Bonding as a Team

*** Five in one mini-chapter special! ***

[Finally, a Lunch Together]

"I'm so glad we're finally able to all have lunch together as a team!" Isabelle happily exclaimed as she, Young Link, Lucina, and Wolf all placed their trays on the cafeteria table and proceeded to sit down.

"Uh. Yeah." was all Wolf could muster, feeling rather nonchalant about the whole thing. He still didn't like the idea of eating in the cafeteria around other people, but Isabelle insisted that he give the lunch a shot now that he wasn't as hostile as before.

Luckily for Isabelle, everyone's match schedule lined up to make today the perfect day to do it. No team battle, no multi-man free-for-alls, and no single match ups for anyone in the group. The team could take their time and enjoy their meals and each other's company.

As all four of them began eating their food, a conversation inevitably started up once Isabelle mentioned how she heard that a home-run contest would start up soon as a side event to the main tournament. While Lucina and Young Link added in their thoughts, Wolf remained silent while continuing to eat his steak. Wolf really had no interest in the topic, seeing the contest as an unnecessary distraction to the actual tournament battles.

As the casual conversation between his teammates started to pick up, Wolf began looking around the cafeteria as discreetly as he could, scanning the area of all the other people eating lunch. He was looking for any sign of animosity focused on him.

The killing intent he felt the other day near the storage room was something Wolf couldn't forget. He knew it was a threat directed towards him, just not why or by who.

Granted, Wolf was very much aware that he was the kind of person who made enemies very easily. His criminal status back at home in the Lylat system was proof enough of that. But few people attending this tournament knew the specifics of his criminal reputation, nor had he gone out of his way to commit any devious acts against the tournament regulations.

Thinking about it, Wolf's first suspicion was the two Belmont vampire hunters. Both of whom had expressed their disgust with Wolf ever since they met during the tournament registry. To Wolf's utter displeasure, both Simon and Richter were convinced that Wolf was some kind of heartless werewolf hell spawn and minion of Dracula, whoever the hell that was. Though to their credit, Wolf's appearance didn't help dissuade their accusation.

It took Master Hand himself to clear up any misconceptions regarding Wolf's "biological classifications" and forbid them from taking action against Wolf outside of the fighting arenas. Not that it helped much. Richter and Simon held on to their belief.

As much as Wolf hated them in return and despite all this bad blood between them, Wolf had a feeling that neither of the Belmonts were the person or thing he was looking for. It wasn't their style to sneak around. If they wanted to kill Wolf, they would confront him directly.

Taking another bite, Wolf did another quick look around the large room...but to no avail. There was no sign of malevolence in the air as everyone seemed to be acting normally and minding their own business. Then again, there were fewer people eating in the cafeteria compared to the last time. Whoever Wolf was looking for obviously wasn't here.

"Hey Wolf, are you okay? You've been awfully silent." Isabelle said nudging him gently.

Shaken from his thoughts, Wolf looked at his teammates and then back to his tray of food. "Huh? Uh yeah I'm fine, it's nothing. Just staring off into space."

"You've been doing that quite a bit lately. Have a lot on your mind?" Young Link asked.

"Watch it kid!" Wolf growled.

"Well, now that you're back with us, we actually had a question." Lucina chimed in.

"And that is?"

"I heard from my ancestor King Marth that during the third tournament there was a devastating event that occurred in the middle of it. He spoke of a god-like entity referred to as Tabuu that was warping the land of this world into some sort of void dimension."

"We were curious to know more about what happened and figured we'd ask you since you attended the same tournament in which it took place." Young Link added.

All three of them were looking at Wolf with genuine curiosity in their eyes, waiting to hear what he had to say.

The question rather surprised Wolf a little bit, he didn't really expect anyone to ever ask him about the subspace incident considering how rarely it was brought up anymore. The few times Wolf himself had asked about it there was always a hesitation, a look of nervousness that would flash across the room in each fighter's eyes. A loose retelling that was obviously abridged. You'd have to be there to understand. It's too complicated to tell. Which was fine by him. Wolf had no interest in learning things that had nothing to do with him.

"Well sorry to disappoint you but I don't know much about that whole ordeal. I only arrived at the tournament after all the action died down." Wolf said in-between a few bites.

"How could that be? You were invited as a primary tournament contestant weren't you?" Lucina questioned.

