Round 5: Day 4
Red
Gym Leader Castle
Smash City
700
Red hoped Chuck didn't catch him staring from across the battlefield. Johto seeped in centuries more history than Kanto, stood home to ornate, symbolic gyms, and the mockup of Cianwood's Gym, with its signature stone pillars sculpted into arms holding a Pokeball was no different
Perhaps that's why I got bored in Kanto. Red reflected The uniformity of everything was driving me crazy, and I wasn't mature enough to articulate it.
"Thinkin' back to our battle eh?" boomed Chuck.
Red bristled, snapping out of his daydream.
"Y-yeah," Red stammered.
Chuck's boisterous laugh echoed throughout the silent gym.
"I think about it often. I was too up my own butt to realize I'd gotten soft, but then Ian came along, Arceus rest his soul."
Red swallowed a lump in his throat as he always did when the now-deceased champion he'd fought atop Mount Silver was brought up.
"So what I'm saying is," Chuck blurted, realizing his misstep, "You're fightin' a different Chuck, and I hope I'm fighting a different Red."
Red nodded. Again, the man boomed with laughter.
"Good!" he cheered, pumping his fist, "Let's get it on! GO, POLIWRATH!"
Red blinked as the light erupted from the Pokeball Chuck held in his hand, the flexing tadpole coming into form before him.
"You and Bruno both went your aces first."
Chuck laughed, "You've gotta start out hot in our world! Martial artists these days want the quick knockout, and the kids in the crowds want it back.
"Noted," Red nodded, brandishing his Pokeball, "GO SQUIRTLE!"
Red tossed the ball, the light that erupted from it eventually giving form to Squirtle.
"Alright Poliwrath, use Dynamic Punch!" shouted Chuck.
"Withdraw!" Red ordered.
Immediately, Squirtle took a running start, retreating into his shell. The momentum was enough to send Squirtle spinning like a frisbee above the shockwave as Poliwrath slammed the ground with its meaty fist. This also left the Poliwrath open for attack, Squirtle slamming into it with such force that it was sent sliding backward.
"You know what to do!" encouraged Chuck.
Poliwrath snapped to life as if the pain left it by its master's command. Just as Squirtle emerged from his shell, touching down on the ground, Poliwrath unleashed another Dynamic Punch, this one connecting, sending Squirtle flying across the battlefield. As he landed, he kipped up but was still wobbly.
"Oh no, you're confused," Red sighed, knowing the signs immediately, "Squirtle, concentrate and go for another Withdraw!"
With a determined grunt, Squirtle slashed itself across the face, decreasing the health bar on the big screen further.
"That Quinn kid doesn't have any moves that cause Confusion does he?" mocked Chuck, "Elsewise, you're up The Lake of Rage without a paddle!"
Red cast a glance at Squirtle as Chuck laughed. The young turtle was still unsteady on his feet.
"POLIWRATH, USE HYDRO PUMP!" demanded Chuck.
Water erupted from his belly, splashing Squirtle with a pressure threshold so high that it would filet the skin off of a human. Squirtle simply shook his head, assuming his normal stance.
"You aren't confused anymore, good," Red cheered, "Withdraw again!"
Squirtle once again spun towards Poliwrath while inside his shell, slamming into him again.
"Dynamic Punch!" shouted Chuck.
"Keep withdrawn!" shouted Red in response.
Just as Squirtle collided with Poliwrath again, Poliwrath brought down his fist, slamming into his shell. Poliwrath collapsed from the attack, but Squirtle weakly emerged from his shell, looking no better. Both Pokemon legends could only watch as their respective companion's life bars slithered away.
"Well, damn kid," Chuck hooted, "For a Squirtle, yer boy is a tank. But the fat Jigglypuff ain't singin' yet, we've still got two Pokemon each!"
With that, Red and Chuck brandished their Pokeballs.
"GO GRANBULL!" shouted Chuck as he threw his Pokeball.
"GO CHARIZARD!" Red shouted, mirroring Chuck's gesture.
A purple bulldog humanoid and the legendary winged lizard erupted from bursts of light.
"FLY UP!" said Red.
Charizard took to the sky without hesitation.
"Try to aim a Shadow Ball!" Chuck said.
Tensing, a ball of darkness began to form in Granbull's maw. Spitting the ball into the air, Charizard easily maneuvered around it.
"Damn it," Chuck hissed.
In contrast, Red smirked.
"GO FOR IT!"
At his trainer's command, Charizard swooped down, slamming into Granbull.
