"Are you sure you got everything?" asked a cautious Faye as her husband James began to walk outside to the backyard.
"Yes Faye, I am sure."
"You're positive? You have your phone?"
"Check."
"Weapons?"
"Check."
"Zio?"
James made a quick whistle with the black powerful steed showing up immediately.
"Check."
After hearing the answers she wanted, Faye nodded in understanding.
This is it the day of the new tournament. After two years of waiting, the day to smash has come once again. This time Faye and Rachel will be able to see it with the TV setup that Master Hand's A.I's did.
Truth be told both girls really wanted to be there in person. Over the past two years Faye and Rachel were told about all of the previous tournaments that had happened over the years, each one sounding more exciting than the last. There were also many different participants who would be there each one more different and unique than the last.
This week she was told by Peach that Chrom, Daisy and even a strange Pokémon called Incineroar would be there. The next day she was greeted by Samus, her small time work out buddy, telling her about a few of the newcomers that was showing up.
Two of the first newcomers were a pair of martial artists named Ryu and Ken. They are said to be hand to hand combatants who can use energy base attacks, Lucario's use of aura attacks.
Both were vouched by Captain Falcon, who made a strong argument saying that the Smash tournaments lacks characters of martial arts skills. At first Master Hand wasn't really considering it, however after seeing footage of Ryu fighting Sagat and Kens victory in the American martial arts tournament, he decided to go ahead and give them a shot.
Next was a woman named Beyonetta. From what Faye was told, she was a witch who could use her hair as a weapon, as well as many sets of weapons and forms of magic. At first Faye believed that she was like Samson from the old folklore, gaining power from her hair. However, that thought changed when she was told that her suit is composed of her hair, and that the more she uses it, lesser and lesser there was to hide her skin, less she become nude. Because of this, she made sure to remind James that if he fights her, he MUST beat her without letting it get that far. Maybe it's because she feels that something like this is ridiculous to do in battle, or that James's eye might wonder if a woman nearly nude stood in front of him, but she was adamant that he beat her as fast as possible and that he doesn't look at her if she uses her hair too much. Funny enough though, Faye was surprised to find out that Beyonetta was vouched by Peach of all people, with Zelda supporting it. One could only wonder why though?
The last newcomer was a man named Cloud Strife. Samus was excited when talking about this one, saying he might give James a run for his money when it came to swordsmanship. From what she was told, Cloud was a hero who saved his world from a man named Sephiroth, who tried to kill the planet with some sort of meteor and even fought him again when he would be revived.
Master Hand told Samus and the others that Sephiroth was likely that greatest swordsman on Cloud's world and that Cloud himself was arguably the 2nd best after beating him. Out of all the people that vouched for him to be in the tournament, it was James himself that did so.
"Alright Faye, I am off. Remember, I will be gone for a week so be sure to be keep an eye on the kids, Okay?"
Faye nods her head as her husband mounts Zio. "Just be careful, okay James? I know you are looking forward to this tournament, but there are a lot of participants here, and they are all gunning for your title."
As if to answer her worries, the Champion looked at her and grinned.
"Well that's kind of the point of being the champion Faye. Meeting and fighting all these contestants is something I am looking forward to, because then I get to see the results of my training and perhaps even learn some new things along the way."
"Oh really?" Faye replied with raised a brow before smirking. "Like that one time you asked Lucina about bringing you more tomes so you could use to learn magic?"
A small chuckle escaped James's mouth as he scratched the back of his head. "Well I was just curious you know. Not like I can do it again though as she won't be in the tourney this time. Or at least not the one from that timeline."
A small look of confusion appeared on Faye's face upon hearing that. "That still confuses me sometimes to be honest. The Lucina we know won't be in this tournament, but another Lucina, from another timeline, is participating."
"If you think that is weird, then try wrapping around the idea that we almost had two pairs of participants, both of the same name and background but with only a difference in gender show up. Me and the others damn near got into a fight on whether or not it would be fair to have it happen, saying the people watching would get confused once their names were brought up and that it would be odd since both versions have the same abilities and skills. Luckily, we held a vote that settled the matter. I swear though, once this is over, I am going to ask Master Hand about the whole thing again. He says it has something to do with time travel and the creation of routes and timelines, but I still get lost on the whole thing."
Faye laughed at the comment, which was soon accompanied by James's own laughter. Despite how odd it was, they both grew use to being friends will all of the smashers. There's never been so much as a boring day since they all met two years ago and now they are going to be a lot more coming to fray.
