Chapter 1: the tests

"Falco, it's time to go."

I turn back to Fox, who is just behind me.

"Ugh... I hate those tests..."

This day is the worst day of year. It's the day when the master hand summons us and spies us at the stadium while we do some physical tests. Then, he chooses the ten best of us to participate in a survival week. Usually, Fox and I act like we're bad so we won't be chosen in that week. Instead, we stay on the Great fox and help the others on surviving by dropping things they need. It's mostly food. Fox just smile before jumping off the ship. I follow him. If we're not at the stadium when we're supposed to, the Master hand comes where you are to kill you in private. It's probably long and painful...

The two of us land on Onett. The stadium is not so far from there. We walk in silence. We're both nervous even if we shouldn't. It's been like, 5 years that we're doing this. When we arrive at the stadium, Zelda, Link and the Ice climbers are already there. Zelda and Link live at Hyrule that is up in the sky and the Ice climbers live on Icicle Mountain. I sit next to Link who is shaking a little. Maybe I should try to cheer him up a little. Ugh... I'm so bad at this...

"It won't be so tough, isn't it?"

He sigh.

"The master hand knows me too much. I can fake only at running and jumping. He knows I'm good with a sword and a bow and I'm not good at hiding anyway."

"Yeah I'm bad at hiding too and now that I think about it, I can't fake with my blaster."

He smile a little.

"You were pretty good last year."

"Thanks, I'm usually good at jumping and running, but you know, I don't want to participate in that stupid survival week."

"I agree it's stupid."

An awkward silence settles down. I hate that. At least, he stopped shacking. When I look around, I notice a few others has arrived. When Mewtwo and Ganondorf will come, we'll start. Everyone is talking loudly. It's been almost six months that we didn't see ourselves. There are a lot of things to talk about. I notice how Roy and Marth are pale. Poor them, they were stuck underground. They usually live with Zelda and Link in Hyrule, but there's only Zelda who can teleport there and they wanted to live with Samus a little. Since they didn't see Zelda after, they couldn't return there. Yep, here, you live underground or in the sky. The ground is only for transitions or that survival week. If someone goes there for no reasons, the Master hand kills you. Personally, Fox and I prefer the sky so we just live on Great Fox.

Nobody's talking anymore. It's because Mewtwo and Ganondorf teleported a little behind Link and I. They are the killers of the gang. They do their best in the tests and they're always selected. The week is more a survival from them than finding food and all. Ganondorf doesn't run fast and doesn't jump really high, but he has a weird levitating trick. He's really good at melee combat and distance shoot and he's really bad at hiding but his combat make it up. Mewtwo can teleport at will so he never really did the running and jumping tests. He can turn invisible so he's good at hiding. He's good at combat because of his psychic skills. He can crush anything near or far. The two of them kill for pleasure. If killing someone isn't interesting, they just let him or her agonise and they walk away. They walked near us. Once they were just behind, Link standed up and got out of their way. I was about to move when I remembered the moment Ganon killed Luigi. I was on the Great Fox and Fox and I passed when he tore his heart to pieces. I was so mad. I almost jumped from the ship to teach him a lesson but Fox stopped me at the last moment. I never told Mario. I'm still furious at Ganon. His voice is getting on my nerves each time now.

"Move, stupid bird."

You know what, Ganon? Just for this, I won't move.

"Yeah, and what? You'll snatch my eye?"

I think I'll regret what I said but that guy deserves it. He grab me by my coat.

"I could do it, it's a good idea."

That's where Dr. Mario, the guy that doesn't do tests because he writes down the notes, comes.

"Mr. Ganondorf, you know you can't do that."

He groans and put me down.

"I'll kill you in the arena, birdie."

I look at him right in the eyes for a second and he walks away. Fox grabs my shoulder.

"Dude, you're okay?"

"Heck, I am."

"You know he could have killed you!"

"I know, but someone needed to stand before this guy. He's not the king, nobody is!"

I sigh.

"I really needed to challenge him after what happened with Luigi..."

"You saw what happened to him?"

We turn and see Mario. If I could blush, I would right now. I mean I can't tell him. He tore your brother's heart to pieces; I can't say this like that. I hope Fox would tell something right now.

He does.

"Hum, we're going to tell you after the tests, okay?"

He nod and walk away.

