A/N: Hi! Thanks for giving this story a chance.
Disclaimer: I only own my original characters.
"Angel! Angel! You've gotta come see this!" I cried, running down the hall to my sister's room.
My sister dropped the toys she was playing with and followed me out to the living room. "What?" she asked, her eyes round with curiosity, as if she were expecting some magic.
"Look how big it is now!" I exclaimed, lightly shoving her towards the two-foot clock tower that was currently under construction.
Angel gasped in wonder. "That's so cool! Is it almost done?" she asked, glancing at the huge, green tub of Legos on the floor beside the structure.
"Almost," I answered, pulling the instruction booklet towards me, "Just a few more pieces."
Eyes narrowed, I gazed at the box of Legos, willing the little colorful bricks to rise into the air and fit themselves onto the tower. The first time I tried to lift something with my mind, I gave myself a minor headache, but after long hours of practice, telekinesis, along with certain other abilities, had pretty much become second-nature.
"Junior! You can't use your powers to make that!" Angel cried. "That's cheating!"
"No it's not," I said, magically removing a few more clusters of Legos from the box. But then, a tingling started in my chest, which immediately made me see sense. Maybe she was right.
Over the past hour, I had assembled most of the two thousand Legos, and my powers sped up the process significantly. But, I had to be careful. The more energy I used, the easier it was to lose the source of my powers; the sphere of light inside my heart.
"Aww… Guess I'll have to finish it by hand…" I muttered, grabbing the pieces out of the air. It was a good thing that nothing needed my attention in other universes so I could take the time to build it.
The ounce of truth that statement contained was shredded sooner than I thought.
I was just about to attach the very top of the tower, when suddenly, an electric blue portal exploded to life in the middle of the room.
Angel screamed in alarm. Instinctively, I jumped to my feet and clenched a fist, preparing to face whatever monster or enemy came through the vortex.
In a split second, a giant, white, floating hand shot out towards me! "Junior! You're coming to the Smash mansion! No questions!"
Before my mind could register what was going on, the giant hand yanked me off my feet and pulled me through the portal, demolishing my clock tower in the process. The last thing I heard was my sister's cry of alarm before the blue light absorbed me, taking me to another world.
My entire body tensed as power hummed around me. The force was so strong I couldn't open my eyes. It was like floating in the middle of a massive windstorm. In all the commotion, my brain lingered on two words the hand said. 'Smash Mansion'.
Moments later, the energy stopped, and my feet landed hard on the ground. The hand released me and I lowered my arms, which I had crossed over my heart to protect my power light. I breathed deeply, taking in gulps of air as if the oxygen would calm my pounding heart.
When I regained my wits, I opened my eyes and saw another giant hand floating in the room, as if he had been expecting me. My jaw dropped as I recognized the two well-renowned hosts of every amazingly epic Smash tournament ever created.
Master Hand looked at his twin and spoke, clearly annoyed. "Ugh! I said don't get too crazy, Crazy!"
Crazy Hand merely shrugged, his massive fingertips bobbing up and down. "Oh, come on! The kid's here now, isn't he?" he retorted.
Master Hand sighed at his brother's indifference and turned to me. "He didn't interrupt you in the middle of something too important, did he?"
"No, it's fine," I answered, though a thought of my clock tower flashed into my mind. And my sister. I'd have to tell her and my mom where I was. Well, at least I hadn't been snatched away during a battle with one of my enemies.
Master Hand exhaled with relief. "That's good," he said.
"Well, my work here is done! I have other things to do!" Crazy Hand said gleefully, and zoomed out of the room.
"Crazy Orders," Master Hand muttered with a sigh.
"What?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Oh, it's a new event for our upcoming Smash tournament. You know about that, right?"
"The tournament? Yeah!" I answered, my excitement growing. I had heard about past tournaments from veteran Smashers, and it sounded like this one was going to be the biggest one yet. "What about it?"
"Well, tonight's the opening ceremony," Master Hand said, "but we're still waiting for your friend, so when he comes, I'll tell you the rest."
