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August 16th, 2003Preshow: "Friends and Foes" August 15th, 5:28 PM Training Grounds Donkey Kong was training again. Which was why nobody else was. For Donkey Kong never trained the way the other competitors trained. Other competitors blasted moving targets, dodged simulated fire, shredded training dummies. But none of those seemed to interest Donkey Kong much; the training dummies were like cardboard in his hands, and he didn't rely on gunplay much when he fought. So when Donkey Kong "trained", he typically did it by swinging across the Training Grounds' rafters. He'd only fallen twice, but that was enough for everybody else. Well, except for one guy, anyway. "Hey-a, Donkey Kong!" Mario called, knowing the ape was here from the creaking sounds alone. "It's-a me, Mario! Come-a down from there, and let's-a get-a some grub!" The plumber peered upwards looking for his friend, but he jumped from the rafters before he could find him. As usual, he landed perfectly on his feet...shaking the entire training ground floor. "...nice-a dismount," Mario said, rubbing his backside as he stood up. Donkey Kong beat his chest and roared in response. "So...are you worried about-a your match-a tomorrow?" Donkey Kong snorted, then gave a few high-pitched eeks as he shook his head. "I don't know, DK...I wouldn't take-a Vercetti too lightly." That set the ape on a miniature tirade of grunts. He finished by pointing at his chest proudly; the plumber couldn't help but grin. "Well, if-a you need anything, just let-a me know! After all--I'm-a the M-Mart Masta!" Donkey Kong thought about it for a moment, then made a few quiet grunts. "...GAAH!!" Mario clamped his hand (well, arm) over the big ape's mouth. "Anything...but banana peels!!" he whispered, looking around nervously. Donkey Kong started to protest, but Mario frantically stopped him again. "I know we're not-a the only ones using-a items to get ahead-a. But banana peels? That's a whole-a different story! We're just-a lucky I'm-a the only one left that can-a understand you...you could-a get us all-a killed!!" Then Mario realized something and raised his eyebrows. "Wait a second...why are you asking-a me for-a banana peels? You're a monkey!" The ape shifted on his feet a bit as he grunted his reply. "What-a you mean, the cafeteria's don't-a work as well? ...how do you know??" Donkey grinned, then eeked out his explanation. "...so that's-a why Sonic smashed into the North-a Wall last week..." Mario mumbled. And then he fainted. ---- 11:28 PM - The Hero's Haunt If Mario had seen his friend later that night, he might have fainted all over again. Donkey Kong was a cheery, mischievous monkey around friends...but without them, he was a new ape entirely. He didn't fit in well with other species too often, so he'd become a quiet, contemplative creature away from the pack. The Hero's Haunt had been the last place to find him at first...but after one training session ran long, he tried the place again on a whim. That night he found something of a kindred spirit in Alucard--who was just getting his day started, of course. Since then, the two had met infrequently at the Haunt or elsewhere, doing little but thinking and enjoying some quiet nighttime company. It seems this has become a full-fledged habit, Alucard thought, as he looked over at his companion. Tonight, Donkey Kong seemed especially focused. The half-vampire couldn't blame him; his match was tomorrow, and Vercetti was the heavy favorite. Alucard felt the ape at least had a shot--especially since Vercetti had a habit of getting cocky. But, more than likely, this would be his last night here. They hadn't met that often, true...but Alucard would miss it, in his own way. "Donkey Kong," he said...marking the first words he'd ever said to the ape. Surprised, but not as much as one might think, the simian looked up at his companion curiously. It had occurred to Alucard after he spoke that he wasn't sure what to say... ...but, if it were him...he would just want to be alone. "Good luck," he said simply, extending his hand. Awkwardly, Donkey Kong shook it, and the nightwalker took his leave. As he left, the ape's mammoth lips slowly curled into a smirk. In his own way, Alucard had gotten to know him better than Mario ever could.… ---- August 16th, 11:28 AM M-Mart The next few days would be busy ones for Mario Mario. First off, he had to finish closing the shop. He'd done some of the work already, but he still had plenty to do before he could lock the doors. After that, he had a match to go to--though the fighters involved made him dread it more than most. He had almost decided not to go at all, in fact. After all, his next order of business would be to find Bowser...and the sooner they did that, the better. Of course, before he could do any of that, he had to deal with his last customer: Tommy Vercetti. Vercetti had been coming to M-Mart more often these days. So much more, in fact, that Mario was starting to wonder where all his money was coming from. The gangster had picked up