Super Mario Bros. 7: The Demonic Trials (Epilogue Posted!)

[shadowmarioguy]

Note: If something happens to this thread and makes the chapters unreadable, go here.

It's been two years since Mario thwarted the evil Lord Shade, and Mario is still nowhere to be found.  Luigi and the others have enjoyed the new peace brought upon the kingdom, but they are still ready to defend it whenever a new villain may emerge.  Meanwhile, it seems that an evil force is lurking among the depths of space.  Looking for the one who has defeated Shade, no one is certain what he is after.  Is it revenge, or something much more sinister?

This is the seventh installment of my series.  However, there's no need for you to read 1-6 (though you still might enjoy them).  Luckily, I have spent a lot of time writing Character Bios, Fanfic Summaries, and the like.  Just read those and you'll know everything that has happened up to this point.  The first three are short, so they are put into a trilogy of 30 chapters.  Then there's four, five and six, each also about 30 chapters.

If you really want to read them, look here for 1-3, here for 4, and here for 5.  I didn't want to repost them here because they're already finished and would just be a waste of space.  SMB6 was the first one I posted here, and you can find it here.

If you're new to the series, you should read the character bios and fanfic summaries.  Otherwise, you probably won't understand most of what's going on.  Also, keep in mind that my writing skills have developed from 1-6, so earlier parts of the series won't have the same quality as this.

Fanfic Summaries:

Super Mario Bros. 1: Legend of the Evil Demon-  Bowser and King Boo have a scheme to use the power of the Shadow Keys to summon a demon that was sealed away in the Shadow Shrine.  They let the Mario Bros. do all of their work for them, by kidnapping Peach and telling them they had to find the keys in order for them to not kill her.  Through trickery and pure luck, the evil duo obtains all of the keys, but as they are at the front of the Shadow Shrine, Mario is able to defeat them and avoid the summoning of the demon.

Super Mario Bros. 2: Sunshine Adventure- Basically Mario returns to Isle Delfino and is framed once again by Bowser and Jr, but Mario proves his innocence and defeats them once and for all.  Bowser exits and claims he will be working on a new invention.

Super Mario Bros. 3: The Ultimate Killer- Mysterious characters have made a metal copy of Mario, who pays a visit to the Mushroom Kingdom.  Metal Mario goes to worlds such as Hyrule and strives tp conquer them for his masters.  Mario faces him many times, and in the final battle he wins, but at the cost of his own life.

Super Mario Bros. 4: The Double Agent- Evil has gone amok in the MK again, but Mario's not around to stop it.  The demon Mario was trying to stop in SMB1 has been unleashed.  In a desperate struggle, Mario's friends try to save the world, but to no avail.  Through some strange events, Mario is granted another chance at life.  Mario returns, and equipped with a new technique called the Iceball, he makes short work of the demon, Chaos.  But Mario is framed by another copy of himself, and things are once again in an uproar.  Mario proves his innocence and defeats the ultimate tag team of Nightmare, the fake Mario, and his old enemy who has come back to life, Metal Mario.

Super Mario Bros. 5: Rise of the Darkness (This is where the action kicks in, so it's a bit longer!)- Everyone is now at ease, now that Mario has once again become the hero of the Mushroom Kingdom.  It isn't long before Bowser decides to attack again, but Mario soon thwarts his plan to steal the Star Rod.  Their victory is cut short when a strange band of warriors arrive moments later.  This group of warriors, known as the Shadow Shrowds, travel from planet to planet, recruiting its strongest inhabitants and conquering everyone and everything else.  Lord Shade, the head of the Shadow Shrowds, has recruited Grodus, Wart, Princess Shroob, and Cackletta already.  They quickly defeat Mario and steal the Star Rod that Bowser left behind, as well as Mushroom Castle's most precious artifact, the Power Star.  Feeling responsible for this threat, Mario goes off alone to face this menace with nothing to help him but a Max Mushroom.  Mario defeats the deadly tag team of Grodus and Wart, and stumbles upon the Shadow Starship, the Shadow Shrowds main base of operations. 

He is able to pummel Princess Shroob, but Cackletta soon possesses him just as she did with Bowser in M&L: SS.  Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, and E. Gadd follow the trail Mario left behind and come to his aid. 
After a long and tiring battle with an army of Sol Warriors (warriors that were recruited from a distant planet), Mario crosses the bridge that leads to Lord Shade just before it collapses.  With no way to cross, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, and E. Gadd have no choice but to head back to Mushroom Castle.  Mario faces Lord Shade's right hand man, Mace, and narrowly escapes defeat.  But Mace begs for Mario to forgive him, and tells him that he only wanted to test Mario's strength.  Mario trusts Mace and gives him his only Max Mushroom, and the two head back to face Lord Shade as a team.  Lord Shade reveals his plan to fire the starship's Annihilator Beam at the Earth to reveal its core.  Once the core is exposed, he will drain the energy from the core to resurrect the Dark Castle, where Lord Shade will govern over the entire universe.  Lord Shade is also collecting the four Oracles of Power: The Star Rod, Power Star, Shadow Rod, and Z Star.
 
He fires the Annihilator Beam, but Mace quickly redirects the beam so that it barely skims the edge of the planet.  Shade quickly kills Mace and comments on how the beam still took out a large enough chunk of the planet to drain some of its core.  With his dying breath, Mace explains why he wanted to help Mario defeat Shade.  Mace was once a Sol Warrior, until Lord Shade came to their planet to recruit all of the Sol.  Mace's father defended him with his life, but soon met his end at the hands of Lord Shade.  Since then, Mace has worked with Shade only so he could turn on him when the time was right.  He then tells Mario that he has the 'Capacity of Elements' and should seek out the Thunder Palace.  Before he can explain anything further to the confused Mario, his time expires and he passes away.  Lord Shade decides he has more important business to attend to and leaves Mario alone on the starship... which is about to crash!

Super Mario Bros. 6: The Mighty Tyrant- Stranded on a crashing ship, Mario rushes to find some means of escape.  Luckily, he manages to shield himself from the force of the impact and survives the collision.  Back in the Mushroom Kingdom, Lord Shade's troops swarm toward Mushroom Castle.  Wario and Waluigi rush to meet them head-on, but are soon captured and imprisoned. As this goes on, Luigi gathers everyone in the castle and leads them to the Secret Chambers, where they can stay hidden.  Mushroom Castle is soon overtaken, and leaving the Secret Chambers would risk being spotted by Lord Shade's guards. 

No one has any idea where Mario is or what happened to the Wario Bros., so Luigi is presumed to be the only hero left.  He accepts his responsibility and sneaks out of the castle, heading toward the starship's crash site.  There, he meets Mario and they begin to search for the Thunder Palace as Mace requested.  After thorough searching, they are nearly captured by Shade's men before a mysterious warrior named Glaive quickly disposes of them.  Mario locates and enters the Thunder Palace, while Glaive and Luigi scheme to intercept the delivery of the Shadow Rod- one of the Oracles of Power- to Lord Shade.  Posing as a Sol Warrior and a captured citizen, Luigi and Glaive sneak into the castle undetected.  They soon free Wario and Waluigi, and the four of them attack Lord Shade simultaneously.

Lord Shade effortlessly defeats them, and it seems that all hope is lost.  Just as Shade is about reach the status of a god, Skulleon appears and slices the Z Star- an Oracle of Power- into three shards that instantly scatter themselves across the kingdom.  Before Shade could even react, he warped himself and the four heroes back to the Ice Palace.  After some training with Skulleon, they begin their search for the shards.  Shade, not one to be outdone, sends the most elite fighting force at his disposal, the Alloy Team.  Composed of the strongest Alloys from SSBB, the Alloy Team finds their first shard in just a few minutes.  With preparations to summon the Dark Castle complete, Shade moves from Mushroom Castle to his new lair.  Meanwhile, Luigi and the group find themselves in Soulless Realm, a dimension between the Underwhere and the Mushroom Kingdom.  After some ghastly encounters, they escape with the shard. 

They emerge in Forever Forest, where the final shard is nearby.  They find it with ease, but Glaive knows that this only makes them a primary target.  In seconds, they are surrounded by the Alloy Team.  In an all-out battle, Luigi and co. find themselves completely outclassed and unable to defeat even one member of the group.  Just as their deaths seem guaranteed, Mario arrives on the scene!  Having completed his training, Mario takes on the entire Alloy Team at once- and wins!  Fed up, Shade sends every single one of his men into the battlefield, hoping to recover the Z Star shards.  Unable to face an entire army, Mario, Luigi, Glaive, Wario, and Waluigi lose their grip on the shards.  Lord Shade obtains the power he was looking for, and he celebrates by tossing an energy sphere at his helpless foes without caring about the safety of his army!  Mario and his friends manage to survive, but the rest of the Shadow Shrowds aren't so lucky.

Glaive, Luigi, Wario, and Waluigi follow Mario to the Thunder Palace.  There, they seek to receive the same training that Mario did.  As they sharpen their skills, Mario furthers his training with Grambi, the ruler of the Overthere.  Hoping to distract Shade from destroying the world, Glaive, Luigi, Wario, and Waluigi confront Shade in one final battle while Mario homes his skills.  In a bloody, gruesome battle, Wario and Waluigi are murdered by the merciless Lord Shade.  Luigi and Glaive are soon rendered useless after taking a severe beating from the tyrant, and hang on by a thread as they wait for a miracle.  Their pleas are answered as Mario completes his training and arrives just in the nick of time.  He evacuates Luigi and Glaive from the castle, and proceeds to fight an evenly matched battle, until Shade announces that he hasn't taken all of the energy the Oracles of Power have to offer.  After absorbing every last drop of energy from them, not even Mario stands a chance. 

With Shade about to deliver the final blow, Grambi telepathically informs Mario of his true identity.  Shocked, Mario goes through an unbelievable transformation!  With his new abilities, Mario has Shade begging for mercy.  Never wanting to kill an opponent if he didn't have to, Mario spares Shade.  As soon as Mario turns to leave, Shade attacks!  Mario is able to counter the assault and destroy the core of Dark Castle all in one shot.  However, the Dark Castle is surrounded by what is known as the Vortex.  With the castle's core destroyed, it will sink into the Vortex and trap Mario inside forever.  Before Mario can leave, the near-death Shade once again begs for his life.  What to do?  Should Mario help someone that had already betrayed him?  Could he justify leaving Shade behind by labeling him as 'evil'?  Mario sees through Shade's plan and finishes him off.  But before he manages to escape with his life, the Vortex devours the castle and fades away into nothingness.  The Star Rod has been used to restore the lives of all those killed by Shade, but it is unable to work its magic on Mario.  What has become of Mario?  Has the Mushroom Hero been lost forever?


Character Bios:

(Note: Some are really long because they contain important information)

Mario



When Mario first entered the Mushroom Kingdom, he didn't care deeply about it or even suspect himself to be it's true hero.  After his battle with Metal Mario, he came to realize who he truly was.  He cares deeply for his new friends, and he'll do anything to protect his new home.  Mario always wants a fair fight, and is hesitant to kill his foes.  Later on, Mario learns that he is from the Hero bloodline, meaning he was born to become the Mushroom Kingdom's next defender. His father was the first Hero, and was born with immense powers locked deep within him.  Mario inherited 75% of these powers, though they could only be unlocked through brutal training.  After his death in Super Mario Bros. 3, he trained with Skulleon to unleash some of this power.  He also learns that he has something called the Capacity of Elements, meaning he can learn the Iceball and Thunderball.  By learning under Skulleon, the Ice God, and Raiden, the Thunder God, a majority of Mario's power was released.  The last of it was obtained by training in Dimension C, a brutal dimension that almost guarantees death.  After obtaining all of this power, Mario was ready to fight Shade.  After winning in a heart-stopping battle, Mario disappeared.  Will he ever return?

Luigi:



Luigi is Mario's younger brother.  Luigi deeply respects his brother, and often worries about him.  Luigi can be a bit cowardly sometimes, but deep down he is very courageous and heroic.  Luigi can't stand the thought of anything bad happening to Mario.  His mentor is The Master, who hopes to give Luigi the power and support to be one of the Mushroom Kingdom's most famous heroes.

Wario:



Wario is a hefty man who holds a grudge against Mario.  Wario is extremely greedy; if he had to choose between his life or cash, he would be a dead man.  Despite his weight, Wario is very strong and can give quite a punch.  He worked for E. Gadd to help stop Chaos, but he was only doing it for the money.  Then, he and Waluigi decided to form a temporary alliance with the Mario Bros. to save the kingdom.  But Wario only wanted to help so he could become more famous than his rival.  Now, two years later, Wario hasn't changed a bit.

Waluigi:



Waluigi is almost the complete opposite of his plump brother, Wario.  Waluigi is tall and skinny, and looks very sinister.  Waluigi loves to cause mischief, although he was forced to work with Mario and Luigi in an attempt to become as famous as the Mario Bros.  Wario and Waluigi only have one thing in common; strength.  Waluigi is a bit sarcastic at times and smarter than his brother.  Oh, and he's not quite as arrogant, eighter.

Glaive



When Mario and Luigi bump into some trouble during Shade's invasion, Glaive comes out of seemingly nowhere to rescue them.  Even though he wears thick armor, he can move about freely as if he was as light as a feather.  He has also been seen using various ninja weapons, such as the kunai, shuriken, and the very common sword.  It is later revealed that Glaive used to work for Shade.  Glaive's home world was cursed to never be able to see light.  Searching for a way to lift the curse, Shade said that he could break the spell if Glaive would join his army.  Years later, Glaive realized that Shade only cares about himself.  He left the Shadow Shrowds and joined up with Mario. Now that Shade is dead, he lurks in Forever Forest.  He has always dreamed of being more powerful than Shade, and now the only way to make his dream come true is to be stronger than the one who killed Shade: Mario!

Princess Peach:



Peach is the ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom.  Time and time again she has been kidnapped by Bowser.  She has hidden feelings for Mario, who is always there for her.  Princess Peach is sincere and caring, but can also react strongly to being tricked.  She may be the one who misses Mario most of all, and visits Shooting Star Summit every night to look at the stars and wait for Mario's return.

E. Gadd:



This small, wrinkly old man has been inventing things for as long as anyone can remember!  Fate would soon have it that he would eventually get mixed in with the Mario Bros.!  He made his debut in Luigi's Mansion by providing Luigi with ghost hunting equipment to save Mario from King Boo.  Next, although he did not make direct contact with Mario, one of his inventions were used to thwart Bowser in Super Mario Sunshine.  Ever since, E. Gadd has got dragged into many of Mario's battles and adventures.  He is constantly coming up with new gadgets to help Mario and his friends, and he always takes pride in his work.  Though he's small and defenseless, his technology and intellect are both a big help to Mario and his friends.

Mario Jr. and Luigi Jr.:



Although the picture shows them as babies, picture them being a little older.  Mario Jr. is now ten and Luigi Jr. is seven.  They are both Mario's children, but Mario forced them to move to Yoshi Island when Bowser attacked the kingdom for the first time.  Ever since Shade's attack, they have stayed there, waiting for Mario to return for them.  Mario refused to bring them back until he defeated the Shadow Shrowds and their leader, Lord Shade.  Now that the battle has been won, the babies live with their uncle, Luigi.

Skulleon:



Although he looks fierce in the above picture, he is actually on the side of good.  I guess you could say the picture depicts him battling an evil foe.  He is really the Ice God, and looks over the Ice Orb.  When Mario fights with Metal Mario back in SMB3, Skulleon notices that Mario has much hidden power locked away.  When Mario dies, Skulleon takes Mario under his wing and helps him become stronger.  At the end of Mario's many trials, Mario earns the right to touch the Ice Orb, giving him the powers of ice.  Through a sequence of strange events, Mario is given life once again.  Skulleon warns Mario to stay away from Lord Shade, but Mario challenges Shade anyway.  As a god, Skulleon can speak to anyone he wants using his mind, no matter how far away that person may be.  He is always watching over Mario and his friends.

Raiden



This is the Thunder God, Raiden!  He watches over the Thunder Orb, and is even more strict than Skulleon.  As you might of guessed, he wields the element of thunder.  When Mario first requested to learn from him, Raiden turned him down.  But Raiden soon learned that Mario already knew the elements of fire and ice.  Not only that, but it is considered impossible for one to contain more than one element within their body, with the only known exception being Grambi, the very ruler of the Overthere.  Puzzled at Mario's abilities, Raiden agrees to let Mario touch the Thunder Orb- after he goes through some bone-breaking trials!

Grambi



He may look like an old geezer, but he's really the king of the Overthere.  He possesses the Capacity of Elements, meaning he can wield Fire, Ice, and Thunder.  Grambi first appeared in Super Paper Mario, when Mario and his friends were sent to the Underwhere by one of Count Bleck's minions.  They met Grambi's wife, Queen Jaydes, who allowed them to pass into the Overthere to search for a Pure Heart if they agreed to bring their daughter, Luvbi, back to Grambi.  A monster by the name of Bonechill had attacked Grambi, and Mario was forced to stop him.  Afterward, it was revealed that Grambi had turned the Pure Heart into a living being to hide it from evil years ago, and this person was Luvbi.  Knowing that it was her destiny to help stop Count Bleck, Luvbi became a Pure Heart once more.

However, much more is revealed about his past when Shade attacks.  Grambi's real name is Anthony, and he was Mario's father during his lifetime.  Long ago, Lord Shade had assaulted Brooklyn.  He sent his infant children, Mario and Luigi, to the Mushroom Kingdom while he tried his best to fend him off.  He was killed, but Shade was so worn out from the battle that he had to go to other planets to recruit more warriors.  One day, he swore that he would return.  Meanwhile Anthony was given the title of Grambi, and he became ruler of the Overthere.

Appears in Chapter 1:[spoiler]Jolene



The current announcer of the Smash Pit, Jolene always likes to see a good fight.  Before the Smash Pit existed, there was an arena called the Glitz Pit that was owned by a man named Grubba.  He secretly kidnapped fighters and stole their life energy in order to stay alive forever.  When Jolene's brother became the champ of the pit and mysteriously disappeared, Jolene became Grubba's secretary to learn more about what happened to her brother.  She eventually learned about Grubba's twisted scheme, but was powerless to stop him.  That was until Mario entered the Glitz Pit!  She secretly guided Mario to discover Grubba's secret. It wasn't long before Mario was able to stop Grubba and rescue Jolene's brother.  With Grubba behind bars, Jolene took over the Glitz Pit.  However, Lord Shade's invasion led to the destruction of the pit.  Because of this, Jolene recently purchased the Smash Arena and modeled it into the Smash Pit.[/spoiler]

Bowser:



Mario's rival, Bowser has been beaten for the last time (so he says).  He is constantly trying to come up with a plan to not only kidnap Peach and beat Mario, but conquer the kingdom as well.  Bowser is very evil, although he is also very ignorant.  He bosses Kammy around and takes all the credit for her ideas.  Since Shade's defeat, Bowser hasn't attacked once.