"Oh, Anti-Junior's coming, too?" I asked, wondering how long I'd have to wait before hearing what Master Hand had to say.
"He should be. I invited him."
Anticipation brimming, I turned towards the swirling vortex behind me. A moment later, the shadow of a figure appeared in the light, and a kid my age walked through the portal.
"Hello, Anti-Junior! Glad you could make it!" Master Hand greeted as my super-powered friend stepped forward.
"Thanks!" Anti-Junior said, running a hand over his spiky, black hair. Then he noticed me. "Hey, Junior! You're here, too!"
"No! I'm just an illusion reaching out to you from the edge of space!" I joked.
Anti-Junior laughed. "So, I take it you were invited here, too."
Though I wouldn't consider a giant hand grabbing me and forcing me through a portal necessarily inviting me, I nodded.
Then, Master Hand cleared his throat. "…So, as you already know, a new Smash tournament is about to begin,"
Anti-Junior and I leaned forward, eager to hear what the master had to say.
"Tonight's the opening ceremony. This tournament is going to be a pretty huge deal! Many Smashers from distant worlds are gathering for this event, and…" Master Hand hesitated, choosing his next words carefully. "It would be an honor if you would attend the ceremony."
My friend and I traded hopeful glances. We didn't even have to consider our response. Master Hand may as well have asked us to take the rest of the school year off, or enjoy an all-you-can-eat dessert buffet. "We'll do it!" Anti-Junior and I agreed, beaming with enthusiasm.
"Excellent! That's just what I wanted to hear!" Master Hand exclaimed. "The ceremony will start in about twenty minutes, so we should head to the main hall. If you'd follow me, please..." With that, the giant hand hovered towards the exit.
Anti-Junior looked at me, and his grin faltered somewhat. "Aw man, for a second I thought Master Hand was going to ask us to join the tournament," he whispered.
"Oh, I know, right?" I agreed. "But the invites for the tournament were given out at least two months ago."
"Yeah," Anti-Junior acknowledged gloomily.
"Are you two coming?" Master Hand asked patiently, floating out in the hall. If he had heard us, he gave no indication.
"Oops! Sorry!" I said, somewhat startled, and we hurried after the giant hand.
As Master Hand took us through the mansion, he explained some of the more notable amenities. "Here's the training room, and down that hall is the game room. The gardens are also nice this time of year…"
My friend and I could easily see that this was the perfect place for the tournament, and it was pretty cool to learn about the mansion, but part of me wondered why the master was telling us all this if we were only staying for a few hours.
Eventually, we came to a set of large double doors penetrated by the sounds of celebration beyond. "Here we are," Master Hand said. He waved in front of the doors, and they slowly opened, revealing a massive chamber!
The main hall was well lit, not too formal, and filled with a flurry of activity. Excited chatter could be heard everywhere, and the aromas of many different foods filled the air.
Hundreds of humans and other creatures sat at tables or wandered the room, talking with friends or meeting new people. Just seeing some of them again stirred up memories of previous adventures we had shared; stopping the Chaos Heart from destroying the Mushroom Kingdom, saving Hyrule from Ganondorf's wrath, rebuilding a spaceship bound for Hocotate…
"Are all these people in the tournament?" Anti-Junior asked, staring in awe.
"Not all of them," Master Hand answered, "Some are just helping out." With a massive white finger, he motioned to Lyn, Isabelle, Shadow, and Tingle, who, along with many other assistants, were serving food to tournament participants.
"Well," Master Hand said, "Feel free to have something to eat and take a seat. I'm sure some friends of yours will be excited to see you! We'll get started in a few minutes, so make yourselves comfortable." The master gave us an encouraging thumbs-up and flew away to another part of the main hall.
Immediately, we felt lost in the sea of activity. Everything was so busy, and for a second we stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to do. The party looked awesome, but we didn't know where to start.