plenty of guns and ammo--including some of the nastiest weapons that had come through the portal--but he'd also been looking at other knick-knacks lately. First he'd picked up a digital wall clock with a voice for a chime...then a desk chair, of all things. Mario thought nothing would surprise him after that--but today's purchase turned out to be his strangest yet. "...a base-a-ball-a bat??" Mario asked, looking over the thing. "Since-a when were you a sports-a fan, Vercetti?" he remarked. "It's not for sports, Mario," Vercetti replied. The plumber raised his eyebrow. "...let's just leave it at that," the mobster said with a grin. Mario shook his head. "Thirty coins-a," he told his customer. "Ah, Mario...yer breakin' me," he sighed. Nevertheless, he pulled the coins out of his pocket right away. Mario nearly asked him about his cash flow right there...but he was more concerned with a different question at the moment. "Hold on a second, Vercetti," he said as the man turned to leave. "I...want-a to ask-a you something." The mob boss's eyes shifted a bit. "Uh...sure, Mario. What's up?" "Well...your match-a today...you're up against-a Donkey Kong, right?" "Oh. Uh...yeah, I think that's him," Vercetti answered with a smile. "I saw him over at the Haunt, though, and he's just a big ape. So I'm not that worried." "Actually, he's a friend of mine-a...." "Really?" Tommy said, rubbing his chin. "Well, I guess I've kept stranger company. Look who I have lunch with!" He laughed as Mario nervously chuckled. "...so, about-a Donkey Kong," he said. "If-a you get the upper-a hand...you're not-a gonna kill him...are you?" The hitman's grin turned into a grimace. "Sorry, Mario...but business is business," he said, shaking his head. "I can try to make him surrender...but if he gives me trouble, I'll have to put him down." He turned to leave, but stopped again at the door. "No hard feelings...right, pal?" he said nonchalantly before exiting. Mario sighed, looking down at the counter. He knew perfectly well Donkey Kong wouldn't surrender; he had told him so yesterday. Mario hadn't liked ending the big ape's run last time, but the ape had liked it a lot less. Now that they were far away from each other on the bracket--and now that Mario's other friends had all gone home early--Donkey Kong was determined to get as far as he could, supporting Mario all the way. Now, he knew, he had to go to this match...even if he wanted to a whole lot less. Battle: "Misfire" As he stepped out from the competitors' tunnel, Donkey Kong held his arms high over his head, giving his cheering fans the goofy grin they'd come to know and love. Some of those fans were a little worried for him today...but after he arrived, those troubles were forgotten. As the big ape reached the center of the arena, he gave a huge thumbs up to Mario, which nearly doubled the cheers. Despite his carefree appearance, though, the leader of the Kong Klan was pretty worried himself--even more worried than he'd been against Vyse. Vyse was a strong swordsman with more than a few tricks up his sleeve...but he was also a warrior. Tommy Vercetti wasn't a warrior; he was a mob boss, bent on getting his way by any means necessary. The ape had had enough trouble with Aya Brea last time...and that gunslinger had a conscience. Vercetti didn't have a conscience. He just had a rocket launcher. Still, the big ape kept posing for the crowd several minutes after he arrived. After that, he bounced on his feet a bit as he watched the tunnel entrance with everyone else. The audience members that had seen Vercetti's last match were just getting settled in for a long wait when the mob boss abruptly appeared. He was a few minutes late for the bell, but that was surprisingly ahead of schedule for him. "Sorry I'm a little late," he told his opponent, just in case the ape could understand him. "One of the babes in the third row was too cute to resist...." Donkey Kong scowled...which had a pretty frightening effect on his mammoth face. "Oh, don't give me that crap," Vercetti groaned. "I'm here now, aren't I? Hell, I'm not even plastered this time! You should be proud!" The ape showed him how proud he was by rushing him the second the announcer started the match. Okay, Tommy...keep your cool, the mob boss thought to himself. This ain't like last time--this one's flesh and blood. Just get a few good shots off and it'll be over.... Taking careful aim, he did just that, firing several Python pistol rounds at the ape. Donkey Kong was agile for his size, but he was no computer; he sidestepped the first shot, then barely ducked the second. The third shot grazed him before he could move again; with a wince, he jumped far to the side to dodge the fourth. Vercetti chuckled as he shifted his aim, figuring on plugging the ape with the rest of the clip while he was down... ...but then he learned that Donkey Kong was more prepared than he looked. The monkey had pulled his coconut gun from behind his back while he rolled, and now it was his turn to open fire. "What the hell--" Tommy cried, before a coconut--a freaking coconut!