The Trophy War (Super Smash Bros. Fanfiction)

Chapter 6- Catch and Release

As I stood in front of him with my bowl of ramen, I couldn't help but feel a little awkward. I had just threatened him, but I didn't have a weapon. Yet, by the fear in his eyes, I could tell my intimidation had worked. "So? Start spilling. Why did you attack us?"

"I cannot tell you that. Please, just let me go." He pleaded. "You are all in danger if you keep this up." He was being cryptic, and quite stubborn, and that frustrated me some. He was never usually one to keep secrets this big, but I guessed that this was different somehow. "What do you mean by that, and why can't you tell me?" I sat down beside him on the bed, placing my ramen down on a small table nearby and hoping it didn't get cold too fast. He looked quite guilty, his eyes darting around the room and refusing to meet mine. "Samus, please. Trust me on this one. I am not as in control as I seem."

"What do you mean?!" I was exasperated, so I yelled. I instantly regretted that move as he recoiled sharply, shutting his eyes and putting a hand up like he expected to get hit. There goes any information, I thought. He opened one eye and stared for a moment, looking in genuine disbelief that I hadn't hit him. Then, slowly, he put his hand down, staring at me warily. I took a deep breath as the silence stretched out, trying to calm my nerves. "Sorry I yelled. Look, just tell me. You shouldn't be afraid."

"I wish I could tell you, I do. There are things going on here that are just, impossible for me to explain. But I want to!" He sounded like he was starting to get desperate. "I wish I could warn you, but he-" Suddenly, like it wasn't his anymore, his hand moved like a flash and covered his mouth so he couldn't speak. A cold feeling brushed down my back as he struggled to pry his own hand off his mouth, looking like it took an immense amount of strength to do so. As soon as he was able to pry it an inch away, he tried to say something again, but his hand broke free and clapped over his mouth. After another moment of struggling, he relaxed, and the hand fell away. "What was that all about? You don't have to be so dramatic about it."

"I am not trying to be dramatic! I told you, I-" Once again, like magic, the hand went over his mouth. Or is it magic..? I wondered. He definitely doesn't seem to be doing this on his own. Tears fell from his eyes as he turned away, the hand coming off after a minute of sitting there. "What makes you think I would willingly work against you?" He asked quietly after a moment of shaky breaths. "The fact that you just tried to kill Toon and Pit with a poisoned knife. Why would you do that? They're just kids."

"It wasn't my choice, Samus. Please, just understand that it wasn't my choice."

"Can you tell me who's behind it?" He shook his head silently. "Why not? Is there someone controlling you, Meta?" He almost nodded, but like a forced movement, he began to shake his head. That only proved that there was someone else forcing this job on him. It contradicted directly what he had said earlier, and only made me worried. I'm not as in control as I seem, he had said. He had been hinting at this, but he couldn't say anything about it. Then, my mind flashed back to earlier, giving me more evidence. The way he suddenly went after us with no intent on mercy, the haunting violet color of his eyes... That only gave me more reason to assume that there was someone else pulling at the strings here. "Samus, please, just let me leave. Please."

"I'll tell you what; I'll let you leave, when you tell me what I need to know. You can write it down, sign it out, do whatever it takes to tell me or you aren't leaving this tent." I could see him cringe. "Samus... It is not that easy."

"Why can't you make it that easy then?" He could only shake his head, putting his hand up. He looked rather defeated, and scared, so scared. I had never seen him act this way, and it was concerning. Whoever's controlling him, I thought, has to be pretty strong for him to be this scared. He's never acted like this. "Meta, you can trust me."

"I know that. It's just..." He sighed, closing his eyes a moment. "It is a long, hard to tell story. Now, go eat, do what you must, and leave me." I opened my mouth to talk again, but by the way he turned away, I could tell it would get me nothing. I picked up my ramen again and tasted it, relieved to find that it was still warm, and walked outside of the tent to eat. As I was eating, Ike walked over, Ragnell unsheathed and in his hands. "He give you any trouble? Or, better yet, any info on what's going on?"

"No trouble. Info, the only thing I got was that he's being controlled by someone. And, by the way he's acting, I'd say they're pretty powerful."

"Hmm... Gods, this is all like some horrible nightmare. I wish I could just, wake up and have everything go back to normal." A dry chuckle escaped the mercenary, just sad enough to make me worry about him. "My friends are in trophies, Meta's being controlled like a puppet... You're the only one I have left that's still themselves. I don't wanna lose you, too."

"Ike, you won't lose me. I'm pretty tough, and with you guys by my side, I'm practically invincible. We can do this." For the first time in forever, I truly felt the words I was saying. Through all of the turmoil, I was sure that we'd make it out. I heard a joyous shout from Pit nearby, who was skipping towards Zelda with his hands cupped around something. "I caught one!" He cheered, opening his hands and letting a pinprick of light out. I couldn't help but smile at Pit's unquenchable enthusiasm, even in our grave situation. Even after that whole event, the two were back to catching fireflies together, and cheering happily whenever they caught one. "Everything'll be alright, Ike. Take it from me." Now, Ike was smiling too, however small it was. "You're right. You know, we should really be getting to sleep soon, since we haven't slept properly in a while. What'll we do with Meta?"

"I'm planning on keeping him with us." I said that so surely, but what happened was the exact opposite. As soon as I went back in the tent after finishing my ramen, he was gone, as were all of his items, except for the knife. I cursed aloud, and called for Ike. "What's wrong?"

"The bastard hauled ass while we were getting ready for bed. Who knows where he is now..!"

Meanwhile...

As Meta flew out of the clearing with a powerful flap of his wings, he felt a swirl of emotions that were hard to discern. He pushed all of that away when he felt HIS presence. You fool! You let yourself get captured! He hissed, making him cringe. You have to be much more careful, or I'll turn that stupid child to ashes! It was extremely hard for him to suppress the hot tears that had formed anew. With a heavy breath, He continued flying, trying to focus on flight instead. I will call you back momentarily; when I do, you best get out of my sight and get to work. I will not tolerate you getting captured by those low-life fighters again. If you do... Meta knew that the longer he would have stayed, the worse it would be. He hated begging to Samus for his freedom, but he had to. The longer Kirby was gone, the closer he was to losing his sanity.

And the last thing he needed was to make friends with the enemy.

A/n

Late, late, late. I know, and I apologize. It's getting close to finals, and I've been extremely busy, trying to study and get my ducks in a row. I wouldn't expect another chapter soon, but who knows when I'll have free time? Either way, I hope you enjoyed, and I'll see you soon!

~Zero