Chapter 3
It's been a while since I've been here. I've been working with school through spring and the beginning of summer. I've also been lazy with this story. I want to complete this, and I actually finished a few chapters. Strange, right? Those chapters will be released as soon as possible once I reread them. Enjoy this. Oh, one more thing, any negative portrayals of characters do not mean that I hate them. It's part of the story. No horrible criticisms please.
The next day Lucina wore her battle attire, a blue armor with a mark of Naga on her cape, because she wanted to train more. It was her favorite pastime as a matter of fact. Whenever she had nothing else planned, she would walk to the training facility and spend time on adapting her fighting skills for future matches. Despite failing to advance to the final, she still aspired to improve no matter what. She grabbed her Falchion from her closet, headed outside with her card key on her left hand, and locked her door. On the way towards the training facility, she ran into Avatar who wore his green Plegian robe, which was a different color from his battle attire, at the hallway before the common area.
"Lucina, where are you going on this late morning?" asked Avatar who seemed curious because he saw Lucina's Smash attire.
"I am heading towards the training complex in order to train" responded the bluenette.
"Really?" replied the surprised tactician as his eyes widened. "You're not in the finals, though. Why do you want to do that?"
"I just enjoy the feeling of hard work, and I want to improve my skills in order to prepare for the next Smash competition."
"Come on, Lucina, you can just rest for one day today. The next competition isn't even a tournament format like the one now; it's more of a Smash Tour type of game. Besides, all of the finalists are at the training complex now. You'll feel uncomfortable there."
"I will only rest when it is necessary. Nevertheless, Smash Tour is another competition, so I have to build a base in order to reach my optimum performance."
"I see" Avatar said before chuckling which gave Lucina a warm smile on her face. "Enjoy your training then. After your practice, you don't mind meeting up at the entrance in Smash mansion and grab a bite in Smash City?"
"I do not mind at all. I would be delighted to go eat somewhere in Smash City" Lucina contently replied after a pause.
"Awesome" answered happily by Avatar who hoped that Lucina would accept the offer. "So, what time will you arrive at the entrance of the mansion?"
"Well, I will complete my training at half past noon. I'll return to the mansion, shower myself and be ready by 1."
"Great, I'll see you again a few minutes after 1 then."
"I should say the same thing to you, too."
Lucina quickly paced herself so that she exited the mansion in a flash. On the way to the training complex, her walking pace was considerably faster than the one inside the mansion just moments ago. Speaking with Avatar drained her precious training time. It was not that she didn't want to talk to him; it was her value of spending solid time for training. That was her top priority. She disliked frittering time on something which would shorten the training stint. Inside the facility, she saw the eight finalists isolated from each other as if they did not want to interfere with one another. None of the fighters had peers or acquaintances to assist them in training. It appeared that for the finals the participants were on their own even though that was not mandatory. It was strange for that kind of "tradition" to happen. However, that "tradition" was about to break when Lucina gazed at Palutena who practiced her offensive moves on a sandbag. Every movement that Palutena made attracted her.
"It is amazing how she executes those artistic martial arts beautifully" Lucina quietly said to herself. After realizing what she had said, Lucina covered her mouth immediately, producing a tapping noise which no one else apparently heard. She could not believe she just said that out loud to the public even though nobody listened to her. "Why did I say that?" thought herself.
"Why are you here?" said a ninja-like Pokémon with his tongue wrapping around his neck like a scarf in some alien language as he approached to Lucina. His tone signaled that he was displeased that Lucina had arrived in the building.
"Excuse me?" Lucina replied surprisingly and angrily as she burrowed her eyes and tilted her head slightly. Luckily, she studied and understood the language of Pokémon for a considerable amount of time; otherwise, it would have been an awkward encounter.
"Why is Lucina, a clone and a non-finalist Smasher, here training with the top fighters?"
"First and foremost, do not call me a clone. Secondly, I happen to like training; it's my preferred pastime activity to do. I want to improve in my combat abilities for the next Smash competition."
