28 June 2014
MK
Dear Diary,
The Butters almost didn't make it to their tenth anniversary, but here they were! There was no big, splashy party. The couple had an intimate dinner at home and then planned a trip to Isle Delfino. It made sense—after all, it was where they met. In the meantime, Gavin would stay with his grandparents in Los Angeles. And whenever he missed them, they were just a phone call away.
I still don't think reconciling with that man was Grace's best choice, but it's a choice I'll respect. When all is said and done, Roland is trying to be a better man, if not for his own sake, then for his son's. Not that it changes how he treated me back in the day.
This whole thing has me so confused. I'll put it aside for later, and then come back to it when my mind has cleared.
Luigi
7 July 2014
MK
Dear Diary,
There's more Smash news to share! Let's start with the best part:
I was between clients when Little Mac gave me a buzz.
"Hey, Mac," I said.
"Hey, Luigi," said Mac. "It's good to hear your voice."
"It's good to hear yours," I said.
"Hey—remember back in Brawl when I was an Assist Trophy?" asked Mac.
"Yeah," I said.
"Well, my boxing match with DK whetted my appetite," exclaimed Mac. "I resisted as long as I could, but finally—I submitted an application to Master Hand."
"And…?"
"I'm officially a Smasher now!" cried Mac.
"Oh, my goodness! Mac!" I exclaimed. "That's wonderful news! I can't wait to see you on the battlefield! Does—that mean you're coming out of retirement?"
"I retired from the WVBA," clarified Mac. "I didn't retire from boxing itself. And I hear that in Smash, you're less likely to be hit in the head, and the rules are more flexible."
"How about Doc?"
"He'll be there to cheer me on," said Mac.
"Somehow, I knew you would join Smash Bros," I said. "Aw, Mac. This is gonna be epic, two old friends fighting together!"
"Guess I'd better start training," said Mac. "Man, Josh and his folks are gonna be stoked when I tell them!"
I decided not to tell him how Josh had fallen ill.
"Congratulations, Mac," I said before hanging up.
Later that day, I was at home when someone knocked on the door. It was Mario, his blue irises dancing.
"You're not gonna believe this," he said when I let him inside. "Mega Man's joining the tournament!"
"Mega Man?" I repeated. "The Super Fighting Robot? Dr. Light's greatest creation?"
Mario nodded excitedly. "Capcom's poster child is a third-party fighter! I've always wanted to test my skills against him!"
"All right. So, we've got you, Sonic and Mega Man," I said. "All that's missing is…"
My phone rang.
"Hold on," I said to Mario as I answered it.
"Hi, am I speaking to Luigi?" asked a voice.
"Yes," I replied. "Who is this?"
"I apologize for disturbing you, but I figured it would be nice to get in touch with a fellow ghost hunter," said the caller. "Of course, your method of catching them is radically different from mine."
I almost dropped my phone. "You—you're…" I stammered.
"That's right, Luigi. I'm Pac-Man. I hear you liked to play my game in the 80s."
"It's an honor to finally speak with you, Pac-Man," I breathed. "How…?"
"When I heard about your ghost-hunting exploits, I knew we just had to meet up," said Pac-Man. "No matter what anyone else tells you, you're a good man, and a brave one at that. I've just been invited to join you—and everyone else—at the most ambitious crossover event in video game history."
"Smash Bros?" I asked. "You're gonna be a Smasher? The face of Bandai-Namco is gonna be a Smasher?"
"Indeed," said Pac-Man, "and I'm happy to know that I'm not the only ghost-fighter in the world. I can't wait to meet you in person. Maybe—we can do lunch sometime."
"I'd really like that," I said. "I'll tell my bro the news, shall I?"
"All right," said Pac-Man. "See you at the tournament!"
"Yeah. See ya," I said before hanging up and turning to Mario.
"MH has invited Pac-Man—the OG Bane of Ghosts just called me personally!" I told him.
"Mio Dio! This is incredible!" Mario exclaimed. "Four video game mascots brought together as four major video game companies collide. Now I'm really looking forward to this tournament!"