Velno:



He was created by Lord Shade's top scientists.   Project V.E.L.N.O., or Vicious Energy Lacking Nasty Organism, was meant to be a creature that was naturally strong, but could also take the strength of others by eating them if necessary.  As soon as he was able to think, Velno escaped from Shade and fled into Brooklyn's sewers.  Years later, he emerged in the Mushroom Kingdom, looking to kill Lord Shade for leaving him behind.  Luckily, he was destroyed by Wario, Waluigi, and Luigi.  He still might be referred to though, so it's a good idea to know who he is.

Lord Shade:



Many ages ago, the Universe, Overthere, and Underwhere were united as a single kingdom called Terranea.  There were many groups of people, and bitter rivalries between races.  Two childhood friends, Shade and Inoni, were of two different races.  Shade, a member of the Dark Tribe, went against his parents orders and became friends with Inoni.  However, the two of them were soon separated.  Thrown into uncontrollable rage, Shade attacked.  It took Terranea's strongest forces to defeat him.  The ruler of the kingdom, Zeus, split Terranea into three parts.  The Universe would be designed as a judgement phase, where he could watch over people and decide whether they were good or bad.  Whenever a person died, he'd be brought to the Underwhere.  If he was good, he could advance to the Overthere, where he'd live in an eternity of peace.  Those who were not pure would remain trapped in the Underwhere, where they'd be unable to do harm to those who deserved tranquility.  With all of his might, Zeus sealed Shade in the Underwhere.  For years, Shade studied the Dark Prognosticus and eventually found a way to escape. 

Instead of ending up in the Overthere, he found himself in the Universe.  Vowing that Zeus was a terrible leader and that he would someday take his place, Shade set out to prove himself by conquering the Universe.  He formed a group called the Shadow Shrowds, an elite fighting force that contained warriors from around the Universe.  By using methods of trickery and deceit, Shade forced hundreds of civilizations to fight by his side.  Even Glaive was once a part of his army.  Shade once attacked the earth, but Mario's father managed to drive him away at the cost of his life.  Recently, Shade came back stronger than ever.  At last, through events listed above, Mario put him to rest.  Of course it still helps to know who Shade is, because he'll be referred to at various points in the story.

MK Map- This map shows some of the basic areas in the Mushroom Kingdom.  I made it myself, so it is no way affilated with Nintendo.



Tournament Bracket- Just a simple bracket I whipped up to help you clearly visualize the matchups for the Smash Tournament.

[shadowmarioguy]

Prologue: Two Years

Two years had passed since Mario freed the Mushroom Kingdom from Lord Shade's tyrannical grasp.  In two short years, the kingdom had been rebuilt to its former state.  With the help of Luigi, a book that described the battle between Mario and Shade in vivid detail was written.  It wasn't long before everyone owned at least one copy of the best-seller, and within a month everyone had it practically memorized.  Everyone had settled back into their new life of peace.  The only thing that was missing was the hero they had come to love.

Each night, after the sun vanished below the horizon, everyone in the kingdom would meet at Star Summit to gaze at the night sky.  Deep down, they hoped that they would see Mario descend from the sky to return to them.  It gave everyone comfort and made them feel closer to Mario.  Even after two years, they remained hopeful...



Mario is Missing

The sky was a dark blue shade, lit up with streaks of gold radiating from the shooting stars soaring overhead.  Luigi, Peach, and all of the citizens of the Mushroom Kingdom sat on the soft, purple soil of Shooting Star Summit.  They stared longingly up at the sky, the same way as they had each day for the past two years.

"Come home, Bro!" Luigi screamed yearningly, tears forming in the corners of his eyes.

Peach, her face damp with tears, gazed up at a shooting star that seemed to drift astray from the millions of others in the sky.  She watched as it collided with the mountainside less than a mile away.  "I wish that Mario would come back to us..."

Luigi nodded glumly.  "Nothing has happened since we last saw him.  Bowser hasn't even attacked."

"It's almost as if I want something bad to happen, just so he can save us again..." Peach sighed.  "If it meant seeing Mario again, I think I would even let myself be kidnapped."

Toadsworth's face reddened as he prepared to lecture them.  "Now, see here-"

"Just kidding," Peach interrupted sheepishly.  "I don't want to be captured at all.  I just want to see Mario again."

Toadsworth laughed uneasily.  "Yes, of course..."  He glanced at his watch.  "Your highness, I believe it is almost past your bedtime.  We should return to the castle.  It's very unhealthy for you to be staying up this late.  I think these late night visits to Star Summit need to stop.  A princess needs her rest, and studies say that wrinkles are three percent more likely to occur when-"

Peach yawned abruptly to attract Toadsworth's attention.  "I am getting pretty tired, Toadsworth.  Your lectures don't help, either.  But you are right about one thing; we should be heading back home.  Mario wouldn't want us to ruin our sleep schedule grieving for him."

Luigi waved goodbye to her as she and Toadsworth left.  "Goodnight, Peach!  Don't let the old crank keep you up all night!"  Most of the Toads working at Mushroom Castle left with them.  In less than an hour, Luigi was the only one left.  With one last look at a shooting star, Luigi turned to leave.  "I wish Bro would come back..."



The next day...

"What?  Are you sure?!" Glaive thundered angrily at the sky.  He had been walking through Forever Forest when Skulleon suddenly contacted him telepathically from the Overthere.

"I'm positive.  There's something going on with the barrier between your universe and the Nightmare Vault.  That's all we are really sure of right now.  Be on your best guard.  I'm sure we don't need to remind you of what the vault is, do I?"

"The Nightmare Vault..." Glaive sighed depressingly.  "This is going to be one heck of a ride."



Training

"Keep it up, you three!" The Master demanded, his face bright red and covered with sweat.  "Put the pain out of your head and keep going!  Come on!"

Luigi, Wario, and Waluigi were working up a sweat as they continued their pushup routine.  Heavy cinderblocks were balanced on their backs as they put every last drop of their might into each and every pushup.  "Ninety!" Luigi announced hoarsely, sweat streaming down his face as his body quivered feverishly.  He slowly lowered his body until his chest brushed the ground.  His eye's bulged and his muscles tightened.  With every ounce of vigor he had, he lifted his body back up.  "Ninety one!"

"Imbecile!" The Master bellowed angrily, karate-chopping the cinderblock on Luigi's back to pieces.  He shoved his foot straight into Luigi's exposed chest, sending him flying up into the air.  He crashed into the ground with a THUD.  "You didn't go down all the way! Do you think you can just skip a pushup like that?!  Start over!"

"But you broke the cinderblock," Luigi protested wearily, unable to get up.

"Well then, you'll just have to use the cinderblocks I use for my personal training," The Master replied irritably.  He approached a closet at the front of the dojo and pulled out a golden cinderblock.  After studying it for a few seconds, he casually tossed it at Luigi.

"Wait a minute!" Luigi screamed as he leaped to his feet and caught the block.  Underestimating the weight of the block, he fell flat onto the ground.

"Oh, I forgot to mention that I use cinderblocks that weigh twice as much.  Sorry," The Master apologized with mock sympathy.  "What are you waiting for?  I want one hundred pushups!"

"We finished our pushups," Waluigi announced tauntingly, making sure he was loud enough for Luigi to hear him.

Luigi wept the sweat from his forehead and went back to doing pushups.  They'll see...  When Bro does come back, I'll be strong enough to fight at his side again.



[End Music]

Soon after, Wario and Waluigi finished their training and returned home.  Hours later, Luigi finished his exercises and retired for the day.  His arms throbbing, he returned home to his two nephews: Mario Jr. and Luigi Jr.  During Mario's absence, Luigi took full responsibility for watching his brother's children.

"Uncle Luigi!" the ten-year-old Mario Jr. greeted him.  "Another hard day at The Master's dojo?"

Luigi nodded jadedly.  "How was babysitting the little guy?"  He gestured toward the seven-year-old Luigi Jr.

Mario Jr. shrugged.  "He was okay, I guess.  We spent most of our time exploring the forest in our yard.  It's kind of creepy, but we had fun."

"Be careful when you're in Forever Forest," Luigi warned him.  "I can trust you, so I shouldn't have anything to worry about.  Just be careful."

"Okay," the brothers answered simultaneously.

"It's getting late.  I think we should be getting to bed," Luigi said with a yawn.  "I'm bushed."

"What about Star Summit?" Luigi Jr. inquired curiously.  "We always go there before we go to bed."

"Toadsworth says that it isn't good for Peach's health to be staying up so late, so we aren't going anymore," Luigi explained icily.  "I think he might have a point.  I need some sleep.  Let's hit the hay."

"Alright," they groaned in unison.

RING! RING!

Luigi jumped in surprise as the phone began to ring uncontrollably.  "Who would call at this hour?"  He picked up the phone and held it to his ear.  "Hello?"

"Luigi!" Peach whispered loudly from the other end.  "I need your help!"

"What's wrong?  Is it Bowser?" Luigi inquired angrily, his fists clenched.

"No, nothing like that.  Toadsworth won't let me go to Star Summit.  I was wondering if you'd help me sneak out."

Luigi grinned.  "I'll be right there."  He hung up and faced his two nephews.  "Are you two up for an adventure?"

Sneaking Around

The three of them geared up and set off for Mushroom Castle.  They hopped through the pale green pipe that led to Toad Town, where they headed north toward their destination.  As they followed a path lit up by the moonlight, they saw the Mushroom Castle Gates towering above them.  "I'll sneak in and open up the gate," Luigi whispered.  He got a running start and leaped as high as he could, barely reaching the top of the gate. Grabbing onto the iron bars that held it together, Luigi hauled himself over the gate and to the other side.  He cautiously unhooked the latch holding the gates shut and gently pushed them open.

"Come on," Mario Jr. urged his little brother as he joined Luigi on the castle grounds.  As the three of them approached the front door, Luigi stopped them.

"Be quiet," Luigi hushed them.  "There are guards patrolling the area."  Sure enough, four guards walked up and down the path that led to the front entrance.  "We're going to need to try to find another way in.  Let's try the side of the castle."

They ducked under a row of bushes in the castle courtyard and made their way toward the eastern wall of the castle.  Luigi glanced upward and saw a window that revealed a lit room.  Someone was still awake.  He nudged the young siblings and gestured at the window.

"Hey, Luigi!" a voice called to him in a hushed tone.  "Up here!"  Luigi took a closer look at the window.  He saw Peach slowly climbing out of it and grabbing onto some thick vines growing on the side of the castle.  She carefully made her way down, testing each vine before she put her full weight on it.

"Be careful!" Luigi warned her in a soft voice.  He breathed a sigh of relief once she had made it to the ground.  "Isn't this a little risky?  Are you sure you should be sneaking out like this?"

Peach nodded.  "Don't worry about it.  I'll accept my punishment later."  Without another word, the four of them left for Star Summit.

Mario is Missing

They sat in Star Summit for hours, gazing up at the comforting night sky.  As shooting stars zoomed over their heads, their minds were filled with memories of Mario and his past adventures.  Mario Jr. yawned and turned to Luigi.  "Uncle Luigi, do you think Daddy will ever come back?"

Luigi put a hand on his shoulder.  "He'll be back."

"It's been two years," Peach sighed.  "What could Mario be doing?  If he was going to come back, shouldn't he have been here by now?"

Luigi shrugged.  "All I know is that he'll be back.  Right now, I'm sure that the only thing on his mind his finding a way back to us."

Suddenly, a flash of red light erupted from the sky.  Peach squinted at the origin of the light and saw a colossal red land mass out in the distance, millions of miles away in outer space.  "It's so beautiful...  This may sound funny, but its red glow kind of reminds me of Mario...  Please come back to us, Mario..."



Crimson's Theme

Out in the depths of space, on that very planet that lit up the Mushroom Kingdom's sky, something very awry had happened.  Another burst of red lit up the cosmos.  This planet was no ordinary place.  In fact, this was the very planet where the Sol used to live in peace before Lord Shade had attacked.  The survivors had set up a small civilization, and their lives were beginning to return to normal, until its inhabitants were suddenly killed.

"Pathetic dogs.  None of these fools could have killed Lord Shade," a mysterious man spat in disgust as he walked past a pile of dead bodies.  He was about six feet tall with piercing red eyes that showed through a jet black veil that concealed his face.  He wore dark gray pants and had black armor with streaks of red on his lower legs, feet, hips, forearms, chest, and back.  A cloak with shades of black and violet draped down his back, and a sword was sheathed readily by his waist.  "What do you think, Hunter?"

A man that looked more humanlike stepped out of the shadows.  He was wearing what appeared to be dark blue jeans, a white t-shirt, and a green jacket.  His brown hair hung down slightly over his gleaming emerald eyes, which closely matched the shade of his jacket.  A pistol hung at his waist, ready to be drawn.  His fair, unscarred skin made him look like an ordinary human male.  "I am unsure, Master Crimson," Hunter replied, his tone stoic and emotionless.  "Perhaps Mace didn't defeat Lord Shade as we had originally planned."

Crimson gently stroked his chin.  "Hmm...  Perhaps he was not the hero we were looking for.  Any insight, Lorne?"

Another human-looking warrior emerged.  His spiky hair was a snowy white, even though his face was young.  His sapphire eyes seemed to hold bitterness and hatred, yet at the same time they seemed dull and impassive, not afraid to take life.  He wore a bright blue vest and slightly torn jeans.  Icy blue earrings that matched his eyes and vest hung gently from his ears.  "Mace was weak.  Of course he wasn't the one.  Maybe it was Glaive who killed Lord Shade."

Under Crimson's mask, a wide grin had spread across his face.  "It's been twenty-four years since the day Anthony died.  They've finally found a replacement Hero, and I must find him!  Find out where Glaive is, and send someone there immediately!  Soon we will meet, Hero!  The Armageddon will soon be at hand!"  He burst into wicked, insane laughter.

"The time has come for me to decide,
Should humans live, or should they die?"

Glaive's Theme

Glaive, Luigi, Peach, and the Wario Brothers sat comfortably in the dining hall of Mushroom Castle.  Earlier that day, Glaive had arrived to inform them of the message Skulleon had given him.  "He says that there's trouble going on at the barrier between the Nightmare Vault and this world.  It seems that the demons inside of the vault are tired of living there."

"What exactly is the Nightmare Vault?" Peach inquired with a worried expression, not a single bite in any of the food on her plate.  "I've never heard of it before."

Glaive grinned wryly.  "How ironic.  The Nightmare Vault is the place I used to call home.  It's the same kingdom cursed with the inability the see the light of day.  Long ago, before Lord Shade existed, the Universe, Underwhere, and Overthere were one giant kingdom.  Before this kingdom became civilized, there was a war for power between those who wanted purity to prevail, and those who wanted corruption.  People who supported corruption were labeled as demons, and others were called purists.  The demons weren't as bad as you might think, but their leader was selfish and power-hungry.  He was the one who dragged the other demons into war.  Zeus overcame the demons and took control, sealing the demons away in bubbles of darkness that were spread across the kingdom.  One example of these bubbles is the Soulless Realm.  They all lead down into one enormous territory known as the Nightmare Vault.  When the giant kingdom was split because of Shade, the bubbles were spread evenly across the Universe.

"Over the years, the demons split into two groups.  There were those who became bitter toward the beings living in the world of light, and spent their entire lives trying to escape from their prison to wreak havoc.  Others remained peaceful and knew that it was their tyrannical leader that was to blame, so they seceded from the empire and created their own organization bent on maintaining a peaceful relationship between the demons and the outside world.  They strive to find a solution to their eternity of darkness without violence.  I am one of those demons.  While searching for a way to lift the curse from the Nightmare Vault, I was recruited by Lord Shade.  You know what happened from there."

Luigi coughed up a mouthful of food.  "So these demons are going to come after us?!"  He clutched his throat and began to cough frantically.  He rolled along the floor, his face turning purple, as he struggled to swallow the food lodged in his throat.  At last, he cleared his throat and sheepishly returned to his seat.  "Ahem.  Go on."

Glaive nodded slowly.  "Yes, anyway.  The demons shouldn't be able to escape by themselves.  They are coming close, but they can't break the barrier in its entirety.  There are certain steps one would need to take to let the demons free.  Inoni and a few others are the only ones who have control over travel between the Nightmare Vault and this world.  Because of Lord Shade's connections with Inoni, he was able to visit and recruit me.  But with the method they are using now, the demons could never escape without some kind of outside help."

"That's good to hear.  As long as we don't go near the demons, they can't bother us," Peach stated, relieved.

Waluigi elbowed Wario.  "Are you getting any of this?"

Wario, who was engulfing food from across the table like a vacuum, simply shrugged.  "As long as I'm famous and get to crack some skulls, I'm good," he said with his mouth full, sending tiny bits of food in Waluigi's face.

Luigi breathed a sigh of relief.  "So the demons can't get out unless we helped them somehow, right?"

Glaive nodded.  "That's correct.  So just keep your eyes peeled for anything suspicious.  If someone like Bowser got the right kind of information, he could bring about the destruction of the entire universe."  He stared down at the ground.  And for some reason, I have the feeling that they are going to get involved in this.

"Not to change the subject," Luigi said casually, "but I just got an invitation to the new Smash Pit.  Since the Glitz Pit was damaged during Shade's invasion and the Smash Stadium hasn't been used for a while, the owners of the Glitz Pit bought the Smash Stadium and are setting up a tournament at what they call the 'Smash Pit'.  It's going to be a Smash Tournament for everyone in the Mushroom Kingdom to compete in!  Do any of you want to enter?"

"Sounds exciting!" Peach exclaimed.  "Of course I won't enter, but it'll be great to watch.  Maybe it'll bring some excitement to this boring old kingdom."

Wario jumped up from his seat.  "You think I'd pass up an opportunity for MORE fame?! Bwahahaha! Of course I'll enter!"

Waluigi shrugged.  "If he's in, I guess I have to go too."

"That's three of us!" Luigi cheered.  "What about you, Glaive?"

Glaive crossed his arms.  "Hmph.  I don't care for humans or their childish games.  There's no time for me to babysit masses of weaklings who think they're strong enough to challenge me.  Count me out."

"Wow, Glaive, I can't believe you'd really try to chicken out of this," Luigi chuckled.  "I love your little tough guy act.  'I don't care for humans!'  You crack me up!  You're just afraid that we might beat you!  Or worse, maybe you aren't ready to face Mario yet!  Maybe Mario will show up at the tournament, and you won't be able to win the championship!"

Glaive was not amused.  "If you value your life, you'll stop that right away.  You're a prime example of the kind of humans I despise.  However, you did raise one interesting point.  If Mario did enter this tournament, I'd be passing up a huge chance to beat him in front of millions of people.  I'll enter."