"Yeah, but frankly I thought the invitation was a joke at first. I mean, I get a letter addressed to me while I'm traveling through deep space saying I'm invited to an inter-dimensional tournament hosted by two giant disembodied hands. What was I supposed to think? It sounded utterly ridiculous to me at the time and you know what? It still does."

"I suppose when you put it that way you make a valid point."

"Anyway, a couple months after the fact my curiosity got the better of me and I arrived at the tournament to see what it was all about. But unfortunately, by then the tournament was nearing its end, so I only had a limited time to take part in it."

"I see."

"Look I'm very sketchy on the details myself so if you're really curious you and the kid should probably just ask someone that was there at the time. Though considering how tight-lipped everyone is talking about it, I'd imagine it was a pretty dire situation to fight through." Wolf stated as he took a swig of his drink.

"I kind of got that impression when I heard it from my ancestor. Although I wish to know more about it, I guess it is best that it be forgotten for the time being." Lucina said swirling the contents of her soup with a spoon. She had begun to lose her appetite with the sinking feeling she started to feel in her stomach.

"We should all be thankful something as catastrophic as the Subspace Incident hasn't happened since the third tournament. No one should have to go through the trauma of facing down an entity bent on bringing the apocalypse."

A somewhat depressing mood washed over the table at the call of Lucina's words. Young Link in particular lowered his gaze with a slight distraught looking in his eyes while tightened his grip on his fork. Wolf and Lucina didn't look much better.

The three of them were well acquainted with world ending disasters. Each of them were suddenly lost in the past, in the battles that had nearly destroyed them. They had each fought with their lives, the weight of their worlds on their shoulders, for the safety of their land, their future, their star system. And yet, even in the safe haven of friendly combat and sportsmanship, a lingering threat of otherworldly forces still hung over their heads. Saving the world was a thankless and never-ending task. If it could happen back home, it could happen here. If it happened before it would happen again. That dread had crept up on them.

Meanwhile the only thing Isabelle had ever worried about was making sure the town she lived in was free of weeds and that the villagers were happy. She had only ever known peace. She liked her teammates well enough, but there was always a dissonance between her and them when it came to their histories. The public campaigns for town ordinances and all the paperwork in the world could not compare with the anguish of loss, the destruction of worlds, the strife of fighting against something larger than yourself. She could not understand it completely. So instead she did the next best thing: help them move past it.

"Hey...let's talk about something more uplifting!" Isabelle suggested.

"I know for a fact that we'll be getting some tournament newcomers soon, I helped Master Hand send out the invitations not too long ago. This means we'll be throwing a big welcoming party for the special guest fighters!"

"Wait, there's newcomers entering the tournament after it has started? When did they start doing this?" Young Link questioned.

"The last tournament actually. It's a special promotional event implemented by Master Hand himself to gather more fighters that the staff weren't able to reach in time and give them a chance to battle alongside everyone else." Lucina answered.

"It's very hush hush right now… but… I can tell you that this is a RARE opportunity to have these fighters with us." Isabelle emphasized.

"Oh come on Isabelle! Throw us a bone!" Young Link exclaimed. "Can't we get a hint?"

"Will there be any other sword fighters?" Lucina leaned in, her hand unconsciously ready to unsheathe her sword.

Wolf, as antisocial as he had been, had an undying interest in fighters from the worlds outside of his own.

"More competition for us to stomp out." Wolf though to himself as he enthusiastically pounded his fists against each other.

And just like that, the conversation seemed to pick back up and resume its initial joyful enthusiasm. From the outside looking in, Wolf found it rather amazing how the mood within the team could shift to a more positive note so easily.

The way his teammates all interacted with each other… It wasn't something Wolf was used to. There was something about their shared positivity that gave the team a calming and fun atmosphere, which seemed to subconsciously draw Wolf into the group now that he was slowly lowering his mental walls. A feeling that Wolf had never really felt before with his teammates back home.

It was not to say that Wolf despised the Star Wolf team. But it was a business relationship at its first and companionship second. It was just the reality of outlaws and mercenaries not to get too attached to each other.

That being said, there were times that Wolf actually missed Leon's wise cracks, Panther's failed conquests at romance, and even the amusement of listening to Andrew's juvenile delusions of grandeur (when he was still part of the team) due to his connection with his late uncle's former empire. Wolf did not miss Pigma however. Even he realized what a slime ball Pigma truly was by the time the Lylat Wars had ended.

With this group however, in this situation, there was no business to be had. Wolf was confounded by the way their optimism kept them going through these peaceful days. Young Link and Lucina, both fountains of wisdom akin to veteran warriors. And Isabelle of course, someone small enough to squish between your hands and even still never gave up despite the competition stacked against her.

