Chapter One: Resfeber

Resfeber: (Swedish) (n.) the restless race of the traveler's heart before the journey begins, when anxiety and anticipation are tangled together.

Legend says that when the sky and stars above were as young as the lands and oceans below, violence and bloodshed broke out among the fractured, war torn kingdoms. Men of the same kind fought against each other in a seemingly endless conflict. Friends pitted against friends, brothers against brothers; only the hope of honor, which masked the lust for power, fueled each warrior and each ruler.

When the prospect of peace was dwindling at near extinction, a dark mage, with only malice and hatred in his heart, summoned what would be known as Pandora's Box and unleashing a doomed future upon the land. Even the most mightiest mercenaries were no match against these horrific beasts, who invaded the vast land and feasted upon the young and innocent.

At last, when all hope seemed lost, the warring kingdoms decided once and for all to push aside their differences unite as one to bring together their strongest and most heroic champion to bring down these monsters. For each kingdom had birthed a mighty weapon, forged with the peoples' hope and will for a future, and only the most courageous and pure hero could possess the power to wield such a weapon. These heroes, united together with their people's determination and strength by their side, were able to seal away these creatures of darkness and restore good across the land.

Good had triumphed over evil, and the now saved Earthanian kingdoms agreed begin talks of peace and future alliances. And yet...when it came time to honor the warriors who so heroically prevented an oncoming apocalypse, there was no one to be found.

The brave swordsmen and the villainous mage simply vanished without a trace, as no record shown what had became of legendary heroes and foe. In fact...no one knows what happened at the last battle or when and where it took place. Some folks began to doubt if the climactic showdown even happened.

While they may have been forgotten over the centuries, their tale of heroism lives on in the present, and even few believed that destiny will one day bring the mage and the swordsmen together for one final battle.

"Bedding...and...sheets...there! All done!"

The brunette put down the black marker and let out a contented sigh after marking up the side of a cardboard box. She took a moment to look around herself, only to realize that with all of her belongings packed up and in the moving truck, her now empty bedroom seemed much bigger.

"Daisy!" a voice rang from outside the hall. "Are you still using your black sharpie? I just have...a few more boxes to label, and mine just died!"

"Sure thing!" After getting up and stretching her stiff muscles, Daisy took the last box in her room under one arm and pocketed the marker before proceeding out of the room. The brown-haired princess had dreaded all summer of the day she needed to up her entire bedroom for the new school year, but after a near eight grueling hours of unfolding boxes, reorganizing her wardrobe, shuffling around her personal items, and untangling half a dozen rolls of shipping tape, Daisy felt a wave of relief and accomplishment after finishing the near impossible job.

Speaking of cousin...

"Peach?" Daisy peered into the lavender-tiled bathroom down the hall but no luck. She could have sworn she heard Peach in here.

"I'm over here...!" Her cousin's voice echoed again, this time from the bottom floor. Daisy looked down below and saw Peach on the floor, surrounded by a few half-full boxes, stacks of leftover cardboard, and newspaper scraps. Her lone dried up marker was discarded across the floor.

"Here, throw it," Peach opened her palm without looking up, then grinned when she caught it. "Thanks."

"Almost done?" Daisy set down her box and leaned against the wooden banister. "I wanna get dinner after we lock up the truck for the night."

"Ah, hmmm..." Peach was caught mid-thought while taping shut a box. "I just have these last few dishes to box up, and I think I finish it all up in a few."

She looks up again. "Are you really hungry right now?"

"I am, but I can wait," Daisy began making her way down the spiral staircase. "Here, let me help. It'll make things faster."

"Thank you," Peach, grateful for the extra hand, tossed Daisy the nearest tape gun and scooted an opened box with her foot. "We can stop by Starbeans Café afterwards for a bite. How does that sound?" (1)

Daisy nodded to her suggestion. "Whenever I pack stuff, I always forget how much crap I have," she half-joked before taking a seat on the floor with Peach. The blonde, still wrapping glassware with paper, giggled and nodded in agreement.