--slammed into his stomach. He doubled over and nearly fell to the ground...then saw another three heading his way. Weakly, he stumbled out of the barrage's path, firing his last two shots wildly. He hit nothing worth mentioning. He got his wind back as he reloaded, but the action also gave Donkey Kong time to adjust his aim. The next coconut winged Vercetti's ribs, but it was actually good for him--it alerted him to the second one, which was aimed at his head. He ducked it, then rolled, bringing his Python to bear as the monkey retrained him. This time Vercetti was quicker: his first shot sent the coconut gun flying, breaking it apart. Before Donkey Kong could react, the next shot took him in the leg. "So...you wanna play my game, huh, you filthy animal?" Vercetti taunted, walking forward slowly as Donkey Kong held his leg and bellowed. "How about we turn the tables?" With that, the hitman reached behind his back and pulled out his own new weapon: an aluminum baseball bat. "Let's see if I can hit a home run," he snarled, as he charged straight at the melee master. ---- Up in the competitors' seating, Mario groaned. "Ohhh, mama mia...I knew I should-a have asked him why he wanted that-a thing," the plumber moaned, his face in his hands. Nearby, Snake was also having a fit...measured in his terms, anyway. "Vercetti, you idiot," he muttered, shaking his head. "You had this match won...." ---- It didn't take Vercetti long to figure out he had made a mistake. Donkey Kong ducked his first swing, then blocked the second one with his forearm--without even flinching. Gaping, Tommy reared back, then swung for the fences, smashing the bat into the ape's chest. Donkey Kong looked up at him and grinned. "...oh, ****." Vercetti tried to scramble away, but it was too late--the monkey had already grabbed his right arm. He dragged the mob boss up and over his shoulder, slamming him into the ground...then did it again for good measure. As the crowd roared, the ape swung his foe in circles over his head--still holding him by the arm--then flung him away. Vercetti cleared at least ten feet before crashing to the arena floor. ...that son of a *****, the mob boss thought as he chased the stars away. Slowly, he struggled to his feet, discovering his right arm was dislocated on the way. Wouldn't be surprised if I had a concussion, too, he thought bitterly. He eventually stood up to find Donkey Kong doing a little showboating of his own...by tying his baseball bat in a knot. "You're gonna pay for that, you *******!!" Vercetti shouted, leveling the weapon he should have used in the first place. His mouth hanging open, Donkey Kong dove frantically to the side, avoiding the rocket the hitman had fired by a fraction of a second. The errant missile flew several yards before crashing to the ground, nearly deafening the nearby audience with the explosion. Vercetti tried to lead his hobbling foe with the next shot, but his left arm's aim was off--the rocket was too far wide, and the ape skid to a halt before it reached him. This one made it all the way to the wall beneath the crowd, caving in a small portion of it. Donkey Kong looked at the scrambling fans in concern, but only for a split second. But that was all Vercetti needed: the monkey turned back to see another rocket already flying towards him. He tried to roll away, but the mob boss had learned his lesson--this one was aimed at the ground. It exploded not two yards away from the simian, knocking him to the floor and singing his fur badly. Not missing a beat, Vercetti went for the kill, carefully lining up a direct hit.... ...until he saw the ape sit up through the scope. "What the ****!?" He nearly fired the rocket right there, aimed or not--but Donkey Kong made the first move, quickly hurling a strange-looking projectile of his own. On instinct, Vercetti scrambled out of the way...but his curiosity forced him to see just what his foe had thrown. His jaw dropped. ...he actually KEPT the freaking BAT!? He didn't have long to mull that over, though--Donkey Kong was already up and running. The rockets were a bad idea at that range, so Vercetti exchanged the launcher for the last weapon he'd been able to carry: the spaz shotgun. He swung it around and fired immediately, hoping to get lucky--but he was wide again, and only a few pellets managed to hit. They barely slowed the monkey down. Frantic, Vercetti raised the shotgun to Donkey Kong's head. Donkey Kong batted it away and growled. "SONOFA--" But Vercetti didn't even have time for that, as Donkey Kong's uppercut lifted him eight feet off the ground. The crowd roared for the fan favorite as his opponent hit the floor, clearly out cold. The leader of the Kongs had been shot in the leg and fried by a rocket, but he still couldn't help but grin. He did a couple of quick poses for the crowd, then turned to Mario, who had given the loudest cheer of all. The ape tried his best to give him a V for victory; he didn't even come close...but at least he gave his recently-depressed friend a good chuckle. Then Tommy