Deftly dodging the laser fire, Marth continued his approach. All he needed was an opening, and the vulpine pilot could be dealt a decisive blow. Both he and Fox had sustained quite a bit of damage over the course of their fight, the fire in their eyes burning as brightly as the stars overlooking Final Destination. At last, Marth was within striking range. Anticipating a smash attack, Fox McCloud put up his shield to soften the blow. Marth then reared his sword back.
"I must end you!" Marth yelled as he thrusted Falchion forward, its tip colliding with Fox's shield and shattering it instantaneously. Fox grabbed his head, dazed and confused. Marth simply steeled himself. "Forgive me."
Marth then delivered a powerful smash attack, sending Fox flying off of Final Destination and into the blast zone. Marth was then teleported back to Wuhu Island, where the disembodied voice of Master Hand was then heard.
"The winner is...Marth!" the hand yelled as a fanfare played. Fox appeared beside the swordsman, having been teleported there as well.
"Great job out there, Marth," he said, patting his friend on the back. "I think this makes us tied, right?"
Marth laughed. "I suppose it does," he said. "For now anyway," he added with a smirk.
"Hah! Don't get too cocky," Fox said. "Seriously though, nice work. Any plans for tonight? You could join us for Game Night on the Great Fox. If nothing else, seeing Slippy beat Falco at Pits and P-Wings again would be worth it."
"I'm sure it would be," Marth said. "I'm afraid I'll have to decline, however. I must return to the palace tonight to talk to Caeda. I'd...like to discuss the upcoming event."
Fox nodded in agreement. "Totally fine. Tell Caeda I said hi," he said. "And Marth? For the record, I wouldn't worry too much about it. We've been through these kinds of things before."
"Thank you, Fox. And good luck tonight."
Fox clicked a button on his visor and out of nowhere, his Arwing descended from the sky. He saluted Marth before hopping inside and flying off toward the Great Fox, leaving Marth at the entrance of Wuhu Island's famous Smash Resort all alone.
After the World of Trophies had been ransacked by Tabuu and his Subspace Army, Master Hand wanted to find a more neutral territory for the Smashers to stay in during the pauses between battles. Wuhu Island was chosen due to its innate amount of "magical connectivity," or Crossover Magic, as some of the more savvy Smashers dubbed it, which allowed portals between worlds in the greater Nintendo multiverse to open. Besides, it being a beachside resort increased morale immensely.
Upon entering the resort, Marth headed for the Portal Room, wherein doors to each of the fighters' worlds were contained, allowing them to easily travel to and from home. Finding the door labeled "Archanea," Marth opened it and stepped through, ending up in the halls of Millennium Court.
As he shut and locked the door behind him, he noticed a figure walking through the halls, approaching him.
"Marth, is that you?" It was Merric, carrying a stack of magical tomes. Excitedly, he set them down on the floor before rushing to his old childhood friend's side. "Oh, how wonderful it is to see you back safely!" the mage said.
"It's great to see you again too, Merric. I wasn't gone that long, was I?" Marth asked.
"Certainly not, but it makes it no less worrying," said Merric. "Not that you're unable to handle things on your own, mind you, but still...the thought of something happening weighs heavily on my mind. Elice's and Caeda's too, I'm sure."
"The concern is appreciated, Merric," Marth said, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder. "I wish we could chat longer, but I'm actually on my way to see Caeda. Do you know where I might find her?"
"Oh, she's in the courtyard. I'm sure she'll be glad to see you," said Merric, grabbing the stack of tomes and holding them close to his chest. "I better get going too. These tomes were sent to the academy from Khadein, and I simply must study them. Until next time, Marth!"
Merric had left in such a rush that it was a wonder he didn't trip over his own robes, Marth thought. In truth, Merric's concern was far more founded than Marth led him to believe. Things were hectic in the World of Trophies, even after the Subspace debacle.
Marth made his way to the courtyard, wherein he saw a woman tending a pegasus, her deep blue hair cascading downward and her eyes captivating the Hero-King upon meeting them with his own. It was Caeda, no doubt about it. The two ran to one another and locked in a loving embrace, simply staying there for a few moments without saying a word.
Caeda was the first to break the silence. "I'm glad you're back, safe and sound," she said.
"I hope my absence didn't put too much strain on things," Marth said. Time moved much more slowly here than it did in the World of Trophies or Wuhu Island, but it still moved in general.