Once the laughter died down, Faye flashed him one last smile. "Alright James, go out there and do your best."
"Will do Faye. Love you."
And with that, James tapped on Zio's side, signaling him to go. The large horse followed suit by raising a hoof, and in a flash, they were gone.
Faye looked at the spot where her husband and his steed once were. "I love you too."
Back with James, the Smash champion found himself in a different area, then he was the last time. It was an office room that had pictures of the fighters the entered in the tournament throughout the years, as well as a few bookshelves.
"James?"
Recognizing the voice, the green-eyed man turned and looked at the large white gloved hand that seemed to be staring at him. If it had a face he would like to think it would be one of surprise.
"Hey Master Hand, sorry, but I thought it would be better for me to show up here. Don't want to rile up the others, especially since this will be Zio's first time being at the tourney, right fella?"
James patted the horse's head, who closed his eyes and leaned into the hand. While Zio may not show it, he does like being petted like that of a dog.
"Well I guess that makes sense." Master Hand replied. "It helps me out too because I want to talk to you about something."
James raised a brow at this as he got off Zio intending to listen to what the hand wanted to say.
Elsewhere in the area, a man was at a table in the cafeteria room, eating away at a tray filled with food, mostly consisting of cheeseburgers, fries and nuggets. However, if one were to look beside him, they would see a small collection of wrappers and used cups, all empty with little evidence of the food they once held.
The man himself was surprising well fit and had a nice build, looking to be in his mid thirties. He was dressed in dark brown combat boots, dark blue cargo pants with a black belt and a dark brown slim coat that had a military emblem on the left shoulder sleeve, a pair of black shades on the breast pocket and a black shirt under it. His skin, which was once tanned years ago, was light while his hair was brown and eyes a distinct shade of amber.
After taking the last bite of his food, the man opened his mouth and let out a small burp.
"Oh man, I needed that. Thanks Raven, you really saved me there."
Immediately after saying that, the A.I Raven materialized before him and gave him a look of amazement. "Just how hungry were you? You ate almost as if you had a tapeworm or something."
"Oh please, if I did, then the sucker would be dead with all the stuff I just ate. My body's been acting up lately, I think all the training I've been doing is causing my nanites to go into overdrive."
"Do you think you can still participate? The tournament is going to start in a few hours, so I don't think it's best for you go in sick."
Shaking his head to the question, the man got up from the table and stretched his body for a second before answering. "There is no I am going to miss this. I have been looking forward to this tournament for two years and I am ready to beat everyone here. And besides…"
With a grin on his face, the man raised his left arm, revealing a metallic hand that was at the end of the sleeve. "I have some surprises for everyone here, beginning with this new arm of mine."
Hearing this, as well as seeing that he was more than confident in his abilities, Raven gave a small chuckle. "Alright then Joe. Go out and do your best and don't worry about this mess, I will take care of it."
With a snap of her fingers, a hole manifested above the ceiling, sucking up the trey as well as the remnants of trash left behind. Once it was gone, the A.I vanished leaving Joe, the former marine who had participated in the last tournament during the 'Graves incident' alone.
"Alright, now let's see if I can find some familiar faces. Maybe I can meet up with that good ol' beauty Samus… as long as I don't find any other attractive women first," he said quietly.
Just as he was about to leave a familiar voice called out to him.
"Joe, long time no see."
Turning around to the source, Joe saw two people. One was woman with fair skin and was slightly taller than how she was two years ago. Her black-brownish hair was longer now reaching her lower back and now has a beauty mark on the left side of her chin, yet she had the same violet eyes as before. As for her clothing, it seemed that she had changed it completely, now sporting a traditional yukata in purple.
Next to her was a man who had ash grey hair and dark blue eyes. His clothing consisted of black steel toe boots, navy blue pants with a belt that had a holster with a gun tucked safely inside. His upper body had a dark blue jacket with what looked to be images of black sakura petals on the chest, shoulders and collar.
Seeing the two the former marine smiled as he walked towards them. "Well, well, well if it isn't the Smash couple. How are you two doing?"
Almost as if by reaction to the word 'couple', the girl's face had a small tint of red before she quickly calmed down. This brought a smile to Joe's face. It's been a while, but it seems the girl had gotten use to everyone bringing it up. The man on the other hand…
"How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling us that. We have had to deal with that title for a year now don't you think it's time to drop it?"
"Oh, and let you live down the great honor of being the first couple to have come out from Smash brothers? No way. Besides, you two owe us this since you dated in secret for months before we found out."
