I was… confused when I looked at the bracket, to say the least. You’d always think these were simple formations, a pyramid going upwards. But I saw only four teams at the wider end representing the first round, with two more popping in at the second. There was also a whole other bracket portrayed next to it, though it was labeled ‘Losers’ bracket,’ without any names filled in. I think I’ve seen these in use before, come to think of it. I’ve never played in or watched a full tournament or anything, but I felt somewhat familiar with what I was looking at.
“Alright, just to explain things.” Nora’s brother started talking again. “Because there’s six teams, not four or eight, the bracket has to look a bit weird at the start.”
He pointed at one of the teams that were only labeled on the second round, ‘Lexie & Dylan.’ “That means that two teams are gonna be skipping round one. That’s Lex and Dill on one end here…” He then points at the other end, at the other team that’s skipping the first round. “Dave and Jacob over here.”
I look closer at the two matches that we’d be starting off with. One was Jake and Nora (Oh, so that’s his name) versus Will and Trent. Then Adrian and Penny (Yay, that’s us!) versus… Max and Kyle.
“Oh, and there’s also a loser’s bracket,” Jake continued. “So even if you lose, you're placed here somewhere and get a second chance. You rise through the ranks, and eventually you face off against the winner in the main bracket, and *that*’s gonna crown the winner, and the prize is…!”
Jake mimes a dramatic drum roll and shifts his gaze to Nora, who does a little ‘ahem.’ “Full-access badges to Phantasy-con.” She brings out two tickets from her pocket, showing them off. "Or Phan-con, depending on what you prefer calling it."
I hadn’t even bothered thinking about if there’d be a prize or anything, especially with our odds. Hell, this was a small enough thing that there didn't need to be one in the first place. But it made sense to have at least something as a motivator. Good thing that it’s not something too important. Just a local con that I wouldn’t be interested in. Though I guess some other people here would be.
Jake then claps his hands together. “But let’s get moving, this could take a while, and we’re supposed to clean things up after we’re done. Each match is a best set of three by the way, so every bracket’s gonna take at least ten minutes or so.”
I nodded. Makes sense. Hope things wouldn’t take too long, but I guess that’s why this wasn’t on a school night.
“But anyway, first match is…” Jake slams his hand on the poster again. “Adrian and Penny, and Max and Kyle!”
Oh.
Oh, we were first.
I saw two of the guys raise their fist, clearly excited to play.
It was the same two jerks from earlier. The ones who stereotyped and mansplained to me. Those two were Max and Kyle.
Of course this was how it would turn out.
I kept my cool as I took a seat. They were simple foldable chairs. Nothing comfy, but they got the job done. It’d be ridiculous, but I almost wished they’d brought a nice couch, or just my bed, where I usually sat whenever I played video games nowadays. Yeah, that’d be nice. Such luxuries were unfortunately not afforded to me at this time, but a girl could dream.
Adrian sat next to me, hunched a bit forward. We hadn’t even started yet man, think of your back.
Max and Kyle sat just as hunched on their own chairs a bit further away, with the projector between us. Those two, I personally think should hunch even further.
The game and projector had already been all set up, so nothing to do but select a fighter, and…
Wow, I’d forgotten how many characters this thing had.
It’s a feature I usually appreciated, but in a moment like this, I honestly felt intimidated. I see Jake had purchased all the DLC too…
A part of me just wanted to go with one of the characters I was familiar with, but… What would Penny pick? What would someone new at this pick? Fuck it, I’ll just ask Adrian.
“So, um…” I start. “Got any advice on characters?”
He glanced at me, then looked at the big screen. “Well… it’s a matter of preference really, though I guess some are easier to handle…” Was all he said.
Wow, no help? Not even a followup on that? Not like I could give a better answer myself if someone asked me, but still... Some were obviously better, but I knew a lot depended on personal playstyle and preference.
I looked back at the screen. Max and Kyle had already chosen Captain Falcon and Ganondorf respectively. One fast, one slow, though both known to be heavy hitters. Adrian quickly settled on Robin, which figured. I already knew that was his best character. He hasn’t changed there.