"Dynamic Punch," Chuck hurriedly ordered, "Before it can take flight again."
Much as it had for Squirtle, the shockwave sent Charizard flying, Red's ace landing hard on its stomach before woozily getting to his feet.
"Damn it," Red groaned.
Again, Chuck's booming laugh echoed around the room.
"Did you forget that this was my bread and butter kid?"
"No, but I forgot how annoying Confusion was. It seemed out of style the last place I trained."
Chuck scoffed, "Those Alolan bums don't know a damn thing. And I think your next move will prove that I'm right.
"Charizard use…" sighed Red, "Use Fire Blast."
Red heard the overly dramatic roar. He closed his eyes, knowing well that Charizard had just slashed himself across the face.
"HA!" Chuck pumped his fist, "Granbull, use Shadow Ball again!"
Granball choked forth a Shadow Ball, spitting it out. This time it connected.
"You're mince meat if you don't do something. Red snapped, "Fire Blast! NOW!"
This time, Charizard shook the cobwebs, breathing fire from across the ring onto Granbull. Despite scuttling away, gritting its gnarled teeth in obvious pain, it snapped back into its usual stance, standing firm.
"SHADOW BALL!" roared Chuck
The ball from Granbull's mouth connected again. This time, Charizard lashed out several times, slashing himself enough to knock himself out.
"What did I tell ya, kid?" Chuck laughed, "Bread and butter,"
Completely expressionless, Red returned Charizard to his Pokeball and unleashed Ivysaur.
"Razor Leaf, now,"
The leaves sliced at Granbull before it could even react. It collapsed from the pain.
"Charge it up Ivysaur,"
As a ball of light began to form at the flower's bulb, Chuck grabbed his final Pokeball.
"GO MACHOKE!"
Just as the musclebound Pokemon appeared, Ivysaur unleashed Solar Beam. The force of the move sent Machoke careening into the wall behind him, knocking him out instantly.
"Damn," Chuck said, "You annihilated my Machoke even with the type disadvantage. Quinn won't know what hit him!"
Red frowned, unleashing his knocked-out Pokemon and spraying them with Max Revives, "I dunno. I think we need to re-evaluate."
"Why?" huffed Charizard, "We won, didn't we?"
Red nodded, "But Quinn is a firecracker, we can't afford to eke out wins. We need to make sure our Smash game is up to the task. We need to train with Terry.'
Charizard crossed his arms, snorting an ember of flame, "If you say so."
"Yeah kid," Chuck sighed, "This is a lot to think about. This is why you're the champ and I'm not."
Red grinned, texting Terry his request. The immediate "OK!" he got from Terry for the day after tomorrow only widened his smile. Just as he backed out of Terry's text chain, he saw he had an unread one from Lucas. Reading it over, he began to type on the holographic keyboard.
Sure, we can go tomorrow the text said.
"Well boys, I think we've earned the rest of the day off," Red beckoned his team, waving without turning around, "See ya Chuck,"
Chuck waved back, "Pleasure workin' with you kid, as always,"
With a renewed spring in their step, the Kantonian Pokemon and their trainer headed down the long staircase to the exit of Gym Leader Castle.
Ganondorf
Smash Mansion
Battlefield Stage
730
"Remember what you've come here to do," ranted Wario, "YOU'VE A-COME TO SMASH THE BIG APE'S RECORD! WAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Ganondorf scrunched every muscle in his face to keep a neutral expression. Ever since the founding days of the former Wario Family Wah-ffice, Wario had kept his eyes on the 100-man Melee record, established by Donkey Kong and not touched since. Nearly all of the Smashers had tried it at some point in their free time, but even with 99 other Smashers basking for it, the record stood. Even handicaps provided by the current administrations such as items did nothing to breach the gilded record.
"You must pay attention to the spawn points of zees Wire Frames,"
Ganondorf nodded. With the rivalry between him and Erdrick having come to an embarrassing close, he had to do something to get his reputation back up, even if that meant entertaining the petty whims of his overbearing business manager."
"Yes," Ganondorf affirmed as dryly as possible, "I understand."
Wario's signature Cheshire Cat smile made his appearance, "You had better because we're not stopping until we get zis right,"
With that, the man waddled to the elevator, taking it up. Ganondorf meanwhile, strode to the room's console, simply inputting the command for 100-man Melee, and confirming. The room morphed into Melee's version of Battlefield, neon lights streaking across the darkness of space. Ganondorf breathed in the stale air, stepping to the center of the stage.
