Good greetings to all of you. I trust that the day is treating you well? Good. Shall we commence with another chapter? Alright then, let's begin.

ZachaRicO: Thank you. I'm glad you liked the fight scene. Writing for Metal Face wasn't the easiest thing in the world. I made a lot of that up off the top of my head. Also, I agree with you about Lucina's outfit, and I believe Shulk feels the same, that's what I was trying to convey. I actually almost put a line from him in the chapter where he calls Lucina pretty. But I cut it at the last minute because I felt it was a little unrealistic, since they're just friends at this point. I was afraid of moving their relationship too fast.

Let the reading commence!

Super Smash Bros. © Nintendo/Masahiro Sakurai.

*Smash Mansion living room*

*noon*

"And that's how I defeated the big Red Bulborb." A tiny astronaut called Olimar said.

"Nice story." A child named Ness replied.

"Yeah, sounds really impressive." Shulk said.

The three Smashers were currently relaxing in the living room of the mansion, entertaining each other with stories of their respective home worlds. All this talk of home was beginning to make Shulk feel a little homesick, but he hid it well as he listened to his friend's stories.

"Say, Olimar? You excited for next week?" Ness asked.

"Oh yes. It's been forever since I've seen them. It'll be great to see them again." Olimar replied.

"Next week? What's happening next week?" Shulk asked.

"Oh, c'mon, you know. … Wait, you don't know? Did Master Hand never tell you?" Ness asked.

Shulk merely shrugged.

"One week from today, it will have been one year since this tournament started." Olimar explained.

"Really? That's nice. So what, is there some sort of celebration or something?" Shulk asked.

"Yes. Every year on the anniversary of the tournament's start, Master Hand lets us invite up to 3 friends or family members from home to come to the mansion so we can spend the day with them. It's meant to keep us from getting too homesick. I remember it started back during the second tournament." Ness explained.

Shulk was shocked at hearing this. The thought of being able to see some of friends again seemed too good to be true. All this time, he had thought it would be years before he ever saw anyone from his home again. He immediately thought about who he should invite to the mansion.

He would of course invite his best friend Reyn over. Shulk had missed hanging out with his old friend. And although Shulk would never admit this, he desperately wanted to see Reyn's reaction to some of the Smashers here, like Sonic or the Pokémon. He was sure to put on quite a shocked face at some of these strange looking creatures.

Shulk also decided to invite his good friend and mentor Dunban to the mansion. He had always looked up to Dunban as an older brother figure, and was anxious to tell him about all his triumphs since coming to the Smash Mansion. That left the question of who should the last invite go to.

Fiora, perhaps? "No." Shulk decided. Even though their breakup had been almost a year ago, Shulk wasn't sure if he was ready to openly talk with her again, lest they both end up turning into awkward messes.

What about Sharla? Nah, she was probably too busy helping to rebuild Colony 6 after it's destruction by both the Mechon and the Telethia. Plus, she still had to look over her younger brother.

Maybe Melia? Probably not. Whereas Sharla had to look after a colony and her brother, Melia had to look after her entire people. Shortly after the war with Zanza ended, she announced that she would be taking her rightful place as Empress of her race, the High Entia. She would most likely be neck deep in Imperial duties and would be unable to tear herself away from them, even for a day.

That left Riki. "Why not?" Shulk thought. After the defeat of Zanza, Riki had returned to his village to live a quiet life with his wife and children. As far as Shulk was aware, the Nopon hero really didn't have any pressing matters that required his attention like Sharla or Melia. Plus, Riki did spend much of his free time visiting his old friends. It would probably make Riki really happy to be able to see Shulk again.

It was decided, Shulk would have Reyn, Dunban, and Riki come to the mansion in one week's time.

Later that night, at dinner, Shulk met up with Lucina once again and told her what he had heard from the other Smashers. Lucina was practically bounding with excitement at Shulk's announcement.

"Really?! That's wonderful! I would love to see my family again! I cannot wait to show them the Mansion!" Lucina said.

"So do you know who you're inviting?" Shulk asked.

"Oh yes! I'll be asking my father, mother, and sister to come. It's going to be so nice to see them again. And I know father will enjoy seeing Robin again. Robin! I must go tell him about this at once!" Lucina said before running off.

As soon as she found Robin, she wasted no time explaining what Shulk had told her.

"I see. Well, that will be a most pleasant treat, indeed. I only wonder who I should ask to come. I know I'll want Say'ri and Morgan to come, but who should my third one be? Chrom, perhaps?" Robin mused.

"No. I'm already inviting father over. As well as mother and Cynthia." Lucina said.

"I should have guessed. In that case… ah! I know!" Robin said.

*one week later*

All of the Smashers were currently waiting outside the main entrance of the Smash Mansion. The day had finally come for their loved ones to visit the mansion. After the newcomers had finalized with Master Hand who they wanted to come, they were told that they would be arriving the same way they did, by a magic portal just outside the mansion's entrance. They all waited with barely contained excitement until a series of portals opened up right in front of the Smashers. Everyone's eyes scanned the crowd of incoming people, looking for those they cared for. Eventually, Lucina saw two heads of blue hair and one of brown.

"Father! Mother! Cynthia!" She cried out.

Lucina then ran up to her parents and sister as they heard her voice and saw her running up to them excitedly. The two parents embraced their future daughter as Cynthia hugged her from behind.

"I've missed you all so much!" Lucina said.

"We've missed you too, Lucina. We were so happy when we got that letter asking us to come here for the day." Chrom said.

"Wow. So this is where you live now?" Sumia asked, gesturing to the mansion.

"It is, mother. You must come see what it looks like inside. It's amazing." Lucina replied.

"Wow! I bet there are so many legendary heroes here! Let's go!" Cynthia stated before running toward the mansion.

The rest of the Exalted family then began walking toward the mansion themselves. (But not before Sumia tripped and fell flat on her face.)

Shulk looked around the crowd, trying to find a familiar face. After a solid minute, he finally found one.

"Reyn!" He shouted.

The man in question turned and saw Shulk approaching him. He quickly embraced his best friend in a tight hug. Dunban then came along and put a hand on Shulk's shoulder and gave him a friendly smile. Riki then came up and jumped on Shulk's shoulders.

"Riki very happy to see Shulk! Is Shulk happy to see Riki?" The Nopon asked.

"I am, Riki. I'm happy to see all of you!" Shulk exclaimed.

"How ya been, man? It's been too long." Reyn said.

"It most certainly has, Shulk. How has the tournament been so for? Are you succeeding?" Dunban asked.

"I've been doing pretty well for myself. Tournament's been great, I've made a lot of money from my fights." Shulk said.

"Is that so? Well, I'm glad to hear it. I must say, this place looks amazing. I've never seen such a large building before." Dunban said.

"Just wait 'til you see what it's like inside. Shall we go in?" Shulk offered.

"Heck yeah! I wanna check this place out. Come on, you lot. Let's get a move on." Reyn said before heading toward the mansion.

"Wow. This place is much bigger than I expected." Chrom said as he looked around the main hall.

"I thought the same thing at first, father. It took me a long time to figure out how to navigate this place." Lucina said.

"Are you sure you're comfortable here, dear?" Sumia asked.

"Oh yes, mother. I've grown used to being here. Just wait until you see the rest of the mansion. Come, I'll show you around." Lucina offered.

With that, she showed her family around the Smash Mansion, stopping at all the hot spots and explain how the tournament went. Cynthia couldn't help but be awed by all the new sights and people around the mansion. By the way Lucina talked about it, this sounded like a very prestigious tournament that only the best were invited to, and it made Chrom happy and proud that his daughter and best friend came here. Sumia, however, was slightly worried. Seeing all these strange looking creatures and being surrounded by unfamiliar technology made her uncomfortable and concerned that this wasn't a safe place for her daughter to be. She hoped Lucina would prove her wrong.

Eventually, the family found themselves outside the Transporter Room. Lucina stopped to explain.

"This is where the majority of the tournament takes place. In this room, we are teleported to whatever world our tournament fight will take place in. I must admit, I never would have imagined that the home worlds of some of the others here would be so unique."

"I see. And what is this room here, Lucina?" Chrom asked, pointing to a smaller door not far from the doors to the Transporter Room.

"Everyone calls that the 'Spectator Room'. It is in here that we can watch a match that's currently going on. It's actually quite entertaining." Lucina explained.

"Ah. Very interesting." Chrom said.

Lucina then took a peek inside the Spectator Room. She then looked at her family and said:

"It seems as though there is a match going on right now. Would you like to see?"

"Oh yes! I wanna see some of the fighters here! This is gonna be so cool!" Cynthia exclaimed.

With that, the entire family entered the Spectator Room and sat down to watch the match. There were a few others also present watching the match. Lucina guessed that they were the visiting family members of the ones currently fighting. The Exalted family saw a man in overalls and a green shirt fighting a large, orange, dragon-like creature. The dragon grabbed the green one, threw him to the ground, and breathed fire on him before letting him go.

