Disclaimer: Super Smash bros. and characters associated belong to Nintendo and their respective third-party companies and not GrimGrave.

Requested by ultimateCCC

Commission Slots Open: 2

Request Slots Open: 2

The Value of Companionship

The solitude of a lone wolf was what Samus had embraced once she had set out on her own so many years ago. She fought alone and remained by herself on her travels across the galaxies with only the occasional interactions with fellow humans, most of which was still over comm. The bounty hunter would not have wanted it any other way; hers was a lonely, but preferred existence.

Change, however, is an inevitable part of life one way or another.

The tournament known as the Super Smash Brothers had summoned her into a strange nexus of even stranger myriad of creatures and characters from vastly different worlds and here she was, stranded and forced to battle with allies that would be tomorrow's enemies and vice versa. Bizarre though this world was, Samus quickly acclimated to it and fought just as she would have on any other planet against any other foe. If anything this could be considered advanced training and preparation for whatever foes she might encounter when she returned. Following her own path, the blonde remained stubborn on working alone as much as she could and while she cooperated when needed, she was quickly becoming infamous for being the lone wolf she was.

Change, of course, happened – the Subspace happened. Finding it no different from her usual missions, Samus fought her way through labs and dungeons, only to find a peculiar critter in a glass-container that she rescued it from.

Since that day the creature had taken a liking to the bounty hunter; it ran up to her whenever it saw her and followed the blonde around.

A few years later and the creature still had not left her side.

Samus groaned as her eyes adjusted to the light of day. Looks like it would be rather sunny today. She sat up and arched her back as she stretched her arms; a tired glance to her left took in the sleeping form of the mouse-like creature's sleeping form in its own little bed.

A small smile curved the corners of her lips. "Morning, Pikachu."

The creature stirred. Tired eyes slowly blinked as it awoke and yawned. "Pikaaa…"

"Heh. We both could use a few more hours, but we have a schedule today." She held out her index-finger. "Do you think you can do me a solid one?"

"Pika." The Pokémon – known as Pikachu – walked over and nuzzled its red cheek against the blonde's digit as a spark flashed.

The bounty hunter jolted and shook her head. "There we go. All awake now. Thank you." She held out her arm. "Let's grab something to eat."

"Pika pika!" The yellow mouse ran up her arm and settled on the blonde's shoulder with a happy chirp the latter could not help but to softly laugh at.

"That certainly put you in a good mood, huh?" she said and the Pokémon nuzzled up against her, prompting another chuckle. "Same here, little one."

Breakfast at the Smash mansion was entirely optional; each participants had a kitchen in their rooms (basically apartments, really) at their bidding, but sometimes the social aspect of dining together in the giant hall was preferred.

The giant, long table was mostly empty this morning as Samus ate her share. The plumber brothers sat at another table with their respective princess girlfriends and a small case of other myriad of characters was scattered over the room. Pikachu was basically sitting on the table, happily munching whatever food a Pokémon did eat with her heart-shaped tail fluttering.

"Enjoying breakfast?" she asked and Pikachu looked up at her with cheeks stuffed with food. Adorable.

She gulped it down. "Pikaaa!" she chirped and wiggled her ears.

"Good. If it's not to your satisfaction, you let me know, alright?" The blonde cracked her knuckles. "I'll have a word with the chef."

"Chu." Pikachu nodded.

"Oh. Good morning, you two!" a chipper voice said and earned the duo's attention. The Goddess of Light, Palutena, smiled at them as she hovered over and took a seat opposite them, followed by the flaxen-haired princess of Hyrule, Zelda. "A bit unusual to have you join us in the dining hall, Samus."

"Pikachu!" the mouse greeted.

"Good morning." The bounty-hunter waved at the duo joining them. "I felt like it this time around."

"It's a nice surprise, that's for certain," Zelda replied. "And how are you this morning, Pikachu?"

"Pi Pikachu!" she uttered back happily.

"She's been in a surprisingly good mood this whole week," Samus mentioned. She scratched her friend's ear and Pikachu's tail fluttered. "Isn't that right little one?"

"Chuuu~"

"So have you, if you don't mind me saying." The princess offered a sheepish smile at the hunter's quizzical look. "Ever since you took her in, you've been a lot more cheery and less isolated compared to before."

Samus arched an eyebrow at the statement, but quickly found herself agreeing; she had opened up more with Pikachu's company and was not as reclusive as she used to be.

She chuckled softly. "If it's that's apparent, then I won't deny it."

The small creature chirped and darted up her arm, settling upon her shoulder as it nuzzled the blonde's cheek. Samus chuckled again at the act and returned the affections with a gentle scratch behind Pikachu's ears.

Once they had finished eating and excused themselves, the pair visited the gym – a large open-spaced locale with equipment ranging from weights to treadmills to small dojos – as they always did. The Space Warrior marched over the treadmill, her pace in-between a jog and a walk.

She tuned out and focused on her breathing. Not having any matches scheduled was no excuse to not exercise; if anything, it was the perfect time to train, hone your skills, strategize—

"Chuu…" Samus glanced down at her feet, her small companion running along at a moderate speed. Poor thing had to put in a lot more effort into this and they had been doing this for a little while now…

She picked her up and settled her on the handlebars. "Take a rest, little one. Don't overdo it."

"Pikaa…" Pikachu drooped, but smiled at her. Her ears and tail pricked up as she looked around, scanning the area. She jumped down and behind the blonde as she rummaged through Samus' bag.