It was a fondness for them, their company, that he could not describe.

Although perplexed at this thought, Wolf decided to say nothing for the time being and just continued eating his steak.

[No Pain No Gain]

"54...55...56...57..." Wolf counted out between huffs of breath. He was lying down on one of the designated bench presses located in the Wii fit studio, lifting a 110-pound barbell weight with the assistance of Isabelle who was currently spotting him as best she could.

"Wolf...I'm not…sure...how long…I can...keep...this up." Isabelle said while starting to pant in-between lifts, clearly struggling more than wolf was. The most she had ever lifted were her small ten-pound weights she used for her aerobic exercise tapes.

"Don't quit on me now...You're doing great." Wolf replied, continuing his fitness exercise. The studio in question acted as the smash mansion's official work-out room for combatants to use in their spare time should they choose to. Whether it was staying it peak physical condition with regular exercises, doing yoga classes taught by the Wii Fit Trainers, or simple short-term training for upcoming matches, the studio received a lot of use by a good portion of individuals within the mansion. On an interesting side note, The Wii-fit dojo studio was actually quite the oddity in the sense that the room was also used as a battle arena quite often when other stages were being cycled out for repairs.

Lately Wolf had been feeling pent up from staying indoors for so long and decided to burn some of his restless energy with some basic work-out regimens. Not to mention some extra physical workouts on the side wouldn't hurt his chances at increasing his performance in matches.

Which brings us back to now.

"62...63...65" Wolf continued.

"Wolf, I don't mean…to complain but…I think this is…too much for me…My arms are beginning to strain!" Isabelle exclaimed.

"The strain means (71)...the exercise (72)...is working (73)."

Isabelle was breathing more and more heavily as they continued. Even though Wolf was taking the blunt force of the weight with each lift, Isabelle could still feel excess pressure.

This didn't go unnoticed by Wolf who tried to shoulder a little more of the weight.

"Isabelle focus your breathing (77)...between lifts (78), "

A little easier said than done but Isabelle complied nonetheless. Every time Wolf pulled the large weight down on him, she would inhale and then release as they both pulled the weight back up. It took a few more lifts but She managed to get a bit of a rhythm going.

"We're almost (83)...to 100 (84)...keep going (85)..."

Seeing Isabelle still struggle with the last couple of sets, Wolf figured some words of encouragement would help her through the last bit.

"Keep going Isabelle (88)...I've seen you (89)...swing heavier people around (90)...with your fishing rod (91)...you can do this (92)...ALMOST THERE! (93)." He felt a little ridiculous. His yelling was almost enough to rival the Wii Fit Trainers at this point.

The last few lifts to Isabelle felt like they lasted forever, but despite this she managed to stick with it to the end.

"98...99...And 100!" Wolf shouted as he, along with Isabelle, guided the heavy barbell back onto the holding mount above the bench press bench.

Wolf exhaled deeply as he sat up and wiped the sweat off his forehead. Feeling how wet the fur around his face had become, he reached down and grabbed his small face towel to clean himself off.

"See, you managed to make it all the way through. Good job on toughing it out."

"Yeah!...you were right…I'm glad I was able to finish the whole set!" Isabelle said still in the process of catching her breath.

Beneath the satisfaction, Wolf would could also hear a hint of distress in her voice, he then turned his attention to Isabelle who was rubbing her arms. She had faint grimace on her face though she was doing her best to hide it behind a smile. Wolf found her anatomy puzzling. Her arms looked like tiny pool noodles at first glance, but there was some form of musculature within them that was starting to develop.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I think I might have pulled a muscle or two though."

Wolf reached down into the mini cooler he brought with him and pulled out an ice pack.

"Here." he said handing it over to Isabelle.

"Use this while we head over to the infirmary to get your arm checked out"

"It's okay Wolf you don—"

"If you're hurt then let's have the medical staff take a look at you. You're always telling me not to brush off my injuries, right?"

Isabelle couldn't really argue with that, for how much she tried to get Wolf to not downplay his injuries here she was doing the same thing. And for that extra bit of irony, he also reiterated the same advice she had given him before. It appears Isabelle's common sense has come full circle.

Wolf grabbed his stuff and the two left the studio.

"It seems this was a little too much for you. I'm sorry Isabelle. I should have started off with a lighter set."

"Don't apologize Wolf, it's totally fine." Isabelle said with a smile.

