Chakra Wizard
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Chapter 16 - Wrath of the Jungle
"Oo ah ah!" ("Hey, take it easy there, big guy!")
"Oo-o ook ook!" ("Okay, just surrender and I'll stop!")
"Ah oo oo ee aa ah ah oo ah!" ("Never!")
The top primates of Kongo Jungle were causing yet another ruckus in the mess hall as several of the other brawlers looked on. While Donkey Kong was second in age only to Mr. Game & Watch, his somewhat childish nature was matched only by that of his young sidekick, Diddy. Most of the onlookers weren't even certain that the two were aware that they were no longer in the jungle. The fact that they had yet to flip over or break any tables was the only reason that they still had their doubts. Though, as amusing as this friendly tussle was, their audience was eventually going to have to remind the two of their quickly approaching matches. It wasn't until Ness and Lucas had entered the mess hall to refurbish that they decided to inform Donkey Kong of his place in the next match, Marth being the first to step forward with this intention.
"Donkey Kong!"
The larger ape immediately stopped and looked up at the Altean prince, who tilted his head in the direction of the two Earthlings. DK understood and stood up, looking over at Sonic, who was seated on the other side of the room, to ensure that he also knew that their match was about to begin. Before he could completely turn his head, though, the young hedgehog zipped past him and stood beside the mess hall doors.
"Hope you're ready, big fella! You won't even be able to see me comin'!"
Sonic let out a brief burst of laughter before speeding down the hallway and towards the arena. Donkey Kong was about to follow him before being pulled to the side by Diddy.
"Oo oo ah ah ah." (Give it to him good, DK.")
He smiled at his young friend before giving him a thumbs-up and running down the hallway as quickly as possible. Once he was gone, Diddy decided to go and find Pit, needing to be ready for his own match to come.
Outside the corridors, Peach was once again addressing the colliseum.
"The second round has reached its halfway mark, but the day's excitement has hardly exhausted itself! Maybe these next two legendary brawlers will be able to bring about even more! Will you please step onto the stadium now,...Sonic and Donkey Kong?!"
The audience set aside absolutely no energy as their cheers radiated throughout the colliseum. Both brawlers gratefully accepted the praise, though Sonic seemed more interested in basking himself in the love of his fans than returning it. The proud champion of Kongo Jungle, Donkey Kong was far above this and looked down on it. He would teach Sonic mannerisms soon enough. They took their positions and the referee quickly began the match.
"3, 2, 1, GO!"
As per usual, Sonic made the first move and began showing off his speed, running circles around Donkey Kong, who had yet to move at all. In truth, he expected this to happen and already had a counterattack in wait. Keeping alert to prevent taking damage unexpectedly, he waited until Sonic cut across his established path and began pounding the ground with his enormous hands. The tremors made immediate contact with Sonic, sending him a short distance into the air, only for the action to repeat itself once he hit the ground again. To prevent this from happening a third time, the hedgehog made quick use of his mid-air jump and proceeded onto the nearest platform, prompting Donkey Kong to end his attack. With nineteen points now on his damage counter, Sonic was forced to completely rethink his strategy, seeing as his opponent was obviously well-equipped to counteract his speed attacks.
"Dang! That's my whole arsenal, right out the window! How the heck am I gonna win now!? C'mon Sonic, just think for a bit! How can you be super-fast at everything, except thinking up strategies!? You can do it, just take your time."
Unfortunately, Sonic didn't have any time at all, as he was forced to move further up to avoid Donkey Kong's pursuit.
"Yikes! Guess I'll have to go on the defensive for now."
Luckily, Donkey Kong's biggest flaw was his lack of projectile attacks, which gave Sonic some hope. However, it didn't take a genius to realize that if he found himself within the ape's reach, he was most likely done for. Until then, though, he would need to evaluate his own abilities and find a way to proceed offensively. The thought just crossed his mind when he looked over and noticed that Donkey Kong was swinging his arm around.
"He's building up strength for his Giant Punch. Man, if I get hit by that, it's all over. But, at least I have a little time to think."
A little time was all he needed before remembering one technique he had that might give Donkey Kong some trouble. Retreating back to his original position, he waited until his opponent returned to the main stage before curling up and charging his Spin Dash move. Once the attack was fully charged, he broke into an insanely fast dash across the stadium, heading directly for Donkey Kong. Unfortunately, with great timing, Donkey Kong managed to use his charged Punch to negate Sonic's attack and send him flying off the stage.
Now in a state of panic, Sonic quickly pulled out a large spring pad and jumped on it, sending him high into the air with enough falling distance to safely return to the stage. Donkey Kong, however, seemed to have prepared himself well for this match, already in a position to send him off the stage yet again, this time for good. In a state of helplessness after using the spring, Sonic could only shut his eyes as Donkey Kong slammed his hands together with Sonic in between them, sending him off the stage once more, only this time, going past the Blast Line.
The first total domination of the tournament, the crowd hardly let it go unnoticed and praised Donkey Kong for this accomplishment. Sonic, on the other hand, was in complete shock and utter dismay at the crushing defeat. Upon reemerging on the stage, he did nothing but hold his head down for a short moment before finally thrusting his fist towards the ground in disappointment.