"Yeah, it worked!" Luigi cried with glee.  "Glaive's entering too!"

"When does this event take place?" Glaive inquired, clearly irritated by Luigi's childish attitude.

"It'll be in two weeks," Luigi replied cheerfully.  "Be there, or be square!"

[shadowmarioguy]

Chapter 1: The Smash Pit

Luigi and his two nephews sat anxiously on a plush pink couch in the Mushroom Castle Library.  "I'm tired of waiting," Luigi complained.  "We all agreed that we'd meet here in two weeks for the tournament.  What's taking everyone so long?"

"Hey Luke, can you show me how good you can read?" Mario Jr. inquired to his little brother.  "I want to see how much you've learned in school."

"Luke?" Luigi parroted, puzzled.  "Who's Luke?"

"We were starting to get confused because our names are all too similar," Luigi Jr. replied.  "So we gave each other names that started with our first initial.  I'm Luke, and he's Mark.  Can you call us that from now on?"

Luigi sighed.  "I guess you're right.  I'll try to remember to call you two by your new names, but you should still be proud of your original names.  Especially you, Mark.  You have the same first name as Mario, and that's something special."

"Ready for the tourney?" Peach asked as she stepped into the room.  "Are the boys going to be fighting, too?"

Mark shook his head.  "Nah, I don't want to participate until I see my dad again.  I want him to give me some lessons before I fight in the tournament."

He doesn't even realize that he and Luke are as strong as Mario was when he fought with Bowser for the very first time, Luigi thought.  With enough hard work, they could become as strong as us by the time they finish school!

"I wish the Wario Brothers would show up," Luke groaned impatiently.  "We've been waiting forever."

Just then, the door to the library burst into tiny pieces as Wario rushed into the room.  "It's-a-me, WARIO!"  He danced across the room like a drunken ballerina, striking various poses.  At last, he leaped up into the air and came crashing down, causing the whole room to shake.  "Make room for the famous Wario Brothers!" he screamed as he executed one final pose.  Waluigi casually walked in and sat down.

"He still thinks he's famous," Waluigi whispered to Luigi, slightly embarrassed.

"What took you so long?" Luigi demanded, not impressed.  "We've been waiting for at least two hours!"

"The great and wonderful Wario Brothers are always fashionably late!" Wario responded as he pulled out an empty sack.  "Hey, is there anything worth stealing at this Arm Pit place?"

"Smash Pit," Peach corrected him.  "As for the stealing question, there's only one way to find out.  Let's head for the Smash Pit!"

"Where is it?" Wario asked eagerly.  "I'll bet that place is loaded with cash!"

Luigi pulled out the invitation and flipped it over to reveal a map of the Mushroom Kingdom.  "It's in Dry Dry Desert, which is east of Mushroom Fields.  It's a little bit of a walk from here, but it shouldn't be too bad."



Crimson's Theme

Inside of a space pod the size of a house, Crimson, Hunter, and Lorne wandered the depths of outer space.  Hunter approached Crimson and bowed.  "Master, I've located the source of Glaive's signal.  He is on a small planet known as Earth, and it would seem that he is closely linked to the death of Lord Shade."

Crimson flashed a wicked smile.  "Interesting.  Our Hero is somewhere on Earth, is he?  How perfect.  Not only have I been looking to return to that planet for years, but there also seems to be a distortion in the barrier between the Nightmare Vault and this dimension.  The distortion seems to be at its strongest on Planet Earth. Excellent."

"Are we really going to Earth?" Lorne asked, a gleam of hope in his eyes.

Crimson nodded.  "Unfortunately, I will not be joining you on your trip.  I need to know more about this Hero first. You two will be accompanying one of my 'special' agents.  There, you will be required to find out who killed Lord Shade and send me as much info on him as you can.  From there, I'll decide if he's ready for the Armageddon."



Dry Dry Desert

Dust and sand covered Peach, Luigi, Mark, Luke, and the Wario Brothers like a thick yellow blanket.  The scorching hot sand burned their feet, and ferocious winds constantly blew sand up and into everyone's faces.  Peach coughed up a mouthful of sand.  "Oh sure, 'It shouldn't be too bad.'  This isn't bad at all," Peach stated sarcastically, remembering Luigi's words from earlier.

"Don't blame me! I didn't know it would be this windy out!  At least it's better than some of the thing's we've been through to save you!" Luigi shot back.

Mark's eyes sparkled.  "There!  I see it!"  He pointed to a colossal stadium barely visible in the distance.  They raced toward it, eager to finally be free of the desert atmosphere.  Up close, they saw that the stadium had been remodeled.  A mammoth stone wall surrounded the innards of the arena.  Two guards stood firmly at the front gate.  Luigi showed them his invitation, and the six of them stepped inside.

Smash Pit 

They emerged in an enormous, air-conditioned room.  Various souvenir shops occupied every corner of the room.  Hundreds of people swarmed the room, wildly purchasing a plethora of items they surely didn't need.  Luigi and the others slowly weaved through the crowd to the front of the room.  Above them was a balcony that held up a single door, which slowly creaked open as Jolene- the announcer and main sponsor behind the Smash Pit- stepped outside.

She held the microphone to her mouth.  "Hello, everyone!  Welcome to the Smash Pit!  Some of you may remember me from the Glitz Pit.  I'm sorry to say that it was damaged during the Shadow Shrowd invasion, but we've purchased the Smash Stadium and made it our own!  With our new location, we've also changed the layout of our fights a bit.  There's the classic setup from the Glitz Pit that's available year-round, but this is what we'd like to call a Smash Tournament.  It's a special event that we'll hold every few years, where anyone can enter and fight head-to-head in a sixteen-man tourney.  The winner will get a wonderful prize, as well as the chance to fight with the current champ of the Smash Pit.  If the challenger can win, he'll take the current champ's place as year-round champion of the Smash Pit!"

"Wow, we get a chance to fight Rawk Hawk if we win," Luigi breathed.  "That guy's everywhere!  I think I saw him on a cereal box once."

"Now, I'd like to get the brackets for the tourney set up," Jolene boomed over the microphone.  "Would our sixteen fighters please step forward?"  Luigi, Wario, and Waluigi walked to the head of the crowd.  "Here we have Luigi and the Wario Brothers!  They each fought bravely against Lord Shade to save our kingdom!"

Luigi squinted into the crowd.  "Where could Glaive be?"

Bowser's Theme

Screams of horror filled the room as Bowser stomped to the head of the crowd.  "Gwahahaha!  It's finally my turn to shine!  I'll win this pathetic tourney and become the new champ of the Smash Pit.  After that, everyone will forget about Mario and start cheering for me!"

"Oh no!" Jolene gasped dramatically.  "It looks like the Koopa King is entering the tourney as well!  With Mario's absence, will anyone be able to stop him?"

"Psh!  No way!" Bowser cackled.  "I'm gonna win this even if that cheeky plumber does show up!  Not that he will!  I'll bet he hasn't shown up because he's afraid of me!  I may have taken some serious beatings in the past, but this time will be different.  Lord Shade sent a wave of fear across this kingdom, and it's time I reminded everyone who they truly need to fear!"

"Stop talking," a voice commanded from the crowd.  "It makes you sound stupid."

"Who said that?!" Bowser roared angrily, whirling around to face the man who dared to challenge his authority.

Glaive's Theme

There, at the center of the crowd, stood Glaive.  "You're no match for Mario.  Words of a weakling are hardly words at all."

Bowser stomped over to the warrior, his face red with rage.  "What do you know?!"

Glaive grinned.  "Hmph.  I know that you're no match for me, let alone Mario.  Talking trash about your enemies only makes you look like an idiot once they've been you.  Focus on your fighting skills first, and then you can say whatever you want."

"I'm going to wring your neck, you punk!" Bowser hissed through clenched teeth.  "Put up your dukes!"

"Um... Excuse me, but are you a contestant?" Jolene asked.

Glaive nodded.  "I am.  As for you, Koopa King, you should save your beating for the ring."  He joined Luigi and the Wario Bros. at the head of the crowd, leaving behind an infuriated Bowser.  "So, any word from Mario?"

Luigi shook his head.  "Nope.  But Mario once became champion of the Glitz Pit, so becoming the new champ is a big step toward beating him."

A man in a black robe that concealed his entire body stepped to the front of the room.  He wore a black mask that hid his entire face, and his robe's hood was pulled up to cover the rest of his head.  "I will also be taking part in the tournament."

"Who's the creepy dude?" Luigi shrieked.  "He doesn't look very friendly."

Jolene pulled her glasses up and squinted at the mysterious man.  "May I have your name, sir?"

"Anonymous," the man replied gruffly.  He turned around and vanished in the crowd.

Glaive shrugged.  "Some people just don't enjoy the spotlight.  Though there was something strange about him.  He seems... familiar..."

A second man casually approached the front of the room.  He wore black pants and a dark grey t-shirt.  His black hair was slicked back, and his eyes seemed empty and emotionless.  "My name is Steel.  I'll be participating as well."

"Those were the final seven spots, folks!  Our sixteen fighters have been selected!" Jolene announced.  "Our fierce competitors will be Yoshi, Donkey Kong, The Master, Chan, Lee, Bruiser, Petey Piranha, Ace, Rawk Hawk, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Glaive, Bowser, Anonymous, and Steel!  Please report to the locker rooms to prepare for the tourney.  We will begin in one hour."

Smash Pit Mystery

Luigi shrugged.  "I guess we'd better get ready for our matches.  It looks like we might actually have some competition.  Anonymous and Steel look pretty suspicious, and there's always Bowser."

"I'm not worried about that fool," Glaive snickered.  "I hope I get an early match with him so I can put him in his place." 

"Please follow me," a tall, stoic security guard told them.  "I'll take you to the locker room."  Wario, Waluigi, Glaive, and Luigi followed him into a door at the edge of the room that led into a dim hallway.  They walked along the narrow corridor until they reached a small wooden door.  With a firm but friendly smile, the guard opened the door.  "This is the Minor League locker room.  It's not very nice or clean, but you can move to the Major League locker room if you make it to the next round."

"Thanks," Luigi replied glumly, holding his nose.  The guard turned and left, closing the door behind him.  "Geez, it smells awful in here."

"I don't smell anything," Wario replied, sniffing the air around him.  "It doesn't smell any different from my house."

"Hello there," a man dressed in black and white greeted them.  He wore a black top hat over his shaggy black hair and a pair of tinted sunglasses that hid his eyes.  He looked more like a magician than a fighter.  "My name is Ace.  I've heard a lot about you."

"Are you the one who's supposed to keep us entertained while we wait for the tournament to start?" Waluigi inquired with a wry grin.

"You're as funny as I've heard," Ace chuckled.  "I wanted to greet the ones who defeated Lord Shade.  That's quite an accomplishment.  I've come a long way to meet the one called Mario."

"Mario isn't here," Luigi stated grimly.  "He's been gone for two years."

Ace simply smiled and walked away.  Luigi shivered.  "Something's not right about him.  This tournament is attracting weirdoes from across the kingdom.  That guy might even be from another planet."

"Or another world," Glaive added vaguely.  "As soon as I saw his face, images of the Nightmare Vault started flowing into my head.  I don't know who he is, but this isn't the first time I've met him."

"This just keeps getting better and better," Waluigi groaned.  "I hope this doesn't turn into another life-or-death situation."

Luigi glanced around to see if he could find anything to get his mind off of the subject.  "Hey, it's The Master!"  He ran to his instructor, wildly flailing his arms.  "Hey! You decided to enter too?"

"Chan and Lee have entered as well," The Master informed him.  "It would seem everyone in my dojo has entered the tourney.  If one of us should win, my dojo will earn a lot of business."

Luigi nodded.  "I'll do my best."

DING, DONG!  THIS IS THE SMASH PIT'S AUTOMATED ANNOUNCING SYSTEM.  ALL FIGHTERS SHOULD NOW REPORT TO THE STADIUM.  SPECTATORS SHOULD FIND A SEAT IN THE ARENA TO WATCH THE FIRST ROUND.  WE HOPE YOU ARE ENJOYING YOUR STAY.

"That's our cue," Wario gasped.  "I can't wait for my first fight!  I'm gonna pound my first challenger into a pulp!"



Smash Pit

"Hello, ladies and gentlemen!  Welcome to the Smash Pit!" Jolene shouted into the microphone.  "We have a great show for you today!  Before we show you the bracket, I'd like to take the time to explain the rules to our brave competitors.  First, I must say that this is a tournament created solely for recreation.  We don't want to see any sort of deaths, but I'm sure you're all aware of that!  As for the fights, the rules are simple.  The Smash Pit's arena has highly advanced technology that allows it to turn into all sorts of battlegrounds.  You are eliminated if you forfeit or if you are knocked out cold.  Unconsciousness will be determined if you do not get up within a reasonable amount of time.  Oh, and if the arena you are fighting in is floating above a void like your typical smash game, you are out if you fall out of the stadium.  Now, who's ready to get this started?"

A deafening roar erupted from the stands as the fans rowdily cheered.  The sixteen fighters stepped onto the sandy desert stadium.  Two security guards wheeled an enormous computer monitor into the room.  With the press of a button, the screen lit up with the tournament bracket.

"In the first match, we'll have Anonymous versus Petey Piranha. This will be followed by a brawl between The Master's students Chan and Lee.  Current Glitz Pit champion, Rawk Hawk, will face off against the mysterious Ace in the third round!  Next up, Glaive and the notorious Bowser will lock horns!  The buffed up, muscle maniac known as Bruiser will be squaring down with the not-so-famous Luigi!  The stern, serious Master will then go up against the cute and adorable Yoshi!  After that, we'll decide who the better bro is in a battle between Wario and Waluigi!  Last but not least, the roguish Steel will clash with everyone's favorite ape, Donkey Kong!"

"He's my opponent?" Luigi scoffed, struggling to prevent himself from bursting into laughter.  "That's just a puffed up weakling!  And to think I was worried!  After fighting with Lord Shade, this guy's nothing.  I'm just glad I wasn't matched up with Glaive."

"It looks like I'll settle the score with Bowser sooner than I thought," Glaive chortled.  "Mario's only got enough time on his hand for one archrival, and that's me."

Back in the stands, Peach closely observed the tournament bracket.  "Oh no, Wario and Waluigi are going to have to fight each other!  That's not going to be pretty.  Not only that, but I don't even know three of the fighters.  In this entire kingdom, I know just about everyone.  Yet I'm drawing a blank for Steel, Ace, and of course Anonymous."

Petey Piranha let out an enormous howl, causing the whole stadium to shake.  "RAWR!!  RA RA RA RAWR!!"  The wild cheering in the crowd instantly stopped.

"Err... Thank you, Petey," Jolene said with a sheepish nod.  "Well, on that note, let's begin the first Smash Tournament to celebrate the defeat of Lord Shade!" Once again, the stands exploded with hysterical applause.  "First up is Anonymous versus Petey Piranha!  Would both contestants please make their way to the center of the arena?  The rest of the competitors should find a seat on the sidelines while they wait for their match." Luigi and the other fighters approached a dugout-like area at the edge of the stadium just below the stands.

Anonymous and Petey both stood in the center of the sand filled battle arena, which closely matched the theme of Dry Dry Desert.  "And now...  Let's try this arena out!" Jolene bellowed over the microphone.  She pulled out a remote control and began to fiddle with a series of buttons.  With one final click, the stadium began to rumble as trees and grass began to rise from the ground.  In seconds, the battlefield was filled with green vegetation.  A tall windmill stood in the background, with a lake at its base.  "We welcome these two to fight on Petey's home stage, Bianco Hills!  This is a peaceful place located on Isle Delfino, a tropical paradise where many tourists visit during the summer."

Petey instantly recognized the area and cried out in approval.  "RAWR!  RARA RAWR!"

Anonymous made a much less conspicuous entrance.  He simply stepped forward and clenched his fists.  "I'm ready whenever you are."

Jolene nodded.  "This is going to be interesting!  While we know nothing about Anonymous, we know that Petey is a Piranha Plant from Bianco Hills!  He often spent his days causing trouble there, until Mario put a stop to his evil deeds!  In this fight, the lake will be regarded as the only place out of bounds.  Use the rest of the environment as you wish."

Luigi was staring intently at Anonymous.  "Now we'll see if we have anything to worry about."

Jolene slowly raised one of her arms.  "AAAAAAAAANNNNND.............  BEGIN!"

Unknown Fighter Battle

"RA RAWR! RAWR RA RA RAWR!" Petey shrieked as it charged at Anonymous, causing the entire stadium to quake.  As he came closer, he attempted to take a bite out of his prey.  Anonymous performed a back-flip that landed him directly on Petey's head.    He raised one arm up and sent it crashing into the Piranha Plant's head.  "RAWR!!"  Petey shook his head frantically, forcing Anonymous to land on solid ground.

"He's big and strong, but he's not very fast," Anonymous observed.  "This won't take long at all."

"Oh my!" Jolene exclaimed.  "Anonymous has claimed his victory, but does he really have the upper hand?  It looks as though Petey is planning to do something with that tree!"

Petey opened his mouth and clenched his teeth around a colossal palm tree.  With great effort, he uprooted the tree and flung it at his opponent.  As the tree soared above everyone's heads, Anonymous prepared to dodge it.  However, Petey opened his mouth once again.  With a few gurgles, the Piranha Plant spat out a mouthful of icky slime.  Focused on the approaching tree, Anonymous didn't notice the goo his plant-like foe had fired at him.

SPLAT

Just like that, Anonymous's feet were glued to the ground.  Jolene and the crowd gasped in horror.  "Oh no, folks!  It looks as though Anonymous is about to be crushed by that tree!  Unable to move, how can he defend himself?"

The tree drew closer and closer.  Everyone shielded their eyes in preparation for a gruesome defeat.  Anonymous smiled from within his mask and threw a single punch at the plummeting tree.

CRASH

Everyone opened their eyes, stunned.  Anonymous stood unharmed beside a pile of flaming chips of wood.  "What was that?  You can't be taking this seriously," he taunted.  He was surrounded with a red, flaming aura, and all of the slime that was restraining him quickly melted away.

"RAWR!  RAWR RA RA RA RAWR RA!" Petey howled with rage.  He sprinted at full speed toward his disguised opponent and once again attempted to bite him.  Instead of dodging this time, Anonymous countered.  He effortlessly ducked below Petey's attack and landed a direct punch on the Piranha Plant's exposed stomach.  "RAWR! RA... ra..."

THUD

Petey collapsed face-first into the soil.  Anonymous had won.

"And... The winner is... Anonymous!" Jolene announced, almost too shocked to believe it.

