Ultimate Paradise

The following is exactly as the title describes; this story serves as a reason for stylized violence to take place. It is also cut up and out of order, similar to the way Pulp Fiction is set up; something may not make sense to you at first (the way some characters act, or fight; why they are fighting, etc.). But, all will be explained in due time.

Maybe. In the meantime, enjoy.



~The Management



~~~~
There wasn't much time left.

Actually, to be more precise, there was no time at all. Mario looked at the camera's blinking light and tried to get everyone to huddle together; their numbers had grown so much in such a short time. All of them were smiling; laughing at the thought that they might all fit in the picture.

The camera flashes. It was ironic, thought Mario that this, the most joyous of photos, would end up becoming the checklist for each and every one of his friends' demise. They would be turned against one another, have their desires manipulated and their lives destroyed. Their deaths were coming soon.

And each one would be by his hand.

Thank you; there won't be any **** in this one though.....

Diddy looks down at Bowser's dead body. He slowly pulls out his dual pistols; they suddenly feel heavier to him now than ever before. He ignores the tear rolling down his face as he runs off into the sunrise.


Miles away, on a stretch of road, Wario grips the handle bars to his motorcycle. A fair distance down the way, Fox sits in his Landmaster, cockily waiting for Wario to make a move.

Wario stares at the tank as if he were staring directly into Fox's eyes. The Landmaster's camera allows Fox to zoom in on Wario's face, and even though Fox knows he can't see him, he feels his steely gaze.

Wario guns it. Fox fires the main cannon. The heat from the blast sears his helmet and jacket; Wario continues to hurtle toward almost certain death.

Fox chuckles; shouldn't this fool know that if Meta Knight was defeated by this ship that he would never stand a chance? Fox readies another shot; Wario has closed the gap considerably.

Samus Watches from afar, hoping that her idea will in fact work.....

Wario is mere feet from the Landmaster. Fox yells as he fires the cannon directly at Wario at the same time Wario axel-turns sharply to the right causing the motorcycle to skid along on its side. The cannon blast singes his mustache and blows up the remains of Fox's crashed Arwing in the distance. The bike continues to slide towards the Landmaster.

Wario rolls to a halt on the ground, he looks up. The box of Smart Bombs that Samus had tethered to the end of his motorcycle slides right beneath the Landmaster; Fox's instruments tell him that there is danger in close proximity all too late. Wario rushes away from the tank. The bombs detonate. Wario is sent flying forward as the Landmaster flips into the air and explodes.

Wario gets up gingerly; his clothes burned in various places and a bit of blood trickling down his face from the duel with Bowser earlier. Samus slowly walks out from behind some rubble. She takes her helmet off to reveal her tear-stained face. She brings her lips to his and kisses him passionately.

She then backs off and removes the rest of her armor.

Nah, just the action-packed kind.

Lol, yeah...


~~~~
Link has just made his way through all of Ike's soldiers. He pulls his sword out of his last foe's skull. Ike smirks, but only for a moment; there is work to be done. New Pork City was going to be his. It was ironic how this battle should end in the movie theater in which they spent time so much time in before. An faint aura emanates from the mercenary; the theater has somehow become darker than earlier.

As blood trickles down Link's forehead, he draws his bow; the pain of one of the soldier's lucky blows affects his vision only slightly, he could easily make the shot if it were not for the fact that Ike was an ally until just recently. Link takes the shot; the light from the movie screen makes arrow head shine brighter than it should have.

Ike already has his blade's hilt up in front of his face blocking the arrow effortlessly. The deflected arrow flips into the air. In three steps Ike is at Link, already swinging his golden sword at Link's head.

Link ducks and spins throwing his bow aside in the process while simultaneously pulling out his hookshot in his right hand and his sword in his left. Ike uses the momentum of his first swing and carries it into his next. Their blades spark against each other in the thick darkness of the theater. The arrow hits the floor.

They each trade blows, only for the other to dodge swiftly. Link recoils from blocking one of Ike's powerful blows; he returns the favor by slashing downward. Ike parries the blow, but loses his grip on his sword in the process. He manages to catch it backwards and smashes the hilt into Link's chest sending him sliding backwards to one side of the movie screen.

Knowing there's no chance of getting through Ike's defenses in his current position, Link fires the hookshot at the theater's ceiling; pulling him upwards swiftly. Ike already has tossed his sword up and as it stays suspended in the air for what seems like an eternity but is, in actuality, the shortest of seconds, he leaps up after it grabbing it by the hilt and meeting a surprised Link in midair.

The blow is one of deep-seated anger being released; Link manages to block it, not doing much good. He is sent flying diagonally downwards into the theater seats; they are wrenched from their bindings to the floor and are thrown everywhere. Ike lands satisfied.

Link gets up with great effort, his sword nowhere to be seen, stumbles in front of the theater doors; he looks up at Ike silhouetted against the giant silver screen as he takes out his shield. First slowly stepping over his dead soldiers' bodies, Ike then rushes Link and swings. Link blocks the blow and is sent crashing through the doors out into the heavy rain.

His travel though the theater seats and the wound on his head become more evident to Link as the rain pounds down around him. He tried to seek revenge for what Ike did to Ness while keeping his own life. It was time for a change in plans. The billboard-buildings tower above him.

Ike calmly steps through the rain to get to Link. Standing over him, Ike points his blade at him. Link's shield is covering his chest as he gasps for air. Ike smiles at Link's weak state; he would finally end this. He kicks the shield away.

Underneath is a Bob-omb whose lit fuse disappears into its body. Ike's jaw drops as his eyes meet Link's. Despite the pain, Link grins.

The explosion temporarily renders the night-vision on Peach's Super Scope useless; she puts it away for the time being. From up atop a nearby building, she takes out her phone and dials Mario's number to inform him of the good news.

Diddy was before the entrance to the stadium; if there was information as to the whereabouts of Bowser's killer, he was going to find it and this informant was going to help. The anonymous letter back in his Rumble Falls place gave cryptic instructions, but that was to be expected. He was to bring 10,000 coins in exchange for information. If they tried to cut some other kind of deal, they'd have more to worry about then just death; all of what would lead up to that death would take quite some time.....

At this time of night, no battles were going to be held which was favorable. The darkened arena and seats were still open to the moonlight coming in though the glass roof which allowed Diddy to notice the walkway to the combat-platform was already extended. The informant no doubt wanted him to wait out in the open. His pistols were his only comfort for the time being; that's all he needed. He was holding the suitcase, but he was more than ready to reach for his weapons. Maybe a little incentive to kill.

Diddy walked slowly to the center of the platform, checking in every direction. The sound of his footsteps reverberated through out the stadium; he couldn't make out any other sounds, but he knew someone else was there, and it wasn't just because he had been told that prior.

The spotlights turned on all around him, blinding him. A trap. A firing sound; a missile begins streaking through the air, screeching towards its target. He drops the case; it clunks as it hits the ground. He draws both guns, knowing that he'd be using them both to their fullest extent that night.

To stay in one place would be suicide, Diddy rolled forward in a seemingly haphazard fashion, the explosion scorching the platform behind him. Samus' view would have been obscured by the heavy smoke if not for the bio-scan revealing that the target was alive and well; she grins behind her visor. It'd be a shame if the fun were to end that soon. The money could wait. After all, you can't buy the thrill of battle.

She starts from shock; the peanut flying towards her cuts straight though the smoke. She had read up on Diddy's weapons prior to the encounter, so she knew better than to scoff at his ammo. She pivots; the spotlight next to her explodes in a shower of sparks and twisted metal. She takes aim at her target; he's made his way back into the stands. It was time to close the gap a little.

Diddy runs up the stairs in front of him and cuts to the left, running down the walkway between the main groups of seats. He fires straight at his target again as energy shots sear the very air around him. The shots force his attacker from her perch. She flips down from the light fixture, firing the whole way down. He continues unloading both pistols as the seats behind him are vaporzied; this person obviously sympathized with Bowser's killer; perhaps, this marksman was Bowser's killer. Either way, they were as good as dead.

Samus lands at the top level of the stadium, the same level as her target. Diddy was rounding the stadium to get to her. Pefect. She multi-locks onto him as he gains ground. The five missiles launch almost simultaneously; the recoil is still enough to push her back even with the suit on. She immediately digs her feet into the ground and runs after them.

Diddy sees the warheads. Both pistols are out as he fires them at the missiles, anticipating their path. Two peanuts strike two missiles and they explode. The remaining three spiral around one another creating a triple-helix of smoke. Diddy doesn't slow up; he runs faster towards certain death. He leaps forward, corkscrewing through the air. The missiles streak right past him in midair; Diddy could make out the manufacturer's name if he cared to do so.

After completing a full rotation in the air, Diddy is upright. He sees the orange blur moving straight towards him; the missiles were just a distraction. Said missiles demolish the seats behind him; their blue frames turning into molten plastic in the red-orange explosions.

Samus laughs to her self as she shoulder rams Diddy not a second after he managed to dodge her missiles; he was good. Too good. She had figured closing the gap would be her best bet, but this kid was a fighter. But she could think about that later. The missile trails were still hanging in the air; she aims at the ground through the smoke expecting Diddy to be lying there. The sudden hail of gunfire from above informs her that she expected wrong.

Diddy, having activated his jetpack immediately after the blow connected hovers upward backwards, firing both pistols fervently. He was going to smoke this stranger, and he was going to enjoy it. When Samus activated the lights, she had brought power back to the entire stadium, including the main platform, which had been transforming during the entire fight. It was currently in its ground mode.