Mario and Luigi sat at one table with Sonic and Pac-Man, while Link conversed with Marth and Ike. All of the Pokeman were together, waiting for Red to get them something to eat. Meanwhile, Yoshi and Kirby devoured everything at the buffet table, and the assistants had to get more food for everyone else.
Across the room, Ganondorf shared a table with Wolf, king Dedede, and a few other villains, their heads bent low and close to one another, as if they were plotting something. Bowser and his eight koopalings had a table to themselves, but they were still engaged in conversation with the other villains.
"We could sit over there," Anti-Junior suggested, pointing to a round table near the front of the hall. Its only occupant was a blonde swordsman in a dark red coat, another familiar face.
"Shulk!" I called as we walked up to the table. "Is it okay if we sit here? Everywhere else is pretty much full."
"Go for it," Shulk replied.
"Thanks," we said, and sat down across from him.
Shulk nodded, and started on his food. "That alien army hasn't attacked you again, has it?" he asked between bites of chicken.
"Nothing we couldn't handle," I answered. Then another past battle flashed into my mind. "That metal monster. Has it shown its face since we fought it together?"
Shulk shook his head. "Nothing," he answered with satisfaction.
I smiled, then leaned back in my chair and took in the scene all around me. It was good to see some familiar faces, but there were also those who I didn't recognize.
"Hey. Who are those two?" I murmured, pointing to the other occupants of Link's table. One was a girl who looked almost like Marth, and the other was a guy in black robes whose face was hidden behind a book. Like Marth and Ike, both wielded swords, and I wondered if they all were from the same universe.
At another table, a tall lady with long black hair was talking to a short boxer with green gloves. R.O.B stood at the back wall with a short, blue robot, and an angel who could have passed as Pit's evil twin sat at a nearly empty table, his arms crossed and a scowl etched on his face, despite the festivity all around him.
The excited squeals of Lumas and Pikmin eating star bits and drinking nectar drifted over from a few tables away. Rosalina and Olimar chatted with one another, and Peach and Zelda joined the conversation once in a while.
But then, at the front of the room, Master Hand raised himself up and signaled for silence. In a few seconds, the excited chatter of the Smashers and assistants died down to whispers as they waited for the master to speak. But, where was Crazy Hand?
"Welcome everyone!" Master Hand greeted the lively gathering. The Smashers and assistants burst into an explosion of applause and cheers. However, Master Hand raised himself to command silence once more. "First an announcement. I know we were supposed to start at six, but we have some late arrivals who will be participating in this tournament, so we'd like to give them a chance to get comfortable."
I didn't think anything of this, but the whispers that circulated around the room suggested that the Smashers felt otherwise. I looked at Anti-Junior, wondering if he knew what was happening, when Master Hand answered our questions for us.
"Originally, the tournament roster was predetermined, but due to circumstances beyond anyone's control, we have a few last minute entries," the giant hand explained, "So, now I'll introduce our newest Smashers!"
Whispers increased momentarily among the Smashers as they awaited the revelation of their newest competitors.
"First up… Mewtwo!"
The room echoed with shouts and applause as the catlike psychic Pokémon hovered through the double doors and took his place next to Lucario.
"He was in the Melee tournament, wasn't he?" Anti-Junior asked.
"Yeah," I answered, nodding.
Then, Master Hand introduced the next Smasher. "Lucas!"
More cheers erupted from the anxious crowd for another Smash veteran, this time from the Brawl tournament. The timid blonde boy looked around the room, then hurried over to where Ness waited with the other kids.
"He and I practice PSI together sometimes." Anti-Junior whispered. "Glad he's here!"
"Roy!" Master Hand boomed.
This time, Marth's table cheered the loudest as the red-haired swordsman strolled confidently into the main hall. Marth stood to welcome his friend to their table as well as to the tournament.
As Roy sat down, he looked at me, and his face brightened. "Junior! Are you in the tournament as well? Did the hands finally give you an invite?"
"I wish!" I said simply, crossing my arms.
