Chapter Twenty-Three:

At the Absolute Breaking Point

The near-omnipotent Wah-man and Master Hand stared at each other for a long minute with many thoughts going through their minds at the same time. On Waluigi's end, he was wondering if his power was enough. On Master Hand's end, he was processing all that had just happened. The arena was full of silence, then it was broken when the gloved entity spoke.

"That wasn't half bad, Waluigi." He remarked, "I may just let you into Smash after all."

Waluigi's face lit up as he floated down and stood on the platform. After all these years, after so much hard work, he was finally in Smash! Waluigi cried "yeah" without even a "wah", not noticing that his muscular super form was fading away, replaced by his normal lanky appearance.

He was too busy rejoicing to even notice until Master Hand spoke; "Uh, Waluigi? You just reverted back to your normal self."

And that was when he noticed, Waluigi looked at himself with horrified eyes. "No, no, no!" He exclaimed, "Now that you've accepted me, my powers are gone! Oh no! How could this be possible? This is not good, I'm gonna be laughed at again..." Waluigi then heard Master Hand beginning to chuckle evilly and he became worried, "...but at least you'll let me in Smash, right?"

Master Hand laughed out loud, "Nope. You're back to being an Assist Fighter with no major importance."

With those words, the host of Smash left the arena, leaving Waluigi alone as he found himself sulking once more. Waluigi sat on the edge of the platform, on the edge of Final Space, staring at the void with moving green lines.

And all he could feel was great sadness. He'd found his special move, his true potential. And then, just when he'd finally been accepted, he'd lost that power and been turned away again as usual like nothing happened. And right when he had one happy moment in his life with his dream fulfilled, it was all dashed within seconds.

'What a rotten day, eh?' He could hear Wario laughing at his misfortune and taunting him. 'You're a loser and you'll always be a loser.'

'Looks-a like your destiny never awaited you in Smash.' Waluigi heard Mario taunting him.

'Smash is for losers, LOL!' The wah-man was hearing Bob taunting him.

'Pfft, you're too lame for Smash.' Now, he could hear Saiko taunting him.

'All you are in Smash is Assist Fighter material, you have no playable character prowess.' Master Hand's voice declared, 'If you don't like it, then you should never be in Smash at all. Waluigi in Super Smash Bros is laughable, nobody cares, nobody! You have nothing, you may as well walk and nobody will EVER CARE ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT YOU AREN'T IN SMASH.'

'No.'

Tears rolled down his cheeks and then they faded, the sorrow engulfing Waluigi melted, replaced with apathy and contempt. Hatred and anger bubbled forth and Waluigi snarled. his fists clenched, and he raised an arm, shaking his fist angrily.

Dark mist surrounded him and the serpent reared it's head again. It had been only the beginning when his powers awakened and when he tested them, now he'd been neglected and turned down again, treated with apathy and disdain. Waluigi's eyes sparked blue and he snarled in an inhuman manner, then he let out a scream of fury.

All the rage came forth, coming out in bursts of lightning that surrounded Waluigi. The Wah-man floated into the air, his mind slipped and something else took over. He transformed into his muscular deity-like form once more and raised his arms, unleashing his great powers onto the world around him.

The Final Space arena exploded in a bright light and the mighty super-powered Waluigi hovered above the Mushroom Kingdom, staring down upon the inhabitants of the world with rage-fueled eyes.

In those seconds, Waluigi became a new entity as lightning exploded around him in the sky. He stared down upon Koophari Desert and roared, sending down an explosive torrent of LIGHTNING that ruptured the earth and formed a crater in the dunes while turning half of the sand into glass.

His powers were so immense, so destructive. Waluigi found himself in a town, it wasn't Toad Town, but the town was still populated by Toads with hints of Koopas and humans everywhere. He roared, unleashing a mighty power that leveled several houses, reduced Toads to ash while those who lived became still as statues, their arms out to the side in a sort of T-Pose.

T-Posing, how interesting...

Waluigi slowly floated into the sky as dark clouds rolled in. The Wah-man was engulfed in rage and power, he screamed with fury, ready to unleash more destruction. And then, his true self came to the surface.