Samus ducks to the left and right as the peanuts demolish the floor beneath her. She silently makes a decision as she dashes for the central platform, Diddy still in the air unloading at her. Diddy unlatches the straps to his jetpack as he notices his opponent making their way towards the suitcase on the main platform. He and Samus both race down two sets of stairs for the battle platform. The main platform switches to ice-mode.

The money wasn't important, but Diddy would be damned if he was going to let it go into the hands of this armored assassin. He jumps up onto the railing, sliding down its slick surface as he begins firing both pistols; their seizure-inducing muzzle flashes lighting up the area around him. Samus flinches as the shots hit all around her, but she doesn't miss a step. She can see Diddy sliding down the hand-rail; she chuckles remembering how she had used such flashy techniques when she was his age. She returns fire, just for the hell of it.

They both reach the platform's dual walkways. They stop, only for a moment; each combatant shocked that their opponents were just as able as they were. Their eyes meet and follow the same path towards the suitcase that's at the equidistance between them. Diddy breaks out into a run. Samus laughs out loud as she does the same. The peanuts strike the energy beams right above the money. They get closer to each other. 40 meters. 20. 10. Then the platform changes to its air-mode. The suitcase flies upwards, as do the combatants.

Diddy yells as he soars up towards the glass ceiling; he manages to keep his sights on Samus. He continues to fire; his voice just being drowned out by the roar of the gunfire.

Samus twirls through the air; the peanuts streak past her, grazing her armor. Diddy flips, shoots behind him which pushes him towards the assassin. Samus, still twirling, fires her grapple beam from her left hand at the case, and latches onto it. She front flips as Diddy flies at her. She shoots one of his pistols out of his hand, but he scores a lucky hit that graves her helmet; it's still enough to blow away its bindings. The platform transforms to back to its normal state. Samus' helmet flies through the air.

They begin to free fall. The case, still caught by the grapple, swings around right into Diddy's palm; he grips it tightly. Samus retracts the beam, inadvertently pulling Diddy right up to her. They both land. Diddy's left hand is on the case. Samus' beam tethers her left arm to it.

Diddy's pistol is aimed up at Samus' now exposed face. Samus' arm-cannon is terribly close to Diddy's neck; the energy building up glows brightly, casting a strange shadow across his face. There is no longer any smile on Samus' face for one simple reason. Her helmet hits the floor beside them; the visor cracks and the sound echoes into the vast emptiness of the stadium.

Diddy grimaces; Bowser wasn't a good person, but he didn't deserve what he got. Without hesitation, he pulls the trigger. The clicking sound makes his heart stop.

Samus stands there. She smiles only slightly and briefly; it disappears after a moment. Diddy is still holding his pistol perfectly still, but sweat begins to bead down his face. Samus yanks the case away from him. She stares at him for a moment. Diddy can't read her expression.

The ball of energy at the opening to Samus' humming arm-cannon slowly shrinks; it then goes away completely. She lowers her arm and smiles at Diddy before turning and running up the stairs to the exit; she breaks on through the doors off into the night.

Diddy finally lowers his gun. He falls to his knees. He shudders at what could have happened. He doesn't even bother thinking "why" as he looks up at the night sky through the glass ceiling; his soft sobs mixing with the now evident buzz from the stadium lights.

Thanks; did you read that Diddy one already?

Lol, yeah these stories get pretty over-the-top; when I wrote them, I just did it non-stop and typed whatever came to mind.

This next one is somewhat long, so brace yourself...