Well spoke, Mario. Well spoke.
Luigi
19 July 2014
MK
Dear Diary,
Rounding out Smash 4's roster were some very interesting characters. First were the Villagers, hailing from the Animal Crossing franchise. Second were two Wii Fit Trainers, the protagonists of the Wii Fit games. Third was Shulk, from the Xenoblade series. The humanoid Miis I first encountered at the kart race would make up the Smash Mansion's staff and serve as our opponents in Multi-Man events. And perhaps the most unexpected character—the dog and the duck from the Duck Hunt games! MH had really dug into history and obscurity!
In other news, my performance at our latest kart race has exploded all over the media. Fox 5 News ran a story on my "death stare". Videos of me at the race, set to "Ridin' Dirty", have been posted to YouTube. The glare I fixed my fellow racers has become an Internet sensation. There are jokes about how I've finally "snapped" after being in Mario's shadow for so long. I don't really mind, though. They can interpret my searing looks however they want.
Death stare, huh? I like the sound of that. Maybe if those Boos try to antagonize me again, I'll give them a good death stare and frighten them, for once. In retrospect, I had no idea I could look so intimidating. I was initially surprised by the public's reception. But I don't wanna give them the wrong idea. I'm not a psychopath, nor am I a sociopath. I'm actually an affable guy. However, when I'm on the racetrack or on the Smash battlefield—that's when you need to be careful.
Luigi
21 August 2014
MK
Dear Diary,
Our stuff is all packed and ready to go. Less than a month from now, Mario and I, joined by Peach, Koopa, the Koopalings, Wario, Waluigi (as an Assist Trophy) and Rosalina will depart for the Smash Mansion, where we'll reunite with our Smasher friends and welcome the newbies to the fold. MH had promised more changes to the tournament, in addition to the new faces, and I can't wait to see what surprises he'll spring next. But the question remains: did my special year affect how they see me, as it affected how I see myself? And if so, how? And how long would it last?
I'll just have to see.
Luigi
13 September 2014
Smash Mansion
Dear Diary,
I was the first to rise this morning, jumping into a cold shower and pulling on my clothes. Mario met me outside, and we went to Peach's castle, where she had muffins, pastries and beverages ready for us. Koopa and his kids were already there, as were Wario, Waluigi and Yoshi. We only needed to wait for Rosalina to arrange her affairs in the galaxies. Our ride wouldn't be here for another hour, so we weren't worried.
Thirty minutes before it was time to leave, Daisy arrived to see me off, looking a little miffed at being snubbed again.
I took her in my arms. "You'll get your chance someday," I assured her, and this made her smile.
"Have you decided on your new Final Smash?" she asked.
"It's a surprise," I teased, "but I think it's gonna work better than my first one—and also scare people less."
Rosalina floated in, accompanied by one of her Lumas. "Hey," she said.
"Hi, Rosa—you're just in time," said Peach. "The Miis should pick us up soon."
When we were informed that our ride was fifteen minutes out, I quickly dove into the men's room for a tension dump. After washing my hands, I double-checked to see if I had everything. Then, we walked outside the castle to wait, and I gave Daisy a lingering goodbye-for-now kiss.
"Fight hard," she said softly.
"I will," I promised her.
This time around, a bus pulled up, the door sliding open and a few Miis stepping out to greet us.
"Whoa," gasped Mario. "How could MH charter a bus?"
The lead Mii smiled. "He's come a long way," she said. "Smash is more popular than ever, which means he can get more funding. Hop in."
I kissed Daisy again and boarded the bus with the other Mario representatives. The bus driver rattled off the safety features and precautions, we buckled up, and then off we went to the Smash Mansion, listening to Taylor Swift's newest CD along the way.
When we arrived at the main entrance, we disembarked, thanked the bus driver and then strode up to that singular window, where another Mii waited.
"Welcome back," he said. "Hey, Luigi! Awesome ghost-busting back there!"
"Thanks!" I beamed as we proceeded through the doors into the Main Hall.