"3, 2, 1, GO!" shouted the canned voice of the announcer.
Once one noticed that the Wire Frames always spawned above a platform or in the middle, the system was easy to game. Knocking out the first Wire Frame that spawned practically on top of him, Ganondorf darted between the platforms, starting his trek from the middle all over again, using his fastest maneuver, a mid-air flip kick, to knock each Wire Frame away with resounding immediacy
At 75 Wire Frames to go, the action paused briefly. Ganondorf looked at the clock, 27 seconds had passed. The Gerudo King grinned. He had to believe he was on the right track.
Let doubt come when the timer stops Ganondorf reminded himself
The action was back on. Flip kicks to all those who approached him and clubbing blows to the ones who were unfortunate enough to spawn in front of him meant that the counter ticked down on an almost second-by-second basis. 70 Wire Frames, then 60, then 50.
Ganondorf smiled. He was enjoying this.
40 Wire Frames remaining quickly became 30, Whereas they had spawned in groups before, they spawned one by one now.
"This is far too easy!" roared Ganondorf, laughing as he continued his parade of flip kicks.
20 Wire Frames remaining became 10 Wire Frames remaining in a blink of an eye. Ganondorf felt his pulse quicken as the final 10 crumpled in the face of his wrath.
GAME! A NEW RECORD
Ganondorf glanced at the clock.
One second faster.
Ganondorf fell to his knees as the room became its standard featureless white. Wario jumped off the elevator from the auditorium as soon as he could, wrapping Ganondorf in a hug.
"YOU DID IT MY BOY! YOU DID IT! NOTHING WILL-A STOP-A YOU NOW!"
Luigi
Smash Mansion
Luigi and Daisy's suite
731
"Dude, wake up. Wake up!"
Luigi felt himself being shoved at his side. Immediately, he awoke with a start shooting to a sitting position.
"Are we under attack?" Luigi yelped.
"Nah man," Daisy said, "Potentially worse,"
Using the remote Daisy flipped on the TV.
"For those just joining us, I'm Clemence Bellamy and we have breaking news from the Smash Mansion. In a press release confirmed by both the Smash Brothers and Warioware Inc, Ganondorf has beaten Donkey Kong's 100-man Melee record. The record has stood since Smash Brothers' second tournament, Melee, when…"
Snatching the remote from Daisy's hand, Luigi turned the TV back off.
"Mama Mia," was all he could choke out.
"Wario's doing no doubt. He tried to upend us with Porky and failed at that, so he's messing with all of us. First, he took DK's record away."
"Donkey Kong never really seemed to care after he set it," mused Luigi.
"Well yeah, but we all know Wario's gotten shown up at parties and stuff, so he had to deliver that salt to the wound. What's more, he's gonna try to knock you out of the tournament."
"Using Ganondorf as a vessel," Luigi reasoned, "Same with Sephiroth. I mean, who better to knock out the reigning champion."
"Cloud," Daisy whispered, putting her hands on her head in shock, "Fuck, you're right."
"Man, everyone's putting their full effort in," Luigi sighed, "Ganondorf's breaking records, Sephiroth is Sephiroth, and the rumor mill is that Cloud is younger than when he came in?"
"Yeah, so Kazooie has been saying at any opportunity in the group chat," grumbled Daisy, "Not sure how much of that I believe."
"Ryu's currently existing in three dimensions simultaneously-a," Luigi blurted, "Nothin' surprises me anymore. All this stuff is happenin', and I just…I…"
"You, my love, have got the Green Missile down to a science. That's as powerful as Sephiroth's fire magic and covers more distance than Cloud's Blade Beam. You're a goddamn shark in this thing Luigi Mario, never forget that."
"You…you really think so?"
Daisy smiled, "I know so. You know what else you have?"
"You? Sarasaland backing me?"
Daisy began to cackle suddenly, "Well, that, yes, but I was gonna say a training session with Bowser and Mewtwo whenever you're ready! Metwo suggested Pokemon Stadium II for the changing environment and stuff."
Luigi nodded, "Yeah, that's cool, I…"
Then, what Daisy had said truly set in.
His forehead wrinkled, "Have you been spying on my texts? I thought these communicator watches were locked to our biometric signatures."
"Bowser was nice enough to include me in the text chain," Daisy explained, "I guess he wants me to know everything's kosher, ya know, lest I beat him within an inch of his life again. He also knows he doesn't getcha until I have my fun,"
Before Luigi knew it, Daisy was on top of him.