Soon enough comfortable quietness eased between the two as they stuffed and packed away the last of their dishes and utensils, crinkling newspaper and squeaky tape guns faded in and out.

The last few years, Daisy spent her summer vacations with Peach and her family while her parents spent their summer traveling to negotiate business on the behalf of the Sarasa-land Principality. But unlike the last few years of moving back to her home to be privately tutored, Daisy was now officially accepted by the Iwata Academy this fall, as her last bit of paperwork finally turned in last month. The prospect of attending a major school for the first time in the big city was both exciting and intimidating for Daisy, but knowing that her dear cousins would be there to help her out eased her troubles.

The ruling king and queen of Mushroom Kingdom have been gone since last month to attend to city council matters, and Peach's older sister, Rose, had already moved back in their shared duplex at school last weekend. This had left the two princesses alone at the family vacation beach house for the final bit of summer with Peach's loyal servant, Toad, checking on them every now and then. While Peach and Daisy's living arrangement was neither lonely nor troublesome, it was quite boring and restless to live in such a spacious house together (much too big for only two people, as noted by Daisy) with summer dwindling by the last weeks of August.

The day they both finally began packing their things for the new school year was still a daunting task, but to Peach, it served as a refreshing change in pace to their mundane living.

"...and...there! All done!" the blonde one rose to her feet and wiped her brow. "The last box is ready to go. See, that wasn't so bad, was it?"

"Pfft, you're tellin' me," Daisy grumbled and wiped her hands on her jeans with a sigh. "We got to load all these up before we go. And then tomorrow, we'll have to drive all the way over and then unpack everythin -"

"Shush you," Peach smiled and playfully poked Daisy on the cheek, instantly breaking her train of thought.

"First off, you're not even driving, Toad is! Second, we'll worry all about that when we get to it," Peach laughs with her hands on her hips. "For now, let's celebrate this victory with dinner, my treat."

Daisy's stomach, to her relief, silently agreed. "Okay." After all, the thought of food and the giddiness of a blossoming adventure to the big city cured her grumpy mood.

A hot salted caramel mocha, served on a baby blue porcelain tea set and cinnamon shortbread cookies on the side.

Small hints of caramel syrup and roasted chuckle beans lightly tapped at her nose. (2) Rose slowly breathed in the aroma before admiring the presentation and handiwork of her drink. And she of all people was not one to disregard the artistic handiwork it takes to make a fine cup of espresso. Even the latte foam was smooth as silk without a single flaw in sight.

The soothing jazz on the radio blended with footsteps on wooden floor and the blur of casual conversations at every table. Bits of the afternoon news report blared in and out of the lobby like a disjointed pattern.

" - and Watch, a longtime veteran of the main tournament, was last seen…"

Nonetheless, the chaotic, but relaxing atmosphere did not disturb Rose from enjoying her freshly brewed coffee after an afternoon read by the fireplace. Classes didn't begin for another week, but Rose wanted to make sure to jump start her textbook reading for Advanced Astronomy class before then.

'There's no need to rush for now…' Rose heard a faint, soft voice underneath the table.

Rose glanced under the table to find her golden furred cat, Luma, now awake after a small nap by her feet. Luma's paws on Rose's lap were definitely meant play time now and study later. And with a smile, Rose set her porcelain teacup down and lifted Luma into her arms. She had gotten quite through her reading, so she could afford taking a small break.

Her textbook closed and Luma occupying her lap, Rose gazed out the window and noticed it was unseasonably cool and rainy for August. The city folk outside the coffee shop quickly scurried underneath any nearby shelter from the downpour. Those luckily prepared with an umbrella leisurely made their way down the sidewalk and avoided puddles pooling by the curb. Large drops of rain trailed down the cafe window sill.