"Maybe I do have something to worry about," Luigi sighed.  "Those flames...  Where did he learn that kind of attack?  That punch he destroyed the tree with, and that aura he melted the goo with...  He's no ordinary fighter, is he?"

[shadowmarioguy]

Chapter 2: Mario's True Rival

Smash Pit

"That concludes the first match of the Smash Tournament!" Jolene boomed over the microphone.  "What a spectacular start to an epic tourney!  Up next, The Master's strongest student will be determined as Chan and Lee duke it out!  Would Petey and Anonymous move to the sidelines, please?"

As the two warriors stepped into the dugout, Luigi glared at Anonymous.  Who is this guy?  He defeated Petey without even breaking a sweat!

A Buzzy Beetle approached Luigi.  Black, braided hair hung down from his dark green shell.  "We will fight for the sake of The Master's dojo!  If one of us wins, we will bring many aspiring fighters to The Master's side!  Wish us luck, Luigi!" Chan shouted with dignity.  Though weaker than Luigi, his pride in The Master's dojo was unparalleled.

A blue Duplighost with a ponytail of blonde hair joined them.  "It's time to see what you've learned," Lee informed him.  "If you can beat me, I'll let you take my place as The Master's best student."

Lee jumped with excitement.  "Really?  Let's get started, then!  Master, I won't let you down!"

"These two are the star pupils of The Master!  First, there's Chan!  He's the younger of the two, but he packs a wallop!  Defeat him in the dojo and you'll earn the First-Degree Card.  Next we have Lee!  He's an expert fighter who ranks just above Chan in the dojo.  Winning against him earns you the Second-Degree Card.  Who will come out on top?  Can Chan defeat a warrior that ranks above him?"

The crowd let out an earsplitting cry as Lee and Chan stepped into the center of the stage.  "Let's give The Master something to be proud of," Chan whispered to Lee.  They both nodded.

"This match will be taking place on Battlefield, a popular default stage used in Super Smash Brothers Brawl!" Jolene announced excitedly.  With the press of a few buttons, the center of the stage began to rise.  The rest of the arena began to deform and change into a rugged, green valley. Floating several yards above this valley was a rocky arena that appeared to be ruins from a previous temple.  Three grey platforms outlined in gold levitated just above this arena, ready to be jumped on at any time.  "And... Begin!"

Battlefield Theme

"I cannot lose!  I am The Master's star pupil!" Lee exclaimed as he rushed toward Chan.  He knocked the Buzzy Beetle upside down and onto the ground as he zoomed past him.  Unable to get up, Chan was completely vulnerable.  "The Master warned you about that weakness!  Just like an ordinary Koopa or Buzzy Beetle, you are helpless once flipped onto your shell!"

"Clearly you haven't been paying attention to my recent training sessions," Chan replied as he began to spin on his shell, creating a miniature tornado around him.  Now whirling around on his shell like a top, Chan launched himself at Lee.  Not prepared for such a maneuver, Lee was struck dead-on by the attack.  He tumbled backward and off the edge of the ring.  Using the momentum given to him by spinning around, Chan propelled himself into the air and landed on his feet.

"Brilliant!" The Master gasped from the sidelines.  "But Lee will not be defeated so easily."

"Did I win?" Chan wondered, too astonished to believe what had just happened.

"Not quite!" Lee retorted as he soared up into the air and landed in the arena.  "Did you already forget that I can fly just as any other Duplighost can?"

Chan pulled his head and limbs into his shell.  "It doesn't matter!  You can't beat this technique and you know it!"

"It is an interesting maneuver," Lee admitted.  "I think I'll borrow it!"  He was surrounded with a purple glow as pink sparks emitted from his body.  In a puff of gray smoke, Lee looked identical to Chan in every possible aspect.  He pulled his head, arms, and legs into his shell as well.

Both Chan and his doppelganger begin spinning furiously inside of their shells until they attained the same speed Chan had achieved earlier.  Mini tornadoes formed around both of them, and they rushed at each other at breakneck speeds.  The two of them collided, causing them to bounce backward a bit before smashing into one another yet again.  Like two battling tops, the fierce martial artists gave it everything they had.

"Outstanding," The Master breathed. "Those boys are doing fantastic."

Luigi squinted at the dueling Chans.  "I can't even tell who the real Chan is anymore!"

CRASH

In one final collision, one Chan was sent flying out of the arena.  The other Chan stopped spinning and stood firmly at the center of the stage.  The ring changed back to its Dry Dry Desert theme.  A victorious Chan stood beside a fallen one.

"Well... I'm not exactly sure who the winner or loser is.  It looks like Chan has won and lost," Jolene observed.

Smash Pit

In a puff of gray smoke, the triumphant Chan became Lee once again.  Extending his hand to help the real Chan up, he looked back at The Master and smiled.  "You put up a great fight.  If you keep up your training, you'll beat me next time for sure.  You may not have won the rights to be the second best in the dojo, but you proved that you have become a worthy fighter."

"Lee is victorious!  After an intense battle, Lee will move on to the second round!" Jolene thundered over the microphone.  "I'm sure you've all been looking forward to this next fight!  The famous Rawk Hawk will go toe-to-toe with Ace!  Before we get this started, anyone that wants a bite to eat can now head to the cafeteria for food and refreshments. "

"Let's go," Wario urged.  "I'm starving!"

"Don't you want to see Rawk Hawk fight?" Luigi inquired.  "Or at least we can see what Ace is capable of."

"Wario is right," Glaive agreed.  "Watching all of these weaklings fight is making me hungry.  Besides, I already know the outcome of this fight."  He turned and exited into the main hallway of the stadium.

Luigi shrugged.  "If you say so..."  He followed Glaive to the cafeteria, the Wario Bros. trailing behind.



"It looks like we're the only ones who were hungry," Luigi stated glumly, taking a seat at an empty table.  "There's no one else here!  I knew we should've watched the fight!"

"What did you expect?  He is the current champ of the Glitz Pit, or what's left of it anyway.  His fans flock to him like sheep.  It's only natural that they'd all gather to watch him fight," Glaive explained.  "It's too bad.  The fans are going to be so disappointed..."

A blue Toad resembling a waiter scurried over to the table of four.  He was holding a tray that carried dozens of different beverages.    "Can I get you some Super Soda?  It'll give you a nice burst of energy for your next fight."

Wario snatched the tray from the server's hand.  He cracked open a can of soda and began wildly gulping it down.  After finishing his drink, he let out an enormous belch and handed the empty soda can to the waiter.  "Ah...  My mouth has been dry ever since we left that stupid desert."

"So you think Ace is gonna win?" Waluigi asked curiously, sipping his soda.  He glared at his impolite brother.

Glaive nodded.  "I haven't figured out who Ace is yet, but I know that Rawk Hawk is no match for him."

Smash Pit Mystery

Suddenly, the room began to shake as a series of boos and hisses erupted through the stadium.  As they listened intently, they heard Jolene's voice echoing through the walls as she announced the winner of the match.  "It appears that Rawk Hawk has been defeated by some sort of magic trick!  The unexpected winner is Ace!"

"It looks like you were right," Luigi sighed.  "Now we have another fighter to worry about.  Anyone that can beat Rawk Hawk isn't exactly normal.  He may seem weak compared to us, but he's practically invincible when compared your average fighter."

"Why are all of these warriors coming to such a pathetic tournament?" Glaive wondered aloud.  "Surely they could find a place much more worthy of their skills.  I only entered this tourney because I thought Mario might show up.  What motives could these rogues possibly have?  Why this tournament?"

"Maybe because it's an easy win," Wario suggested.  "Not everyone fights to have a good time.  True warriors fight for fame and money!"

Glaive rolled his eyes.  "Yes, and we see how that's all turned out for you.  My point is that these fighters are after something.  They must be here for some particular reason.  Until we figure out that reason, all of our lives are in danger."

"This is just a tournament.  I don't think anyone is after blood," Luigi objected, a hint of uncertainty in his voice.

"Think about it.  Lord Shade died only a few years ago.  His death occurred in this very kingdom.  Did he not have thousands of loyal followers?  It's no coincidence that combatants worthy of Shade have shown up in the very kingdom he died in.  And what better place to take revenge on the ones responsible for his death than in front of millions of people?"

"Glaive and Bowser, please report to the arena for the next round!"

"It seems as though I'm up next," Glaive declared eagerly.  "Let's forget about the mysterious fighters for now.   It's time to show that oversized Koopa how weak he really is."

"After Bowser, you'll be fighting Ace," Waluigi reminded him.

"That's if you win against Bowser," Wario added.  "Don't lose in the first round."

Glaive exited the room.  I don't intend to.

Bowser's Theme

"Here they are, folks!  Bowser, King of the Koopas, and Glaive, formerly known as the Demon of Flames, have both arrived!  It's time for the fourth match of the first round to begin!"

Bowser stomped to the center of the ring.  "You actually decided to show up?  I guess I have to give you credit.  You're pretty brave."

Glaive folded his arms.  "Do you honestly think you can beat me?  From what I heard, Mario used to trounce you all the time.  Back then, Mario was a weakling.  If he could beat you then, I can certainly defeat you now."

"Gwahahahaha!" Bowser cackled.  "What do you think I've been doing for the past two years?  I've worked day and night, trying to regain my rightful place as the most feared villain in the kingdom.  How do you think I felt after Lord Shade had the kingdom under his control in a matter of days?  I've been in seclusion for far too long, and now it's time for me to come out of hiding!  Tremble in fear, weaklings, because BOWSER HAS RETURNED!"

"Oh no!" Jolene gasped theatrically.  "It looks like Bowser has become even stronger!  But we can't count Glaive out!  From what we've seen today, unknown fighters are not to be taken lightly!  We haven't seen Glaive fight, though we've heard stories about his battles with Shade!  The only question is: Which of Mario's rivals will come out on top?"

CLICK

The desert-like stadium began to shake as sand flew up into the air.  To everyone's amazement, an ominous castle began to rise from under the sand.  The sky became a mixture of red and black shades, and a thunder storm began to brew overhead.  "It looks like this battle is going to be fought on Bowser' Castle!  It's going to be intense!  Ready... set... BEGIN!"

Bowser Battle

Bowser took a deep breath, and then exhaled an enormous ball of flames.  The blazing sphere launched itself directly at Glaive.  "Bwahahaha!  Let me know how it feels to be fried shrimp!" the Koopa King laughed.

Glaive sighed, drawing his sword.  "He must think I'm some kind of amateur."  As the flaming ball got close enough, Glaive swiftly slashed his blade at the oncoming projectile.  Bowser's blast stopped dead in its tracks and split into dozens of smaller balls of fire.  Glaive stabbed his sword into the ground, causing it to glow a bright red hue.  A powerful wind emitted from the blade, causing the miniature flame balls to reverse their direction toward Bowser.

"Intense!" Jolene boomed in awe.  "Glaive has reflected Bowser's flames back at him!  What will the Koopa King do now?"

"Not bad, but I won't be beaten by my own attack," Bowser stated coolly.  Inhaling more air, Bowser launched several more waves of fire at Glaive.  These blasts easily overcame the tiny flames Glaive had repelled.

"When will he learn?" Glaive asked himself as he sidestepped a handful of the blazing spheres.  Pulling his sword from the ground, the warrior began to dash at the source of the flames: Bowser!  Veering left and right to dodge Bowser's attacks, Glaive quickly made it to the Koopa King.  With one nimble jump, Glaive was soaring over Bowser's head with his blade raised.

Bowser pulled his head, arms, and legs into his shell.  "Not so fast!"  Now hanging helplessly in the air, Glaive had no other target to land on than the spikes of Bowser's shell.

"Clever," Glaive whispered, performing a front-flip to give him additional momentum.  Now tumbling past Bowser's shell, he landed safely on the ground.  He pulled back his sword, slowly building up his energy.  As he started to glow, he released a Smash Attack that sent Bowser soaring into the air.

"Oh my!  He's going up!" Jolene cried as the crowd gazed at the rapidly ascending Bowser.  "He's gonna fall!"

Unable to break his fall, Bowser slammed shell-first into the dirt outside of his own castle.  Badly bruised, the Koopa King pulled himself to his feet.  "I'm... not... going to lose..."

Glaive landed beside him, uninjured.  His eyes widened after seeing Bowser's determination.

Giga Bowser Theme

Bowser's eyes began to gleam with determination.  "I'm... not... going... to lose..."

Maybe there's more to him than I thought, Glaive wondered.  "Let's see what you've got."

The Koopa King was surrounded with a green aura as he began to grow.  The scales covering his arms and legs became a thick bronze color, and his claws became even larger. The green color on his shell became darker and more metallic as its spikes enlarged to over twice their original length.  Bowser's horns extended even farther above his head, and his hair grew a few shades darker.

"It looks like Bowser has transformed!" Jolene gasped.  "His anger and determination to win have given him the strength to morph into Giga Bowser without a Smash Orb!"

"Bwahahaha! How will you face me now?!" Bowser roared, now towering above Glaive.  He stepped forward, attempting to crush his foe.

Glaive agilely evaded the stomp, and dashed behind the oversized Koopa.  Hoping to catch Bowser off-guard, he slashed at his opponent's exposed tail.  Bowser whirled around and nailed him with his powerful tail, sending Glaive plummeting into the castle wall with a CRASH.  Realizing he had the upper hand, Bowser approached the severely injured Glaive with a devilish grin.

"He's gotten much stronger," Glaive told himself as he landed on solid ground.  As Bowser took a step toward him, he took a step back.  Feeling a sharp burn in his heel, Glaive quickly stepped forward.  Behind him was a pool of lava.  In front of him, the seemingly invincible Giga Bowser approached.  On either side of him was a tall stone wall that belonged to Bowser's Castle.  He was surrounded.

"This isn't going to pretty!" Jolene announced.  "Glaive has nowhere to go!  Will he be pummeled by Bowser, or will he cower into the lava and quickly end the match?"

"C'mon Glaive," Luigi mumbled.  "You can do this."

"Now we decide who Mario's true rival is!" Bowser sneered as he edged closer and closer to Glaive.

"Just my luck," Glaive moaned.  "I'll never hear the end of it if this fool beats me.  There's only one way I can make it out of this in one piece...  I'm only going to get one shot at this, so I'd better make it count."  He reached into his armor and pulled out a handful of shuriken.  Clutching them in his hand, he waited for the right moment.  "Here it goes!"

"What can you possibly be planning?" Bowser snarled, only a few steps away from reaching Glaive.

"Wait and see!" Glaive retorted, running straight at Bowser.  Abruptly, he turned and jumped into the wall.  Digging his foot into the wall, Glaive pushed himself off of it and into the wall on the opposite side.  He planted his foot into that wall, and launched himself several feet into the air.  Now above Bowser's head, he tossed his shuriken at the Koopa's exposed eyes.

"AAGGHH!" Bowser groaned in agony.  "My eyes!  I can't see!"

"Exactly," Glaive replied triumphantly.  "Now to finish this.  Hey Bowser, over here!"

Enraged, the blinded Bowser chased after the sound of his foe's voice.  "I'm going to crush you once I find you!  Come here, you little punk!"

Glaive sprinted directly at the pool of lava.  "You've almost got me!"  As he reached the lake of magma, he silently turned around and dashed through Bowser's legs.  Bowser, not hearing this swift move, continued to charge forward.

SPLASH

Just as Glaive had planned, Bowser fell into the pool of lava.  "NO!" Bowser screamed.  "How could I have lost?!"  In a blinding flash of light, Bowser disappeared in the lava.  The stadium shrank back into its desert form.  The crowd was silent.

Victory Theme

Suddenly, the stands burst with uncontrollable applause.  Jolene knew that this had been the most intense battle of the day.  "That's it, folks!  After a bone-breaking experience, Glaive has won the match!  Who wouldn't applaud after seeing such an incredible fight!  Let's hear it for these two!"

Bowser reappeared beside Glaive, this time in his normal state.  He sighed, disappointed.  "I can't believe I lost.  There goes my chance at fame."

Glaive put a hand on his shoulder.  "They're not just cheering for me.  They're cheering for both of us; for giving them what they came here for.  They wanted a good show, and that's exactly what they got.  For the first time since Mario beat Shade, I feel content.  I was wrong about you.  I thought you were just a blind fool who thought he was the strongest guy around.  It turns out that you're actually a decent fighter."

Bowser looked up, and his eyes sparkled.  "Uh... thanks.  You're not so bad yourself."

Glaive nodded.  "You've got a lot more potential than anyone gives you credit for.  Keep training the way you've been, and you'll become famous one day."  He extended his hand.  Bowser reached out and accepted it. 

Now back on his feet, Bowser grinned.  "So, this means you're Mario's new rival?"

Glaive turned and began to walk away.  "It looks like I was wrong.  Mario does have enough time for two rivals."

Smash Pit

"That's what I call good sportsmanship!" Jolene shouted into the microphone.  "On that note, let's begin the fifth match!  In one corner of the ring, we have Luigi!  He's the younger sibling of Mario, and it seems that outstanding strength runs in their family!  Opposing him is Bruiser, a bulky bodybuilder who has earned a reputation for being a brutal warrior!  Who will come out on top?"

"Luigi obviously has this guy beat," Glaive observed.  "This guy reminds me of Rawk Hawk.  He's considerably strong, but nothing compared to us.  This should be over in seconds."

"Oh no!" Peach shrieked.  "That guy's huge!"

Jolene tucked her remote safely in her pocket.  "This match won't be held on any particular stage!  It will take place in the default stadium, where no one will have the advantage!"

Luigi calmly stepped into the center of the arena.  The stadium was merely an oval-shaped battlefield filled with sand and dirt.  He clenched his fists.  This guy shouldn't be a problem at all.

A bald, colossal Toad entered the ring.  His enormous muscles bulged out of his black sweat shorts and white, sleeveless shirt.  His face was curled into a wicked grin.  "Is this toothpick supposed to be my opponent?  This must be some kind of a joke!"

Luigi shrugged sarcastically.  "Who knows?  Maybe I'll put up a decent fight."

"Both fighters: BEGIN!"

[shadowmarioguy]

Chapter 3: Sibling Showdown

Bruiser Battle

Bruiser grinned eagerly as he cracked his knuckles.  "I hope you realize that I can snap you in half like a twig."

"Why don't you try and see what happens?" Luigi challenged, not in the least bit worried.  "I'm feeling lucky today."

"You won't feel so lucky when I'm through with you!" Bruiser screamed as he charged toward Luigi, his muscular arms extended toward the comparatively small plumber.  "I'm gonna wring your neck!"  He lunged at Luigi, hoping to grab him by the throat.

Luigi effortlessly sidestepped the enormous brute's grab and retaliated with a swift kick to his chest.  Too slow to dodge it, Bruiser clutched his wound as he staggered backward.  Luigi contemplated his next move.  I don't want to hurt him too badly.  I'd better end this quickly.  He may be strong, but I could really injure him if I'm not careful.