"If you're willing to spot me again, next time we'll do a much lighter set."

"That sounds good to me." She said, still smiling through the soreness.

[Looks Can Be Deceiving]

"Dammit...I need to make these last." Wolf thought to himself, looking at the pack of cigarettes in his hands. He had been running low on his initial supply that he had brought with him to the tournament. Having just two packs left, Wolf was only just now able to buy an extra pack off of Snake who had brought his own reserves.

Wolf was in a rather tough spot in this regard because none of the vendors at the mansion sold tobacco products of any kind and smoking was generally not allowed in most of the main areas. If you wanted to smoke, you had to bring your own supply and hope that you don't run out, which Wolf was getting close to doing.

While as a whole, this generally wasn't a major issue since so few of the smash attendants (if any) really smoked, it was still a huge grievance for Wolf.

"Here's to hopefully making it to the end." Wolf said as he as he opened the pack up to get a quick smoke. With the cigarette lit, Wolf leaned back on the wall and let out a small satisfied exhale. He needed this.

The past couple of weeks, Wolf had been a little on edge from all the matches. Although he prided himself as a battle hardened individual, even he had to admit he wasn't used to this much physical combat even if it was only for friendly sport. This wasn't helped by the fact that his desire to overtake Fox in the rankings put a lot of pressure on him to win as many matches as he could.

Obviously, Wolf would never admit any of this to anyone, showing vulnerability in the presence of peers and enemies alike is a foolish mistake that will always come back to bite you. At least that's what Wolf believed, and he hadn't been proven wrong yet.

Unfortunately, all of this just served to make his quiet smoke breaks all the more appealing as a form of stress relief.

Smoke eases the nerves. Makes your breath something you can see. Breathe in, breathe out. The ember at the end burning low, rising like incense. A timer for respite. In the quiet reaches of the edge of galaxies, when time and space and in turn, dullness and boredom, stretches out towards infinity, small things you can hold onto to keep track of the time were often life savers.

Just then Wolf's sensitive ears picked up something, he could hear someone walking up the adjacent hallway close to where he was standing. Not wanting to get caught or snitched on, Wolf quickly hid his cigarette behind his back, hoping that whoever the person was were just passing through.

"Hello there, Wolf." Young Link said as he turned the corner, stopping for a moment to greet his teammate.

Now recognizing who the voice belonged to, a sense of relief hit Wolf as he took his cigarette back out.

"You know kid, you shouldn't sneak up on people like that. I thought you were one of the staff for a second. What are you doing back here anyway?" Wolf asked.

"Oh well, I'm actually on my way to go feed Pichu at the request of Master Hand." Young Link answered. Wolf looked down and noticed the bowl of food Young Link was carrying in his hands.

"And why are you doing that? Doesn't it get fed by those two kids with the red and green hats?"

"Well no, Pichu actually doesn't belong to either Red or Green. It doesn't have a trainer. So Master Hand just asked some of us give it food in our spare time.

"What about you Wolf?" Young Link inquired. "You do know smoking isn't allowed in the mansion, right?"

"No shit, but I ain't waking 20 minutes to one of the exits outside. That's why I'm in these back hallways, hardly anyone comes through them."

"Well if you're that concerned about being caught, why not follow me to back room where Pichu is? There's less of a chance someone will see you there then if you're just standing suspiciously in the middle of a hallway."

Wolf took another puff of his cigarette and exhaled, "... Might as well."

Wolf then followed Young Link for a couple of minutes, neither really talking to one another before reaching the desired destination.

As they entered the room, Young Link saw the small Pichu laying on its cushioned bed (provided courteously by Master Hand of course) pressed up against the wall, nearly half asleep. The tiny Pokémon was tuckered out from a match it had earlier in the day. Having used all of its electrical attacks in rapid succession exhausted it immensely.

Young Link bent down and placed the bowl of Pokémon food in front of it.

"Hey there little guy. You hungry?" He asked the small electric mouse.

Immediately Pichu bolted straight up as if on command and gave out and excited "PICHU!" and started munching down on its treats.

"I guess that's a definite yes." Young Link chuckled to himself as he scratched Pichu's the fur on top of head a little bit.

"Such as high-spirited demeanor for such simple pleasures. It doesn't seem to have much awareness outside of its small base instincts." Wolf mused.

"Why must you sound so condescending Wolf?" Young Link asked solemnly.

"To be frank, I'm just having a hard time believing this thing is in the tournament. It really doesn't belong in a fighting arena."