" - the press release by the Chief Director confirms the victim missing…"

Although Rose had enjoyed rainy days, she began to miss the sunny, hot weather back at the beach house. She began to wonder what the girls were up to. The elder princess smirked, imagining Peach and Daisy soaking up the last drop of summer before packing up the moving truck. She pictured Daisy would whine about all the hard work while Peach teased her younger cousin by sticking tape on the back of her head.

" - as told by investigators, there seems to be no physical evidence of a struggle…"

But now she remembers that her little girls aren't so little anymore. It was hard for her to believe that her younger sister and cousin were going to be with her at the Academy this year. And that this year…was her last year before graduation.

Perhaps…now it was time...

" - city's police department is still ongoing the investigation..."

'No.' Rose shook her head to firmly ground her resolve. No matter, the girls were still young and innocent. There was still time left.

'A little longer. Not yet.'

"Here ya' go kid, Fils-Aime. Dat'll be-a 26 gold, flat."

The taxi cab came to a screeching halt next to the curb, which would have sent the passenger flying into the dashboard if it wasn't for his seat belt. He quickly undid his seat buckle and reached into his pocket to fish out his change.

"Thanks," the man in the back seat murmured under his hooded sweater. Unlike the mustached driver, he wanted to keep his manners in check for first impressions.

"Don't let the door hit ya' on your way out. Now scram!" The stout driver huffed over the loud 90's grunge radio and gruffly snatched up the gold. His retort fell on deaf ears, as the passenger was already out of the cab and taking his luggage out of the trunk. Not wasting a second after he shut the trunk, the taxi barreled forward back onto the street, nearly running over a stray black cat on the sidewalk and leaving the poor man stranded in a cloud of smoke and fumes.

The stranger, shortly after clearing out his lungs, decided not bothering to give the disgruntled driver another thought and turned around to face the school gates. Once passed the brick wall and gated entrance, the campus grounds gave way to the wide and lush field and school buildings on all sides, some baring an archaic resemblance and others were refreshingly remodeled. He mentally noted to take a better look at the buildings and where his classes were during the campus tour.

The weather had slowed down to a gentle sprinkle with the sun peeking through the clouds; heavy smell of rain still lingered in the air. He glanced through the open gates to see a crowd of new students filing down the stone pathway due north, some whom began sneaking past the shrubbery and cutting through the grassy lawn and sparsely arranged trees. At the centre of the rock intersecting paths laid a marble fountain with spherical shape split in four sections as the centerpiece, clear water spewing from the top. (3)

At last, merely a few feet ahead of him was a large steel-hardened sign engraved with only one thing.

"Fils-Aime Battalion School: Official Tournament Training School & Combat Facility."

The man grinned underneath his hood and readjusted the strap of his drawstring bag on his shoulder, drinking in the sight of what was the new chapter in his life. Now realizing that there were no longer any obstacles in his way, figuratively and literally, the hooded athlete hurried down the stone path and followed the pack of students down towards registration at the dormitory buildings.

He vaguely heard someone sarcastically shout, "Nice sweater!" from a distance, but took no heed. Whenever there was a goal or objective in mind, he completely zones out and nearly blocks out everything else. For today, his main priority was getting to the student commons to get signed into his dorm room and unpacking his things before evening settled in. He did have a few hours to spare as he got to the school campus earlier than expected, but there was still getting through the large mass of new students now crowding in the lobby area.

The corners of his mouth twitched upwards as a thought crossed his mind. Hopefully, if he had some time left, he could try and hunt down a certain someone he was looking forward to reunite with again. After all, it has been a couple months since...

"I can help whoever's next in line!"

His thoughts were quickly interrupted when a high pitched voice called him over at the self-made registration booth. Various clipboards, pens, and school sponsored lanyards littered the tops of the fold-out tables. Behind one sat a perky, blonde girl in curly pigtails who enthusiastically waved him over. She, similarly to the other orientation leaders, wore a bright blue t-shirt that spelled out the school's name and logo on the front and a "LOST OR CONFUSED? I CAN HELP!" in bold large print on the back.