And for reference:
http://i.neoseeker.com/ca/mario_kart_wii_conceptart_N5GF1_thumb.jpg



~~~


The city lights reflect off of Peach's motorcycle helmet as she weaves in between traffic. Ness was never going to be the same after what he went through. It wasn't any of her business, but she couldn't help but feel guilty. She revs her bike as she cuts through an intersection; Corneria traffic was surprisingly heavy at this time of day.

It was going to be smooth sailing from here on out however; Bowser would assuredly kill Wario by tomorrow and Peach could take out Ike. He had grown far too sure of himself to be prepared for anything she had in store. She would make it to New Pork before nightfall. The Super Scope slung across her back and Cracker Launcher mounted on the rear of her cycle were just precautionary measures.

Peach still decides to move as quickly as she can; she knows Ike's connections to the Star Fox team will eventually become a problem. It was a simple matter of whether Ike's forces would make it into Hyrule before Samus could stop him. If she could stop them.

Peach sighs to herself; all of this for Mario...

The sudden rush of wind and the loud shriek of a jet passing just above her head would have knocked her off of her bike had she not just looked into her rear view mirror a moment prior to its passing and already deduced was going on and what was going to happen: Ike knew that she knew; he'd sent a friend of his to take her out. Peach burns out, turns around and flies off in opposite direction.

The afterburning of the Arwing's rear jet pushes pedestrians to the ground and causes every vehicle on the street to rock violently. Falco knew he shouldn't be showing off, but why bother trying to act as if he didn't enjoy this? After all, everyone's days were numbered; to make the best of this particular hit would be the most reasonable course of action. He performs a U-turn, spiraling upwards then leveling out in the exact opposite direction. The girl had immediately fled in the opposite direction. Perfect. He boosts forward and fires at the girl from a distance.

Thankfully, the citizens recognized what a bounty being hunted looked like, so they had sense enough to leave as quickly as possible. Some even left their cars where they were and ran on foot to their homes. How convenient; thought Peach. When she tires of the inevitable laser blasts, she can dodge cars as well. As if on cue, hyper lasers sear the titanium road just before her; the dual laser blasts pass just on either side of her motorcycle. She guns it, weaving around the abandoned cars as they are ripped apart by the laser fire. She begins to sweat as the shots get close, but not too close; this guy was playing with her. She ducks into the nearest alley between two apartment buildings.

He was playing with her, and he knew that she knew it. It didn't really matter though; Falco would kill her then his debt to Ike would be paid off. The only thing he really got out of this was the thrill of the hunt which is so difficult to come by these days. This chick was clearly skilled though; she didn't panic and took cover. Falco sighed to himself; he knows that he had better finish this as quickly as possible. Falco cuts directly over the alley. The vibrant, multicolored explosion blinds his cockpit's instruments; not that he bothered using them. Falco laughs out loud; that was a clever move. But, there was no way he could let her get away with it now. He had three smart bombs. A second later, he only had two.

Peach quickly mounts the now smoking Cracker Launcher to her cycle again and revs the engine. She must think quickly; this was definitely Falco and not Fox. He also knew this city like the back of his hand no doubt, so running was only going to be a temporary option. She was going to have to reach his level. She flies out of the alley as the smart bomb detonates behind her incinerating every trash can and air conditioning unit within. There was no time to lose now, he was pissed.

He was pissed. Not only had she landed a blow on him from the ground, but she had also eluded a smart bomb. Still, Falco grins at her cleverness, but grimaces as she gets farther away. He jets after her firing a flurry of calculated shots in front of her. She swerves and ramps off of a half destroyed car, not losing a beat. Falco rounds around for another go. He hesitates because of where she's headed. The multifaceted wall of windows that is the entrance hall to the mall is only a few yards away from a fast approaching motorcycle. He grimaces; someone would pay for the damages.

Peach guns it once more; people desperately dive out of the way as she dashes up the front step to the mall. She uses her motorcycles boost to propel her up and straight through the immaculate, all-glass doors to the entrance hall. She lands as mall-goers scream at the shock of the bike's roaring engine as well as the shards of glass raining down upon them. Moments later, Falco smashes through the remainder of the glass sending down sheets of sparkling rain upon the rest of the hall.

The air displaced by the Arwing's jets blows away tables and pedestrians who've been dining in the food court. Peach is already passing a cavalcade of neon-lit stores, making her way to the exit. Falco pursues, but holds off on the laser fire for a moment. Peach has a death grip on the handle bars; Falco's grip cuts the circulation of from his hands.

Suddenly, Peach skids sideways; upon stopping, she whips out the Super Scope. Knowing that Falco wouldn't risk killing innocents, she sits in the open and fires at him as the Arwing rushes down the hallway towards her. The ship barely fits in the hall as it is; Falco is furious that she's lasted this long, but his fury only fuels his concentration on what he must do. He sees the laser shots from a distance, but that distance is closing quickly. He cranks the joy stick to the right, going into a barrel-roll. The tips of the wings leave deep gashes in the ceiling and floor as the Super Scope shots are reflected into the world around them. Falco's Arwing passes directly over a still firing Peach while it’s upside down in the air; despite the speed of the ship's rotation, Peach and Falco's eyes meet; each pair tells the other a story.

The Arwing crashed through the entrance opposite the one they entered through; Falco pulled up out of the barrel-roll just in time to have the very bottom of the ship scrape against the side of an adjacent building. He rights the ship once more and tries to track that girl's location. She'd duped him again and this was the last straw.

Peach makes her way through more shocked crowds of people until she finally reaches the parking garage. She fits her bike through the door leading from the mall itself to the garage and, knowing that it will be merely seconds before Falco is on her again, goes as quickly as she can to the get herself into position. She takes a deep breath; this was probably not going to work. She drives towards the exit of the garage.

The only sound heard is the squealing of Peach's tires echoing throughout the garage; that is, until the tell-tale whine of an Arwing's engine accompanies it moments later.

Peach hits the brake and jerks to a stop. Falco is hovering directly in front of the exit in his now somewhat scarred aircraft; the rage almost visible as it radiates through him into the Arwing itself. They stare at one another for the shortest of moments; Peach peels out and turns around, gunning it for the second floor of the garage. Falco's thumb slides over to the smart bomb trigger; he fires it. Peach swings the bike around the elevated floor and power-slides around the corner up to the second floor as the smart bomb hits far to close to her; the cars closest to the explosion are destroyed and Peach's racing suit gets singed from the flames. She continues to fly up to the third and final floor of the garage.

Falco increases altitude as Peach rounds another corner; he begins to fire haphazardly out of sheer frustration. No one had eluded him like this before. The laser blasts blows up countless cars as Peach zooms past. She performs another power-slide, sliding up on top of the open-air third floor of the garage. She stops for a moment; this was it. She takes a quick breath and drives for the edge.

Falco, having missed the motorcyclist for a fourth time rises up to the roof. How foolish could she be? After all of her clever maneuvers, she traps herself in a corner like this? Something about this discrepancy irks Falco, but not enough to distract him of what he must do. He rises up to the top floor, prepared to finally incinerate this most elusive of prey. Falco's eyes widen ever so slightly. So that's what she was trying to do.

While in the air, halfway between the edge of the garage roof and Falco's dumbfounded stare; halfway through the back-flip off of her bike which she hoped would hit the ground without her, Peach sees the entire city. She sees the countless skyscrapers, the sunlight reflecting off of their windows and the millions of ships and vehicles that soar around the highways. All of this acts as the backdrop for her landing point, the Arwing.

The bike crashes to the ground; Peach lands directly on Falco's windshield. She takes the opportunity to shoot him a dirty look before he hits the boost. The speed is incredible. She isn't entirely sure of why she doesn't fly off immediately. Her left hand grasps the edge of the cockpit while her right holds something else.

Incredible. Not only has she survived a full-on attack from an S-series Arwing, but she's landed on it. Falco is using as much boost as he can. The countless buildings forma blur of refracted sunlight around Peach as she slaps down on Falco's windshield. She then pulls out her parasol and opens it. Falco whips out his blaster immediately and fires straight through the glass at her, but to no avail. The pull of the wind yanks Peach away from the ship and she is left behind. Falco sighs; he had to admit to himself that he'd panicked at the fact that she'd gotten so close. Unfortunately for him, the Arwing's warning siren activated at that moment and made him realize why she had abandoned ship. He didn't need any security device to tell him about the flashing motion sensor bomb right in front of his broken windshield. For the next moment, he goes on pure instinct.

As Peach slowly descends through the air, the explosion only shocks her slightly; she'd worried that he'd notice sooner. She lights down upon a nearby rooftop, closes her parasol and lets out the breath that she had been holding for the last minute. A second later, the snarling, twisted wreckage of the Arwing crashes and skids along the titanium roofing right behind her. Peach turns to look at it and closes her eyes, wishing that her pursuer may find peace in the next world. Something still bothers her, however. She takes her helmet off. Why would the Arwing crash anywhere near her if it has been traveling away from her? Unless, of course, the pilot had turned around completely......

She opens her eyes and looks to the sky. Falco's foot only connects with her forearm which is in the form of a block, yet it still sends her flipping backward across the roof. She is quickly on her feet and manages to deflect an attempted jab to her face. She counters by sweeping Falco's legs, but he leaps over it effortlessly. His movements match hers in terms of fluidity; they both realize heir equality. Falco, being as close as he is, throws his blaster over Peach, which sees as his discarding a long-range weapon in a close-range battle. She goes to kick his chest in, but cancels it as he rolls around her and catches his blaster.

Peach forces her body back around to face him as a shot burns straight through her hair. Her parasol is already at the inside of his elbow as she uses it as leverage to twist his arm around, forcing the blaster from his hand. She then uses his own momentum to slam him into the metal roof face-down. Before he can recover, she yanks him back up, sweeps his legs out from under him and, before he can touch the ground, follows through with a thrusting kick that throws him off the roof to the street four stories below.

Falco can hear various ribs break as he smashes out all the windows to a car below, before bouncing off of said car and rolling out into the street. People run up to him and phone for an ambulance. Moments before loosing consciousness, he can see Peach's figure on the roof looking down. He can't help but laugh, even in all of his pain, which causes the good samaritans around him to worry further; she had gotten him, fair and square. Next time would be a long ways off however.

Peach is back down to the ground. The past events of the day had given her grief, but allowed her to forget about all of the things she must do. Killing Ike was the least of her worries. Mario wasn't going to stop until all the others were dead, perhaps even the ones currently on their side. It was what Mario would do to Zelda if he found her that truly worried Peach.

But, Peach had told Zelda to go to Delfino days ago. She would be safe there.

(bb '_')bb

The action is awesome.My only bash is that Falco lost to Peach D:

Lol, thanks; Peach is a beast though....

Zelda stepped off of the boat, taking her bags from the boatman as she looked around at her new surroundings. She let out a sigh of relief; she was safe. Mario wanted her blood, but only out of blind, temporary rage. At least, she hoped it was temporary.

As she strode through the main plaza of Delfino, she couldn't help but take in the beautiful scenery; it seemed as if the sun would never stop shining. The birds singing put her mind at ease as well as the overall joviality of the locals. She would thank Peach if she ever got the chance to do so. Poor Ness.....if it hadn't been for her, he may never had had to even go to Shadow Moses, and Ike.....but it would be time to reminisce later. After all of her fighting and all the violence that had taken place, she would now have a chance to start anew and actually enjoy her life, here in Delfino.

However, the sound of her name made her jump; she was making her way to a nearby fruit vendor when she heard it. She warily, but casually turned to see who it was that wanted to talk to her; she wasn't afraid after all for why would anyone be a threat to her here?

Then she heard her name again at the same moment she turned around. This time she noticed the accent in the voice; the chills that had only just left her spine came back in full force, freezing said spine solid. Her bags filled with tropical wear for relaxing, relief filled nights hit the ground and burst open. Her jaw began to quiver uncharacteristically; she hadn't realized just how afraid of him she was.

Mario waved to her, lying back in a lawn chair along the small beach. Underneath the umbrella, he smiled at her as a friend smiles at an old colleague from back in the day. There was no sign of the pure hatred that was seen in broken spine of Pit or the ashes that were all that was left of Roy. Mario got up and walked up to Zelda who was still frozen in utter horror and shock; how had he known she was going to be in Delfino? Zelda didn't truly care though; all that mattered was that she was as good as dead.

I'm breaking this "chapter" up for dramatic effect >_>



And because it's so damn long.

~~~
He was right at her; she could make out each Shine Sprite on his Hawaiian shirt. Her pale face reflected in his glasses; reminding Zelda that her only other option besides running was to stand there and be decimated in the most horribly painful way imaginable.

She backed away from Mario and bumped into someone; Zelda quickly turned to apologize and run. A kid wearing a red cap stood in front of her; the bill of his hat covering his eyes. Despite his overall innocent features, something about him was ominous; that, or course, was of only little concern for Zelda for Mario was in the same city as her, let alone within eyesight. She made to move past the kid only for him to step in front of her.

Mario's hand landed on her shoulder. Zelda's eyes closed; she let out a soft, apologetic whimper. Mario gently turned her around to face him; his smile was warm. He extended a hand to the kid as if to introduce him to Zelda; the kid showed no signs of welcome. Mario snapped his fingers and some Piantas quickly ran over and picked up Zelda's things. Mario motioned over to the other side of the plaza near an open-air restaurant, still grinning. The kid grabbed Zelda roughly by the arm and led her to the cafe; the whole way there, Zelda couldn't help but look around for someone, anyone to help her; all she saw were Piantas happily going about their business. There were a few who noticed that she was with Mario and at their realizing what was going on, they quickly averted their eyes and went back to their fruit stands and their cleaning.

Zelda and Mario sat down at a table; the kid stood behind Mario's chair. They were served drinks, yet they went untouched. Mario crossed his hands on the table and stared innocently at Zelda. Her lips quivered; she opened her mouth to speak and explain her situation only for Mario to hold up a hand to silence her. That same hand reached into his shirt; Zelda winced at what was to come. An envelope slid across the table towards her. Zelda slowly opened it to find a picture of her and Peach talking to one another somewhere in Corneria City. Mario knew.

Zelda looked up to see Mario shaking his head in disappointment; he slowly took off his sunglasses to reveal an almost sorrowful gaze. He looked over at the kid, whom Zelda realized was his hired help. The kid nodded; his eyes still hidden by his baseball cap. Mario closed his eyes. Zelda's eyes became fixed upon him as he pushed away his jacket which had been covering his Pokéballs; she noticed the tag on his shirt that read only as "Certified Pokémon Trainer".

Mario's punch knocked every last cubic centimeter of air from her lungs; her body flew across the water flowing through the plaza and into the side of one of the buildings. Mario opened his eyes and smiled. PT was at her in an instant. The sound of three Pokéballs being opened were all that Zelda could hear at the moment. The back of her skull throbbed in pain; she looked at her assassin almost surprised that Mario wasn't going to be the one to finally do her in. She was familiar with the Pokémon; Squirtle, Charizard, Ivysaur. But, these three were different than what she'd seen before; there was a certain aspect of their eyes that struck as horrifying as well as similar to the Pokémon Trainer: There was no mercy in their faces. They all reared back, charging their various attacks. Zelda closed her eyes. The rushing sound of death filled her ears. They were towering above her; their cold faces looking down upon her. The glow of their special attacks cast shadows across their faces. She didn't blame the Pokémon, just their trainer; her killer. She opened her eyes then, deciding then and there that she would make sure her killer would have to look into her eyes as she died.

