If you're reading this at the time this chapter was uploaded, there's a prologue now. It's short and you don't have to read it but if you want to just to look for foreshadowing, hints, or whatever there could possibly be, go ahead. I might delete this message later on or once the story is complete.

A certain character that appears in this chapter will be referred to by they/them pronouns. I would have gone with their default palette swap but I wanted them to be gender-neutral so I wouldn't have to deal with juggling two genders of the same character in the future. (If I had to put a character label, I would have gone with male for the default unless I was specific anyway.)

There is spoilers for the game they come from but it's more implied than stated explicitly with the exception of the beginning of the game but there's nothing too major in it.

The white light faded from Erin's vision. There was nothing but pitch black until seconds later, it faded into a grassy field with a dirt path just a few steps away from Erin. There were a few trees here and there but the trunks were thin and they reached up past the height of an average adult but not enough for someone to climb up and jump onto the stone wall of a medieval fortress (unless they had a high jump or could scale walls).

Erin checked his pockets and felt a smooth flat surface. He pulled it out of his right pocket revealing his red Nintendo 3DS XL. For some reason, the light at the bottom half of the console shone blue. Erin put his thumbs between the flaps of the console and pulled them apart but it didn't budge.

The 3DS started glowing in yellow and it extended into the shape of a sword. Three lights shot out of the sword-shaped light and went around Erin's hands and his waist and shoulder forming a pair of gloves and a belt with a strap over his right shoulder. The lights faded showing an average double-edged sword with a gold crossguard. The crossguard had a round solid-cut red gem with the symbol of a thick vertical and a thin horizontal line intersecting at the lower left of the gem. The strap over his right shoulder, the belt around his waist, and his gloves had the texture of brown leather. The handguards of his gloves and a small round "shield" over his chest on the strap were a metallic gray.

Where... am I? Erin saw nothing in front of him that stood out or anything that could indicate his location. All I remember is that Hinata and I got separated… but what caused that in the first place? Anyway, I have to find Hinata and get out of here.

"Excuse me. Are you lost?" A voice called out to him. Erin turned around to see a person white hair and dark eyes. They wore a black coat with a gold trim and purple eyes on the arms. Next to them was woman with blue hair and eyes, a tiara, and a sword hanging at the left side of her waist. If it weren't for her hair length and had her face been concealed, she would have a more androgynous appearance.

Wait, is that- Erin's heart began racing. No way. I can't be in a video game! But I have to reply quickly or they'll think I'm ignoring them, being rude, or something!

"Kind of…?" Erin said. "Most likely... Yes." Erin looked down at his feet avoiding any eye contact.

The tactician and lord glanced at each other. Then the tactician shrugged. "Where were you going?"

"No idea."

"No idea..?"

"...If that's how you put it?" He put his free hand behind his neck. "I... don't know where I am... or anything about this place."

"In that case, do you want directions to get to a city nearby?" The blue-haired swordswoman asked. "We can take you there if you'd like."

"If... that's fine with you."

"It's better than getting lost, especially at night. My name is Robin, tactician of Ylisse."

"Lucina, future exalt of Ylisse."

"I'm Erin."

Robin raised an eyebrow. "I thought your name was Erik. Does this mean you're Erik's twin brother?"

Erin raised an eyebrow. "I don't know what you're talking about. Can you tell me who Erik is?"

"He's a fellow Smasher." Lucina answered. "He's one of the Mii Fighters alongside Hinata." She looked down and noticed the sword in Erin's hand. "You use a sword?"

Erin lifted the sword into a horizontal position with the flat part up and his left hand under near the tip of the blade. "Not really. I don't have any professional training or experience with a real sword."

"Then would you like us to teach you a bit about swordfighting?" Robin asked.

Erin nearly had a heart attack at Robin's offer. "A-Are you sure about that? Isn't there a place you need to go to right now or something?"

"It's no trouble at all. We're only passing through and we have time to spare."