All the hope drained from the other nobles' faces, replaced with disappointment. But, before they could express it further…
"Ryu!"
A muscular guy in a white fighter's uniform strode into the room amid more applause and screams. "So this is Smash," he said, and joined the boxer and the exercise coach's table.
The Smashers cheered and clapped for this newcomer just as enthusiastically as for Roy or Lucas, but I had a feeling that this was Ryu's first encounter with any of these people.
Master Hand waited until the room quieted down before announcing the next combatant.
"Cloud!"
All eyes flicked to the doors again as a blonde, spiky-haired newcomer with an indigo uniform and huge sword entered the room.
I turned to Anti-Junior. "Do you know him?"
My friend shrugged. "No, but then again, I don't know half the people here."
"Good point," I agreed, and we waited for Master Hand to call the next Smasher.
"Corrin!"
A blonde swordsman with a light blue cape and silver armor strode into the hall. I didn't know why, but something about him reminded me of a dragon. Maybe it was the fire in his eyes? Corrin looked around, then took his place with Marth, Roy, and the others, claiming the last spot at their table.
When the applause died down again, Master Hand spoke. "I hope you'll try and welcome these late arrivals, whether veterans or newcomers. We'll allow them to get settled, and then we'll begin the opening ceremony for the Smash tournament!" With that, Master Hand floated away to the loudest applause yet.
"Wow! Six unexpected Smashers! This should be interesting!" I remarked.
My friend simply nodded.
The excitement of the party doubled now that the hands had made their announcement, and the new arrivals were getting a lot of attention from the others. Master Hand and Crazy Hand were hanging out with all of us as well, making conversation with the Smashers and assistants.
But, something Anti-Junior said made me slightly uneasy. The fact that we didn't know some of the people here meant that we couldn't reveal our powers to them. Since we didn't know what worlds some of these fighters were from, and what enemies they fought, it was better for our true abilities to remain a secret for now.
A few minutes later, Anti-Junior and I got in line for some food. However, we found ourselves faced with some pretty tough choices. The buffet table was laden with enough delicious dishes to give anyone indecision. Steak, soup, pasta, hamburgers, chicken, and pizza were neatly arranged on platters along with potatoes, fries, salad, buttered rolls, and cheesy bread. At the end of the long table were giant pretzels, ice cream, pie, popcorn, chips, and many other delectable snacks and desserts.
Each of the Smashers had added their touches as well. Villager brought apples, cherries, and other fresh fruits from his town, and the Ice Climbers had gathered some of the vegetables. Peach and Rosalina had baked mushroom and star cake and cookies. A Mii brought out more bottles of Lon-Lon and Smash milk, as well as fruit juice and sodas, as if we needed the extra energy.
Our plates overflowing with goodies, Anti-Junior and I had barely sat down when a barrage of loud pops sounded at the back of the hall! We turned to see Pit, Ness, and Toon Link, all of whom had mischievous looks on their faces. Crazy Hand was hovering nearby, which couldn't be good.
"You want to go see what's going on over there?" Anti-Junior asked, hinting that he wasn't the one who wanted to do it.
I laughed a little. "Uh, no! I already had to deal with Crazy Hand once today!"
"All right, I'll be back," my friend said casually. He set his fork down and dashed over to the table where the other kids were sitting to see what all the commotion was about, and maybe join in.
I had eaten only a few bites when someone else joined the table. To my surprise, Cloud sat down a few places away, throwing me a curious glance before starting on his food.
"Hi!" I greeted nervously. Cloud gazed at me for a moment, and I thought I caught a hint of recognition in his eyes, but I didn't know how that was possible considering he never met me before.
"You're fighting, too?" he asked.
Shulk, who hadn't heard my answer the first time, perked up with interest.
"Nope. Just here for the ceremony," I answered, looking down at my food again.
"You're not participating?" Shulk asked with disbelief.
Just then, Bowser Jr, who happened to be going for seconds and had heard our conversation, decided to give his input. "That's right!" the Koopa kid said loud enough for half the main hall to hear. "Junior's not joining because he's afraid he'll lose his precious pow-!"
