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Mac huffed as he put down the dumbbells he curled with, carefully putting the heavy weights back to where they were.
With his first match roughly finished, the lightweight boxing champion found himself training harder. Doc Louis gave him a whole set of exercises for several days, letting the boxer know that he was finally going to get in the game. His coach also provided several old video tapes that Master Hand recommended for Mac to watch. The tapes contained old Smash Brothers battles, some of them showing grand moments of awesomeness. Some tapes apparently contained useful information centered on the mistakes of the contestants in their previous matches.
But Doc cared too much about Mac. In fact, the man held a surprise party for Mac's showy victory right when the boxer left the arena. Chocolate, sweets, and several other delights that the boxer never tasted before were treated to him, and many of his fans were there to congratulate him. Ironically, Mac felt tired more from the party rather than the actual battle! But who was he to stop Doc Louis from being his usual, cheery self?
"Y'see," Doc Louis told some children that were curious about Mac's previous achievements, "Mac ain't a quitter. When he quits something, it's for good reasons, or it's because he's done his job and is totally through with it. Y'know he's a boxer, 'ight? Not exactly! He's a CHAMP! And as a champ, he knows how to be a boxer. Why? Cause he never quit being a boxer! Simple, eh? Ha ha ha!"
The dark-haired boxer remembered the shine that entered behind the childrens' eyes. Partying at a park out of all places guaranteed that Doc would have been able to provide inspirational talks with Mac's greedily curious fans. He still remembered how many people entered the party, and boy, it was a nightmarish memory.
A small smirk was all Mac could offer to the upbeat memory.
The boxer took his flip phone out, silently checking the time before putting the device away.
His quiet demeanor eventually led him out of the gymnasium. Donning a pink jumpsuit, Mac immediately proceeded to take a jog.
Instead of going straight into the city, Mac went to the route recommended by the blonde woman he met outside of the mansion not too long ago. Time crept by as the lightweight boxing champion ran down a peaceful road.
By the time Little Mac returned to the mansion, he felt a bit thirsty for water. Opening the front door, Mac took three steps into the building before hearing an explosion erupt throughout the entire place.
Yet another abnormal trait of the mansion that Mac had gotten used to… Perhaps one of the downsides of living in the mansion was that Mac found himself being unable to give sufficient amounts of craps for things that used to feel too dangerous for him. Sure, he did mind the condition of the mansion, but he had already realized that the mansion always seemed to stand without falling apart like a frail jenga tower no matter how much the contestants shook it.
Mac took three more steps into the building, only to find Lucina walking straight up to him. Where she came from, the boxer knew nothing of.
"Good day, Sir Mac," she said with respect in her tone. "'Tis a fine day to take a walk, I say."
Nodding at the woman, the boxer walked on, causing the blue-haired swordsman to follow him. The two walked in silence, with Lucina struggling on coming up with good conversations.
"…"
"…Ah! I forgot to tell you; congratulations on your first victory. You showed a splendid performance."
Another brief moment of silence fell over the conversation.
"…"
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"…Thanks."
"Huh?"
Little Mac turned to Lucina, a very small grin presented from him. Blinking at the boxer, the swordswoman nodded, startled by how she brought out a verbal response from him. Her expression then turned gloomy, though Mac was oblivious to this.
"…Sir Mac?"
"…?"
"I… actually looked for you because there was a question I had."
"…"
"P-Pardon me if I'm intruding too much! It's for your sake, so… I would like it if you answered me honestly."
Curiosity grew within Mac as he turned to Lucina. He never actually thought about having Lucina ask a question for his sake rather than Robin's.
Biting the bottom of her lip, the blue-haired swordswoman mustered up her courage before asking the boxer,
"Did you… feel strange in that match?"
"…"
Mac saw Lucina's eyes piercing through him. It seemed that she was not playing around with him, judging by how seriously she looked at him. Or it could be another one of her strange quirks, but Mac was not careless enough to disregard anyone who made themselves to be strange. She seemed genuinely worried about something, though the boxer was unable to decipher the strange emotion he felt from her.
Then there was also that strange mark on her eye… though, Mac decided to think about that later.
"Strange?" Mac asked the swordswoman.