All of the invited returnees were already there. As soon as I walked in, they gave me a standing ovation.
I blushed. "May I inquire as to the occasion?" I asked.
"You really kicked some [bleep] last year," said Link. "Respect, L."
Murmurs of agreement.
"Yeah, uh…" Dorf cleared his throat. "I guess I was wrong about you. You're not perfect—but nobody really is, are they?"
"No," I said. "They're not."
"Guess what?" piped up Zel. "Sheik and I are two separate people now."
"Hey, everyone," said Sheik, suddenly appearing next to Zel.
"I can choose whether or not I want to fight in my Varia Suit," said Samus, "and my Final Smash in my Zero Suit is different, too."
"It's good to be back," said Dr. Mario. "My Final Smash is—similar to Mario's, though."
"It doesn't matter," said Mario. "Smash just wasn't the same without you."
"You missed one heck of an adventure, though," said Fox.
"I've heard," said Dr. Mario. "This Tabuu—where did he come from?"
"He ruled Subspace," I shrugged, "but we all teamed up and sent him packing."
"Hey—why are we talking about that?" Captain Falcon piped up. "This is a whole new ballgame! The fourth Smash tournament! And MH has assured us that we'll never get disturbances like that again."
"But look what wouldn't have happened without that," said Ness. "Tabuu's stunt made us realize how much we truly meant to each other. If not for him, we'd still be referring to ourselves as an 'are', rather than an 'is'."
"You're right," I told him, "but so is Douglas. Talking about it won't change the fact that it happened, and it's time we look forward, rather than backward."
"Good point," mused Link.
We sat around with our refreshments, catching up, until the rest of the newcomers arrived.
"Luigi!" cried Mac, tackling me for a hug.
"Hey!" I laughed, returning the embrace.
"So," said Mac when we separated. "This is Smash Bros." He nodded. "I like it already."
The Bruiser from the Bronx shook hands with the other Smashers, and then Palutena and Dark Pit walked in.
"Hi," said the green-haired Goddess of Light.
"Lady Palutena," greeted Pit. "I'd like you to meet my new friends."
Palutena smiled as she exchanged handshakes and hugs with us.
"C'mon, Pittoo! At least say hello," Pit coaxed his twin.
Dark Pit wrinkled his nose. "Don't call me Pittoo," he said. "And—hey, guys. I'm Pit's clone, Dark Pit. You can also call me Kuro, if you wish."
"Good to meet you, Kuro," we said.
Lucina, Reflet and Robin group-hugged with Marth and Ike before mingling with us, while Mega Man smiled and went to join Mario and Sonic. Then, I sighted Pac-Man in the crowd.
"Pac!" I shouted.
"Luigi!"
We shook hands, and then we sat down, trading stories about our ghost-hunting adventures.
Several Villagers entered in a single-file line, silently offering treats to everyone. Rosalina, BJ and the other Koopalings also began to mingle with the crowd. Then, the Duck Hunt dog sauntered in, the duck perched on his back. Shulk strolled inside with a weird-looking sword on his back The Wii Fit Trainers stepped in with their gym bags. To my surprise, both were barefoot.
After thirty minutes of socializing and getting to know each other, Master Hand teleported into the hall and got our attention.
"Smashers," he boomed.
"Hello, Master Hand," we said.
"Welcome, and in most cases, welcome back to the Smash Bros tournament," said MH. "Crazy Hand and I have worked very hard to make this gathering the best and biggest one yet. The format of your matches will remain relatively the same, but I'd like to introduce you to some exciting new features.
"First off, our All-Star Mode will feature the participant fighting the entire roster in chronological order, or in order of their debut in the video game world. Our Trophy Rush will have you punching and kicking your way through boxes to reveal treasures. Our Target Blast involves you launching a bomb into a group of targets and destroying as many as you can in two rounds. In our Smash Run, you and three others will explore a mysterious area for five minutes, earning treasure and stat boosts, before facing off in one big battle, the type which I'll determine after the five minutes have elapsed. We will have other features, as well—I have decided to wait until later in this tournament to unveil them."
Whispers.
