Pretty much everyone I know knows about Brawl. Pretty much everyone who I know that knows about Brawl knows that I have Brawl. And pretty much everyone who I know that knows about Brawl and knows I have Brawl knows that I love Brawl to pieces.

So earlier tonight, like any other night, I played.

But unlike most nights, I jumped onto Wi-Fi to play with some nameless strangers.

Well, not to play, originally. I’d only come to be a spectator, to bet on my hunches about the winner of a match that many others saw, too.

When I bet, sometimes I imagine I hear a little conscience-like voice that tells me just how well the player knows the character they wield. And then, throughout the match, another whisper would comment:

This guy knows his stuff.

I don’t think he gets it.

He’s got some of it… but not very well.

And other things besides.

Then, I decided to brawl myself. And I promised I wouldn’t let the spectators down! I’d give them a freaking fight to remember and a good run for their money!

And so, within minutes, I was on the Frigate Orpheon as a silver Lucario, facing off against one Ike and two Luigis.

But… this isn’t really what I came to talk about. So all I’ll say about that match is… Luigi’s Final Smash?

Big. Freaking. Pain. Seriously.

Then, we were all at the Summit for a while, with one Luigi switching between many characters while the rest of us stayed with our choices, where I avoided that Negative Zone time and time again, completely and totally missed with Aura Storm for the first time, and eagerly attempted to face off against Ike, who, at one point, switched to a paler grayish outfit with a red headband.

Now, let me say this. Online play… much harder than evading your brother… as Wolf… in a Landmaster. Much, much harder.

I didn’t place first once this night, but the closest I came to it was when I made it to Sudden Death… against Ike.

I hit him. He hit me. …He got me.

At the time, I was frustrated. I had been trying so hard to get this guy, to knock him off the edge and show him just who was the rising star of Lucarios! …Yet, not once could I do it.

It had even grown to a point where I growled to nothing:

You know, Ike? I’m almost pissed off. Almost. If I hadn’t fought alongside you, I would be!

Yet, in the next few matches, when we traveled to the peaceful platforms of Smashville, I would hear crowds cheering:

“We like Ike! We like Ike!”

And while I felt a twinge of envy, I also felt… happier.

After all, I was fond of Ike. Not in the way that, say, Soren would be, of course, but… yes, I’m quite fond of him nonetheless. Ask any of my friends and they’ll tell you the same. And so I whispered:

Well, I do, too.

From there, it only grew into a one-sided friendly rivalry.

When we moved from Smashville to the second Flat Zone, I thought so many things:

I want to see this guy fight more.

Who is he? I wish I could see his name tag.

Oh, now I don’t want to leave this room. If I do, I’ll never see him fight again, I just know it!

And things like that.

I watched his moves closely, and I didn’t mind as much when he struck me down. I wound up more than pleased when our characters stood beside each other on the results screen, having both placed in third.

In fact, the one time our little four-man group ended up on Hanenbow, someone had unleashed an assist trophy, Andross, and I saw him crouch upon one of the lower leaves. Of course, I moved closer. I was trying to be friendly, but he thought I was going to attack him.

And so, he attacked me. Which is perfectly understandable. What brawler doesn’t think that an opponent falling towards you is intent on KOing you?

In another moment during that same match, I managed to make the flower atop the tree bloom… right when someone else had sent him for a star KO. Somehow, it was a moment of near-perfection.

And then, when we were going into the next match... I was about to select a stage, and I noticed someone had dropped out.

Oh, I thought, I hope it’s not Ike.

Upon reaching the practice stage… I found that yes, it was Ike. I hoped, vaguely, that the “Seeking…” message at his character panel would soon change into “Selecting Character…” or “Selecting Stage…” or “Practice Stage…” or “Brawling…” Any of those would do.

It didn’t change.

So, with a slightly weighted heart, I appeared back in the Flat Zone, half-ready to fight. The server had sent us a CPU-controlled Samus to take the great warrior’s place.

The first several seconds, I did fight, but not quite as heartily, as fervently as before.

Well, there’s no reason for me to stick around after this match… I moped silently. But what bummed me out even more was the fact that I still had to fight and finish this match before I could back out.

Then, the screen froze.

Connection’s giving out, I concluded.

As I waited, I glared at the gray panel of the artificial player, and the letters below.

Samus, my mind recited. S-A-M-U-S.

Then, I looked at the silver and black face of my precious Lucario, and stared at his name.

L-U-C-

“The connection to other players was lost. Returning to the menu.”

And I was glad.

…The only thing is, I’m not entirely sure what drew me to this player, to this anonymous fighter who was almost notorious for KOing with a single smash attack or getting two Lucarios caught in a Great Aether or getting a total of seven KOs in two minutes.

Of course, the first assumption was the character he used. Ike. I’m fond of Ike. I like Ike. I could go on about Ike.

Then, there was simply the way he fought. So simple, yet so fierce and efficient. I look at advanced brawlers like him, and I think, “What do they have that I lack?”

It could easily have been a combination of the two. After all, I’m sure if it had been Marth or Pikachu or even another Lucario – however much two of the same character on the field irks me – it would have had the same effect, right?

…Right? …No, actually. It… wouldn’t have been the same… somehow.

Yet, if this guy had such an impact on me that I was drawn to him, that I thought about him, that I freaking wrote about him, then… it must have been big.

What could it be?