"Lucky shot!" Bruiser groaned, preparing to charge Luigi again.

"I told you," Glaive whispered to the Wario Brothers.  "Luigi is much stronger than that weakling."

As Bruiser angrily rushed at his opponent, Luigi ducked and extended his foot.  Bruiser passed right over him, tripping over his outstretched foot.  Luigi dove out of the way as Bruiser tumbled face-first into the ground, causing the entire stadium to shake.  The audience shielded their eyes just before bits of dirt and sand flew up and into their faces.

Smash Pit Mystery

Jolene scurried over to the fallen Bruiser.  "Hmm...  It looks as though Bruiser is down for the count!  Luigi has won the match!  Will Yoshi and The Master please report to the center of the arena?"

Luigi held his head high as the crowd roared with applause.  Walking back to the stands, he noticed Wario, Waluigi, and Glaive sitting beside each other.  "Hey, what's up?"

"We've got trouble," Glaive sighed.  "Skulleon just contacted me.  He says that he's getting some powerful demon readings from this tournament.  One warrior even seems to have an energy signal identical to mine, meaning he must be from the Nightmare Vault.  If that's the case, we've got problems."

"Does he know if the barrier separating us from the Nightmare Vault is still up?"  Luigi inquired.  "If it's not, then we know where our problems are coming from."

Glaive shook his head.  "That's just it.  The wall keeping demons in the Nightmare Vault is still functioning normally.  A demon must have escaped through some other means.  That still leaves a few questions unanswered.  Why would a demon from the Nightmare Vault bother with this tournament?  It doesn't make sense!"

"Based on what we've heard, it seems like it would make more sense for a runaway demon to try and find a way to help his demon pals out of the Nightmare Vault.  Why would a demon waste his time here?" Waluigi pondered.

"Maybe he's after the reward you get for winning the tourney," Wario suggested.  "I know that's what I'm after."

"He might be on to something!" Luigi exclaimed.  "Did Jolene actually tell us what the winner of the tourney gets besides the champion spot in the Glitz Pit?  Surely there must be some other prize!"

"I think I read somewhere that she doesn't reveal what the true prize is until the second round.  It's kind of like a special award for getting past the first round," Waluigi explained.  "If the prize happened to be something that a demon would find useful, well..."

"Outstanding!  In one graceful maneuver, The Master has toppled Yoshi!" Jolene boomed with excitement.  "It's time for the seventh match of the first round!  Wario and Waluigi, please approach the stadium for your match!"

"That's us!" Wario shouted eagerly.  "I've been waiting for a good fight all day!"

"Are you sure you're really going to fight each other?" Luigi asked worriedly.  "What if you hurt each other?  Or maybe you'll damage your brotherly bonds?"

"Brotherly bonds?" Waluigi parroted.  "With this dope?  I consider our bond as babysitting.  All Wario does is eat, talk about money, and steal things.  Whenever someone gets in the way of him doing one of those things, he fights."

Luigi shrugged.  "Well then... Good luck, I guess."

"This should be interesting," Glaive observed as the two brothers walked away.  "I've wanted to know who the strongest bro was for a while.  After seeing them both die at Lord Shade's hands, I realized that they cared for each other a lot.  They may be too stubborn to admit it, but fighting each other is going to be hard for them."

Peach winced as the two brothers stepped into the center of the arena.  "I really don't want to see those boys fight."

"These two are the scandalous siblings known as the Wario Brothers!" Jolene announced.  "They may be crooks and thieves, but they also have a noble and courageous side to them as well.  Having fought and died against Lord Shade, these two have proved themselves to be proud heroes of this kingdom.  And for those of you who haven't been keeping score, the Star Rod was able to bring these two back to life after their battle with Shade.  Now they've returned to the battlefield.  Only this time, they're fighting against each other!"

"Wahahaha! Look at all of my adoring fans!" Wario bellowed as he bowed down before the crowd.

"Your adoring fans?  I think they're obviously rooting for me," Waluigi sneered.  "After all, I am skinnier."

"This is all muscle!" Wario growled, flexing his arms.  "You're nothing but skin and bones."

"It looks like these two are ready to begin the match!" Jolene cried with excitement.  "Let's see what stage they'll be fighting on."  The ground began to quake as an elevator made up of several blue and pink blocks emerged from under the Wario Bros.  They spotted four platforms floating above it- two pink and two yellow.  A grey, laboratory-like area appeared in the background, featuring a hand-drawn plant and a door with a pig's face on it.  "The battle will take place on Wario's turf: WarioWare, Inc.!  Let the sibling showdown begin!"

Battle of the Brothers

Wario began the bout by tossing a handful of yellow Fireballs at his brother.  Waluigi leaped up onto a pink platform to dodge the blasts, causing Wario to angrily chase after him.  As the overweight Wario climbed onto the ledge his brother was on, Waluigi jumped to a new one.  "That 'muscle' sure is slowing you down!" Waluigi taunted from across the arena.

Wario took a few steps backward before running full speed at the edge of his platform.  With one powerful leap, he launched himself into the air and toward his brother.  Before Waluigi could dodge, Wario tackled him to the ground.  They rolled around on the ledge, exchanging blow and uttering insults.

"It looks like they're at each other's throats already!" Jolene cried.  "This one isn't going to be pretty, folks!"

Suddenly, the door in the background opened.  "Stay dry!" flashed above their heads as the room became dark.  Rain began to pour from the sky, and a tiny umbrella floated ominously above their heads.  They stopped attacking each other at once and took shelter under the umbrella.

Jolene gazed at the sudden storm.  "Amazing!  Originating from the WarioWare series, this stage sucks its players into occasional micro games that can turn the tide of the fight!"

"There's only enough room under here for one of us!" Wario groaned as he shoved Waluigi out of the umbrella's protection.

"You'll pay for that!" Waluigi howled, now soaking wet with rain.  He rushed under the umbrella and punched his brother in the chest.  As he prepared to pummel Wario, the stage returned to normal.  A red circle surrounded Wario, while a blue X stamped itself on Waluigi.

"Uh oh!" Jolene gasped.  "Waluigi got wet, so he lost the micro game!  Wario managed to stay dry!  What prize will he receive?"

"Yeah!  Bwahahaha!" Wario cackled as his size doubled.  "You know the rules.  You get a reward if you win the micro game, but you got wet.  Too bad!"  The gigantic Wario picked up his tiny brother and tossed him into the air.  "Since you're my brother, I'll go easy on you.  I'll send you out of the ring instead of beating on you until you can't fight!"

Jolene squinted at the tiny purple dot in the sky.  "Waluigi seems to be falling downward and straight into one of Wario's attacks!  Unless he can find a way to counter, Waluigi is done for!  What will he do?"

As Waluigi soared through the air, he began to charge up two Fireballs.  "I'm not calling it quits just yet!"  Just before he collided with Wario's colossal fists, Waluigi set his brother's face ablaze with two Super Fireballs.

"AHH!  MY BEAUTIFUL FACE!" Wario screamed in agony, clutching his flaming face.  Waluigi landed safely beside him.  After repeatedly patting his face, the inferno on Wario's head finally died away.  Before he could take revenge on Waluigi, he shrunk back down to his normal size.  Enraged, he charged at his brother with his fists raised.  He leapt at Waluigi, his arms outstretched and prepared to tackle him to the ground.

Waluigi gritted his teeth.  "Not again!"  He sidestepped his brother, who tumbled forward and off the edge of the arena.  "Did he really just do that?  What at idiot!"  He peaked over the edge of the stadium, only to see a fist flying toward him.

THWACK

Waluigi flew onto his back as Wario climbed back onto the stage.  "You're not getting rid of me that easily," Wario declared.

"It's intense!" Jolene yelped in suspense.  "Both fighters are giving it everything they've got!  This is truly a fight to remember!  Who's going to back down first?  Who's the better bro?  I don't know about you, but I can't wait to find out!"

Peach shielded her eyes.  "It's too horrible!  I can't watch!"

"Putting them in the ring together wasn't the best idea," Luigi sighed.  "They're going to fight each other until they're both dead.  Their pride prevents either of them from giving up.  Neither of them wants to live knowing that they lost to their own brother, but one of them has to.  Who's going to pull through? They've both proved to be stubborn in the past."

Wario Brothers' Final Stand

The two brothers punched, kicked, and smashed each other with everything they had.  Both of them were badly bruised and severely injured, but their pride was still unscathed.  The true pain would come when the winner was decided.

"I'm not losing to you!" Wario sneered as he delivered a bone-breaking punch to his brother's chest.  Waluigi staggered backward in pain for a moment before retaliating with a roundhouse-kick to Wario's head.  They both stumbled backward, both of them breathing heavily.  A slight grin could be detected on each of their faces.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Waluigi inquired with a smirk.  As they prepared to charge at each other again, the door behind them opened again and the background became white.  A sitting marble statue appeared, and the words, "Don't move!" flashed brightly above their heads.  The two brothers instantly froze.

"It looks like another micro game, folks!  Neither brother can move, so they are locked in an intense standoff!"

If I move, he'll power up again and beat me, Waluigi thought.  I'd better stand still and win the micro game.

"What's wrong?" Wario snarled.  "Are you too scared to move?"  Ignoring the micro game's instructions, he sprinted at his brother and landed a right hook straight across his face.  Waluigi groaned in pain, but he did not move.  Wario realized that his brother had no intentions of losing the micro game and began to mercilessly pound on him.  Waluigi stood his ground.  "Fight back, wimp!"

In a flash of light, the stadium returned to normal.  Waluigi was surrounded with a red circle, and Wario was stamped with a blue X.  For winning the micro game, Waluigi began to sparkle with a brilliant radiance as he gained temporary invincibility.  He vengefully rushed at his brother and tackled him to the ground.  Wario struggled to fight back, but his blows had no effect on the invincible Waluigi.

"Wario is receiving the beating of his life!  Is this the end?  Has Waluigi's determination finally paid off?"

"It's horrible!" Peach shrieked.  "This has to stop!"

As Waluigi prepared to deliver the final blow, the stage lit up with a splendiferous light.  "Look out!" flashed in the background as the brothers were engulfed in an enormous shadow.  Waluigi's invincibility wore off, and Wario quickly rolled out of the shadow.  Too stunned to react, Waluigi stood there as a massive foot fell from out of nowhere and pounded him into the ground.  A red circle appeared on Wario's body, whereas an X materialized on the buried Waluigi.

In a quick burst of light, all of Wario's wounds vanished.  Waluigi remained stuck in the ground, unable to move.  Wario quickly sprang to his feet.  He reared his fist back, charging up for one final punch.  As his fist began to glow, he released a fully charged smash attack that sent his brother up from the ground and out of the arena.  The match was over.

Victory

"It looks like it's finally over!" Jolene announced.  "Wario is the winner!  After an epic showdown between these two brothers, the victor has been decided!  Let's give these two champions a hand!"

The crowd went wild as the stage returned to normal, and the two brothers appeared beside Jolene.  Their injuries had vanished as if there had never been a fight in the first place.  Waluigi sighed.  "It looks like you beat me.  Nice job."

Wario firmly shook his brother's hand.  "Look at how happy everyone is.  This was definitely the best match of the day.  What else could you expect from the legendary Wario Brothers?"

"It looks like everything turned out okay.  They even put up a better show than you did," Luigi said to Glaive with a wry grin.

Glaive shrugged.  "I could care less if my match wasn't the most exciting.  All that matters to me is that I win the championship."

Wario and Waluigi approached them.  "How'd we do?" Waluigi asked with a smirk.

Smash Pit Mystery

"Steel and Donkey Kong, please report to the stadium for your match," Jolene requested.

Luigi glanced at Glaive, who had begun to breathe heavily.  "Glaive, what's wrong?  Are you okay?"

"Be quiet," Glaive urged him.  He glared at Steel as he walked past them and into the arena.  "Steel is about to fight.  There's definitely something wrong about him.  I can't explain it, but something about his presence gives me this awful feeling in my gut.  I've never felt anything like it before."

Luigi gasped.  "Is he really that strong?"

Glaive shook his head.  "That's not it.  I'm not sure if he's all that powerful.  It's the aura he's emitting.  I've never felt such darkness since Lord Shade.  He's filled with pure evil and hatred.  Behind those cold black eyes is a desire to kill and a thirst for blood."

"Why'd you have to tell me that?" Luigi yelped.  "I might end up fighting him!"

"Nah!  You'll never fight that chump!" Wario laughed hardily.  "He's going up against DK.  If he manages to win, he'll be up against ME!"

As Steel and DK met in the center of the ring, the crowd roared with anticipation.  Steel turned around.  Luigi shrieked.  Steel was staring directly into his eyes.  He tried to move or say something, but he was frozen.  He tried to break away from Steel's gaze.  He couldn't budge.  Steel grinned slightly and turned to face Donkey Kong.

"It looks like our two warriors are ready to duke it out!  It's the final match of the first round, so this is their last chance to nab a spot in the second round.  There's only room for one more competitor, but who will it be?  It's time to set the stage for this exciting match!"  With the press of a button, the stage began to morph into a jungle setting.  The arena soon became thick with trees, grass, and vegetation.  "Here it is!  DK Jungle! Without further delay, we bring you the eighth match of the Smash Tournament!  Donkey Kong and Steel, you may begin!"

Unknown Fighter Battle

"Sorry, delicate creature.  I'm going to have to send you back to the jungle, where you belong," Steel informed DK, clenching his fists.  "Hairy apes don't belong in the ring."

"Why you..." Donkey Kong muttered, struggling to control his anger.  "That's it!  You don't know who you're dealing with!"

"Wow, it talks," Steel gasped in mock surprise.  "Maybe you're not as dumb as I thought."

Enraged, DK rushed at his opponent.  He swung his right fist around in circles, gathering energy for an enormous punch.  A strong gust of wind rushed across the arena as DK released his punch, just barely missing Steel's face.  Steel ducked under DK's attack and retaliated with a powerful uppercut to the ape's gut.  Donkey Kong fell to the ground, trying to catch his breath.

"Weakling," Steel hissed, clearly not impressed.  Not giving the ape time to recover, he kicked DK up into the air, grabbed him by the leg, and slammed him back down into the ground.  He extended his palm toward the grounded ape and released a flurry of silver balls of fire.  Too injured to move, DK was hit by every single one of his opponent's blasts.  Smoke and ash billowed up into the air, preventing the crowd from seeing the battle.

"It appears that Steel is winning, but his latest attack has prevented us from seeing the action," Jolene observed.

"Donkey Kong doesn't stand a chance!" Luigi screamed.  "We have to help him!"  He sprinted towards the entrance to the arena, but Glaive grabbed his arm.

"No!  Stay here!" Glaive demanded, violently throwing him to the ground.  "If you jump into the fight now, it will no longer be a one-on-one fight!  If the other two fighters we aren't sure about are allies of Steel, they wouldn't hesitate to jump in as well!  It would be an all-out brawl, and we don't want any unnecessary deaths!  Let's keep it simple.  He can't kill DK, so let's wait for the fight to end.  We have to stick to these one-on-one battles if we want to beat these guys!  You can have your revenge when you fight him yourself!"

Luigi brushed himself off and went back into the dugout.  "I'm sorry.  It's just that...  Steel is giving off these bad vibes, and I don't want to see him hurt DK."

The smoke in the arena cleared, revealing a badly beaten DK. Standing uninjured beside him was Steel, who bent down to pick his opponent up by the throat.  "The match is over!  Steel has won!  Now put DK down before you kill him!" Jolene commanded him.

Steel only grinned.  "No, I don't think this match is over yet."  His grip on DK's throat tightened, causing the ape to cry out in agony.

"Let him go!  You've already won!" Jolene shrieked.  "Do you want to be disqualified?  Put him down, NOW!"

Steel held him up even higher.  "Hmm...  I'm not sure if I'm ready to stop fighting yet...  I think I should kill him first."

Jolene's mind was racing.  He's not listening.  I can disqualify him, but DK will still die!  I don't want to lose a fighter in my arena!

Steel began to laugh uncontrollably.  "Stupid ape!  You should have stayed in your silly jungle!"  The crowd shielded their eyes.  This wouldn't be pretty.

"STEEL!" Glaive thundered from the stands.  "Is it worth being disqualified?!  You want to fight with us, right?!  Kill him now, and that's all done with!  You're after us, not him!  He isn't worth killing!"

Steel's grin widened.  "Hmph.  I guess so."  He tossed Donkey Kong into the stands.  A team of medics arrived and quickly placed DK on a stretcher.  They marched off toward an ambulance at the stadium's exit.  Steel glared at Luigi once again, causing Luigi to take a step backward.  "Fool, you have no idea what I'm after."

"We were right," Luigi whispered.  "Whoever he is, he's definitely after us."

Smash Pit

Jolene began to quake feverishly.  The crowd had become silent.  "And... that's the first round, folks.  Uh... Just for the record, that was all staged!  Yeah!  We had that planned from the beginning!  Dramatic, huh?"  The speechless crowd quickly exploded with applause.  Jolene breathed a sigh of relief.  I hope Mario's friends can take care of that guy.  If he pulls another stunt like that, we're in trouble.  "Now that the first round has ended, the second round will begin in one hour!  Would all competitors report to the Minor League locker room?  There are security guards waiting to escort the victors to the Major League room."

[Macawmoses]

great work bud

[shadowmarioguy]

Chapter 4: Eyes on the Prize

Smash Pit Mystery

Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, and Glaive sat beside each other in the corner of the Minor League locker room.  "I hope we get into the Major League locker room soon," Luigi groaned, grimacing at the room's unkempt décor.  The pale, gray walls were covered with craters, holes, and dents that made it seem like the room itself had once been an arena.  In the center of the room was a single coffee table that slumped into the cold, stone floor due to it missing two of its legs.  A rugged, uncomfortable cot remained unused at the far end of the locker room.

"Get over it.  We have more important things to worry about," Glaive reminded him sternly.  He glanced at Steel, who was lying on the floor with his eyes closed.  He didn't seem the least bit nervous.  "Who are these guys?  We definitely need to watch out for Steel, but what about Anonymous and Ace?  For all we know, they could be just as dangerous."

Luigi whirled around as a chill ran down his spine.  "Who's there?"  Not a single soul in the room looked up.  They hadn't even acknowledged his sudden fear.  "I could've sworn someone was staring right at me.  I don't know how much longer I can handle this kind of suspense."

"Well, at least we'll find out what the winner gets," Waluigi informed them.  "Jolene is going to tell us, remember?  Just as long as the prize isn't something dangerous, we'll be fine."