"...Alright. If you say so…"

"Remember what we taught you." Robin said standing to the side of a field. "All you have to do is watch out for Lucina's attacks and use your sword to block it. The match is over if Lucina comes close to hitting your body. This isn't a lethal battle but this doesn't mean you can rest easy. In a real fight, your opponent will show no mercy."

"Got it." Erin held a tight grasp on a the sword's handle.

"This is a practice match after all." Lucina called out from across. She too had a bronze sword. "If you don't feel comfortable, you can yell for us to stop anytime."

"Thanks but I think I'll continue until the match ends." Erin declined. "I have to learn to fight to defend myself and the people I care about." After his statement, he noticed Lucina's expression softening despite being across the field. He called out to Lucina. "Lucina..?"

Lucina regained focus. "Ah- Yes, Erin?"

"Is something wrong? You don't look okay… emotionally. Do you want to postpone the match?"

"No, I'm fine." Lucina said and recomposed herself. "Are you ready?"

"Ready when you are." Erin gave a thumbs up.

Erin and Lucina positioned themselves a short distance from each other. They shifted their feet nearly shoulder-width apart, placing their right foot forward and the left to the side. They then gripped their swords with both hands, and pointed their blades so that they made an X from Robin's perspective.

Robin cleared their throat. They had a small sand hourglass in their hand. "Alright, I'll repeat the rules: Lucina, your role is to make a blow that can hit Erin's body. Erin, your role is to block Lucina's attacks one after another. You two are to stay at the same distance between each other. You are free to move but you can only go forward or backwards and you must follow each other's movements. If one of you steps back, the other must step forward and vice versa. The match is over if Lucina nearly lands a blow on Erin or a full minute passes. The match will begin at the word start: On your mark..."

Erin and Lucina tightened their grasp on their swords and pressed their swords' flat sides against each other.

"Get ready," Robin flipped the hourglass upside down. "START!"

Lucina lifted her sword, moved it around over her forehead in an arc, and stepped forward with her left foot. The sword made a swift motion but it wasn't too fast to be unnoticeable.

Erin stepped back and tilted his sword so that its tip pointed to the upper left of Erin's view.

Clang! Lucina's sword hit the flat part of Erik's blade. Their blades slightly shifted against each other. Lucina lifted her sword and stepped with her right foot. Her sword made contact with Erin's sword again. This went on repeatedly.

Robin checked the hourglass they held. Less than half the amount of sand was at the bottom. They looked up watching the match.

Erin is holding himself well… Robin thought, but he is mostly stiff with his movements and only seems to move when Lucina moves and her sword is about to hit.

Lucina's sword hit Erin's sword again. The blades grinded against each other. Erin kept his grip tight but his hands slightly shook. Suddenly, Lucina pushed Erin's sword down to the side exposing him and lifted her blade. Erin froze watching the bronze sword came down until it stopped just above one of his shoulders. Had it been a real fight, Erin's arm would have been cut off or worse.

"Time!" Lucina shouted to Robin. She lifted her sword and stepped back. "Erin, are you alright?"

Erin breathed heavily but nodded. He lowered the bronze sword to his side.

"You were good for a beginner." Robin said walking up to Erin. "You were quick enough to block Lucina's attacks but over time, you grew stiff and only moved when Lucina did. To be fair, you don't have the same experience as us but don't hesitate to move back and forth to throw off your opponent." Robin received the bronze sword Erin borrowed.

"Nice work out there." Lucina complimented while passing her bronze sword to Robin. "It was impressive to see you last long enough even though you grew scared but endured it regardless. However, be sure not to push yourself to the point where you put your life in danger. You have a long way to go from here. It will take time but with effort, dedication, and courage, you'll fare well in combat."

"Anyway, should we get going?" Robin asked.

Erin, Robin, and Lucina had been walking for some time. The sky was still blue and there wasn't any sign of sunset coming yet.

"Robin, Lucina…?" Erin said.