"It's not like we wanted to hide it," said the girl. "We just thought we would tell you when we wanted to. Besides, it's not that surprising is it?"
"In a way, it is. I mean don't get me wrong August, but I never took you as the type of girl who would want to go out with Daniel, let alone get engaged to him."
Hearing the last part specifically, the man known as Daniel glared at Joe. "And exactly what is wrong with that Joe?"
"Nothing, it's just that I always picture you as the emo type of person, staying far away from others and keeping to yourself, maybe even being a gloom and doom."
"You really thought that about me, even two years ago?"
"Well, yeah, but hey, look at you now; together with a beautiful woman, happily engaged, and soon enough, you two will get married and have lots and lots of kids and-"
"KIDS!?" August spoke up, her face turning as red as a tomato at the word.
Seeing the distress she was going through Daniel grabbed hold of her hand and led her to a table. "Stay here dear, let me just have a small 'chat' with our good, but dimwitted, friend Joe."
Almost immediately, Joe felt something dark and violent coming off from Daniel. He knew exactly what was going to happen, hell he went through it two years ago with James. He thought it would stop since he was a family man again, but it seemed Daniel had picked up the slack that James left. His only hope was that August was stable enough to save him before-
"Okay, just go easy on him baby." August replied, still in a daze.
"Shit!" Cursed the former marine as he turned tail and run only for Daniel to grab the collar of his coat and put him in a headlock.
"Why is it that out of all the people here you are the only that keeps finding a way to make August go lightheaded despite all the work we have done to help her get over her shyness?"
"Well, to be fair, I seem to have a knack for that, as well making people mad." Joe chocked out, finding it hard to talk while in the lock.
"I'll say. James warned me you would find a way to up that ante day after day. Honestly, I thought he was joking, but you seem to keep outdoing yourself. Seriously, why would you even mention kids around her?"
Just then, a glint shined in Joe's eye. He saw his chance to escape and he was going to take it. "Oh, so are you saying that you wouldn't have kids with her?"
Daniel's lock on Joe ceased as he stepped back and looked at him. Like August, his face shone a tinged of red. "Wh-why would you say that? I mean I would and all but-"
"But what, don't tell me that August isn't attractive or anything. You are engaged to her, so it would be normal if after you married you two would have kids. Unless…"
Closing the distance between them, Joe got up close to Daniel to finish his sentence. "Could it be that she is already carrying your child."
"N... No, of course not." Daniel stammered almost incoherently. "We didn't, I mean we would never do that until it was right, until were both ready, until we are sure."
"Oh really, are you tell me that you two never shown your love, not once."
Joe's words were hitting their mark as he saw Daniel's face get a bit more red and sweat dripping down.
While he was keeping his composure on the outside on the inside Joe was giddy and thrilled at his achievement. 'Now it's time to go for the kill.'
Placing hands on his friend's shoulders, Joe forced him to turn and face his wife as he whispered behind him into his ear.
"Look at her Daniel. That is your betrothed, the woman you are going to spend the rest of your life with. You mean to tell me that you never once thought about showing her just how much you love her? How she would want to show how much she loves you? That you never once had so much as an impure thought about her. Or maybe.."
Leaning in close, Joe whispered the final and most integral part of his plan.
"You want her to be the aggressive one. To take you down and be in charge, revealing her true and pure beauty?"
And with that it was done. Daniel's face was now as red as it could possibly be, looking at August and nothing else. His mind was going to places it often didn't go to, going a million miles per second. Joe's words of kids, love and beauty swirled in his head, making him lose track of everything as his imagination took over.
It took the feeling of someone's hand on his chest to snap him out of his trance. He looked to see August looking up at him in both worry and confusion.
"Daniel, are you okay? You were just standing there staring at me. What happened with Joe?"
Scrambling his words, Daniel was ready to explain himself until he remembered what she said about Joe. He turned around and saw that Joe was nowhere to be found.
Seeing he was gone, August looked at her fiancée. "He got away, didn't he? What happened?" she asked.
Looking back at her, Daniel's face was a mixture of shame, surprised and above all, anger. His body shook slightly as he yelled out the name of the one who had tricked him.
"JOE!"
"You want me to go through my transformations in the finals?" James asked, as he looked at the large white gloved hand.
"Why yes. I figured that you should give people a show and transformed here and there during the fight. You don't need to hold back, just transform when you feel that they are bringing a challenge."
Noirs successor gave a small nod. "I understand that, but still it feels a bit odd to do that in the tourney. I have no problem using my Golden Phantasm, but the Noir transformation might be a bit overkill don't you think?"