30 minutes later
Pokemon Stadium II stage
"Where is he?" Mewtwo snarled, leaning against one of the room's many featureless walls.
Adorned in tiny reading glasses, Bowser pawed through a book, "If I know Daisy like I think I do, they're…"
Luigi walked through the door, whistling merrily, skipping with a spring in his step.
"Yep," Bowser sighed.
Meanwhile, Mewtwo grimaced.
"You are distracted," Mewtwo growled, "And you will remove thoughts of her from your mind for this training session. Ganondorf has somehow achieved competency, and you will not get what you need out of this sparring session if you are distracted."
"I'll try to stop thinking about my fiance, but I can't make promises," Luigi warned with a chuckle.
The grimace on Mewtwo's face deepened, "The carnal needs of mammals, combined with the human traditions of marriage confound me."
"I mean, they did that to me until I met her, so I don't blame ya." shrugged Luigi.
"Can we get this show on the road?" whined Bowser, "I'm missing out on gaming time with the kids and Peach."
"Sure big guy,"
With a wave of his hand, Mewtwo activated the console from across the room. A silent room became a raucous stadium in just a few seconds.
Luigi and Bowser took their places on the left and right platform respectively, while Mewtwo stood firm in the center.
"3, 2, 1, GO!" shouted the automated announcer.
Both Luigi and Bowser lunged for Mewtwo. Lightning erupted around him, stunning his two foes. Two blasts of Disable rendered them both stunned and wobbling. With a chuckle, Mewtwo drifted to a platform.
"YOU!" Bowser roared as soon as he shook off the cobwebs, "YOU DID THAT TO ME!"
"Since when do I have a move that instantly stuns you, big idiot?" Luigi snapped, "It was-a Mewtwo who…"
But the enraged Koopa King would have none of it slamming him to the floor, and collapsing his mammoth body weight onto Luigi's chest.
Just as a smile spread across Bowser's maw, Luigi snapped to his feet.
"Man, you've been putting in a ton of training," Bowser guffawed, "The days of you taking two hits to knock out feel so far away now/".
Mewtwo teleported in between them, once again shocking them as lightning enveloped his body.
We were having a moment here!" Bowser boomed, slashing Mewtwo.
"Have it on your own time," Mewtwo boomed back.
"GREEN MISSILE!"
Luigi hammered into Mewtwo's back, shoving him into Bowser.
'"FLYING SLAM!"
As Bowser took to the air with Mewtwo, Luigi caught a glimpse of the stadium's Jumbotron. An electricity symbol blinked on the giant screen, and the floor underneath him transformed into a conveyer belt.
Bowser hit the ground with Mewtwo, but Mewtwo immediately righted himself in mid-air slashing Luigi with a Shadow Claw. Bowser shoved past Mewtwo, slashing Luigi with his own claws. Mewtwo spun to face Bowser without moving muscle, slashing Bowser with another Shadow Claw.
"OH NO YOU DIDN'T!" shrieked Bowser.
Sucking in the wind, he belched a swathe of fire onto both Mewtwo and Luigi. Despite the searing pain, Luigi executed a Luigi Tornado, trapping Mewtwo, and sliding forward to pummel Bowser.
Mewtwo flew into the air, mere fingertips away from landing in the Blast Zone. Meanwhile, Bowser simply slammed into the platform above them.
"SUPER JUMP PUNCH!"
Luigi grazed Bowser's jaw, flying entirely too high, leaving him open for a swiping claw strike from Bowser, sending him into the Blast Zone.
Luigi: 2
Bowser: 3
Mewtwo: 3
"Little Green, you gotta get better at hitting that if you want to stand a chance against Ganondorf," Bowser called up to the Revival Platform.
Luigi raised an eyebrow, "Little Green? That's a new one."
Bowser rubbed the back of his head, "Yeah, sorry, Larry's been obsessed with this anime, and we've been watching it."
Luigi chuckled, "Yeah, it's easy to get TV brain rot here."
"We are off-topic," shouted Mewtwo, "Remember, no distractions!"
"Counterpoint," Bowser said as the stage terraformed to normal, "Eat this!"
Bowser had the high ground, and Mewtwo had nowhere to run from his fire breath.
"Heh," giggled Bowser, "Who's the distracted one now?"
Mewtwo grumbled incoherently, flip-kicking Bowser into the air, and followed him up to do so again. Luigi's attempt to jump into the fray and break it up was in vain, as he too was caught up in the flip kick barrage.