"Is something wrong?" Robin responded.

"I was just curious… Why did you choose to teach me swordfighting and help me out?' Erin asked. "If it was someone else, they would have tried to do something like attack or mug me while they had the chance. So why would you choose to help instead of taking advantage of that moment?"

"...I had a similar question too." Robin said with a smile. " It's personal but I may as well say it: Before I met Lucina, I woke up in a field near Ylisse without any memory. There, Chrom helped me and took me in as the Shepherd's tactician. Chrom sometimes got into situations that were either fatal or were potentially dangerous. I didn't want him to die so I tried to prevent him from taking these risks but his reply… If he wasn't there to help me, I would have been dead or unable to forge bonds with him. When I saw you standing there lost earlier, I remembered the moment I met Chrom and decided to follow his example. That and also, you probably needed it. If you're going to be a sword-user, you should be able to know how to swordfight. Sorry if I rambled."

"It's fine. I would have done the same thing." Erin commented. "Where I come from, it's nice to do an act of kindness despite all the negativity going on in the world. It's not as if it's mandatory but I want to encourage a sense of hope or happiness among everyone. I might not have the resources or finances to do it all at once but I can always start small whether it's making a new friend at school or knitting scarves for other people. Years ago, when I moved into a new neighborhood, I made friends with my neighbor over similar interests and we're close now."

"It's great to see people try to help others but don't forget to take care of yourself too." Lucina added. "I told you earlier but I may as well repeat it: be sure not to push yourself to the point where you put your life in danger. It's not healthy and it won't do you any good."

"Don't worry, I'll keep that in mind." Erin reassured Lucina. The three stopped in front of a brown brick wall with an arched opening in front of them.

"We're here." Robin announced.

"Is this…" Erin looked up at the wall. "Lumiose City?"

"Not exactly. It's based on Lumiose City but it's mostly different." Robin said. "The Assist Trophies reside there and it's often busy. The Smashers, including us, visit our friends there from time to time. From what I know, Prism Tower is still there since some of the Smashers' matches take place in front of the tower. Regardless, we still call it Lumiose City. Anyway, are you ready to go in?"

"I'm ready."

"Alright. Let's go."

The three entered Lumiose City. Similar to what Erin remembered, the North and Southern Boulevards formed a circle while four avenues were connected to five plazas and the center of Lumiose City. Just like Robin said, it was mostly different; there were more facilities that catered to more than just Pokemon. If Erin tried to list them, it would take time to recognize each game and purpose.

"Erin," Robin asked, "we're not doing anything special so would you prefer to stick with us or part ways?"

"Oh… I think we'll part ways then." Erin answered. "I'm curious to see what facilities there are and I wouldn't want to occupy, especially when something comes up."

"I see. Be careful though; Lumiose City is crowded and not everyone has good intentions."

"Thanks. Bye!" Erin walked away waving. Robin and Lucina also left waving back.

From nearby, a blue frog watched Erin walk away. It then went into an alleyway and scaled its walls onto the roof of a building.

Wow Erin (and myself included because I made him do this), less than five minutes into a new place and you're splitting up with someone who is more familiar with the place? You're progressing the plot already.

Robin's gender in this story can be determined by the reader but I'm leaving it ambiguous or gender-neutral. (Robin and Corrin's genders would have depended on the player's preferences anyway.) There would have been a similar case with Wii-Fit Trainer (if they ever showed up in the story) but it entirely depends on the player's gender so if I did include them in the story, I would have gone primarily with Female Wii-Fit Trainer.

I don't know how to swordfight. I did take a short kendo lesson when I was on a field trip but we didn't do duels and we didn't entirely understand the lecture only because we were are different levels of studying the language. I had to base the practice match off Jaune and Pyrrha's swordplay/practice duel in RWBY Volume 2 Episode 5 since it was more simple to write. I tried watching some videos about parrying with swords but it mostly depends on the type of sword being used.