"Dang!"
He wasn't below walking up to Donkey Kong and congratulating him for his victory, but in the next moment, he had sprinted across the connecting bridgeway and back into the corridors, much to Donkey Kong's confusion and pity. Thinking it better to check on Sonic to ensure his well-being, the great ape waved around the colliseum before heading inside himself.
As he passed through the doors, Donkey Kong noticed that Diddy and Pit were already biding their time near the entrance, waiting to be called out onto the stage. As he passed by, he couldn't help but mumble a tidbit of wishful thinking to his young friend.
"Oo-o-o-o-o-ook." ("See you in the next round, little buddy.")
Now all the more pumped up for his match, Diddy sped over to stand beside Pit, who was already waiting in front of the doorway, while DK ran off to find Sonic. A few more minutes passed by before the two could hear Zelda's voice as the doors began to open.
"What an unexpected outcome! Was it not?"
The crowd's screams seemed to be rather distinctly divided between fans of Donkey Kong and those who cheered for Sonic, but each side gave some hint of agreement.
"Well, maybe these next two brawlers can give us a stunning conclusion that we all can agree on. Diddy Kong, Pit, the stage is yours!"
The response from the audience was as usual, as was the start of the match.
"3, 2, 1, GO!"
Moving simultaneously, Diddy made his way to the highest platform, while Pit took to the skies. At first glance, the battle appeared as a clear mismatch, although Diddy was, in actuality, one of the most adaptable brawlers in the tournament. This match was sure to bring surprises in the end.
It wasn't long before twenty minutes had already been consumed by the length of the match. Pit returned to the ground exhausted, while Diddy had spread out across the highest platform, almost ready to fall asleep. Up to this point, the match in its entirety had been nothing more than a shootout. While both of them were skilled marksmen, Diddy's natural agility and Pit's enhanced speed while airborne were more than enough to stress their own abilities. In the end, however, Diddy managed to inflict fifty-two points of damage onto Pit using his Peanut Popguns, while the latter was able to inflict forty-seven with his bow. Any attacks at this point could potentially deliver massive and knockback and the two brawlers were more than skeptical about being the one to make the next move.
After a brief moment of mutual hesitation, Diddy decided to be the first to strike, leaping off the platform and on top of Pit, who managed to roll out of harm's way and counterattack with another arrow, increasing Diddy's damage count to fifty-four. Jumping onto the nearest platform and promising himself that he wouldn't attempt that again, the young ape scoured through his mind for a more effective strategy.
"Man, he's fast! What else can I do? I got my popguns, my rockets, my...ah, there's an idea!"
Looking over at Pit, he then moved toward the other end of the platform and out of his vision. Confused, Pit flapped his wings and went airborne, only to see Diddy Kong standing casually on the platform before dropping beneath it. Knowing he'd be in a bad position if he landed on the platform, Pit returned to the ground instead, only for Diddy to run to the farthest platform and leap on top of it. Intrigued even further, Pit took to the opposite platform and stood there for a moment, looking over at the ape in question.
"What the heck's going on? What is he planning?"
Regardless of the answer, Diddy wasn't passing through the platform and knowing that he would be at quite the advantage standing beneath it, Pit was easily prompted to follow through. Before he made a move to attack from below, however, his mind forced him to question Diddy's intentions once again.
"Wait. This was too easy. He's not the brightest person...or brawler in the tournament, but he's not stupid, either. Why would he leave himself open from below? Is it a trap?"
He eventually chose to ignore these thoughts, although they would soon prove to be correct. Almost immediately after his feet touched the platform above, he found himself laying flat on his back. Almost in a state of shock, he looked around for the cause of his current predicament, which would have caused him to burst into laughter had he not been completely terrified.
"A banana peel!? ...Now, what are the odds!?"
The impact with the ground dealt him another three points of damage, though his biggest concern resided with his utter vulnerability to a devestating blow. A strong Side Smash from Diddy consisting of two consecutive slaps of his hands brought Pit's fears to their maximum potential, sending him flying off the stadium. Before passing the Blast Line, he found enough strength in his wings to keep himself airborne one more time, before being completely done in by the well-aimed firing of a peanut, which nearly crippled his right wing. Unable to hold himself up any longer, Pit was left helpless as he fell into the darkness.
The crowd's cheers probably couldn't have gotten any louder as the referee confirmed the results, as well as the match-up to come.
"Game! The winner is...Diddy Kong!"
Diddy's immense pride in himself was overshadowed only by his sheer excitement as he jumped around the stadium, waving his arms fanatically at the loving crowd, the princesses, and his onlooking fellow brawlers. He quickly cut his celebration short, however, once Pit returned to the arena. Walking up to him and holding out his hand in a gesture of good sportsmanship, Pit gladly accepted it, holding no grudges against him.
"Just promise me one thing, Diddy."
Knowing that he wouldn't understand his dialect, Diddy simply looked at him in a curious manner, as to let him know that his attention was caught.
"Be sure to give it to Donkey Kong tomorrow...and let him know who the top ape is."
Jumping into the air in a burst of pure joy, Diddy ran back inside the colliseum as Pit followed, wondering what to do next. But, what really could he do? He had already accomplished his dream.