Master Hand shook his head (or hand in this case) and spoke. "James, trust me. If there is one thing you should never do is underestimate the participants. Come hell or high water, when they want to win, and I mean really want to win, they can pull out a miracle. As champion, you need to defend your title, and only lose it if they are truly better than you. Don't see it as overkill, picture it more, uh, a rite of passage."
Thinking about it, James couldn't really argue about the statement. It's not like he suppose to give the fighters a break. He's the champion, so he needs to give it his all, one hundred percent.
"All right Master Hand, I-"
"JOE!"
The loud scream stopped the conversation as the two looked at one another. Master Hand was the first to speak up. "Was that Daniel?"
"I think it was. I guess Joe must of got to him… again."
Letting out a sigh, the large hand went to his chair and sat down. "Alright, we'll talk more about this later. For now could you go and find Joe. I really don't want a repeat of two years ago. You won't believe the number of complaints I got because of him. I mean what fool goes to a fighting tournament and uses it as if it were a dating party?"
"Will do hand." James replied as he turned to the door and made his leave with Zio following behind him, shutting the door with his tail.
Once the door was closed, only one thing came out of Master Hand's non-existent mouth.
"Oh please don't let anything crazy happen THIS tournament."
In a hallway that was far from the cafeteria, Joe could be seen running as fast as he could. Despite all the claims he made a while ago about being able to beat all of this year's participants, he wasn't willing to risk it all in a fight that wasn't even part of the tournament. Besides, he was positive that he wasn't the only one who trained in secret for this tourney and out of all the people that could have been training Daniel would be on the top of the list besides James.
'No point on fighting against Daniel now. If anything, he will be more motivated to beat me now that I set him off. Oh well, let me at least see if I can find more familiar faces. Maybe I can find James and talk to him for a bit before the matches start.'
Feeling rather happy at the thought of seeing old friends Joe slid to a stop and dashed to the next turn only to stop once he saw his face was close to bumping into someone in white.
Taking a step back, he was ready to apologize until he saw exactly who it was.
In front of him was a woman that stood at a height of 5'11 with tan skin and large violet eyes. She had long straight light brown hair going past her back. Looking at her clothes, Joe saw she wore black heeled boots, dark blue jeans and a white blouse with a jacket over it. Looking closely, he also noticed the knight earring that she had since the last tournament as well as a bracelet.
"Jesus Joe, a second later and you would have run me over." Spoke the woman in a agitated tone.
"Sorry Ally. I kinda ticked off Daniel, so I am on the run until he tires out or I can find James to help." he explained quickly. "Say, you wouldn't want to give an old friend a hand now would you?"
Before Ally had time to respond, another voice spoke up behind her. "In your dreams. If Daniel's mad, then you must have done something stupid."
Hearing the familiar voice made Joe sighed. He knew exactly who it was, and it makes sense that if Ally is here then the other half of the Chrome twins would be here as well. Looking past the woman in front of him, Joe saw two people.
One was the man he knew would show. Despite the two years that have passed, he was still short, thought not by too much really. His skin was like his sister's, as in it was tan with his light brown hair being in a crew cut. His scar remained, still easy to spot on his left cheek. His eyes were violet like that of Ally's, but his eyelashes were long and his brows were a bit bushy.
His clothing consisted of black adidas pants, a dark blue racing jacket with a white shirt underneath it as well as a pair of finger-less gloves. Funny enough Joe spotted some bandages on his fingers.
The other was a girl, a rather attractive and radiant girl as well. Standing around 5'6 with fair skin, she had light brown hair in bouncy curls reaching her mid back and a pair of bright golden eyes. While she wasn't as curvy as Ally, she was skinny and attractive, even having a beauty mark on her left cheek. Her clothing was that of a yellow sun dress with matching yellow flip flops. A diamond necklace as well as a set of unique and expensive rings was being worn by her as well, at least, all except her ring finger.
"Ethan, nice to see you. Same to you Dianna, you look lovely today."
"Zip it Rows." the girl, now known Dianna, responded angrily. "Don't think that we are going to have a repeat of the last tournament. Everyone here is fully aware of your womanizing behavior so any ideas you might have had of using your perverted antics you might as well forget it."
"Now to be fair, that was back when I was not as mature as I am now." Joe defended. "Plus, I didn't do anything that bad."
"If memory serves didn't you pants a woman here, in this very hall, about two years ago?" Ethan asked.