"Come on Wolf, there's no need to say stuff like that. It's not right to judge things based on their appearance."

"Look I get that it can generate electricity but its small anatomy, coupled with the fact that it hurts itself just by moving too much, and its need to be fed by other people makes it look like a glorified house pet." Wolf argued.

"It might look small and weak at first glance, but cute appearances can belittle a feisty demeanor. If you saw any of Pichu's matches you'd know that it definitely has a lot of power and potential stored deep within itself. It's just inexperienced at handling that power, but that's something it'll learn to how to control with time."

Young Link stood up and brushed himself off.

"You've fought against Lucario and Incineroar in a few matches already, so you should know how tough Pokémon can be."

In retrospect, thinking about all the other Pokémon currently participating in the smash tournament, Wolf really couldn't make heads or tails with what Pokémon actually were. Each one of the had such variety in how they looked and acted it seemed absurd to partly classify all of them in the same "species". The fact that Lucario and Mewtwo were the only ones capable of speech made the group classification issue worse.

"Pokémon are such weird creatures." was all Wolf said.

"Well, I can't fully argue with that. But just try not to underestimate Pichu if and when you get matched up with it in a battle. Anyway, I'm gonna head out now so I'll see you later Wolf, most likely for our next team match."

And with that Young link left the room, leaving Wolf a little bewildered at the conversation the two just had.

Looks can be deceiving. Wolf chewed on those words just as heartily as Pichu was eating its food.

He examined the small yellow mouse in front of him. Happily eating each pellet one at a time, its cheeks stuffed with food, letting out small squeaks of pleasure with every bite. This thing was a fighting machine? Maybe Young Link was right, he had to see this thing fight sometime. If it wasn't a born killer at least he could see a small squishy thing get scrapped around the battlefield, which filled him with a guilty pleasure.

"Don't suppose you have a problem with smoking do ya?" He asked.

Pichu looked up from its meal and with a full mouth uttered a, "Pichu, pichu pichu pi."

"Alright then." He knew that most Pokemon didn't really understand common language, but they could still get the "feeling" of what you wanted. Regardless of what Pichu's answer was, he still continued his smoking. In and out. Thankfully a window was open.

"Something's up with that kid." Wolf said to himself. "The kinda things he says don't match up with how old he looks…" He took a long drag. He thought about the bits and pieces of sagely advice Young Link happened to drop on him every so often as if he was some sort of fortune cookie factory. Just who was he anyway?

"Pichu Pi Pichu." Pichu said, obviously some kind of opinion.

"I wasn't askin' you. Shut up and eat."

He was talking to mice now. Clearly it was time to leave.

Wolf looked back at Pichu who was still chowing down its food, and then shifted his sight a little over to the right and saw the Duck Hunt Dog happily chewing on a bone. To Wolf, a traditionally normal dog seemed completely alien to him. He stopped his train of thought before it started thinking about what kind of planetary conditions allowed his species to evolve further than this mutt.

"That's not the only thing weird about this tournament." Wolf thought to himself in puzzlement, he took another puff of his cigarette before putting the light out with the tips of his fingers and putting the still half good cigarette back in the packet for later.

[A Delectable Treat]

"Thank you for inviting me to grab a fruit smoothie with you Lucina!" Isabelle exclaimed happily as she took the drink offered to her by her teammate.

"The pleasure is all mine, I'm very happy you agreed!" Lucina replied taking a sip from her own drink.

The two of them then paid for their smoothies at the fruit beverage stall and left, deciding to casual walk down the mansion hallways with no real destination in mind. Simply enjoying their nutritious drinks while talking to each other.

"You and I really haven't had much time together just the two of us, so this seemed like a good idea."

"Eguhhh..." Isabelle winced after taking another sip of her drink, scrunching her eyes shut.

"Ah! Careful there Isabelle, they put a lot of ice in these smoothies."

"Oh, I can certainly tell." Isabelle said rubbing her forehead to warm up a little. This earned a small friendly laugh from Lucina who remembered making the same mistake the first time she tried one of these drinks.

"You know...I'm embarrassed to admit this but, these fruit smoothies were one of the things I actually missed the most after leaving the last smash tournament."

"Really?" Isabelle asked genuinely.

"Yeah, they're just so delicious! and good for you apparently. Who would have thought that mashing different fruits together with milk would produce such a delicacy."

"Don't you have blended drinks back at home?"

