Chakra Wizard
Active member
Awards
Chapter 17 - Altea's Finest
After a long, exhausting and, for some, disappointing day, the second day of the Super Smash Tournament finally began nearing its end, as shown by the sun setting over the tall mountains of the Smash realm. Four brawlers still awaited their pending matches. Two were swordsmen originating from the same land, one being of royal blood and the other being among its finest warriors, while the other two consisted of a humble, elf-like swordsman from a distant kingdom and an anthropomorphic pilot from a far-off solar system. All four brawlers were greatly recognized for their strength, ensuring plenty of excitement in the day's closing matches. The only question on everyone's mind was the identity of the two victors. There were people who had their favorites, while some went by the tournament tier list to determine the match outcomes. But, the contestants knew that these were nothing more than estimations made by "experts". Nothing could be certified by those charts, or anything else for that matter.
As it was the day before, the final four brawlers were sat together in the mess hall, silently consuming their own assorted gathering of foods from their respective worlds. No words were spoken, at least not until Fox turned to Link for an answer to the question on his mind.
"Hey, are you nervous at all, Link?"
The young Hylian chewed and swallowed what was already in his mouth and thought for a moment before nodding his head. A look of relief surfaced in Fox's eyes, letting Link know that he asked only because he was nervous, as well. Marth also noticed this and joined in on the conversation.
"I suppose it's almost impossible for anyone here to not feel so before a match."
Ike, who sat beside him, nodded in agreement before giving his own thoughts.
"Regardless, if one is to fully prepare for his match, even these involuntary feelings of doubt must be discarded."
Fox, a veteran of many battles fought against numerous enemies, was forced to respond upon hearing this.
"That's not entirely true, Ike. To not have doubt or fear would be to not have the sense to take caution. What would prompt you to look over your shoulder and dodge a fatal blow if you didn't have such thoughts?"
Link, who was listening to this, looked over at Ike in wait of a response, tilting his head slightly and raising one eyebrow, as if to say that Fox had given a rather valid argument.
"I act to defend myself not in fear and doubt, but in the belief that every move I make will bring me closer to victory, be it offensive or defensive. Whether you believe it or not, I am a strategic fighter and I enforce tactics in accordance to long-term results."
Before Fox could reject this statement, Peach's voice found itself echoing throughout the corridors.
"The day is nearly over, but the heat of the excitement has hardly cooled at all. Is everyone ready for the next match?!"
The cheers of the crowd could clearly be heard inside the colliseum, though Marth and Ike had barely any time to listen to them as Fox hurried them on.
"Shoot! We lost track of time! You guys better get going now! Quick, go!"
Not even taking the time to throw his plate away, Ike grabbed his sword and ran out the mess hall doors, while Marth's royal mannerisms prevented him from doing the same. Grabbing his sword as well, he threw what remained of his meal away and turned back to Link and Fox before leaving to catch up to Ike.
"Good luck with your match."
In the next moment, he had dashed through the doors and on towards the area, as Fox looked on.
"You too."
While Link returned to eating his food, Fox decided to get rid of his own before heading to the training area, hoping to better hone his skills before he was forced into combat with one of his biggest rivals at the Smash.
Outside the corridors, Altea's prince and its greatest mercenary walked out into the dim, fading sunlight of the evening day to find themselves showered by love and praise from the entire colliseum. They accepted it gladly before stepping onto the stadium and taking their positions as the bridge collapsed once again, leaving them stranded on this field of battle. Placing his hand on the hilt of his sword, Marth called out to Ike one more time before the match began.
"I told this to Roy before our match and I'll do the same for you. I am not your prince here, so you have no need to hold back, but it will be unwise of you to think any level of strength you use will make this fight go all the more smoothly for you."
Ike simply cracked his neck and flexed his hands before replying.
"I beg to differ, but you're right about one thing. You'll get no sympathy from me."
"3, 2, 1, GO!"
The two swordsmen unsheathed their blades and charged forward at high velocity. The strength it took for Ike to wield his two-handed sword prevented him from reaching even half of Marth's full speed, but the resulting increase in the power of his attacks all but made up for it. Every downward swing of the giant blade that collided with Marth's own placed a small dent in the latter. Marth's well-trained eyes failed to let them go unnoticed.
"Oh, this isn't good. I can't keep going head-to-head with him under these conditions or I might end up losing my sword."
Pushing away from Ike, Marth retreated backwards and onto a nearby platform to think of a different approach. Any damage that he managed to inflict could easily be dealt in kind by Ike, and with only half the same amount of successful attacks that he himself had used. His speed alone was not nearly enough to obtain the advantage, but the question remained as to what would be. He thought over it multiple times before being forced into combat by Ike yet again.
