"For my own sake, the notes will be generally short.
"Nintendo is not mine. Let it…Begin!"
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The day couldn't have been more perfect, which was part of what bothered Lucas so much. The sun was shining, the air was comfortably warm, and the clouds were wispy, adding character to the sky. The rain of the previous night had evaporated early this morning, leaving the grass on the hill nice and dry to sit on. And Lucas' friend, Ness, was next to him, thinking about something or another.
It was a day like this that gave the blond psychic a bad feeling.
Lucas continued to tune out Ness as he watched some of the Smashers below at the bottom of the knoll play a game of simple Frisbee. Kirby threw the blue-and-green disk to Toon Link, who in turn whipped it towards Link. Those two were so friendly. Probably because they were of the same spirit: kind, honest, and heroic.
Link passed the discus to Red with a small laugh. Everyone at the mansion knew that the Pokémon Trainer had a hard time catching flat objects. He claimed it was because he was used to spheres, but he had a hard time with baseballs, too. As predicted, the hat-wearing youth got clocked in the face by the Frisbee, his attempt at clasping his hands on the disk failing miserably. This drew chuckles out of everyone in the small group.
Red then tossed the Frisbee to his left with mock-indignity. The flat projectile was skillfully caught by a brown-gloved hand. This hand belonged to Nana, separated for once from her brother Popo, if only for the time being.
Nana.
Just the name made Lucas' feel weird. Not the bad kind of weird that came with a stomach bug, but not quite the good kind of weird when you find an off-beat comic strip or help someone find their keys. No, this weird was harder to describe, harder to understand. But Lucas, through secretly reading in the library, had come to a conclusion.
Love. Or at the very least, youthful attraction. It was hard to say with children his age. Granted, the magic of the Smash Compound made it so that he hadn't aged a day since his arrival, but Lucas had learned a lot since his arrival. Still, the subject was confusing and distressing.
He'd talked to Link and Zelda, one of the Compound's most famous couples, and they had laughed it off as childhood curiosity. Fox had gotten flustered and asked Lucas to get out. And Mario and Peach met somewhere in the middle of the two previous reactions. It was clear that they thought he was too young to understand.
But that was weeks ago. Through research and self-reflection, Lucas had come to the conclusion that he was stuck invariably on Nana: he craved her attention, wished to make her happy, and would not let anyone else have her.
The blond psychic was normally a much more rational person. Yes, there were many cases where Lucas had performed rash actions. The Ruined Zoo was not something he'd ever forget, nor would he forgive himself for it soon. But at the same time, the young fighter would usually think a little more about what he was doing or feeling.
There was no debate here, though. He'd jump through hoops, run through flames, and scale mountains just to be with Nana. And even if Popo, the eternal companion to the pink-clothed climber, disapproved, he'd continue his passion for as long as it lasted.
A thoughtful—or perhaps doubtful—part of his mind told him he just had a crush; that this feeling was nothing more than hormones running rampant through his bloodstream. But the rest of his mind generally ignored that section. No, he was almost certain that this feeling—this strange sensation that pervaded his whole being—was something more than just a passing phase.
Lucas stole a quick glance at Ness. The two Smashers were best friends, inseparable for much of the day. The two shared every bit of information they came across. This had led to a number of jokes about their sexuality by some of the more crass members of the Compound. But they supported each other through the hoots and hollers—which only added to the fire, really. But Lucas had yet to tell his best friend about this feeling. Children are judgmental, and Ness was known for his quick decisions as well as his kindness. Lucas didn't want to be judged again. He'd had enough of that in his own world.
Something seemed off about Ness today, though. The capped psychic was staring down at the Frisbee players, quiet. Normally he'd be talking about baseball or his newest toy, but today he seemed transfixed by the game below them.
Lucas followed his friend's gaze down towards the bottom of the hill. It wasn't easy, what with those large, doleful eyes that filled the whole socket of bone, but it was a skill one learned when you lived among people like that.
Ness seemed to be staring at one member of the group below. What Lucas found strange, though, was that the target was Red. True, the two of them got along civilly, but Ness and the trainer weren't particularly friendly. In fact, Ness seemed to have a sort of clipped tone when he spoke to the thinner boy. Jealousy at the kid's better figure, perhaps?
Of course, Lucas had come across something in his reading about hostile actions towards another person. The book had described how anger was sometimes a cover for attraction. Could Ness have feelings for Red?
It didn't seem likely. If Ness had any attraction towards another guy, it would probably be Lucas. Then again, stranger things had happened.
A tone sounded across the plains, heard everywhere in the Compound's borders and well beyond. Lucas sat up straighter, as did Ness. The two of them had forgotten that they had a match today; a tag-team. Lucas was paired with Bowser, the frightening leader of the Koopas. Ness was with the Ice Climbers, the lucky stiff. Still, no harm done. It was s friendly bout between pals. And a giant, spiked turtle, but no one paid him much mind.
Almost as one, the entire group at the hill began to weave their way through the Smash Compound in the general direction of the stadium. Joint matches were crow favorites, especially when two unlikely allies were paired as partners. This battle was going to be worth a lot in terms of profit for the organization as well as memories for the fans.
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The fighters entered the arena—Pirate Ship—with their normal flair. Bowser was first, stepping through a portal of fire. Then came the Ice Climbers, dropping from the bird that had once plagued them. Lucas then rode in on his Mr. Saturn table, hopping off as the unorthodox transport wandered away. Finally, Ness appeared in a grand explosion, shaking soot off his comically charred body just as the countdown—heard so much that it was just background noise now—reached zero. The group wasted no time, leaping into action as the crown cheered them all on.
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"Cliffhanger, yes. But I'll be back with more soon. Just building a bit of suspense and sectioning the story a bit.
"Ciao chow."