Round 6: Day 5

Quinn
Smash City
Final Fantasy Section

Little Costa Del Sol

700

Rosalina watched Quinn paddle assuredly out after her among the vibrant waters of the Final Fantasy section's coast. When Quinn had asked that they go surfing, one of her favorite ways to exercise she wasn't sure, but watching Quinn maneuver, it was clear she had underestimated him. Before she knew it, Quinn's board was side-by-side with hers, the perpetually smiling Mii shifting to sit atop his board.

"Okay so, the first general rule of surfing is to…"

"Stand in the middle of the board."

Rosalina blinked, "Correct Quinn! I didn't think you were so familiar with the water."

"You've been to Wuhu before, right? Aquatic sports are a way of life down there. Granted I'm much more familiar with a wakeboard, considering that's way more popular than surfing," Quinn explained.

"Wakeboarding is definitely a good start, but there's an intricacy to surfing," she said, "Watch."

She turned on her board, paddling as quickly as she could.

"Notice how I'm cupping my hands when I stroke," she said, "Helps for building up speed."

Just as she said this, white water began to crash a few meters away. Rosalina was on her feet before Quinn could blink, confidently bobbing down the sliding down the bobbing water.

"Rose," Quinn called, "Could you walk me through getting up on this board? You did it so fast I barely saw you."

Rosalina seemed to deflate as she realized what she'd done, "Sorry, I just get so into it that I forget that I'm teaching."

Rosalina waited for the wave to die down before hopping off her board, ascending it once again on her belly.

"The form I've figured out over the years is," she began, "Chest out,"

She arched her upper back forward.

"Dominant foot up, out front."

She was now standing on one foot.

"Non-dominant leg in back."

Another wave appeared.

"Shoulder length apart," Rosalina quickly called.

Quinn joined Rosalina in the standing position. The wave took them, the couple dropping to a crouching position atop their respective board. Rosalina stood still as a statue, but Quinn wobbled, eventually teetering off his board, bringing his head above water.

"Damn it," Quinn cursed.

"No Quinn, you did great, your form was good for the first time and…"

"Well what did I do wrong?" whined the Mii Fighter.

Rosalina shrugged, "Nothing. Shoulder length apart seems to be the general rule, but everyone's body types are different. Twist with the next one and when you find your stance."

The water came as she spoke. Quinn glanced at his girlfriend, briefly pondering a quip about her controlling the water with her powers. There was no time for such levity, however, as the wave had come. Both of them snapped to their feet. The wave took them up. As she had before, Rosalina stood still, confident in her stance. Quinn however, wriggled atop his board. This wave was bigger, but less aggressive than the last, so he had time to find his rhythm. Sure enough, the bare minimum of distance between his dominant and non-dominant leg was enough to keep him atop his board. They rode down the wave together, huge smiles on their faces.

"I did it!" Quinn cheered.

Rosalina only chuckled, sitting leisurely atop her board.

In the ecstasy of victory, a thought occurred to Quinn.

"How did you ever learn how to surf?" asked the Mii.

"Self-taught," Rosalina explained, brushing hair out of her obscured eye.

Quinn shot her a look, tipping down his sunglasses, letting his disbelief shine through. At this, Rosalina laughed.

"What?" she insisted, "You'd be surprised how many planets throughout the galaxy are standing bodies of water. Before I left the world I came from, I'd lived in a pretty landlocked area, so I didn't know such things existed. I originally built a surfboard as something to lounge on while they..."

\ She pointed to a fivesome of Lumas on the shore, playfully building a sandcastle with the help of several anthropomorphic bird children.

"...Played in the water," Rosalina said, "And of course, when waves started hitting I figured it out."

"I suppose that's what I'll have to do," Quinn nodded somberly, "Figure it out."

Rosalina nodded, absent-mindedly sloshing the water beneath her, "Luigi's crafty, but I believe if you keep your cardio up, you might be able to beat him.

"What gave you that impression?" Quinn asked, briefly pausing to watch a flock of Wingull fly overhead.

Luckily, Rosalina had become just as distracted. They both resumed eye contact at the same time.

"Because he's looking past you. He's training with some samurai down in one of the smaller King of Fighters section neighborhoods."

A wave sloshed underneath them, not nearly big enough to ride. Quinn thought it would give him time to comprehend that information.