"I suspect this is what Ganondorf used to clear 100-man Melee so quickly. Note how to counter it," Mewtwo explained.
Through the pain, Luigi nodded, "Noted,"
Mewtwo teleported away as an unconscious Bowser floated gently down to them, "Shall you do the honors?"
"You know it!" Luigi pumped a fist.
With a clubbing blow above his head, Luigi knocked Bowser into the top Blast Zone!
Luigi: 2
Bowser: 2
Mewtwo: 3
Bowser appeared on the platform, wearing a shocked pout, "You know this makes you a target, don'tcha shrimp?"
Mewtwo's eyes glinted with joy, "I look forward to it."
Luigi lunged Mewtwo first, but psychic power gripped his throat, bringing him in close. Slamming him to the ground and whipping him across the back with his tail incapacitated Luigi for the moment. Bowser charged, swiping Mewtwo upwards. The light Pokemon rocketed to the top Blast Zone, just as Mewtwo had been seconds before.
Luigi: 2
Bowser: 2
Mewtwo: 2
"I look forward to it," Bowser mocked in a nasal voice.
As the scenery around them transformed into an ice-covered tundra, Luigi unleashed the Luigi Tornado when the two reformed villains were close enough. Unfortunately for the man in green, Mewtwo broke free long enough to deliver a Shadow Claw.
Luigi rocketed back with a Green Missile, shifting his momentum to land another Luigi Tornado.
"You're gonna have to work harder than that Mewtwo!" taunted Luigi.
"If you actually want a hard fight, Bowser boasted, lumbering into striking distance, "Look no further than the King of the"
Luigi snapped a kick at Bowser's bulbous snout, but Bowser channeled his chi, blocking the move with a parry.
"HA! BETCHA DIDN'T SEE THAT COM-"
A trio of forearms allowed Luigi to juggle Bowser in the air.
"HEY!" Bowser whined, "STOP IT!"
The act of annoying one of his life's greatest nuisances was so alluring that Luigi didn't see a Shadow Ball careening toward him. Luigi was in the Blast Zone before he could feel the hit.
Luigi: 1
Bowser: 2
Mewtwo: 2.
Bowser and Mewtwo immediately turned towards each other, Shadow Claw scraped against the Koopa's King Claw, both fighters scraping at each other for dominance. So intense with the attrition, Luigi was able to scrunch down and scuttle towards the fray. Just as Bowser won the clawing fray, sending Mewtwo flying far away, he found himself at the epicenter of yet another Luigi Tornado.
"DAMN, FUCK, SHIT!" Bowser screeched as he was pelted by blows.
Bowser immediately reversed the momentum, jumping in mid-air toward Luigi. However, Mewtwo teleported above Bowser, stepping on his head. Mewtwo's light step sent Bowser plummeting toward the ground, landing with a mighty thud.
Luigi squatted, as Bowser lay inches away, unmoving.
"GREEN MISSILE!"
Luigi careened into Bowser, sending him to the Blast Zone!
Luigi: 1
Bowser: 1
Mewtwo: 2
"YOU TWERPS!" screamed Bowser, "WORKIN' AGAINST ME!"
Mewtwo had stunned Luigi with Disable but did not have enough time to react to being picked up by a falling Bowser.
"FLYING SLAM!" roared the furious king.
Mewtwo bounced off of the floor hard enough to fly into the top Blast Zone.
Luigi: 1
Bowser: 1
Mewtwo: 1
"No matter, we're all in the same predicament now," Mewtwo reasoned, jumping from the Revival Platform as Bowser once again trapped Luigi with his fire breath.
As soon as Mewtwo was on the ground, Bowser turned, throwing his entire body weight into a dropkick. The mass of scale and muscle connected with Mewtwo's head.
"I'm tired of you playin' games," Bowser seethed.
Bowser jumped to follow the unwillingly flying Genetic Pokemon, scratching each other with their signature clawing maneuvers.
"I don't know what you mean," Mewtwo said in as dry a voice as he could muster.
Despite teleporting past Bowser and onto the floor beneath him, he hadn't counted on Pokemon Stadium II being in its Ground form or Luigi standing behind him. For his hubris, Mewtwo was beaten by a barrage of fists from both Bowser and Luigi.
"Let's finish this twerp Green Boy," ordered Bowser, "WHIRLING FORTRESS,"
As Mewtwo was vaulted into the air, Luigi ran up the hill, standing at its peak.