Hold on, maybe I could make an excuse here to do the same.
“Hey, she looks cool! I’ll try her! Lukina!” I say out loud, intentionally mispronouncing her name.
“Lucina, actually.” Adrian quickly corrects.
“Lucina!” I repeat.
I spot Max and Kyle giving each other a look on the other side, smirking. Did I just make myself look like an idiot?
No, focus. Nevermind those jerks, who cares what they think?
Having selected my character, someone uses their controller to start the match.
…As the loading screen played however, I heard Adrian quickly start speaking. “Most of your normal stuff is basic sword attacks. Use up-b if you’re about to fall off the map, neutral-b to break shields, and down-b to counter. That one’s a free hit back if you know an attack’s coming.”
“R-Right.” I answer. It was nice of him to help, though with the speed of the loading screen and what he’d said, I had little time to think. The match had already begun.
What followed was… interesting. Holding off on my instincts was hard in the first 10 seconds or so, but I got the hang of it. I intentionally made sure to move a bit slower, and letting some attacks hit me. I cleanly separated my finger from the dodge and shield buttons as well, and made sure never to perform a grab. Didn’t take long for one of my stocks (lives remaining) to go down with that strategy.
Aaaand my second, a minute or so later.
I tried to at least hold on a bit with my last one, but then they ganged up on me, and that was that. It felt almost embarrassing to lose this early, but maybe Adrian could handle things?
Nope, he couldn’t. A two against one was already tough, but Robin had a lot of ranged attacks, while Max and Kyle were playing close-combat fighters. He’d held onto his first stock for way longer than I did, but soon enough it fell.
“Wait, is Final Smash meter on?” I heard Lexie suddenly ask behind me.
“Huh?” Jake responded. “Oh, did I forget to mention that?”
I’d almost forgotten about that mechanic. It was cheap, though I guess it made sense to give access to super moves to any potential underdogs, if you were trying to make a public casual-friendly tournament. But that’s only if you survived long enough, the meter only filled up if you took and dealt hits, though I knew it also slowly filled just by staying alive passively. There was also the detail that it took a significant hit whenever you got KO'd. And with Adrian having just lost his first stock...
Like clockwork, Ganondorf started glowing, and used his final smash right as Robin had been pushed to the edge for an easy KO. A short while later, Falcon used the same cheap trick to put an end to Adrian’s final stock.
The first game was over.
Sheesh, that one really was a curbstomp. Adrian had at some point taken one stock off of Falcon, but otherwise? I mean I guess I should have expected this outcome with the playstyle I was going for, but still…
Adrian groaned.
“Hey, it’s okay.” I tried to encourage. “We have another shot.”
I wondered if those words would just fall on deaf ears, but he dimly smiled back at me anyway. “Yeah…”
The second game started, and this time, I had a bit of a plan. Sure, they could just thrash us easily again, but knowing we had final smashes, an idea had formed.
Lucina’s final smash was one of the more unique ones. While most characters activated some sort of cinematic or launched a huge attack on the opponent that dealt a lot of damage, hers was a pure insta-kill. A one-hit KO. It was quick, you had to be accurate and precise, but landing it was guaranteed to take a stock. If I survived long enough, took enough hits on my own, I could land a ‘lucky’ strike on one of them right when it’s the most convenient. It’s not like it’s a consistent thing I can do, but it’s an easy adjustment to my strategy that could help Adrian out. One that I could still pass off as a rookie move too, for that matter.
The second match started off the same, naturally. It didn't take long for me to lose a stock, though I did try harder to survive after that. They landed several more hits on me even as Lucina returned to the field, but eventually the two shifted their focus a bit more to Adrian, which allowed me to stay alive for a bit longer. Suddenly, Adrian landed a lucky attack on Ganondorf and took him out. The score just got a bit more even, and a fresh Ganondorf with no damage dealt to him was about to land on the stage, and Lucina’s meter was almost full…
I intentionally move myself into a position, and get myself hit by one of their attacks. That did it! Lucina’s glowing, I can use her ultimate attack.
“O-Oh, what do I do? How do I do the thing?” I start saying out loud, trying to pass off my upcoming move.