"Also, a lot of you will have different Final Smashes, and I thank you all for bringing that to my attention," MH went on. "And I thank you for bringing up your concerns over the security of this tournament following what happened in Brawl. I assure you, after Tabuu's defeat, I sent him far away, where he can never harm anyone else again."
Applause.
"Our schedule is still the same. Breakfast will be served at 6:30, and lights-out will be at 10p.m. I still expect you to conduct yourselves appropriately and follow the rules you've been given."
"Yes, Master Hand," we said.
Then, we lined up—returnees on the left, newbies on the right—and received our room assignments. And I must say—these room are a large advancement from fifteen years ago. USB charging ports, audio jacks, numerous outlets—and flatscreen TVs. Oh, yeah.
After unpacking, I took a nap, and then a shower, before meeting up with Smashers old and new at the lounge.
Tomorrow, I dive into Smash 4!
Luigi
14 September 2014
Smash Mansion
Dear Diary,
My short-lived year left behind more long-lasting effects than I thought, which showed in my matches. It was the attitude—the confidence—the way I carried myself and viewed myself. In previous tournaments, I was a bit shy and timid when introducing myself. Here—I took initiative and started conversations. And on the battlefield—I was more likely to land the first blow.
Whereas I used to hang back during free-for-alls, I now adopted a more aggressive stance. I still tried to avoid being cornered by multiple foes, but one could see me in the thick of the fray more often. People took notice of how calm and cool I was as Smashers battled all around me, and I noticed how they took notice. Era of Luigi, folks. Era of Luigi.
When it came to one-on-ones, I was delighted to notice that I had improved tools in my arsenal. My most significant improvement was my combo ability. Up until now, I'd dealt with limited approach options and bad traction. In Smash 4, I have a reliable combo tool—my down throw. Rather than simply slamming someone down, I Ground-Pounded them. I always wanted to use my Ground-Pound in these tournaments. The throw's trajectory allowed me to follow up with so many attacks. My favorite follow-up was a flurry of f-airs. Down-throw to f-air was the easiest combo to pull off, and I could simply build from that. Down-throw to f-air, or to Cyclone or into a Super Jump Punch—I could also use my jump-kick, as well. Just hours into the first day of fighting, I quickly became known for my combos.
All through the day, I battled a generous mix of Smash veterans and newbies. My combo options swiftly blossomed like a little tree, the roots firming as I practiced in the Training Room. It didn't take long for my combos to attract spectators like hummingbirds to a beautiful flower.
Mario made sure to attend all of my matches, cheering me on from the middle seat of the first row, where I could easily see him. Peach sat next to him, holding his hand. And also in the first row were Josh and his family. I always fought my hardest when he was around, knowing that he'd want to see me kick [bleep] and take names one last time. Jake was also sitting among them, holding Jas's hand. They looked so deeply in love.
Sitting not far from them were the Butters, Gavin sandwiched between his parents. He was starting to get his mom's freckles, while his auburn hair was in his dad's hairstyle. Speaking of his dad, Roland had a big smile on his face, but I was still treading carefully around him. You know what they say—old habits die hard.
But the day's crowning moment was when I introduced everyone to my new Final Smash. Seconds after I broke the Smash Ball, I brandished my Poltergust 5000! Gasps arose as I turned on the suction, the nozzle slightly kicking back in my hands as I vacuumed up any opponent within the radius of most of the battlefield. Then, I aimed the vacuum at the upper blast line and ejected everyone with a distinctive "pop" sound. The Poltergust had faster startup and was easier to utilize than my previous Final Smash, and most importantly, less unnerving. Most of the spectators leapt to their feet and cheered when I won that match. Did I see that happening in the past? Probably not.
The end of my year doesn't sting as badly, because my friends and fans haven't paid attention to it.
Luigi
3 October 2014
Smash Mansion
Dear Diary,
I went on my first Smash Run today. After the day's scheduled matches, I reported to the designated Smash Run meeting point, along with Link, Mario and Fox. After MH explained the rules to us, we were teleported to different parts of the Smash Run area, which looked like a cross between a wasteland and a dungeon.