In a second, his eyes reverted back to normal, he floated down to the ground, coming to rest in a countryside near the mountains. The Wah-man took back control, slowly calming himself down, and he reverted back to his lanky, overalls-clad self. He looked at his hands, which crackled with power, and thought about what had just happened.

This great new power, he'd controlled it, but it had just controlled him too. Perhaps it depended on how much anger boiled within him, or perhaps it depended on something else.

He felt his fingers sparkle with blue energy, then his eyes started to sting. No, he wasn't crying, it was that power. It would never go away, even if people accepted him. Waluigi began to ponder, was he born with this power, had it been sleeping deep inside his genes this whole time?

"Unbelievable." Waluigi commented, "I'm... I'M A MUTANT! I'm gonna be part of the X-Men..."

And then, he thought about how he wasn't in control earlier, then he thought about how he'd lost control of himself and became someone else. Waluigi thought back to his remark and it hit him; He wasn't a Mutant, he was The Hulk, if The Hulk had secret mutant genes and his powers were unlocked by a mixture of gamma radiation and emotional sadness and anger from years of pain and neglect.

'I doubt Hulk would fit in with the X-Men.' Waluigi thought, 'But could I fit in with the X-Men? Would they accept me? Could Charles Xavier teach me to control my powers? Or would they say 'no' to me, like how Master Hand said 'no' to me being in Smash?'

"...But these powers, they could be useful." The Wah-man said to himself, "I could dominate the world, bring suffering to everyone who treated me like garbage..." He sneered evilly, "...make them pay. Who cares about 'with great power, comes great responsibility', imagine what I can do with it, all of the people in this world enslaved or destroyed.

"Yes, I see my true potential now. This world treated me like a joke, a laughing stock, a meme to be mocked online. I shall repay them all, even my own brother. I can imagine it now, the Mushroom Kingdom under my heel, the armies I could crush, and the whole world in my grasp all thanks to one thing; the power of pain and neglect in the palm of my hands.

"It won't be easy though..." Waluigi's evil smile faltered, "We... I need to control my new power, tame it first. I can't conquer and rule everything if I'm not in control. Once in control, we can then unleash the apocalypse and conquer the Mushroom Kingdom AND BEYOND. All civilizations will be brought to ruin, rebuilt as I see it, and a new world will arise WITH WALUIGI AS IT'S GOD!"

He laughed, a slight tear rolling down his face, then he composed himself. "But before we begin, I must train." Waluigi declared, "Perhaps I shall travel to the darkest corners of this world, climb to the peaks of the tallest mountains, and find a place where I can master these powers and what else they have to offer."

Waluigi's choice was made, he would train and bide his time, then he would unleash his wrath upon the world. The Wah-man set off on his quest and didn't bother to call Wario, he didn't bother to come, nor did he bother to check his text messages.

Never again would he interact with anybody else in a civil manner, he would train and stick to the shadows, plotting his vengeful conquest of the world that had mocked him.

For many days and nights, he traveled through the barren distant deserts and crossed treacherous canyons. Soon, Waluigi was climbing the great peaks of Mount Zauron, using the directions given to him by shady merchants from a land known as the Dark Web.

Zauron was one of the highest of mountains in the land, dwarfing the mighty Death Mountain of Hyrule. And according to a travel guide, the mountain was the home of a temple where those with unique superpowers could train themselves to control their abilities. Waluigi sought a place of sanctuary away from civilization where he could train himself and he was in luck.

He climbed for long countless minutes, avoiding boulders and slippery slopes, keeping his eyes open while watching himself. The higher he went, the more misty his surroundings became as the peak was shrouded in a great mist. But thankfully, the mist was thin enough for the sun to shine through.

Waluigi climbed tirelessly, even with sweat pouring down his forehead, filled with determination to conquer this hill.

Finally, he reached the top and saw a structure through the haze. He walked closer, seeing the tall shrine before him, and petals rained down. Someone had planted a garden at the entrance and flowers could be seen in patches of grass near the doorway leading into the temple. As Waluigi could see, this was the only spot on Mount Zauron to have plant life.