But her killer was soaring through the air sideways; PT hit the ground and rolled to a halt. In the spot in the air where his face had been a second ago was a gloved white fist. Zelda's jaw dropped; had Mario changed heart? She then realized what was going on just as the Pokémon left her and instinctually rushed to their master; a blue figure stood before her, lowering his fist with which he had just used to deliver a blow to the PT. Her rescuer smiled and winked at her, then disappeared only to reappear in her peripheral vision at about where the PT had landed. Zelda, however, was far less concerned with what just happened than with the figure across the plaza at the open-air restaurant who was now standing and showed no sign of happiness at all. What could only be described as murder was in Mario's eyes; a still grounded Zelda could see it from this great distance away. An explosion erupted from over by the blue figure and the PT.

Mario turned around and walked in the opposite direction as panicked Piantas passed back in forth in front of Zelda who was still up against the building's wall. She stared unblinkingly at Mario's back when suddenly, as a panic stricken Pianta cut in front of her view, he disappeared. Zelda blinked, knowing what was coming. She looked up into the great blue sky to see Mario flying through the air above her. She threw her self to one side as his feet pulverized the tiling on the wall and plaza floor where Zelda had been lying seconds prior. Zelda prepared a Din's Fire spell in her hand as she got up, knowing it would do little good as Mario's silhouette became clearer in the now settling dust. She could see the fireball's glow through the debris hanging in the air.

Sonic was literally having a blast. The Pokémon Trainer's control over his Pokémon was so complete that it could easily make one believe that there was a psychic link amongst them which, Sonic thought, was possible, because they were Pokémon. He chuckled to himself as Charizard's flames licked the soles of his shoes; he was effortlessly running along the length of an alleyway, darting from wall to wall as the fire danced around him. If he hadn't gotten the call about this Mario guy being here, that princess wouldn't have lived long enough to thank him for saving her. Or something like that.

The Pokémon Trainer wiped a trickle of blood from his mouth. That bastard came from nowhere. PT wasn't used to physical injury, but he savored it when he experienced some; it made him just as involved in the fight as his loyal teammates. This blue freak would scream in agony as Ivysaur's vines sapped the very life from his soon-to-be charred body, courtesy of Charizard. But of course, Squirtle would make sure he wouldn't die too quickly by putting out the lames periodically. But there was work to be done. He ordered for Ivysaur to unleash Bullet Seed on their foe; Sonic had leaped into the air taking the time to strike a pose before spinning rapidly, successfully deflecting the seeds. The Pokémon Trainer scowled in disgust such outlandish and non-tactical behavior. It was Squirtle's turn.

The explosion did nothing to slow the fight; if anything, it had merely served to fuel it. Neither Sonic nor the Pokémon Trainer knew just what had caused it; Sonic had initiated a spin-dash attack at the same moment all three of the Pokémon Trainer's Pokémon unleashed various attacks. It must have been some kind of strange result of those things, they each thought. The Piantas running around the plaza only added to the pandemonium of all that was going on simultaneously. Mario's fireball still hadn't left his hand. He closed his fist creating a disturbingly loud booming sound. The fireball had been stamped out; Zelda took this as a metaphor for herself.

He was striding towards Zelda in such a sickeningly casual manner that Zelda could no longer wait to cast her Din's Fire. She did so and as she guided the orb of red light at her target, her eyes met that merciless gaze for the nth time that day; Mario did not even blink as the explosion engulfed him. Zelda immediately rounded a corner and made a mad dash for the boat in which she rode in on; she was too far away, she knew that. The Piantas that had been brave enough to stay and watch the madness play out gasped as the dust settled; there was no sign of anyone except for the demolished tiling and scorched brick.

Zelda gasped as she ran across the vast plaza near the main square's statue; it seemed as if the plaza was continually growing, the boat becoming seemingly farther and farther away by second. She was beginning to lose her mind and it was only the sound of something slicing through the air that brought her back to her senses; she ducked, the edge of a gold and blue manhole cover sliced one of her braids off, the fact that its edge was nowhere near sharp being a testament to the tremendous speed at which it had been hurled. It ripped through the air across the plaza and flew straight into the base of the statue; the cracks in the strong stone spider-webbed outward from the epicenter of the manhole cover's landing point. Zelda was half-propping herself up from the ground as she looked around wildly at the direction of the thrower; her eyes showing the barely contained fear welling up within her. Mario was once again strolling towards her, taking his sweet, sweet time to kill her. A grin flashed across his face which was unmarked from Zelda's previous attack; the grin was quickly replaced with that horrible, familiar stare. Zelda was breathing short, rapid breaths; she scurried back to her feet and continued for the boat.

A fireball roared past Zelda and struck the base of the ship. At first it only rocked slightly; Zelda continued to dash for it, hoping that it would be put out by the cool blue waters. The fire, almost as if it had a mind of its own, spread quickly to the engine. The boat erupted into flames and cast bright orange colors across Zelda's horror stricken face; debris rained down around her. Mario took this time to let out a low, humorless laugh as he walked up to the broken princess; he was still a ways away form her, but he was close enough. She put her face in her quaking hands and transformed into Sheik.

The enjoyment being gained from dodging the Pokémons' various attacks was quite high for having only been doing so for such a short time. The combatants had made their way back to the center of the entire plaza. Sonic was loving this. Three against one; against all odds. He was pondering whether or not to actually plan out an attack or just go on instinct; it boiled to which was more fun. Instinct it was.

The Pokémon Trainer almost as close to Sonic as his teammates; he planned to use himself as bait to open his opponent up for attack. The PT was issuing commands, but for the time it took for his Pokémon to carry out his orders, he may as well of been thinking them as they heard him through some psychic link. They were a single entity and the entity had decided to give its foe a false sense of accomplishment and then show him the truth.

Sonic was a fair distance away, but was, of course, closing the gap quickly; his eyes on the Pokémon Trainer himself. Squirtle released a barrage of Water Guns along the ground; Sonic saw the jets of water and leapt into the air where Ivysaur's vines were already extending. The snake-like tendrils quickly tightened as Ivysaur retracted them. Sonic's instinct was seemingly faulty at the moment; his rapid spin-dash proved otherwise, however as Ivysaur was swung around behind Sonic; the vines' grip had been lost.

The grass-type Pokémon landed safely in the claws of a now airborne Charizard who had been merely playing out a practiced scenario along with Squirtle. Sonic, still soaring through the air, chuckled as he turned around to follow through into a homing attack and take out this kid who thought he could step to the Blue-Blur; the turtle Pokémon's shell was far harder than any steel Sonic had ever encountered and the fact that it was crashing into his forehead didn't help the situation. The Pokémon Trainer made a satisfied laugh to himself as the blue speed freak spiraled away from him and into a fruit vendor's stand; the Pianta who had stayed there frozen in fear took this time to leap up and run off. Sonic groaned; maybe he'd have to think about this one.

Zelda had closed her eyes; it was Sheik who opened them again. There were already six long needles jutting from Sheik's fist; she spun out from Zelda's crouching stance and sent the needles directly towards Mario. In a flash of yellow, they were all deflected; each of them flipping off into the world around them, but as the cape passed in front of Mario's face, Sheik disappeared in a puff of smoke. For the shortest of seconds, there was silence. Then the main statue's base, in which a spider's web of cracks had been forming, finally disintegrated from the thrown manhole cover; the Pianta statue slowly tipped and fell over.

At the exact same moment the statue made contact with the ground, Mario's boot came screaming around and hooked itself through the air at the spot where Sheik had been just after having reappeared behind him. She had immediately leapt off the ground upon reappearing and could feel the ridiculous force of the kick as it whipped past her face; her body arcing over it as her hands touch the ground. She was afraid of Mario, but in a different way than Zelda was. Whereas Zelda has people she cares about outside of her connection with Sheik, Sheik was only concerned about Zelda's welfare. And Zelda was no longer here at the moment and Sheik had nothing to tie herself to this world; she wouldn't miss anything.

Mario had fluidly carried the momentum of the kick up through his body, down his arm and into his gloved fist. The punched just barely streaked past the now cart wheeling Sheik who was making her way towards building that arched over the waterway in the center of the plaza; that punch didn't land, yet it left a white streak in the air, a spectator later said. Sheik got up just in time to see an airborne Mario soaring through the air reeling a fist behind him, fire in his eyes. She dodged in time to only catch the veritable shrapnel from his devastating blow; his punch hit the ground, splintering the stone tiling and sending slivers of it in every direction. One of said slivers caught a quickly running Sheik in the hand, cutting it; she wouldn't notice until much later. Mario was far more powerful than she could have ever imagined; she was beginning to understand Zelda's fear.

Sheik had made it past the wreckage of Zelda's potential getaway vehicle; at the moment before they switched places, Zelda had remembered a red cannon near the cafe at which she was taken to. Sheik had no clue as to where it could possibly get them or if it would even safely launch them somewhere, but it was better than trying to fight someone who seemed nigh unbeatable. Sheik stole a glance at Mario; only his upper arm was visible due to the fact the rest had been plunged straight into the ground. He didn't break eye contact with Sheik as his pulled his arm out of the stone and concrete. Mario raised his arm and then shook it downward swiftly causing all the debris to be shaken from him as if it too were afraid of what he could do. He took a step towards Sheik.