"Omigosh, I love your sweatshirt," she half-gasped, half-squealed at high pitch. "Pink is my favorite color! Well, next to yellow, of course."

"Erm - "

"Oh, right! Ugh, how silly of me! I almost forgot to introduce myself!" She stood up straight and cleared her throat before eagerly shaking the hand in front of her. "I'm Lissa of Ylisse, and if I can get a name from you, I'll getcha' all signed in and ready to go!"

He took down his hood with his hands wrapped in athletic tape to reveal a journey-worn face and cropped, jet black hair.

"Name's Mac. Little Mac."

Marth turned the key in the lock before pushing open the glass door with his back. His hands were full with a small box full of brand new notepads, pencils, pens, and various supplies for the new student government office, as the newly elected student president took it upon himself to move all the old school supplies since the other members of government were still on vacation. Rose had lent an extra hand with the moving earlier this morning, but shortly left campus after lunch to study.

After setting down the last package of printer paper by the copying machine, he let out a contented sigh and leaned against the edge of said table with his back to the door. Fortunately for him, school maintenance had already moved the old office desks, chairs, bookshelves, and various pieces of furniture and potted houseplants. And an added bonus, their old oval oak conference table was replaced with a new, sleeker cherry-wood one during the summer.

"I guess that's that for tonight," he murmured to himself.

Marth glanced out at the large window panes that lined the left side of the office. The view of the Iwata campus below glistened as the sunset was over behind the trees outside and the afternoon grey skies blew towards the east. Today had quite the peculiar weather, he thought to himself before fiddling with the wobbling back-end of an office chair. Marth was very grateful for the headmaster's courteous donation of a new table, but if he were to be truthful only to himself, he would have preferred replacing the worn-down chairs instead. But he didn't dwell on it for long, as he didn't feel he had any more right to complain about the kind gesture.

After going through his mental checklist, he was quite pleased with getting through as many errands as he could, but there was still work to be done before the start of the school year. In fact, he still needed to tackle his welcoming speech for freshman orientation week tonight and figure this year's agenda and goals by the first week of school.

But while most other students who would've caved under pressure, Marth felt a sense of exhilaration and pride under such demands. As cheesy as it sounded, he couldn't help but feel a brimming gaiety for the new school year fill his chest. The Altean lived for and thrived on taking on leadership and the feeling of others' looking up to him. A perfect fit for this year's student body president, as many of his friends would say.

After all, those were the characteristics he strove for as future king of the United Archanea.

"This is it, huh?"

There was slight whine of the glass door opening and Marth whirled around only to immediately smile upon seeing school secretary. "Zelda!"

He hopped to his feet and gave his friend a quick hug. "It's been so long! How was your summer? I...thought you weren't arriving until next week?"

"Hyrule is...well..." Zelda gave a mirthful smile and shrugged. "I love my home and my parents, but I think we both mutually agreed it was time for me to come back here."

Marth, curious at what she meant, decided to keep it to himself when she changed the subject.

"Huh...it's a lot bigger than I thought it would be," the honey blonde paused to get a good look around the new layout of the room. She wiped the tabletop with her fingers and gazed on the white washed walls. Most of the furniture had been put in their proper places, but some of the frames of typical stock photography leaned against the walls, waiting to be hung up later this week.

"We'll probably have to figure out something to do with that big blank spot next to the white board..."

"Any ideas?" Marth, arms crossed, leaned against the wall.

"Not yet, but me and Peach'll think of somethi - " Zelda paused when she stumbled upon an open box of rolled up posters on the table. After a quick unravel, she gave Marth a bemused look.

"...really?"

