Author's Disclaimer: I do not own Super Smash Bros or any of the characters involved in it. I am earning no profit from this story, other than the enjoyment of writing it and sharing it with others! I hope you all enjoy reading it!
Cloud woke up early, as Young Link had suggested. He got up, slung the Buster Sword over his back, and walked downstairs to see who was awake. Nobody really was. Only a few people were meandering around the main room at this time. Cloud glanced out the nearest window and noted that the sun had barely begun to come up. He supposed that after his late nap the previous day, he hadn't been very tired last night.
"Cloud!" someone called to him from across the room. Cloud spotted Shulk sitting at a table by himself, evidently having been reading before calling for the ex-mercenary's attention.
Cloud walked to him, standing next to a chair and resting his hand on its back. If this ended up being a long conversation, he'd seat himself.
"I wanted to talk to you yesterday, but after Young Link made you so upset I figured my advice ought to wait until the next day," Shulk began, gesturing for Cloud to take a seat. Cloud did as requested, sitting opposite the young man and giving him his full attention.
"I mentioned yesterday that my sword, the Monado, can give me visions of possible futures," Shulk went on, and Cloud nodded in agreement. "Well, I had one about you. Particularly, what Master Hand will do to you during your matches. You have one today, and it will be announced at 12:14 this morning. You're fighting Toon Link."
"Toon Link?" Cloud repeated. He hadn't really thought about why Young Link's name required the prefix 'young' in front of it before. There was more than one 'Link' here. That was why.
"The only relation to Young Link is their shared status as Heroes of Hyrule," Shulk explained. "They have this whole reincarnation thing and the Spirit of the Hero…" he trailed off, sighing. "Get Zelda to explain it to you. It's complicated. Anyway, you're fighting Toon Link."
"Does he wear green too?"
Shulk nodded.
"I saw him yesterday, then. He was crying when I was brought to the mansion."
"He usually cries whenever we have new arrivals," Shulk admitted. "He's not nearly as brash as Young Link. The two of them are as different as you and I. He's a quiet and shy kid, but once you get to know him he's really sweet."
Cloud nodded again. "And I have to beat this kid up?"
"You won't remember doing it," Shulk assured him.
"Then why did you need to talk to me?"
"Your Limit Break," Shulk said.
Cloud shut up, knowing that he hadn't mentioned his Limit to Shulk or anyone here. Mewtwo might know about it, but Cloud saw no reason why the Pokemon would've told the visionary. This knowledge must've come from the vision they were currently discussing.
"Explain to me how it works," Shulk said. "I think I know, but tell me so I don't make any wrong assumptions."
"Everyone where I come from has a Limit Break ability," Cloud explained. "To activate it, all you have to do is...get really angry, basically. Everyone's is different and it takes at least some training to use, but not much. You saw mine yesterday; that was called Omnislash, but I can use a couple other ones. Omnislash is the most exhausting, and after using it I usually need to go cool down for a while. But that's what a Limit Break is. When your rage reaches its breaking point."
"Okay. I was mostly right," Shulk noted.
"So, what about it?"
"Well, Master Hand and Crazy Hand want to use it during your matches," Shulk explained. "But since you won't be conscious, it'll be impossible for your Limit to break naturally."
Cloud cocked his head.
"So they're going to give you two drugs today," Shulk said. "The control drug. And artificial anger. I just wanted to tell you, so that when you wake up after the match and feel furious...that's why. It isn't you. It's what they did to you."
Cloud grit his teeth. "And nobody else gets treated like that?"
Shulk shook his head. "The only reason I know they'll do it to you is that vision. All I saw was you and Toon sitting in the lobby. The robots come with the syringes as usual, but you get forced to drink something from this weird vial. And the vial was labeled 'anger.' After that, I saw your body light up all blue in the arena like it did yesterday."
Cloud sighed heavily. "So if I lash out at anyone after the match, it isn't my fault?"
"I'll advise whoever comes to visit you," Shulk promised. "But I wanted to warn you. It's bad enough having your body taken over. But having your emotions hijacked too...I'm truly sorry."
Cloud shrugged. "It is what it is." He leaned across the table, lowering his voice. "Has anyone ever gotten out of here?"