The lanky Italian grinned, knowing he was a step closer to beginning his training and that he would soon control his power. It could be months or years, but he would master his ability no matter what. Waluigi stepped forward and the doors opened as if they had a mind of their own.

'Very interesting.' He thought, it was probably just the wind or a form of magic.

Brimming with confidence and determination, Waluigi stepped over the threshold ahead and entered the majestic shrine. Pillars flanked the doorway, taking the shape of armored beings from an ancient past, an ancient civilization that respect power and strength.

Waluigi walked slowly, taking his time to respect the architecture, and he could see the blue-colored Asian banners hanging down from the ceiling near the pillars. His skin tingled and his eyes sparkled with energy as he sensed the power emanating from within, many warriors had trained her long ago and Waluigi wasn't the only super being to come here.

Perhaps superhumans like Superman and Wolverine had come here at some point, to train and enhance their strength. This place, there was so much mystery and history behind it.

"What brings you here?"

Waluigi ceased movement, hearing the bubbly voice, it... sounded Octarian. No, not just Octarian, it sounded like a female Octoling. Was this place crafted by Octarians sometime during the Great Turf War, was this meant to be a stronghold from which DJ Octavio could launch an attack on the Mushroom Kingdom?

"My name is Waluigi." Waluigi said, "And I am here to learn to control my newfound godlike powers that controlled me, unlocked by pain and neglect combined with the powers of the universe refusing to let me be a playable character in Super Smash Brothers."

"That is an interesting story. Can I see your power?"

Waluigi focused on a painful thought, a thought that angered him. And then, he transformed into his muscular super form, complete with his staff. His mind slowly slipped, then Waluigi quickly focused on happiness and reverted back to his regular form. The Octoling voice giggled, then he heard footsteps and looked up.

A pink-tentacled Octoling with brown skin approached him with eyes of gold and a small heart tattoo on her cheek. She was dressed differently from other Octolings, wearing a dark-blue sweater with blue-linings on the sleeves and an octopus on the side along with a white undershirt, black Octo-shorts, black gloves and the usual Octoling combat boots.

"You managed to transform without an issue, how is it you can't control it apparently?"

"When I first transformed, I could control it. But when my powers left me after I was briefly accepted and as I became fueled by rage, my power returned..." Waluigi explained, "...only I lost myself and something else took over, unleashing destruction on the world, before I took back control. I felt like the Hulk."

"Did you really?" The Octoling giggled.

"It just occurred that I didn't catch your name." Waluigi remarked.

"You don't know me?"

"Other than the fact you're an Octoling and Waluigi is surprised to see an Octoling here."

"I was training, then I was told about this temple and came here to train. We can train together..." The Octoling then giggled again, "Oh, my manners. I should establish myself as you did a little bit ago, you can call me Desti."

"Desti? Like, the Octoposse leader, the girl that Mario and Meggy ran into a while back?"

Desti flashed the peace sign, "That is right, at your service." She extended a hand, "And I can help you train, we can train together. All it takes is hours of meditation and focus, warriors trained for hours in this place until their skills were mastered completely."

Waluigi looked at the Octoling, thinking about her offer. And finally, he made his choice and shook Desti's hand. Soon, they were kneeling before a tall statue on all knees, their eyes closed as Desti walked Waluigi through his training. She may not have been a master, but her team leader status seemed to be quite useful.

He meditated for many minutes and the minutes turned into hours. Waluigi focused on his inner spirit and thought of power. Deep into his meditation, he opened his eyes as they sparkled with power and a sneer crossed his face. With Desti's help, he would achieve control, then the apocalypse would begin. And it would all start with a mushroom and T-posing...

Note: The ending for the Waluigi's Time episode was originally planned to involve Waluigi meeting Desti before the Lerdwichugal Bros scrapped it. Since I'm adapting the Waluigi Arc and I love unused ideas being used in other projects, why not use it here so, in a sense, Desti IS in the Waluigi Arc?