"Oh my. That certainly must have hurt. I'm not certain Luigi stands a chance. It didn't end so well for me last time." Lucina said.

"Y-you've fought that massive thing before?! Has it hurt you? How could they let a beast like that in the tournament?" Sumia asked.

"Relax, mother. Charizard is not as ferocious as he initially appears. Outside of battle, he's actually quite docile." Lucina reassured.

Sumia was still very uncertain, but kept quiet for the rest of the battle. Once it was over, Lucina led her family to other parts of the mansion.

"Here we have the mess hall. This is where we get all our food." Shulk said, gesturing to the large room before him.

"Alright! I could use me some grub." Reyn said as he ran into the room.

The rest of the Bionis residents walked into the room to get a quick bite. Reyn and Riki were somewhat weirded out by all the strange and weird foods from all the strange and weird worlds. They stuck to foods that came from Bionis. Dunban, however, was a little more open, and tried something from one of the other worlds. Shulk also tried something not from his world, although he was used to it by now.

"I must say, this is a very interesting meal. I've never tasted anything quite like it." Dunban stated, taking a bite of the Hylian dish.

"Say what ya want, man, but that… thing, don't look right to me." Reyn said, pointing to Dunban's food. He then followed it up with another question.

"How did you ever manage to stomach things like that, Shulk?"

"It's a bit of an acquired taste, but a lot of it isn't half bad, actually." Shulk said as he took a bite of his own food.

"Reyn right! Riki not like Dundun's food! It look like nasty Orluga." Riki said.

Skulk and Dunban could only sigh and roll their eyes.

As they continued eating their food, Shulk explained some of the ins and outs of the tournament. All his friends listened intently as Shulk talked, occasionally asking a question. Some of the things about the tournament left the Bionis residents very surprised.

"So tell me, Shulk. What are the other competitors here like?" Dunban asked.

"What's that, Dunban?" Shulk asked.

"I said: What are the others at this mansion like? You've spoken much of how the tournament works, as well as your own personal triumphs. However, I want to know about your competition. What are the others here like? Are they like you? How do they fight? What are they like outside of combat?"

"Oh. Well… let me tell you, they've got a real interesting lot here. Never before coming here would I have ever imagined that such strange looking creatures ever existed. And as strange as they look, the things some of them can do are even weirder. It's true, some of 'em are like me, just swinging around a sword or some other weapon, but as for the others… wow. It took me a while to get used to all their fighting moves. I still haven't, for some of 'em. But when we're not fighting, they're a real nice lot. I think some of my closest friends here at the mansion would be Little Mac, Olimar, and… maybe Lu…"

"WHAT ON BIONIS IS THAT?!" Reyn screamed, interrupting Shulk.

The other Bionis residents looked to where Reyn was pointing. Dunban's eyes widened, and Riki jumped behind Reyn. They were all staring at a small, pink, puffball with wide eyes.

"Oh, sorry, Kirby. My friends here have just never seen someone like you before. They didn't mean any offense." Shulk said.

Kirby just gave a cute little sound of acknowledgement before continuing on his way. Once he was gone, Reyn turned back to Shulk.

"What the hell was that thing, man?"

"We call him Kirby. We're not sure what species he is, exactly, but he comes from a clan of warriors from the stars." Shulk explained.

"He certainly doesn't look like a warrior. He looks more like one of those plush dolls I gave to Fiora when she was just a baby." Dunban said.

"Heh. Well, don't let his looks fool you. He's actually one of the strongest fighters here. If I told you half the things he's capable of doing, you'd swear I was mental." Shulk countered.

"You serious, mate? Thing looks more like a hairless Nopon than any kind of fighter." Reyn commented before being hit upside the head by Riki.

"Oh, don't worry, there's a lot more weird things in store. Let's get moving, shall we?" Shulk said.

Lucina continued to show her family around the mansion. She was now just outside the small gym where the fighters could practice their skills outside of the usual tournament fights.

"This is an impressive looking training area, Lucina. Much more advanced that the training grounds back in Ylisse. Wouldn't you say, Sumia?" Chrom asked.

Sumia didn't respond. She only looked around with an uncomfortable expression on her face.

"Sumia?"

"Huh? Oh. It's… um… nice, Chrom." She replied.

"Mother? Is something wrong?" Lucina asked.

"Look, it's just… All this strange technology, all these weird looking creatures, the stories you tell about this place. It's all a little overwhelming. I'm worried this isn't a good place for you, dear. What if you get hurt by one of these people? What if you find you don't like it here but can't come home? What if something else happens to you here?" Sumia asked.