"Don't let your mind wander. It could cost you this match."
The brief show of swordplay that followed ended with Marth being forced onto his back. In the next moment, he found himself directly underneath Ike's shadow, as the latter initiated one of his more awe-inspiring attacks.
"Aether!"
In a short burst of increased strength, Ike tossed his heavy blade high into the air before jumping up to reclaim it and returning to the ground with amazing force. Fortunately for Marth, he found enough time to pass through the platform and avoid the potentially devastating blow. Returning to his feet, he stiffened the hold on his sword and looked along the bottom of the platfrom. For fear of a trap, he refused to pass through it or move out from underneath it, but before long, he would probably no longer have a choice.
Bearing a slight advantage while in his current location, Marth never found reason to expect what actions Ike would take next. Rather than wait for him to leap through the platform or ambush him should he attempt to move out from underneath it, Ike took one of the most bizarre courses of action that he could possibly take, passing directly through the platform and cornering Marth beneath it. The sheer unlikeliness of these events, which held a great potential to backfire, caused Marth to stand frozen in utter astonishment, allowing Ike to hold the back of his neck at swordpoint.
"Drop your weapon."
Neither turning his head nor speaking a word, Marth made his refusal known through a short moment of silence. Somewhat annoyed by this, Ike moved his blade in ever closer before offering Marth another opportunity to surrender.
"Marth, it's over. What move could you possibly make next that won't end badly? Just give it up...please."
The prince slowly closed his eyes and switched the hand in which he held his sword, holding the index finger on his now-free hand next to a small button beside his damage counter. He turned his head slightly until his eyes met with Ike's and, once he was certain that this action had occurred without his knowledge, he gave his answer.
"No."
Not about to give him a third chance, Ike lifted his sword a little higher before letting it fall, only for it to collide with a large, red force field.
"What the-?"
In the next moment, it vanished and Marth pivoted his body, making four large swipes of his blade over Ike's chest. The physical laws of the Smash realm prevented any potentially fatal damage from occurring, though this added a considerably large number of points to his damage counter. Stunned by the amazing turn of events, Ike was left helpless for a moment, giving Marth more than enough time to build up enough energy in his blade to unleash his Shield Breaker attack. The attack's raw power nearly doubled Ike's damage count and sent him flying to the opposite end of the stadium. Picking himself back up, he softly criticized his inability to prevent this setback and picked his sword back up, assuring himself that it wouldn't happen again.
Looking around for a moment, Ike was surprised to find that Marth was nowhere to be seen. Fortunately, his options being limited, he easily picked up on his location and his probable course of action.
"This isn't exactly the wisest thing you've ever done, Marth. And it's gonna cost you...dearly."
"Aether!"
Gaining access to another burst of strength, Ike threw his sword into the air, just as Marth leaped from the highest platform, hitting him directly and with perfect timing. Now caught on the blade, Marth was left helpless as Ike jumped up to grab it and send him crashing to the ground. Upon making contact with the ground, the mercernary wasted no time in lifting his sword above his head and building up energy in its blade, just as Marth had done. Marth, who was picking himself off the ground, was unaware of these actions and looked up in horror as the amount of raw power that Ike had collected caused him to give off a red hue. Knowing that, at this point, the attack was unavoidable and his shield would only be shattered if he attempted to project it, Marth closed his and braced himself as best he could. The technique, known as Eruption, caused the point where Ike's blade contacted the ground to burst into flames from the pressure built up in the attack. Sending Marth's damage count well beyond seventy points, the attack completely demolished any chances he had of a comeback, sending him soaring from one end of the arena and past the opposing Blast Line in an almost instantaneous motion.
"Game! The winner is...Ike!"
While some members of the audience felt disappointment at Marth's defeat, the entire population was equally pleased with the performance of both brawlers, many of them giving the pair a standing ovation, including Zelda and Peach. Returning his sword to its sheath, Ike waved around the stadium before walking over to Marth as he was brought back onto the stage. After a moment's hesitation, he dropped to one knee and lowered his head.
"I hope there are no hard feelings, Your Majes-"
He was cut short as Marth placed his hand in front of his face, held in a pose that asked for his own hand in return. Letting a smile form across his face, he gladly received it and stood back up.
"I told you, Ike. I hold no authority over you here. There's no need for that."
As they walked back inside together, they carried on this conversation.
"Besides, I feel you've done me a favor."
"And how's that?"
"Well, now I have a chance to watch the rest of the matches. And..."
He looked behind him and towards the balcony as he continued.
"I'll probably be able to get a decent seat."
Ike couldn't help but let out a chuckle at this.
"Oh, so now your status comes into play here."
Last edited:
