When the two had first been invited to the Smash Tournament, they hadn't been sure what to expect. However they certainly hadn't expected to be surrounded by a large amount of characters speaking rapidly in a language the two didn't understand. The two whispered quietly in Japanese in the corner of the room before a kind princess approached them and greeted them in their native tongue. She offered to help them learn the new language and the two decided it was necessary. This is arguably where Marth and Roy's bond began.
Being the only characters who usually spoke in their native tongue meant that the two hung out quite a bit. Whether it be studying English on the floor of Marth's room or practicing training and giving each other bits of advice. Even when their English became very good the two still preferred to talk to each other and taunt at the other characters in Japanese. The two were inseparable. So much so that a rumor that the two were dating flew around the small mansion towards the end of the melee tournament.
)()(
When everyone was welcomed to the Brawl tournament, Marth had immediately began looking for the only person that really got him, but as Master Hand read out the names of the contestants Marth realized that Roy hadn't been invited back.
Marth ended up talking with the new contestant from his universe, Ike, and the two got along very well. He wasn't Roy and he'd never replace Roy but he was a good and loyal friend and the two became very close as well.
Ike and Marth soon became a duo, when one did something the other followed. They often talked late into the night, sometimes about things such as life, other times simpler things, but very often Marth would tell Ike stories of the first Smash Tournament and in turn about Roy.
Ike was a mercenary, he could be loud and disgusting sometimes, but he was a good listener Marth decided. Marth knew that if Roy wasn't coming back, Ike would still be there.
)()(
And so at the next welcome party for the 4th Smash Tournament, Marth swallowed his sadness of Roy not being invited and focused on his happiness on seeing Ike again. Princess Peach, who had long ago taught Marth and Roy English in Marth's tiny bedroom, introduced the duo to the new contestants from their 'verse, Lucina and Robin; both newcomers had been ecstatic to meet 'The Hero King' and 'The Radiant Hero'.
Although Marth and Ike both had a lot of friends in the now huge Smash Mansion, they still spent a large amount of time together. Lucina and Robin, who were very close now, started noticing that every time they would ask one of the heroes to train with them, the other would also show up. Rumors about them being in a relationship sprung up, but were never proven.
)()(
Marth was happy with all the smashers, and he'd accepted somewhere along the line that Roy wasn't coming back to the tournament. However that's when Mewtwo came back. Smashers new and old alike were excited to meet or remeet the legendary Pokémon smasher, but with Marth, this rekindled his hope for Roy's return. He tried to stamp it out convincing himself that this wasn't going to happen, Mewtwo was an exception to the rule, not Roy.
What Marth hadn't expected was the Smash Ballot. Crazy Hand had handed each contestant a voting ballot so they could have some input on who they wanted to join the tournament. Everyone had been excited; Marth had seen Ness immediately write down his friend Lucas' name. Marth wasn't sure what to do, on one hand he desperately wanted to write down Roy, on the other hand he felt like that would be selfish, there were already so many characters from his universe and they were all really great. Ike was a great friend, and as much as Marth missed Roy, he didn't want Ike to think he liked Roy better; he loved them both.
After turning in his Smash Ballot, with the name Lucas hastily scrawled on it, Marth went to his room to be alone for a while. For the next few weeks Marth was a little more sullen than usual, not many people noticed except for Ike who shot him looks at his behaviors.
)()(
The smashers all froze at the announcement of the new smashers' arrivals. Marth just picked at his mashed potatoes, although he was curious on who they would be he was content sitting there knowing it wasn't going to be his friend. Ike however grabbed his arm and yanked him over to the crowd. Marth huffed indignantly as he reclaimed his arm and crossed them over his chest. The first smasher that came in the door was Lucas who was soon tackled by Ness and surrounded by a few of his friends. Marth smiled, feeling a little better about who he'd brought back to the mansion. The next smasher was a black belt fighter from a new game, despite not having quite the reaction Lucas did, Ryu seemed happy enough to be there.
"There's one more," Ike whispered to Marth, who nodded his attention going back to the door. The door was pushed open and as soon as he caught a glimpse of the fiery red head Marth's breath caught.
Marth watched in shock as Roy scanned the crowd before his eyes landed on him.
"Marth," Roy greeted him, it was a bit bittersweet.
"Roy," Marth's voice broke. He took a step forward before running into the open arms of his old friend.
Marth was a strong person and he didn't cry very often, but that didn't stop a few tears from falling on the shoulder of his old friend. When Roy took a shuddery breath, Marth knew he wasn't the only one crying. Marth laughed as he pulled out of the embrace to see the tears on Roy's face.
"How are you back?" Marth asked him incredulously.
"I got a vote, I guess one was good enough for Master Hand," Roy explained wiping the tear tracts off his face. Roy registered the look on Marth's face before continuing, a little hurt, "It wasn't you was it?"
"No..." Marth trailed off then his eyes widened as he slowly turned around to where Ike was standing, smiling at him warmly.
"I knew you felt like you would have been selfish," Ike started to explain, "But being selfish never stopped me," Marth reached behind him for Roy's hand and pulled him towards Ike.
"Roy," Marth said glancing back at his friend, "This is Ike, the most selfless person I've ever met."
A/N: I hope you enjoyed, this is just a little thing I started working on back when Roy was added to Smash 4. I've got a second part of this that I'll probably post a little later, so stay tuned if you're interested in more.