"GREEN MISSILE!"
As Luigi connected with Mewtwo, he felt an impenetrable wall, Mewtwo had channeled his chi,
"To know how Parry is such useful knowledge, don't you think?" cackled Mewtwo, Luigi getting a Shadow Claw and a Tail Whip for his trouble.
As Luigi flew off stage, Bowser trailed him on the ground, snorting so intensely that his nostrils were a constant jet of flame.
"Luigi you idiot," he huffed, "I served him up for you on a silver platter, and you blew it. Well, no you'll pay!"
Bowser jumped up, gripping Luigi by the straps of his overalls, "FLYING SLAM!"
Luigi glanced over the Koopa King's massive shoulder, "BOWSER, YOU DUMMY, YOU'VE DOOMED US BOTH!"
"What in the name of the Seven Stars are you-"
"SHADOW BALL!"
Sure enough, a Shadow Ball blasted into them both, sending them both to the Blast Zone!
GAME! MEWTWO WINS!
Luigi suddenly found himself standing in a white room, Mewtwo staring him down. Bowser meanwhile, was hunched over, massaging his temples.
"My final lesson Luigi," Mewtwo said, "Be prepared for anything."
As soon as Mewtwo had flung open the door with his mind, Bowser offered a soft smile to Luigi.
"Ya know, I'm pulling for ya Luigi," Bowser said, "At least you didn't shoot me in the back during Subspace like tall dark, and jackass."
"I mean, that's a low bar, but thanks."
Bowser nodded, "A low bar is all I've got. Miss Trainer and Lucario say I should appreciate what I've got, you know?"
Luigi nodded, a text on Luigi's Smash communicator broke the silence.
Our last session didn't empty the tank. I'm like a teenage boy here. You NEED to come back upstairs, ASAP.
Luigi's face went beet red. Bowser snorted.
"Go get 'er tiger."
Luigi bolted out of the room. As he bounded up the basement stairs, his thoughts turned to the unusually mellow Bowser.
Those Yoga sessions must be magic, Luigi reasoned I don't think there's a person that they couldn't work on.
Quinn
Smash Mansion
Courtyard
900
"His aura is off," Lucario grunted, "The Tree Pose isn't working,"
Quinn swallowed his anxiety. His right leg, the one supporting his weight, quivered. He fought the muscle memory in his left leg, which wanted nothing more than to break the pose and assume a standing position.
Porcelain rubbed against porcelain as Miss Trainer rubbed her chin, a monotone hum parsing her always-neutral expression.
"Perhaps…" she mused, "Are you familiar with the Warrior pose? Assume it."
Quinn nodded, outstretching his arms and creating as wide a breadth between his right and left legs as possible. Quinn smiled. This was certainly more natural.
"Care to do an aura-check Lucario?"
Lucario grumbled, "Why Miss Trainer? Why are we so insistent on helping this anxious little whelp?"
"Because Rosalina demanded it, and I owe her a favor from the last tournament?"
Quinn shivered. Rosalina, despite being the Mushroom Kingdom's envoy to the rest of the known galaxy, had never demanded anything for as long as Quinn had known her. Such a reputation probably went back further back, considering how Lucario reacted, his eyes widened.
"She did?" asked the Aura Pokemon.
"Yes," Miss Trainer nodded, "You were too busy preparing to recruit Greninja to have seen it. Now, an Aura check Lucario, if you please."
"Perfectly centered. It spiked when you mentioned the space woman, but went back to normal almost immediately."
Miss Trainer giggled, "It is understandable. After all, Quinn and Rosalina are the Mansion's newest It Couple."
Quinn blushed, which caused Lucario to unleash a deep, throaty, growl.
"This nonsense talk of romance is making his Aura fluctuate!"
"You're correct Lucario, I'm sorry," Miss Trainer responded, "But nonetheless, I think I know how to help you."
"How's that?" Quinn asked.
"During times of mental trouble, it helps to reflect on one's five senses. What can be seen, what can be touched, what can be heard, what can be tasted, and what can be smelled. These serve as the basis for our understanding of our world. However, in today's society, it's so easy to become so overwhelmed that even these things are lost to us."
"Especially in the work we do," Quinn added.
Lucario nodded slightly. Quinn blinked. That was the only time Lucario had been satisfied with anything he said.
"You are correct," Miss Trainer said flatly, "So while you're endurance training has been commendable, it also helps to practice reaffirming what is going on, to establish mental clarity."