"Yes. For example, when Master Hand brought out that sword, did you feel any strange emotions? Emotions such as… fear, or maybe even dread, for example."
Fear?
Dread?
Strange… emotions…?
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Fear…
Dread…
Strange… emotions.
Did he feel any strange emotions? What could possibly make him feel any stranger other than fighting two giant hands on a flat platform?
Did he feel fear? Yes, and he had grown used to it.
Did he feel dread? No, because he was already used to fear. He had no time to feel down about his own life or anything.
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Mac shook his head.
"I felt nervous," he said straightforwardly. "But when I won, I stopped feeling nervous."
"When did you start feeling this nervousness?" Lucina pressed on.
"Since the beginning of the match."
"And did any certain attacks make you feel something more than just nervousness?"
"…"
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"I…"
Mac blinked. He wondered and pondered beyond the yonder of his long train of thoughts. Was there anything that actually frightened him? Something that made one of the Hands feel intimidating?
Crazy Hand took the entire battle carelessly, so the left hand let out a carefree aura even when he was losing. Mac actually enjoyed figuring out the sporadic hand's abilities, as the Hand understood that the match itself was not a serious one.
Master Hand, on the other hand…
…He had to admit, something was a little strange.
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"I was just surprised," Mac admitted, "when Master Hand took out a sword. But…"
"…But…?"
The boxer looked back at Lucina, honesty resting behind his eyes and words.
"I never fought him before. I think I just felt taken by surprise because I never saw him attack until that match."
"Are you positive, Sir Mac? You do not need to hide anything from me," Lucina stated.
Was something wrong? Mac never saw the blue-haired girl with such serious eyes before. There was nothing humorous about her stance. All he saw was a worried person.
He wondered… if he really was the cause of her worry, then should he not be the one to ease the worry? Lucina did point out that she was asking for his sake, after all. Mac did not want to be too rude to the woman when she wanted to tell him something out of genuine concern. Sure, he did ignore her when she tried to "save" Robin, but that was an entirely different situation that made no sense.
Right now, he needed to be honest. And he was being honest.
The boxer smiled before poking the bridge of the woman's nose.
"…?! H-Huh…?!"
As quiet as ever, Mac slowly began to walk again, waving at the petrified blue-haired woman. Still confused on what he meant by the poke, Lucina touched her nose repeatedly.
Then, just like that, she returned back to being the Lucina he knew of quite well.
"HE GOT MY NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSE!"
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The next day…
Ganondorf snapped a potato chip in half and ate it.
"That was one of the most pointless sights I have ever seen in my life," Captain Falcon commented as he continued to eat his lasagna. The captain and the King of Evil were dining at the cafeteria. Just recently, the installed a public television that could be used for all of the Smash contestants. It made things convenient, considering how no one seemed to leave their own dormitories due to how they had everything inside the rooms anyway.
"If you have a problem, get on my good side," Ganondorf replied before making a thoughtful look. "Wait- I don't have a good side…"
"Yeah, you're not good. You suck."
The King of Evil swung a fist at Captain Falcon's head. Quick to react, the captain abruptly raised a hand and caught the fist, holding it tightly as the two men attempted to win in an imminent power struggle.
"Did you know?" Ganondorf asked through clenched teeth. "I'm too good for the Smash Brothers tournaments, I told Master Hand and Crazy Hand that I'll just be using your moves!"
"Oh yeah?" Captain Falcon responded, a grin forming by instinct. "Well, show me your moves, Gondalapig!"
"GONDALAPIG?!"
"YES! GONDALAPIG! YOU FLY LIKE A PIG, TOO! HAHAHAHAHA-"
"URGHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHH! YOU'RE GONNA DIE TODAY, YOU VIEWTIFUL J*E RIP-OFF!"
"COME ON!"
And thus, the two entered yet another battle. As they fought, Zelda shook her head at the violent sight to behold. Sitting with her was Samus Aran, Peach, and the yellow mouse Pokemon, Pikachu.
"They're at it again," the princess of Hyrule commented. "I dearly hope that they would not destroy the cafeteria droids. Those things are well-made."
"I just hope no one gets hurt!" Peach spoke softly, recalling a painful moment she witnessed in the lobby of the mansion. "They should just settle it in Smash instead of settling it inside the mansion…"
Zelda put up a thoughtful look before commenting, "They are technically settling it in Smash. Well, with Smash. They're just not doing it in an actual Smash battle, which really could hurt people sometimes."
