Chapter 9:

Rumble at the Meadows

"Jake Jackson vs. The Ice Climbers!"

The blonde haired fencer stared at his image on the roulette before a smirk appeared on his face. He chuckled before standing up, dusting his lap.

"My turn already?" He said, eyes fixated on the roulette. "I didn't expect to be called so soon."

"At least you didn't have to fight in the first match…" Barren muttered, earning a laugh from his friends. "Not funny guys!...Wait a minute… This is a two-on-one match!" Jake looked back at the roulette. Barren was right. He was going against the Ice ClimberS. Plural. Meaning Jake would have to fight both of them…

"Then I'll have to fight twice as hard then." The blonde said. Barren and Cain stared at him, wide eyed.

"What?! Jake, this fight isn't fair!" Cain said. Even GIR was staring at him as if he had grown a second head...hehe. The robot chuckled at the thought.

"Guys, calm down." The boys turned their attention too Himawari. "The Ice Climbers have fought in these tournaments before. I know how they make this an even fight." Barren cocked his head.

"How?" Hima pointed to the one in the blue parka.

"The blue one, Popo, is the one who's going to do all the fighting, while his sister," She pointed to the one in the pink parka. "is going to be an assist." All the boys cocked their heads now, causing the girl to sweat drop. "Popo is the one that you're actually going to fight, but Nana helps him preform certain moves, like the Hammer Spin and the Ice Cloud. She still does fight on her own, but if you take out Popo, they lose automatically." Jake shrugged as a metal platform hovered in front of him.

"And if she loses?" He asked.

"Match continues. Just focus on Popo and you'll be fine." The blonde nodded as he stepped onto the platform.

"Either way, I'll still have to watch out for both of them...Thanks for the advice Himawari." The sorceress smiled.

"No problem."

"Alright! It's our turn! Come on Popo!" The male ice climber smiled at his sister's excitement. Ever since they got their invitation, Nana couldn't wait to participate in this tourney. And now the moment had finally arived. Sure Popo would be doing most of fighting, but she didn't care! This was probably one of the most exciting days of her life!

Hold on...Something's not right...They seemed...older?

That's right! The Ice Climners were no longer the short, stubby kids we all know and love. The were much taller, about Pit's height, looking to be abou fifteen to fourteen years old...Now don't tell Popo I said, but if you take just one look at Nana, you could tell puberty was good to her.

"Calm down Nana!" Popo said as their metal platform came closer. "This isn't the first time we've fought in one of these tournaments."

"Well you can't blame the girl for being excited Popo." The blue ice climber snapped his head to where the voice came from. Sitting there was Ness, Lucas and Toon Link, who I will refer too as Toon in this story to avoid confusion.

Like the ice climbing pair, the trio had also grown up...well, Toon had gotten taller, but his face still retained his cartoony features. He just wouldn't be 'Toon Link' without them.

Obviously, Ness was the one who spoke. "Nana loves being a Smasher, even if she doesn't fight directly. The fact that you two got invited for this tourney must have left her ecsatic." Popo chuckled as he remembered Nana's reaction whe she read the letter.

"True. Too be honest, I never thought we'd be invited again. I thought we weren't good enough to be called again..."

"Are you kidding me?!" Toon proclaimed, startling his friends. "You and Nana were among the best fighters last time, and you're telling me you thought you guys weren't good enough?!" The ice climber scratched his cheek as he felt his face flare up.

"I didn't mean it like that Toon...I just thought Master Hand would want someone different..." The hero of winds and the two psychics shook their heads.

"Sorry Popo, b-but even I have t-to disagree to t-that." Lucas said. And if he had the guts to correct him, Popo knew this was one discussion he couldn't win.

"Hurry up Popo! The platform's here already!" The blue clad boy turned to his sister.

"Coming! Gotta go guys. Wish me luck!" And with that, Popo ran up to his sister and hopped onto the platform, taking out his mallet from seemingly nowhere. "Ready Nana?" He asked as his sister stepped on, twirling her mallet with every step.

"As ready as can be bro...as ready as can be."

"Ow!"

Was what a certain rebellious demon said when Orvus smacked him upside the head.

"Your late!" The card dealer spat as Nicky rubbed the sore spot on his head. "Care to explain why?"

"What good will that do? You'd hit me either wa-Ow!" Nicky tended too another sore spot on his head while Orvus scolded him. "Okay, fine! I got caught up with some guys who invited me to sit with them." Orvus lifted his hand to deliver another slap before comprehension of what Nicky said hit him like a Falcon Punch.

"Come again?" The god asked, sounding completely flabbergasted. Even Litnor turned away from the stadium to look at the devil's youngest son.