Her feet pattered quickly along the tiled floor of the ground near what was left of the statue then thudded against the wooden planks of the small pier next to the still burning boat as she rounded the corner; she could see the red cannon Zelda had seen; a ray of hope reaching out to her. There was water before her but there were also a series of flagpoles jutting from the side of the building which was facing the ocean. Her chain, extending from her hand, quickly wraps itself around the pole just as Sheik pulls herself into the air. She twirls for a moment before latching onto another pole, all the while getting closer to the cannon.

A window breaks. Sheik hears it and ignores it, for the blue stranger and the Pokémon Trainer were battling somewhere; that must be what broke the window. Besides, it was imperative to make it to the cannon; she couldn't afford to focus on anything other than this. It was only the sound of Mario crashing out of the window she had just swung passed that made her realize she should've been more concerned. the yellow cape whips across her back, slicing it open just before it wraps tightly around on of the flagpoles, allowing its wielder to swing up to swing up and around to a still swinging, but stunned Sheik; she manages to contort her body mid-swing enough to glance at Mario, only looking away quickly. She couldn't bear to look for she now shared Zelda's fear.

Sonic's feet were a blur as he dipped away from Charizard's Flamethrower; if it had not been for Ivysaur’s Leech Seeds scattered across the ground, he would have been able to attack the PT head-on. He sighs and thinks about his mission; he came here to save that princess from Mario. He'd gotten so caught up in messing around with this kid that he'd just left her behind. Of course, she was basically safe; the Pokémon Trainer was preoccupied with him and if he was here to kill the girl, why would this Mario guy need to come too? Yeah, this Trainer was the only threat here; he could divert all attention to him...

Sonic feinted to the right of the Flamethrower causing Charizard to follow, thus creating an opening for Sonic's kick; the flames were put to a stop and Charizard reeled only slightly which was enough time for Sonic to dash around to see the wild vines of Ivysaur whipping around violently around him. He leapt, side-stepped and dodged them all successfully until he was right at the Pokémon; he sweep-kicked all four legs sending Ivysaur airborne slightly. Sonic saw Squirtle faithfully guarding his master, leapt into the air over the Leech Seeds and was prepared for inevitable Hydro Pumps he was going to be forced to deal with.

Squirtle fired; the Pokémon Trainer looked up at the blue one silhouetted against the sun. The PT grinned knowing Sonic had just opened himself up to a world of pain; on the ground he was untouchable, but in the air he was vulnerable. The powerful jet of water hurtled towards Sonic and made contact. The PT let out a satisfied 'hmph' just before he realized that Sonic had spun with the current sending him up towards the top of the Shine Gate. The PT didn't hesitate, he snapped his fingers as he recalled Ivysaur and Squirtle into their respective Pokéballs; he leapt off the ground. In moments, he was up in the air on Charizard's back; both their sets of eyes focused on the blue figure disappearing on top of the Gate.

Movement to his right caught his eye; Sonic was preparing an attack when he noticed a blue-clothed figure flying up over the top of one of the buildings at the edge of the Plaza. He didn't recognize who it was, but it was the figure that was flying up after the first that shocked him. It was Mario. He was here. Sonic had been warned about this guy previously and that he was responsible for many deaths, even outside of his Mushroom Kingdom. Whoever he was after was in trouble, and so was the princess. Sonic couldn't let them down, and not just because he would have to answer to the ones who had sent him here. The figures fell back behind the buildings as Charizard's claws moved across the side of Sonic's head; Sonic flipped backwards and landed at the edge of the Shine Gate, waving his arms around wildly in order to regain his balance.

The Pokémon Trainer looked down at the blue one as he hurtled past him. Ordering for Charizard to go back around, he threw two Pokéballs that landed on top of the Gate. Ivysaur and Squirtle were already out and leaping at Sonic. Sonic spun around at the Gate's edge and managed to deflect Squirtle's Skull Bash. The attack had quickly been followed by Ivysaur's Leaf Blades, which Sonic Spin Dashed through; he had to get back to the princess and save her from Mario. He'd been stupid to leave her behind; his specific orders were to get her out of there. Now that Mario was here......but first things first.

Sonic stopped at the edge of the Shine Gate knowing that the Pokémon must be right behind him. He leapt backward just as Charizard came rushing beneath him. Sonic's feet caught the Pokémon Trainer in the chest, knocking him from his steed. Ivysaur was quick to lash out and grab onto him. By the time Charizard had made it back to him and he'd been pulled back up, Sonic had ran back down the side of the Shine Gate and was dashing around the Plaza to where he had glimpsed Mario. The Pokémon trainer grimaced as he recalled Charizard and Ivysaur while leaping atop Squirtle; the water-type retracted into his shell and flew off the gate down to the water. The PT, now riding atop a now Surfing Squirtle, cut thought the waterway to intercept Sonic.

There was hope in the form of a red cannon not far from her; Sheik was going to put all of her effort into reaching so that she just might escape his clutches. The cut from Mario's cape stretched its way across her back allowing droplets of blood to leave her body; she embraced the pain unknowingly in the same way as the Pokémon Trainer embraced his own. The fact that she could feel anything meant that she was alive; she could still fight and if it came down to it, she would stand her ground and do so. Zelda would have to call upon a certain someone in the event she had to fight Mario, but if she had the choice, she would die first. Of course, that was probably going to happen.

Sheik had been swinging from the flagpole for what seemed to be an eternity; Mario was not going to miss a step, therefore she couldn't afford to either. At the apex of her swing she pulled the chain loose and soared into the air up above the building; whipping her chain backwards towards a similarly swinging Mario whose yellow cape effortlessly deflected the blow. She immediately directed her chain to the next in the series of poles as she began to fall back towards earth.

Mario had matched her path perfectly and was now gaining. She swung from the final pole and flipped wildly through the air; her back screaming from the pain brought about by the gash down her fine back. Sheik landed in a crouching position feet away from the cannon; 12 needles were already held tightly between every finger on each of her hands. Dashing for the cannon, Sheik hurled them all at the crashing sound of the concentrated rage that was Mario landing behind her. If they found their mark, she would not know for before realizing it herself, she was already slipping inside the cannon as it activated; the mechanical whirring drowning out all other noise including the ominous ticking sound that didn't match with the other noises within the cannon. It fires and sends her hurtling at a blistering pace through the air towards an unknown, but assuredly safer place.

Sonic made the hasty decision to take the long way around the plaza to get to where he'd seen Mario not only to perhaps catch a glance of where the princess had run off to but also to build up speed, for he was probably going to need it. He cut past the destroyed base of the fallen statue and the smoldering ruins of the boat, darting in between the still panicked locals. He was finally in view of Mario and his prey; the person being pursued had landed and threw a flurry of something behind themselves which Mario caught; he let whatever it was fall to the ground. The unknown figure had slipped into what looked like a red cannon; it fired moments later. Sonic had been getting closer and closer to Mario's location the entire time; he had gained enough speed to perhaps body check Mario and slow him down; Sonic didn't know who he was after, but anyone Mario wanted dead probably was someone innocent and worth saving.

Sonic was coming up to the mouth of the waterway which passed underneath the building with the flagpoles jutting from the side just as the Pokémon Trainer darted out of it atop Squirtle; the Trainer allowed an already released Ivysaur to unleash a Razor Leaf combined with a Bullet Seed barrage directly at Sonic's predicted position. Sonic was one of the fastest creatures alive and was not about to allow this surprise attack get the drop of him. He focused his momentum into the wall of the flagpole-building and began running along side it; the almost unnaturally sharp leave passed him innocently cutting into the brick underneath his feet; the seeds pulverizing what were left of it.

The Pokémon Trainer zoomed away across the top of the water, recalling Ivysaur. He had not expected that. This would make the speed-demon's death that much more sweet when it finally happened. He willed Squirtle to go back around and make another pass; their opponent was headed back towards the cannon which was a potential dead-end.

Sonic dismounted from the wall having run along side it all the way to a couple meters short of the cannon. The mystery figure had launched to safety; the only soul there was Mario, if you can say someone like him had a soul. With one leg in the mouth of the red, glistening cannon, Mario looked up at Sonic. Sonic was kneeling in a three-point stance on the ground after his landing; he was looking at Mario.

Sonic gave a faint chuckle, but there was no humor in it; it was brought about only as a result of his conflicting emotions: Here was a somewhat short, stocky, mustachioed Italian plumber wearing a Hawaiian shirt patterned with Shine Sprites over his overalls and who happened to be on top of a cannon. The problem for Sonic was that he could only view Mario as a threat; not being at the utmost level of caution in Mario's vicinity seemed absurd, let alone just seeing him merely as a short plumber. There was no question in Sonic's mind that Mario would kill without hesitation; without mercy.

It was oddly silent, except for that ominous ticking sound coming from within the cannon which Mario appeared to have just noticed for he looked down inside of it. He looked back up at a still crouched Sonic's face just before the flames of the tremendous explosion enveloped him and threw a still captivated Sonic straight into the building behind him.

The sand kicked up by Sheik's coughing got into her eyes. The irritation cut through her daze and brought her back to consciousness. Sheik was lying on a beach of an adjacent island. She looked up and could see the tops of roller-coaster tracks; she could hear the cheering of children and parents alike. The explosion caused her to jump slightly, but upon looking back to where it came from, she sighed in relief. The cannon's explosion was clear even from such a great distance.