"Thanks, Fox, you just saved my life."

Dr. Mario calls for the jumping test. The line starts to form in front of a pole with some movable bars attached to it. Ganondorf levitates and pushes the last bar on top of the pole. The doctor notes it and replaces the bar with a ladder before Mewtwo's turn. He teleports in front of the highest bar and pushes it. During the other's turn, I faced a dilemma. There are 15 bars. Which one should I push, the 10th, the 7th? Which one did I pushed last year? God damn it, I can't remember! If I want to be realistic, I should hit the same bar I did last year or a little higher. Fox jumps and hit the 9th bar. My turn... I'll hit the 7th. I jump and push the bar and the one below. I was the last to pass.

We're now called for the running test. This is pretty hard to fake. I have to look like I'm running, not jogging, and I have to be slower than I am. There's a little path across the stadium to follow. Ganon levitates and travel the path faster than his running but still slow. Obviously, Mewtwo just teleports at the other side of the path. I'll watch Fox run and I'll run a little faster or slower than him. While my mate prepared himself, I saw Ganondorf talking with Dr. Mario who was looking at me. I don't like this... I did like I saw nothing when Fox started to run.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

He's at the half of the distance.

6, 7, 8, 9.

He finished. I'll go a little faster than him because I jumped lower than him; it's going to be equal. I started running.

1, 2, 3.

I'm half the distance. Crap, I'm too fast...

4, 5, 6.

I'm in trouble. The record (running, not teleporting) is 4 seconds. It means I was fast, a lot faster than I thought.

It's now the shooting test. Ganon shoots a purple ball in the middle of the target and Mewtwo just crushes it. Fox and I hit the middle too with our blasters; we can't fake that, we had a complete training with those guns.

It's now the melee combat test. I can't really fake on this one. They evaluate the quality of the combat style. Usually, I'm just not showing the totality of my moves, only one or two kicks combo. We use a wood mannequin for this one. Ganon tears the head with an elbow blow and Mewtwo crushes the whole wooden body. Fox and I both strike it with kicks combos.

Finally, they call us for the last test, the hiding skills. I don't have to fake to be bad. I can't find any good spot to hide, I mean, I'm blue. Where can I hide? We have 30 seconds to find a spot to hide in some bushes. It's the time it takes to Dr. Mario to see us that counts. If we're not found after 45 seconds, we get out. Ganon has been found after 10 seconds; he's too tall. Mewtwo became invisible so he made it to 45 seconds. Fox has been found after 12 seconds. I hid myself the best I can but I've been found in eight seconds.

We have now an hour left until Dr. Mario name the eight unlucky ones. I say eight because that Mewtwo and Ganon are surely taken again. Happily, Mario seems to have forgotten about Luigi. Good. I don't want to tell him. I walk a little further alone on the edge of the stadium. Fox is talking with others. Fox, why is he called like that anyway? I mean, he is a fox so why call him like that? It's like I was called falcon. Thinking about it, Falco is pretty near of falcon... What the heck am I thinking about? I'm always thinking about stupid things when I'm nervous. Man, I hope Fox isn't chosen. If he is, I don't know what I'll do.

We're all summoned now. I walk next to Fox. Dr, Mario holds a sheet, probably with the names on it. Everyone shut when he start saying the names.

"Ganondorf and Mewtwo"

There's no reaction. Everybody knew it.

"Roy and Kirby"

Wait, Kirby? Roy, I can understand, he's a great fighter, runner and jumper but Kirby? He's so innocent, why him?

"Mario and the newcomer"

That'll give me a reason to tell Luigi's death to his brother but who's that newcomer anyway? Couldn't they just tell the name?

"Link and Zelda"

Oh... I didn't see that coming for sure. Poor them, I think they were in love... I just hope they survive both.

"Pikachu and..."

I can hear Pichu next to him start to cry very loudly. Dr. Mario stops to wait that Pichu calm down a little. I understand, they were always together not like friends, like brothers, like me and Fox. After he calmed down a little bit, the doctor prepares to say the last name. I close my eyes, preparing myself for the chock of losing Fox.

"Falco Lombardi"

This chapter was surely short. Beginings are always a pain to write. :)

Anyways, review, please

If you see a mistake, you can always tell me, I'll correct it as fast as I can. :)

See, ya!