"First of all, samurai?" Quinn asked, "Second of all, how do you know that?"

"It shouldn't shock you that Terry knows an eclectic group of people, or that samurai are among us. Yoshimitsu is one."

Cameras clicked, no doubt some onlookers hoping to sell their images to a tabloid. It had happened every time they had gone out, but Rosalina's stone-faced reaction to it all had quickly rubbed off on Quinn.

"I'd hardly call that wacko a samurai," Quinn muttered.

"He fought Spongebob Squarepants and walked away," Rosalina shouted excitedly.

Another wave sloshed, Quinn wobbled atop his board but righted himself. He briefly pondered whether the wave or the absurdity of what Rosalina had just said was the cause, before clearing his throat.

"If Ryu told you this, I'll gleefully assume Spongebob, the cartoon character, is one of the most powerful people he knows. If it were anyone else…"

"Pacman swore by Yoshimitsu too," Rosalina added, "Apparently they played tennis at some point together? I don't know, he's hard to understand when he's high."

Quinn nodded, "Fair enough,"

Rosalina paused, but suddenly sprang back into the conversation, likely realizing her mind had drifted.

"But yes, I understand your skepticism. But if you watched the cartoon as closely as I did during the Duel tournament, you'd know, I swear.".

"You and Ryu have never lied to me, so I don't doubt it. But you never explained how you knew where Luigi was today."

"Daisy told me," Rosalina said flatly, "She's grounded to her room for today because she flipped a car in the Tekken district."

"She flipped a what?" Quinn balked, "Why?"

"I'd tell you what she thinks about Reina Mishima, but there are children present," she whispered, jerking her thumb to a family of Waddle Dees, a mother, father, and two children, each paddling away on innertubes."

"Mishima? Related to Jin's dad somehow?"

"His high school-aged half-sister."

"His what-aged what?"

Rosalina frowned, angrily sloshing water at him.

"Shit, I owe Daisy 100 coins!"

"What was that you said about children being present?"

Rosalina followed Quinn's devilish grin. The Waddle Dee parents had shot them angry expressions, paddling quicker away, their kids struggling to keep up.

"So, why do you owe Daisy 100 coins?"

"Because I was sure you weren't going to react in the same way Luigi did when he found out."

Quinn scratched as head as the water warbled beneath them.

"I'm beginning to think Luigi and I are more alike than we think."

Silence hung in the air, Rosalina and Quinn taking in the sounds of people at play around them.

"I don't know whether I like that or not," Quinn said, "Best surf to avoid having a thought, yeah?"

Rosalina giggled, "And it'll take my mind off of having lost a bet."

The two surfed two concurrent waves. Quinn's newly found stance allowed him to conquer it with ease.

"Well look at you," Rosalina said, "Do you think you're ready to go further out?"

"Yeah, but not by much,"

With that, the two began to paddle out.

"Hey Rosa," Quinn said, not breaking stride.

Rosalina did not break stride either, but her kind warmth radiated off her even so.

"Yes," she said.

"Thanks for this," Quinn said, "I couldn't bring myself to spar the normal way. Being in a gym makes me think of…you know…the school."

"I know," Rosalina said, "Maybe it's a sign that you spend some time with Master Hart."

The two paddled in silence as Quinn mused over his options.

"Yeah," Quinn said, "I'll call him…"

A wave appeared.

"Let's get busy," Rosalina called, "We've got to get your balance in tip-top shape."

Quinn simply nodded, the Mii and the galactic wayfarer taking to the waves.

Luigi

Smash City

King of Fighters Section

Cool Cool Town

Neo Geo Battle Coliseum

1200

Luigi had heard all about the King of Fighters section of Smash City, and it lived up to its dubious reputation.

Mario had said the drunk and disorderly calls had come primarily from two places, KoF, and the F-Zero section. In his time, Luigi figured no one could out-party those of the F-Zero universe, but Luigi had walked through the heart of it. Constant football chanting mixed with the smell of suspicious street meat, the entire section of the city was a constant party.

"It makes this place all the more odd though," Luigi reflected to himself.

In a desolate corner of the KoF section sat Cool Cool Town, a quiet place despite the constant electronic music and dancing, bulbous-headed creatures.