"I do not think even Mister Mewtwo caused this much… destruction… when he got angry."
"…Well, see, Peach, Mewtwo is actually decent because he tended to fix whatever he broke. Meanwhile, our fan-favorites over there leave the fixing all up to the plumbers, the Hands, or even Bowser."
Peach nodded, watching Captain Falcon and Ganondorf duke it out worriedly. Samus, who wore her blue jumpsuit, remained silent as the Pikachu next to her sat snugly in her lap. Finishing her soup without dropping anything weird on the Pokemon, the bounty hunter looked up, raising an eyebrow at how the two men already destroyed a table.
Then she saw someone familiar enter the cafeteria.
"Hm?" Peach tilted her head. "Is that Mister Mac?"
"LITTLE MAC?!" Captain Falcon and Ganondorf screamed in unison, their heads darting around as they hungrily searched for the boxer. "MAC WHERE?!"
Suddenly, Captain Falcon sent a Falcon Punch at Ganondorf's direction. The King of Evil rolled away before leaping over to the F-Zero pilot, swinging an overhead punch at where the pilot's head was. Backflipping away to safety, Captain Falcon landed on his feet, forming a grin right below the helmet he wore. The ground that Ganondorf punched now had a tiny crater formed under where he struck.
"You told me you weren't interested in his fighting prowess, Ganon."
"Let's just say he broke some of my expectations," Ganondorf growled, his eyes glowing yellow, "Falcon."
Little Mac stared at the two competitors throwing a Warlock Punch and a Falcon Punch at each other, causing a massive amount of wind to blow across the room. His face completely devoid of emotions, the boxer stood still as the two fights continued to battle in the cafeteria.
"I wonder if it's too late to go home now" summed his feelings up in a nutshell.
Deciding to ignore the strangely epic battle between the two contestants, Little Mac picked up a tray and took a quick look at the menu. He then proceeded to receive some mushroom soup and a strange, blue-colored jelly he had already tasted before. Collecting a water bottle for his drink, Mac strolled off to the lobby.
Peach smiled before getting up from the table.
"I will be accompanying Mister Mac if he does not mind!" The princess said. "I have been thinking about inviting him to our little party."
"Really?" Zelda asked, her tone suggesting that she was unsure of inviting a muscular boxer into a party filled with tea and elegance.
"Really! Don't worry, Princess Zelda. Mister Mac is a good person!"
"…I wouldn't have worried if he didn't O.H.K.O. Crazy Hand, you know."
Fluttering like a flower, Peach walked gracefully, passing by the two fighters duking it out in the cafeteria. Ganondorf swung a leg at Captain Falcon's head, but the F-Zero pilot was swift enough to punch it away from Peach's direction before twisting his body to the opposite direction. Jumping in place, Captain Falcon delivered two spinning kicks on Ganondorf's head before landing on the ground, turning one last time to kick away the King of Evil.
"That would have hurt if your attacks weren't like that of a rat's," Ganondorf smirked, unfazed by the swift attacks Captain Falcon sent at him.
Captain Falcon smirked back, motioning Ganondorf to come at him.
"Rats can spread plagues, Ganon; and I'm spreading the plague of 'kick your a#%.'"
As the two continued to fight, Zelda decided to follow Peach for her safety's sake. Samus picked Pikachu up before following Zelda, completely ignoring the battle with the most bored look bounty hunters could come up with.
A golden crown popped out of the corner of a wall. Then, a tiara, a blue hoodie, and two black pointy ears popped out as well.
The four watched Little Mac put down the food he collected. Reaching for his pocket, the boxer took out what appeared to be a flip phone.
"Is that… a flip phone?" Zelda asked, somewhat baffled by the reveal of Mac's phone. "They do not sell those phones in this world, from what I have heard."
"The phones we use are flat," Samus pointed out. "Perhaps he comes from a less advanced world, or he just did not care about having a good phone in the first place."
"I see!" Peach chirped, albeit quietly.