The door slowly swung open as a tall, stoic security guard stepped in.  "I'm here to escort all of the victors to the Major League locker room.  Please come with me if you are one of the eight competitors that are in the second round."  Without even waiting, he turned around and left.  The winners quickly darted after him, all except for Ace, Steel, and Anonymous.  The three of them took their time.

The eight warriors followed the security guard down the long corridor that circled the perimeter of the arena.  "Those three sure aren't in any kind of rush, are they?" Luigi whispered to Glaive. 

Several yards behind them, Steel grinned.  He should be thankful.  If I had wished it, he'd be dead by now.  But my revenge will be far more agonizing than a quick death.

Abruptly, the guard stopped beside a clean, silver door.  "Here it is.  This is the Major League locker room.  You'll be staying here for the remainder of the tournament.  Jolene will be here in a few minutes.  Until then, you can relax."  He opened the door.  Following the security guard's friendly gesture, the eight contestants stepped inside.  "Make yourself at home."  He turned and left, shutting the door behind him.

Luigi flipped the light switch on, revealing that this locker room was much more luxurious than the last.  The immaculate, white walls were freshly painted, and the shining red lockers were all in perfect condition.  The red and white checkered floor matched the color contrast of the lockers and the wall, giving the room an overall lavish look.  The plush bed in the corner of the room was twice as large as the previous one, and it appeared to be far more comfortable.

"Not bad," Glaive stated lightly, breaking the silence.  "I've spent the last two years living outdoors, so it's definitely a refreshing change."

"It looks great!" Luigi exclaimed.  "It almost reminds me of Mushroom Castle.  This is what all locker rooms should look like!"

Waluigi shrugged.  "It's almost as nice as our place.  What do you think, Wario?"  He turned to where his brother was standing only moments ago.  He was nowhere to be found.  "Where'd he go?"

"Over there," Luigi groaned, pointing to the bed.  In the corner of the room, lying sprawled on the luxurious bed, Wario was sleeping.  "Well, I guess he's making himself at home."

Waluigi rolled his eyes.  There's someone out to get us and he's taking a nap.  Typical.

The Prize

"Hey, how's it going everyone?" Jolene asked as she walked briskly into the room.  "I've got to hand it to you guys.  Ever since I took charge of the Glitz Pit, I've never seen so many intense battles packed into such a short amount of time.  And that was only the first round!  I'm expecting great things from all of you!"

"Aw, it was nothing," Luigi replied humbly.  "Jolene, is it true that you once knew my brother?"

Jolene nodded.  "It is.  It's actually a very interesting story.  You see, the Glitz Pit existed long before this fighting arena was made.  Its fighters each had a rank, and one could challenge a fighter that ranks above him at any time.  If he won, he could move up a rank, while the other would move down.  In this way, everyone competed to claim the number one spot.  In fact, my brother once became the champion.  One day, he mysteriously disappeared.  At the time, a twisted man named Grubba was in charge of the Glitz Pit.  He secretly used the power of a Crystal Star to power a machine that sucked the life out of the pit's strongest fighters, feeding Grubba's strength and keeping him alive forever.  My brother suffered that awful fate...

"I was suspicious when I heard the news that my bro vanished, so I became Grubba's secretary.  In secret, I studied Grubba and found out his demented scheme.  Searching for the Crystal Stars, Mario stumbled into the pit and saw the new champ, Rawk Hawk, and his championship belt.  On this belt was a fake Crystal Star.  Unaware that it wasn't genuine, Mario fought his way to the top of the ranks in order to obtain it, but he eventually discovered the star was a fake and that the real one was still around somewhere.  Anonymously, I guided Mario around the hidden areas of the pit and led him to discover the truth about Grubba.

"Once Mario found out, he defeated Grubba and nabbed the real Crystal Star.  I was finally reunited with my brother, and I took control of the Glitz Pit.  Insisting on continuing his journey, Mario left the Glitz Pit to rescue the world once again.  I'll never forget how Mario changed all of our lives.  He is a true hero.  One day, I know he'll return to us."

"Interesting.  It seems as though Mario is quite the savior," Steel sneered.  "If only he were here...  Too bad I have to settle for his coward brother and weakling friends."

Jolene pushed up her glasses before speaking.  "You seem to enjoy causing mischief.  That stunt you pulled in the ring was unacceptable.  If you want to stay in this tourney, you'll have to follow the rules.  No killing allowed."

"Okaaaaaaay," Steel agreed sarcastically.  "No killing."

Jolene nodded.  "Good.  Now, let's get down to business."

A wicked grin spread across Steel's face.  I said I wouldn't kill them.  I didn't say anything about annihilating them.

"Okay," Jolene began.  "Some of you may know that I reward everyone that makes it to the second round.  I grant you all the honor of seeing the real prize you get for winning the tournament.  It's something far more spectacular than anything you can imagine!  It's an object that can surpass even your wildest dreams!  Ready to hear what it is?!"

Luigi gulped.  Please don't be something dangerous.

Jolene took a deep breath.  "The reward you will receive for winning the Mushroom Kingdom Smash Tournament is the great, wonderful, almighty, spectacular, stunning, magnificent, extravagant, glorious, fabulous, amazing, fantastic, outstanding, extraordinary, dazzling, stupendous, marvelous, splendid, Star Rod!"

Smash Pit Mystery

"Just as I thought," Steel snarled with an evil glint in his eye.  "This is all working out perfectly.  No one can stop us now."

"You've got to be kidding me!" Luigi exploded.  "You can't just give away the Star Rod!  Do you have any idea what could happen if it fell into the wrong hands?!"

"We're not actually giving anyone the Star Rod.  The winner gets to grant himself a single wish with the Star Rod.  Then we have to return it to Star Haven," Jolene explained.  "We can't just give away one of the kingdom's most treasured relics."

"What if it gets stolen?!" Luigi persisted.  "What if the winner doesn't give it back after he makes his wish?!"

Jolene shook her head emphatically.  "That could never happen.  This stadium will have triple the normal security and only our top guards will be on duty.  A single warrior could never take on so many men, no matter how powerful he may be!"

Their arrogance is matched only by their stupidity, Steel thought with a smirk.  This is going to be even easier than I thought it would be.

"You're right," Glaive told Luigi.  "A demon from the Nightmare Vault could kill an army of humans with the power of the Star Rod.  But if we're standing guard, we might have a chance.  Besides, it's not like anyone is going to believe that there are people with that kind of power.  We'll just have to play by the rules.  All we need to do is make sure one of us wins."

Luigi nodded hesitantly.  "I guess so..."

"Well, the matches are going to begin in five minutes," Jolene informed them.  "Do whatever you need to prepare, and then the fights will begin."

Steel turned away to conceal his laughter.  Five years couldn't prepare those fools for what we have in store for them.



Smash Pit

"Welcome, everyone!" Jolene boomed over the microphone.  "Are you all ready for the second round?"  The crowd responded with an earsplitting roar of anticipation.  "Good!  After the suspenseful first round, eight victors have been decided to advance to the second round!  In the first match, we'll have Anonymous and Lee square off!  Second, the mysterious fighters Ace and Glaive will face each other down!  Next, it'll be teacher vs. pupil in a duel between Luigi and The Master!  Wrapping up the second round, there'll be a showdown between the greedy Wario and the blood-thirsty Steel!  Now that we're ready to begin, would our first two fighters please step forward?"

In the sidelines, Lee prepared for the fight of his life.  "This guy did pretty well in the first round.  I'd best not let my guard down," he told himself.

"Be careful," Luigi warned him.  "Anonymous defeated Petey Piranha without even trying.  He'll be a tough opponent to beat."

"He's right.  Anonymous fights with pinpoint accuracy and perfect form," The Master agreed.  "Whoever he is, he must have spent quite a while polishing his skills.  You couldn't tell during his battle with Petey, but he had complete control over how much power he was using.  He used just enough to be stronger than Petey while still keeping his true strength a secret.  Not a single drop of energy in that battle was wasted.  His knowledge of energy conservation is astounding."

"I'll do my best," Lee said confidently.  "I won't lose without putting up a good fight."

I hope Anonymous won't be as ruthless as Steel was, Luigi thought.

Lee and Anonymous met at the center of the arena.  "Looks at these two!" Jolene exclaimed excitedly.  "I'd say they're both ready for action!  Lee is the star Duplighost of The Master's dojo, and he certainly knows how to fight!  On the other hand, Anonymous has proved to us all that anonymity isn't just for hiding a warrior's shame!  Which of these warriors will move to the semifinal round?"  Jolene prepared to press a button on her remote, but then hesitated.  Hmm...  The batteries are running low.  I'd better save this for the next fight. Then I can recharge it during the brief intermission before the second half of the round.  "Due to some technical difficulties, this battle will take place in the default arena!"

Lee glanced around the oval-shaped, sand-filled arena.  It seems neither one of us will have an advantage in this type of stadium.

"AAAAAAAND.... BEGIN!" Jolene cried as the crowd erupted with applause.

Unknown Fighter Battle

"If I can catch him by surprise, maybe I can win," Lee whispered to himself.  He launched himself through the air toward his opponent.  Anonymous, cool and calm, raised his fist to repel the attack.  Lee crashed into his arm and bounced back a bit before preparing to smash into him again.  Before he got the chance, Anonymous performed a swift roundhouse-kick that sent him tumbling onto his back.

Anonymous grinned under his mask.  "So much for catching me by surprise."

Lee jumped to his feet, chuckling to himself.  "You've got a sense of humor, huh?  That's pretty refreshing.  It kind of reminds me of my friends."  Once again, he rushed at Anonymous at breakneck speeds.

"Can't you do anything else?" Anonymous inquired as he prepared to block Lee's assault yet again.  Instead of going in for one powerful attack, Lee began to throw a wild assortment of punches and kicks.  Even though Anonymous had not expected such a strategy, he parried each and every one of Lee's blows with pinpoint accuracy.

It's like he knows all of my moves, Lee thought to himself.  How can I beat someone who fights as if he's studied my fighting style for years?

"This doesn't look good," Luigi gasped.  "He's blocking all of Lee's attacks!  But how?"

"Look at Lee go!" Jolene bellowed into her microphone.  "He's hitting Anonymous with everything he's got, but he can't seem to land one single punch!  How can this be?  Where did Anonymous get such outstanding power?"

Lee put everything into one final punch, hoping for a fatal blow.  Instead, Anonymous ducked under the punch and landed a direct hit on Lee's chest.  Lee's assault instantly came to a halt as he fell flat onto his back.  Breathing heavily, he struggled to his feet.  I can't go down yet...  I haven't made The Master proud yet...

"Give up!" Luigi called to Lee.  "I don't want you to get hurt! Remember what happened to Donkey Kong?!"

Lee shook his head.  No... Not yet...  "You're pretty tough...  But how well would you fight against yourself?"  He began to glow purple as a pink cloud of smoke puffed out of his body.  When the smoke cleared, Lee remained unchanged.  "What?  Why can't I copy him?"

"You don't know enough about me," Anonymous replied.  "You have no idea what my true identity is, or even what I look like under this mask.  From what I understand, Duplighosts can only copy someone when they know a decent amount of information about him or her.  The information stored in your brain about your opponent is transferred to each of your cells, which quickly adapt to become identical to those of your opponent's.  If you have insufficient information, the technique is useless."

"This guy knows too much," Lee groaned.  "Well, I might as well end this with a bang!"  He rushed at Anonymous one final time.

"Why hasn't Anonymous gone on the offensive?" Luigi inquired to Glaive, puzzled.  "He could have ended this by now if he wanted."

"It looks like Anonymous understands honor," Glaive answered.  "He sees that Lee is giving everything he has even though he doesn't stand a chance.  He's different from Steel.  Something tells me that those two aren't allies."

"Well, it looks like things just got more mysterious," Luigi muttered.  "If those two aren't allies, then what relationship could they have?  Maybe it's just a coincidence that three roguish fighters entered all in the same year..."

As Lee drew closer and closer to his foe, Anonymous clenched his fists.  In one graceful maneuver, he raised his arm above his head, sidestepped Lee's final attack, and brought his elbow crashing down on the back of Lee's neck as he passed by him.  Lee crashed face-first into the ground.

Victory

"Lee is unconscious!  Our winner is Anonymous!" Jolene thundered, causing the stands to burst into frantic applause. 

A ray of light shined over Lee, and instantly all of his wounds were healed.  He looked into the stands, and he saw The Master shouting something at him.  Even though the roar of the crowd made it impossible to hear, Lee knew what he had meant.  He was proud.

Anonymous began to walk away.  "You put up a good fight."  He vanished into the sidelines, leaving Lee behind.  Though he had been defeated, Lee still managed to walk out of the fight with his pride- and his life.  Moreover, everyone realized at that moment that there was something more to Anonymous.  Who could these three warriors be?  What further mysteries remained hidden along with their identities?  These questions would soon be answered.

Luigi helped Lee into the dugout at the edge of the stadium.  "You did great, Lee.  We're all proud of you."

Lee nodded.  He knew.

Smash Pit

"Wow, folks!  What an exciting start!  But this next one is a guaranteed thriller!  Up next, we have an all-out brawl between Glaive and Ace!  Not much is known about these two, but they both seem to be cutthroat warriors that have a thirst for battle!  Glaive was one of the heroes who fought with Lord Shade, making him an important historical figure in this kingdom's rich history.  Though we know nothing about Ace, it seems that he and Glaive have some kind of connection.  Hopefully we'll learn more as this battle unfolds!"

As Glaive departed for the ring, Luigi stopped him.  "Glaive, watch out.  This guy seems to know a lot about us, and it's no secret that you recognize him from somewhere.  Don't let your guard down."

Glaive grinned as he walked onto the stadium.  "Don't worry about me.  I've been training for the past two years to face Mario.  If I'm going to lose to anyone, it will be him.  I have no intention of being defeated by anyone else until I fight with Mario."

Ace smirked as he stepped into the center of the arena.  "This should be interesting.  Fighting someone else from the Nightmare Vault..."

"Alright, everyone!  Both of our fighters are ready to go!" Jolene announced.  She pulled out her remote and pressed a few buttons.  The stadium began to rumble as an enormous platform rose from under Glaive and Ace.  It slowly floated upward until it was several meters above the arena's floor.  In a flash of light, all of the sand vanished and the background quickly changed to resemble outer space.  "This battle will be taking place on the one and only, Final Destination!  Both fighters, begin!"

Unknown Fighter Battle

"Hello, Glaive," Ace greeted him.  "How has life been on the outside?"

Glaive took a step back.  "Who...  Who are you?"

"All will be revealed soon," Ace replied vaguely.  "Until then, let's try to enjoy the match.  I've been waiting quite a long time to face you.  I hope you're as strong as the rumors say you are.  It'd be a shame for you to disappoint me."  He reached for a deck of cards strapped to his waist.  In the blink of an eye, he snatched a card from the deck and held it in front of Glaive's face.  "See this?"

"Yeah, it's a card," Glaive affirmed indifferently.  "So what?"

Ace crushed the card in his palm, causing a blue beam saber to extend from his hand.  "These aren't any ordinary cards.  By adding some of my energy to a card and crushing in my hand, I can transform it into a weapon of my choosing.  Neat, huh?"  With one swift slash, he nailed his opponent in the chest and sent him tumbling backward.

"I'm carrying some weapons of my own," Glaive replied as he regained his balance.  He clutched the hilt of a long blade that was sheathed at his waste.  He rushed at Ace and drew his sword, leading it into an upward slash.  Ace flicked another card up from his deck, which instantly changed into a green shield.

CLANG

Sparks shot into the air as Glaive's sword collided with Ace's shield.  Before Glaive could get another slash in, Ace drove his shield forward and knocked him backward.  Ace raised his sword to deliver a finishing blow to the stumbling Glaive.  As his opponent struggled to regain his footing, Ace swung his sword directly at his head.  Blue sparkles emitted from Ace's blade as Glaive blocked the attack with his own sword.  Both of them pushed their swords forward with all of their might.  It was no use.  It was a stalemate.

They each took several steps backward and prepared to rush at each other again.  "Not bad," Ace commended Glaive.  "You're a pretty decent swordsman."

"You're not so bad yourself," Glaive answered with a grin.

Ace threw his sword and shield to the ground.  He reached for another card.  "Unfortunately for you, I've got a deck full of weapons.  I've got dozens of tricks up my sleeve that you've never even heard of before.  How can you possibly compare to me with that one little sword?"  With a sudden but powerful flick, he sent the card whizzing through the air toward Glaive.

Glaive quickly leapt backward as the card sliced into the ground mere inches in front of him.  "You won't catch me off-guard that easily."

Ace grinned.  Without warning, the card detonated in a devastating explosion that not even Glaive was prepared for.  "It looks like I just did," Ace sneered as he walked into the billowing clouds of smoke.  His smirk widened when he saw Glaive lying on his back, severely injured.  "That was one of my favorite tricks.  Like I said, I can turn those cards into anything.  Even bombs."

Glaive coughed up a mouthful of blood as he struggled to his feet.  "Damn... you..."

Ace reached for his deck of cards.  "Don't be mad.  There's plenty more where that came from."

[Magnum]

Nice. This is nice.
I really like it. Can't wait for the next one

[shadowmarioguy]

Chapter 5: Master of the Dojo

Final Destination

"Oh no!" Jolene gasped.  "It looks like Glaive has been severely injured!  Can he still fight?  Is there any hope for him to win?"

"Lucky shot," Glaive muttered wearily as he gripped his sword.  "It'll take more than that to beat me.  I can tell that you're starting to underestimate me.  That isn't wise."

"Are you suggesting that you're still able to fight me?" Ace snickered as he pulled out a handful of cards.  "Let's see if you can dodge these!  Just remember that if you touch them, they'll explode!"  He began wildly tossing cards at his opponent.

Hmm...  I think I might be able to use those cards against him, Glaive thought as he began to dodge the explosive playing cards.  He ran horizontally across the arena, with cards striking the ground mere inches behind him.  At last, he dove to the side as he reached the edge of the stadium.  Ace stopped throwing cards.  "What's the matter?  Running out of ammo?"

"Not at all," Ace replied.  "You looked like you needed a break."  He pulled out a fresh card and prepared to crush it.  Before he could use it, Glaive whipped out a shuriken and hurled it at the card.  Ace was unprepared for such a maneuver, and the card exploded in his face.  Without hesitation, Glaive dashed into the smoke to attack his surprised opponent.  He soon spotted Ace and began to slash at him with all of his might.

"I told you not to underestimate me!" Glaive cried as he sliced across Ace's chest with the blunt end of his sword.  He raised his blade and began to charge all of his energy into one finishing blow.  The sword soon began to glow, signifying that the Smash Attack was at full power.  As Glaive released all of his strength into one slash, something emerged from the smoke and latched onto its sword.  With a violent tug, the blade slipped from Glaive's hand.