I turned around and glared sharply at the Koopa kid, almost daring him to keep talking. In a split second, Bowser Jr stopped speaking and ran half the distance back to his dad, knocking over Charizard's Super-spicy Curry on the way.
Sighing with relief, I turned back to the others at the table. A few newcomers threw me curious glances, but I couldn't worry about that. One more syllable out of Bowser Jr.'s mouth and Anti-Junior and I would have had a problem.
"Is that why you couldn't join?" Shulk wondered. "Because of the villains?"
I thought for a moment, trying to figure out how to explain. "Sort of… I didn't get an invite. Plus I have to watch out for… Well, you understand."
Shulk nodded, indicating that he did indeed understand. However, Cloud's voice caught me by surprise. "…For your light?" he asked quietly.
My eyes widened. "Wait. You know?" I questioned, wondering if I had heard correctly. Did Cloud know that I was one of two universe protectors in charge of keeping order in the cosmos? And if he already knew, then were their others here who possessed this knowledge?
Cloud's mouth tightened when he realized his mistake. But, his voice remained calm and level. "I just-"
"Junior! Guess what!" Anti-Junior ran up to our table, his face aglow with excitement. "Crazy Hand is setting off mini fireworks in the back of the hall!"
"No way! Really?" I asked, glancing over my shoulder, momentarily forgetting why I had been so cautious.
But, just then, Master Hand's voice rang out through the hall, calling the gathering to attention. Those who were wandering around immediately sat down and all eyes turned to the front of the room. Master Hand and Crazy Hand now hovered next to each other. Silence hung in the air like a cloud as we waited for the opening ceremony to officially begin.
Crazy Hand was first to address the crowd. "Is everyone having a crazy time?" he shouted, his voice echoing off the walls.
All of us cheered and clapped as loud as we could, but Crazy Hand wasn't satisfied. "I'm sorry. I can't hear you! Let's try again!" the giant, overly hyper hand encouraged. "Is everyone ready for the most legendary tournament of all time that is Smash?"
Everyone shouted even louder than before, clapping and stomping in appreciation. When the noise died down, Master Hand continued where Crazy Hand left off.
"All right! First, we'd like to thank all of the assistants and Miis for making this event possible for us." There was more scattered applause and Master Hand launched into an explanation on how the tournament would be run. "Matches will be decided at random! Combatants will each participate in a predetermined number of matches in which points are scored based on how well they do. The participant with the highest number of points at the end of the tournament will be declared the winner and will be awarded the Smash cup!"
"Wow!" Anti-Junior and I yelled as we clapped and cheered along with the rest of the Smashers. This tournament was going to be amazing! Just being there to watch would be the chance of a lifetime!
A fire of excitement and enthusiasm increased every second as the hands addressed the twists and turns they had thrown into this particular tournament. My hands ache from clapping so much, and the good food would have made me drowsy if not for the sheer exhilaration in the room. Finally, there was one more deafening roar of applause from the crowd, and the hands faced them once more.
"Well, that concludes our opening ceremony!" Master Hand said, making to dismiss the large gathering, "Be sure to-!"
"HEY! HEY! HEY! Aren't you forgetting something?" Crazy Hand asked importantly, overpowering the tremendous noise in the room. At once, the crowd fell silent, staring curiously at the two giant hands.
"Oh, am I?" Master Hand asked, his voice tinged with amusement. He waited a moment as if he were thinking. "Oh yes! That's right! I remember now!" Though he maintained a level tone, I knew the master was getting excited about something, but before I could figure out why, he spoke again. "To conclude this ceremony, Junior and Anti-Junior will now say a few words to all of us!"
My stomach did a flip-flop and I almost choked on my chocolate-covered pretzel. Anti-Junior nearly shot his orange soda across the table. They couldn't be serious! No one had said anything about giving speeches!
"This is just one of Crazy Hand's jokes, right?" Anti-Junior asked, apparently thinking, or rather hoping, the same thing I was.