Greninja laughed as if he found Lucina's reason to be absolutely ridiculous. She took his response negatively but couldn't do anything to retaliate because she was not that kind of person. "That's really funny, clone. Do you really think that you'll be better in Smash? You lost to a goddess whose fighting wasn't even-"
"Enough!" said Palutena whose vociferous voice sounded daunting. "Greninja, you've caused too much disturbance. Leave her alone."
"Fine, she's no fun anyways" Greninja responded coldly and exited the facility as if he was done with his training.
"I apologize for Greninja's behavior. He's very much cocky and disrespectful to people whom he calls 'non-finalists.' I hope he did not offend you" Palutena said graciously to Lucina.
"It is true that he has an arrogant and egotistical attitude" Lucina agreed on Palutena's description of Greninja. "I am just distraught that he called me a clone."
"He's wrong" the goddess said to support the bluenette. "Lucina, you're unique just like everyone else here. It shouldn't matter what others think because this is who you are. You're adorable and beautiful, too. That's a definitely a positive attribute for you."
Lucina's cheeks harshly reddened, and Palutena noticed it easily and grinned. It was unexpected for Lucina to hear those words from the woman she had feelings for. For moment, she thought it was a dream as if something that would happen in her fantasies. No words came out of her mouth, so she turned away and smiled without the goddess seeing it. Her head tilted downwards slightly as she tried to suppress her blush but couldn't. Palutena's words just made her extremely jovial. "Thank you very much for your support and…compliment. I appreciate it."
"You're welcome but you're facing away from me. Is there a problem?"
"No" Lucina immediately turned back and guiltily replied, "There is no problem that I have against you. I apologize for my disrespectful behavior towards you; I had no intention of making you-"
"Relax" Palutena spoke back before giggling at Lucina's overreaction. "Your behavior wasn't impertinent to me. I ruminated about if you were ok."
"I am perfectly normal, so there is no need for concern towards me."
"Very good, by the way, since you're here now, do you want to train with me?"
Lucina froze for a couple of seconds as she mused on Palutena's offer. She was skeptical because it might be some sort of prank. It was hilarious yet ridiculous for her to ponder that because the greenette was amiable to her, so it couldn't be some sort of joke. She was a bit confused on what to do yet she really wanted to train with Palutena and be with her. This was an opportunity for Lucina to take, which can either end up working out well or ending up a bust. "Yes, I REALLY want to train with you."
"Excellent, let's get right into training then" Palutena replied with a small grin. She led Lucina into the virtual training room. During the walk, the greenette thought about Lucina accentuating the word 'really' when she accepted the offer. She mused why the swordswoman emphasized that word. It was difficult to figure out. Originally, she wanted to ask her about it, but decided against it because she would feel awkward towards it. Besides, they were about to train right now, and it was the wrong time to ask.
The virtual training room was a simulation area where Smashers fought against computer-leveled fighters. It gave them an idea of how their fighting style should be for the next match against opponents. Since the final was coming up, the intensity level of the computerized fighters was set at the maximum by the finalists. Smashers could program actual opponents in order to understand about their combat skills. The only problem was that it was not completely accurate. As it turns out, Master Hand had programmed that on purpose because he wanted every fighter learn other Smasher's combat abilities through physical brawl rather than computerized fighting. There was only one virtual room in the training facility, and Sonic occupied it. He practiced taking the advantage of his speed against a high-level computerized fighter. It was a working progress as his hitting accuracy and recovery improved. Once he finished, Palutena and Lucina walked inside to greet the blue anthropomorphic hedgehog.
"Hey, Palutena, what's up?" asked the cool, easy-going hedgehog.
"I'm just wondering if you were finished with this room because my partner Lucina and I want to use it for training" replied the goddess.
"Well, you're in luck because I just finished my fighting portion of training" Sonic replied as he grabbed his customized gym bag, which was blue with his logo designed at the center on one side.
"Oh, thank you, Sonic" Palutena said with a sigh of happiness. She then realized that she hadn't officially introduced Lucina to Sonic. "By the way, you two haven't introduced to each other. That is my fault."