"That was an accident! I fell damn it and I tried to catch the closest thing to me." Joe exclaimed.
Ally rolled her eyes thinking it was best to change the topic. Looking around, she noticed the emblem on Joe's jacket. "So, you were a staff sergeant back in the military, huh Joe. I never knew that."
Looking at her and then at the emblem, Joe nodded, though looked rather glum in doing so. "Yeah well, I was until the accident happened and I got the nanites. I was close to becoming a sergeant first class, but they sent me home with a purple heart. Sucks too, I was ambitious to get that rank. If the whole thing never happened, I would be a master sergeant by now."
"Why don't you just go back and reenlist?"
"What and miss this? If being able to see you guys, fight strong people, and meeting beautiful woman is what my life is heading towards, then I accept it gladly." Responded the former marine, while making sure he said the last part as quietly as possible.
"Well at least you're happy doing something you want I suppose. But I have to ask, what exactly did you do to make Daniel angry… this time."
"Oh that, well I kind of made a joke or two about him and August having kids."
Upon saying those very words, Dianna's eyes sparkled brightly as she held Ethan by the arm. "You hear that Ethan? Kids, Daniel and August are thinking about kids? Don't you think that's wonderful? It must be fantastic to have kids with the person you love. Especially when both of you are married."
Faced with a powerful gaze of wonder from the young woman, Ethan felt sweat running down his head. Since the announcement of Daniel and August's engagement, Dianna have been on a mission of constantly getting him to propose. Luckily, he was always able to find away to get away from the quest, usually with work, training or the help of his sister. However, throughout all the conversations they had, kids never really popped up.
Slowly he turned his head towards Joe and gritted his teeth. 'Now I see why Daniel got angry with him. You sly bastard.'
Just then the sound of footsteps could be heard as well as minor cursing.
"Well that's my cue. Later fellas."
With that Joe dashed between, disappearing around the next corner. Not long after he left, Daniel and August appeared, though with the former giving the latter a piggyback ride.
"Wow Daniel, you run fast when you're angry." August pointed out in amazement of her fiance's speed.
"With all the training I did I had better. Now where the hell is that rat faced mother-"
However, Daniel's words stopped as he saw the three people from before. Seeing that Joe was nowhere to be seen and that he was now in the presence of old friends, he set August down and waved a hand. "Hey there. It's been a while hasn't it."
"I'll say. How are you doing?" Ally asked, as she gave August a hug while Ethan shook Daniel's hand.
"We've been doing fine. We just met up with Joe. Though it could have ended a bit better." August explained in a irritated tone.
Dianna nodded while looking at her outfit. "That's a beautiful yukata August. It looks great on you."
"Thanks. Honestly, I was a bit cautious wearing it to a tournament and all. It's a little hard to move around in compared to the old dress I had. Luckily I learned a trick to deal with that which you will get a chance to see when I get a turn to fight."
After saying that, the girls laughed and soon started to talk.
Ethan, deciding he wanted to talk to Daniel alone for a second, motioning for him to come over. Following the gesture, Daniel went over to him.
"So Joe got under your skin huh?" Ethan asked.
Keeping an eye on his friend, Ethan saw that Daniel didn't seem happy to admit, but still nodded to it. "It's okay, it happens. Joe just got smarter over the years. Guess Graves notion on the nanites increasing his intelligence has some merit huh?"
Daniel nodded to the question, but looked a little disheartened to hear it. Realizing what he said, Ethan attempted to apologize, but his friend stopped him by raising a hand.
"It's okay. Honestly, I learned to live with it by now. Graves may have been my brother, but he stopped being my family the moment he used the Fallen Grace to start killing worlds. If anything I should be grateful that all of you treat me differently, despite knowing that I am related to him."
"Well of course we would. You were with us for the fight two years ago, so if anything, you've earned our respect. Besides that, I have to ask; did you tell your mother about Nathan?"
Looking back at the girls and seeing how August was still busy talking, Daniel whispered his answer. "I didn't have to. She was one of the people watching the tournament when it was being broadcast. The moment Graves revealed himself she knew who he was. I tried to tell her about it when I saw her, but she said she already knew."
"How did she take it?" Ethan asked despite already knowing it couldn't have been pleasant.
"Quite badly. She blamed herself for the whole thing, saying if she had never left him at that orphanage all those years ago, then none of that would have happened. It got worse when dad died last year. He made sure to keep her safe though, leaving a lot of money behind and more for her in his will. It took some time, but she's calmed down now."
