Donkey Kong

   Mario had always been somewhat popular at school.

   It wasn't that there had been a shortage of talented or outgoing kids at New Donk City High. But very few were a combination of everything: Mario had the most contagious laugh; the easiest time making friends; the kind of grades one could at least settle for; the wildest ideas of fun; the best jump in basketball (despite his lack of a growth spurt) — and more recently, the kind of roguish air about him that caused the girls to secretly shake their eyebrows. And he never got in trouble because of schoolwork — only sometimes when his aggressive side came out.

   One could easily hear from the average person: "Ah yes, Mario. How could you not like him?"

   Ever since elementary school even he'd been the guy to hang with: the boys had loved to play cowboys or knights or video games with him, and the girls would sit and watch, giggling to themselves. Although it had changed in nature a bit over the more recent years, it wasn't entirely different still, even now, as his generation became juniors in high school.

   Even most of the teachers there liked Mario especially. It was he after all who had stopped a younger boy from being bullied once. It was he, after all, who had somehow managed to jump up and catch a surefire home run in last year's championship game. And it was he, albeit a bit anxiously, who seemed to have a great interest in graduation and beyond.

   So it came as no real surprise that he was called out by his teacher, just Mario alone, on that fine Friday afternoon at the conclusion of yet another ordinary school day. Or at least, it began as a fine, ordinary day; though to say it remained that way would have been an immense understatement.

   But however many things were set in motion that day, it all started when an eager young Mario was asked to stay behind a moment at the end of biology class.

   "We'll finish our section with squids and mollusks on Monday," Mr. Yokoi announced from the blackboard to his half-listening students. "And Mario, if I could just talk to you about something for a second?"

   As the rest of the juniors filed out of the classroom, eager to get home to their television sets, the lone young man obediently hung back, watching with some jealousy his classmates who were getting out ahead of him. They were a relatively typical-looking group, shouldering backpacks and gabbing away concerning their weekend plans, with an occasional oddball here and there. Some snapped their fingers and raised their eyebrows at him as they went, while others merely smiled. Most of them knew Mario couldn't be in actual trouble. Not seriously. Everyone at least knew Mario well enough to know he was liked not only among their own ranks, but among the teachers as well; and that included Mr. Yokoi in particular.

Among the departing throng, towards the back of the pack, went one slightly skinny, slightly awkward pale young man in green, who gave him a questioning glance as he shuffled past. Mario, catching his quizzical blue eyes, just shrugged and waved him out.

   Stepping forward at the end of the horde, the short sixteen-year-old approached his teacher's desk and waited expectantly. This couldn't be about anything bad, surely. No one would have told on him for elbowing Wario just a bit too hard yesterday in the hallway. The jerk was insulting his mustache; how could he not react?

   But another moment and all his fears were lost. "Ah, Mario," the aging man in a bow tie sighed. "Just the man I wanted to see."

   Mr. Yokoi had been at his trade for longer than any of them had been alive, and he was well-respected. Whatever he had to say, it was surely important.

Mario tilted his head and regarded his teacher for a moment. "Yes, sir...?"

   "Don't look so concerned — it's nothing bad, I promise!" his teacher chuckled. "No, but it is important. Now I don't mean to rush you, and feel free not to give me an answer — but I just wanted to ask about your future plans," he began. "Well, I mean — I can't help but notice you've been a good student all year long — and I was wondering if you're still interested in med school. That's what you told me you were thinking of pursuing, right?"