"You're right, but can I drop this pose now?"
"Yes!" Miss Trainer announced gleefully, "We will be taking a five-minute break, and then advancing on to Warrior II so that we can practice what we've just discussed!"
As Quinn got to a normal standing position, then collapsed to a sitting position, a text message appeared from Mario.
Hey kid,
So Peach and I had a double date planned for tomorrow, that turned into inviting Lou and Daisy, and Daisy wanted to know if you and Rosalina would be interested.
Quinn's response was immediate.
If Rosa wants in, I want in too!
A thumbs-up emoji appeared as a reaction to his text. Quinn finally collapsed to a lying down position, watching the clouds move about in the sky on an unusually balmy day.
Cloud
Smash Park
1300
"I am Cloud, the mighty warrior," proclaimed Denzel, brandishing a foam version of the Buster Sword.
His playmate, Elizabeth, did much the same, "I have seen the amateur and it is you!"
"I told ya you shouldn't have let her watch that Worst Fighting Game trash Zero!" Mister Game and Watch crowed, glaring directly at the man he shared the park bench with, Subject Zero
The bathrobe-clad Subject Zero shrugged. Meanwhile, the two children clashed, lightly bopping their swords against each other, making exaggerated clashing sounds as they did.
On the next park bench, Cloud Strife sat, Tifa snuggled into his arm.
"Denzel wants to be just like his daddy. It's so cute," she cooed.
"Yeah, some role model I've been," Cloud huffed.
Tifa frowned, "Cloud, Denzel's a smart kid, he knows what you've done, and how that makes him the coolest kid on the playground automatically."
"I haven't been there," bemoaned Cloud.
"As I said, he's smart. He understood when you had to get your head right in Cosmo Canyon, he understands all this?"
"Dad! Dad look! I can do CrossSlash!" Denzel announced.
And so, he mimicked Cloud's attack perfectly.
"Wow, you even got the small parts of the kanji right!" Cloud exclaimed, "Good job kiddo!"
Cloud looked longingly at Denzel. Tifa caught the gesture immediately.
"What?"
Cloud chuckled, "He understands Smash, that makes one of us."
"Beg pardon?" Tifa asked.
"Tifa, I'm younger," Cloud emphasized, "That mole did something to me, and I…"
"Yeah, rumor is he can make teach people things automatically."
"You're saying that entirely too casually." Cloud concluded
Tifa scoffed, "Our dead friends are hanging out with our living friends, watching squid-people compete for who can color the ground the fastest. You being younger is far from the most absurd thing happening here. Just admit that you're nervous to fight Sephiroth. It would be easier on all of us."
Cloud let the silence hang in the air, meanwhile, the children chatted eagerly in the midst of their sword fight.
"Are you going to the big Splatoween festival before the next round?" Elizabeth chirped, "I'm gonna dress up as Jigglypuff and Zero is gonna dress up as Pikachu!"
"I'm gonna dress up as my dad!" Denzel declared proudly.
Tifa pointed at the children, mouthing, "See?"
This seemed to bring Cloud out of his trance, the swordsmen sighed defeatedly, "He's still hanging out with Wario, even after that business with the Wah-ffice. Wario's pumping insidious nonsense into his head, much like those books he found in the Shinra Mansion did. I often wonder what he was he's thinking about."
"Hey, Miss Tifa?" Elizabeth called.
"Yeah, hon?"
"Can you teach me how to throw some kicks?"
"Only if you promise to use them if you need to defend yourself."
Elizabeth nodded, "Yeah, Zero said I needed to learn how to defend myself, but he's not a good martial artist."
Tifa glanced over at Subject Zero for confirmation, who nodded.
"Alright," Tifa said, hopping to her feet and striding over to the children, "The most important thing is your stance…"
Cloud zoned out. He'd heard this all before from Tifa's many ill-fated attempts to hone him into a martial artist. Despite the fact that his basic training had gotten him through not only the Sephiroth debacles, but also through the Hearltess, Dissidia, and Ehergeitz conflicts, Tifa had attempted to train him, and he wasn't nearly as graceful as she hoped.
Cloud shook himself from his reminiscing, texting Snake.
It's crazy. Tifa's teaching kids martial arts, Denzel and Marlene actually have social lives. Next thing you know she'll be making muffins for school functions next.
Elizabeth stood on one foot, throwing a single kick and falling down.
"Very good Elizabeth," Tifa said, "Just remind yourself to stay as still as a stone when you're on one foot like that!"