"Not at all," said Caeda. These are peaceful times, Marth. The wars are long over." She smiled at him and cupped his cheek. "You can afford some time off now and again."
"That's part of what I was hoping to discuss with you, actually," Marth added. "Do you remember when I joined several other fighters from across the worlds in welcoming a new challenger for the upcoming tournament? It was roughly a month or two ago."
"I do. The invitation came so suddenly."
"Well, it led me to think some things over. The fighters we welcomed, the "Inklings," they were...so young. And yet their skills on the battlefield were without equal. I believe the others called them...'fresh,' was it?"
"If you're worried about how the fighting may affect them, I'm sure they'll be fine. Smash tournaments are non-lethal, after all."
"It's not that that I'm worried about," said Marth, looking downward. "Caeda, is my fighting style...archaic?"
Caeda stifled a laugh. "I'm sorry, but is that what you're worried about?"
"Partially," said Marth. "But mainly because it feeds into my more pressing fear."
"You fight wonderfully, Marth," said Caeda. "Whenever we were on the battlefield, I always made sure to watch over you from above. I was always ready to swoop in and save you, but you hardly ever needed it. Even in these tournaments, you place consistently well. So what are these 'more pressing fears' of yours?"
"It probably sounds foolish, but...whenever I fight out there, people cheer me on. They call me the Hero-King. I would hate to let them down. All of the newer combatants are so poised and powerful and..." Marth said, sighing, "fresh."
"You've faced insurmountable odds and have always come out on top. And if they're calling you their Hero-King? Well, clearly you've captivated them...you have a way of doing that, you know," Caeda said, playfully jostling Marth's hair while maintaining a smirk. "But if you're still nervous, I think I might be able to help."
"How so?" asked Marth.
"I can whip up a special training regiment for you to hone your techniques. I'd like to think I've seen enough of your matches to know what you could improve on."
"And that wouldn't be too much trouble for you?"
"Not at all. I already have some ideas in mind. Just rest up tonight and we'll begin in the morning."
Caeda had always been a bit of a go-getter. Her drive and determination had helped her through both wars, and only continued to help in times of peace. Marth couldn't be more thankful that he had someone like her in his life.
The rest of the night proceeded as normal, with Marth fulfilling his duties as the ruler of Archanea, dining with Caeda, and then retiring to his bedchamber. Mercifully, he slept soundly. He woke to find Caeda vigorously shaking his shoulder as she sat up in their bed.
"Rise and shine, Marth," she said. Her sing-songy tone carried an air of playful vigor. It was time to put the training regiment she made for him to work.
After getting ready, Marth and Caeda exited the palace and entered an enclosed courtyard to its rear. They'd need ample space for this, after all. Several platforms floated above the ground at varying heights, mesmerizing Marth.
"How on earth did you accomplish that here?" he asked. Marth had thought only Master Hand could create floating platforms like that.
"Well, they're not exactly up to tournament regulations, but we had to improvise. Merric just cast a levitation spell on some stone slabs, is all." Caeda looked to her right. "Speaking of which..."
Merric appeared beside the royal couple. "Salutations, Marth!" he said, waving. "I was asked to assist in your training. I've brought several tomes with me to prepare you for various scenarios."
Marth carefully set the divine Falchion off to the side and drew a blunt practice sword.
"In that case, what shall we work on first?" asked Marth.
Caeda whistled, and a moment later, her pegasus arrived from above. She hopped on its back after grabbing several blunt practice javelins.
"Your style of swordplay gives you quite a bit of range, but you're still easily overwhelmed by projectile attacks. With more recent challengers like Bayonetta having a heavy focus on projectiles, it's of utmost importance that you're prepared." Caeda twirled a javelin before hurling it at Marth.
Marth, momentarily caught off-guard, sidestepped slightly too late, and the javelin grazed his arm. Luckily, he wasn't distracted enough to not see the second javelin heading straight for his face. Thinking quickly, he leaped up and sliced beneath him with his practice sword, chopping the javelin in half.
"Impressive," said Caeda.
"Are you in need of a Heal staff, Marth? If so, I brought one with me," said Merric.
"That won't be necessary yet," he said, lightly tossing his hair out of his eyes.
Caeda had her pegasus dive down toward Marth, her lance outstretched. "Stay on your guard, Marth!"