"Excuse me, is this yours?" Ace inquired sarcastically as the smoke cleared.  In his hand was a red whip that was made of pure energy- clearly the result of one of his special cards.  Entangled in the whip's grasp was Glaive's sword.

"Give it back!" Glaive demanded as he charged toward his opponent.

Ace grinned.  "You mean this?"  With a lash of his whip, he sent the blade soaring into the air.  As Glaive drew closer to him, he skillfully swung his whip in a horizontal motion, causing it to wrap around Glaive's waste.  Glaive, now tied up by Ace's new weapon, was helpless.  Ace began to swing him around in circles above his head, eventually releasing him and sending him tumbling out of the arena.  Ace caught the sword he had tossed earlier and threw it at the plummeting Glaive, intending for it to stab him.

This is going to take some skill, Glaive thought as he prepared to do the only thing he could to stay in the match.  Glaive and his sword disappeared over the edge of the arena, leaving Ace clueless as to what became of his opponent.

"There's no way he could have made it.  But I want to make sure I see the look on his face as he loses," Ace chuckled as he dashed to the edge of the stage.  As he glanced downward, a fist smashed into his face and sent him onto his back.

"I'm not finished yet," Glaive told him.  Somehow, he had caught his sword and stabbed into the side of the stage to break his fall!  The armored warrior vaulted himself back onto the arena.  With a powerful yank, he removed his blade from the stadium and prepared to wield it against his foe.

Ace smirked as he wiped a thin stream of blood from his mouth.  "That was impressive.  I never knew you could think so quickly."  He lashed his whip at Glaive, who sliced the whip in two with a skilled slash of his sword.

"You're running out of tricks," Glaive sneered as he lunged at Ace with his sword.  Instead of slashing his opponent, he aimed his attack at the deck of cards strapped to his waste.  The belt that held the cards at his side snapped, and Glaive quickly snatched the deck from his possession.  "What will you do without these?"

"Give those back!" Ace shouted threateningly.  "If you don't give them back, you'll deeply regret taking them from me."

"And I'm supposed to believe that?" Glaive inquired.  "Without these, you're powerless.  You're bluffing."  He slowly began to walk toward Ace.  If I did everything right, I should be able to pull this one off.

"If you have any desire to win this match, return those cards to me," Ace admonished through clenched teeth.  "If you don't, you'll be sorry."

Now just a few feet away from Ace, Glaive tauntingly waved the deck in front of his opponent's face.  "If you want it, why don't you take it?"

"That's it!" Ace howled in frustration.  "I warned you!" He snapped his fingers, causing all of the cards in Glaive's hand to detonate in a fiery explosion.  Smoke and ash shot up into the air as Glaive was thrown onto his back by the violent blast.

Battered and bruised, Glaive still managed to smile.  "I... did... it..."

What's he so happy about? Ace wondered.  His confident smile quickly turned to a fearful grimace as he saw the horizontal row of cards still wedged in the ground from earlier. Without warning, the explosion from the cards Glaive had stolen caused the cards in the ground to begin to blow up as well.  They detonated in a perfectly straight line, causing the edge of the stadium that Ace was standing on to crack off.  As Ace descended to his doom, Glaive grinned triumphantly.

Victory

"It... worked..." Glaive murmured as the crowd erupted with applause.  In a flash of light, the stadium returned to normal and all of his injuries vanished.  Through clever strategy and pure luck, Glaive had come out on top.

Ace appeared beside him with a look of surprise on his face.  "Whoa... I thought for sure that I was going to win...  You really caught me by surprise with that trick.  You're much more intelligent than I expected.  The rumors I've heard are all true.  Glaive, it's been an honor fighting you."  He held out his hand.

Hesitantly, Glaive shook Ace's hand.  "Who... Who are you?  When this tournament began, I thought that you were a dangerous enemy. Now you seem... friendly...  Answer me this: Are you from the Nightmare Vault?"

"I am," Ace replied, "but you have no reason to fear me.  I have no intentions of bringing harm to you or your friends.  As for my true purpose for being here, that will remain a secret.  When the time comes, all will be revealed."  With a friendly smile, he turned and walked away.

Smash Pit Mystery

"And that concludes our second match!" Jolene exclaimed.  "It seems as though Glaive and Ace walked into the match as rivals, but walked out as friends!  What was the cause of this turn of events?  You'll have a few minutes to think it over, because we'll be taking a short break before the third fight."

"That was close," Luigi sighed as Glaive returned from the arena.  "You barely won.  We were all at the edge of our seats!"

"Yeah, you really gave us a scare," Waluigi agreed.  "Those explosions looked like they really hurt.  So what happened between you and Ace?  Are you friends, or what?"

Glaive shook his head.  "I just don't know.  He doesn't treat me as if I'm an enemy at all, but he refuses to tell me about himself.  As of now, the only thing he's confirmed is that he's from the Nightmare Vault.  Ace says he won't reveal why he entered the tournament yet, but we'll all find out soon enough.  I wish I knew what he was planning."

"Do you think it's something dangerous?" Luigi inquired.  "Could he secretly be associating with Steel, or is he just another villain that's after us?"

Glaive shrugged.  "He doesn't seem like a bad person, but I don't know enough about him to make an accurate judgment.  Ace is hiding something, and so is Anonymous.  In a way, those two are even more dangerous than Steel is. At least Steel has made it obvious that he's after us.  Those other two still have the element of surprise."

"You'll find out what they're up to soon enough," Wario informed him.  "After all, you're fighting Anonymous in the next round.  If you don't get crushed, it'll be me and you in the finals."

"Look who's talking," Glaive retorted.  "You have to fight Steel soon.  If you can beat him, you'll have to fight the winner of the next match, which- by the way- is between Luigi and The Master."

"Don't remind me," Luigi muttered.  "Beating my teacher is going to be tough.  If I win, I have a battle with either Wario or Steel to look forward to."

"Wahahaha!" Wario cackled arrogantly.  "Too bad!  I'll be beating Steel, so you'll have to fight me!  There goes your chance at winning the tournament!"

Smash Pit

"Without further delay, we are ready to bring you the third match!" Jolene boomed.  "This is going to be exciting!  It's going to be teacher vs. student in a brawl between The Master and Luigi!  Both of these fighters are known for their outstanding strength and skill.  Luigi has helped Mario save the kingdom numerous times, and is beginning to earn a reputation as one of the kingdom's finest heroes.  The Master is the renowned owner of the dojo in Toad Town.  There, he offers martial arts lessons to anyone who has the will to train under him.  For years, people from across the kingdom have journeyed to spar with him, but only Mario has ever succeeded in defeating him!"

"I could beat him if I really wanted to," Glaive muttered.  "In truth, The Master isn't truly that strong.  After what we've been through with Lord Shade, fighting him would be a cakewalk.  The only reason he has retained his reputation as The Master is because of his excellent teaching skills, and the fact that none of us have ever challenged him to a one-on-one fight."

"Master...  It'll be an honor fighting you," Luigi said with a bow.  "I've never actually sparred with you.  I won't let you down!"

The Master nodded firmly.  "Good.  You have great strength within you.  Do not waste it.  To be frank, I've been looking forward to this bout.  When I entered, I hoped I would have the chance to fight you."

Jolene pulled out her remote, which was now at full power.  "Okay, folks!  After some serious recharging, my trusty remote now has the power to bring our fighters to a new battle arena!   What will it be?  Let's find out!"  With the press of a button, the background began to distort as the stadium quaked and shuddered.  Electrical sparks began to emit from Jolene's remote.  A tiny puff of smoke billowed from the device as it short-circuited.  "Eeek!  What happened?"

"What's going on?" Luigi wondered aloud as the stadium began to change into an unfamiliar setting.  The ground became a stone bridge that raised them above a deep valley.  The sun was just beginning to fade below the horizon, still bright enough to show a tall castle nestled in the distant sunset.

"What?  This is the Bridge of Eldin!" Jolene cursed as she shook her remote.  "First we run out of batteries, and now this?  The fighters are supposed to be taken to a stage that they are familiar with!  Neither of these two could know about an area from Hyrule!"

"It doesn't matter," The Master informed her with a bow.  "We consider ourselves lucky to have the chance to fight at all.  Thank you for your time and concern, but we do not need to recognize the stage we will be fighting on."

"You heard it, folks!  The Master is willing to fight no matter where it may be!" Jolene announced with excitement.  "Let's get this match underway!"

Teacher vs. Student 

"Let's see what you've learned," The Master muttered as his pupil rushed toward him.  He calmly raised one of his hands, leaving the other behind his back.  Luigi's hurled his fist at The Master's seemingly unguarded chest. 

CLACK

The Master had caught Luigi's punch with his raised hand.  "Hmm... That was an excellent punch.  It certainly had a lot of power behind it.  It wasn't very quick, though, and that made it easy to block."

"What about this?" Luigi retorted as he threw another punch.  CLACK.  The Master blocked his attack yet again.

The Master grinned.  "Might I suggest making your moves a little less predictable?"

"I'll show you predictable!" Luigi shot back, now throwing an array of punches and kicks at his teacher.  THWACK! CLACK! THUD! SMACK!  Desperate to land at least one blow, Luigi threw attacks left and right at his calm and stoic opponent.  However, no matter how quick and powerful his blows were, The Master blocked each and every one of them with his right hand.  It was no use.

"Is this really all you can do?" The Master taunted him, still blocking every oncoming attack.  "I taught you better than this!"  Abruptly, The Master landed a dead-on punch to Luigi's gut.  The green plumber tumbled onto his back.

Luigi leapt to his feet, clutching a bruise on his chest.  Man... If I attack him from the front, he can block just about all of my attacks.  He blocks with one hand, and strikes with the other when I leave myself open.  I need to find his weak spot.

"Contemplating your next move?" The Master inquired sarcastically.  "I haven't even been fighting seriously."

Luigi's eyes sparkled as he came up with a plan.  Yeah... That just might work.  "Here I go again!"  He rushed at his mentor in the same fashion as before.

The Master was not impressed.  "Not again.  I know I've taught you better moves than that."

"Just watch!" Luigi bellowed as he created a green Fireball in his right hand.  Just as he was about to run into The Master, he slammed the Fireball into the ground.  Smoke and debris shot up into the air as Luigi disappeared in the haze created by his attack.

"Where'd you go?" The Master coughed as he shielded his mouth from the smoke.  Luigi emerged behind him and began mercilessly pounding him with chains of deadly attacks.  Before The Master could retaliate, Luigi ended the combo with a fierce Smash Attack that sent his teacher face-first into the ground.

The smoke and ash cleared. The crowd gasped at what they saw.  "Through the use of a brilliant maneuver, Luigi has given The Master a run for his money!  Is this the end of the match?  Has Luigi toppled The Master?"

"Not quite," The Master answered as he slowly pulled himself to his feet.  "That was quite a strategy.  I never expected you to pull off something so clever.  You figured out my weak point and found a way to get to it.  I am teaching you something, aren't I?  It's too bad I've never shown you my full strength."

"Full strength?" Luigi parroted, suddenly nervous.  "That's okay... Heh... You don't have to show it to me..."

"No, no, I insist," The Master persisted mockingly.  "Only your brother has pushed me this far before."  A golden aura surrounded him as his clothes and skin began to turn yellow.  Even the hair on his beard and eyebrows became partially gold to agree with the transformation.  The Master began to gently levitate above the ground.  He was ready for round two.

The Master's True Form

"I never knew you could do that!  How am I supposed to win now?!" Luigi protested.  "This isn't fair!"

"Deal with it!" The Master barked angrily.  "I trained you personally!  You can handle this!"

Before Luigi could respond, his mentor landed a perfect blow across his face.  Luigi staggered backward for a moment before regaining his balance, only to be punched in the chest.  As he clutched his stomach in pain, a swift but forceful uppercut sent him soaring into the air before he came crashing down into the stone ground.

"You can do better than this!" The Master bellowed furiously.  "Fight back!"

"I'm trying!" Luigi snapped as he wept a stream of blood from his chin.  He's too fast...  I can't even get a shot in...  He fell to his knees as he felt five swift punches collide with his chest.  Before there was even time to feel pain, The Master ended the combo with a roundhouse-kick to Luigi's head.

"It looks like Luigi is no match for The Master's new form!" Jolene declared as Luigi took a beating from his teacher.  "Will The Master come out on top?  Can Luigi find a way to win?  We'll soon find out!"

I can't take much more of this, Luigi thought as he slowly climbed to his feet.  There has to be a way for me to beat him...  He's faster, but he still has the same weakness as before.  If only I could find a way to catch him off guard...  As he considered his next move, a green armored warrior rode onto the bridge on some sort of boar-like creature.  He dropped a bomb in the center of the bridge before turning and riding away.  Luigi's eyes lit up.  There's an idea...

"You don't seem too keen on fighting back," The Master observed.  "If you're not going to put up a decent fight, I'll end this now.  Consider this my final attack."  In a flash of gold, The Master charged at his apprentice.

I hope this works, Luigi prayed silently.  When his teacher was only a few meters away from him, he put all of his strength into one graceful leap that sent him several yards into the air.  The Master, moving at breakneck speeds, put all of his effort in attempting to stop.  As he ascended, Luigi launched a Fireball down toward his mentor.

"That'll never hit me!" The Master exclaimed as he finally managed to stop.  Luigi grinned.  The Fireball wasn't aimed at him!  The Master gasped as the ball of flames struck the bomb on the ground beside him, causing a massive explosion and forcing the bridge to crumble apart.  The Master and Luigi had no arena to stand on, and were now both tumbling toward their doom.  However, due to the height gained from his earlier jump, Luigi was able to stay in the air longer.  In a flash of light, The Master had lost.

Victory

"Whoa! What a match!" Jolene cried as the stands burst with clapping and cheering.  "Even the arena came apart under the strain of the fight!  You've all witnessed an extraordinarily rare feat!  The Master, known across the kingdom as THE Martial Arts Master, has been defeated by Luigi!  Let's hear it for these two!"

The Master nodded in approval.  "Excellent work, Luigi.  I knew you were stronger than me.  In fact, that's the very reason I've never sparred with you before.  I didn't want you to beat me.  When I heard about the tournament, I planned this entire match with Jolene so that you could finally fight me."

Jolene shrugged.  "I can bend the rules every once in a while for a friend.  He insisted that I put you and him together in a match early in the tournament."

"Now that you know you've surpassed me, you can take my place at the head of the dojo," The Master informed Luigi with pride.

"But Master!" Lee objected from the sidelines.

"That's not my name anymore," The Master replied with a smile.  "Luigi is The Master now."  He turned to Luigi.  "So, what do you think?"

Luigi shook his head.  "Sorry, but I can't do it.  I'm not ready yet.  There's a difference between being a good teacher and a good fighter.  You found a perfect balance of them both.  On the other hand, we've all been focusing on our fighting skills.  I don't think any of us are ready to pass on our knowledge yet.  You bring out the best in everybody.  You're training sessions are grueling and endless.  I may be able to defeat you, but you can still teach me a thing or two as well."

The Master wiped a tear from his eye.  "Thank you, Luigi.  Someday, when you and your brother retire from your duties as heroes, you can pass on what you know to the next generation.  For now, I am still the one who must teach the art of fighting."  The two of them walked to the dugout at the side of the stage.

Smash Pit

"There you have it, folks!" Jolene shouted into her microphone.  "There'll be no delays!  No breaks!  No intermissions!  Right here, right now, the final match of the second round will begin!  It'll be a deadly duel between Wario and Steel!  Both fighters should approach the center of the arena at this time."

"That's your cue," Waluigi told his brother.  "You've been acting so confident; it'd be a shame for you to lose."

"I'm not gonna lose to that chump," Wario chuckled as he flexed his muscles.  "This'll be a snap.  First I'll beat him, and then I'll take Luigi down.  From there, I'll be only one fight away from winning the championship."

"Keep your guard up," Glaive warned him.  "It seems like Steel has some sort of grudge against us, so don't do anything stupid."  He glanced at Wario's opponent.  Three mysterious fighters we know nothing about...  Which of them are friends, and which are foes?

"Good luck!" Luigi called to Wario as he marched toward the stage.  His eyes shifted toward the menacing Steel.  Luigi gulped.  He'll need it.

[Eizweir]

That was awesome  ^_^

[shadowmarioguy]

Yeesh.  I don't get sick too often, but when I do, I get it bad.  It's been over two weeks since my last chapter, which is practically unheard of for me.   :P 

Now I'm feeling better, and I'm happy to officially start my summer break of not being sick with a new chapter!  It's a good one, too.  Hopefully you'll find it to be worth the wait.   ;)

[shadowmarioguy]

Chapter 6: Anonymous Revealed

Smash Pit

BZEERP!

"Ugh.  It looks like my remote is acting up again," Jolene groaned.  "You guys don't mind what stage you fight on, do you?"

Wario shook his head.  "I don't care where I pummel this loser!  As long as I get to bash his face in, I'm not complaining."

"Well put," Steel chuckled, giving Jolene a nod of approval.  "I'm eager to see if you can back up your cocky words."

The arena began to rumble as the stadium's lights dimmed.  A mechanical platform rose from the sand beneath their feet and carried them up into the air.  The rest of the ground below them vanished into an abyss of darkness.  Neither of the warriors even flinched as a cylindrical tube containing a gruesome creature emerged in the background.  The crowd let out several cries of terror.

"Don't worry; that creature is sealed tightly inside," Jolene assured the audience.  "It's called the Parasite Queen, and that means that this stage must be Frigate Orpheon.  It was once used by Space Pirates to-"

"Can we start fighting already?" Wario asked impatiently, clearly not interested in the stage's history.  "I don't care about what this place was used for!"

"Calm down," Jolene urged him.  "You're more eager for the fight to begin than the audience is!  But just this once, I'll start the fight early.  You'd better be grateful.  3...2....1... BEGIN!"

Wario vs. Steel

"My revenge shall begin with you!" Steel declared as he launched a flurry of silver balls of fire at his opponent.  Wario clenched his fists as he charged up two Fireballs- one in each of his hands.  His hands began to glow with yellow flames, causing the crowd to gasp in awe.  As Steel's flaming spheres approached him, Wario batted them away with a series of Flaming Punches.

"Now where'd that toothpick run off to?" Wario wondered aloud.

"Behind you," a voice sneered tauntingly.  Before Wario could turn around, he felt a foot lodge itself into his back.  Wario tumbled forward, but quickly used his body's spherical shape to roll onto his feet.  He whirled around to see Steel rushing straight at him.  Angrily, Wario aimed his hardest punch at his approaching opponent's face.

CLACK!

To Wario's astonishment, Steel had caught his punch in his right palm.  "Beginner's... luck..." Wario muttered through clenched teeth.  He struggled to remove his fist from Steel's grasp, but Steel refused to let go.  Enraged, Wario threw a second punch with his free hand.  CLACK!  Steel caught it with his left palm.  Wario thrashed about, trying to break his fists free.

