I appreciate the reviews given for the story so far! Thank you very much!
Now this chapter's a bit long since it's the first day, and it's not even covered entirely yet. I am not sure if the rest of the chapters will be just as long. We'll just wait and see, Happy Reading.
Chapter 1
Day One – Morning to Midday
Waking up early was easy for Lucina. It was from the experiences she had back in her world, where it was plunged into great war. Chrom's Shepherds were always instructed to rise early for drills and exercises conducted by Ylisse's deputy, Frederick. It was either that or to enter a battle — possibly conducting war tactics. However, she was no longer in Ylisse — waking up early was not a requirement. Rarely did Smash events occur at dawn, and if they did it was either for special occasions with permission. Yet, with the doubles tournament in a week, some Smash teams planned their training to start early.
Lucina's team was not one of them. In fact, the only thing she and her partner did last night was sign up. Then, she told him they would commence tomorrow and called it a night. No time was specified. Despite that, she was set on winning this tournament with her mysterious, new partner. The Princess of Ylisse was not ignorant on the Blue Bomber per se — she was aware of his existence, but simply as a new fighter seen in matches. Knowing Mega Man personally, was something Lucina lacked.
This week would change that, bringing in surprises and interesting lore while working with Mega Man. Her mind believed it so, he probably did not know much about her either.
Today is the day we begin. I wonder if we will be able to pull it off. Well, sitting around won't get myself anywhere, Lucina thought. She rose from her bed and stretched herself. Once done, the princess went to her wardrobe to pick out her outfit. When it was found, she quickly made her bed and spread her usual attire down. She brushed her hair to untangle it, placed a bathrobe on, and carried bathing accessories. She entered the bathroom to shower.
A few floors above Lucina's room, Mega Man was already awake. His processor had got out of sleep mode. Suited up, he induced himself to finalize the analysis of his teammate he started last night.
"97... 98... 99... and 100% complete. I'm good Dr. Light, I updated my database," he communicated firmly to his father and creator through his helmet. The robot paged Dr. Light about the upcoming tournament he signed up for, his partner, and asked for assistance. Dr. Light, being the father figure he was, helped his robotic son on completing the analysis and research on Lucina for his Smash fighter database.
"Well done Mega Man! I'm sure that you and Ms. Lucina will make a fine team," congratulated his father. "I wish you good luck in this tournament, we will be cheering for you all the way. If you need anything, please do not hesitate to consult me."
"Thanks Dr. Light. I may page you again later as my analysis of Lucina's movesets are currently estimates," stated Mega Man. "I have to see her in combat for more accurate results, but luckily I have a game plan ready for us."
"Very well, I'm sure you will get the information and update it. Again, we wish you luck in this tournament."
"That's right! I believe in you Rock!" his sister, Roll called out from the background. "May you and Princess Lucina win! To think my brother got into the universe's greatest fighting tournaments with other powerful warriors! You should be proud! I hope you introduce us to your partner sometime!"
Mega Man chuckled at his sister's dignified compliments. "Thanks, I'll talk to you guys later. Take care!"
One click and the communication was shut off. The boy rose from his seat near the desk he was working on; he approached his faithful robotic companion who awakened.
"Well Rush, today starts off our journey for the doubles tournament," he announced gently, petting his dog. Rush barked in happiness and rolled over for a rub.
Mega Man smiled, taking Rush's request. "Glad to hear you're excited, boy. Now, I'm going to call the princess just to assure when we'll meet."
He walked off and turned on his helmet again. His father had equipped him with an internal phone so he could call anyone within the Smash World, as long as he had their numbers. Each room within the mansion had a number, and he knew Lucina's thanks to the directory. He dialed the number from the book and hoped for an answer. Even though last night she told him to meet at the courtyard again, he wanted a precise time.
No such luck, as Lucina was still in the shower; Mega Man hung up. She must be sleeping, he mused. I'll try again later. He turned to Rush who whined in disappointment.
