Chapter Text
Waluigi used to be a nobody, lurking in the shadows, waiting for his chance to finally step into the spotlight.
That chance came when he met Wario -a stocky, loud-mouthed guy obsessed with money, who quickly became his partner in crime. The two bonded over their shared resentment for the Mario Brothers: Wario was consumed by jealousy over seeing Mario's lifelong success and popularity, and Waluigi hated seeing Luigi -a coward with no charisma- become beloved by the public. He was convinced he could do better. He DESERVED better.
So when news broke of a brand-new tennis tournament being held in the Mushroom Kingdom, they jumped at the chance to crash the scene and steal the show. Tennis wasn't just a game to Waluigi -it was one of the few things in life that made him feel truly good at something. And this time, he'd show it to everyone and he and Wario would snatch the fame for themselves. No one would be able to ignore them.
The big day arrived. As they stepped onto the court, Wario and Waluigi had one goal in mind: make the worst impression possible. They wanted to be feared. And they were... by almost everyone -except for the two people they wanted to rattle the most: Mario and Luigi. The brothers remained annoyingly unfazed, staring at the other duo in front of them with a mixture of boredom and disdain. Wario and Mario already had a long and bitter history. But Waluigi? No one knew who he was. Not even the one he had declared his sworn rival: Luigi. The very sight of the green-clad plumber made Waluigi's blood boil.
And when Luigi, with that stupid innocent face of his, casually asked, "Uh... who are you exactly?"
Waluigi saw red.
"The great Waluigi! Be sure to remember my name, you pathetic insect!"
Luigi blinked. No reaction.
That was the final straw.
Clutching his racket like a sword, Waluigi growled, "You'll regret underestimating me! See you on the court, morons!"
He shot a dramatic glare at the crowd, flashed a wicked grin, then stormed off the court with Wario behind him. The Mario brothers exchanged looks.
"Well," Mario said, "Who knew Wario would bring a buddy like that?"
He nudged his brother. "You were great, Lu'! Standing your ground like that... I'm proud of you."
"Heh...yeah...I just don't get why he seemed to hate me that much," Luigi mumbled, still confused.
[...]
While waiting for the tournament to begin, Wario and Waluigi wandered the grounds, whispering villainous schemes to ruin the Mario brothers' day. But Waluigi, despite his efforts, couldn't shake off the humiliation. He scanned the crowd, trying to distract himself -and that's when he saw her.
Princess Peach stood chatting with someone unfamiliar. Another princess, judging by her crown. She had long, wavy ginger hair and wore a short yellow dress that popped against her sun-kissed skin. Waluigi's eyes locked on her. There was something magnetic about her -confident, vibrant, bold...
He felt... weirdly captivated. And just as quickly, Wario slapped him on the back.
"Oi! You good, bud?"
"Y-yeah! Totally!" Waluigi snapped out of it. He hesitated asking Wario if he knew her, but changed his mind. Wario would surely mock him for that, and moreover, he had a mission -to prove he and Wario were better than the Mario Bros in every way. No way he was gonna drool over some girl right before the most important moment of his life.
[...]
The tournament began shortly after. A Lakitu floated down to announce the matches. Waluigi's first opponent was Toad. Naturally, he made short work of him. The poor guy hadn't expected to be crushed like that which filled Waluigi with satisfaction. He looked up at the crowd sitting in the stands above. They hadn't expected a nobody like him to destroy his opponent so easily either.
"Told ya you shouldn't underestimate me. And I'm just getting started..." he murmured with a wicked grin.
A few minutes later, it was time for Waluigi's second match. He had hoped to finally face Luigi and crush him in front of everyone, but instead, his new opponent turned out to be Princess Daisy -a new face in the Mushroom Kingdom, just like him.
So that's her name, huh... he thought, recognizing the girl he had noticed earlier as she walked to her side of the court.
He examined her from head to toe: confident stance, sharp eyes, bold smile... and most of all, she was strikingly beautiful. Suddenly, her piercing blue eyes met his. He looked away instinctively, startled.
What the heck was that? Some kind of hypnotic spell? No. No way. He couldn't afford to be distracted now. His ego flared up, drowning out the weird flutter in his chest.
"Heh, this'll be a piece of cake! No chance I'm losing to a princess."
Daisy's smile dropped. She clenched her racket.
"Oh yeah? We'll see about that!" she snapped, tossing her hair behind her shoulder and flashing him a look of defiance.
[...]
The match was intense, but in the end... Daisy won.
Waluigi stood frozen, staring at the scoreboard in disbelief. Then, he looked over at Daisy who was busy cheering, arms raised, soaking up all the crowd's applause.
She might be a princess who wore a dress and a tiara, but she played like a warrior. She was loud, boastful and didn't shy away from showing off when she scored. A true competitor.
And he liked it.
For a moment, he almost laughed at himself. He had walked into this match thinking it would just be another easy win, ready to boost his ego before cruising through the competition. He hadn't thought much of her. Sure, she carried herself with confidence, but he was certain his tennis skills would prevail. He was wrong. Wasn't he the one always telling others not to underestimate him? Now he knew exactly what that mistake cost him. And yet, he wasn't even truly angry. Daisy felt like a worthy rival in a way Luigi never had. Unlike him, she wasn't timid or weak. She came at him with a kind of energy that didn't let him rely on his talent alone.
He clenched his fists, a reluctant smile crossing his lips.