The lightweight boxing champion punched in several buttons before putting the phone on the same table he placed his food on. Sitting down on one of the comfortable sofas, the man in the pink jumpsuit picked up his bowl of soup, eating all of it within fifteen seconds before moving onto the blue jelly. Though he did not seem to like it that much, Mac consumed the jelly within seconds as well.
"Holy…"
Zelda stopped herself from finishing the statement to retain her reputation as a princess.
Mac looked up at the flip phone before pressing a button, drinking his water after he did so. A few seconds later, his phone began to emit a series of messages.
"You have. Two. Messages."
"'Ey, Mac baby! I'm right now at this huge, HUGE cave that you might fight in later! Anyway, a couple o' things 'fore I hang up! First things first, you're going to officially begin your first tournament match once the on-going tournament ends soon, so be ready! Y' got at least two weeks before you could join in the tournament!"
"Tell ya what; if you do a hundred-thousand pushups and a couple other 'hundred-thousand' exercises, you'll be all right! Ha ha! No, but son, don't kill yourself. I'm telling ya, you should push your limits, but remember not to go too far! Don't be too full of yourself, either. Y' gotta keep that balance, Mac. Y' gotta work it hard, but don't waste your energy too much right before the tournaments start! Stay in top condition, champ; you can do it!"
"So far, the stages you're going to fight in are really diverse, so I'll gather as much info as I could before telling ya what's up ahead. Also, you miiiiiiiiight wanna work on your jumps, buddy. Master Hand said he'd do something about how you can't jump in the air like everyone else, but for now, just keep working on those jumps. You're no air fighter, Mac, so try to find a way to recover from the air if you do get hit!"
"Also, I noticed you're gettin' pretty close to the peeps over there. Good job, Mac! You're probably gonna get a great friend that you can rely on, soon. Pretty sure you're gonna get more than one friend, but hey, it ain't too bad for me to worry 'bout you, right? Then again, maybe you're gonna try sparring the heck outta whoever befriends you. Ha ha ha!"
Mac smirked as he drank from his bottle again.
"And Mac; I heard some of the ladies there are pretty. Don't get too attached to 'em, or y'might run into some problems when you're fighting, y' hearin' me?"
The boxer abruptly swallowed the water he just drank, nearly choking himself. He coughed, flushed by the sudden statement Doc Louis added in.
"Just kiddin', son! Ha ha ha! Oh man, I'm starting to sound like my old pops. Don't feel worried about what relationships ya make with people over there. All sorts of friends and rivals; you meet them anywhere, and you're going to make them all the time. The thing you need to pay attention on is how truthful the friendship and rivalry goes. Got it, Mac?"
"I'ma hang up, now. I'll call back later!"
"*beep*"
"This is Snake. Colonel, where the crap did you put my video games at?! I swear to G- OH SH#%, WRONG NUMBER-"
"End of messages."
Mac raised an eyebrow at the last particular message before snatching the phone off of the desk. He proceeded to continue drinking water.
"Hello!"
At the sound of a high-pitched voice Mac desperately needed to hear, the boxer turned around to find Peach walking up to him with a smile.
The lightweight boxing champion had to admit that meeting Peach was like meeting an angel. And by angel, he meant that she felt like one whenever Mac was visited by her after he went through a series of unfortunate events in the mansion. She did not become paranoid and start to accuse Mac of stealing Robin away from her, and she did not seem to hate him. All she wanted to give was a smile and appreciation, which Mac could never return the favor for due to how pure she was.
"Hello, Mister Mac," she repeated as she bowed politely, causing the boxer to bow in response. "Good job on your first match! You were awesome."
Scratching the back of his head, Mac bowed a little, thanking her silently.
"I was wondering if you could join me in a party. It's a small party, but if it goes against your schedule, then I could…"
Shaking his head, the boxer quietly told her,
"I can go."
And it was true. Mac had plenty of time in his hands. In fact, if he had nothing to do other than training, then he would become the literal representation of repetition. He did not want to be repetitive in that kind of way. A small part of him did want to get along with the people around him, despite the fact that he had an anti-social nature in general.
Peach's smile turned into a brighter one.
"Then it's settled! We will be having the party a few hours from now. Around… the ninth hour, I'd say!"
Mac nodded.
He did not know what kind of catastrophe he brought himself into, but for some reason, he just could not say no to the same person that treated him so nicely.