Luigi stood in front of the small nook's greatest attraction, one of the most popular in the King of Fighters section, The NEO GEO Battle Coliseum. Like the many other sporting hubs in Smash City, this oddly futuristic building amidst what seemed to be a normal Japanese town had been flocking with activity.

But it was noon now. The stadium sat quietly as no event was to go on that day. Luigi's mind flooded with confusion.

"Why meet here?" Luigi asked no one in particular.

Just as the eeriness of the massive building's silence began to make Luigi's skin crawl, a familiar voice shook him out of it.

"YO! LUIGI!"

Terry Bogard was walking towards him, that usual spring in his step. Terry extended his hand, and Luigi clasped it, the two shaking hands.

"So you guys train in a stadium?" Luigi asked, "You know you could rent out a conventional gym right?"

Terry opened the door, gesturing with his head for Luigi to step inside. The stadium looked even more empty from the inside, unlit neon advertisements caught Luigi's eye as Terry closed the door.

"Yeah, but a large portion of our crew is spooked by motor vehicles, so we think it's easier to have one place to go to for events and training."

"How's that been?" Luigi asked as they walked deeper into the stadium.

"Sold out most nights, just like most sporting events around here. Or at least that's what Geese tells me."

"He owns the stadium?" Luigi asked.

Terry's response was so terse and short it made Luigi's skin crawl.

"Yeah,"

Despite every synapse in his brain telling him he should drop the subject

Luigi raised an eyebrow, "You doing okay with that, having him here?"

Terry shrugged, "He knows what happens if all the demonic folk from our neck of the woods have their way."

"That seems…"

The Eternal Understudy blinked, Terry was now walking briskly ahead, having arrived at the main bowl, heading down the stairs through the rows of seats. Just as Luigi made a mental note not to bring up Geese again, Terry's voice boomed through the expanse of the stadium.

"CLEAR THE FLOOR FOLKS!" Terry yelled, "OUR GUEST OF HONOR IS HERE!"

Luigi made it into the center dome just in time to see a motley crew with a gaggle of weapons glaring at him.

A large bald man in hastily applied kabuki face paint snorted, "You'd better be right about this Bogard. The other kids earned me a pretty sizeable chunk of change."

"When have I ever misled you Earthquake?" Terry asked.

Again, the man snorted, backing up towards the wall. The majority of the gaggle followed his lead, except for a wild-haired man with a katana, and a meek-looking girl in samurai robes.

"The fella is Haohmaru and the gal is Hibiki," Terry said. They're gonna help you train today. First, though, you're gonna watch 'em spar a bit."

Luigi nodded, "Hokey dokey Terry!"

Terry pulled himself over the retaining wall, into the first row of seats, Luigi followed suit. Just as his two trainers got into position, a new voice called out.

"Yo, did we miss the party!" bellowed the voice of Travis Touchdown from somewhere in the empty stadium.

Luigi scanned his surroundings as best as he could. Just as Luigi determined that the otaku was somewhere above them, he and Mai Shiranui jumped from above, landing perfectly in the two seats beside himself and Terry.

"Hey big guy," Mai said, "Where's your girl?"

"Holding some big meeting with the rest of the Fire Emblem types in case somebody tries to attack after the finals."

"I figured," Travis blurted, "The mansion was quiet today. Reckon the space guys are doing the same thing?"

"Yeah, I can't imagine what it's like to coordinate all the ships and…"

"Alright," Terry interrupted, "You two ready to go?"

"We are," Haohmaru announced, a smirk on his face, "Is the green boy ready to pay attention, or is he gonna bother himself with the business of generals?"

Luigi felt himself shrink in his seat, "I suppose now isn't exactly the time or place to be talking about that. Yeah, I'm ready.

Haohmaru drew his sword, but Hibiki only grabbed at the hilt of her sword, keeping it in its sheath.

"OKAY!" Terry bellowed, "Let's begin!"

Immediately, Haohmaru stood to block. A flash erupted from Hibiki's sheath, metal scraped against metal. The meek samurai had assumed her usual stance before Luigi could even blink.

"Mama Mia," Luigi gulped.

"Yep," Terry said, "That's what you're gonna have to contend with if you wanna stand a chance against Sephiroth."