"It's all right, boy. I'll call her again later," his master said, trying to lighten the mood. "There's nothing much I can do now, I could update the fighter database for other fighters — but that could take a while. The tournament list hasn't been put up yet. How about we go on a little morning stroll?"
.
Lucina adjusted her tiara firmly. Once it was in place, she smiled at the mirror and put her gloves on. She was refreshed from the morning shower and was in her attire, ready to go.
Suddenly the phone in her room started ringing. The princess took hold of the device — searching for the correct button to push. How does this thing work again? She asked herself, still getting accustomed to the technology here. Once the button was found, Lucina placed the phone near her ear. "Hello?"
"Goooood Morning, Lucina!" sung an active voice. "Robin and I are having breakfast this morning at the mansion's cafe, I was wondering if you would like to join us. I'd like to introduce you guys to my partner! We could hang out!"
Lucina blinked when she identified the person speaking. It was the leader of Palutena's Army and upbeat angel, Pit. Lucina was impressed on the angel's friendly and outgoing personality, especially in such a foreign world. He loved inviting Smashers for events, whether it was for lunch or a match. The Ylissean princess was one of the fighters, she had attended some on occasions and found them intriguing. However, the fact she was asked at a very crucial time may indicate a decline toward Pit's request. She needed to start prep with her teammate.
"I don't know Pit," Lucina answered uneasily. She heard a slight whine from the angel on her shaky reply. "While I appreciate your invitation, I have to meet up with my partner to start prep for the tournament. I said I would meet him in the morning."
"Aw come on!" Pit protested, urging Lucina to change her mind. "That's too early! Who wants to train at this hour? The café is serving delicious stuff today, like red velvet pancakes! You can always meet up with your partner later, come and join us!"
Lucina contemplated for a few moments, originally her plan was to eat quickly and meet with Mega Man. At the same time, it would not hurt to relax and hang out with friends a bit. Pit was correct on the day being early, there was plenty of time. As long as she did not overstay her welcome, all would be fine. She had doubts Mega Man would even mind or be angry about it. He was very understanding on her trouble of finding him, so he could be just as compassionate on this.
"Very well, I'll join," she finally replied, and Pit squeaked with glee. "Do you want me to go to the café now?"
"Sure, I'll meet you there! There are others coming, so get ready for a large group at our table! See you then!"
Lucina hung up the phone, somewhat eager to eat with others — until she noticed a missed call on the phone's caller ID. Her jaw dropped as she saw who it was.
"Oh no!" she cried. She rushed to find the directory within her bookshelf. Cracking it open, she frantically flipped through the pages for Mega Man's number. Lucina cursed herself for being so careless on missing his call, it must have been for their meeting. She dialed his number and watched for a response anxiously, her hands trembled.
"Please respond..."
No response, Lucina hung up her phone and sighed — a failure. "Crap." She lifted herself up and placed both the book and phone away. She wistfully left her room and locked the door, heading toward the café to cool her head a bit.
Little did she know, that the number led to Mega Man's room — not the Blue Bomber himself, who currently was out.
.
When Lucina stepped in the cafè, it was no surprise she viewed Pit waving at her. She reached the table he and Robin sat at, and sat next to the tactician.
"Morning," Robin greeted softly.
"Good Morning," she greeted back with a sullen tone.
"So, we got Lucina and Robin so far," Pit affirmed. "I know I invited Ness and Link to join with their partners. Finally, my partner should be here soon. In the meantime, let's order!"
"I also invited my partner if that is not a problem," Robin added.
"Of course not! The more the merrier, we got plenty of room! Lucina, did you invite yours too?"
The princess snapped out of her brooding mood over the missed call. "Oh... no I didn't."
"Aw, why not? Everyone else is coming in their teams!"
"My apologies, I didn't think you would invite everyone..."
The angel frowned. "Hey, I told you this was going to be large group! You should have invited him, Lucina."