I hear voices behind me, as well as Adrian’s. “B! B! Hit B!”
I waited, waited… Max and Kyle’s characters were focusing on attacking Adrian, and even if they were moving, if I hit it just right, the hitbox should…
I pressed B, and before anyone can think, Lucina flies across the screen, and hits Ganondorf. In an instant, he’s knocked all the way straight past the edge and the screen, and he’s wiped. Now he just had one stock left, while I still had two, and Falcon and Robin had three. By my count, we were actually in the lead for once.
“Hey! Just one left! Just one left!” I call out in my excitement.
I’m still playing an overall passive game, but I at least focus my attacks on Ganondorf, and Adrian does the same. Falcon knocks me out in the meanwhile, but that’s fine, Adrian’s still doing some work, and I have one more stock. Ganondorf is a slow fighter, I assumed my partner should be able to handle him.
Eventually Adrian’s own final smash came up, and before you know it, Ganondorf was toast.
But before I could celebrate the state of the game devolving to a 2v1 in our favor, Captain Falcon started glowing, and against all odds, his attack hit both of us at the same time. Neither of us had been able to react quick enough. We were both already close to losing our stocks, so that was enough to take us both out in one fell swoop.
I sighed, letting go of my controller now that I was out. That was really the flaw with turning the final smash meters on. Sure, super attacks were fun and could make things more fair or interesting, but in an actual match you’d just suddenly reach a point where they come flying one after another.
Still, Adrian had two stocks left. His opponent had three, but he was at a high enough damage so that it shouldn't be hard to bring things to an equal ground. They still technically had the lead, but it wasn't anywhere near as bad as the 2v1 thrashing that happened last game.
The match was getting stressful to watch. I realized we might actually win this one if Adrian pulled through.
Come on, just one game…
…But it was not meant to be.
It was incredibly close, an even playing field and everything. But with one stock still left, at high damage, Captain Falcon won.
Max and Kyle high-fived over on the other side.
I rested my head on my palm, as Adrian just sighed. I was keeping my cool, pretending not to let it bother me, but I could tell my partner was frustrated. It sucked, we really almost had them.
“Hey, it was still fun.” I tell him, reaching a hand out.
He looks at me for a moment, and then stands up. “Yeah… I guess.” He doesn't smile. It's alright, I was a bit bitter too.
“Alright, that’s the end of the first match!” Jake called out. “Next up… Nora and I against Will and Trent.”
Adrian and I move to the side, near the crowd. I note that a snack table had also been set up in the meanwhile, which I guess was something for the people who would be stuck waiting. There was a piece of paper stickied in front of it, ‘No getting the controllers dirty! Wash your hands!’ with an angry face.
The next match soon started, but frankly I was too mentally exhausted to spectate, so I retreated to the snack table away from the noise for now. I mentally checked out for a bit, though Adrian came up eventually and started scrolling on his phone, while occasionally grabbing something from a bowl.
“...So, how are you holding up?” He suddenly asked. “You… enjoying the game, or whatever?”
…That was a tough question. “Umm, yeah! Seems fun!” I answer with a smile.
He nods. “Good, good… Sorry, it still feels awkward for me, dragging you into something like this. I've been worried you’d just hate being here. Especially with how things were always gonna go.”
I can understand why he’d think that. I’d probably feel weird and guilty too, were I in his shoes. “I mean, just cuz it’s complicated and we’re not winning, doesn’t mean I’d have to have a bad time.”
“True,” Adrian looks back at me, with a small smile. “Though we almost had them there, didn’t we?”
I nod, “Seriously! You did great!”
“You also got some hits in,” He pointed out.
“Yeah, but I suck.” I laughed. “I just get lucky sometimes. You’re the one doing the work.”
“Hey, it’s good for a newbie.” He corrects me. “Really, I mean it, you’re not bad.”
I let out an awkward chuckle to pass off the compliment, “Thanks, I guess…”
The conversation ended there, and I was left to mull over my thoughts. I appreciated his words, that compliment, but I knew it was a bit hollow. I was kinda *trying* to suck, so if anything I felt bad for my gameplay. Still, I liked hearing it. Even if I was lying and trying to fake my skill level, he was being considerate. He'd always been like that, even back when we usually played together…
After some more time, I was caught off guard by a person’s voice.