Shulk smiled ruefully. "No. Nobody's ever gotten out. But that doesn't stop us from trying. We've got a plan in the works right now, don't worry. I'm part of a group that handles these things. When it's ready, I'll fill you in and we'll give it a shot."
"You say that like you've tried and failed before."
"We have. This will be our fourth attempt."
Cloud nodded. No matter how hopeless everyone made this seem, he wouldn't just give up. Tifa needed him back home. Marlene and Denzel needed him back home.
Shulk's expression softened. "You'll probably hear this a lot, but never lose hope. We will get out. You'll see whoever it is you're thinking about again."
Cloud shook his head slowly. He needed to believe that. So what if it looked hopeless, wasn't that right?
"Who are you missing?" Shulk asked kindly. "I have a best friend named Fiora and a couple others. We saved the world together. I'm sure they're worried sick." He laughed halfheartedly. "Well, they probably were worried sick a year ago."
"A year ago?" Cloud repeated.
Shulk nodded. "I'm not even close to the first. Zelda's been here much longer. Mario was actually the very first, and he's been here for almost a decade. Anyway, we've been fighting this for a long time."
Cloud just nodded. He sighed heavily. "I have a friend named Tifa. And...adopted kids, I guess. They don't call me dad or anything. But we live together, I pay for their food and stuff. I'd never really thought about it until now. They're family, that's for sure. But Denzel looks at me like an older brother more than anything, and Marlene already calls my other friend Daddy, so...anyway. I'm sure they're worried too. They watched me get caught."
Shulk rested his arm on Cloud's. "Then fight for them. Next time we go up against Master Hand, I'm sure we'll win. With someone like you on our side, we'll have far more power than we did last time."
Cloud nodded numbly.
The two sat in silence for a while. Shulk went back to reading his book after a minute or two and Cloud just sat and thought. It had been so long for so many of them. But Zelda still seemed alright. She'd seemed pretty happy yesterday. Even after Cloud had snapped at her. And Marth was insistent about not losing hope. Cloud paused in his thinking, cocking his head. "But if it's been a year since you got here, and Zelda's been here even longer...how old was she when she was taken?"
Shulk put his bookmark back in place and looked up again. "Oh. She was fifteen."
Cloud crossed his arms over his chest. "She looks fifteen."
"Time doesn't flow normally here," Shulk explained. "None of us look any older than we did when we got here. Master Hand intends to keep us here for all eternity, which he can't do if we start dying of old age."
"Is that why Young Link was so insistent about being fifteen?"
"Well, part of the reason, yes," Shulk replied.
Cloud waited for him to explain the other, but Shulk shook his head. "It's not my story to tell. Ask him, if you want to know."
Cloud shrugged. Maybe he would. "So, time is frozen here?" All that time he was missing with Tifa wouldn't matter? That would be a huge relief.
Shulk shook his head. "Time is frozen in this universe, in a sense. But outside of the mansion, time is moving on."
Cloud scowled. So if he was here for too long, he'd be much younger than Tifa. Denzel and Marlene would grow up. But that only gave him more incentive to get out. He looked up at Shulk. "If no one's ever gotten out, how do you know that?"
"People that know each other sometimes come. Mario came first. Then his brother Luigi a little while later. Luigi told Mario all the things that happened since he got captured. It had been a year since Mario had been taken, and everyone in the Mushroom Kingdom had been living without him for that amount of time," Shulk explained.
Cloud sighed heavily, shaking his head slowly. But there wasn't anything he could do about it right in this instance, so he just pulled his fingers into fists and then released them again, just trying not to break his Limit.
"I'm surprised you aren't more alarmed about all this," Shulk admitted.
Cloud laughed hollowly. "Well, I've seen crazy stuff before. When you've killed a god, nothing really surprises you too much anymore."
Shulk put down his book. "You've killed a god?" he repeated.
Cloud nodded. "He was originally...well, I wouldn't say a person. He was like me. Injected with Jenova cells. Or more accurately, his mother was injected while she was pregnant with him, so he was even more afflicted than I am. He found out about his past in probably the worst way possible and lost his mind. He regarded all of humanity with disdain and wanted to reclaim the planet in the name of his supposed mother, Jenova. He gained enough power to ascend to godhood, and I barely managed to kill him. But I did."