"Pit let it be," cautioned Robin, he noticed Lucina sulking on Pit's scolding. He ended the discussion to avoid drama. "Maybe next time."
"Yeah. Sorry," Pit replied, scratching his head. "At least everyone else is coming, let's order."
As the three ordered their meals, the other teams began to appear. Hyrule's hero Link came in with his partner which was Mushroom Kingdom's hero, Mario. Later entered the boy from Eagleland, Ness with the Radiant Hero, Ike as his teammate. Finally, Robin's partner sat next to him. His pink and squishy appearance led others to realize who it was.
"Your partner is Kirby?" Link inquired at the tactician.
"Correct," Robin replied, nodding. Kirby waved at the other Smashers with a grin and took a menu from the display to order. Lucina looked at Robin's teammate with admiration, Kirby was such a sweetheart but a tough fighter. She recalled some times of engaging in team matches with him.
"Aww, you got such a cute partner!" Pit complimented. "You two make such a cool team!"
"Thank you Pit. Kirby, are you done ordering yet?" Robin asked sweetly to his partner. The pink warrior shook his head, still looking at the menu. As a big eater, it was hard for Kirby to decide from the diverse list of food.
"Looks like everyone's here," said Pit, taking count of the guests. "Except — "
"Well, is one large group," interrupted an avian ace pilot sternly. His boots clicked on each step he made on the floor's tiles. "Pit, you didn't tell me the group would be this big."
"Hey Falco! You finally showed up!" Pit cried, the arrival of Star Fox's ace pilot brought delight. "Glad that you made it!"
Falco huffed at his teammate. "Let's just eat first so we can start on our training, angel boy." Pulling his seat, he sat at the end of the table, next to Mario who saluted him.
"I already ordered," The angel refuted, showing off his pancakes.
Falco sighed. "That's good."
"Hmm, so you're Pit's partner. You look tired," Mario said, cutting eggs with his knife. He observed irritation from the pilot.
"I'm fine," Falco refuted, rubbing his temples. "Just annoyed that Master Hand gave us only ONE week to prep for this tournament. How the hell are we going to become competent teams in just one week?! Please, tell me how that will work."
"That may be true Falco, but if you give it your all this week — you might be able to pull it off," Ike remarked. He turned to his ally. "I think Ness and I have the capability of fulfilling such a challenge, right?"
"Yeah, we just have to work together," Ness assured, munching his toast. "I'll do my best to fight alongside you, Ike."
Ike grinned softly. "That's the spirit."
"Well excuse me for not being so cheerful," Falco muttered at the Radiant Hero from the sappy speech.
"Oh come on Falco, we'll be fine! I know you're upset with that annoying rule, but with Lady Palutena's guidance and me at your side we will be unbeatable!" Pit guaranteed cheerfully at the avian pilot.
"At least we communicated with each other to arrange this."
Lucina wielded an offense to that statement, this was just salt added to her emotional upset. It was bad enough she had assistance finding her ally, but now she couldn't even reach him. Already she sensed that the other teams were off to a good start, while hers was not. She let out a light groan in agitation, wanting the situation to improve.
He tried calling her again, no answer. Mega Man drew out an uneasy look, and Rush gazed worriedly. The two recently finished their stroll and were back in his room. The robot hoped that by the next call he would reach Lucina, especially since time had passed, but no avail.
He laughed uneasily, thinking of answers as to why. "I guess she's not an early bird..."
Mega Man sighed as he sat on his bed, the princess told him in the morning they would meet. After all the trouble the two went to find each other. Then the excitement they had on working together; delays were already done on prep. Why wasn't she answering to his calls? Was she secretly disappointed that she got stuck with him as a partner? Was she avoiding him? Or was she upset over what happened last night when she made him blow up that Smash ball statue? Did something bad happen to her? So many questions flooded his mind.
Mega Man mentally smacked himself, he was thinking so poorly about Lucina. The horror! No, think positive Rock. You must have faith in her, she'll respond back.
