Hey guys! So, I'm sure you all want to know the results of the tournament. Thanks everyone for hanging in there. It's been a wild ride!
Now, I have the video in my possession. It's right here, in my hot little hands. However, I wanted to relate something to you all before I post it.... Something you might not believe, but it is true. I am very happy with the way the tournament ended, although this statement might shock you after you see the final status of the tournament bracket. I was very proud of my little brother, as he put up a hell of a fight. My hat goes off to him. (I have the video, but I am not going to post it here. Rather, if you want it, please PM me and I will e-mail it to you as soon as I have it uploaded. I do not feel comfortable having this on YouTube or any other public website as it has shots of my family, friends and me)
And now, without further adieu....
I understand you all might need a moment to take it in. Please take all the time you need before you continue.
Alright. Yes everyone, it is true. I lost. My little brother vanquished me. He, among all others, beat the Beat Down.... The title is now in his possession.
So then, after all is said and done, after the realization of my being beat has settled in, you might ask... Why am I so happy about this? Why did I state that I was proud of the way the tournament ended up? Simple. Because I am PROUD of my lil' bro.
Allow me to explain in detail the state of my mad machinations.
As related in the outset of this story, I had previously held the smash title ever since the game made it's debut on the shores of the U S of A. However, do to my life dedication to my wife and my added responsibilities in my congregation, I had to make time to do these other things. Thus, my life as a complete gamer ended abruptly.... However, as you all know, I began to develop this itch. A unignorable itch. Thus, two years after my marriage, my smash career began anew. So began "The Story."
Now, in the beginning, this thread was started with one sole story-line, Me vs. My Nemesis. That was the main focus, and everything seemed to pale in comparison. However, as time went on, this has developed into so much more. I found that this was much more than story about a 1 vs 1 match. It was a story of a developing smash community. A smash community that was beginning to grow, with me at the very helm. Sure, the story about Este vs Everyone else was still there, but it seemed to start taking a back-seat to a much larger experience. Other characters began to develop. My nemesis was no longer a major player, but just another person in a vast pool of personalities. His presence was no longer "felt" anymore. Maybe it had to do with the fact that I had already beaten him before the tournament took place, therefore he was not in the forefront of everyone's mind. In reality, he was no longer "my nemesis." Now it seemed, EVERYONE was my nemesis.
However, among all of these colorful characters, one person began to stand out. He began to slowly take the spotlight. I noticed more people were beginning to notice him, and I was secretly glad that they did. If there was anyone that I wanted to start taking center stage, it was him. It was my little bro, and I can honestly say that I am dang proud of him.
Now, let's fast forward to the beginning of the tournament.
When the tournament bracket was drawn up, I knew that there was really only one person I had to be worried about. I had taught my little bro everything I had learned about advanced tactics, so I know he was going to pull out all the stops with this one. He was still very rusty in his execution, but I knew he would eventually get it.
The tournament was now underway, and the first series of fights started. Eventually, it was time for me to finally face my little bro for the first time. I had seen the way he dominated my nemesis previously, and I was very excited to see how much he had advanced. The match began and ended within a 15 minute time frame, and I took the victory with 2 stocks left.
Now, even though I had beaten him, I could see during the match that he was continuously improving. His tactics kept changing, he started to learn when to use CC and wavedashing, when to switch his offensive plan, and when to go on the defensive. I was utterly impressed. I could see that this was the guy who was going to become the champ if I did not reclaim it. This fact did not depress me at all. In fact, I began to secretly start CHEERING for my little bro. Go Krotch Kicker!
Now as you know, the tournament had it's lapses. We were not able to finish the tournament in one foul swoop, and perhaps that was a good thing. Perhaps if we had finished it in one night, my little brother would not have had time to practice on his inadequacies and I would have won. But is that really what I would have wanted? I really don't know. The thought intrigues me, but you know... I was the champ for over 5 years. I was constantly getting called out by every person in our community. If one person found a combo that they thought would take me out, they would challenge me, and I had to meet it. If I refused, all of a sudden I was afraid to defend myself. I was always being targeted, planned against... Meeting all of these challenges began to become a hassle, but I was the champ. I had to do it.
Fast forward to now. I am now married, and I no longer have time for all of that. I mean, come on! You see how long it took to finish this one tournament! When I was single, we could finish a 32 man tournament in one night, even if we had to stay up until 5:00 in the morning! Now, that's just not possible. Therefore, when I think about this now, I wonder if winning would have really been in my best interest. Think about it. I would have been a BAD champion. I can't meet every challenge like I used to. I would either be upsetting my smashmates, or my life partner... You decide what's more important to me. I'll tell you if your right or wrong. LOL.
Anyways, back to the story. As stated, there were lapses in the tournament, and I am glad there were. When the first night of the tournament ended, I went up to my little brother and gave him a some "older brother" razzing. I told him that I was real impressed with him, and that I wanted a real challenge when we faced again. He looked at me and said, "What do you mean? I already lost to you!" But that's when I told him of MY prediction for the tournament. I told him that I don't think anyone else was going to be able to beat us. It was going to be me and him in an epic showdown. Brother vs. Brother, and that's the way I wanted it. I told him to take this time to practice his tactics, and I would do the same.
Hehehe, I think that pumped him up... Just a little bit.