“Hey, Penny!” I suddenly heard next to me. It was Lexie. How did I not even hear her come up to me? “That was exciting to watch! You two did so good!”
“Thanks.” I tell her with a smile. I don’t know how much I could buy that when we lost so badly, but it’s nice to hear. I can tell Adrian’s preoccupied with his phone behind me, so I nudge him with my elbow.
His face perked up, noticing Lexie and the conversation that had evidently just started between me and her. His mouth was still munching on something from the snack table. “Oh, hey.” He swallowed real quick.
“You know, we never got the chance to introduce ourselves and our partners!” Lexie continued. Pulling on a sleeve behind her that I somehow hadn’t noticed was even there, she continued, “This is Dylan!”
Apparently he had been facing the other way for some reason, because it’s only after Lexie tugged on his sleeve earlier that he finally turns to face us. He has a pretty vacant stare, hiding under some black bangs. I look at him, but it just feels like he’s only looking past me or something. “Umm… hey.”
…Okay. A man of few words. “Nice to meet you, I’m Penny! My teammate here is Adrian!” I tug on his sleeve behind me as well. An unneeded gesture since he was already paying attention, but a fun one.
“Hey!” He calls me out, though he turns his head back forwards to face the other two. “Uhh, yeah. Nice to meet you, I guess.”
Dylan nodded, "Umm, yeah. Same..." His eyes then proceeded to drift towards the game being played in the meanwhile. I guess I shouldn’t question that. Some people are more socially awkward than others.
Lexie on the other hand just continued, not minding her friend’s attention span. “Don't mind him! He's just like that, especially to people he just met! We’ve actually been friends for ages, and we started playing the game all the way back in elementary! We’ve always wanted to try something like this out, you know?! We were super excited to see someone was trying to set things up!” She explained quickly and excitedly.
“Um, yeah, I’ve been looking forward to trying this out too.” I replied. Would it be too awkward to mention my specific circumstances here?
“She’s never played it before in her life.” Adrian casually interjected.
Well, nevermind then.
Lexie gasped. “Woah, really? I thought you were doing pretty well for a new player.”
I cracked an awkward smile. “What can I say? I guess I’m pretty adaptable.” I turn my head to look at Adrian. “It helps that someone made sure to explain things to me before we started.”
“Hm,” Adrian added with a nod and not much else.
“He’s the real genius on the team. He gets all the credit.” I add.
“Well then I’m looking forward to seeing your next game!” Lexie smiled. “Put the genius to good use, okay?!”
“...Hey, Lex.” Dylan suddenly spoke up, turning to look at her. “Think we’re about to be up soon.”
Lexie gasps, “Oh! Really? Well gosh, we’ll catch you guys later!”
For the second time tonight, I don’t even get a chance to say goodbye when she leaves. Dylan leaves too, of course, but it almost looks like she has to drag the poor guy. Sometimes you just look at two wildly different people and wonder how they get along. Felt like a mystery.
Glancing back at Adrian, I guess one would probably think the same about the two of us. At least, based on appearance. But then again, that person wouldn’t know a part of the reason that drove us together, initially.
Jake and Nora had at some point beat Will and Trent. I’d hate to discount two guys I barely even knew, but somehow that tracked to me. Jake was the guy hosting this, I assume he knew the game pretty well.
By the time I was paying attention to things again, Max and Kyle were deep into a game with the other two guys I didn’t know. What were their names again? They seemed on more even ground, since they'd both won a game each and were now on their third.
You know, it was kinda fun to watch, particularly as the jerks lost that final match in the end. I heard them say something about how it was because they already played two games against us earlier and were exhausted. Wow, maybe complainers are just naturally bad at games because they weren't designed for them? I kid, I kid.
The match after that was Jake and Nora against Lexie and Dylan, the latter pair would be playing for the first time finally. I was curious to see how that one would turn out. The chosen fighters were Incineroar and Inkling on the host’s end, Pikachu and Villager on the other.