"Is he dead now?" Shulk questioned.
"Should be," Cloud said. "He got revived by some of Jenova's followers only a few months ago. But I hope nothing like that has happened in the single day I've been gone."
"Could he come back again?" Shulk pressed.
"Theoretically," Cloud admitted. "Why are you so interested all of a sudden?"
"Master Hand might want him," Shulk said. "Not everyone here is a hero."
Cloud paled. The idea of Sephiroth coming here...he shook his head. "We'll get out before that can happen."
Shulk raised an eyebrow. "We'll try," he agreed. "But another god on our side?"
"He won't be on our side."
"He will be once he's forced to fight," Shulk insisted.
"I know Sephiroth," Cloud objected. "And he'd-"
"Let's not talk about hypotheticals," Shulk interrupted. "Your Limit's breaking."
Cloud paused, taking a deep breath and quelling the blue flames that had begun to ignite on his skin. "Sorry."
Shulk shrugged. "I brought it up."
They returned to companionable silence. Only a few minutes later, it was time for breakfast. Most of the other fighters came down the stairs within the next three minutes, and all seats at the dining table were quickly occupied. Shulk said goodbye to Cloud and went to go sit with Young Link, Toon Link, and Zelda. Palutena and Pit sat on his other side. Cloud got up and sat with Snake. Mewtwo sat next to him. The robots hurried to place food before each fighter. Cloud noticed that they didn't serve each person. They just set food before every table setting. If one was empty, the food set before it was almost instantly claimed by someone else. The three stealers seemed to be Pit, a round, pink ball with a face, and a huge penguin wearing royal robes.
"Pit, Kirby, and King Dedede," Snake pointed them out. "Those three will eat anything if it's left unattended. Never be late to a meal if you want to eat. I held your dinner last night, but from here on out it's every man for himself."
Cloud nodded in understanding.
"Up for more cards today, Cloud?" Fox asked. "We can challenge Wolf and Ganondorf if you want. They're always up for a competitive game."
"Will Bowser play?" Samus asked.
"He promised Jr. he'd play basketball today," Sheik answered. "So he's busy."
Cloud didn't get at least half of that, but he didn't ask either. All of those were names he assumed he'd learn eventually. "I'm game," he replied. "Invite whoever you want. I don't care."
"Wolf and Ganondorf will play with us, then," Fox said.
"Have room for another player?" a lilting, female voice asked. "Scoot over, test subject."
Both Metwo and Cloud turned around, both of them glaring at the speaker. It was a woman Cloud hadn't seen around yesterday. She wore high heels with guns strapped to them, and clothes that were far too tight for his liking. She had black hair, bright red lipstick, and large earrings. Cloud was somewhat reminded of Madam M; a tricky lady, to be sure.
"Since when do you play cards, Bayonetta?" Snake demanded.
"Since there's a new blondie here to play with," Bayonetta answered, squeezing between Cloud and Mewtwo. "I can play just fine."
"If you want in, we've got room at the table," Fox decided.
Cloud would rather her not play, but he was the newest person here. He didn't feel comfortable calling the shots so soon about players.
"Oh, lovely," Bayonetta crooned. "Are you any good, Cloudy?"
"Don't call me that," Cloud snapped, pushing her away from himself and continuing to eat his breakfast.
Ignore her, Mewtwo suggested. She finds pleasure in playing with men.
"Did she play with you?" Cloud asked, knowing full well that Bayonetta would have no idea who he was talking to or what he was talking about. He also knew that his companions would understand, and he was hoping that she might be put off by him supposedly talking to himself.
She plays with attractive men. I am not attractive in the eyes of women.
"Oh, and I am?"
Objectively, yes.
Cloud was admittedly taken aback by that response, delivered with absolutely no hesitation. But Mewtwo hadn't meant anything weird by it, so Cloud let it go. "Well, thank you," he decided.
You're welcome.
"Whoever are you talking to?" Bayonetta asked.
"Not you," Cloud replied.
Across the table, Young Link almost choked on his food and he hurried to hide his snicker. Zelda scolded him for eavesdropping, but Cloud was somewhat pleased he'd amused someone.