Now during these lapses, I was not able to attend some of the continuations of the tournament. Even thought I wanted to be there, I just couldn't. However, stories were related to me. The majority of these stories dealt with my brother, and his dramatic improvements. The fights he had with TF, his showdown with Ceasar, and his epic battle against his nemesis, Nikko. I remember the times I would walk into my mother's house, only to find my little brother with his controller in hand, practicing his heart out. I would pick up the 2nd player controller and help him develop counters for certain situations he might find himself in. I would instruct him to practice trying to wavedash while I attacked him. I would help him develop combos he could use after a CC. All this time, I was using what little practice time I had to help him to become a better player, unknowingly sealing my DOOM... LOL.
Anyways, now came the time for the final match against my brother. I was very excited about this contest. He had improved alot since our last fight, and I was actually very nervous. I could tell he was too. I wanted to win, but in the back of my mind, I knew that I would not be upset if I lost. If there was anyone that I wanted to carry the torch besides me, it was him. Keep it in the family, you know. Kind of like seeing the student become the teacher....
So then, now the match is underway. The conditions are as follows...
1) 10 stock match
2) Final Destination
3) No Items
The match began as it usually did. I gained the upper hand very quickly, making sure to exploit his mistakes. When he would come to land an aerial attack, I would simply dodge instead of roll, then land a quick SHFFL to set up something bigger. He would charge me only to get CCed, then stocked. I took control of the match, and soon it was standing at me with 7 stocks and him with 6. But then that's when it all changed.
I noticed one thing that was different about my brother. Usually, when faced with these odds, he would get frustrated very quickly. All of you know very well that frustration leads to defeat. I had stressed during our previous match not to get frustrated, to try and calm down when being beat. I guess he took that counsel and ran with it, because he did not seem at all frustrated that I had just stocked his Fox 2 times in one tango. Now, instead of just rushing in to attack me, I could tell he started to THINK about his next move. I could see the cogs in his head moving.
"Okay, he is CCing me to death. I need to start grabbing him more. Why am I rushing in to meet him all the time? I'm gonna let him come to me. Let's laser spam him for a moment to provoke him into engaging a fight with yours truly."
Now, I know that's not exactly how he was thinking, but I'm sure he was saying something similar.
So the match began to get interesting. We began countering each other to the dot. He began CC right at the exact moment he needed to. He was parring every move I made. I couldn't figure him out! I would have my moments as well, but he was beginning to steal the show. When I thought I had him figured out, he changed his attack. His wavedashing had improved immensely, however he was not trying to use it to death as he was previously. He would only use it to throw me off balance, which worked. Instead of trying to perform risky combo's, he would settle for attacks that I could not counter. In other words, he was getting the best of me.
LOL, now I was the one becoming frustrated.
As the match neared it's end, I could see I was outclassed. I could see that he had taken everything I had taught him and ran with it further than I had. He had practiced his butt off, and it showed. I was no longer in control of the match, but secretly... I was glad. I was going to lose, but it wasn't that bad. Oh believe me, I didn't go out without a bang. During our last exchange, I pulled out all the stops and nearly 2 stocked him. But in the end, he regained the match (again not getting frustrated), and he sent me flying with my last stock. He beat me with 2 lives left.
Now, as the match ended, I was probably the only one in the room who was not surprised. No one had ever seen him beat me. Then again, no one has been keeping tabs on his progress for the past month as I have. I was not surprised at all. This realization therefore, lead to my next decision.
Now, being as how my bro was in the losers bracket, I knew he had to beat me one more time. So we took a 15 minute break before the next match began. However, I really did not see the point in continuing. He had beaten me when I was at my best. How was one more match going to prove otherwise? My brother had practiced alot more than I had. His spirit for smash far surpassed mine. I could tell he wanted this, and I wanted him to be the champ. For the past month, I had seen my brother take the reigns as I was away. He set up tournament times, practice sessions with other smashers, and had become the leader that I was back then. I knew that if he was the champ, he would be a good one. I was utterly impressed with him, and I saw no need in continuing my pursuit. Therefore, I told him that I was not going to play the next round, and that he was the new champ.
This caught him by surprise, and I don't blame him. For the past couple of months, I had been going on about how I was working hard towards showing everyone that I was still a capable smasher. But... hadn't I already shown that? Hadn't I already shown everyone that I still had it? Wasn't that my original purpose? Did I really need to become the champ again, with all of it's added pressures, to prove that point? At this point, everyone was already ready to re-crown me. What else is there to prove?
In reality, I don't have the time to be a champion anymore. I don't have as much time to practice anymore, let alone go to every smash gathering. I would have been either a bad champion, or a bad husband. In the end, I think this ending was one that not only established myself as still a contender, but ensured the livelihood of our little community. My little brother will be a great champion. He deserved it, and I am proud to pass on the crown to him. I know that he will carry it for a long time, and that he will teach others the way of the smash. If there was anyone that I would have wanted to take the crown, it was him. He is going to carry this community from now on, and I feel confident that he will do a good job. I am not at all upset at my loss, but instead happy for his win. I hope that after all this, you all will feel the same.
So then. Here ends our story. I know this is not what you all had in mind, and it is especially not what I had either when I started this. I never expected things to go in such a direction as it has. But in the end, I am extremely satisfied. I am glad to end this the way it has. My itch is gone, the community is taken care of, and there is a new capable champion at the helm. I look forward to directing my little brother here to Smashboards for further training. I know he will flourish into an even better player as time goes on. I just hope that when he arrives here, that you all show him the same warm greetings that you all extended to me.
As for me, I plan on continuing in my smash career. Although I am no longer aspiring to become champion again, I do want to still be a contender. Therefore, I will continue to practice and improve as time allows. But for now, being champ just isn't a priority anymore.
Maybe it will be again... When Brawl comes out!