He looked at the time, it was past nine. Mega Man wished for an answer soon, just anything would do.
Meanwhile at the café, the teams at Pit's table discussed about the tournament and ate. Lucina remained silent for she found no need to speak, she was too distressed with the situation at hand. She needed to find the Blue Bomber, believing she was letting him down. This was dragging on for too long, she dreaded the thought that Mega Man may have called her again and she wasn't there to pick up. Would he be angry once she would return those calls? Lucina silently regretted coming here — she could have stayed back, by now they would have met and started training.
Her depressing thoughts disappeared when Pit asked her a question. The group's focus was on her. "So, Lucina... who is your partner anyway?"
"That's right, I never got to ask you that," recalled Robin, sipping his coffee. "You just went to bed early, you found him correct?"
"Yes... I did," answered Lucina hesitantly. She was more interested in finishing her meal and leaving, than answering questions.
"Who is he?" asked Falco.
"A newcomer? A veteran?" asked Link softly.
Questions were being bombarded on the princess, and Lucina was annoyed by it. Didn't they see she was not in the mood? Yet, she might as well answer, feeling slightly pitiful that she couldn't enjoy herself with everyone. It wasn't their fault on the issues she was having, it was her own decisions. And she got to meet other teams, she took a deep breath to reveal the answer.
"It's Mega Man."
There was a silence that swept within the group, the only sound heard was Pit dropping his fork. Everyone's eyes widened and mouths were agape — making Lucina inquisitive about it. "Is something wrong?"
Out of nowhere, Lucina saw Pit rise from his seat. He gripped onto her shoulders — startling her. His eyes shined with surprise and emotion.
"YOUR PARTNER IS MEGA MAN?!" he yelled.
"Pit, not so loud!" Lucina scolded, not understanding Pit's amazement. "What's gotten into you?!"
"Do you not realize how lucky you are?!" the angel cried drastically at the princess, he shook Lucina which made her dizzy. "That guy is AMAZING!" He started to gush on the blue metal hero, reminiscing on his good deeds and combat. "I am so envious of you right now!"
Mario chuckled at the funny scene and added a remark. "You are paired up with one of the universe's greatest heroes and a very good friend of mine. That is an honor, Lucina. You should be proud." The rest of the group nodded in accordance.
Lucina was dumbfounded on what she had heard. She could not comprehend the hype over her teammate who was a newcomer. "Is he famous?"
"Duh, he's Mega Man!" Pit cried. "Everybody knows him! He saved his world a few times and is regarded as a hero!"
"He was also one of the most requested fighters," revealed Link to Lucina. "We have been trying to get him to join Smash for years. When we heard word that he was accepted in, we just had to go and see it ourselves."
Mario laughed, reminiscing the first time he saw Mega Man in years. "I will never forget that night, seeing him beneath the moonlight at the cliff. Then the way he threw those metal blades, he looked so adamant and eager for battle. The boy was so grateful for the invitation, he said he felt more... valuable again."
More valuable? Lucina thought, wondering on what that meant.
"Yeah, it was a wise decision for Master Hand to let him in. He deserved it," Ike commented, with Ness nodding in approval.
"I concur," Robin agreed. "Mega Man is such a unique fighter, with a kind heart. Lucina, with him at your side, you two can become a fierce match."
Such positive talk about her teammate, and Lucina was captivated by it. She was not aware that Mega Man was so famous, it made her feel special and grateful that he was her teammate. It also gave her more respect for him, he must be a very important figure.
At the same time, she was more disgusted with herself for not answering his call! Lucina was ashamed of her reckless behavior displayed on a prominent fighter. She had to find him and get their training started. The princess stood up, excusing herself. She walked out with her remaining food, determined to get her partner. Pit called out for her but Lucina didn't respond, nor did she look back.