"Oh, yeah, I forgot as well" Sonic said sheepishly as he tapped the side of his head, feeling stupid to forget such a thing. His extended his right hand straight and greeted "Hi, Lucina, I'm Sonic, Sonic the Hedgehog."
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Sonic" Lucina replied formally and shook his hand tightly. "So, you are one of the finalists along with Palutena?"
"That's right. You should've seen Mario's face when I beat him in the preliminaries. It was hilarious, but he was a strong foe."
Palutena and Lucina giggled from Sonic's comment since they remembered how Mario lost to Sonic. In Gaur Plains, Sonic got the plumber to chase him continuously in order to exhaust him quickly. It easily worked after five minutes of non-stop running. As a result, Mario fell backwards and placed his back on the ground. His eyes were losing its vision. He was breathing heavily as his heart pumped rapidly. His body was weak and could not move a single muscle. Sonic grabbed both of Mario's legs and threw him back engendering his body to dissipate into the void. The plumber was embarrassed that he lost that way, but Sonic respected him by saying he was a strong opponent. In the end, both fighters shook hands and their rivalry became stronger than ever.
"Sonic, where are you off then?" asked Palutena who appeared to be curious.
"I'm heading towards the weight room because I need to strengthen my attacks. Well, I'll catch you two ladies later."
Both said their goodbyes to Sonic for the day. To start off as a warm-up, Palutena was programming the settings where six Mii fighters were at level 6. She decided to get her rhythm flowing first before challenging herself against high-leveled fighters.
"Ready, Lucina?" asked the greenette as she walked inside the room where Lucina stood at the circle.
"Yes, I am prepared to fight" replied Lucina as she drew out her Falchion confidently.
"Good. Keep in mind that we're not fighting as a team."
"I am aware of that."
"Great."
They were virtualized into Big Battlefield where it resembled the regular Battlefield but had larger dimensions and multiple girders. This stage was the one where the final round of the tournament will take place, so it was the right choice to train since they will be familiar with the environment. Palutena was on the highest girder of the stage while Lucina was on the ground. It almost resembled their preliminary match. Because of that resemblance, Lucina had a flashback of the preliminary match against the goddess even though this stage was not the one where she fought against her. Her nerves intensely grew as the images of being close to Palutena constantly repeated itself in her mind. She did her best to ignore those images. It partially took a toll on her mind, but it wasn't too much. The six computerized fighters were equal numbers of Mii brawlers, Mii swordfighters, and Mii gunners; all of them were on the middle section where the floating girders were.
"Ready? Go!" said a pre-recorded voice of Master Hand. The eight fighters began to move around, searching for foes to brawl against. Two Mii brawlers fought against Palutena while the two Mii swordfighters faced Lucina. Two Mii gunners were against each other before teaming up against Palutena.
"This is simple" Lucina said arrogantly as she took no damage from either swordfighter. Her skills were no match against the opponents since it was only at intermediate difficulty. One Mii swordfighter attempted a counter but Lucina balked before striking downwards once the situation was safe. That foe flew back for a short distance before Lucina charged at the enemy with the tip of her sword that barely contacted the ground. Then, the opponent rolled towards Lucina in which he got up behind her and attempted a slash. Lucina was expecting an attack from behind, so she immediately turned around, grabbed the opponent, and threw him off the stage. As he attempted to return the stage with a hero spin, Lucina used her sword dance where her third move, a diagonal downward slash, caused the swordfighter to fall straight down and land into the void. His body dissipated and did not return to the stage. The second Mii swordfighter attacked with an Airborne Assault. Lucina side-dodged the move and the second swordfighter fell into the void that easily because the attack was charged for too long and could not recover while airborne. Lucina turned back to the center of the stage and saw Palutena taking on four fighters. She felt that the greenette was overwhelmed and wanted to help her, so she ran towards the crowd and attacked the Mii gunners.
"What?!" said the surprised goddess as the Mii gunners flew back. Once Lucina managed to get the gunners out of the way, she was in front of Palutena, protecting her like a knight.
"I will take care of the gunners while you handle the brawlers, understand?" Lucina commanded without even looking at Palutena.