It was an interesting game to watch. Inkling and Pikachu were fast, Incin knew how to pack a punch, and Villager… It was one of those characters I never got the hang of. A lot of traps, ranged attacks, they’re especially annoying to fight against. Though I had to say, it felt like something else seeing them at work like this. So… calculated.
I shifted my glance to Dylan, who was playing the character. He sat completely still, eyes laser focused on the screen in front of him. Honestly? Looking at him like that, I’m kinda terrified of ever having to seriously play him in a game.
The first match ended in a victory for the duo, a well-executed combo removing Incineroar from the field.
The second game I thought would end similarly, but Jake clutched out a good hit on Pikachu, leaving him and his sister to overwhelm Dylan.
The third game… was really close. But in the end, Jake and Nora eked out the win.
Jake stood up and high-fived his sister, while Lexie stood up and dramatically held her head with her hands. “NOOOO! We almost had them! So clooooose!” She groaned.
In complete contrast, all Dylan did was let out a sigh. “Sucks, but we still have a chance…”
Moving on, with that game done and 4 teams having lost, the first round of the loser’s bracket could finally be filled out. On one end was Will and Trent vs Lexie and Dylan, on the other… me and Adrian vs Max and Kyle? Again?
“Hey… aren’t these usually set up to prevent repeats?” Adrian asked.
Honestly, I was thinking the same. Again I’d never been in a tournament or anything before, but I’m pretty sure loser’s brackets shouldn’t be designed like this. One of the other pairs would make more sense.
“Huh?” Jake responded with confusion, looking back at me and Adrian, and then back at the bracket. “...Ehh, it’ll be fine. You just have a rematch. Anyone objecting to the current bracket?” He called out to the rest of us.
I mean, I didn’t object, and neither did Adrian or anyone else. If anything, I’d be down for another chance to get back at them, but also… weren’t we just going to lose again?
...Game one of this rematch did not go in our favor. Sure, I could try to cheese with Lucina’s final smash again, but I could tell they were being more wary of it. They underestimated me before, but now they’d just get cautious the moment Lucina started glowing. It was frustrating.
Comparatively, it’s not like Adrian did that great himself. In hindsight, it was probably a bad idea to play the ranged fighter when your partner was supposedly inexperienced and couldn't be expected to hold their own. He was still good at the game and effective at dealing hits, it’s just hard to solo with Robin of all characters. The moment my stocks are gone, our opponents can gang up on him freely.
I huffed when Max and Kyle finally took the victory. The game felt like hitting a brick wall. A part of me wondered how better we’d fare if I started trying a bit more and using the dodge/shield buttons, but… Even then, what would I even do? I've never felt like I was any particularly skilled. Even when I played regularly, Adrian beat me like 70-80% of the time, with me usually only beating his weaker characters. Loathe as I am to admit, I was worried those two might actually have more experience than me.
Come to think of it, this whole situation honestly reminded me of when we played co-op games together, back in the day. When we get stuck on a boss or level sometimes and had to deal with frustration. I wish there was just this easy fix to handle them and win, like in that one beat-em up, where the first boss crumbled the moment we started-
…Wait, could we try something that simple?
“Psst! Adrian!” I called out to my partner sitting next to me, before the next game could start.
We both crouched our heads down, and he looked at me curiously.
“I got an idea!” I told him. “You know that uhh… spinny dark move your guy can do?”
He cocked an eyebrow, confused at my suggestion. “Nosferatu?”
I nodded. It was one of Robin’s spell attacks, where he traps his opponent in place and drains a bit of their health. “Yeah! And you know how my super move is like, super duper strong?”
Adrian nods, seemingly listening. “It’s a one-hit KO.” Suddenly, something in his eyes perked up. He probably knew what I was going to suggest.
“Next time I can use my thing, you can use your thing to keep them stuck for a second!” I explained, hoping he’d understand despite my lack of specific wording.
My partner’s eyes drift, thinking. “...I could probably get the same job done with Arcfire, or one of the stronger Thunder spells…” His lips widen to a dastardly grin as he meets my eyes again. “Oh, that’s devious. That’s sick.”