That's it, no more sulking. I must prove to him that I'm a competent teammate, Lucina thought, confident in finding him. Mega Man, I won't let you down anymore!
As she left out of the café, Pit sighed. "Just when I wanted to ask if she could dine with us tonight, and bring Mega Man. Oh well, good luck Lucina."
The Princess of Ylisse sprinted back to her room. She made no hesitation to unlock her door and get the phone. She even ignored missed calls as she was eager to find him.
I won't fail again, she thought, vigorously dialing his number and placed the phone near her ear.
Please pick up...
"Hello?"
The call was answered, Lucina's eyes widened in relief. She smiled from hearing her partner's voice. "Hello, Mega Man? It's me."
From the other side of the line, Mega Man's face lit up with happiness. His teammate did get back to him after all, and she was all right! "Lucina! I've been trying to get a hold of you for a while, I was so worried! I'm so glad you called back!"
"Yes, I know. I've tried getting a hold of you earlier, but you didn't respond so I went to eat. Sorry it took so long."
"Oh, you called before? Drat, must been out with Rush when that happened. The number only reaches the phone here. Well, anyway I think we should get started with prep. It's long overdue, don't you think?"
Lucina laughed lightly at his remarks. "Yes, let's meet at the courtyard right now. May I bring my food though? I didn't get to finish it."
"Sure, whatever works for you. I'll see you then!"
"See you soon, Mega Man."
Once the two ended their call, Mega Man immediately teleported to the courtyard. The time had finally come. He was ready to initiate their team prep.
.
Lucina walked to the courtyard, munching away her food to her heart's content. She felt better, at least she and Mega Man would begin their training soon. A slight rough start, but it was leading to progress. As she went in the courtyard with her food consumed, she viewed her partner sitting on the bench; waving for her to come and join him.
"Over here!" he called out. The princess obeyed the order. She sat next to the robot who smiled at her.
"Good Day Mega Man," she greeted warmly.
"Good Morning Princess," greeted the Blue Bomber. "How are you?"
"I'm doing fine, thank you. How about you?"
"Pretty good. Now, before we begin... mind if I get a quick scan of you, Princess?"
Lucina blinked, a scan of her? "I guess not..."
Mega Man rose up to stand in front of her, he tapped on his helmet for a scan. His eyes glowed as he processed her into his database, a small light shined upon the princess. It raced back and forth on her, giving Lucina a puzzled look.
"Analyzing... just making sure... everything matches my fighter database on you," Mega Man explained. A few more scans and he was finished, the robot concluded his scan detected no problems and he shut it off. "We're off to a good start Lucina."
The princess glanced at partner, dumbfounded. They were technological advances she could not comprehend; especially from the blue hero.
Mega Man chuckled at Lucina's puzzled face. "It's all part of the game plan."
"Is it?"
"Yeah."
"I see, but we should get to know each other a bit before — "
"Not a problem," interrupted Mega Man confidently, tapping one of his gloves to reveal his fighter database. This alarmed Lucina, wondering what content he had of her.
"Let's pull you up... I already have a good amount of info on who you are," Mega Man said, using his finger to scroll down his holographic fighter manual. "Let's see... Princess Lucina of Ylisse. Daughter of Exalt Chrom, descendant of the Hero King Marth. Comes from a troubled future of ruin; and goes back into the past disguised as Marth to prevent that troubled fate done by the Fell Dragon, Grima. Receives help from the goddess Naga to return back and participates in the war. She fights alongside Chrom and his most trusted tactician, who is Robin. Is all of that information correct?"
There was no response, it was such a correct — no, impeccable analysis on the princess' personal details that Lucina herself could not emit a word. She was shocked, she rarely interacted with Mega Man until now, how could he had harnessed such data?!
Instead, she turned the tables with a question of her own. "How do you — "
The Blue Bomber smiled, revealing his secret. "Research, lots of research. I have data on all the fighters thanks to my dad. I recently updated yours, even your stats, see?"