"Of course it's not!" Crazy Hand blurted out, and zoomed over to where we were sitting. "Up you get!"
Realizing we had no choice, Anti-Junior and I reluctantly stood and made our way to the front of the hall, our footsteps echoing on the wooden floor. I felt the weight of at least eighty pairs of eyes on us, and after what seemed like a minute, we reached the hands. Slowly, we turned to face the gathering.
My heart hammered like crazy inside my chest. What were they expecting from us? I quickly turned to the hand on my left. "What are we supposed to say?" I whispered urgently.
"Oh, whatever comes to mind!" Crazy Hand said, unable to conceal the note of amusement in his voice. Then, to our horror, the hands soared away, leaving the two of us alone at the front of the hall.
To my right, Anti-Junior elbowed me in the ribs. "What are they thinking?" he hissed. "They may as well just announce us as the universe protectors!"
"Do you think it's too late to come up with a way out of this?" I asked in a hushed tone, trying to lighten the mood.
"Unfortunately, yes," Anti-Junior answered. There was nothing more to be done. We couldn't keep the audience waiting any longer.
"Um…" I stammered, addressing the crowd. "So, we… were uninformed of this until literally a few seconds ago… so, um…"
"And we… don't know why we were picked in the first place…" my friend added.
Some of the Smashers smiled encouragingly. Others gave us their polite attention. On the far side of the room, the villains traded amused grins, clearly enjoying our struggle. Each of the newcomers watched with curiosity, their eyes focused solely on my friend and me.
However, just then, Master Hand and Crazy Hand soared back over to us, easing the tension and awkwardness a little. Though Anti-Junior and I were pretty relieved that they had rejoined us, we were also somewhat puzzled.
"Um, I thought we were supposed to give some speech or something…" Anti-Junior said.
"We do want you to say a few words," Master Hand confirmed, and he and Crazy Hand passed each of us a sealed envelope.
"What's this?" Anti-Junior asked, staring down at his envelope as whispers from the Smashers penetrated the silence.
I looked at my letter, which was adorned with the Smash symbol in brilliant, shiny gold. Maybe what the hands wanted us to say was inside? Not knowing what else to do, Anti-Junior and I slowly opened our envelopes.
A gasp in the audience caused me to look up. Roy nudged Marth and pointed at the envelope I held, both faces shining with excitement. Shulk, Rosalina, Samus, and a few others now looked hopeful, and started whispering among their tables. However, most of the others seemed oblivious as to why the envelopes were so interesting.
A sudden shout from Anti-Junior tore my mind away from what the Smashers were doing. "Hey! This isn't a speech!"
"Then what is it?" I asked, hurrying to open my letter.
"We just want you to answer a very important question," Master Hand said.
I nodded, skimming the paper in my hands. I had only read the first few words when everything became clear. My nervousness and puzzlement melted away, and happiness sprung up from the ashes! It was as if Christmas had come early!
"No way! No way! Oh my goodness! This can't be real!" I screamed with delight.
"I don't believe this!" Anti-Junior shouted, excitement spilling over like water over a dam. He glanced from me back down to his letter, unable to do or say much else.
Then, a shout from the audience brought me back to reality. "Well? Don't keep us in suspense!" Fox exclaimed. "What is it?"
But I didn't know how to tell them. It all seemed like a very vivid dream, but it had to be real.
"They're obviously too stunned to tell you, so we'll take care of that for them!" Crazy Hand exclaimed, almost exploding with excitement himself!
Master Hand turned to us. "Junior, Anti-Junior," he said, loud enough so that every single person in the large chamber could hear. "Some of these Smashers would consider it the highlight of this tournament if you two were to participate." Then, in order to penetrate the sudden outbreak of noise from the audience, the hand spoke louder and clear than before. "Will you join them?"