Vercetti sat up and shot him in the back. The audience gasped as Donkey Kong fell to the ground. Behind him, the hitman stood up slowly, rubbing his chin and shaking his head. "In my business, you won't get anywhere if ya got a glass jaw," he remarked, trying to grin and bear the pain. He stalked over to Donkey Kong with shotgun still in hand as the audience held its breath. When he got to the ape, however, he surprisingly put the weapon back behind his back. "For Mario's sake...I ain't gonna kill ya," he said, just in case his opponent hadn't already passed out. "I'm gonna need more rockets for the next round, after all. ...but if you know what's good for you...you will stay the **** down, you damn, dirty ape." With that, he walked off towards the tunnel.... ...then froze as he heard the crowd gasp, and Donkey Kong get up. The monkey was bleeding profusely, now. Any normal human--or normal ape--wouldn't have even been able to stand. But Donkey Kong was no normal ape. He had more endurance than that...and, more importantly, he had a friend here that needed him. His face uncharacteristically grim, he marched slowly toward Vercetti, who tried to keep his cool--but was clearly on the verge of hysteria. "...I told you to stay...the ****...down," he said, punctuating the remark with a shotgun blast. The blast took Donkey Kong in the shoulder. He staggered backward for a second, then kept right on coming. Vercetti dropped the shotgun, then pulled out the rocket launcher, backing away. "Stay...the ****...down!!" he cried, his arm shaking a bit as he fired. The rocket veered downward, practically exploding at Donkey Kong's feet. But before the smoke could clear, the ape marched through it; his fur was smouldering, and his eyes were glassy...but he kept right on coming. "Oh my god," Vercetti mumbled, his good shoulder drooping in shock. The audience seemed to share his sentiment, as the arena was nearly silent at this point. He pulled the launcher's trigger again--but nothing happened. He was out of rockets already. Throwing the launcher in frustration, he ran forward, grabbed the shotgun and reached up to fire--but the ape was already there. He snatched the gun and snapped it in half with a flick of his wrist...then grabbed Vercetti around the waist with the other hand. Donkey Kong raised Vercetti off the ground. Vercetti screamed, feeling and hearing his ribs shatter. Donkey Kong bellowed, winding up for the finishing punch. Vercetti--not thinking, just screaming--punched first, catching Donkey Kong on the cheek. ...and, after a few confused blinks... ...Donkey Kong fell over. Falling to his knees, Vercetti blinked a few times himself as the crowd gasped once more. "...beautiful," he muttered to no one in particular. And Tommy Vercetti fell over. Aftermath: "Back at the Haunt" "**** me," muttered Tommy Vercetti as he came too inside the medical center. He reached up and felt bandages wrapped around his forehead. He heard a giggle in the room, but his vision was too blurred to see. As his vision got better, he surveyed the room. There was a TV with Oprah on it, a window, and......an attractive nurse. A smile slid across Vercetti's face. "So what happened?" Vercetti asked the nurse, remembering full well the course of events that had ensued in his match against Donkey Kong. "Oh it was quite impressive, you took out that gorilla with your bare hands, but you were badly injured yourself. You've been asleep for two days," responded the nurse in a bright and upbeat voice. "So, how bad were my injuries?" Vercetti continued. "They were pretty bad, but you heal remarkably fast. You must be a strong guy, we'll have you out of here by tonight," the nurse said cheerfully. "Great, how about you and me go and celebrate tonight by getting some dinner, I can get you into the Hero's Haunt," suggested Vercetti. The nurse walked over to his bead and dropped off a tray of food, and then leaned in close to Vercetti and said, "You might be disappointed, I'm not a robot." She winked at him then turned around and walked out of the room. "Shut down," laughed Tommy. Then looked over at the food, and said again, "I hate hospital food." ---- Several Hours Later..... Vercetti burst into the Hero's Haunt, clutching his stomach. He stumbled over to the table and plopped down at the table with Snake, Samus, and Mario. They all looked at him suprised, he grabbed the nearest waitress and pulled her over by force, then said, "Give me the most steak you can give me without killing me." "Hungry?" joked Snake. Samus chuckled for a moment, and Mario glared at Vercetti while defending his own plate of lasagna, which Vercetti had been eyeing. "Shove it, Snake," snapped Vercetti. "I haven't eaten in two ****ing days." "Didn't the med center feed you?" asked Samus inquisitively, dealing Vercetti in. "I don't eat hospital food," said Vercett, looking over his cards. "Alright, I'm all in," he said as he pushed his chips into the middle of the table. "You in, Samus?" "You know it," said Samus smiling as she matched Vercetti's bid. Next Entry Back |