Boyd laid back on the sofa and gave a long sigh of relief. Training was fun and all, and yes, it helped him get stronger, and yes, Titania would chew him out if he neglected it--like he was doing now, in fact--but without a partner, he just couldn't get into it. Besides, if somebody attacked them out of nowhere, he needed to be rested up, right?

Boyd was tall--about six-foot-three--and pretty large. Work as one of the Greil Mercenaries, not to mention participating in a bloody war over two years ago, really beefed him up. Like his two other brothers, Oscar and Rolf, he had green hair.

The events that took place more than two years ago just seemed like bad memories now. Daein, a beorc (human) nation, had invaded neighboring Crimea without warning or provocation. Daein and Crimea had never been particularly friendly with one another, but a full-scale attack was completely unexpected. Crimea was quickly and easily overtaken, and Greil had sent out a scouting party near the capital to investigate the damage dealt, though Boyd himself was not part of that group. The princess of Crimea herself was discovered, and Greil, the leader of the mercenaries, ordered everyone to escort her to Gallia, a laguz nation. The laguz were people who could transform into certain animals. Gallia in particular was a beast nation, inhabited by cats, tigers, and lions. Along the way, Greil fell to a Daein general known only as the Black Knight, and his son, Ike, took command of the mercenaries. After a very long series of events, the Crimean Liberation Army was formed with Ike as its general. Many hard-fought battles later, Crimea was retaken and Daein fell. Control of Daein went to Begnion, the third and last beorc nation.

The Greil Mercenaries consisted of eleven people: Ike, Boyd (of course), Oscar, Rolf, Mist, Titania, Shinon, Gatrie, Soren, Rhys, and Mia. Living with all of them was quite the nuthouse.

Ike had been just a kid of sixteen when Greil died and he had assumed leadership. Back then, he was inexperienced and not always confident in his abilities as not only commander, but general. Two years later, Ike was finally getting the swing of things. Tall with blue hair and a muscular body, he looked his part. His traditional wear was a flowing red cape, which made him instantly recognizable from just about anywhere, and a long strip of cloth used to keep his hair out of his face.

Mist was Ike's little sister. She was about 14 or so with long brown hair and kind, caring eyes. Apparently, she was much like her late mother. Rhys had taught her how to use a staff long ago, so now she was invaluable whenever someone was injured on the battlefield. She did most of the cooking, though Oscar would occasionally whip up one of his famous recipes.

Oscar was Boyd's older brother. Slim, neat, and polite, he looked the opposite of Boyd. He also constantly nagged him about everything, or so Boyd thought: "Get your feet off the table, Boyd." "Your room is a mess, Boyd." "You know Titania's going to chew you out if you start slacking off your training, Boyd." Frankly, he didn't see why he couldn't keep his room messy if it was his room, anyway. And he was over 20! Why was Oscar still babying him!?

Rolf was Boyd's younger brother, which naturally meant that Boyd got to pick on him. "Peewee" and "squirt" were some of his favorite names for his little sibling. Unfortunately, getting older seemed to have messed with Rolf's brain, because now he fought back physically during the arguments. As if he could beat Boyd! Please!

Then there was Titania. She was the oldest of the mercenaries and perhaps had the most experience. Boyd both loved and feared her company; he had developed a crush on her at some point before he discovered that she was much, much older than he was. Her presence also meant no slacking off. Sometimes, Mist would imitate Titania's voice to give him a good scare. He hated that.

Titania may have been the oldest, but Shinon had been the first mercenary to join Greil, though he never talked about where he came from. He excelled at two things: Archery and offending people. In particular, he seemed to hate Ike for some reason. He was easily identifiable by his long red ponytail, though it was also easy to pick him out because he preferred solitude.

Gatrie had struck up something of a kinship with Shinon. He was stocky with blond hair and wore heavy, protective armor into battle, making him a slow but effective powerhouse. Unfortunately, Gatrie was clumsy, gullible, and a womanizer. Everybody had lost track of how many "girlfriends" he had.

Rhys was a frail young man who had joined about three years ago. Despite the fact that he was their primary healer, he himself was often sick and bedridden. He was known for his peaceful and polite demeanor.

Nobody knew a whole lot about Soren, their mage. Despite the fact that he was Ike's age, he still looked like a fourteen-year-old boy. He was the group's strategist and staff officer. No one knew where he got all of his strategies from, but they had never failed. While he was blunt, serious, and often rude, he was probably Ike's best friend.