At that moment, a bombardment of cheering, screaming, and clapping crashed over us like an ocean wave! Those who knew us were the most ecstatic of all, and their chant reverberated off the walls. "Smash! Smash! Smash!" More audience members took up the call, not only to persuade us to accept the invitation, but to show their spirit for the tournament.
The outbreak of enthusiasm was almost too much to believe, and suddenly, Anti-Junior and I didn't care about anything else. It didn't matter if we were scared. It didn't matter if we didn't know half the participants and what worlds they came from. For that moment, we didn't care what challenges, what new enemies waited for us. We'd figure out a way to overcome them. But, we weren't going to miss this golden opportunity.
"Yes!" Anti-Junior and I answered in unison.
The hands seemed pleased to hear this. "Excellent!" Crazy Hand cried with glee. "But, I don't believe they heard you!" he said, signaling out to the crowd of Smashers. "Let's try that again!"
Master and Crazy Hand raised themselves high in the air for attention and boomed the question once more. "Will you join Smash?"
Anti-Junior and I smiled, looking out at the expectant gathering, who fell silent just as suddenly as if a light was turned off.
The stillness in the room was almost suffocating as the Smashers stared, transfixed, at the two of us, waiting for our answer. I took a deep breath, then Anti-Junior and I repeated our previous declaration.
"Yes!"
I didn't think it was possible after Master Hand's previous announcements, but the shouting and applause reached a whole new volume! "Yes! Yes!" Pit and some others screamed. The Smashers who we had barely met clapped politely. Even the villains seemed satisfied by our decision, but that was probably because they thought they'd get the pleasure of knocking Anti-Junior or me into orbit in a fight.
Around us, the excitement multiplied until it was almost too much. With a sudden rush of energy, the lights within our hearts ignited, and Anti-Junior and I were surrounded by a brilliant glow, our cosmic powers embracing the connection to a few new worlds.
"And that really concludes our opening ceremony!" Master Hand boomed, and he and Crazy Hand zoomed away so as not to get caught in the tide of Smashers rushing forward to reach us.
Beaming broadly, Anti-Junior and I tried to at least make it back to our seats, but within a second or two, we were surrounded by eager Smash participants offering their congratulations.
"Junior! Anti-Junior! That's so awesome!" Link cried.
"Yeah! This tournament just got even better!" Pit exclaimed.
"And you said you weren't fighting!" Shulk commented, clapping me on the back.
"Hey, we didn't know this was going to happen." I explained. "Not that we're complaining."
Marth stood, steering clear of the small group surrounding us. "Leave it to the hands to pull something like that!" he remarked.
Around me, I caught little pieces of conversations that other Smashers were having. "So, who are those two?" Corrin asked Ike. "And what was that white light?"
"Oh, they're friends of ours, and they have powers like some of the others here," Ike responded. I knew there would be questions that followed, but I missed the rest of the conversation thanks to Pit's evil twin.
"Hey! It's Pittoo!" Pit exclaimed as the dark angel strode up to us.
"Don't call me that," Dark Pit grumbled, annoyed at his light counterpart.
Pit only grinned. "You here to congratulate Junior and Anti-Junior, too?" By the tone in his voice, it sounded like he knew this wasn't the case, but wanted to make a joke all the same.
Dark Pit glared at his rival, then turned to Anti-Junior and me. "I don't know who you are, but I'll be happy to launch you into the stratosphere!" he threatened.
Thanks to the amount of battle experience I possessed, I wasn't too worried. "I'd like to see you try!" I retorted.
Dark Pit crossed his arms and turned away without another word.
Seconds later, another fighter's voice caught my attention. "Should have seen that one coming," Cloud muttered, motioning to the invitation I still held. I grinned at him and he almost smiled back. He would pose an interesting challenge on the battlefield. They all would.
The celebration continued for hours after that. No one in the mansion seemed to want to sleep. The anticipation for the start of the tournament was too great. These were going to be some of the best two weeks of our lives, and when the time came, Anti-Junior and I would show all of them what two kids with cosmic powers could really do.
A/N: Thanks so much for reading! Feel free to let me know what you think.