What the hell was that? Samus mentally yelled at herself. She stormed out of the Transporter Room and went right to her room.

Those people got in my head! Samus thought. She threw her helmet onto her bed. Damn it! She sat down beside where the helmet had landed, as her Power Suit disappeared off of her.

I can't keep thinking about this. She said, head in her hands. I'm getting way too distracted. I couldn't even fight properly! 3rd place, what the hell is that!

Samus shot up and went right to the bathroom to take a shower. As the water hit her face she began to cool off. It doesn't matter. The others were just better than me that round. It's no one's fault but my own. I should actually warm up next time.

She got out of the shower. This may have just been a wake up call. It may be fun spending time with the others, but it's not why you're here and you know that. What time is it?

Samus left the bathroom and looked at the clock. 5:30. I should get something to eat.

She opened her closet. She saw her Zero Suits hanging there, but instead of grabbing one just closed the door. Sighing, she turned around and faced her room.

Who am I kidding? I just want this day to be over.

Samus went to her dresser and pulled out her pajamas, a blue t-shirt and black sweatpants. She got dressed and closed her blinds. Then she turned the lights off and laid down in her bed. She began thinking about the days events, but quickly tried to forget them.

No! Enough of this. This isn't helping you whatsoever. No point in lingering on it.

The confused warrior rolled over and closed her eyes.


The night seemed to drag on. At 2 o' clock, she got out of bed and walked out into the hall. She didn't want to keep pretending she could fall asleep, seeing as she woke up every hour or two. She told herself it was because she went to bed so early, but knew otherwise.

The Mansion was dead silent. Everybody had long since sealed themselves in their rooms and fallen asleep. The lights in the hallway were dimly lit, not necessarily to illuminate the hall, but just to show any late night roamers where the path was. In the lobby the lights were a bit brighter. Samus looked around the room, taking it all in.

The lobby was a simple entrance room. The doorway was actually made of glass, to show the outside. People could see two small side gardens near the door and simple sidewalk that lead all around the building. On the wall opposite of the door, there was a TV hanging up with three couches forming a semicircle around it. There was also a small table with a pot of flowers in the center of the room and a chandelier hanging just above that. Aside from this, however, the room was rather plain.

The two remaining walls had the beginnings of the hallways that branched around the Mansion. When entering the lobby from the front door, the right hallway to the right would take you to the Transfer Room, then a few fighter's rooms at the end of the wing. Going down the left hallway would take you to the rest of the fighter's rooms, then to the dining area.

After looking around, she went to the next hallway and went for the dining area. She opened the door for the dining room and had to shield her eyes, as this room was still fully lit. After letting her eyes adjust, she looked around, but didn't see anybody there. She cut to the kitchen.

Inside, she saw somebody had left out the peanut butter. She looked around for anything else someone had forgotten to put away or clean up, but saw nothing, so she assumed it had been out since dinner. She put the jar away and grabbed a water bottle from the fridge.

Samus walked back to the lobby, but stopped before she went into the second hallway. She glanced over at the door. Wondering if it actually gets locked at night, she walked over and tried to open it. To her surprise, it actually did open. Thinking about it, it made a little sense to her. No need to warrior about being attacked, the building is filled with skilled fighters. Plus, nobody has anything too personal here with them, all of that is left back at everybody's respective homes.

She took the opportunity of solitude to go outside and walk around the Mansion. On the side of her temporary home were various potted plants. There were windows into the other inhabitant's rooms, all of which had blinds covering them.

When she reached the back she saw the garden. It was a very large arrangement of various different flowers. The garden had a sidewalk going around it in a circle shape. The sidewalk cut through the circle in a vertical line and a horizontal line, leaving an off-center cross shape in the middle that divided it into 4 sections. There were torches all around it for light. At the center of the cross, where the two line met in a square, the pavement turned to marble. There were 4 benches, one at each corner of the square.

To top it off, the backyard went downhill a few levels, taking a flight of stairs with about 10 steps to reach the bottom, so the garden could have its full shape be seen from above. Samus had never seen the garden at night, and had never honestly paid much attention to it during the day, but took the time to admire the peaceful scene in front of her.

She walked down the stairs to go to the garden. She did a lap around the outer circle, admiring the entire flora there. She took the vertical path down to the marble square and took a seat at one of the benches. She closed her eyes and let herself absorb the serenity of the night.

She doesn't get many nights like this, most are either spent at a space station lab or in her own starship. And those are only the nights that she's not hunting on a planet. She had learned to appreciate moments like this when they presented themselves.

"Samus?"

Samus opened her eyes and looked down the path that came from the Mansion. She saw Pit and the Pokemon Trainer coming towards her. The Pokemon Trainer was in his pajamas, but without his hat. His eyes seemed very sleepy. Pit seemed to be wearing the same white robe, but he probably had numerous robes that all looked similar. Pit was moving slower than usual, but seemed to be rather attentive, at least compared to his companion.

When they reached the square, Pit asked, "What are you doing at here at 2 in the morning?"

Samus opened up her water bottle. "I could ask the same of you two." She took a small drink from it.

"We saw a shadow pass by our windows." The Pokemon Trainer said, yawning afterwards

"Yeah, we each came out of our rooms at the same time and decided we would come out to see what it was." Pit explained.

