dr. Mario. "But how will I look to the public now?"
"Don't worry," said the woman. "We will still look at you as important."
Princess Peach of the Toadstool Kingdom had been trying to calm Dr. Mario's bout of depression. Peach knew why this bout had settled in; Dr. Mario had many patients outside of the smashers. Dr. Mario had been acting unreasonably about it though, saying that all his patients would not want to see him anymore.
"But what use does it make to look important to a small group if nobody else likes me?" asked Dr. Mario.
"A small portion is better than nothing," said Peach.
Dr. Mario was unable to counter that statement. He just stood there silently.
"I see," said Dr. Mario.
"Good," said Peach. She stood up and turned to leave the office that Dr. Mario would reside in.
"Oh, by the way, I think you may want to do away with the framed rules here," said Peach, indicating the frame right by the door.
"Why would that be?" asked Dr. Mario.
"According to your medical studies, this set of rules is outdated," responded Peach.
"You really think so?" asked Dr. Mario.
"Yes," said Peach. "Go ahead and change them."
With that, she left the office, closing the door behind her.
Dr. Mario pulled his briefcase up to his desk to take out a sheet of regulations that he had been hiding there for years. He never hung it up in the office of the regular mansion, but he would check the rules.
With this sheet in hand, Dr. Mario went up to the frame and read the rules.
"Indeed," said Dr. Mario. "These rules date back to a long time. I better update the rules."
He placed the paper on his desk, and then proceeded to remove the frame from the wall.
When he did, something sharp darted at his face. He felt extreme pain.
However, all he saw was a screen of white before he swam in an eternal sea of darkness.
"Tag! You're it!"
"Aw, man!"
"Come on, Nana! You get to chase us around now!"
"Okay, here goes!"
A young girl in a pink parka ran around, chasing a group of children and a small mouse-like creature. The girl was Nana, and she was playing with her friends. This group consisted of her brother Popo, her friend Young Link, and a creature known to the group as Pichu. They had been playing tag in the halls for hours now, and despite the threat of the object sitting there, they were having a blast.
Nana chased Pichu down the halls.
"Pichu! Pichu!" he was shouting in that characteristic trait that all Pokemon possessed.
This chase continued when Young Link ran past her. However, in his foray, he bumped into a table. The motion of the table then sent a lovely porcelain plate plummeting down to the ground.
Nana knew they were in deep trouble when she saw that plate fall.
However, instead of a dull crash, an 'ow' from Young Link was heard.
"What happened?" asked Popo suddenly.
"The porcelain plate fell on my toe," said Young Link.
Nana looked a few feet away to see the porcelain plate in one piece.
She and Pichu sighed in unison at this. At least they were not going to get in any trouble.
"Pichu pichu?" asked Pichu earnestly.
"It hurts like crazy," said Young Link.
"That's not good," said Nana. "We better take you to Dr. Mario. You said you knew where his office was, right Popo?"
"Yes," said Popo. "Follow me!"
The group of three people followed Popo, Young Link limping on his broken toe. They followed him down two flights of stairs and a hallway before they came upon a door.
"Here's his office," said Popo.
Young Link limped to the door. As he did, Nana thought she heard a splashing noise.
"What's that?" asked Nana.
"What's what?" asked Young Link.
"I'm hearing a splash under your feet," said Nana.
Young Link shrugged his shoulders.
"Somebody probably spilled some water around here," said Young Link.
He opened the door to Dr. Mario's office.
Nana, as well as the other three with her, beheld a shocking scene in front of them.
Off to one side, a flung picture frame was seen, with shards of glass being stained a deep red. A red fluid covered the area of the white floor, and this pool of blood even went so far as to stain the whitewashed walls a deep red at the base of the walls. By this picture frame was Dr. Mario.
Dr. Mario had a knife embedded deep in his face.
All was silent as the four kids took the scene in with terror.
Then, the mansion was coated in a blood-curdling scream.