Bayonetta glared at Young Link before turning back to Cloud. "You're no fun."
Cloud didn't reply. He was totally uninterested in someone like her.
"I don't believe he's trying to be," Sheik said.
Bayonetta sighed. "If you don't want my company, just say so."
Nobody said a word after that.
Once breakfast was finished, Cloud and his companions plus Bayonetta walked back downstairs to the bar. Snake ordered a drink immediately, and Cloud wondered if the man would be drunk by the end of the day. Or maybe that was something that didn't happen here either. He'd have to ask. For now, he didn't feel like drinking. He had a fight later today, which had considerably soured his mood. He didn't want to tell the others, because then they'd ask how he knew and he'd have to explain what Shulk saw and why it was important, which he didn't want to. So he remained quiet.
"Wolf! Ganondorf! Either of you up for a game of poker?" Fox called to a bipedal wolf and a tall dark-skinned man.
"Always," Wolf replied. Cloud just assumed that the bipedal wolf was Wolf. Which meant the man was Ganondorf. Neither of them looked particularly nice. But this was poker. Niceties weren't required.
Ganondorf just shrugged, following Wolf over to the table and picking a seat. The two of them ended up next to Cloud. Mewtwo hung in the doorway, a silent question broadcasting into Cloud's mind.
"No," Cloud said, startling Wolf and Ganondorf.
You'll lose without me. Ganondorf is good.
"I don't care," Cloud said. "I'm not cheating."
"Do you always talk to yourself like that?" Bayonetta asked from across the table, now sound more irritated than anything.
Mewtwo fully entered the room now, floating up behind Cloud's chair and leaning against it casually.
"You're talking with him?" Wolf said, surprise evident in his voice. "Mewtwo's never said a word to anyone!"
"He likes me," Cloud shrugged. "And, no, Mewtwo for the last time; we're not cheating. It's just for fun." He had considered it, of course, but he also knew that Sheik wasn't stupid. If Mewtwo was in the room and Cloud just happened to be doing really well…? She could probably put two and two together. Maybe sometime when Sheik wasn't here. But for now, his answer was no.
In response, Mewtwo visibly scowled before turning and heading upstairs again.
"He likes you because you're similar," Ganondorf sneered. "Science experiments. Is that right?"
"Say that again and I'll have him come back down here," Cloud threatened darkly.
Ganondorf shut up, going over his cards quickly.
Samus snickered.
They played for a long time. Cloud was unsurprised to discover that he didn't like Ganondorf and he really didn't like Bayonetta. The former was constantly rude, acted superior to everyone, and seemed to always have better cards than the rest of the players. Cloud kind of wanted to call Mewtwo back down and ask if the man was cheating himself. But if Mewtwo came back, everyone would be suspicious of Cloud. So he didn't bother. He just didn't bet much. Bayonetta was flirty with everyone. Even Samus and Sheik. Nobody responded to her advances, and she just got annoyed. She was honestly a terrible card player, and her voice was starting to get on Cloud's nerves. Wolf, on the other hand, was alright. He and Fox bickered almost constantly, and Cloud gathered that they'd been enemies before coming to the mansion, but he left everyone else alone. He was pretty quiet, save for when he had a good hand or two, at which point he was somewhat boastful. Cloud found his company to be just fine, and he wouldn't mind if Wolf played with them more often. All in all, it was a pretty enjoyable game of cards. The two nuisances were easily overshadowed by literally everyone else, especially because Cloud's opinion of Bayonetta seemed to be shared by everyone else at the table. They played for a long time, and Cloud found himself relaxing, the knowledge of his fight later today fading from the forefront of his mind.
Author's Note: For anyone who's read the OG A Masterful Prison, yes, I'm aware that I didn't spell out the age thing in that one, for a couple of reasons. One, Link wasn't in the mansion for too long; only a year or so. Two, his own body was kind of messed up by the Shrine of Resurrection already, so it never crossed his mind that everyone here was too old for how they looked. But with Cloud, that's different. Cloud will be in the mansion for a long time, and he obviously does make the connection between age and appearance. So I decided to add this new headcanon. Sorry about the inconsistency.