The smoke billowed upward into a veritable column and acted a source of comfort for Sheik; Mario would only be able to get to this island by boat, by which time she and Zelda would be long gone. Why the cannon had exploded was of little importance. She and Zelda were safe; she could hardly believe it. Zelda would call for help and perhaps Samus could fly her out of there. Sheik transformed back into Zelda.

She took a quick, yet deep breath. She was alive. But there was work to be done. Previously, Zelda had only fled to protect herself; her friendship with Peach being the only reason she was alive this long. But, now that she knew that Mario was planning to kill everyone and not only those that sided with Ike, she had to warn them all. Once she contacted Samus, Zelda would warn all of them that Mario had basically pitted them all against each other. She took out the phone that Peach had given her for emergencies. She looked up into the wild blue sky and smiled as the phone rang; the figure soaring through the air in that same sky tore the smile from her face as quickly as it had appeared.

Sonic shook his debris covered head sending a few singed quills flying from it. He got up slowly; all that could be heard was a ringing noise. He staggered up to his feet to see the destroyed remains of the cannon where Mario had been moments before. Sonic walked forward towards the flames to perhaps find some evidence as to what caused the explosion. Not only was there no discernable clues amongst the burned components and inner-workings of the cannon, but there was no sign of Mario. Upon closer inspection, Sonic saw a shred of the Hawaiian shirt Mario had been wearing and a few shards of grey metal that didn't match the red metal of the cannon, but that was all he could see. Sonic's headache was not going to get better anytime soon.

The flames within the remnants of the cannon became accented by the Flamethrower being shot our of Charizard's mouth; he had flown from the Pokémon Trainer's position a ways away on top of the water. Sonic turned around, ran up the wall behind him as fire licked his heels, and leapt away from the wall to have his foot meet Charizard's face in midair; Sonic was tired of messing around. He had to find the princess and help that mystery person whom Mario was after. He'd wasted enough time by fighting with the Trainer, time that he didn't really have.

Sonic began spin-dashing into Charizard's body sending him back into the cannon wreckage. Sonic dropped to his hands and knees on the ground as the fire Pokémon rose again within the fire. Sonic's spin charge swept up some of the debris from the explosion and caused it to swirl around him. At this moment, the Pokémon Trainer had ordered Ivysaur to release another flurry of Razor Leafs at their opponent; the smokescreen of debris prevented the Pokémon Trainer from knowing if their attack found their mark. The blue-blur shooting out from the cloud and along the top of the blue water let the Trainer know that the fight wasn't over. He didn't bother recalling his other two Pokémon as he whistled for Squirtle to go into pursuit mode, zooming on the water towards the amusement park island that the blue-one was headed for; Ivysaur latched onto Charizard's feet with Vine Whip and the entire team made their way to the island.

Sonic was still quite fast as he ran on the water (he had to be to stay afloat), but the Pokémon Trainer's Squirtle was still keeping up with him and he would be able to change direction in case of an emergency. He had to make it to that island; something told him that he had to save that person Mario was after. Sonic didn't think for a second that Mario was dead; something in Mario's eyes told him that he wouldn’t' have died from something as simple as an explosion. Sonic continued on his dash to the amusement park; something in his gut telling him to go faster.

At first, it seemed like a mortar had landed on the beach; a tremendous column of sand had shot up into the air upon the figure's landing. Zelda dropped her phone and held her left hand close to her face as the column of sand fell back to the ground to reveal Mario standing there, his eyes fixed upon Zelda unblinkingly despite the sand. She had to make a different call; to call someone to pick her up would be a waste of time since she was going to die shortly.

Zelda muttered inaudible words before raising her hand with the Triforce on the back of it towards the sky; light shone around her hand momentarily before a beam of light shot from her into the sky. Mario let out a slightly annoyed sound as he began walking towards Zelda. She hadn't wanted to do it, but it was already done.

Mario pulled his Hawaiian shirt from his shoulders now that it had been burned from the explosion; he let it fall to the ground. The shirt was slowly blown threw the air by a soft wind. That same wind blew across Zelda's now stoic face; it dried the lone tear rolling down her face. They stared at one another as Mario closed the distance between them; the tide slowly reaching for them and slowly retreating underneath the bright sun.

It began; Mario, without warning, hurled a stream of fireballs at Zelda who cast her Nayru's Love spell. The brightly burning spheres of flame were being deflected in every direction of the world around the two combatants. Zelda continued spinning as Mario continued walking calmly towards her as if he was taking an afternoon walk; he was releasing fireball after fireball directly at the princess who had just disappeared inside what looked like a yellow ribbon.

Mario turned around to see Sheik's foot strike him in the face; he recoiled slightly giving Sheik enough time to perform an axe kick into Mario's shoulder, forcing him to the ground. Zelda was standing before him before he could even react, her hands glowing brightly as she used her magic to spin him around, hurling him across the beach into the wall of the amusement park. Sheik teleported right in front of a rebounding Mario; she stabbed a handful of needles into his right arm. However, it was his left arm that had quickly achieved a stranglehold around her neck; Sheik and Zelda had accepted this as the end. Mario, on the other hand, was not finished by a long shot.

Sonic was close enough to the island for his unexplainable worry to be clarified. Mario had survived the explosion and was viciously beating his prey along the beach; with every blow he dealt to the poor soul that was being pounded into the beach, sand would fly up into the air, hiding them. Sonic sped up; that feeling within him screaming for him to go faster.

Sonic was now on the beach and was forced to slow down for he had to compensate his speed for the sand he was now on. It was then that he realized what was happening; the figure being beaten by Mario was the princess. With every hit, she would change into someone else and back again. Sonic gritted his teeth and prepared to dash at that maniac; he was going to save that girl and make Mario pay for all of his crimes. Just as he was about to attack, Sonic was Tackled into the sand by Ivysaur.

Sonic was in no mood to mess around further; this had gone on for long enough. Ivysaur was already attempting to Bite him; Sonic grabbed the vine that were going for him and attempted to spin Ivysaur loose. This would have worked had Charizard not been right there to deliver a Headbutt unto Sonic which allowed the vines to tighten around his every limb. Sonic's hearing was beginning to come back gradually and he noticed the sound of the Pokémon Trainer dismounting from his Squirtle. Sonic was at the Trainer's mercy. His moment of weakness brought about by the realization of his failure to protect the princess was the reason for his capture.

Finally, this fight would come to an end. The Pokémon Trainer walked up to a struggling Sonic to give the order to finally kill him. Just as the Trainer was right before his prey, he noticed his employer was just down the beach destroying the target he had failed to kill. The Trainer turned back to see the frustration and helplessness in Sonic's eyes as they were fixed upon the princess; the Trainer smiled. This fool had so wanted to save her and he had failed. Having failed at trying to kill her himself, the Pokémon Trainer decided to share that feeling of failure with his helpless prey.

After taking off his cap and running his hand through his hair, the Trainer motioned for Ivysaur to turn Sonic so that he could get the best possible view of the violent death of the princess; this fool would be able to do nothing except watch every horrible moment just before his own death. He would regret having ever laid a hand on the Trainer.

Zelda couldn't hear anything. All that her nervous system could detect was immense pain and the occasional flash of Mario's face which was twisted by bloodlust. His knee caught her in the stomach sending blood spurting from her mouth and nose. His right elbow caught her in the back of her neck shooting her down into the ground again. Her arm was broken as well as multiple ribs, but it didn't matter and she knew it. Mario tossed her limp body into the air, spun and kicked her into the base of a palm tree. The joyous sounds emanating from within the amusement park contrasted greatly with the carnage taking place just outside.

Mario was already at Zelda before she could fall to the ground; he hurled her back to the sand, curled is fist into a veritable rock and began striking her. Every time his fist rose into the air, it was covered with more and more blood. Sonic closed his eyes; he couldn't bear to watch. The Pokémon Trainer grabbed the back of his head and forced him to look at what he let happen; the Trainer's eyes glowing maliciously at Sonic's sorry state.

Mario lifted Zelda up by the throat and stared into her eyes. She wasn't going to scream and fulfill some sick desire of his by doing so. She stared at him even as blood poured down her cut and bloody face. Her eyes said to Mario "They all know now"; Mario's told her "Good."

His white, yet bloodied gloved hand reaches into his overalls and pulls out an ominous, glowing orb. Zelda's eyes widen upon seeing it; she can feel its immense power along with the pain in the rest of her body. In his left hand, Mario holds Zelda by the throat; in his right, this orb. His eyes never leave hers, even after crushing the orb in right palm. His body begins to glow with what appears to be bright orange flames; Zelda can feel his death grip become hotter around her throat as the world around them begins to darken slightly. She takes one final look into Mario's now glowing eyes and then closes hers; she takes solace in knowing that she will be with Nayru shortly.

Sonic, still bound by the vines, feels the power surging from Mario even from such a great distance away. He and the Pokémon Trainer notice the darkness begin to fall as well as the powerful glow emanating from Mario and Zelda's position. He could still save her; that fact alone is all he needed to do what he felt he had to do.

