Prologue- Novus Phantasma

Day I- Coliseum

The crowd cheer was an endless roar, drowning out the commentator's remarks. Darting from side to side, Lucina dodged a volley of arrows, retaliating with a swift uppercut. Surprised by the speed, Pit tumbled to the side, off-balance. Following up to her advantage, the navy-haired princess leapt up in the air, slicing her glowing sword in a downwards arc.

The angel's blue eyes widened in a wave of his hand, he summoned a shield of light, deflecting the princess's blow in a shower of sparks.

Landing on her feet, she gave Pit an encouraging smile. "Not bad," she said with a wink. Pit hovered an inch above the ground before landing. He held his bow out to her.

"Same to you," he replied cheerfully, running a hand through his messy brown locks.

Flirting with your opponent? a voice inside his head, echoed. Pit sighed and hung his head.

"Lady Palutena…"

From her seat in the stands, the goddess chuckled, shoveling a handful of popcorn into her mouth. Never thought you'd resort to using your charm to win a fight.

"I-it's not like-" Pit began, his voice rising to a yelp as Lucina charged at him, sword drawn back. He threw his bow out in front of him, blocking the attack. With the speed of an asp, Lucina switched hands, striking at him from the left.

He cried out as her hit connected, knocking him halfway across the coliseum.

This is embarrassing… Another voice chimed in, inside of Pit's head. The angel groaned as he recognized the voice.

"Viridi… what are you doing here?" He got to his feet, summoning a cobalt arrow and letting it fly.

To watch, you dweeb! snapped the diminutive nature goddess. But this was a waste of eight dollars, not counting the two hundred I spent to buy a stinking one day pass! Like, seriously, eight dollars for popcorn? Who charges that much? And would you just look at this container! Glazed with wax, unable to be recycled. Humans can be so-

Calm down, Viridi, Palutena mused.

Having blocked the arrow, Lucina dashed forward with a determined expression. Pit leapt upwards and let loose another arrow. It curved downwards, hitting the golden shield pin that decorated Lucina's outfit, cracking it. She stumbled backwards, allowing Pit to launch another arrow.

It hit her in the arm, splattering blood on the ground. She staggered, reeling from the pain.

Pit hurled towards her, foot first. Springing backwards, she avoided the blow and threw a leg up, hitting the angel in his face.

Hey… can I have some of that soda? Viridi asked Palutena as Pit tumbled backwards, hitting his head against the ground.

I paid five dollars for this. What do you think, Viridi? Palutena replied, rolling her eyes as she shoveled another fistful of popcorn into her mouth.

Hmph!

A glowing sphere flashed into existence in the coliseum. The crowd gasped. Radiant and shimmering with a rainbow aura, the smash ball hovered a foot above the fighters' heads.

Lucina and Pit lunged, arms outstretched. A smile broke out on Pit's face as his fingers brushed the orb, but-

A sharp pain exploded throughout his jaw as Lucina punched him. He fell to the side, gasping as he spat out a globule of blood. A blue-clad fist wrapped itself around the orb, shattering it into a thousand pieces.

A halo of light blossomed around Lucina. With a thin smile on her face, she turned towards Pit. "Do you want this to go any further?" she asked.

Pit gripped his bow and snapped it in two, holding a graceful blade in each hand. "Just because you got it, doesn't mean that I can't dodge your att-"

Lucina raised her blade and let out a fearsome battle cry. The aura enveloping her, exploded, into a million shards of light as she charged the angel down. "This is it!" she shouted as she slashed her sword, hitting the blade of Pit's bow.

There was a pause. Then-

A flash of light exploded from the blade. The air exploded with a deafening boom, and Pit was blasted away, slamming into the pillars of the coliseum. He crashed to the ground, unconscious.

Lucina beamed and pulled out her signature mask, placing it on her face. Turning to the crowd, she raised her sword high.

"And the winner is Lucina!" roared the commentator.

Palutena sighed and continued to eat her popcorn, while Viridi performed a facepalm.

Day I- Hyrule Castle

From his perch on the battlement's wall, Link could see all of Hyrule. An endless expanse of verdant green meadows, dotted with graceful stone buildings and charming cottages, and banded with silver ribbons stretch out below him, far as they eye could see. It was a peaceful day, just the kind of day he needed before his match tomorrow.

Him vs. Robin.

Impa- his friend, Zelda's, old nursemaid- had told him that he had it. That the victory would be his, and he had no reason to disagree. Still, it would be a good fight. A close one. He had seen the mage fight before, and he was a fearsome fighter. In a spectacular display of power, the young mage had wiped the floor with the enigmatic Mr. Game & Watch, allowing him to continue to the semi-finals in the Cross-Dimensions Tourney.

"There you are," a female voice called out, breaking up the warrior's train of thought.

He craned his neck to the side, allowing himself a small smile as Princess Zelda walked up beside him. "I was looking all over for you," she continued, tilting her head to the side. "Are you alright?"

He nodded, leaning back a bit. Zelda smiled, clasping her hands behind her back.

"I'm glad to hear that," she said. "Are you excited for your match tomorrow?"

A breeze blew through the area, swaying the princess's long brown hair. Link shrugged and casted a look at the view. Zelda let out a slight laugh. "Heh… Fair enough, you've been in so many battles by now."

The corner's of Link's lips quirked upwards. Seeing it, Zelda broadened her grin and took a seat next to her friend. "I want to wish you the best of luck tomorrow." She laid a hand over Link's, looking at him warmly.

"I know you can win."

Those words blossomed into a warm feeling that spread throughout the warrior. With a smile, he dipped his head in thanks.

Zelda nodded back. "No problem."

Day I- Unknown

It hurts… Marth doubled over, panting for breath while red spots swarmed his vision. It hurts… His heart throbbed, slamming against his bruised rib cage as he collapsed to the ground. Gritting his teeth together, he looked up at his foe: a massive shadow, formless, save for the jagged purple and acid-green lines running throughout its colossal form.

"Wh-who… a-are… you?" he wheezed.

The shadow sighed, its form rippling. "Pity… they don't make champions like they used to? Back in the old days, the heroes could never defeat me, and that was before I got my head blasted off. Nowadays, I don't even need to lift a finger to fight. Not that I could, but you get my point… Don't you- uhm- what's your name?"

"Why should I tell you?" Marth managed, tightening the grip on his falchion.

"Impolite, aren't you? Keep that up, and you'll never make any friends. I'm just trying to get your name right. Has that become a crime nowadays?"

"Y-you…" Marth gasped as a fresh blast of pain shot through him, causing the world to list dangerously to the side.

"You… you really need to read a dictionary? Can't you call me something besides 'you'? Such as, your majesty? Your greatness? Your-"

"-Impossible." Marth rubbed his forehead, fighting the nausea that crashed over him like a tsunami.

"That's not very nice," the shadow chided, floating behind Marth.

"You're one to talk," he snapped. He staggered to his feet, using his sword as a cane. "What are you? And what are you planning?"

The shadow rippled, pausing, before replying, "Why, just a little reunion party alongside some other like-minded people. There'll be cake, soda, and of course…"

Marth paled, a feeling of foreboding twisting his gut into a thousand slimy knots.

"Sweet, bloody revenge!"