Ethan nodded to each of his words, but he was curious about something. "Why exactly are you whispering? Doesn't August already know this?"
"Well yeah, but this part is something I haven't mention to her yet. Since the whole thing with the Graves affair mom has been making sure to call me and see how I am doing with August. Yesterday though, she asked me to visit her and well…"
The next part was important as Daniel leaned forward and whispered it in Ethan's ear. The information that he gave must have been surprising as Ethan's eyes went wide in surprise.
"Are you going to do it?" Ethan asked in disbelief. "It will change everything you know that right?"
"I know. It's just that I've been concerned about the whole thing. Whether I want to admit or not me and Graves were brothers and I am still concerned that one day I might snap and do the same thing he did. Plus there is the fact that I am not entirely human either." Daniel explained solemnly as a frown crossed his face. "What if… what if one day August wakes up and realizes that and-"
"It's going to be fine, Daniel." Ethan interjected in forceful yet reassuring tone. "She is with you because she cares for you and the choices Graves made were his own. You are in control of your own decisions so just do what you feel is right."
Hearing the advice of the male Chrome tin, Daniel silently nodded. After he did so a hand touched his shoulder making him turn to see August.
"Hey Daniel, lets all head to the training area. We still got time before the tournament starts, so let's get some practice in. Maybe we can meet up with James."
"That's a good idea," Dianna responded, taking up Ethan's arm once again. "We could even have a team battle. 3 vs. 3 sounds good, don't it Ethan?"
Seeing that Dianna was rather enthusiastic about the idea, the male Chrome nodded as the group made there way to the training room.
Back with James, the Smash Champion walked with Zio close by. Eventually, the two made their way to the lobby area, the same place they were last time they showed up. The only difference is that it had some participants in the room, some of which were very familiar. "Guess Joe isn't here. Funny, I could have sworn he said his favorite show comes on around this time. Guess he must have figured out how to use the DVR."
Seeing that Joe wasn't around, James decided to stick around just a bit and say hello to the other smashers, but before he had a chance to a voice spoke up. "Well if it isn't the Smash Champion, here in the flesh."
Look to his left, James greeted with an old friend, standing in her ever-faithful armor. "Samus, it's good to see you."
"Likewise." said the bounty hunter. "How's the family back home? Is your son doing well?"
"Oh, they are doing just find and Jacob is growing up nicely."
"That's nice. Hey, why don't you come sit with me?" Samus explained, gesturing to a group filled with familiar faces sitting in front of a large screen. "Some of the other veterans are sitting where I am watching clips of the last tournament."
"Really? Alright then, this will be a good time to show Zio some of the fights from two years ago. What do you say pal, you want to watch?"
The large horse looked at James and seemed to give him a silent answer. Soon the two followed Samus to the table, where they met up with Snake, Peach, Marth, Cap. Falcon, Lucario and Link. The first to take notice of his arrival was the wielder of the master sword himself.
"James, it's great to see you. Is that Zio?'
"Yeah it is. I figured that I should go ahead and properly introduce him to the others. Well that and show him how the tournament is played out. You guys wouldn't mind if he joins, would you?"
Falcon looked at the large and back at James. "I am sure we don't mind, but he's awfully big. I don't think he-"
Before the Captain could finish his sentence, Noir's size changed, shrinking to the size of a dog. Seeing this, the veterans all looked at James with surprise and confusion.
"What? Zio isn't a normal horse remember? This is the same one who fast enough to run worlds and dimensions in no time flat. Changing size isn't really anything new now is it?"
"Well no, but it still a bit jarring." Marth replied as Zio sat on the floor near where Jame's chair was.
Deciding to change the subject, Peach spoke up. "So James, how's Rachel? Is she doing well with that Pokemon Abel gave her?"
"You mean Thea? Both of them are getting along fine. In fact, I think I caught Rachel a few times saying that she wants to become a Pokemon trainer." He replied with a small smile.
Just then, Snake recalled something that he been meaning to ask. "If memory serves, didn't Abel give that Pokemon to you specifically?"
"Yeah he did, but once I saw hot much Rachel wanted to keep it, I kind of felt like she should have it." James explained. "Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against Eevees or Espeons or even Pokemon in general, but I am more of a dog person really."
Hearing this the legendary soldier rubbed his chin in thought. "I see, so in that case, how about a husky? I know a guy giving some away back home. I think you might like one."
"A husky huh? That sound great Snake, but I might need to discuss it with Faye back home."
Just then Lucario spoke up. "May I make a suggestion?"
Turning towards the Aura Pokemon, everyone gave him their undivided attention as he talked.