"Gotcha" she responded firmly as she faced the Mii brawlers with her staff gripped tightly on the right hand while the blue, round shield was strapped on her left arm. For a brief moment, she pondered why Lucina was protecting her. It seemed peculiar to her. Wouldn't she dislike her because of the preliminary match? It was confusing to her. As soon as she left her guard down, the Mii brawlers attacked her with their fists. Luckily, her reflexes were sharp, so she quickly positioned her staff and shield within her person and yelled, "Counter!" The knockback was not very far, but the two brawlers partially struggled to get on their feet. Palutena flew towards them, hoping they would attack. Her anticipation paid off as she balked before the first Mii brawler's punch actually took action, side-dodged it, and retaliated with her ethereal wings. The knockback was further, and the computerized fighter had to put a huge effort to get back on the stage. It failed and that male fighter fell into the void. Her second Mii brawler charged up, extended both of her legs, and released a yellow-wavelike fire. She repeated her counter and the brawler flew back. As the female brawler tried to get back on the stage, Palutena waited for the right time to use her blue blade. When the female brawler had her body above the first level of the girders, the greenette made her move and released a blue blade from the floor. Its power was so forceful that it sent the second brawler to the sky, causing its body to dissipate. It was over for her, so she relaxed and turned back to see Lucina's progress. She dealt the final blow against the last gunner and won her match. The two returned to the virtual simulation room. It appeared that this simulation was a team battle with friendly fire. Their battling rhythms were in sync and felt that they could raise the difficulty level up higher for improvement.
"That was a good warm-up" Lucina grinned at Palutena.
"Definitely, want to raise the level by one?" replied the greenette who wanted to challenge the bluenette.
"Yes, please."
The two took a 15 minute break before training again. They went to a water fountain, which apparently had only two. One was used to refill a bottle. Palutena went to the unoccupied one and drank water. Lucina stood behind her, waiting for her turn. During the wait, she stared at the goddess's butt, noticing the perfect, ideal size for a goddess. Lucina gazed for too long and quickly turned her head somewhere else sheepishly. Luckily, no one saw it, so she did not have to worry about it. She felt like she had a dirty mind for that and was ashamed for it. Once the greenette was finished, Lucina took a sip of water mechanically and walked back to the virtual training room. Palutena had set up the computer difficulty level to 7 but altered the choice of fighters; she chose certain finalists for the Smash tournament as the six computerized fighters. When the two were virtualized into Big Battlefield, Palutena experienced the same thing as she did in her previous practice: Lucina taking care of two fighters. The two were Rosalina and Samus, but she spent more time on them, before rushing and protecting her goddess again. Once it was over, the tall goddess raised the difficulty level by one. Before virtualizing into the Big Battlefield, Palutena hesitated and considered if she should say something to the swordswoman. After arguing against herself, she decided to do so.
"Lucina," Palutena said as the bluenette turned her head. "If we handle the six computers, we have to fight each other afterwards, so no protecting me beforehand."
"I understand" Lucina replied with a hint of sadness. Her unhappy facial expression almost revealed itself.
"Great, let's begin" spoke back the greenette as she pressed the practice simulation button. They were at the same location as they always have done. She felt better that Lucina promised to not protect her, but also felt bad that the woman took it sensitively.
At level 8, these computer fighters were strategically stronger. They dodged moves more frequently and adapted to their opponents' fighting better. Palutena was partially struggling because her rivals were fast fighters and she wasn't, so she often countered their moves. Another tactic she tried was utilizing small attacks before releasing strong moves. One was multiple small staff jabs then a meteor smash before unleashing her powerful ethereal wings. After ten minutes against computer Greninja, Meta Knight, and Sonic, Palutena defeated all of them with her ethereal wings. Lucina had a similar situation against three other fighters, but she came out victorious. It wasn't over because she and Palutena were remaining in the battlefield. The bluenette was not worried that she would mortally wound Palutena because it was only a simulation; the goddess would only feel the hypothetical pain rather than the actual injury.
"Ready to fight?" Palutena asked Lucina with her tone hinting arrogance.