Sonic grits his teeth as his body vibrates; the friction of his movement creates so much heat the Ivysaur, being weak to fire, instinctually released the grip of the vines, which was all that Sonic needed. The Pokémon Trainer, so caught up with his enjoyment being derived from Sonic's suffering, becomes startled by Sonic's jumping free of his bindings. The Trainer quickly orders for Charizard to incinerate their captive; Sonic, with ridiculous speed, grabs onto Ivysaur and uses the Pokémon as a shield to the Flamethrower. Ivysaur's scream matched the same pitch as the Trainer's yelling command for Charizard to halt the attack and for Squirtle to incapacitate Sonic.

Squirtle dashes at Sonic just as the hedgehog ducks causing the turtle Pokémon to crash head long into Charizard's face; Sonic immediately spins into a momentarily stunned Squirtle as he come out of his shell. The blow sends the Pokémon skidding across the beach unconscious. Charizard is dazed; Sonic takes advantage of this and by using the Pokémon momentum, hurls the Charizard to the water at the edge of the beach. Sonic forces the beast's face into the water as it struggles helplessly; Sonic would make the Pokémon Trainer watch the death of his friend as he was about to be forced to do. His eyes were glowing with unbridled fury.

Sonic looked back at the Trainer; there was no longer any coldness in his eyes, only tears. The sound of his pleading caused Sonic to lift Charizard's face from the water. Sonic back away as he looked at the burned Ivysaur struggle back up and crawl towards Squirtle to check to see if he was okay. Sonic glanced back at the Pokémon Trainer to see him cradling a now coughing and puttering Charizard in his arms. Sonic backed away from the four people now huddled together; they were no longer a threat. This was no cold-blooded killer; this was a child that had been manipulated by Mario to do his dirty work, or maybe just to amuse him.

Mario. Sonic turned around and dashed towards him; perhaps there was still time. Mario was holding Zelda by the throat; he was still glowing with that horrible glow. Cloud of sand kicked up by Sonic was far behind him for he was moving so fast. He had to save her, but he wouldn't.

The spiraling vortex of hellfire shot upwards into the heavens. Later, residents from various places on Delfino Island would recount seeing the pillar of flame rise into the air; they would believe it was a mark of the end of the world. They would be close. The flames seemed to stretch across the entire sky.

The force of Mario's unholy attack stopped Sonic dead in his tracks. After what seemed like ages, the fire stopped and something fell a ways away from Sonic. It was the princess. Sonic walked up to her body and kneeled down beside her. The girl whose name he would never know but whose burned, yet still impossibly beautiful face he would never forget lay before him.

It was his fault. He had no excuse for allowing this to happen. He chose to fight the child instead of getting the princess to safety. When he moved his hand across her still open eyes to close them, he felt her speak to him from beyond, telling him that it was not his fault. Whether this was imagined or not, he still told himself that she was dead because of his mistake. But there was some truth to what she had or had not said: someone else was partly responsible for all this pain and suffering and they were standing a few meters down the beach.

Mario had his eyes closed he was facing the ocean calmly. Sonic laid Zelda's body carefully down on the sand and he turned to Mario. Sonic waited for him to look at him; Mario continued to stare out over the sea. Sonic yelled, but Mario didn't move. The fury building up inside of him to a boiling point forced Sonic to stagger forward towards Mario.

It didn't matter if anyone saw him now. The bomb didn't stop the Pokémon Trainer; that was somewhat surprising. The mine hadn't killed Mario or even slowed him down; that was expected. Sonic had failed to save Zelda; that was unfortunate. A faint beep signified that the battery power had run out. Snake's active-camouflage deactivated as he lit a cigarette while he crouched atop the bell tower. The situation was interesting enough already and it was only going to get better.

Miles away at the top of a dark tower, a flash of light resembling a Triforce envelopes a dark figure and Ganondorf is overcome with a rush of emotions and thoughts alien to his own. After a brief period of unconsciousness, he came to, fully alert and as powerful as ever. There were three things now knew for certain: Zelda was dead, everyone was in danger and he would have to find someone named Luigi.