"I think a Riolu would be a good pick for you and your family. They are playful when they are young but can be very loyal. I believe they would do well as both a member for your family and as a protector should you not be around."
Hearing Lucarios suggestion made James think about the idea. He won't lie as he had thought about having another Pokemon around the house. Thea is good and reliable, but he always felt that she would like to have another Pokemon to talk to and spend time with from time to time.
Looking back at the Pokemon, James gave his answer. "Alright, I'll think about it once the tournament is over. Who knows; if I got time I can head over to your world and see some Pokemon myself."
The Pokemon nodded to his words, taking him for his word. Peach then cut in the conversation. "Hey, once this is over, how about we all have a party to celebrate. I can cook some of my famous pies."
"Pies? I love pies. What type of pie are you going to ba-"
However James was cut off as Samus hand went to cover his mouth. The champion was confused until he saw that everyone else was a bit nervous.
The bounty hunter raised her cannon hand, sort of giving off a short wave. "No, no Peach. We will just make our own food. You don't need to do that. I know, you can taste test our food, how does that sound?"
Easing back to her chair, the princess gave a soft sigh before answering. "Okay."
Seeing that the worse was over, Samus went to James's ear and whispered. "Don't let Peach try to bake pies for the party. Mario said that she been off her game lately due to getting in shape for the tournament. Even Wario has been going to the bathroom like after a few bites, and you know that if he can't take it, then there must be something wrong with that pie."
James gave a nod to her words and exhaled a small breath of relief. With that bullet dodged, he felt it would be a good time to see if he can find some of the other vets. Right when he was about to get to his feet though, a voice spoke up behind him. "L-Lord Marth!?"
Turning around, James and the others saw someone that they never saw before.
The person was a male, standing in a uniform that consisted of brown boots, white pants, white shirt and a purple coat with hoodie. If memory serves, this is the same uniform that the man Lucina talked about wore, a tactician named Robin. One thing that did stand out to him however, was a golden sheath that was placed by his hip. Returning his attention to the man before him, James saw that the man had light skin with short dark blue hair and green eyes.
"I don't believe it. I mean, I was always told that you are a veteran participate here, but just seeing you is far different from hearing it. It's really you, Marth the Hero King."
James looked back at Marth, who rose to his feet and walked to the newcomer. Extending his hand, the Hero King gave a warm smile. "You must be Iniabi. Lucina and Robin told you were coming. It's nice to meet you."
"Lucina?" James asked in surprised. He hasn't seen Lucina here for months. Why would she show up and not say hi to him?
Seeing his face, Samus decided to fill him in. "Not that Lucina, James. Another one from another timeline. They showed up and met up with Marth. They wanted to fight in the tournament, but they were too busy so they told him about Iniabi and asked him to be on the lookout for him."
"Oh, I see."
James looked back at the Marth and Iniabi and decided to walk forward and greet the young man himself. "Hello Iniabi. I take it that you are here to try and win the tournament, right?"
The young man nodded. "That's right. I have been looking for a challenge for a while now, so I figured that I come here and give it a shot. You're the current champion here am I correct?"
"That I am."
Seeing that he was right, the tactician gave a serious look. "I look forward to go up against in the finals. I hope you give me nothing but your absolute best."
"Really, well then, I hope you can get to me. You have a lot of people to get through, Marth being one of them. You think you can beat them all and get to me?"
"We'll find out in a few hours."
A smile came across the face of Noirs Successor. He only met the newcomer for a few minutes and already he felt the intensity in his eyes, a fierce will to win. This is what he been looking forward to for these past two years; a good challenge from someone that has the determination to give it to him. It's times like these that he is happy to be champion, just so he can meet and maybe even go up against people like this. And to think, this is only one of the newcomers. What would all of the other new bloods be like?
"You might as well drop the tough guy act, it doesn't really help when you are outmatched." Spoke a brand-new voice, this one sounding feminine, yet young. The group looks towards the source and saw the owner of the voice.
Sitting on a table by herself was a young girl, who looked to be around fifteen at best, looking at them. Her eyes were yellow and her hair white, with it sticking out the sides and with two strands of hair falling from either side of her head, draping down her shoulders. Her shirt was light gray with a floral design at the bottom, black shorts, visible gray socks with white hems in a pair of grey shoes with black and gray accents and black laces. Looking more carefully, one can see sky blue breaded bracelet and a black necklace with a spherical sky blue charm.
Iniabi step forward, looking at him with stern eyes. "Would you care to repeat that?"