The last and most recent member of the Greil Mercenaries was Mia. She had joined the group the night Greil was killed and proved to be a valuable ally after that. Her cheerful and upbeat personality either kept the group going or bugged them.

The place the Greil Mercenaries lived in was a small fort in the forest. Whenever people sent letters or messengers to them requesting their help, they'd prepare themselves, leave to a village or town some distance away, take care of whatever was bothering the citizens, receive a (usually small) amount of money, and travel back home. It was a tough life, but Boyd wouldn't have traded it for anythng else.

A feeble knock on the door made Boyd growl in frustration. Could he not have a moment's peace!? He ignored it and turned over. The tiny knock came again. Boyd pulled a cushion over his head. Let somebody else answer it. Through the cushion, he heard another knock, this one even louder. Cursing, Boyd threw the cushion away, stomped to the door, and flung it open.

"What?" he demanded.

To his surprise, there was nobody there. He leaned out of the doorway and looked left and right. Nobody to be seen. Muttering under his breath, he closed the door and retreated back to the couch.

Not five seconds after Boyd had laid down again, a fourth knock came. He moaned, slumped off the couch, and opened the door again. There was still nobody there. Maybe it was Rolf, that little twerp, playing tricks on him...yeah, that had to be it...he cautiously closed the door and sat back down on the couch, waiting for the next knock. It came, as expected. Growing angry, he flung the door open a final time and yelled, "Listen, Rolf, if that's you doing this, then I am going to kick somebody's--"

A high-pitched voice from somewhere around his feet interrupted him. Stunned, Boyd looked down. Standing there was a pink, rubbery ball with arms and legs attached to it. It blinked up at him in greeting.

Boyd freaked.

"Whoa!" he shouted, backing up quickly. He tripped and fell onto his bottom. The pink creature seemed slightly worried but didn't move.

"Is Ike here?" it squeaked.

"What the heck are you!?" Boyd yelled, throwing what little manners he had to the wind.

The pink creature wasn't perturbed by the comment. "My name's Kirby! I'm from Dreamland!"

Then that would explain it, Boyd thought. I'm dreaming.

"Is Ike here?" Kirby repeated.

"Uh, yeah, sure, just...give me a minute or two," Boyd stammered, then got up to his feet and ran to find Ike, shouting his name as he went. He turned down a hall but still didn't find him. Frustrated, he turned around and walked straight into Ike just as he was coming out a door.

"I'm right here. You don't need to yell," Ike said. "Now, what's so important that you have to run around the fort yelling like this?"

"There's a...thing outside wanting to talk to you," Boyd answered.

"Isn't 'thing' a little harsh?"

"You'll know what I mean when you see it."

Ike gave Boyd a suspicious look, then headed for the fort's exit. Standing right at the doorway was the pink ball. Ike hadn't seen or heard anything like it. Suddenly "thing" seemed a lot more appropriate.

"You wanted to talk to me?" Ike asked cautiously.

Kirby nodded and presented Ike an envelope. Assuming it was an obscure mercenary job, he opened it up and read it:

Mr. Ike,

This letter is an invitation to the Super Smash Bros. In the Super Smash Bros., we fight, grow stronger, and form new friendships. Our building will not be anywhere you know of; in fact, it is not of your world. My messenger, Kirby, has a device that will take you there. It is completely safe, and all fighters are treated luxuriously. Your friends and family are welcome to come along, and you may travel between the Linking Dimension--my world--and your world, Tellius, at will. You should ask Kirby for more details.

We hope to see you there.

Sincerely,

Master Hand

Ike looked up and noticed Kirby holding a gadget nearly as big as he was. Perhaps he was expecting Ike to get excited and go immediately.

"Well, what's involved?" Ike asked slowly.

"There are lots of other fighters invited from other dimensions," Kirby explained in his high-pitched voice. "They can teleport to other dimensions and fight each other in battles where their bodies are protected, but they don't have to hold back. I'm one of the fighters," he added.

Ike couldn't imagine Kirby fighting anything; he was barely taller than his boot. Nonetheless, he refrained from stating what was on his mind and went on to his next question. "Who is Master Hand?" When he had read that name in the letter, he couldn't help but picture a sinister-looking man with a shadowed face dressed in a fancy suit.

"He's the founder of Super Smash Bros. He invents all of the technology there and hosts everybody."

"I would be cautious of this," Soren said flatly. Ike jumped--he hadn't heard Soren approach. He did that a lot. "A creature we know nothing of comes from a place we know nothing of and asks us to accompany him to a group of people we know nothing of. This could easily be a trap."

