Arena Ferox
Fire Emblem dimension
She knew the arena well. Too well, in fact.
The last time she had been there, it had been the tournament between the east and west khans to win the position of khan regent. Prior to the tournament, she had defeated Lon'qu and took his place, concealing her true identity by calling herself "Marth", the name of her ancestor.
She had fought her father there and lost. Not only did that event hang in her memory, but also the reveal of who she really was… and why she was sent here.
After she had found herself flung back in time due to the effects of some strange crystal, she had snatched that floating letter out of the sky without hesitation. It had instructed her to travel here. She wondered… was it a sign that something terrible would happen, like Grima? A dark doom from the future she needed to prevent?
Whatever it was, she would not stand idle.
She passed through the arena gates, her falchion hanging at her hip. Just as she stepped into the arena, the stands empty and void of any spectators… the sound of a battle filled her ears.
A clash of steel, a grunt of effort and determination… and a yell of pain followed by the thud of a body collapsing to the ground.
Her eyes widened at the sound of the yell. She knew that voice…
And when she turned to see the figure lying beaten on the floor, a gasp escaped her throat.
"Father!"
Prince Chrom of Ylisse lay defeated, his body covered in bruises as he panted in exhaustion. How long had he been going?
"Lu…Lucina?" he gasped. "Wh…what are you…"
She didn't reply. She remembered her mission… to protect him and avert the dangerous future. This could be yet another sign…. A sign of yet another catastrophe.
She turned to the cloud of dust conjured by the duel. She could her sense her foe hiding within, almost taunting her.
"Lucina, don't," Chrom groaned, stopping her in her tracks. "He's… he's too strong. He's… nothing like I've ever seen before."
Nothing he's ever seen before? So, whatever this was must have also come from the future. All the more reason to keep him alive…
"I'm sorry, Father…" she whispered. "But I was told to protect you, and that is what I must do." Turning to the cloud, she drew her weapon… and dashed forth.
What happened next was something she could not have predicted. The figure inside moved too fast, struck her quicker than she could retaliate… and she could feel the heat of the final attack that slammed into her gut.
"Agh!" she cried, skidding to a stop near the defeated Chrom. Her chest rose and fell heavily as her head rose to face the now-dispersing cloud.
"What is this power?" she questioned aloud. Could he really be speaking the truth?
No, the difference in her foe's ability didn't matter. Spreading her feet apart, she readied her falchion and stood in a defensive stance. Eyes locked on the figure that emerged, she took in the sight.
He was unarmed yet wearing a smirk. He hid his face, just like she once did, underneath a helmet with a bird insignia. He struck a pose with fists curled.
"Show me your moves!"
He wants a demonstration? Lucina thought to herself. Then he shall get one!
Chrom groaned from behind her, trying to stand… but only to fall back down. Shoving her concerns deep down, Lucina turned back to the unknown warrior with a determined glare.
"For my father…"
She took off running, dragging the tip of her falchion along the arena floor. The man braced himself, never moving from his position.
"Hah!" She swung upward, only for the man to dodge back and counter with a thrust of his fist. It missed her face by a mere inch, yet she still felt the sudden wind of it passing her.
She swung again and the man backflipped away. Landing on his feet, he smirked again. Challenging her.
She thrust her falchion forward with a battle cry, preparing to drive it into the man's heart…
…but he swatted it away as if it were an insect.
Lucina tried to recover, but the man swung his leg upward in a high kick. It connected with the blade, sending Lucina stumbling. "Ugh!"
Seeing his enemy stunned, the man drew his fist back.
"FALCON…"
Lucina could do nothing. She wasn't sure she had the strength to block such an attack or dodge out of the way. Was… was this it?
The arena lit up in a sudden green light. Both she and the man looked skyward… before two green arcs of magic slammed directly onto the man. Lucina threw up an arm to shield herself from the dust.
The man somersaulted in a recovering manner, hitting the ground and dragging to a stop. Both he and Lucina paused, eyes turned to the source of the intrusion.
A hooded figure levitated above the arena floor, sword sparking and tome book giving off a green glow. Something about him felt familiar… but Lucina couldn't place it.
The figure closed the tome, its glow diminishing. He floated down to the arena floor, never turning away from the helmeted man. Lucina lay on her knees, panting for air.
The figure turned. "It's going to be alright," he spoke before turning to the helmeted man, removing his hood… and readying himself. His sword crackled with lightning as his tome book reopened.
"Time to tip the scales!"
Lucina gasped, her memory of this man returning to her. "Robin?! Wh-what are you-"
"Hold your questions, please," the master tactician replied, the helmeted man charging forth. He swung at Robin's face with a high kick, only for Chrom's close friend to duck and slash at the man's other leg with his Levin Sword. Stumbling back, the man advanced again with his fist surrounded in flame. He swung an uppercut, but Robin rolled behind him. Before the man could turn, Robin slashed him twice and unleashed a fiery blast from his tome. Coughing at the sudden smoke, the man began to bat it away.
"I sense many powerful foes in the near future, Lucina," Robin explained as the man tried to recover. "But both of us know that I am no ordinary swordsman."
The man rushed in again, with Robin noticing him from his peripheral vision. His tome began to glow with electricity and yellow color. Just as the man readied another fist, Robin thrust his hand outward.
"Thunder!" he shouted, sending a ball of electricity flying into the man's chest. Again he collapsed, trying to stand from the lightning's effects.
"You show skill for a warrior that is unknown to me," Robin told him. "Had you hesitated or took longer to recover, you would find yourself in a worse situation than your current one. I could have hit you with either Elthunder, Arcthunder, or even Thoron. Be grateful you still stand."
Shaking off the last bits of lightning, the man clenched his fists and charged again, leaping into the air. Robin only smirked, readying his tome again.