"Some kid named Barren invited me to sit with him and his group. At first I said 'no', but the his friends kept insisting so I sat down for a while until you set my insides on fire." He explained, emphasizing that last part by shacking his shackles. The fallen god put a hand on his chin.

"Barren?..." He asked.

"Yeah." The demon spawn pointed in the boy's direction. "That kid over there." Orvus turned his gaze to the black haired warrior, who was currently trying to pry GIR off of his head, with very little success. "Kid's kinda weird. First guy I've met who thinks being the devils son is, as he put it, 'cool'." The card dealer raised an eyebrow.

"That is peculiar...but he looks...familiar..." The card dealer saw the scroll around his neck and his eyes widened. "Litnor, analysis." The masked demon nodded as he Stared intently at the boy, his eyes glowing with a sickly green color.

"Guys, do get the feeling you're being watched?"

"Just ignore it Barren."

"Seriously guys! It feels like someone's staring into the bowels of my soul..."

"His name is Barren Rein, a kung fu protege and grandson to the undefeated of the east. Fifteen years old. Personal interests include fishing, training, playing video games and...breaking the fourth wall..." The demons raised a collective eyebrow at that last one before Orvus turned to glare at the boy. And if looks could kill, Barren would've been massacred by now.

"Okay, now I think someone's trying to kill me with their glare..."

"Give it a rest Barren."

"So," He said, the white of his eyes slowly turning black. "He's Asia's grandson..." Nicky took a step back. Orvus was terrifying when he was angry. "Those he know anything about us?" Litnor's gaze never left the boy.

"C'MON GUYS I'M FREAKING OUT HERE!"

"SHUT UP AND WATCH BARREN!"

"No." The card dealer's eyes turned white again as he cast a confused glance at his steward. "He seems to have absolutely no idea of who we are." Orvus continued to stare at him before his lips contorted into a smirk.

"Well then, I suppose I don't have anything to worry about." He said, removing his cloak and handing it to Nicky. "Asia's is too old to be a challenging opponent. And that hand has nowhere near enough power to defeat me." He tossed his hat aside as darkness enveloped his clothes. "As long as that brat doesn't know about me or the power hidden inside him, everything should go according to plan."

Jake smiled as hopped off the platform and landed the soft green grass. The stadium had transformed itself into a luscious green pasture with a beautiful sunrise. He noticed a barn and a few animals, mainly cows, walking around the barnyard. But what was most notable about the stage was the dirt paved racetrack in the middle.

"A Mario Kart stage. Interesting." The blonde thought as he took out a sabre from nowhere. "Would've been cooler if it was Rainbow Road, not Moo Moo Meadows..." The blonde shrugged as his opponent-er...opponents landed a few meters in front of him. Popo jumped off normally, but Nana tripped on the platform and landed on her face.

"Owchie..." She said as her brother rolled his eyes. He held his hand out, which she gladly excepted.

"Careful Nana. Don't want you to get out of commission before the match even starts." The pink ice climber looked up at her brother, her cheeks flaring up.

"Sorry Popo. Just got a little too excited." She replied, dusting herself off.

"Well stay focused. We're going against a newcomer so be prepared for anything." The girl nodded as she readied her hammer, mirroring Popo's fighting stance. Jake smirked as he unsheathed his sabre.

"This should be interesting." Jake said as he entered his fighting stance. "I hope you two put up a good fight!" Popo nodded.

"Same here!" He replied. "But don't be too angry when we beat you!" A chuckled escaped the blonde's lips.

"Oh, we'll see who gets the last laugh..."

THREE!

TWO!

ONE!

GO!

"En guarde!" Jake exclaimed as he charged towards the duo. He swung his sabre, but the two jumped back and sent an ice cloud in his direction. The blonde narrowly managed dodge the attack, but Popo had ran up and hit him with mallet, sending him flying towards the barn.

"That all ya got buddy?" Popo taunted, shouldering his mallet. Jake growled as he used the barn's wall to regain his footing a hopped back onto the floor. Popo and Nana were there almost instantly, trying to hit Jake with their hammer spin. The blonde however ducked underneath the and countered with a slash from his sabre and a barrage of lunges to Popo's stomach. The blonde jumped over him, and kicked the ice climber in the back of his head, sending him through the barn wall.

"I'm not your buddy, pal." Popo stood up and shook the debris from the wall off. Nana joined his side as he looked at Jake with an amused grin.

"You're pretty good! Jake, was it?" The blonde nodded, just as amused as Popo.

"You're not so bad yourselves." He re-positioned himself. "I'm glad my first match is against you two...though it a shame we couldn't meet under more civil circumstances." The blue ice climber shrugged. Unfortunately, none of them noticed the mischievous smile form on Nana's.

