As soon as the trio of heroes stepped through the door, it immediately disappeared behind them. Looking around, they found themselves somewhere deep in outer space atop a giant ship. Finding Link's cap to somewhat itchy on his scalp, Kirby expelled the power star and returned to normal.
"W-where are we now?" Kirby hiccuped.
"Somewhere in space, I guess." Mario blinked.
"Space?" Link rested his grip on the hilt of his sword. "You mean, beyond the stars?"
"Yup." the plumber replied.
The sound of a roaring crowd could be heard all around them, but the source was nowhere in sight. As Link walked cautiously toward the back of the ship, something suddenly shot the ground in front of him. He jumped back immediately, drawing his sword without hesitation.
"What is it?" asked Mario.
"Look up there!" Kirby pointed upward.
The three of them looked up to see that they were not alone. There stood a fox in pilot's attire, pointing a gun at them. He growled, showing the pointed fangs in his mouth.
"Take another step," said the fox. "and next time, I won't miss!"
"Who are you!?" Link demanded.
"Fox McCloud." the stranger replied. "I take it you three are my first opponents."
"Opponents?" Kirby blinked. "Well, yeah, I guess you could call us that considering that we're all here for the tournament and--"
The puffball didn't get to finish his sentence. Fox fired another shot, sending Kirby flying backwards. For a moment, it seemed as though Kirby had fallen to his doom over the the edge of the ship, but then his pink, bloated form came hovering back, flapping his arms frantically to gain the necessary altitude. He landed safely and caught his breathe.
"Kirby!" Link cried.
"Are you ok, paizzano?" asked Mario.
"I've been better..." Kirby sighed.
Link turned to Fox and glared angrily.
"What's the big idea, fuzzball!?" the Hylian gripped his weapon tighter.
"The 'idea' is to take out your opponents before you're taken out yourself." Fox took a few steps forward. "That's the whole point of a tournament!"
"A little warning that it's started would've been nice!" Link shouted back.
"When it starts isn't mine to say." Fox adjusted his helmet with his gun. "And for your information, the announcer just said 'Go!'"
"How come we didn't hear it?" Mario grumbled.
"Probably 'cause you guys were too busy talking." Fox muttered.
"All we heard was a crowd cheering," said Kirby, glancing around. "Even though there isn't one in sight."
"You noticed that too." Fox lowered his weapon and peeked upwards for a moment. "I'll tell ya, this place is weird!"
"That's putting it lightly!" said Mario. "Speaking of which, where are we?"
"Looks to me like a replica my ship." Fox explained. "Except there's no way to get into the cockpit, and the only way around is here on top of it. Of course, we could always jump off, but it's a loooooong way down!"
"I noticed!" Kirby remarked.
"Well, if you guys are ready," Fox scratched the back of his head nonchalantly. "I'd personally like to get this tournament done and over with. Slippy wanted to show me some new gadget of his and this fake of my ship gives me the creeps."
"Yeah, the fakes of our worlds didn't exactly thrill us either." Link adjusted his cap.
"So let me get this straight." Kirby plopped himself down on the ground. "We beat the crap out of each other with our own natural talents in order to progress to the end of the tournament?"
"That sounds about right." said Fox.
"That stinks." Link remarked. "Now that I've gotten to know you guys, I don't feel like fighting."
"Me neither." added Mario.
"Same for me." Kirby chipped in.
"Count me in on that one!" Fox put his gun away. "So, where are you guys from?"
While they were talking, the Master Hand appeared suddenly from out of nowhere and attacked them. It swept them clean off their feet and nearly off the Arwing platform. They struggled to get to their feet and prepared to fight.
"What is that thing?" Fox growled.
"Some whacked-out hand that attacked the three of us earlier!" Mario answered, charging up a fireball.
"What's it want?" Fox whipped out his laser and took aim.
"I don't know, but it sure isn't friendly!" Link reached for his boomerang.
The Master Hand curled into a fist and punched down hard on the Arwing, toppling everyone over. As they ambled to their feet, the hand reached out at them and managed to snag Fox in its grip.
"HELP!!" Fox howled. He fired repeatedly into the gloved attacker, but it did little more than cause it to flinch.
The Master Hand hand began to glow with an eerie light. Fox felt his fur standing on end; somehow, the hand was charging up with electricity, and Fox struggled to free himself before any voltage could surge through him.
Meanwhile, the others were pelting the hand with a barrage of their unique attacks. The Master Hand's glow shifted from an electric blue to a shade of firey red. Link, Mario, and Kirby could only watch in horror as countless volts of electricity were sent through their new friend's body. Fox howled a blood-curdling scream as the energy surged painfully through him. Then, having done seemingly enough damage, the Master Hand released his hold of Fox, dropping him to the platform limp and lifeless before disappearing once again.
Seeing that the danger was passed, the others ran over to Fox's side to see if he was ok. Kirby slapped his face several times in hopes of reviving him while Link touched his neck, looking for a pulse. Mario lifted him into a sitting position. After a few moments, they were relieved to hear Fox growling weakly.
"Fox! Are you all right?" asked Link.
Without warning, Fox pulled his arms against himself before roughly smacking the others away. He got to his feet, clenching his fists angrily and his tail switching in an irritated manner. When he opened his eyes to glare at them, they were glowing a blank white.
"Fox?" Kirby blinked nervously.
"Hey, Fox." Mario stepped forward cautiously. "Are you ok?"
Before anyone could blink, Fox drew his laser and pointed it directly at them. It was obvious his finger was itching to pull the trigger, and pull it he did. If Mario hadn't jumped back and out of the way, the shot would have hit him.
"Fox!" Mario yelled. "What's with you!?"
"I don't think he's on our side anymore!" Link hissed as poised himself for battle.
"The hand must've turned him against us!" said Kirby.
Fox just stood there with his weapon drawn. At this close range, he would not miss a second time. At this point, it was either fight or fry.
~~~~~~~~~
This is Chapter 5. Where would you like to go next?