Devious indeed, I was mirroring his expression with a grin just as mischievous. Here we were, cooking up a scheme like some evil villains. I could almost cackle out loud at our geniusness!
I mean, it was just a simple combo maneuver we were planning, but it'd be an effective one if it worked. It was kinda cheesy, but who cares? I liked cheese.
Though before we could start, Adrian continued, “Do you really think you can do it though? This relies on you actually landing the hit, maybe even in the air. And it's not like I could trap or stunlock one of them for longer than a second or two.”
I paused, “...I think I can. I mean, I’ve used it a few times, it’s just jumping and hitting a button.” I answered. Frankly, it’d still be a bit tricky even if I fully tried, but I just had to focus when the time came. They’d be too distracted running away from Lucina and trying to psyche me out when I have the meter filled. The moment Robin catches one of them, I quickly position myself and strike.
Adrian seemed unsure of my response, but he nodded.
And so we started up the second game. It was now or never.
It started out like all the others did, with both of them using that one down-b kick attack. Those two genuinely, every single time, started with the exact same move, and I was only now noticing. Okay, maybe these guys were more beatable than I thought.
I did my best to stay alive, as I did in the other games. I tried to be subtle about it, mostly by jumping, but I realized it had gotten easier to see what was coming and avoid it. I still got hit plenty of times, but I was also returning a few blows with the occasional tilt or air attack. Adrian was doing even better, landing plenty of attacks with only a couple of blows on him in return.
Finally, just like before, a normal smash attack took out Ganondorf, and I noticed my meter was almost full. It actually benefitted playing the punching bag, I was pretty sure getting hit filled it better than dishing it. Just a couple of seconds more…
Soon enough, it was time. The final smash was locked and loaded, and both opponents started avoiding me like the plague. They were playing with their aerial momentum, trying to psyche me out, like I thought. But with Adrian unbothered, he positioned himself, and…
The next second passed like a blur. The moment I saw Robin crouch to use Nosferatu, I took aim. I hit the button, and Ganondorf was out.
I gasped out loud when it happened.
“Focus!” Adrian reminded me.
Right, right.
I think Adrian was trying to correct the mistake we made in that previous game, as this time, he immediately directed his focus on Captain Falcon, even though Ganondorf was on his last stock. I ended up bothering him in the meanwhile, but I didn’t last long, finally losing my first stock in the process.
Still, as if by miracle, Robin landed a lucky hit, that in one fell swoop both took out Falcon and filled his own final smash meter. So in an instant, he turned around to unleash it on Ganondorf before anyone could even think.
Holy shit, we were actually going to win.
Ganondorf wasn’t quite dead yet after that, but the lead was big enough to the point there wasn’t going to be any comeback. While Robin took a hit that finally lost him his first stock, it only took a few more attacks for Ganon to fully bite the dust. Even if Adrian handled most of the 2v1 that followed, I was actually able to provide decent support just by being there and getting the occasional hit in. I was still holding back, but it didn’t matter at this point.
We took the second game.
Adrian immediately stood up and pumped his fists upwards! “Yes!”
“We did it!” I let out, almost ready to do the same. We'd lost three games in a row so far, and now we finally won one! It was almost hard to believe!
I couldn’t help but notice our opponents grunting on the other end however. “Ugh, yeah whatever.” Max went. “It’s just one game, we’ll wreck you this next one like all the other times.”
“Oh, you’re on!” Adrian responds, pointing aggressively. “We’ll just see about that!”
I let out a quick little chuckle. It was nice seeing Adrian finally amped up, when we’d been losing all evening so far. “Yeah, you guys… are gonna suck it!” That’s the best insult I can come up with. I’m still working on my trash talk, okay? Nevertheless, Adrian turned back to me to offer a high-five, so I had someone's approval.
The third game didn't start quite as smoothly, but it was still leaving me at the edge of my seat. I lost a stock before I could try for a final smash, but at around the same time Robin somehow managed to dodge one from Captain Falcon. Despite my initial hiccup, we managed to pull off the same Nosferatu trick again from before, albeit a bit later.