On the battlefield, the two samurai charged. Hibiki was quickest on the draw, a swipe of Haohmaru's ankles causing the samurai to fall onto his behind. As quickly as he had sprung back up, Hibiki had brushed past him, standing still.

"What the hell?" asked Luigi.

"Oh man, I love this shit," cackled Travis.

Haohmaru's tunic ripped open, and the samurai collapsed to the ground. Despite the devastating blow, Haohmaru sprung to his feet once again, pelting Hibiki with a series of slashes, Once again, Hibiki bolted past Haohmaru. This time, the blade slice that followed didn't knock Haohmaru down, instead turning his skin an unhealthy shade of red. A spinning attack that propelled Haohmaru upward didn't stop Hibiki from zig-zagging around Haohmaru, slashing him at every opportunity.

"Haohmaru's a durable son of a gun isn't he?" Luigi remarked

Terry only nodded as the battle continued. Poking at Hibiki with his sword and summoning fire tornadoes seemed to keep the impossibly fast swordswoman at bay. The two charged, breezing past each other. Both dramatically sheathed their blades, the slices they'd inflicted on each other finally catching up as they dropped to their knees.

"AND WE'VE GOT A DRAW!" declared Terry

A blond knight began to clap approvingly.

"C'est bon!" she cheered.

Luigi glanced over at Travis. The man shook, his eyes as wide as saucers.

"WOAH!" shouted the modern samurai, "I thought that only happened in movies! Like the Rouroni Kenshin OVA!"

Mai giggled, pecking her man on the cheek, "You're lucky you're cute when you're nerding out."

"Yeah, great," huffed Luigi, "Can I get in with you Hibiki?"

The girl nodded as Luigi vaulted over the partition.

"What am I?" teased Haohmaru, "Some novice unworthy of your time?"

"No, that's not it at all. Hibiki's movements are a lot like Sephiroth's. If I have a chance like Terry said, I have to deal with that We are not leaving this room until I can stay standing after one of those running blows."

Earthquake snorted, "We're in for a long night then!"

Another man who had been training, a man in full kabuki attire who had insisted on hopping on one foot, began to cackle like a banshee at the big man's joke.

"Shut yer traps Earthquake, Kyoshiro," snapped Haohmaru, "The kid's got spunk. I like it."

Luigi sighed as he stayed still in the middle of the ring. He could've sworn he saw the tiniest grin on Hibiki's face.

Mama Mia thought Luigi.

Luigi and Daisy's suite

2100

"SnooPING AS usual I see," the on-screen visage of Doctor Eggman pondered.

Princess Daisy kicked the air with joy all while simultaneously slurping ramen as she watched The Adventures of Sonic The Hedgehog on her big screen TV.

"AHHH!" Daisy squealed, "THERE IT IS!"

Daisy's next slurp of ramen was so loud and so deep that she didn't hear the door open. Luigi flopped onto the bed, his denim overalls and green shirt ripped with slashes.

"Geez," Daisy said, "Those samurai went rough on you didn't they?"

Luigi nodded, "But I can take a sword slash and keep moving."

Daisy chuckled, stroking his right cheek.

"As if my knight in shining armor couldn't get any more ideal."

Luigi smiled up at her, "Thanks babe,"

He reciprocated her loving touch, glancing over to the TV.

"Whatcha watchin'?"

"I was in a Youtube Poop mood," Daisy said, "I've been watching the original clips of stuff."

"Neat," Luigi said, "And you got ramen too?"

His stomach grumbled.

"Please tell me you saved me some."

"Of course I did! Miso spinach with mushrooms. That was the kind you always got when we went to that one during the Brawl tournament, you know, the one from Takamaru's neck of the woods!"

Luigi's eyes widened, "You remembered that?"

Sure enough, Luigi walked over to their shared fridge. A covered bowl of Mintendo ramen stood in the fridge, the order scrawled in black pen on the white bowl."

"I love you," Luigi said, grabbing the bowl and making his way back to the bed.

"I love you too," Daisy responded.

Finishing the last of her ramen, Daisy laid her head on Luigi's chest.

"So, if you don't mind, Chip Cheezum just finished up the Kingdom Hearts playthrough."

"Sounds like a date to me,"

And so, the two cued up the TV app, ready for a peaceful night in after a long day.