"I'm sorry about that. It was just me." Samus told them. The two walked over to the bench and sat on either side of her.

"Nothing to worry about." Pit said. "We were just curious. So why are you out here?"

"I couldn't sleep." She said.

"So you came outside?" The Pokemon Trainer asked.

"I walked around the Mansion a little first." She said, staring at the ground.

There was a few seconds of silence, then the Pokemon Trainer said, "I know it's the name, but is this place actually a mansion? Sure, it's huge, but it's only one story. Is that still a mansion?"

Pit laughed. "Red, nobody but you has ever questioned that." The sleepy teenager just shrugged.

Samus looked at him. "Red?"

"Yeah?"

"Sorry, I just didn't know that was your name. I always thought you were just the Pokemon trainer." Samus said, slightly embarrassed.

Red laughed. "Most people thought the same thing when I first came here. It doesn't help it's my name for fighting. But yeah, my real name's Red."

"We've been here for a few weeks already and you didn't know his name?" Pit asked, nudging Samus's arm.

"I never really paid much attention to the other people here with me." She said, somewhat irritated.

Pit leaned forward. "Can I ask why?"

Samus hesitated a second, then looked at him. "Why what?"

Pit sat back up. "Why didn't you want anything to do with us?"

"Yeah, everybody just assumed you were standoffish." Red said, yawning again. Pit reached his hand past Samus and smacked Red on the back of his head.

"I told myself there was no point." Samus said, ignoring their antics.

"No point to interacting with us?" Pit asked.

"Right." Samus told them. "We were here to fight each other. When we were told to stop fighting, we would leave. The only time we would see each other was to fight again."

"I guess that makes sense." Red said, looking up to the stars.

There was a pause, but eventually Pit said, "But you changed your mind?"

Samus turned her head. "What makes you think that?"

Pit got up and stretched a little. He turned to face the bench-dwellers. "You said we were here to fight each other. There was no point in talking to us. Do you think differently now?"

"Hey, yeah." Red spoke up. "And you actually ate with the rest of us in the dining area yesterday."

"Right. And you watched a match with a few of us." Pit added.

"This isn't anything against the rest of you." Samus said, looking at her water bottle. "I don't have any problems with the any of you."

"You just saw us as opponents you would have to fight?" Pit asked, slowly rocking back on his heels.

"I guess." Samus said, then shook her head. "No, that's not quite it."

"Then what is it?" Red asked.

Samus looked up. The sky had a lot of specks of light penetrating its darkness. The moon shined down, its light seeming to perfectly envelope the garden they were in.

"It was necessary for me."

"You needed to stay away from us?" Red asked.

"For my own sake, yes." Samus answered.

"Why is that?" Pit asked.

Samus stood up and stretched. She took another drink from her water bottle. "I'm feeling sleepy again. I'm going back." She began walking the path to the Mansion. Then she stopped and turned around. "But thank you both for the company. Goodnight." She smiled at them, then turned back to the path.

"We're here to talk if you need it!" Pit called out.

"Not necessarily in the garden, though. Just around the Mansion." Red clarified.

"Shut up." Pit said. "Goodnight Samus."

"Night." Red said.

Samus began walking the path back to the front of building. This worried her. It worried her in that she was so comfortable talking back there. Today, or rather yesterday, seemed to be a sort of catalyst. Once she was shown some friendliness, she seems to have just opened up to the idea.

Samus opened the front door and went down the hallway. For their sake, she shouldn't pursue it. She should simply shut the door on everyone. But that's not what she wants. Something's been missing in her.

And she's almost found it again.


Pit and Red stayed out for another 15 minutes or so.

"How much do you know about Samus?" Red asked, twisting his neck for a crack.

"Not much. I don't know where's she's from or anything. I just know she's a space bounty hunter." Pit said, scratching his head. "Do you know anything about her?"

Red shook his head. "She didn't even know my name, how would I know anything about her? I just figured you might know more, since you were able to spend time with her earlier."

"Unfortunately, no." Pit sighed. "Peach is the one who might know more. Even in the group, Samus always tried to stay by Peach."

"And she sat by Samus at lunch." Red pointed out.

"Exactly." Pit nodded. "In all honesty, though, I don't think we'll be able to get Samus to open up to us any time soon."

"You like her, don't you?" Red said, grinning at Pit.

"Romantically? Not quite. She's pretty, yeah, but I'd rather just get to know her." Pit explained.

"So then what do you think of her?" Red asked the angel.

Pit paused for a bit, looking up at the sky. "She's a strong fighter."

"I don't mean during a brawl, just as a person." Red elaborated.

"That's what I meant too." Pit said.

"Who or what is she fighting then?" Red asked, standing up and stretching.

Pit sighed and nodded his head towards the sidewalk, motioning for the Pokemon trainer to follow him.

"She's fighting herself."

The garden is the shape of the Smash Bros logo, in case that wasn't coming across very clearly.

Oh! And just so you all know, the Power Suit in this story isn't the same as most of the games. In here, her helmet is a something she has to take off her head herself, but the rest of the suit can be dematerialized, like in Other M.