"Wait, what? A double's match?" Robin exclaimed, obviously surprised.
"Yeah, it is. Don't you remember me talking about it in the library?" Dark Pit replied. The dark angel was somewhat shocked; Robin wasn't the type to forget things easily.
"…I guess I was just distracted recently." Robin said sheepishly. He sat down on the bench in the locker room, dejected. "I guess I'll have to forfeit." he solemnly said.
"Robin, why would you forfeit?" Lucina said, inching towards him on the bench.
"Well, I don't have a partner, and I can't get anyone ready to fight in ten minutes!" the Tactician replied, exasperated.
Lucina looked down at the floor, as did Robin. Then, quietly, "What about me?"
Robin looked up at the Exalted Lady, bewildered. "You?"
"Yes, Robin. Me. Why not?" Lucina replied indignantly.
"You know exactly why not!"
"I can defend myself!"
"You can. But-"
"But what? What about Morgan?"
"Exactly!"
"Robin, I can't stop living just because I might get injured. And you don't even know if it'll affect Morgan at all! Why are you so opposed?"
"BECAUSE SHE'LL END UP LIKE ME!"
Lucina was unprepared for the response, and faltered. Robin noticed this and calmed himself down, trying to explain.
"That day when Chrom found me unconscious on the ground, he decided to help me. If he hadn't, I might not be where I am today. I might not be with you. So the idea that Morgan, a sweet, bright girl, might never get her chance at happiness, is just too awful to bear."
Robin hadn't realized, but tears were welling up in Lucina's eyes. "Robin… I-I didn't know…"
Suddenly, the Tactician leaned closer and held the Exalted Lady, soothing her as he had the night before, and, for just a moment, all their suspicions melted away.
"Umm…" the dark angel spoke up.
Quickly, Robin and Lucina jumped back to their original positions, Lucina wiping away her tears. Robin cleared his throat, which Dark Pit took as a hint to give the pair a little privacy, which he obliged.
Robin turned once more to Lucina and said, "Are you sure?"
Lucina sat forward, truly thinking about her choices. "If it means helping you, then I will take up my sword any day."
Suddenly, the Announcer called out over the intercom: DOUBLE'S MATCH TO BEGIN IN ONE MINUTE.
After breakfast, Link headed back down towards the Barracks. The idea of going into Lucina's room to reclaim his notepad occurred to him, but he remembered that Robin had locked the door when they left. And so, for the first time in what felt like eternity, Link went back to his own room.
He laid down on the bed, intending to catch up on the sleep he missed, but couldn't. Bored, he turned on his TV, which automatically tuned in to Robin's match.
From the looks of things, Robin had chosen Lucina as a partner, and they were not doing well against Dark Pit and Palutena.
"Oh, and another stock down for Robin! You know, for a couple, Robin and Lucina don't seem to have a good rhythm on the battlefield together. It would take a miracle for them to come back from this!"
Link had to agree with the Announcer. Dark Pit and Palutena both had all three of their stocks; Robin and Lucina were down to one each. But suddenly, Link heard a door close somewhat violently, and someone walking down the hallway. Seconds later, he heard an all too familiar sobbing.
He burst out of his room, looking around wildly for the source of the crying. His instincts told him to inspect Mario's room, which was only a few doors down, and he listened at the door.
Certain that the sobbing was coming from inside, Link opened the door and peered inside. In the dark room, sitting on the bed, was Princess Peach.
To Peach, sitting in the dark room, the light behind Link gave him a grandiose appearance. Coupled with the circumstance of his arrival, his heroic stature seemed all at once too evident to the Princess. And for a moment, this hero in shining armor made her forget about being sad.
Ryu thought that he had spent too much time away from Samus, and she might be worried about him. So he quickly returned to his room, preparing the explanation he would give to the stressed out Huntress.
Instead, upon returning, he found Samus asleep in his bed, snoring softly. Not wanting to wake her, he considered leaving her alone in the room and finding something else to do. But she might have nightmares, he thought, and what else is there for you to do?
So he quietly pulled up his chair, and decided to watch over her while she slept. Within five minutes, the Wanderer himself had also fallen asleep, and the two stayed that way for quite some time.
Lucina rejoined her ally on the stage. Their odds were staggering; both of the opponents still had all three stock, and she and Robin were now both down to one.
"Any ideas, Robin?" she called out.
"For right now, try to bait out his Electroshock Arm, and counter it. I'll keep Palutena off you, and work something out in the meantime."
"Sounds good."
Lucina ran towards the angel, noting the fact that he has used his arm every time she landed. She purposefully jumped, sailing towards him, guard lowered. She braced herself just before landing, countering his blow and sending him off stage.
Palutena had been sent away by Robin's Arcfire, and was now near Dark Pit, who was flying back on stage.
"Lucina! DUCK!"