"Alright, princess... you won this time. But don't think this is over..."
Lost in thought, he didn't notice her walking toward him -until she stood right in front of him.
"That was a pretty good match! I'm Daisy, by the way" she said, holding out her hand with a smile.
"Hmph. I suppose it was." He shook her tiny hand nonchalantly, doing his best to look unimpressed.
"Waluigi, right? I've never heard of you before"
"Well, I've never heard of YOU either" He replied bitterly.
The princess was visibly offended by his rude tone. Who does he think he is, talking to me like that? This idiot probably lives under a rock... she thought.
She cleared her throat.
"I'm Princess Daisy of Sarasaland. It's a neighboring kingdom - even if it seems like no one's ever heard of it around here..."
She tossed her hair back and straightened her posture.
"My good friend Peach invited me to get a change of scenery, explore the Mushroom Kingdom and meet some so-called wonderful people..."
She gave him a sharp look, arms crossed. "Too bad you don't seem to be one of them."
Waluigi scoffed. She was right, he wasn't one of these 'wonderful people' living in the Mushroom Kingdom like Mario or...Luigi. He was mean, mischievous and narcissistic. Who would ever believe there was even a shred of kindness in someone like him?
Daisy tilted her head, curious. "So... where exactly are you from? Everyone here seems so friendly, but with that attitude, you don't seem like you grew up here."
His expression hardened. He hesitated for a brief second, then shrugged.
"That's not really something I talk about. Let's say I'm from around here... but not the part you'd know or care about."
He gave another arrogant shrug.
"Why do you care anyway? I thought you were here to meet these so-called 'wonderful people' -which I'm definitely not."
He glanced at Daisy, then took a step back.
"Our match is done. I've got places to be. Later, princess."
He left her standing there on the court, clearly thrown off. What a rude jerk! She had a only tried to be friendly, and this was how he treated her? Daisy figured her victory must have bruised his ego, but despite his attitude, she couldn't help feeling a spark of curiosity about him. After all, she hadn't had an opponent this good in a while...
A couple of weeks had passed since the tennis tournament, and Waluigi hadn't seen Princess Daisy since. Outwardly, he acted indifferent, but the truth was he dreamed about her nearly every night. Where could she be now? What was she doing?
He kept replaying their last encounter in his mind - how harsh he'd been when she was just trying to get to know him. Why had he acted that way?
Waluigi couldn't help it. His ego took over whenever he felt vulnerable. It was a shield, keeping his true self hidden. When Daisy asked about his past, he shut down and grew distant. No one was allowed to know what he used to be. All that mattered now was who he currently was - and the successful future he was determined to build.
Unbeknownst to him, Daisy hadn't forgotten about him either. Not that she wanted to, obviously. The freakishly tall guy in purple had no business taking up space in her head -but there he was anyway. Lingering.
His ridiculous proportions, that smug grin... and the way he had treated her like she was some kind of nobody because she was from Sarasaland. That had really gotten under her skin.
Sure, she hadn't expected him to even recognize her, but it still stung. It reminded her that no one in this kingdom really knew her -except Peach and Mario. Daisy and Peach had known each other since childhood, but time had pulled them apart. After Tatanga's invasion of Sarasland, when Mario had come to her rescue, she and Peach slowly reconnected. Peach had invited her to the Mushroom Kingdom to catch up, and Daisy, bored of the quieter life in Sarasaland, had jumped at the chance to have fun and meet new people.
She discovered just how friendly the people of the Mushroom Kingdom could be- but even so, she still felt like an outcast. And then there was that Waluigi guy... unlike everyone else, he ignored formalities and had the guts to be blunt about how unknown she really was.
And she just couldn't stop thinking about it.
Surely people would be used to her presence eventually. Yet she felt like she had to do something to improve her reputation as soon as possible.
Looking pensively at her reflection in the large mirror of the castle's guest room, she started considering what she could change.
Suddenly, she heard a knock at her door.
"Daisy? It's me, Peach. Is everything ok?"
Daisy opened the door and invited her friend inside.
"Ah, Peach! Perfect timing. I just need your help."
"What for?"
Daisy gestured at herself with both hands. "This."
Peach blinked. "I'm not sure I follow..."
"I've been thinking of getting a makeover. Honestly... I've been feeling like an outcast ever since I arrived here..."
Peach placed her hands gently on Daisy's shoulders.
"Daisy, you're not an outcast! You never were, and you never will be. The Mushroom Kingdom will always welcome you like a second home."
Daisy smiled, but her mind was already made up.
"I know... but I just need a change, you know? Nothing too crazy. I just want to fit in here while still being myself."
Peach studied her friend from head to toe.
"Hmm... I might have an idea. You could cut your hair shorter, like when we were kids! I've always thought short hair suits you best."
Daisy glanced at her long, wavy ginger hair in the mirror. She had worn it that way for years, thinking it made her look more "princess-like", but deep down, she had never truly liked it.
"As for the rest," Peach continued, "I can have my stylists make you a new dress, inspired by mine but in your own colors! That way, you'll embrace the Mushroom Kingdom's fashion while still feeling like yourself. What do you think?"
Daisy clasped her hands, beaming.
"I say, let's do this! I can't wait to see the result!"
And so, the two princesses left the room hand in hand, Daisy dreaming of her new look- and of being seen as someone important in the Mushroom Kingdom. And as for that jerk Waluigi... soon enough, he'd regret underestimating her.