"Come on, Soren," Ike protested. "Who'd want to hurt me?"

"Do you really need to ask that?" Soren responded, narrowing his eyes. "And besides, I'm suspicious about the fact that he knows your name."

"We know about everybody months in advance," Kirby piped up. All three eyes turned back to him. "That's how Master Hand picks his fighters."

"You've been spying on us for months?" Ike said, raising an eyebrow.

"Not me. Master Hand uses technology to do it." Ike still felt uncomfortable.

But nevertheless, nobody expected his next statement.

"Alright, I'll do it."

Soren frowned but said nothing. His silence after decisions had been reached always signaled his disapproval. Boyd, on the other hand, took to protesting immediately.

"What, you're just going to leave us all here!?" Boyd yelled. "And why didn't any of us get the invitation!?"

"You can still come," Kirby said.

Ike walked back into the house. When all but Kirby followed him, he said, "You can come in if you want." Without hesitation, he bounded into the room and leapt onto the sofa Boyd had been attempting to nap on moments before. Boyd looked like he wanted to drop-kick the tiny guy.

Ten minutes later, everyone was gathered together in the briefing room. It seemed as if everybody was reacting differently to Kirby. Boyd glared at him from the opposite chair. Mist was gazing at him like she would a young puppy. Titania wanted to seem polite but still couldn't hide her awkwardness. You might not have known Shinon was aware of Kirby's existence if he didn't glance at him occasionally. Gatrie was giggling incessantly at the pink ball ("I really wish you would stop that," Shinon warned). All the others showed confusion on their faces.

"I know this is a little sudden," Ike began from his chair, "but I'm going to be leaving for...I don't know how long. I'm been given an invitation to...what was it, Kirby?"

"The Super Smash Bros.," Kirby amended.

"Right. It's a sort of fighting group. So while I'm gone, we'll need to reassign leadership and take care of a few more things." Shinon sat up straighter in his chair. "In my absence, I'd like Titania to lead the group."

"Are you sure this is wise, Ike?" Titania asked. "I mean, you're right, this is a little sudden. You've always been rather impulsive, but is this rushing it a little?"

"I'll be fine," Ike promised. "Kirby, well...he doesn't exactly look like someone who'd lie to me, does he?"

"Of course not," Mist put in. Ike knew it was taking all her willpower not to start cuddling him.

"Things should go as they always have here when I'm gone," Ike said. "I'll probably be leaving in just a few moments. When are you ready to leave, Kirby?"

"Whenever you are," said Kirby, shrugging his tiny shoulders (which apparently blended in with the rest of his body).

"Do I need to pack anything?"

"Nope. Master Hand provides everything."

Ike stood up. "That's it, then. I'll come back soon, I promise. Titania, lead the group well. Mist, keep cooking fine meals. And the rest of you work hard. All right?"

"Yes, Commander," Titania replied. The others nodded (all except Shinon).

Kirby hopped off his chair and scurried outside, trying to keep up with Ike's stride. When he reached the door, Ike turned and raised his hand in farewell.

"So...where to?" Ike asked.

Kirby took the device off his back and began punching in some of the buttons. "This Portable Teleporter will take us there. Master Hand used to send talking balls of energy to invite his fighters, but he decided that sending me would be less impersonal."

Ike imagined a glowing ball of energy talking to him in a thunderous voice and was glad Master Hand had reconsidered. The Portable Teleporter began flashing a bright blue. Every time it flashed, it grew brighter, larger, and faster, until the light was expanding outside of the device and into the air around it. Ike backed up uncertainly. After reassuring himself that Kirby would not harm him, he stepped into the light.

"Ike!"

Mist's voice sounded from behind him. Ike turned around and saw his little sister hurrying towards him. "I just wanted to say goodbye," she panted. "And...be careful, alright?"

"Of course. You know me, Mist," Ike joked. "I'm all about the safety."

"Will you promise me that you'll come back often?"

"I promise. I'll be fine, Mist! Don't worry."

She nodded, apparently reassured. "Goodbye, Kirby."

"Goodbye."

Ike watched as Mist ran back into the house. He'd miss her, but right now he was going to explore--what was it? The Linking Dimension?--and become part of the "Super Smash Bros." The light was now whirling around them and completely obscured the outside world. He felt the light start to cling to him. It burned slightly, but did not harm him. The light forced his body to lean backwards and his arms to become outstretched. When the light overtook everything else and he couldn't even see his hand, he knew he'd just been warped.