Marth couldn't help but chuckle. "Okay, so I found all those all in storage and I thought they were really hilarious. Apparently they haven't been used in years and, uh..." he unrolled one of the motivational posters out that read 'Confidence!' on the front with a cartoon dog on the front giving a thumbs up. "I can see why now."

"Oh...my Gods," Zelda had to keep herself from laughing out loud in when she pulled up another poster, but this time with small child with his arms flexed and in large letters read 'Child Obesity!' on top. "We have to have this in your office. No exceptions."

"No!" Marth's horrified face made Zelda burst out. "Oh hey, speaking of which, you haven't seen it yet, have you? Come over!"

He quickly led the Hylian back to the side room on the left side of the doorway. His own office itself was much smaller than the conference room, but was still roomier in comparison to the previous presidential office. After switching on the light, there laid a modern black desk with a green glass lamp and a few small boxes on top. Zelda's eyes immediately latched onto the new leather chair behind the desk.

"You got a new chair but we don't?" she asked, taking the opportunity to sit and feel it out.

"No, no," Marth assured. "I actually had to bring this one from home. No way would the school give me this great of a chair. Not in my lifetime at least."

Navy blue curtains hung low on the windows, matching the rug underneath his desk. Marth reminded himself that he needed to thank Elice for giving his office a little more of a homey touch. (4) Aside from the mounted shelves that held a few of his personal trinkets and awards, the walls were still empty. He was hoping to install a small corkboard for notes and reminders today, but the project will have to be pushed back to the morning.

"Of course," she rolled her eyes teasingly. "I shouldn't have been surprised to see Mister Busy-body over here before orientation. I hope you were at least able to relax during break."

"Actually...I was able to go on a camping with Elice and my parents back in July," he recalled fondly and leaned on the doorway. "Was really surprised that they got time off from their never-ending schedule. What about you?"

"Hm..." Zelda looked up to the ceiling in thought. "Got to travel around smaller villages in the south and got to meet with our people. It's always an eye-opener when I go out to the country and think how different life is compared to the city. It's always more peaceful and relaxing..."

She sighed and looked down at her hands, choosing her words carefully. "My...parents keep bringing up talks about opening a trade port with the Gerudo Territory but I...I'm not so sure about that..." (5)

Marth frowned, not sure whether or not she would want to hear his input. He knew Zelda was merely muting her true opinion, and having known her family and other royal families for many years, it was always tough to hear when trouble brewed in one's home kingdom.

Before he could say anything, a buzzing vibration came from his back pocket, alerting the two. The blue-haired teen checked his smart phone to see an incoming call from, unexpectedly, his childhood friend Roy.

"Ah..."

"I actually need to get going," Zelda took that as her cue to leave. She got up from the room and grabbed her bag she set down next to the conference table. "I got lots of unpacking to get through today and was only going to stop by to check the new office real quick."

"Oh, uh," he called out to Zelda before she headed out the door. "If you're here already, I still need to meet with you sometime this week to discuss freshman orientation and our schedule for September. Are you free tomorrow?"

"I should be all settled in by tomorrow morning. I'll send you a text - I'm at my old place down in Blather's hall again, so you know where to go." (6)

And with that, she was gone.

It took a second for Marth to realize that his phone was still ringing, which he managed to answer the call before it went to his voice mail.

"Hello?" He grabbed his school blazer and lanyard from the table before shutting the light and locking up the office. "...Roy? Is that you? ...hey man, how have you been...? I know, I know, sorry I haven't called in a while, been real busy at Iwata since last week..."

His lone footsteps faded down the hall, the echo lingering.

"Yeah...okay...you got good news? What's up…?"

Marth didn't notice the growing shadow that was looming behind him in the distance.

Pure darkness.

Not even a shred of light could pierce the empty void. There was nothing except a dark blackness everywhere, consuming at every corner and every spot. No solid ground below or sky above. Just sheer pitch black night.

A figure stands at the centerfold. A humanoid of a luminescent tinge, dwarfed by the sheer size of the surrounding emptiness.

