"A Smash Ball, huh? Seems kind of fishy." Captain Falcon was reading the memo that had been sent to all dormitories and posted along the walls of the dining room and lobby. He had been returning to his dorm when Falco ran into him in the hallway, relaying the news to him.

"Fishy how?" Falco looked at him strangely, a look Captain Falcon returned with a smile.

"Nevermind. Do you plan on going?"

Falco shrugged. "Doubt it. Not my kind of scene, but maybe I'll show up for kicks."

Captain Falcon started laughing. "Yes, but you'll have to dress in a tuxedo! Imagine that!"

Falco scowled, tearing the paper out of Captain Falcon's grasp. "As if you'll be off any better. Besides, it says to dress 'formally'. I am not getting into one of those outfits."

"I will if you will," Captain Falcon grinned.

"What, dress in a tuxedo to a lousy ball?" Falco forced a laugh. "C'mon now. You can't possibly be serious."

"Oh, but I am."

Falco gave him a skeptical look, before reluctantly sticking out his hand to shake. "Whoever can last the longest in that zoot suit?"

Captain Falcon grinned. "You're on!" They both shook hands, and returned to their separate dormitories.

"A Smash Ball? Oh, how romantic!" Peach flopped backwards on her bed, staring longingly at the paper that described the event. She looked to Zelda and Samus, who were sitting on their respective beds (Master Hand preferred they slept in a larger room together rather than having separate rooms, for safety precautions). "What dress you two going to wear," she asked.

Samus laughed cruelly. "You're kidding, right? As if I'm ever going to wear a dress. You can barely move in those things!"

Peach missed her tone, responding cheerfully: "Not if you pick the right dress! I can help you look for one!"

"Don't waste your time." Samus rolled her eyes. "I'm not going."

Peach looked crestfallen, but immediately perked up and looked to Zelda. "What about you? Are you going?"

Zelda shrugged. "Maybe just to see the newcomers. Come on, Samus. The least you can do is introduce yourself."

Samus sighed. "Fine. But I'm not wearing a dress!"

Peach giggled slightly. "Oh, silly Samus. It says we have to dress formally!" Samus groaned, pulling a pillow over her face. Zelda chuckled.

"I think I know what to wear," Peach exclaimed suddenly.

"So soon?" Even Zelda was surprised. Being a female herself, she understood the need to find the perfect attire to impress the people. She wasn't sure herself what she planned to wear—maybe with Master Hand's permission she could travel back to Hyrule and find something suitable.

Peach nodded. "Yeah! But I won't show you until the night of. So," she started abruptly. "Who are you going to go with?"

It was Zelda's turn to groan. "Peach, we just found out about this a few minutes ago! I don't think dates are required anyway!"

Peach giggled. "Perhaps not—but, who do you want to go with?"

Zelda felt herself turn red, and quickly looked away, busying herself with the lamp on her bedside desk.

Peach gasped. "There is someone!" She got off her bed and sat herself on Zelda's. "Who is it?"

"No one," Zelda muttered, but she had already made it quite obvious that she wanted to go with someone.

"Is it Link?" Peach asked, her eyes wide. Zelda shook her head, refusing to reply.

"Answer the question, Zelda." Samus was clearly amused with Peach's interrogation, and though she wouldn't admit it, she herself was curious as to where Zelda's interest lied.

Zelda rolled her eyes. "Alright! I think the idea of attending this event with… Marth would be interesting—just interesting!" she added quickly when the two gave her a surprised look.

"Ohmigosh!" Peach started giggling. "I don't blame you. He is handsome."

Samus smiled. "I agree."

Zelda scowled. "We're acting like a bunch of little girls. Yes, I have a… mild infatuation with Marth. And although the thought of attending the ball with him is rather appealing, I wouldn't be devastated if he asked someone else, or didn't go at all."

Samus laughed. "Don't be shy, Zelda. Ask him yourself. Besides, who else is there to ask?"

Zelda looked pointedly at her; Samus returned the look with an irritated one. "Don't give me that look! Even if Marth did ask me, I would have rejected him anyway. I've already stated that I'm going to meet the newcomers, then leave. Not to have a good time."

Peach laughed. "So it's settled? I'm going with Mario, you with Marth, and you with yourself."

Zelda gave an exasperated sigh that went ignored by both Peach and Samus.

"Sounds good to me," Samus grinned. "This is going to be some hell of a dance!"

Ness scanned the paper that had been slid underneath his door. He frowned, troubled by the details. He squeezed the paper between his fingers and flung open the door, running down the hallway. He knocked excitedly on the door near the end of the hall that had a rounded star on its front.

"Kirby! Kirby! Didja hear?"

The door slowly creaked open—Kirby peered out, alarmed at Ness's excitement. "About what?"

"The Smash Ball!"

"You mean the ball that gives us epic powers-?"

"No, no. The dance!" At Kirby's expression, Ness hurriedly added: "But that's not what I want to tell you about. Look!" He shoved the paper in the pink marshmallow's face; Kirby reluctantly took the paper, reading the desired paragraph. His eyes slowly widened as he read. He looked up at Ness, an excited grin forming on his face.

"'There will be an all-you-can-eat buffet, including a various products concerning dessert'!" The two high-fived each other, and began excitedly discussing what possible dessert there may be.

Four days had gone by since the announcement of the Smash Ball. As Master Hand had suspected, the majority of the brawlers were not all to interested in going. But with some persuasion, they agreed to attend to welcome the newcomers. Peach had already confirmed her going with Mario, and to Samus's surprise, she had been asked by Captain Falcon to accompany her. She politely declined, briefly explaining her not wanting to go. Captain Falcon had not seemed affected by the rejection at all, simply responding with a simple shrug and a smirk. Zelda was left with either waiting on Marth or gathering the courage to ask him herself.