"Mother, I appreciate the concern, and I'm sorry for making you worry, but I believe I'm just fine here. I've made great progress in the tournament and I've made some great friends here." Lucina said.

"Lucina's right, Sumia. I believe she is tremendously blessed to be competing in a tournament such as this. I don't think she would have been asked here if they didn't think she wasn't fit to compete." Chrom said to his wife.

Chrom then crashed into someone and almost pushed him to the ground. Chrom regained his composure and faced the man he ran into.

"My apologies, sir. I was just…"

"Impudent vermin! You dare insult the great King of Evil in this manner!? Your punishment shall be merciless beyond…"

"ENOUGH! I will not allow you to insult my father's honor in this way, Ganondorf! I will settle this with you myself! Tomorrow at 4 o'clock, at the Transporter Room." Lucina said to the large man Chrom had crashed into.

"Very well then. Prepare yourself, for this battle will be your undoing, little girl." Ganondorf said before leaving in a huff.

"…On second thought, perhaps you're right, Sumia. Maybe this isn't the best place for Lucina if people like that also live here." Chrom admitted.

"You needn't worry, father. While Ganondorf is one of the… more volatile people here, there are much more kind people here than not. Master Hand himself said this was meant to be a tournament of fun, not life and death." Lucina explained.

"Well I think it was super cool how you put that big bully in his place, Lucina! Now, is there any more of the mansion? I wanna see more!" Cynthia exclaimed.

"Very well, Cynthia. How about we try and find Robin? I know you would very much like to see him again, father." Lucina offered.

"Oh, yes! It's been too long since I've seen him. Please, lead the way, Lucina." Chrom said.

"This is one awesome place, Shulk! How'd a bloke like you get invited to a place like this?" Reyn asked.

"Well, might be because I'm too cool for a place like this to ignore." Shulk joked.

"Oh yeah, sure. Ain't got nothin' to do with the fact that you killed a god and saved the world with the Monado." Reyn replied sarcastically.

Shulk and Reyn shared a laugh at their joke while Dunban and Riki looked on with amused looks on their faces.

"Heh. It's been too long since we've been able to do this, Reyn."

"Too right, mate. We all miss ya back home." Reyn replied.

"That reminds me. I wanted to ask earlier, how are things back on Bionis?" Shulk asked.

"Everything is going quite nicely. Colony 9 has finally been restored to its former glory thanks to the High Entia and the Machina." Dunban said.

"Melly and Bird People also help Riki and his village a lot." Riki chimed in.

"It's been real nice 'n' peaceful back home. Only wish my best friend were still there." Reyn said, putting a hand on Shulk's back.

"Don't worry, Reyn. This tournament won't last forever. Everyone's gonna go home at some point or another." Shulk reassured.

"I hope so, man. Say, it's starting to get kinda dark out. I wonder how much longer they're gonna let us stay here." Reyn commented.

"Attention all visitors. Would you please make your way to the outside of the Smash Mansion. Family Day has come to an end. It is time for you to return to your home universes." Master Hand's voice boomed over an intercom.

"I suppose that is your answer, Reyn. Let us be on our way." Dunban commented.

With that, all the Bionis residents slowly began walking out of the mansion, finishing up the last of their conversations. Once they were outside, they saw several others walking through large portals back to their own separate home universes. Once they were right in front of the portal that would return them to Bionis, Reyn, Dunban and Riki turned to face Shulk.

"Well, I guess this is it, Shulk. Take care of yourself, mate. See ya next year, yeah?" Reyn said.

"Yeah. Can't wait, man. It's gonna be a blast." Shulk said.

"So long, Shulk. I look forward to when we next see each other again. I hope to hear more good things about your progress in this tournament." Dunban chimed in.

Shulk nodded with a smile before having Riki hop up on his shoulders.

"Riki will miss Shulk lots and lots! Riki hopes that Shulk will miss Riki the mostest."

"Ha. Of course I'll miss you, Riki. I'll miss all of you. So long, everyone. Tell everyone back home that I said ''ello', would ya?" Shulk asked.

"Of course we will. Goodbye, Shulk!" Reyn called.

After one last goodbye between Shulk and his friends, the three visitors walked through the portal back to their home. Once they were all through, the portal closed behind them, leaving Shulk alone. He gave off a small sigh as he turned around and walked back toward the Smash Mansion. He was sad that his time with his friends from home was over, but then he remembered that he would be seeing them again in due time. Until then, he had all his new friends here at the Smash Bros. Tournament to keep him company. Shulk then headed inside the mansion to head off to sleep and prepare for whatever fights he had the next day.