"Here; let me help you," Steel offered sarcastically.  His grip on Wario's fists tightened, causing him to scream out in pain.  "I can feel your bones beginning to crack!  Give up!"

"Never!" Wario hissed through gritted teeth.  He violently pushed and pulled his arms in all directions, but Steel's grasp was too firm.

"Give up!" Steel repeated as he pulled his head back.  He twisted Wario's arms around and smashed his head straight into his opponent's.  THUD!  Steel released his grip, and Wario tumbled backward in agony.

"Eek!" Jolene cried at the sight of Wario's badly bruised forehead.  "Steel has to be the most ruthless fighter I've seen in all my years as an announcer!  Is there any limit to his cutthroat fighting style?"

"Impressive," Steel muttered as Wario slowly crawled to his feet.  "You're still conscious.  You've got a hard head, I'll give you that."

"What's your head made of?" Wario groaned, clutching the bruise on his forehead.  "I guess that's why you're called Steel.  It's too bad your head butt didn't finish me."

"You'll soon wish that it did," Steel replied with a wicked grin.

Wario clenched his fists and prepared to rush at his opponent.  Before he made his move, Wario realized that he was breathing heavily, and unnaturally so.  Why am I so tired?  I've been through more than this in the past.  I feel like I just ran a marathon.

"What's wrong?" Steel inquired in mock sympathy.  "You seem tired.  I feel just fine."

Enraged at Steel's cocky attitude, Wario charged straight at his foe and unleashed a frenzy of wild punches and kicks.  To his surprise, his attacks passed right through Steel as if he was a ghost.  As if he had never been standing there, Steel vanished.  Wario glanced back and forth.  He was nowhere to be found.

"Incredible!  Steel has disappeared from everyone's sight!  Where has he gone?  Your guess is as good as mine!" Jolene announced enthusiastically.

"I guess I scared him off!" Wario cackled victoriously.  Before he had time to gloat, Wario felt a hand seize his throat.  In the blink of an eye, Steel reappeared in front of Wario with his hand wrapped around his throat.

"It's a basic teleportation technique.  Don't tell me you've never heard of it before," Steel snickered as he held Wario by the throat.  "You're heavy.  Lifting you up by your throat is actually quite difficult."

"He's choking Wario!" Luigi gasped.  "Didn't Steel learn his lesson?"

Jolene gulped.  Now what?  If I try to disqualify him, he might come after me!

Suddenly, an earsplitting siren blared out from the stadium as a blinding yellow light flashed in the background.  The stage began to rumble, and then it started to rotate.  Before everyone's eyes, the arena flipped upside down.  The platforms shifted around, leaving Wario and Steel hanging in midair.

Steel was so surprised that he lost his grip on Wario.  He managed to land safely on a platform, while the injured Wario tumbled into the endless abyss.  "Darn...  I lost my grip on that fool.  I was going to make him suffer more, but he isn't my main target.  Besides, I'll have plenty of time to torture him and his friends later on."

Smash Pit Mystery

In a flash of light, the match was over and the stage returned to normal.  "It's over," Jolene sighed.  "Steel is the winner!  I'd like to get the semifinals started soon, so all fighters should be prepared to begin within the next few minutes."

Waluigi rushed onstage to help his injured brother.  With great effort, he carried Wario on his shoulders into the dugout.  "He's probably going to have to lie down for a while.  Let's take him to the locker room."

Luigi nodded.  "He's lucky the stage flipped over when it did.  If it hadn't, Steel would have most likely killed him."

Glaive, Waluigi, and Luigi raised Wario's injured body.  Together, they carried him to the Major League locker room.  With a friendly smile, a security guard opened the door and led them inside.  They gently laid Wario on the luxurious red bed in the corner of the room.  Wario was fast asleep.

"Fool," Glaive muttered.  "His arrogance almost got him killed.  Remember how he spent all that time talking about how he was going to beat Steel?  He had no idea what he was walking into.  Learn from his mistake and never underestimate these guys.  We're still not sure what they're fully capable of, but we do know that Steel was able to defeat Wario with ease."

"We've both got our opponents to worry about," Luigi added.  He turned to Waluigi.  "You don't have to worry about any of this, do you?  You lost in the first round, after all.  In a way, I'm kind of jealous."



Smash Pit

"Greetings, everyone!  Welcome to the Smash Pit's semifinal round!" Jolene greeted the audience.  "We have four outstanding fighters that have proved themselves to be the best of the best!  Their skills are second to none, and they have each redefined my perspective of the perfect match.  In the first bout, we'll have a showdown between Anonymous and Glaive.  Next up, Luigi and Steel will duel for the opportunity to advance to the final round.  Now hold on to your seats, because the first match is about to begin!"

"It looks like I get to fight the mystery man," Glaive observed.  "Wish me luck."

"We'll be rooting for you," Luigi affirmed with a nod.  "If we're lucky, it'll be you and me in the final round.  I'm hoping at least one of us can make it into the finals.  We'd be doomed if it ended up being Anonymous vs. Steel.  But you said there was something different about Anonymous, and... ugh... My brain hurts..."

Glaive grinned.  "Don't worry.  I'll unmask this guy in no time."  He turned and walked onto the stage.

"If you were listening earlier, you won't need to hear me say that this match will be between Glaive and Anonymous!" Jolene boomed excitedly.  "These two have put on a splendid show so far, and there's no doubt that this fight will be extraordinary!  Since my remote now seems to have a mind of its own, the setting of this stage will be completely random.  Where will this legendary fight take place? Stay tuned to find out!" 

The crowd gasped as a colossal water fountain emerged from the ground and lifted the warriors up into the sky.  Rainbow-colored water spurted out from a spout in the center of the fountain and trickled over the edges.  At the back of the stadium, a few colorful trees and two spire towers protruded from luscious green grass.  In the background, a starry night sky was illuminated by a beautiful aurora of pink, blue, and gold.

"It looks like the one and only Fountain of Dreams!  This beautiful arena can only be found in Dreamland!  It is the source of good dreams for all of Dreamland's citizens," Jolene explained.  "But don't let its beauty distract you from the fight at hand!  Let the first match of the semifinals... BEGIN!"

Unknown Fighter Battle

"I'm going to rip that mask of your face," Glaive informed his opponent with a grin.  "Soon we'll all know who you really are."

"Yes, that's true," Anonymous agreed.  "Shortly, you will all know my true identity.  But until then, let's enjoy the match."

Glaive shook his head.  "You misunderstand.  I'm going to show everyone your identity right now!"

"Fair enough," Anonymous replied with a shrug.  "But you'll have to catch me first."

"That shouldn't be a problem!" Glaive exclaimed as he drew his sword and charged at his foe with impressive speed.  He unleashed a swift horizontal slash, intending to slice Anonymous's veil in two.  Anonymous saw it coming, however, and quickly ducked.  Glaive changed the angle of his sword and slashed again, but Anonymous effortlessly sidestepped the blade.

"What's the matter?  Can't hit me?" Anonymous inquired with mock sympathy.  With that, he turned around and ran away from his enraged foe.

"Why... you..." Glaive muttered, trying to suppress his anger.

"I'm just trying to have a little fun," Anonymous informed him.  "You don't have to take everything so seriously.  We're fighting to have a good time and to entertain the audience."

Glaive took a deep breath.  He's right...  But why is he being so nice?  He must be waiting for me to drop my guard...  "Alright, then.  If you're going to run away, I'm coming after you!"

That's the spirit, Anonymous thought to himself.  Glaive gripped his sword and sprinted after his opponent.  Rainbow-colored water splashed up into the air as they dashed across the length of the fountain.  Glaive slashed left and right at his speedy foe with pinpoint accuracy, but the quick-witted Anonymous dodged each and every attack.  At last, they reached the edge of the fountain.  Almost instinctively, they stopped and turned around without even trying to shove each other off.  They were going to fight with honor.

What's with this guy?  I'm slashing at him with everything I've got, and he's dodging my blade as if he's been studying my moves for years.  What kind of person is under that mask? Glaive pondered as he rushed after Anonymous.  Once again, they reached the edge of the stage.  They turned around and sprinted in the other direction.  Wait a minute...  Is that what he's doing?  Abruptly, Glaive skidded to a halt, splashing water into the air.  "I know what you're up to."

"What's that?" Anonymous asked as he ceased to run.

"We've been running back and forth, and you've been gradually speeding up each time we turned around," Glaive observed.  "You started off by running as fast as I was to give me the impression that I could match your speed.  Each time we stopped to sprint in the other direction, you increased your speed a little bit.  Since I would assume that I was as fast as you, I'd intuitively speed up as well.  By continuing to do this, you'd eventually push me past my limits and tire me out.  It'd be an easy way to gain the advantage.  You wouldn't even have to attack me."

"Very good," Anonymous commended him.  "I'm surprised you figured that out.  It's a strategy I just picked up recently, but I never got the chance to try it out.  I guess I'll have to do more than run to beat you, huh?"

"Yeah, and I'll need to do more than just swing my sword," Glaive added.  "You've been trying to win without revealing any of your techniques.  I'll bet you're hiding them from whoever you're planning to fight in the next round.  You might as well use them now, because I have no intentions of losing to you."  Glaive sheathed his sword.

"As you wish," Anonymous responded, grinning from underneath his mask.

Without warning, Glaive lunged at his opponent with his arms extended.  Just as Glaive was about to wrap his arms around his foe's veil, Anonymous vanished into thin air.  The audience was impressed by this feat, but Glaive knew better.  He whirled around to see Anonymous charging at him from behind.  He's fast...  It almost makes it seem as if he's vanishing and reappearing.

"Impressed by my speed?" Anonymous inquired as he threw a punch at Glaive.

"Not really," Glaive replied as he caught his opponent's fist in his palm.  He gripped the sword sheathed at his waste with his other hand and slashed at Anonymous's mask.  However, Anonymous managed to step backward just enough to dodge the blade.  Before Glaive could get another slice in, Anonymous retaliated with a Flaming Punch to the gut.  Glaive tumbled onto his back in pain.

"What's the matter?  I thought you were going to reveal my identity," Anonymous taunted.  "It's not as easy as you thought, is it?"

Glaive clutched a burn on his chest as he rolled onto his feet.  How can his attacks pierce my armor?  He's much tougher than I expected him to be...  "It looks like I'm going to have to try a different approach.  First I'll beat the tar out of you, and then I'll tear your mask off while you're immobilized."

"That's more like it!" Anonymous exclaimed.  "Let's focus on the match for now.  We'll worry about my identity later."  He stepped to the left as three shuriken whizzed past his head.  He sure is taking this match seriously.  Good; so will I.

Glaive unsheathed his sword and shifted it into his left hand.  This should throw him for a loop.  Tightly clutching his blade, he charged straight at Anonymous.  Large beads of water were kicked into the air as Glaive rushed at his foe with pure determination.  As he reached Anonymous, he stomped as hard he could into the five-inch-deep water that flowed over the surface of the fountain.  Rainbow-colored water splashed up and onto Anonymous.  First, a distraction.  Glaive pulled his sword back and stabbed at his foe.  Next, an attack that will leave him vulnerable.  Anonymous, still slightly dazed from the water, barely managed to sidestep the blade.  And last but not least, the reason I kept my dominant hand free!  His opponent left completely defenseless, Glaive slugged him as hard as he could with his right fist.  Anonymous tumbled backward with a SPLASH.

"Clever," Anonymous murmured as he squeezed the water out of his robe.  "I'm impressed."

"They're still going at it, folks!" Jolene screamed in excitement.  "What a match!  Both fighters seem to not only be powerful warriors, but also exceptional strategists!  Such effort!  Such determination!  Who will be the first to advance to the final round?!"

All or Nothing

"We've definitely given the audience a good show," Anonymous observed.  "Now it's time for us to end this bout.  How should the winner be decided?"

"How about one final rush?" Glaive suggested with a grin.  "It sure would be an exciting way to end such a fight."

"I couldn't agree more," Anonymous said with a nod.  "It's been an honor fighting with you.  May the best man win!"

"Look at this!  Both warriors are approaching opposite ends of the stadium!" Jolene boomed into the microphone.  "This is going to be spectacular!"  The crowd roared in anticipation.

Glaive and Anonymous stared into each other's eyes as they prepared to give it their all.  Glaive drew his sword, the weapon he had relied on in so many battles before.  I've got to win this.  I've got to win this.  There's no way I'll lose to anyone but Mario.  I won't lose to anyone...

Anonymous's hands began to gleam red with flames as he prepared two Flaming Punches.  I need to get to the final round.  I need to stop him...  With one final battle cry, he rushed full-speed at his opponent.  For the future of this kingdom, I must win!  The flames in his hands grew to twice their size.

Glaive held his sword high as he sprinted at Anonymous.  He's fast...  I can't match his speed, but there's no way he can beat me with just his fists.  He's completely unarmed, and those flames aren't going to help him one bit.  With my blade, I'll finish him before he can come near me.  He pulled his blade back and prepared for one final slash.  As he lunged forward, he saw a strange blue light coming from below Anonymous.  Before his sword could reach its target, the water below Glaive froze into solid ice.  The swordsman lost his footing and struggled to recover his balance.  It was too late.  Anonymous dashed forward and unleashed a barrage of painful Flaming Punches upon the vulnerable Glaive.  With one final uppercut, Glaive was sent hurling out of the stadium.

"Glaive!" Luigi shrieked as Glaive vanished in a flash of light.

"He lost?!" Peach cried in disbelief.  "But how?  How could he have slipped like that?"

[End Music]

The stadium returned to normal, and the crowd went wild with excitement.  Jolene gasped as the two warriors appeared with their wounds completely healed.  The match was over.  "Uh...  It appears that Anonymous has won!  Let's hear it for our first contestant of the final round!"  The stage shook with roars from the audience.

As Anonymous turned to walk offstage, Glaive stopped him.  The swordsman cleared his throat.  "You were great.  I thought Mario was the only person who was stronger than me, but it's obvious that you're better than me too.  I'd even venture to say you might be better than Mario.  But, you see, I'm not planning to let Mario be tougher than me forever.  I'll be the best one day.  I feel like I've let myself down today and disgraced my goal, by losing to someone other than Mario.  I'll never be able to live with myself if I surpass him, but never get the chance to see if I've become stronger than you.  So please, show me your true identity.  I want to be able to fight you again someday."

Reunion

Anonymous paused for a moment.  "So, you really want to know who I am?"  He began to chuckle to himself.  "If you're going to give me a whole speech about it, I'll show you."  Anonymous grabbed his veil and slowly began to pull it off of his head.  The crowd became silent, expecting to see some kind of awful creature.  Instead, everyone was astonished to see a friendly and familiar face emerge.  "Hey guys, how've you been?"

The entire crowd could only gather up enough sense to utter one word: "MARIO!!"

Mario pulled off his robe and threw it to the ground, revealing his familiar blue overalls and red shirt.  "What's the matter, everyone?  It's really me!"  He pulled out a red cap from his pocket and placed it over his brown hair.  "See?  I couldn't wear this with that mask on!"  He began to laugh wryly to himself, and the whole audience joined in.

"Mario, it really is you," Glaive sighed.  "That explains a lot."

"MARIO!!!"  a group of familiar voices screamed from the sidelines, causing Mario to jump in surprise.

"It's really you!" Peach cried as she rushed toward him, followed by Luigi, Luke, and Mark.  Her face was damp with tears, and she was trembling with happiness.  Peach was the first one to reach Mario, and gave him a crushing bear hug.

"Ack!  Peach!  You're... squeezing... too tight..." Mario wheezed.

"You've been gone for two years!  Where have you been?!" Peach demanded, only squeezing him tighter.

"I'm back now, so everything's okay," Mario assured her.  "Don't cry, Peach.  I don't want to see everyone cry after being gone for so long."

"DADDY!" Luke and Mark cried in unison as they finally reached their father.

"Wow, you little guys sure got big!" Mario exclaimed as he picked up his two sons and placed them on his shoulders.  "It really has been two years, hasn't it?"

"Bro!  You're back!" Luigi coughed in exhaustion, breathing heavily.  "I'm still worn out from my fight before."

Mario put down his sons and stepped past Peach.  "I know.  You did great, though.  I saw all of your fights, and I was really impressed.  You've been working hard to protect the kingdom while I've been gone.  You're all a lot stronger, especially Peach!  That hug almost killed me!"  They all laughed.

"You're finally back," Glaive muttered in disbelief.  "At last, you're back.  We're not the only ones that are stronger, either.  While I've spent the last few years improving, you haven't been slacking off either.  Where have you been?"

Jolene cleaned her glasses with a clean cloth before placing them over her eyes.  "It is him!  Folks, it looks like Mario is back!  After being absent for two years, Mario has finally returned to us!  Entering the tournament in disguise, Mario has kept his identity a secret up until now!  What is the reason behind this, and where has he been?!  Stay tuned to find out!"  The audience unleashed an earth-shattering applause.  After two years of waiting, their hero had returned to them.

The only one who remained quiet was Steel.  Sitting in the corner of the dugout, he grinned wickedly.  So, Mario is here after all.  In that case, I'll be able to properly fulfill my revenge.

[Retronintendodude7]

The story's off to a good start. Good job so far. :)

Some things that you might want to look out for are a few small spelling mistakes, like calling Chan Chun. It's nothing that you wouldn't catch if you read the chapter over before posting it. ;)

Some of the Youtube links in the first chapter weren't working, but the rest of them do, so you don't really have to worry about it.

Maybe for some of the sounds you can use more discriptive words than CLANG or THWACK, they work sometimes but the way you write some of them makes it seem like a comic book. :P

Anyways, good job so far. I'm looking forward to the next chapter. ;)

[jnfs2014]

Cool story (stories) bro.

But seriously nice writing.

[shadowmarioguy]

The story's off to a good start. Good job so far. :)

Some things that you might want to look out for are a few small spelling mistakes, like calling Chan Chun. It's nothing that you wouldn't catch if you read the chapter over before posting it. ;)

Some of the Youtube links in the first chapter weren't working, but the rest of them do, so you don't really have to worry about it.

Maybe for some of the sounds you can use more discriptive words than CLANG or THWACK, they work sometimes but the way you write some of them makes it seem like a comic book. :P

Anyways, good job so far. I'm looking forward to the next chapter. ;)

Heh, funny that you mention the whole Chun/Chan issue.  I couldn't remember what his name was when I wrote it, and about halfway through I figured out I was using the wrong name.   :P  I thought I changed everything before moving on, but I guess I was so used to writing Chun that I might have made that mistake a few times.  Thanks for the tips.   :)

Oh, and thanks to everyone else who has posted (JNFS2014, Xeph, MagnumSonic, and Macbeth, I believe).