"It's easy," Peach giggled when Zelda slipped her uncertainty. "Just ask him!"

The two were standing the hallway of the men's dormitories—Zelda had grudgingly accompanied Peach while she went to clarify some things with Mario.

"Yes, but you know Mario. Marth and I have only known each other since the last tournament a few years ago."

"You have three days," Peach reminded. She waved her fingers at Zelda. "I need to try on my dress. Ta-ta." She left Zelda standing in the hallway, skipping to the elevator. Zelda hesitated, then decided to wait for the next elevator. She didn't want to be trapped in a tiny little box with Peach.

"What are you doing down here?"

Zelda tensed, slowly turning around. "… Hello, Ganondorf."

The Gerudo couldn't hold back a smirk at her tense posture. She was obviously anxious just being near him.

"You didn't answer my question."

Zelda narrowed her eyes. "I… I didn't want to be in the same elevator as Peach. I'm waiting for the next one."

Ganondorf nodded once. "I see." He turned to leave, but stopped. "There was something I wanted to ask of you," he added with deliberate slowness. Zelda braced herself for the insults she was used to hearing from him. What she didn't expect was Ganondorf holding out his hand, offering a gift. Tiny silver flowers were delicately designed so that the stems were tied together, forming a small bracelet.

Zelda glanced at the bracelet, then to Ganondorf, suspicious. "What is this?"

"It's a bracelet."

Zelda rolled her eyes. "Obviously. Why are you giving it to me?"

Ganondorf tried to smile lightly. It didn't work, as Zelda backed up a cautious step. "Think of it as a 'Good Luck' favor."

When she didn't respond, Ganondorf had to keep himself from giving a frustrated appearance. "As in, I wish you luck in your asking Marth to the Smash Ball."

Zelda felt her cheeks burn at the mention of Marth. "How did you know—"

Ganondorf chuckled. "Your friend has quite the loud voice. She disturbed me when I was attempting to sleep."

"Yes. Well, I apologize for her behavior. She's quite the ditzy one. But I do wish you didn't eavesdrop," Zelda added angrily. "It's personal!"

"Private information shouldn't be discussed where it could be heard now, should it," Ganondorf responded, raising an eyebrow. Zelda shook her head, pressing the button on the elevator, when she felt Ganondorf's presence closer. She faced forward, not allowing her alarm to show. He was looming over her, her head only reaching his chest. His hand darted for Zelda's, much quicker than she was able to respond.

"It's a gift," Ganondorf purred. Zelda struggled to pull out of his grasp, but his fingers were wrapped firmly around her wrist. He squeezed her wrist tightly, slipping the bracelet into her hand before releasing her.

"I hope you'll find it most remarkable," he added with a sly smile, before leaving. The elevator gave a ding, though Zelda watched as the Gerudo returned to his dorm. Ensuring her safety, Zelda stepped into the elevator, rubbing her wrist. She glanced at her hand, and with a quiet curse realized she was still holding onto the bracelet. She had no reason to trust Ganondorf. Nevertheless, she slipped it into the small pocket of her dress. Leaning back on the wall of the elevator, she ran through what had just happened. The way Ganondorf had attempted to be casual, the attempt to be normal confused her. It sent chills down her spine. And at how close he had dared to come… Zelda wondered for a brief instant if it could have meant anything, but almost immediately as the thought came, she banished it, not wanting to dwell on such thoughts. She merely massaged her wrist, desperately waiting for the elevator to open so she could return to her room and call it a night.

Ganondorf waited until he heard the elevator leave, before stepping out of the elevator. He smirked to himself, summoning another vortex to step into. Upon entering, he found himself in the dimly lit basement of the Smash HQ, a place none of the other brawlers were aware existed (save for Master Hand, but it was so dank and putrid that he couldn't stand the place). A large portion of the room was filled with boxes containing various knick-knacks, most of them useless. In one corner of the room was a small pool table, circled by a number of chairs. He scanned the room, and found Bowser digging through boxes. Ganondorf seated himself at the table in the far corner of the room, propping his legs up on the table.

"How long until the new arrivals come," Bowser grunted, still riffling through the boxes. He didn't have to turn around to know who had just come in.

"Four days." Ganondorf picked up a deck of dust-ridden playing cards off the table. He mindlessly shuffled them, until Bowser interrupted his thoughts once more.

"Did you give her the bracelet?"

"All according to plan," Ganondorf chuckled. He laid out the cards one-by-one face down on the table, not quite knowing what he was doing.

"What makes you think she will actually wear it?" The Koopa King pulled out a broken telescope out of a box, examining it before tossing it aside. It clattered on the ground, breaking beyond repair.

Ganondorf shrugged, bringing the cards as a deck once more. "She appeared intrigued by it, despite trying to maintain a neutral composure." He chuckled once more, placing the deck back onto the table. "She'll have three days to mull it over. If she doesn't wear it, we can always fall back on Plan B."

Bowser snorted in reply, and returned to digging through the boxes. "And if this attempt to capture this place fails…?"

Ganondorf smirked, casting a glance at the Koopa King before standing up. "You needn't worry about that."

But what Ganondorf failed to tell him was that he had deliberately planned this uprising merely to obtain the remaining pieces of the Triforce and gain complete control over Hyrule. It was the only reason he signed up for this stupid tournament (though he cursed whoever set up the establishment so that he could not use the power of his piece of the Triforce). However, he had made sure that if anything went out of the ordinary, evidence would point towards the sad excuse for a king standing in front of him.