"Arcfire!"
A fireball blasted the man out of the air and knocked him back down.
"I highly suggest you stand down," Robin spoke again. "Should you persist further, I'll give you a personal demonstration of other spells I have in store, such as Elwind or Nosferatu. That latter spell allows me to drain your life force and restore my own, so I'll ask again. Stand down."
The man only rose to his feet again, that smirk still on his face.
"I don't believe the fact that you have so many tomes fazes him," Lucina informed him.
"Be fortunate that I can only use them so many times," Robin said as the man advanced once again. Instead of blasting him with another spell, Robin simply tossed it behind him. As it landed into Lucina's arms, who stumbled to catch it in her surprise, Robin dashed forth. Dodging another series of punches and kicks, he slashed the man across the torso.
"Urgh!" the man groaned, collapsing to the arena floor once again as electricity coursed through his body.
"Which is why I carry this," Robin said, holding his weapon out. "My Levin Sword." Before he could lash out with the blade again… the lightning surrounding it died out.
"Hm," Robin muttered, staring at his weapon. "I must have used more of its power than I intended. But no matter." Holstering it on his back, he drew out his Bronze Sword from his hip. "One must always be prepared for the unexpected!"
As the man stood again, Lucina watched as he and Robin and circled each other. Realizing her current state, she huffed and stood up.
"This is no time for me to rest, Robin," she spoke boldly, joining him and gripping her falchion tightly. "I'll fight at your side!"
She moved to advance… but a new voice made all three of them turn to the spectator stands.
"We're afraid that won't be necessary… yet."
The figure who had spoken leaped over the railing and landed on his feet. Taking in the sight, Lucina gasped. She knew this man… but only through stories.
"Is that… the Hero-King himself?" she asked Robin. But before the tactician could reply… another figure landed behind them. Turning, they both saw that he wielded a large broadsword.
"And the Radiant Hero of legend!" Robin shouted in awe. "Worthy opponents, indeed!" The two of them readied for battle… but to Lucina's surprise, her ancestor placed a hand on the helmeted man's shoulder.
"Adequate work, Falcon," he congratulated the man. "Now that we know what they're capable of, they'll make fine additions."
Lucina dropped her stance. "I…I'm sorry?"
"Ike and I were the ones who sent those letters to you," Marth explained. "And Captain Falcon was sent to test you. I expected no less from my own descendant. So… welcome to the Super Smash Brothers."
"Super… Smash Brothers?" Lucina whispered. "I… I don't understand."
"Neither did I, at first," Marth told her. "Nor did Ike. But we both found new allies, as will you. Your skills on the battlefield are a sight to behold… and we could use it by our side."
"I assume we should be honored, then?" Robin guessed. "After all, I don't think I can deny a request from the great Hero-King!"
"I am honored too, somewhat," Lucina added, still unsure. "So… there is no threat?"
"Not yet, but I am to believe one approaches," Ike answered. "A threat the likes of none of the people of this universe has ever seen. But there is one matter we must attend to, first?"
"And what would that be?" Robin asked, before being interrupted by a nearby groan. Marth raised a hand, ordering silence.
"The two of you weren't the only ones we were sent for."
Marth, Robin, and Lucina all approached Chrom, still dotted with the bruises he suffered from Captain Falcon. Marth could hear him muttering something.
"I suppose… I'll get my chance… another day…"
"No," Marth said, prompting Chrom to turn to him. The Prince of Ylisse stared in confusion… as Marth extended a hand.
"You'll get it today."
Giving a brief smile, Chrom took Marth's hand in his own… and grunted as he was pulled up.
"As Robin fought alongside you in the past," Marth explained. "He'll do so now."
"Of course," Chrom replied. "The two of us make quite the team, after all."
…
The six fighters stepped out from the portal in a series of flashes, their means of transport vanishing afterward. As Marth took in the sight of the sky, ocean, and forest where the old temple lay, he heard Lucina groan uncomfortably.
"Nothing at all like the ritual that sent me back in time."
"Not like the warp magic either, as I discovered," Marth added. "Come. The others will want to meet you all."
The group headed off… but while they venture back to HQ, small lightning bolts crackled in the sky above a cliff. They were nothing but sparks at first… until they intensified and a blue portal snapped to life in the sky. One flash later, it blinked out of existence…
…and a hooded figure landed on the ground with a grunt. Slowly, the figure rose to its feet… and looked around at the surrounding landscape. The figure advanced to the edge of the cliff, its face completely hidden from view due to the hood. A tome book and two swords, one with a lightning design, rested on its being.
It heard something coming from behind. It didn't turn to look… for close by, something perched on top of a large stone pillar and conjured a blade of pure water in its hand. Narrowing its eyes… it leaped, poised to strike.
The hooded figure whirled around, tome book flashing open with a magical glow…
"ARCFIRE!"
The fireball shot forth and exploded against the attacker, which fell to the ground writhing in pain and shrieking as the water blade splashed in droplets. Drawing the lightning sword, the hooded figure retaliated…
…and sliced through a log. Both wooden pieces collapsed to the ground.
A gasp escaped the figure's throat as it rose to its feet. It looked around for any sign of the creature… which was now spying over from a shadow cast by a boulder. Knowing victory would not be at hand, it vanished.
The hooded figure, meanwhile, turned back to the horizon as the weapon was holstered. It did not know where it was, or why it was sent here… but it would find out soon enough.
(A/N: Lucina and Robin's chapter was something I was looking forward to for quite a while. But I'm pleased with myself for putting up two chapters (the first was really short, though) in one day!
P.S. I am aware that Chrom isn't playable in Smash 4, only a part of Robin's Final Smash. But since he is playable in Ultimate, I decided to include him and get it out of the way.)