Just as a warning to the people who aren't reading this: This chapter was sub par when I originally wrote it, so it must be even worse now...

~~~

The wind rushing past Pit's face shook him from his temporary state of unconsciousness. Lucas' blow was far more powerful than he could've ever expected. The fact that he could fly by using his telekinesis was not going to help matters. There was hardly any time left; if Pit were to get back to the Halberd to warn Meta Knight of Mario's treachery, he'd have to keep himself from smashing into the violent seas below. He activated his wings, slowed his decent and began flying back up to the airship. His doe-eyes widened.

Lucas, burning with psychic fury was hurtling straight through the air towards Pit to follow up his previous attack. Pit manages to create a barrier just as Lucas' PK Fire smashes into him. The flash of flames spreads through the air briefly as the combatants spiral away from one another in the red clouds. Pit shook away the daze and pulled his bow string taut. Here goes everything

The arc of the Palutena Arrow stabs through the thick reddish clouds directly towards Lucas' position. Lucas, now in an almost trance-like state performs PSI Magnet and absorbs the arrow nanoseconds before it would've found its mark. He showed no relish in canceling out the attack or any exhilaration from almost having a heavenly arrow pierce his forehead; all that seemed to be of his concern was Pit's destruction. His yellow hair and clothes billow violently in the air as he continues to free-fall.

Lucas scans the sky around him attempting to peer through the oppressive clouds. From literally nowhere, Pit's spinning blades cut through a nimbus creating a veritable vortex of red vapors in his wake; Pit rushes his opponent only to have the blades be stopped telekinetically within an inch of Lucas' face. Lucas pulls Pit closer to him in an attempt to use Paralysis on him on to catch Pit's feet in the pit of his stomach.

Pit flips back flips away from his foe and quickly rights himself in the air to unleash a flurry of arrows which streak across the sky directly towards and now electrified Lucas. His eyes closed in concentration and the hail of arrows quickly spiraling towards him; Lucas unleashes a notably more powerful than usual PK Thunder. The multiple electrical orbs of this attack intertwine themselves amongst the cloud of Palutena Arrows; this somehow gives Lucas control over them as made evident by the arcing of the tails of the arrows straight towards a now diving Pit.

If he were to live though this, he would have to fly as he'd never flown before. They were still hundreds of yards above the water, yet it was the water that would save Pit's life if he could reach it in time. Lucas had reached a tremendous level of power ever since the incident with Ness. Pit didn't care about that at the moment however. He was a white, glowing bullet amongst the red clouds through which the whirling vortex of arrows and electrical orbs cut through and drilled just behind Pit. Lucas still showed no signs of stopping as he continued to free fall.

Pit could finally see the surface of the water; he streaked at it with ridiculous speed as he could hear the electrify crackle just behind him. Just as it seemed he would crash into the waves below, Pit feinted and pulled upwards; the arrow/orb cloud pierced the surface of the sea and lit up the water around. The electricity dispersed itself in among the waves.

Pit used his gained speed to propel himself back up toward Lucas. The sound of the arrows which were not affected by the water startled him briefly, but he figured he could use them to his advantage. He and Lucas were hurtling towards one another; Lucas falling and Pit flying upwards. The arrows were still being steered psychokinetically at a deadly velocity. Pit's eyes were watering from the wind, but he could still see Lucas' eerie glow through the clouds.

Their bodies met; the resounding cracking sound reverberated through the empty airspace above the sea. Pit had attempted to form another barrier only to have Lucas' PK Freeze shatter it. The icy claw that was wrapped around Pit's body that was connected to Lucas' outstretched hand chilled him to his very soul, but he could not let up just yet. With his limbs and wings still free, Pit wrestled Lucas around so that he would be above him. Lucas raised his free hand to and said the name of his PK Love attack just as he sensed something coming up behind him.

It wouldn't matter if he had noticed in time; the arrows of which he had forgotten about all found their mark. His instinctual psychic power only shielded him enough to prevent him from being ripped to shreds. As the arrows were reflected from Lucas' softly glowing body, Pit grabbed him by the throat. The psychic boy was his now.

Pit rose one of his blades to Lucas' neck prepared to finish him. Something was different about him however. His face showed fear, as if he had just awoken to find himself falling though the sky. Pit slowed his descent and hovered in the air. Lucas stared at him, his eyes wide in fear. Pit's face showed wariness, but he still lowered his blade and flew back to the Halberd far above the both of them.

Upon landing atop the ship, Pit dragged Lucas inside where made his way for the cockpit; he'd still have time to tell Meta Knight just how Mario was going to not only kill those that rebelled against him, but also how Mario manipulated them into doing so. His information was precious as well as the time he had. Perhaps Mario had brainwashed Lucas to go after him; at this point it hardly mattered as long as Meta Knight was informed.

Pit burst through the door to the bridge. It was strange; Pit hadn't though about it, but had seen no other crew members onboard on his way though the ship. As he looked around for some clue as to what was going on, Lucas let out a small, stifled scream.

Mario casually turned the captain's seat around to face Pit and Lucas; his eyes were fixed upon a photo he was studying intently. Pit couldn't stop blinking as if he were trying to get this hallucination to go away. Mario sighed sadly as Lucas wrestled free of Pit's grip and ran back for the exit.

The photo was of all of them, they were smiling and cheerful which told how old the photo was. However, some of their faces were crossed out with x's; Luigi's was one of them. Zelda's face was still uncrossed as well as Ike's. Mario sighed once more as he lifted his pen and crossed out Pit's face before standing up slowly.

The icy air of the early morning stings his lungs as he rushes from the steps of the mansion toward his kart in the garage across the grounds. Luigi did not know why this behemoth of a man was after him nor did he care; he was not about to wait around to find out; he had an idea, however. The only problem with that idea was that there was no way Mario could have known he was still alive; why else would someone be after him? He heard a noise from behind him that sounded like wood splintering and glass breaking. He continued to run; the strain brought about by his inactivity from being in hiding became more evident with every step.

It was through pure luck he had stunned that dark stranger back inside the mansion; Luigi quickly opened up the garage doors and jumped onto his kart immediately gunning it for the main road. The massive figure's equally massive blade ripped through the air and traveled through Luigi's head rest as if it were made of aluminum foil; it barely made any noise.

Breathing quickly, Luigi continued down the drive towards the gates. Had he not ducked down to check if the zipper of his pants was open he would most assuredly been dead. He wiped his brow wildly causing him to swerve slightly. He reached for the Ray Gun which had its own place next to the seat in case of emergencies like this. Luigi zoomed out by the gates; he looked down at his weapon, knowing that this was going to end badly.

Ganondorf was not amused. Chasing after scrawny plumbers that he had never heard of before had no place in his schedule for taking complete control over all existence. However, it was part of Zelda's message to find this person and the urgency he felt through his Triforce when it was connected to hers made it evident that this Luigi was the only key to stopping Mario. Ganondorf was aware of what Mario had become; he had to admit, he was impressed.

Ganondorf's blade turned to a dark color and vanished into his own body; his bloodshot eyes followed the tiny, yet fast kart zipping towards the gates. He whistled and from out of seemingly nowhere, his dark, powerful steed galloped up behind him. Without looking, Ganondorf snatched the reins and swung himself upon his great black horse. As his cape whipped through the chilly morning air, he leaned forward and whispered a command to his horse; the beast whinnied loudly and began to gain impossible speed, almost matching that of the kart which they were in pursuit of.

Luigi was tore down the small country road; sure of himself that he'd lost his pursuer. Unless the foe had some form of transportation, he was safe.

The king of evil's transportation had reached a blistering speed for that of a horse. It still wouldn't be enough, thought Ganondorf. He spurred the beast; she whinnied and leapt forward through the air. Ganondorf spurred her once more; she had gained tremendous hangtime on this jump. This continued on until with every gallop, the horse propelled herself and her rider hundreds of feet forward. The target was in sight.

A strange sound entered Luigi's ears. At first, he thought nothing of it, but it seemed to become louder and louder with every passing second. He glanced back and let out a stifled scream. He gunned the engine and instead of heading along his planned destination of Dream Land, he wrenched the steering wheel and swerved off of the off-ramp onto Toad's Turnpike. If his pursuer was as powerful as he looked, Luigi was going to pray for the other motorists.

Luigi powerslides out of the off-ramp just in front of a Mushroom 16-wheeler; the roar of its engine is almost deafening to him as he swings on past it into the lane next to it. He turns around in his seat to glance backward at the truck driver to make an apologetic gesture only to the stranger rip straight through the truck's trailer with his massive blade; the two halves of the truck, along with its cargo of Meteor Meals and frozen Shroom Steaks, skid sideways, trip and flip into the air smashing myriad other vehicles on the road. Luigi pushes his gas pedal as far as it will go as he hears and feels the tremendous explosion behind him.

Ganondorf's horse gallops forward as if hell hadn't broken loose all around her. The cars that aren't moving out of his way become halved and fourthed by his mighty blade. He spots Luigi weaving in and out of traffic ahead of him. Ganondorf was annoyed beyond belief at having to even go through this much trouble to capture this person, but he knew that Zelda had been quite serious. If only she had said that Luigi had to die; he could at least enjoy himself with that. Ganondorf spurs his horse and pulls back on her reins; she leaps and they both soar through the air; the shockwave of dark energy pulsates outward from their launch point pushing aside a few innocent motorists.

Between the sweat rolling down his forehead and the air rushing past him from the modified 400cc engine's speed, Luigi is almost blinded. He squints against the wind as he weaves in and out of the crowded lanes; he ignores the angry honks of the other motorists and resists the urge to signal as he merges in front of a four-door luxury-class Mushroom car and up next to a pickup truck. By pure chance, he feels a shadow fall over him; he looks up into the sky behind him to see the dark wizard and his steed plummeting towards him.

Luigi screams and wrenches the steering wheel back over in front of the luxury sedan as the steel-like hooves of the massive horse crush the four-door into the very highway itself. The dark duo rebounds from their massive jump and leap a little bit in the air; Ganondorf's eyes are fixed upon the green-hat-wearing  plumber as the shredded remains of the unfortunate sedan spiral through the air behind him. The shockwave of the landing forces Luigi up onto his two right wheels; he manages to keep control of the unintentional stunt as his eyes meet with the wizard's. Luigi was on the verge of wetting himself, but he still whipped the Ray Gun from its holster with the intent of using it to its fullest.

The plumber's eyes are understandably wide in fear, but there is something else within them that cause Ganondorf to hesitate long enough for Luigi to fire off a few shots. The king of evil sees the blasts coming from a mile away; his disproportionately quick, yet huge blade causes the beams to split into mini showers of sparks as he swings it to and fro with awe-inspiring power. The few cars that are unlucky enough to pass inside the veritable gauntlet of lasers and spinning blades litter the road behind them; the Mushroom Kingdom authorities are called to the scene as a flock of News Lakitu converges on the fighters’ position. Ganondorf takes advantage of a break in the gunfire and he along with his steed lunge sideways; his sword temporarily disappears into his body as his massive hand glows darkly.

Luigi's kart falls back onto all four wheels. Just as the wheels touch the ground; his face looses the cowardly fear it had displayed mere moments before. He sees Ganondorf galloping towards him. His free hand begins to crackle with electricity as he stands up upon his speeding kart.

    As Ganondorf merged closer to Luigi’s position across the road, he noticed that he could feel an indescribable power surging from him. This was no longer the little man who cowered in fear upon seeing Ganondorf at his doorstep. This was the brother to the tyrant of Mushroom Kingdom; just as vicious and just as ruthless. Ganondorf was no longer annoyed. He lunges and attempts to grab the plumber as more and more traffic pours in around them from nowhere despite the wreckages left in their wake; two mushroom semi-trucks pull in closer behind them.

With one foot carefully balanced on top of the steering wheel and the other in the seat, Luigi stares at the king of evil careening towards him with cold fury. Just as Ganondorf's darkly glowing hand flies towards him, he kicks the steering wheel forcing the kart to spin sideways straight along the road at his pursuer ; he simultaneously leaps off the seat, spinning counterclockwise along with his spiraling kart which had just passed underneath the horse's thundering hooves. Soaring over both Ganondorf's arm and his furiously galloping steed, Luigi uses the spin's power and carries it into a devastating kick to the surprised king's face. The kart spins over to the other side of the horse where Luigi lands in the seat.

Ganondorf is sent spiraling from his ride; the blow was both unexpected and powerful; a painful, yet exciting combination. As Ganondorf's body slams into the trailer of one of the 16-wheelers, he smiles a smile that can only be described as "evil". What had been a chore only minutes before was now a privilege; a privilege to not have a chance not to hold back. Ganondorf's powerful fingers stab into the side of the trailer, holding him there and allowing him to keep Luigi in his sights. However, Luigi had seen this as an opportunity to keep Ganondorf in his sights as well. The roar of the cavalcade of vehicles surrounds them both.

The wheels skid slightly as he corrects the steering and pulls his Ray Gun from out of its holster. Without hesitation, Luigi turns all the way around in his seat and, upon seeing the wizard clutching into the side of the trailer, begins to fire rapidly at him. The shots barely miss; each blast leaves small craters in the trailer where they hit. A shot passes through Ganondorf's cape just before he begins punching into the trailer and pulls himself sideways across it, barely dodging the hail of gunfire. He stops at the very back of the trailer and looks up at Luigi who is still up ahead of him driving right along side his still galloping horse.

Luigi closes an eye and takes aim; he'd come too far to let anyone hand him back over to Mario. The huge man clinging to the side of the truck whistles. Having forgotten about his pursuer's steed, Luigi starts as the horse whinnies and swings her great, red-mane bearing head into him sending him up into the air between the truck Ganondorf has been clinging to and another one in the lane next to it.  Luigi is quick to recover; as he soars, he rights himself in midair and fires a flurry of shots at the king of evil. Ganondorf leaps from his current trailer to the one opposite him; he kicks off of that one's trailer to see that Luigi had done the same off of the other.

Having both kicked off from the truck trailers, the two combatants fly towards each other over the blurred street lines along the road. In what feels like slowed motion, Ganondorf yells as he summons his sword from his palm; the long blade slides out of his glowing hand until he's clutching the handle of it, lunging forward with his singed cape billowing in the biting air. Luigi's hands loosen their grip from around the now empty Ray Gun; it falls towards the road as said hands crackle with electricity. The glinting of the sword plays off of the flashes from the electrified fists. Luigi front flips over Ganondorf and his formidable blade as he Thunder Slaps the Great King of Evil at the base of his neck; sparks shower over the road as Ganondorf's massive frame slams into the opposite trailer.

The blade of his sword stabs into the trailer and slices its way further down bring Ganondorf uncomfortably close the road; his feet dangle for a moment mere inches from it. The force of his body causes the entire truck to swerve slightly alerting its driver and a few other motorists that something was up. Luigi had leaped high enough to grasp onto the top of the other truck. They both look back at one another as the drivers of their respective perches look into their rear-view mirrors and gasp simultaneously.
As they fly back at one another, they both realize that this is far from over.