For five minutes, I wandered around the place, battling enemies from various franchises, finding treasure chests filled with gold, trophies, customizations and stat boosts and competed in various mini-challenges. I also came across hidden rooms filled with gold, stat boosts and health-restoring food. At the end of the five minutes, all of our stat boosts were tallied up, and then MH decided the type of fight which would put those stat boosts to good use—a Stamina battle.
The four of us were sent to the Battlefield stage with 200 HP each. We faced each other in our fighting stances, engaging on the word "Go". The battle was short but fierce. Fox tried to strafe us with Blaster fire. Link slashed with his sword and threw his Gale Boomerang at random opponents. Mario used his f-air, the Plunger, to meteor-smash us against the stage. And I simply switched between offense and defense as needed. It wasn't long before it was just me and Mario, duking it out as Link and Fox lay motionless on the battlefield. Kinda eerie, if you ask me.
With one mighty strike, I landed the finishing blow. Mario grunted in pain and slowly fell forward. That really creeped me out, and the first thing I did after my victory was announced was to race to his side and ask if he was okay. To my relief, Mario smiled and hugged me, unhurt except for some bruises. Fox and Link were likewise okay. Gosh, what was Master Hand thinking?
All in all, those Smash Runs are fun. I plan on doing another one tomorrow!
Luigi
21 November 2014
Smash Mansion
Dear Diary,
The rest of this tournament's new features have been introduced! There's 8-Player Smash, which is—exactly what it says on the tin. Eight fighters at a time can duke it out on select stages. MH will have these types of battles run at set times throughout the day, so anyone who is interested must sign up well in advance. Special Smash gives us the freedom to add custom rules to certain matches. The Smash Tour is like the Smash Run, except each participant is denoted as a marker on a game board. Every Saturday, MH will hold a competitive elimination bracket. In Special Orders, you trade G for the opportunity to complete challenges of varying difficulty.
I signed up for the very first 8-Player Smash, which took place at 6p.m. that evening. The energy of 8-Player Smash was different from the energy of a normal match—it was exponentially more frenetic, and I spent more time on my toes and on the offensive. Around me were the sounds of seven others trading blows, swords swishing, fists and feet flying, projectiles whizzing past. Things could change swiftly, from hot to cold to freezing to scalding. I had to adapt to the situation at any given moment and think on my feet. But through this cacophony, I could still hear friends and fans old and new, cheering me on. I threw back my head and shouted like never before, giving in to the pounding energy around me.
Long after the end of the match, adrenaline was still pounding through every inch of my body. I could barely eat a bite at dinner. I spent the early evening hours in the Training Room, pummeling a Sandbag, and then in my room, dancing. It's well past midnight now, and just now, the exhaustion is setting in.
Well, I guess I know what I'll be doing when I have boatloads of aggression to let out.
Luigi
6 December 2014
Smash Mansion
Dear Diary,
I really like the Miis staffing the Smash Mansion. Each of them has their own personality and are refreshingly expressive. The Alloys, Wireframes and Polygons of yesteryear barely had any facial features, and it was hard to strike up conversations with them. Miis are different. They're empathetic, and they don't try too hard to be relentless fighting machines. When I spar with them, they run out of breath, just like me. I can relate to them more. And some of these Miis have actually played my games (or Mario's games). These Miis are bound to make Smash 4 worthwhile.
The Miis, in my opinion, are the spine of this new tournament. They're the ones who greet us with a cheery "Good morning!", along with a facial expression to show that they mean what they say. They're the ones who guide us from match to match. They're the ones who help us unwind in the lounge by mixing our favorite drinks. They're the ones who break up unsanctioned fights, thus preventing anyone from getting hurt. And if they really take a shine to you, they may "forget" to tell MH if you've been playing fast and loose with his rules. Fifteen years and four tourneys later, MH has finally gotten the Smash Mansion's staff right.
And now, I can safely say that I've completely settled into Smash 4. I can't wait for all of the adventures ahead!
Luigi