Chapter Text
Day 16
Smash Mansion
Residency Hall
700
Luigi had set an alarm for 730 hours, but instead, the plumber awoke with a start. Hearing the news from on high that he and Quinn would have a sit-down face-to-face interview filled him with anxiety he hadn’t felt in decades, making sleep a tough, sporadic endeavor. Sleeping for as long as he did in his last attempt would just mean being awoken by his alarm.
And waking her.
Daisy slept next to him, her arms splayed as wide as they could go, her chest going up and down as she snored softly.
As Luigi put on his usual outfit, he felt a pang of jealousy. What he would give to just stay in bed. But, he knew, she represented the reward at the end of the tunnel. All he’d have to do after the interview was tell her he wanted to lay in bed, and she would take him up on it.
Luigi closed the door as softly as he could, a spring in his step as he walked down the empty Residency Hall and down the stairs, where Mario waited for him.
“You ready?” was all he had to say.
“Much as I can be. Where’s-“
As if on cue, a portal opened, and Quinn stepped through.
“Am I late?” asked the Mii.
Mario shook his head, “Nah kid. Luigi just got here.”
Suddenly, Luigi realized what was going on, his eyes widening in understanding.
“You been training already Quinn?”
Quinn sighed nodding.
“Mama Mia,” Luigi shivered.
“Trust me, I’d rather not have, but I owed El Fuerte some time.”
“That’s the masked guy that was in the battle royal with you right?”
Quinn chuckled, covering his mouth. Slowly, he removed his hand cupped from his mouth, revealing that he was blushing.
“I know we’re all friends here, but it still strikes me as surreal from time to time.”
Luigi chuckled back, laying a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
“Reminds me of how I felt when Mario first started seeing Peach. I mean, how often does a fella making 35k a year end up with royalty you know?”
“How long did it take you to get over it?”
“Decades.”
Quinn nodded enthusiastically, “So I’m not an idiot.”
“You are absolutely not,” Luigi said.
“Alright,” Mario blurted, “Let’s head out.”
The plumber in red quickly entered a code, and another portal opened leading to a TV studio. The three entered in lockstep, the portal closing behind them. Cait Sith flounced up to them.
“Hello hello,” chirped the cat, “We ready to go?”
“Yep,” Luigi nodded, “What kind of coffee are we havin’?”
“Starbeans! It’s almost Gift Day around here, and they threw a lot of Gil my way to plug their peppermint coffee.”
“Fair enough,” Luigi and Quinn said simultaneously.
“All that’s left to do is get you to the green room and bring you down when we’re ready.”
30 minutes later
Quinn hated the “hurry up and wait” life of a celebrity. The bright side was he could find a way to work out. The Mii lay in the center of the room, a complimentary breakfast completely untouched in the throws of a sit-up routine.
“497, 498, 499, 500!” he counted.
Just as he did, a knock was heard at the door.
“You’re on in five,” a Wire Frame called.
He followed the Wire Frame to the curtain. Cait Sith’s singsong voice rang out.
“Lovely citizens of Smash City, we have the main event, the sit-down interview with two of the three semi-finalists, Quinn Marmaduke and Luigi Mario!”
Overly happy music beckoned them from separate curtains on opposite sides of the stage. They took seats on the opposite sides of the coffee table, two steaming cups of coffee waiting for them.
“Welcome to the show lads,” Cait chirped, “As you were briefed beforehand, our coffee today is a cup of Starbeans peppermint. As a way of breaking bread, we take the first swig together. Cheers boys.”
Luigi and Quinn clinked their glasses together each taking a sip. Both men glanced at each other, shrugging.
“Not your cup of tea…er…coffee, is it?” Cait laughed.
“Not a coffee guy,” Quinn said.
“I take mine black usually,” Luigi added.
“Alright lads, let's talk motivation. What would you say is gettin’ ye through?”
“The people of Sarasaland. They’ve always been close to my heart, but now, I’m set to be king, so it’s a little more serious ya know?”
Quinn and Cait nodded, the cat snapping his gaze to Quinn, who rubbed his chin in thought.
“Like, obviously,” Quinn said, taking a sip of coffee, “A motivation for me is making Rosalina proud, but I also stand for the guys and gals of the Brawler School who got caught up in all of this.”
“Yeah, Daisy’s been the biggest change for me,” Luigi added, “I think when she wasn’t in the Mansion, I was pining for when I could get out of there and hang with her. Lucky for you, you fell in love with a gal here.”
“What do you mean?” snapped Quinn.
“Just, a social life and Smash is a lot to juggle, but when your social life is Smash, it’s just a lot easier.”
Quinn gave a slow, unconvinced nod as he took yet another sip of coffee.
“What do ye think ye have that the other doesn’t?” Cait asked.
“I don’t think I have anything that Quinn doesn’t, but he has something I don’t.”
“What’s that Luigi?” asked Cait.
“Time,” Luigi explained.
Quinn tilted down his sunglasses to look Luigi in the eye, “What’s that?”
“You’re a fighter, and clearly, you get how this works,” Luigi explained, “It’s no coincidence that you and Hart are both semi-finalists. You’ll be at or near the top-a the mountain as many more tournaments as there are. When you step down, whatever lucky kid you train’ll be at the top-a the mountain. This is lightning in a bottle, with Daisy here, but before I become king. This is the best shot I have to prove to the world I’m just as good as Mario. I’m treatin’ it like this is my last shot.”
“I don’t think I have infinite shots,” Quinn shouted, “Hart lost an eye for this.”
“I was there! We all were!” Luigi insisted.
“Then you should know better than to say that. Regardless of my opponent’s sunny outlook on life, I’ll take my place at the top of the mountain while I have the opportunity. You stand for your people, sure, but I stand for all the Miis whose family just got their family upended because a bunch of them decided to join up with a megalomaniac.”
Luigi took a sip of coffee, “Yeah, that was ignorant of me. But you have time to cement your legacy, I’ve got to do it now. Now’s the time.”
Quinn stood, “If repairing my broken family means I have to make it look like the emperor has no clothes, I’m gonna do that.”
“You’re welcome to try,” Luigi growled, standing up himself.
The furry paws of a Moogle landed on each man’s shoulder,
“Let’s settle it down gentlemen,” Cait said.
The two sat. Quinn, extended a hand.
“I’ve gotta do what I’ve gotta do, but if I lose, I’m glad it’s to you.”
Luigi shook it, “Yeah, same.”
“We’ve got to go to commercial. Stay tuned because up next, how to buy a good waterproof gift for the Zora in your life,”
Happy music played as all three looked at the camera.
“And we’re in commercial,” said an unseen director.
Quinn gulped down the rest of the coffee, “Thanks for the joe”
Quinn stood, opening a portal behind him, stepping backward into it as closed.
“So, where are you headed?” Cait asked, dropping the Cait Sith voice.
Luigi rubbed his temples, “Bed,”
Cait laughed, “Don’t blame ye. Enjoy it, and have a good round. Me and the gang don’t care who wins, we just hope Sephiroth gets beat.”
“I understand,” Luigi nodded, “We’re both gonna try our hardest.”
With another nod, Luigi opened a portal of his own to the Smash Mansion foyer.