The Exalted Lady dropped on the ground just in time.
"THORON!"
The giant bolt pierced both the goddess and dark angel, sending them both into the opposite wall.
Lucina stood up, amazed.
"Robin, that was…incredible." she managed. Inside, she felt guilty for suspecting him in the first place.
"The fight's not over yet, Luci." he responded. Her adoration for him made Robin question his original doubts in her.
"Dark Pit, it seems that you're getting predictable. Try being more… erratic, hmm?" Palutena suggested.
"Erratic is my specialty." he smirked.
Robin and Lucina readied themselves for the incoming barrage.
"Robin?"
"Yeah?"
"If we win, it'll be a miracle."
"When we win, I'll be sure to add it to miraculous victories we've achieved."
Link sat on his bed, consoling Peach. It wasn't even a minute after he had led the Princess to his room that she started sobbing again. Part of him was glad for her presence; the rest of his heart ached for her sorrow.
He waited patiently for her to start explaining what happened, partly because he was unable to ask. After several minutes, Peach looked up at the Hero.
"I guess I should explain…" she began.
Link sat patiently through Peach's explanation, listening to the details of Mario asking her to come in his room and sit down.
"And he just sighed and said that it wasn't working out and that we should see other people." she concluded. Link nodded in understanding. He wanted to ask if she wanted him back, but had no paper in his own room and his notepad still lay on Lucina's desk.
Luckily for the Hero, Peach continued. "To be completely honest, I think I knew it was gonna happen eventually. Just not today…" she paused, thinking. "…I think I'll be okay with this. He's right, we just weren't meant for each other. But I need time to think things through."
Link tried to hide his disappointment. Well, it's not like she was gonna confess her love for you, he thought, she just broke up with the guy a few minutes ago! But part of the Hero felt that this time she needed would be longer than either of the two could imagine.
But still, she needs a friend right now. So I'll be her friend.
Samus and Ryu woke up several times, each time seeing the other still asleep and drifting off themselves. At one point, they both awoke at the same time, sharing an awkward glance.
"Oh, uh, I'm sorry about stealing your bed." Samus managed.
"It's okay, you deserve some rest." the Wanderer replied.
"Would you like to join me?" she asked, and then realized her mistake. "No! Not like that, I mean-"
"It's fine." Ryu said. "The chair is comfortable enough." he lied. But she deserved some privacy, and Ryu had a sense that she wasn't gifted that reprieve often. And so once again, they fell asleep, not knowing what would await them upon waking.
"Oh wow! I never believed I would see it folks. Somehow, some way, Robin and Lucina have managed to tie up the game! Although, they are both looking pretty tired, whereas their opponents are bright-eyed and bushy-tailed! Can Robin and Lucina pull off the incredible comeback, or will Dark Pit and Palutena finally finish them off? Let's watch!"
The stage rose back into position for a final time. Robin knew that they had been lucky, being able to spike Palutena and then double team Dark Pit before she came back. Unfortunately, he was out of ideas.
"Well, any ideas now, Luci?" he called to his ally.
"Isn't that more your forté, O Tactician?" she called back teasingly.
Robin couldn't help but smile, but their opponents were soon upon them.
He impulsively sent off a Thunder, which Palutena quickly reflected. Dark Pit and Lucina began dueling, while Robin and Palutena were hurling spells at one another.
He was on autopilot while thinking of a strategy. He absentmindedly shot out an Elthunder, which Palutena also reflected. And an idea popped into his head.
He began charging up his Thoron, intentionally obvious. Palutena took up a defensive stance, ready to bounce it back at the Tactician. But Robin was counting on it.
He quickly jumped to his side before casting his spell.
"Thoron!"
"Reflect!" Palutena bounced back the bolt instinctively. But she hadn't accounted for the new angle.
The Thoron bounced off of Palutena's reflect and crashed right into Dark Pit, sending him directly towards Robin who was lying in wait.
Before the dark angel could react, Robin slashed with his Levin sword, knocking him into the wall.
The Announcer went wild. "An unbelievable play!"
Lucina beamed at the Tactician, who was now focused on defeated Palutena with a numbers advantage. But while Lucina was looking back at him, Palutena rushed forward and began charging an attack.
Lucina noticed the goddess a moment too late, as the attack was already upon her before she could ready her counterattack. But before it landed, she felt something grab her collar and yank her backwards.
Robin had pushed Lucina out of the way just in time, taking the full brunt of the attack. He was sent flying at a breakneck pace, slamming into the glass wall so hard that it almost cracked.
Quickly, Lucina unleashed a flurry of attacks, almost as if her blade were dancing in her fingers. At the very end, she slashed upwards, sending Palutena into the ceiling.
A brief pause was the only precursor of the sudden cacophony of cheering and yelling from the stands. But instead of basking in the glory, Lucina ran over to the ground where the Tactician lay.