"Well than here's an idea." The boys turned to the girl, who met both their glances.

"What do you have in mind fleur?" Jake asked as Nana smile grew.

"After this round, why don't we go to a diner, the three of us. Loser pays." Both of the boys smirked at the thought.

"I'm game sis. What about you Jake?"

"You wouldn't mind if a brought a few friends along?" He asked.

"Sure. But the bet's between us. They're paying for their lunches."

"Fair enough. Now," Jake readied his stance. "Shall we continue?" The ice climbers nodded before both parties charged at another. The twins swung their hammers, but Jake dodged quickly and kicked Nana away. Unfortunately he had no time to react when Popo hit him with an ice cloud, freezing him in place, and then hitting him with a hammer spin. The blonde grunted in pain as he was thrown back and hit by a downwards hammer swing, sending him to the ground. The blonde rolled out of the way of another descending mallet and tripped Popo off his feet. The blonde kicked him in the side, sending him flying towards the pasture.

"Popo!" His sister cried as she ran to his side. Popo stood up, only to be greeted by a smash attack from Jake's, sending the ice climber into the air. Jumped into the air and tried to send him flying, but Popo dodged the attack and countered with a hammer smash, sending the blonde towards the ground. Nana was already waiting there and shit hit Jake with another hammer swing, sending him flying towards the barn.

Jake growled. This was turning out to be a pretty even match. While he could easily pay anything the two would, failure wasn't an option. He entered this tournament with one goal: Too win. He regained his footing when he noticed the two charging towards him, preforming their hammer spin. He ducked under the attack, but Nana saw that coming and quickly froze him in place.

"Gotcha no~w." She taunted before the slammed their mallets onto him, sending the blonde hurdling through the air. Jake's ribs were starting to hurt from all the hammer swings. He shook off the pain and landed gracefully on his feet. If he had flown a little farther, he would've lost for sure!

The ice climbers charged once more, preforming the sane tactic again. Jake, however, wasn't stupid enough to fall for the same trick twice. When the two came by, Jake leapt over them, kicking Popo into the ground and footstool jumping off Nana's head. The blonde flipped through the air and landed behind the pink ice climber, tripping her while Popo got to his feet. The blonde preformed various lunges towards the boy and finished with an upward slash sending him through the air. As he came back down, the fencer concentrated on what he hoped would be his last attack.

"Here goes everything..." He whispered as the distance between them closed. Popo tried to hit him with a downwards swing, but Jake did an upwards lunge, hitting the climber in the stomach. He gasped for air before he was sent flying out of stadium, his scream becoming inaudible as he disappeared into a little star.

GAME SET!

"Popo!" Nana cried as she saw her brother get flung out of the stadium. She held back tears as her brother left her sight...she had been so excited for this tournament...and they already lost on round 1? She put removed her hood and a few tears escaped her eyes as the crowd continued cheering for Jake. She was so sad, she failed to Jake offering a hand to get her up.

"Hey." He said, getting her attention. "Don't be like that...we can't always win." The girl looked down at the dirt paved floor.

"But we made it so far last time...I was hoping we'd at least make it the semi-finals..." Jake frowned before taking a flower from the pasture and putting it in her hair.

"Well fleur, it's not that simple. We can't always succeed in what we want...but that doesn't mean this is a complete loss." Nana looked up at him, confused. "Did you have fun?" The girl nodded. "You may not be in the tournament anymore, but you can still have that fun again at anytime. Aren't you forgetting this is the bros.? Battles happen at regular basis even when the tournament isn't going on. That and you two have more time to get stronger for a rematch." He held out his hand. "So stop crying. You lost the fight, but your adventure doesn't end here." Nana, looked at his hand, then back at him. A smile crept onto her face.

"You sure know what to say to a girl." She said, cheeks rosy. The crowd let out a collective 'aww!' as Jake helped Nana up.

"It is my gift." He said as he hopped onto the platform that had arrived during his little speach. "And I believe you and your brother owe me dinner." Nana chuckled as the platform took Jake away.

"That was an incredible battle!" Master Hand yelled from his seat. "Wouldn't you agree Asia?" The kung fu master nodded, a smile on his face.

"Of course it was. This is what these battles are about. Not winning, that's only part of the enjoyment. No, it's the fun you have participating and the sportsmanship that counts. This match proved it."

"Couldn't have said it better myself!"

Nana watched as her brother respawned in front of her. He seemed upset, but just one look at his sisters face put him in a good mood.

"Now spin the roulette! Let's see who will move on to the next round!"