After a tender goodbye with her family, Lucina walked back inside the mansion for the evening. She was glad to have been able to see them again, even if only for one day. She was surprised that a whole year had already passed since the tournament began. She hoped the next year would pass just as quickly so she could see her family again. She walked through the main hall and was just about to head up the stairs.

"Ah! There you are! I've been looking for you all day."

Lucina froze dead in her tracks at the sound of this voice. Her blood ran cold as her face adopted a grimace.

"What are you doing here?" She asked the speaker, refusing to look at him.

"I came here to see you, of course. This is a day for being with family and loved ones, I hear."

"I do not recall inviting you here. How did you even get in?"

"I managed to sneak through that portal thing right after Chrom went through it. I'm surprised I wasn't caught, actually. I wanted to see you."

"Well, I do not want to see you! Leave, now!"

"Oh, come on, Lucina. Is that any way for a lovely lady like yourself to talk to a dashing man like me?"

"I said LEAVE, Inigo!" Lucina shouted, finally facing him.

"Lucina, please. I just want to talk to you. I just wanted to say I'm sorry. I am so, so sorry." Inigo said.

Lucina looked right at Inigo, and saw only sorrow. It was rare for Inigo to not have some kind of big, goofy grin on his face, and it was even rarer that he spoke so seriously.

"I am so sorry for everything I said that day. I never meant to hurt your feelings like that. I was just trying to hurt you because you hurt me. But I see now that I should have been better than that. I don't think you're annoying or uptight, and you have an amazing body. So please, can you ever forgive me? If you do, I promise I'll never so much as look at another woman again. I promise it'll be you and only you. Please, Lucina, forgive me. I love you, and only you." Inigo pleaded.

Lucina looked down on Inigo and considered his words. On the one hand, he had hurt her with his words when they broke up. He also broke the promise he made her when they first got together. Nothing would ever change that. But on the other hand, he had just given her a heartfelt apology. Never before had Lucina seen Inigo act like he truly was sorry. He seemed as though maybe this time, he really meant it. Could it be true? Lucina thought for a short while, then began speaking again.

"Very well, Inigo. If it means that much to you, I believe I can forgive you for the comments you made."

Inigo's face immediately got its signature grin back, and he walked toward Lucina, arms spread to embrace her. But to his surprise, she backed away before he could reach her.

"However, that does not mean I wish to resume our relationship. Just because I forgave you for saying such horrible things does not change the fact that you said them. You also promised me when we first got together that you would stop chasing other girls, and you didn't. I don't think I can take that chance again. I'm sorry. So we may start over, but merely as friends. You may chase any other girl you want, but not me." Lucina said.

"I-I don't understand, Lucina. Why not? Is it something else? Is it a trouble of distance? Is there another boy?" Inigo asked, saying that last part somewhat warily.

Lucina opened her mouth to answer, but before she could say anything, someone else spoke up.

"Oi! There you are, Lucina. I was lookin' for you. It's almost past curfew, and you know how Master Hand gets when we break it. I don't want you to get in trouble. Let's head upstairs, yeah?" Shulk said.

"I see. Thank you for your concern, Shulk. Let us be off to bed." Lucina replied.

With that, Lucina walked off with Shulk to the Mansion's upper levels. Inigo was left behind, before slowly turning around and walking out of the mansion with a sad expression on his face. He felt like things couldn't get any worse for him.

"HEY! Who are you?! You're not supposed to be here! You're in for a lot of punishment, you no good stowaway!" Master Hand shouted at Inigo.

Maybe not my most dramatic chapter, or the most well written, but whatever. They'll get better with time.

I was really hoping to have this out a lot sooner than I did. Why didn't I? Well, the answer is writer's block, mostly. But, still, better late than never, am I right? In any case, I hope you found some enjoyment in this chapter. If not, well, please don't say anything negative. The first third of my stories is usually my weakest, but things will get better, I promise.

Some other quick notes: My thought process while writing this chapter basically boils down to 'How would the loved ones of the Smashers react to the tournament?' I tried to make each reaction different depending on the person. I hope I did alright. Also, I intentionally left it ambiguous as to who the third person Robin invited was. You guys can put in any character from Awakening you want.

Coming up next on this story: I'm not entirely sure, to be perfectly honest. If you're wondering why that is, go back and read my closing author's notes from chapter 4. That should explain a few things.

So, I'm not sure when I'll have the next chapter out, but I look forward to such time as it does come out, and I will catch you guys then. So long, and Happy New Year!