The normally confident girl shot her an unconvinced look.
This didn't phase Tifa however, who simply clapped.
"C'mon!" she shouted, "You can do it Elizabeth! Chop chop!"
Cloud's communicator pinged, the orchestral opening of Afterlife by Avenged Sevenfold. Cloud saw the text from Snake.
It is nice. But we always get back in.
"YAY! I got it!"
Cloud snapped his head up. Elizabeth was throwing kicks, while Tifa and Denzel cheered her on.
"Good form kid!" Cloud shouted, "Keep it up!"
With an ever-widening grin, Cloud responded to Snake's text message.
But our friends and family have our back no matter what it is. They can do both. We can do both.
Snake's response back was immediate, the cello sound causing Cloud to grin yet again.
Both? Hm, perhaps we can
"Shoryuken!" Cloud heard Denzel shout.
Sure enough, the three were throwing the most exaggerated uppercuts they could, giggling the whole way.
Wherever Sephiroth si Cloud thought, I hope he's having fun.
Sephiroth
Smash Mansion
Roof
1330
"YO SEPHY!" Terry shouted, "We're back from McDonalds!"
Sephiroth's eyes snapped open just in time to see Terry and Corrin leap to his position, greasy fast-food burgers in hand.
"I know you said you didn't want anything," Terry said, "But Burger Pants hooked us up with an extra Grimace Shake.
Sephiroth raised an eyebrow, "Burger Pants?"
Terry nodded, "Yeah! A kid from Sans' neck of the woods who got unemployed when Mettaton left for the surface world, but he got a job at the Southtown McDonalds! We're even gonna help him emigrate when this thing's over."
Sephiroth shrugged, closing his eyes again.
"And look!" Corrin declared, rummaging through her bag, "I got a Happy Meal Train!"
Sephiroth's eyes slowly opened as Corrin dumped a bag full of individually wrapped toy train parts onto the roof.
"Corrin, that is a toy for children," was Sephiroth's flat reply.
"I know, but I find trains so fascinating!" Corrin squealed, "Interlinking cars of freight and moving it across the land? You don't know how lucky you are to have such a thing in your world."
"Go bother Link with it then, not me," Sephiroth demanded.
This didn't seem to bother Corrin, who giggled her way through assembling the pieces, each train car related to some children's entertainment property. The very thought of it made bile rise in Sephiroth's throat
"Look, I get we wanted us to leave ya alone, but Corrin was so happy she wanted to show the first person she saw, and plus, I wanted to get you something too. As a token of friendship."
Sephiroth snatched the shake from Terry's outstretched hand, slowly drinking the overwhelming berry confectionery. The One Winged Angel shrugged, "Not what it's capped up to be."
Terry's eyes widened, "You follow memes?"
"I do, for the sole purpose of having something to talk about with that loudmouth Wario and that floozy he insists on bringing around me."
"You…you don't like him do you?" Terry said, his eyes suddenly full of sympathy.
Sephiroth sighed, "No, but he manages my money, and I would hate to lose it."
"I getcha," Terry nodded, "Money is evil unless you spend it. Like for example…"
Terry pulled an entirely too-thick portable gaming system from a jacket pocket.
"Bought this Game Boy with all the accessories in 1994 with my first King of Fighters check," Terry explained, "And it still works today. But you, as far along in the tournament as you are, you could probably buy a nice house on the coast."
Sephiroth rubbed his chin in thought, slurping down the rest of his milkshake, "You're right. I will ask for my money tomorrow."
Terry tipped his hat, "Okay!"
Just as Sephiroth began to grin, he heard something being ground up and down against Masamune. Corrin rolled the train along the blade.
"Choo choo!" she squealed, "Choo-"
She caught Sephiroth eying her.
"I do apologize Sir Sephiroth. I know it's childish for me to act this way,"
"It is," Sephiroth agreed, punctuating this point with a curt nod.
"But I've learned a lot of how to enjoy one's self from Terry, and as I said earlier, I find trains fascinating, and I-"
"As much as the milkshake was appreciated, my tolerance for such things is easily drained by the likes of you. Leave, now."
"Alright," Terry shrugged, hopping down from the roof, "C'mon Corrin, we've got McDonald's to eat and kung fu movies to watch!"
Corrin waved at Sephiroth and jumped down after Terry. Just as the couple went inside, Sephiroth heard Terry whisper, "I think that went well."
They could never know it, but Sephiroth grinned in agreement at that.