The Final Game: Chapter 1

The Final Game

Chapter 1: Introductions

Our story begins with a scene of four cloaked and hooded figures, running through the pouring rain of a deadly storm, traveling light, hidden from view by the darkness of the night. Suddenly a shout from one of the cloaked figures pierced the air.
"PARAKOOPAS!"
Even as the warning breached the cloaked ones ears, a dozen red and green shelled flying Koopas began swooping down at the group. Immediately, each of the four hooded figures scattered in different directions, one turning around and leaping into the air to knock two of the winged turtles out of the sky. Another copied the first's attack patterns of jumping to knock them to the ground, while another crouched and began building up momentum in place, launching himself at the flying foes.
"If it's an aerial battle they want, I'll be more than happy to give it."
With those words, the fourth unfolded two black, dragon-like wings, taking to the air to prove his mastery of the sky. Oddly, the Parakoopas couldn't be denied their flight by the usual method of jumping on their shells.
"They've been physically reinforced with magic!" one of the jumpers shouted.
The other jumper glared angrily at the airborne Koopas, then called out to his flying comrade.
"Ryu! See if you can damage their wings! I'll take care of them once they're on the ground!"
Doing as he was instructed, Ryu, as the cloaked flyer was named, flew up behind one of the Parakoopas and snapped its wings hollow bones with a dive bomb, taking down the others quickly in the same way. The cloaked man who had called the attack stood over one of the fallen Koopas, and pulled back his fist as it started to glow, seeming to be aflame.
"Sayonara, turtle faced bastards. FLAME DRAGON!"
The cloaked figure flung his flaming fist toward the twelve downed Koopas, a dragon shaped wave of fire sweeping out from his hand, burning all but their shells to ashes. With that, the group hurried on their way, making shelter in a hidden cave, using a fire for light as one by one they took off their cloaks.
"Nice going back there. But wasn't that a little overkill for just a bunch of flying turtles? I'm sure with your experience fighting them, you could've taken them out in a more energy efficient way, right, Mario?"
The red clad plumber grinned, wringing out his drenched hat before replacing it on his head.
"I'm sure I could. But I didn't want to spend too much longer in that storm. You must've felt the same way, what with your extreme dislike of getting wet. Am I right, Sonic?"
The blue hedgehog laughed, shaking the water out of his blue spines. Mario covered his face from being drenched, wringing his hat out again, his grin turning to a look of worry as his gaze drifted off.
"I hope Luigi's okay. He's totally unfamiliar with your world and it's dangers."
Sonic punched the plumber's shoulder reassuringly.
"Hey, how do you think I feel, fighting freaking turtles and deformed walking mushrooms? Besides, your brother's got Knuckles with him. That stubborn echidna will keep an eye out for Luigi. Besides, with a mind like Tails' to keep them out of trouble, they'll be fine for a while."
Mario punched the blue hedgehogs shoulder in response, grinning again, turning to one of his comrades that stood away from the rest of the group near the cave entrance.
"Ryu! Come on over and warm up by the fire!"
The black Yoshi grunted in response, shaking the rain out of his wings and folding them neatly at his side, wandering over to the fire, sitting on the side opposite the other two, then looked suspiciously at Sonic.
"How do we know that your two comrades are trustworthy, hedgehog? We (he gestured to himself and Mario) hardly know anything of them."
The blue hedgehog stood up, slightly offended by the Yoshi's comment.
"First off, they're my friends, not comrades. Secondly, they are the two most trustworthy friends I know. Knuckles may be a fool at times, but Tails will reign him in since I can't."
With that, the blue hero sat back down.
"I mean no disrespect towards you or your friends, Sonic. I am simply concerned with Luigi's well being in a world unknown and hostile to him."
The three were silenced by the fourth of their group raising his hand, the only one who had no origin within either the Mushroom Kingdom nor Mobius. He lowered his hand, wrung out his orange hat like Mario had, and replaced it on his head. He was strangely dressed similarly to Mario, except for the initial on his hat. It was a bold, orange J.
"We need to make a plan of action."
(The scene shifts from the cave to deep within a dense forest, inside the hollow trunk of a huge tree on Mobius.)
Tails was busying himself with possible plans the group could consider for where to head tomorrow, while Knuckles was near the entrance to the shelter of the tree, gazing at the stars in the sky. From another small room, Luigi entered with a hot cup of tea, sitting himself near Tails, feeling somewhat alienated by his other two companions, as he had never known of them or met them. Now, here he was, in their world, one completely new and strange to him, wishing his older brother, Mario, was there with him. The silence was finally broken by Knuckles as he turned in the entryway towards the other two.
"Luigi, right?"
The green plumber nodded, relieved that someone was at least breaking the tension he felt between him and his traveling companions. The red echidna grunted in response, leaning against the wall.
"I've heard about you through Sonic, the blue hedgehog you saw earlier, who heard about you through your brother."
Luigi grinned and nodded, remembering his brother telling him about the stories he had often exchanged with the blue hedgehog, although he had never met Sonic until recently. Tails, however, who had stopped working on his plans and was listening intently to the conversation, looked confused.
"But Knuckles, I thought Sonic and Luigi's brother, Mario, were sworn enemies?"
Knuckles and Luigi laughed before the echidna guardian answered.
"More like war buddies, Tails. You see, they were just on different sides of a conflict, but they have great respect for one another. They secretly helped each other in combat without arousing suspicion from their leaders."
Luigi took over, smiling and sipping his tea as he spoke.
"After Mario's superiors turned their attention to more immediate threats, he and Sonic often met to exchange battle stories, talk about their adventures, and even though it wasn't often, asking each other for advice."
Tails couldn't picture Sonic asking anyone for advice, let alone Mario. Unsure of what to say, he changed the subject.
"Luigi, was your world in trouble before we were all met at the Gateway?" (The Gate that allows travel between the MK and Mobius, accessible only by a special warp pipe in the Star World or chaos control using the Master Emerald)
The green clad Italian's grin quickly disappeared. Luigi looked down at his feet, thinking back on all the destruction that had happened before he, Mario and Ryu had left. He cringed thinking of what kind of state his world was in now. Silently, he nodded, then stood up, setting his tea down and excused himself, wandering out of the safety of the tree. Tails and Knuckles looked at one another and shrugged. Outside, Luigi wandered around and sat himself near a giant mushroom, looking up at the stars, thinking about his brother wishing he was with him. The green plumber wanted to tell his brother that all that was happening, all that was going wrong in the Mushroom Kingdom, was probably his fault. Angrily he voiced who he believed to be behind the horrors happening in his world.
"Mr. L..."
Something moved in the brush nearby, and within seconds, the green hero was on his feet, his thunderhand crackling with electricity.
"WHO'S THERE?!"
After a few minutes of silence, Luigi relaxed and started back toward the refuge of the tree, unaware that he was being watched by a pair of red, glowing eyes from the shadows...