"Robin? Are you okay?! Talk to me!" she shouted feverishly.
Robin slowly blinked his eyes open, looking up at the Exalted Lady's face.
"Did we win?"
And Lucina was so overjoyed that she forgot all about the crowds and cameras and planted a deep, passionate kiss on Robin's lips.
Unbeknownst to the two, when they arrived back at the Barracks, the other fighters had organized a little party to celebrate their incredibly unlikely victory. Later that night, most of the fighters had gathered in Lucina's room and the hallway outside, both of which were just spacious enough to accommodate the guests.
Of course, alcohol was served, and the fighters were all too excited to give much thought to the consequences, even Robin and Lucina. Within an hour, almost all of the guests were at least partially intoxicated, and most were more imbibed than that. And, as is common with a room full of soused party-goers, inhibitions were cast aside and things normally kept secret were shouted to the wind.
Link, ever the lion heart, refused any drinks. It was times like this when he was grateful for his silence, or the unconvincing lie he would concoct would easily be dissected. In truth, Link wasn't just a hero because he was chosen; he loves heroics, and wears his title of 'the Hero' with unabashed pride. Any drink that would dull his senses is a chance he isn't willing to risk.
And with these unimpaired senses, he noticed that Rosalina had sauntered up to Peach a few minutes ago, both quite tipsy. Fearing an argument – or worse – Link made his way closer to the Princess and the Traveler.
"Oh Peach. I wanted to say how sorry I am for you and Mario." Rosalina said, with a hint of venom in her tone.
"I guess he told you, because I haven't told anyone yet." Peach responded.
"Yes, he did. Was it meant to be a secret?"
"It is kind of personal."
"Not too personal, if he told me. Or maybe he just doesn't care who knows?"
Link had a bad feeling in his stomach.
Peach furrowed her brow. "Where is he, anyway?"
"Last I saw, he was taking a nap in my room." Rosalina replied hastily.
"Oh? And what was he doing there, if it isn't too personal." Peach's anger was apparent as she spat the words out.
"Well, he needed a bit of cheering up. So I gave it to him." Rosalina cracked a wicked grin.
The Princess appeared to be two seconds away from giving Rosalina a bloody nose, but turned and saw Link next to her. Suddenly she took a deep breath, put one hand in her pocket, and seemed to be squeezing something tight. Then, she asked,
"Are you happy?"
This made Rosalina falter. "What?"
"Are you happy? The two of you, together. Does he make you happy, Rosalina?"
The Traveler was prepared to be sarcastic, but something about Peach's question seemed genuine. She thought for a second.
"…Yes, he does."
"And do you make him happy?"
"I-I…think so."
"Well then, I wish you both the best. Just follow your heart, and trust each other."
It might have been Peach's moving speech, or it might have been the alcohol, but Rosalina became quite emotional and hugged Peach, thanking her. Peach hugged her back, saying that it was nothing. Rosalina left soon after to be with Mario.
Peach looked to Link as she left and asked, "How did I do?"
Robin and Lucina were also quite intoxicated, and were not separated for the rest of the evening. Both of them silently felt guilty for their suspicions, and thought that not leaving the other's sight would be a form of penance.
At one point in the evening, a crowd had gathered around the duo as they told the tale of their incredible comeback. Amongst the crowd were their opponents, also enjoying the festivities despite losing.
Late at night, or, rather, early the next morning, Lucina thanked everyone for hosting such a great party in their honor, a sentiment which Robin mirrored. But they said that they were tired, and cordially asked the remaining guests to leave and allow them to sleep.
As they all filtered into the hallway, Lucina grabbed Robin by the arm.
"Oh no, you're not going anywhere, Tactician." she smirked, closing the door.
In the hallway, Link found himself walking Peach to her room. He gestured to her pocket, asking what was inside that she was holding. She blushed a little, and, with some hesitation, revealed the Advice note that Link had left her. This made the Hero smile from ear to ear, and he accepted her invitation into her room.
It was around this time that Ryu had awoken again. This time, he saw Samus sitting upright on his bed. You know, having friends around to help you is great, but having someone who understands your demons is…amazing. His thoughts were about to become words before he noticed the look on Samus' face.
She was terrified, looking right at him. Or, rather, past him.
Suddenly Ryu felt the barrel of a gun on the back of his neck, and heard a very familiar voice that chilled him to the core.
"Good morning Ryu. Sleep well?"
Author's Notes - Hello once again. This is easily my longest chapter yet, and contained many scene transitions, so thanks for sticking with me until the end. Speaking of the end, there is a clue in this chapter as to the ending of the story, and it has to do with economics. That's the only hint you'll get, and don't spoil anything for the other readers, s'il vous plaît. Chapter 9 will arrive shortly, so until then, thanks for reading, and remember to settle it in Smash!