It wasn't until Pikachu climbed back up at the handlebars that the bounty hunter noticed the small waterbottle the critter had managed to carry and held out towards her. "Chu!"

The galactic woman offered a lopsided smile. "Much appreciated. Thank you." She graciously accepted the bottle and brought it to her dry lips, relishing in the cool substance that poured down her throat and spread its coldness throughout her body. Done, she held out the bottle towards the mouse. "Want some?"

"Pika pika!" the creature chirped as it accepted the top of the bottle, Samus keeping it steady.

"Let's treat ourselves to something cold afterwards," the blonde proposed, her lips tugging upwards at the spark in Pikachu's eyes. "Do you want milk or ice-cream?"

Pikachu tilted her head to the side. "Pika! Chu!"

Samus softly chuckled. It was amazing how easy it was to understand the little critter once you spent enough time with it. "Ice-cream it is then. But before that, let's give this another fifteen minutes. Think you can manage?"

The mouse looked up at her with determination and jumped back onto the treadmill, running excitedly alongside the blonde.

"Heh. Good. Let's give this our all."

The routine followed as per usual; Samus helped Pikachu with simple exercises such as sit-ups and balance-training while she lifted weights; they spurred each other on, assisted each other through their daily training regimen to better themselves and their team dynamic.

Ever since Samus had taken in Pikachu, the two had ended up in team battles more often. Be it out of respect from Master Hand or sheer luck was unknown, but the two worked on their synergy as much as possible in preparation for such matches. They were both agile and quick on their feet, with Samus on occasion sacrificing her flexibility for her Power-Suit and the strength it packed; Pikachu was swift and wore their opponents down while Samus opened up with a strong, ranged assault before wading into melee combat with her suit. If she did not wear it, she joined her companion on the forefront, darting around their opponents with jumps and kicks, then stun them with her blaster as Pikachu shocked them.

All in all, they were a good team. And Samus would not want to change it for anything.

"Enjoying your ice-cream?"

"Chuuu~" the mouse happily emitted in response. Strawberry-flavoured ice-cream covered around her mouth and her nose as she joyfully lapped at it, much to the woman's amusement.

The weather was fair for being so sunny with the occasional cool breeze. The frozen treat only made it better as the pair slowly enjoyed it on the park bench overlooking the park. It was outside the main building, away from the outdoor arenas and training grounds. It was vibrant, calm, and a hot-spot for relaxation or any other outdoor activity; the duck and dog duo was playing around the field a few yards away and Ness and Lucas were playing baseball. The younger versions of Link were climbing trees not far from them and at a table sat the three princesses enjoying a picnic.

Samus peered around absentmindedly as she ate that she barely noticed the small creature having curled up on her lap. "Oh? Finished yours already?"

"Pika-pi."

"Want some of mine?"

Pikachu immediately perked up. "Pika pika!"

She chuckled. "Here you go then."

The mouse happily lapped up what was left of the ice-cream as the bounty hunter resumed her idle observation. Eventually she felt her friend curl up on her lap again and without looking down she petted her.

Together in silence they simply let time pass in relaxation.

The sun had eventually kissed and disappeared beyond the horizon, painting the sky a crimson-gold before the night-sky blanketed the heavens. The stars glimmered brightly tonight and Pikachu watched them intently as she pressed up against the window, tail fluttering sporadically.

"Time for bed, Pikachu." Samus watched the mouse remain on her spot, not adhering to the statement. She followed her gaze and smiled. "Do you want to see space that badly?"

"Pika pi." Pikachu nodded.

"Well then. Once we have time, how about a trip through the stars?"

Pikachu finally spun around towards the blonde, her eyes wide. "Pi Pikachu!"

Samus softly chuckled. It hadn't occurred to her before just how much she laughed since she took in the creature. It was…refreshing. "It's settled then. Let's get you to bed; we have a match tomorrow."

"Chu chu."

Pikachu jumped down to the floor as Samus pulled close the curtains. The lights were out shortly after and darkened the room as the bounty hunter made her way to bed, stretching and relaxing into the soft mattress with a satisfied groan. "Good night, Pikachu."

"Pika."

Silence permeated the room. The even, quiet breathing of the two barely broke the quietness.

The blonde's mind wandered as it often did. It ranged from her childhood and her parents to her time with the Chozo and, more recently, her time with the strange, but cute creature in her care. The feeling of having someone, a companion, a friend, was a strange but welcome feeling; it warmed her heart and eased her otherwise troubled, stern mind. Samus had lived a harsh, lonely life and she had been used to it.

Now she could not even begin to imagine going back to such a life and it was…unsettling. She wouldn't be here forever and neither would Pikachu. They were from different worlds – a certain cute female Pokémon trainer had kindly explained everything – and the day the two would have to part ways was slowly arriving. What then?

She would have to accept it and move on regardless of what she felt about it, as bittersweet as it was.

A sudden shift in the bed pulled her out of her train of thought and Samus could just barely make out the form of her companion at the edge. "Little one? What's wrong?"

"Chuu…" She responded with a yawn. She nudged at the blonde's head and nuzzled her cheek.

"You want to sleep in my bed?"

"Pika…"

Samus smiled. Wordlessly she scooted closer to the wall and pulled out her other pillow. "Good night," she told the mouse and closed her eyes as the creature curled up on the pillow, still snuggling against the woman's head with a tired but happy sound.

Whenever there's a meeting there's a parting, but as far as Samus Aran was concerned the parting would not come for a long time.

Fin