Marth ducked to the side and hopped onto one of the platforms to get a better vantage point. He noticed that Caeda had lobbed another javelin toward him, though this one had been thrown too high to reach him. Thrusting his sword upward in a smash attack, the tip collided with the center of the spear, destroying it.
Caeda laughed to herself and shook her head. "Since when were you such a show-off?" she called down to him.
"I'm sure our imaginary audience appreciated it," Marth said with a laugh of his own. "Agh!" Marth had lost his footing on the platform and slipped off of it, hitting the ground below with a thud. Looking above him, he saw that the platform had been coated with ice.
"I apologize for the underhanded tactics, Marth," said Merric, sheepishly tucking a Blizzard tome away, "but you must always be alert to your surroundings. The javelin simply served as a distraction."
"It's quite alright, Merric," said Marth while rubbing the back of his head. "I did ask for this, after all."
"And not everyone you face will be an honorable fighter," said Caeda, dismounting her pegasus and grabbing a cloth to wipe away some forehead sweat. "Free for Alls are especially prone to encouraging dirty fighting."
"All the more reason for me to keep training," said Marth once again assuming his battle stance. "Merric, I'll need your assistance. I wish to practice aerial techniques."
Merric nodded as he took out another tome: his trademark spell, Excalibur. He placed his hand over the tome and whispered an altered version of his usual incantation. "Winds, heed me in this time of need, but handle him with care. My friend must fight now in the sky, so help him take to air!"
A pulsating green glow surrounded Marth after a blast of wind shot at him from Merric's outstretched palm.
"Well, that's certainly new," said Marth.
"Magic is wonderful, isn't it?" said Merric with a smile.
Marth, testing the spell, jumped upward. It was a perfect fit; it allowed him to jump much higher, and even enabled a midair jump. An exact replica of Master Hand's physics alterations now existed in Archanea of all places, Marth thought.
"Now the real battle begins," Caeda said, gripping her spear in one hand and the reins of her pegasus in the other. "Don't hold back, Marth."
Marth took to the air and slashed his sword ahead of him in an attempt to strike Caeda. The strike made contact, though not as potently as he would have liked. Caeda fired back by commanding her mount to ram directly into Marth's side, though Marth was able to duck to the side at the last moment. Thinking quickly, he watched as Caeda's pegasus rushed past him before turning around and swiping his blade toward her back. This was a direct blow, and at the sword's tip no less. Marth fell back to the ground, regaining his composure before leaping upward again.
Caeda tried to ignore the pain of the last blow. The hit had quite a bit of force behind it. Nevertheless, she knew she couldn't let Marth win so easily, so she charged right toward her ascending husband. The pair traded blows back and forth in the air, their blades clashing and clanging as they went.
"The skies are my domain, Marth. It looks like you're in dire need of some new tactics," Caeda said.
"Or some old ones," he replied with a smile. Taking Caeda by surprise, Marth backed away from her slightly. While she was distracted by his odd retreat, however, he struck her with the tip of his sword before jumping back toward her, only to strike her again. Caeda had lost her grip on her reins, and struggled to regain composure. At this point she was just below Marth in altitude. Looking upward, she watched in shock as Marth delivered one last sweeping blow beneath him, knocking Caeda off her pegasus and sending her hurdling back toward the earth.
Merric, thinking quickly, broke her fall using his Excalibur spell. Marth landed beside her, helping her regain her balance. Everyone barring Merric was out of breath at this point, but after a moment of adjustment, Caeda placed her hand on Marth's shoulder.
"You're more than ready, my love."
"In truth I hadn't been able to perform that technique adequately for quite some time now. But when I was fighting with you, well...it all came surging back to me."
"So you see now that you're just as capable a fighter as ever, right?"
"It's more than clear to me now. Thank you, Caeda, and you as well, Merric."
With renewed confidence, the Hero-King returned to the palace knowing well that he would be prepared for the tournament whenever Master Hand called for him to come back. He had a title to uphold, after all.
Outside still, Merric was using a Heal staff to patch up any damage done to Caeda during combat.
"Caeda, if you don't mind me asking, have you ever given any thought to joining one of the tournaments?"
Caeda simply laughed to herself. "Considering how I was holding back against Marth, I'm not so sure Master Hand would consider me an adequate fit." She glanced at her shoulder and noticed the bruise that once covered it was now gone. "Though if he offered, I probably wouldn't turn him down."