But things could only go so well. Losing my second stock, the two went and focused all their attacks on Robin. I tried to support, and Robin certainly didn’t go down fighting, but they were quick to bring him down to one left. Max and Kyle likewise had a stock each by this point. The match could end at any time. It was a scramble, but before I knew it, Robin had landed a killing blow on Ganondorf. However, in that instant, right as one player was launched from the ring, Falcon hit Robin with that one stupid knee attack, and suddenly…
Two players left.
...Fuck.
I try to lightly maneuver a bit with my jumps, but Falcon’s fast. I could probably stall and wait for my final smash meter to fill, since it was getting close, but landing the hit in a 1v1 with no one to distract my opponent would be tricky. Again, Falcon was fast, actually hitting him was going to be tough whatever you tried.
Lucina was practically at death’s door, every hit was already sending her flying. Smashing Lucina into the ground, Falcon decided to jump. Still in the air, he turned around, and readied his fist.
I recognized it. The reverse aerial falcon punch. The normal grounded punch was already his strongest move, but the damage was multiplied if the attack started while he was in the air, as well as if he turned around in the middle of the animation. Doing both at the same time was easily telegraphed, but even stronger. As he readied it, Lucina was still just about to do her ‘get up’ animation after being knocked down. Almost any attack could have ended her, but he was going for the strongest trick in his arsenal for no other reason but just to earn style points, it was pure disrespect. The cocky bastard wanted to end the game with that move of all things just to show off and look cool.
Time felt like it had frozen, for that second. Right as Lucina was up and able to react to inputs, Falcon had touched the ground, and was less than half a second from hitting my fighter.
Adrian shouted, “Counter! Down-!”
But I had already made the input by the time his voice rang out. Despite him trying to ‘tell me’ about it before we started, I hadn’t used Lucina’s Counter the entire evening. But in that split second, I reacted and used it as easily as I breathed. If she’s hit in the exact moment where the move is used, Lucina returns her swing with 1.5x the attack power.
What followed was a one-hit KO.
I don’t think Falcon even had that much damage piled up, but it was pointless. Countering a move that strong would always have ended that way.
In the span of 2-3 seconds, the match had completely turned around and ended in my victory.
Time resumed. Cheers and gasps erupted from behind me, everyone was reacting to what would inevitably be a highlight of the game. No, a flashy counter like that would be a highlight for an entire night. I’m not sure if I’d even processed what just happened. It went by so quick.
“Holy shit! Penny, you actually did it!” Adrian seemed particularly amazed, already standing up and clutching his hair as he looked at the win-screen.
“Y-Yeah.” I really did. Holy shit, we didn’t just win a game with that, but the entire match. Best out of three, and we lost one while winning two. I couldn't believe it...
Adrian still looked like he was reeling when he turned his head and noticed me. “Hey, you okay?” He asked amidst the noise from the crowd nearby.
I blinked, looking back at him as if snapping out of my own thoughts. “Oh. Yeah, I’m just… wow, I’m exhausted after that.” I frame a small smile, “I’m still not even sure what exactly I did there, but I guess we won.”
My partner cocked an eyebrow, but he returned the smile. “Yeah, you’re full of surprises.”
I rolled my eyes. The spectators were calming down, so I stood up, dusting myself off. “I definitely need a break after that one.”
As Adrian and I walked away to make room for whoever was going to go next, I glanced at Max and Kyle. They looked dumbfounded, still in shock as they tried to talk to each other about what just happened. Come to think of it, I guess that win also left them to be the first team fully knocked out of the tournament.
Well look at that, I guess girls *do* know a thing or two about video games.
WOMBO COMBO! WOMBO COMBO!
THAT AIN'T FALCO!!!
Oh my goodness, I felt the excitement of that clutch of a win! Actually felt my heart race as I read everything leading up to the counter! Even felt a bit of that post clutch adrenaline Hahaha
LETS FUCJING GOOO
The memories of playing Melee for hours are coming back
I don’t know anything about Smash Bros but I enjoyed this!
an *extremely* well written video game chapter!! i usually find it boring when a story talks about a game, but this was fantastic