There he stood in silence.

Waiting.

To be continued…

Author's Note:

Hello and thank you for taking the time to read my story! The first chapter is a bit long but I'm hoping the next few will be a little shorter (no promises though!) I've had this idea for an SSB fiction for a while now and finally decided to just go do it, haha. By the way, that 'Child Obesity!' poster actually exists! I've seen it on the window of a local karate dojo – no joke!

I won't reveal much of the story just yet, but I'll give some brief information of the setting: There are various kingdoms and continents on the given planet, Earthania, and the biggest modern city-state, Nintendo-Land, is a neutral global center where kings, lords, and leaders can peacefully negotiate and handle business matters. This city also serves as a bustling hub, and home to the internationally renowned tournament, "Super Smash Brothers Fighting Tournament," held every year. Among many of the battle schools that train their best and brightest competitors, two of the well known schools in the city are Fils-Aime Battalion School and Iwata Academy of Special Arts.

Here, we'll see the many adventures students will undergo before the big tournament, all while someone or something is biding their time. Who is this mysterious being and what are their intentions? Why is Rosalina known as Rose instead? What is Roy up to? We'll just have to wait and see!

This is a Modern Day AU, with a hybrid High School/University twist. I have a main cast in mind, but I'll try to include as many cameos of different smash characters - there are a LOT after all! I will include all characters from all the Smash games, including ones that aren't in the SSB4 (e.g. Roy, Solid Snake, Ice Climbers, etc.), as well as a select few side characters from various games. Special mention to BabyGurl278, whose fiction trilogy, "Power of the Elements" (which is sadly discontinued) has inspired me to write my own story.

There will be pairings, but I will reveal them in time – romance is part of the story, but I'll try not to focus so much on that aspect. I did numerous amounts of research on game lore and tried my best to keep everyone in-character, as their game lore impacts the story and make up the world they live in now. Of course, I'm not infallible (and neither are the wikis I use), so if there is a mistake, let me know?

I'd love to have a steady schedule of updates but again, busy busy life happens so we'll see what I can do. For now, I'll try for at least updating once a month and keep you posted for any changes.

This story is the first installment to a trilogy I had in mind, but it depends how things go. The first 2-3 chapters will act as a pilot – if enough people like my story and want me to continue, I will. But if it's clear that there is no interest or if my story is badly received (which is okay!), I will simply discontinue my story and delete my account. This is sort of an experiment for me, so we'll see how things go from now on.

As a new writer, I'd love to hear some feedback! If you want me to keep writing, click that review button and let me know!

- A. Mitsuni

Index:

(1) The Starbeans Café is a coffee house in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga owned by Professor E. Gadd. The name is based off of the real life Starbucks, and so is the business. There are many Starbeans Cafés all over the world, serving their brand name coffee and baked goods.

(2) Chuckle beans are one of the coffee beans used in Starbeans Café. 25 chuckle beans boosts speed by 4.

(3) Sculpture is modeled after the Super Smash Brother's icon, the Smash Ball.

(4) Elice is Marth's older sister and ally from Fire Emblem: Ankoku Ryū to Hikari no Tsurugi, Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem, and the remakes. In Nintendo-Land city, she serves as an assistant headmaster and can substitute the role if the headmaster is absent.

(5) The Gerudo tribe is a race of humans in the Legend of Zelda franchise. Due to a biological quirk, the race consists almost solely of females. A single male Gerudo is born into the tribe every hundred years, which happens to be Ganondorf, the only male Gerudo to appear in the games.

(6) Blathers is the curator for the museum from Animal Crossing series. In Nintendo-Land city, Blathers is honored due to his many academic contributions to the Iwata Academy, thus naming a branch of student duplexes after himself. By tradition, other notable villagers who also contributed to Iwata or Fils-Aime have school buildings named after them.

EDIT: Included index notes. Fixed wording. Formatting. More wording. Grammar.