"I am certainly prepared to battle" she replied assertively. The edges of her lips were arched upwards, creating a smile.
The two clashed their weapons forcefully; both of their execution timing was almost meticulous, which caused a neutral hit. Lucina immediately slashed horizontally, but Palutena countered, causing her to fall back ten feet. She quickly got up on her feet and charged at the goddess. The blade was barely scrapping the ground as she was about to attack. Palutena warped behind her and positioned herself for a strong attack. Lucina expected that and countered. Nothing happened. Palutena was charging up her attack longer and struck it with full force. The swordswoman was surprised as she was sent flying past the stage. Her persistence allowed her to barely reach the edge of the stage with her dolphin slash. She reached the ground of the battlefield and saw the goddess gliding towards her. She positioned her Falchion horizontally, pulled back, and charged up a thrust attack. Palutena, in response, shielded herself, and a spherical orb appeared around her but held it too long. Its volume decreased into a basketball shape before Lucina released her shield breaker move. The greenette's shield shattered, causing her body to be paralyzed for a short stint. Lucina prepared for another shield breaker, a move powerful enough to send her into a void across the stage. She couldn't believe that she was about to defeat Palutena, an opponent she lost to in the preliminaries. However, the stage and skies were deformed and distorted, and the two were sent back to a familiar white surrounding, the virtual training room. Lucina released her shield breaker nearly the exact moment when the unusual event occurred. The Falchion failed to send Palutena in the air; instead, it went through her stomach, barely above the abdomen, and blood appeared on the wound and the blade. A horrifying scream was let out by the goddess. The scream was loud enough for everyone in the building to hear. In addition, the echo of the scream seemed to perpetuate in Lucina's mind. How can a goddess receive an excruciating pain from a mortal? It was difficult to explain. Was it possible? Not only blood came out from the wound, it also came out from her mouth. Realizing what she had done, Lucina pulled back the sword and dropped it. Palutena collapsed on the floor, bending her knees and arching her back forward. Lucina just froze. Her body was stunned by the horror that she just witnessed.
"Palutena, I'm…" was all she said as the other finalists entered inside the room.
"Oh my" said Meta Knight who was shocked to see the goddess on the ground with her hand covering her wound while her mouth was covered in blood. He examined the injury and saw blood gushing out. "What happened?"
"I..uh..did…something" Lucina stumbled the words in her mouth, failing to explain the situation to Meta Knight. Her mind was trying to grasp the horror that just happened. She continued to stutter her words.
"Lucina," Rosalina said calmly as her voice echoed the room. She seemed peaceful even though there was someone who was severely maimed. "Take a deep breath and tell us what happened to Palutena."
"…I..I'm sorry Palutena for hurting you" Lucina remorsefully said before bursting out of the door. Sonic wanted to stop her but Rosalina prevented him in doing so by grabbing his hand. He looked at Rosalina's eyes and understood that it was fine for her to run off.
"Forget about her for a while. We must take Palutena to the hospital immediately" Meta Knight said authoritatively as he made a nonverbal gesture to Samus to carry Palutena to the hospital since he was too short to carry her.
"We also need to notify Master Hand right away" Sonic added with his tone and facial expression revealing seriousness.
"Yes, you must depart to Master Hand's office immediately. Meet us at the hospital once you have contacted Master Hand."
"No problem" Sonic said as he gestured a thumps up to everyone and ran to Master Hand's office in Smash City like the fast hedgehog he was supposed to be.
Lucina was running back into the mansion. Tears ran from her eyes as she unknowingly passed Robin. The female tactician attempted to stop Lucina but failed. She became concerned and followed Lucina at a distance, so that the bluenette wasn't feeling like she was being followed. Lucina unlocked her door and slammed the door shut. She mused about the incident and the consequences that arose afterwards: arrest, prosecution, expulsion, and hatred from everyone. All were boggling in the swordswoman's mind. Then, she thought of how Palutena would feel afterwards.
I'm so sorry, Palutena. What have I done? I almost killed you and now you hate me. I'm sorry…so sorry.