As he pulled them up, Lucina could not fathom how prepared her partner was. Meanwhile, she had nothing! Then again, based on his appearance and what she knew about him, Lucina realized it was typical Mega Man had technological tools that gave him insight. He was such a complex fighter, and the knowledge Mega Man had reminded her of someone from home.
"Forgive me, but are you the technologically advanced version of Laurent?" she inquired.
The blue metal hero was baffled. "Who's Laurent?"
"Never mind. However, to answer your question... yes, all of that is correct. You really did your research, I'm impressed by such data... you have of me."
Mega Man observed the slight unease from the princess, leading him to stop. He sensed that showing his technological feats were overwhelming her a bit. "Oh, do I seem a little pretentious to you? I'm sorry."
Lucina was astounded by his apology, prompting her to dispute it. "Don't apologize, Mega Man."
Mega Man frowned, he didn't feel that simple reply cut it. "No, I am amplifying my feats more than I should. I know you don't come from a technologically advanced civilization as I do. I will try to simplify things if you'd like."
"Mega Man — "
"As my partner, you should be treated with the utmost respect. So, let's start new."
"You really don't have to downgrade yourself for my sake," Lucina disputed, smiling lightly in reassurance. "I'll be fine, it will take a while for me to get used to your... machinery but I can handle it. We're both different after all, part of teamwork is for us to adapt each other."
The blue robot grinned in return, pleased with her response. "I like the way you think, Lucina."
"Now then, what other features do you wish to show me? Anything that could help our prep?"
"Oh, well about your stats in my database... they're only estimates I picked up the last time I saw you in combat. I need a more accurate reading so I can determine your strengths and weaknesses. That way I can combine our stats and formulate some possible strategies."
"As in you wish to see me in a sample battle?"
"Pretty much. Here's what I have of you so far," the robot alluded the princess to see her stat info. "Based on everything, it is evident that your moves are identical to Prince Marth's play style. One major difference though is that your sword's tip doesn't do as much damage as Marth's, but you are a lot more balanced than he is."
Lucina nodded lightly. "Well, I am a descendant of the Hero King so it shouldn't be a revelation that we are similar. Also, the Parallel Falchion is stronger as a whole than its tip."
"Right. As a whole the your Falchion is more viable, compared to Marth's Falchion which uses the tip for damage," Mega Man agreed, then added more info as he read through her profile. "You also have a counter move, that could definitely be useful. You might be able to use it for sticky situations, like saving me from a knockback if I am at high percentage. And you know if you are at a higher percentage, you are more likely to be launched. If you can use that counter at the correct time, you can do some good damage and I can recover. Try not to use it too much though, otherwise we'll be seen as predictable."
"All right," said Lucina, taking in Mega Man's advice.
"That shield breaker you have is also good, Lucina. If you hit a shielded fighter with it and their shield breaks, I can come in and attack them in their vulnerable state. It's even feasible that I can launch them out if they are at high percentage."
"That sounds like a good plan."
Mega Man nodded, satisfied on some progress made between the two. "We got some team combos already."
The princess smiled in accordance. "Right."
The robot turned off his database, changing the topic. "Moving on, I think it's time to get physical. I would like to observe you in a battlefield so I can get a more accurate analysis on your fighting style."
The Princess of Ylisse nodded in approval. "Of course, how do you want it done?"
"Heh, I know how. Come with me."
Mega Man pulled Lucina close to him, a blue light surrounded them as he gripped her tightly by the waist. The princess' face flushed in surprise.
"What are you doing?" she inquired in a flustered tone. Was this another one of his technological feats? Lucina felt a little nervous by the light, she lightly gasped as she saw herself fading away.
The fighting robot smirked as he started to teleport themselves. "Just hang on Princess, I know what I'm doing. It's time to get serious, we're going to visit an old friend of mine. A little warning though, he can be pretty nasty."
One flash and the two were gone, and the princess wondered what was in store for her.