Exhaling, the girl stood up from her chair and looked at him with a matching glare. "I said drop the tough guy act. You think you can win with just grit and determination? Sorry to break it to you, but you are out matched."
"Really now, so you think that James can beat Iniabi with no problem?" Marth asked, giving in his two cents.
The girl turned to him and gave a small coy grin. "Who said anything about James? I was talking about myself to be honest."
The young tactician, now feeling a bit insulted, spoke up with a more serious tone. "You think you can beat me that easily?"
Answering his challenge, a small dark aura emanated from the girl as her eyes stayed focused on Iniabi. "Well we got time. We can find out right now."
The tension between the two newcomers nearly overtook the room, causing the others to stop what they were doing and look towards them.
Iniabi's hand began to clench as trails of electricity danced around his hand. Marth saw this and knew that the tactician must be readying to use lightning magic, yet he didn't see any tomes.
'Amazing. He can conjure magic without the use of tomes. Iniabi truly is unique.'
Right when it looked like the two was ready to fight however, James stepped in between them.
"Alright you two, that's enough. If you want to fight so badly, then wait for the tournament. If you can't, then go to the training area. At least there you will be able to go all out without actually hurting yourselves once it's over."
Both newcomers stopped what they were doing and looked at the champion. Iniabi was the first to speak, slightly bowed his head to the girl. "Sorry, I let my anger get the best of me."
Deciding that it was best to do the same, the girl slight bowed her head too, though not as much as Iniabi. "Yeah, I apologize as well."
Seeing that the matter was settled, James turned to the girl. "So, what exactly is your name?"
Looking at the Smash Champion, the girl cleared her throat and answered. "The name is Xolette."
"Ah, well that I unique name. So, I take it that you are here to participate huh? Well I welcome you to Smash Bros. Hope to see you get far in the tournament."
Xolette nodded to him, however sneaked a glance at his right. The Black arm that once belonged to Noir drew her attention, as she seemed to admire it look.
James noticed this and raised the arm a bit. "You curious about my arm?"
Realizing that she had been caught, Xolette looked back at James, looking him right in the eye.
"No, I was just looking. Sorry to stare."
"Don't worry about it. Anyway, it's nice to meet you."
Just then James felt something on his leg. He looked down and saw the miniature version of Zio softly knocking one of his front legs to his.
He locked eyes with him for a second before speaking again. "Well I am sorry to cut it short but looks like Zio wants to go and get something to eat at the cafeteria. I look forward seeing you in the tournament, so good luck and I hope you enjoy yourself."
With that said, James went back and talked to the rest of his friends, telling them that he was leaving to get Zio some food and to continue looking for Joe before he makes a repeat of the last tournament.
As he did however, one last newcomer came by the lobby only to miss him by a few seconds. Samus was the first to notice their presence and greeted him.
"Hello Cloud. Are you getting used to the layout of the place yet?"
Looking at the bounty hunter, the former solider slowly shook his head. "Afraid not. This place is big, and there are so many people here too. I have been trying to see if I can find a place to get some practice in, but I keep getting lost."
"The training room huh? I can show you there. Follow me."
Samus began to lead the way there as Cloud followed. The walk was fairly short as the training room was only a few halls away. As they were about to take the next corner however, something, or someone, dashed in front.
"OUT OF THE WAY, OUT OF THE-"
Relying on their reflexes and reactions, both Cloud and Samus moved out-of-the-way as a blur ran passed them, who stopped just as they almost hit the wall. Once it did, it turned its head to look back at the two.
"Sorry for that, I ticked off an old friend and-"
However, they stopped once they saw Samus, making them smile. The bounty hunter on the other hand let out a soft groan upon seeing who it was.
"Why Samus, what a pleasant surprise." Joe greeted with a flirtatious smile. "It's great to see you again. How are you doing?"
"Hello Joe. So, may I ask exactly what you did this time to even have James look for you?"
"James is looking for me?" Joe asked, quickly forgetting Samus first question. "Where is he?"
Seeing that his mind was elsewhere, Samus eyes rolled inside her helmet as Cloud looked on. This was going to be a long few hours before the tournament started, she can tell.
Hey guys, I am sorry for the wait. School was getting down to the wire and things popped up when X-mas came by. Anyway, I hope you guys like the changes that I made for Joe and Daniel, and that I did a good job on showing the OCs. This is only part one of the introduction of the characters, I will get started on the other part soon. Until then I hope you had a good X-mas and have a good new year in 2019. See you soon.