"Unfortunately, no. Back in my own time, my original timeline, a delicacy such as these nutritional drinks are not available to anyone. Many resources have been tarnished or outright destroyed. Decent drinking water is the best thing I could hope to get, and that isn't always a guarantee."

Isabelle frowned. She thought about the clean waters that always flowed through the rivers in her town and into the sea, sparkling, clear, and blue suddenly polluted by warfare.

"That sounds horrible, I'm sorry to hear that Lucina."

"You have no need to be sorry Isabelle. The fault is mine for bringing up the unpleasant nature of my background."

"Do you…need to talk about it?" Isabelle inquired.

"I am thankful for your offer, but it is one I cannot accept. My grief is not yours to bear Isabelle and I would not want it to be such. You needn't worry. For the time being, I've made my peace with my complicated past. It is best left forgotten by time itself now as it is a future that is no more thanks to the efforts of my father and Robin.

"So please, don't worry yourself." Lucina said as she turned and gave an earnest smile to her fellow teammate.

Again, something hidden. Something Isabelle wouldn't understand. But she wanted to understand, to know her teammates fully. She had been so used to villagers coming to her with worries, being so open about their troubles that it was a shock that every time Isabelle tried to pry Lucina open she was declined. But not wanting to let her bad memories bubble to the surface, she decided not to pursue it further.

"If you say so." Isabelle replied, taking another sip of her drink.

"Anyway, pardon me for overtaking the conversation. How have you been feeling lately Isabelle?"

"I'm doing great! My arms are still a little sore from the other day but I'm doing much better after getting this smoothie!" Isabelle happily replied.

"I really think Wolf's workout routine is quite atrocious. Even though I'm not completely versed in this world's exercise equipment, I don't think you should work out your arms that much. Next time you're exercising, come with me. I'll talk with the trainers and we can develop a better routine that suits you better."

"Oh no, that's ok. In fact, I prefer Wolf's workout routine. I think I'll have to help spot him more often." She took a thoughtful sip of her drink. "Being near him, it feels like I could be tough like him too."

An image suddenly came to Lucina's mind as she briefly imagined Isabelle in a spiked leather jacket while wearing an eyepatch as if trying to emulate Wolf. She frowned and cocked her head. "I can't really picture it. Besides, I think you're perfect just the way you are!" She reached over and grabbed Isabelle's cheeks, giving them a squeeze."

"Hey Lucina! Stop that!" Isabelle's protests falling on deaf ears. Isabelle wasn't a big fan of people petting her, even though it did feel quite nice. But Lucina was from a ruined future, devoid of anything soft and fluffy, and sounded like she had an unhappy childhood, so she let it slide for her every once in a while.

"I can't help it! You're just too cute! Sometimes I wish I could be as cute as you Isabelle." She said, releasing her grip on her.

"But Lucina, you're so beautiful and pretty! And you're a powerful warrior to boot! I wish I could be more like you! Like everyone on the team!" Isabelle struck a power pose, hands on her hips, eyes to the sky. "Strong and cute!"

Lucina's curiosity got the better of her. "So Isabelle, what do you think about Wolf anyway?"

"H-huh?" Isabelle dropped her power pose. "What brought this up?"

"Well like I said earlier, we rarely get time to ourselves. Young Link and I sometimes worry about keeping the group together with how abrasive Wolf is and I know he was pretty rough on you when we first started being a team. So I guess I wanted to see how you were doing on that front."

Lucina folded her arms. "Think of this as just Girl Talk."

Isabelle thought for a moment. What did she think of Wolf? There was no denying they had formed some sort of connection over the past month, but what that connection meant to her she was still unsure of. With how close she and Wolf been getting lately, Isabelle was starting to see there was much more to him than the darker persona he was known for. That alone seemed to be what drove her interest in him further.

Isabelle was starting to blush faintly. All this thinking about Wolf was getting a little overwhelming for her. Getting put on the spot wasn't something Isabelle enjoyed, especially if it was a question regarding her personal feelings towards another person.

"Well! Is there someone that's special to you Lucina?" Isabelle said with all the force of a medieval inquisitor, trying to flip the question back at Lucina in an act of deflection.

"Hmm, that's an interesting choice of words, I don't remember asking if he was special to you." Lucina teased.

Isabelle blushed even harder at her slip up. Why did she say that?

"But to answer your question: yes, there is actually. They're back at home." Lucina replied plainly.

Isabelle groaned in disappointment. "You're too honest! That's not cute at all!"

And with that, both Isabelle and Lucina had a nice laugh together as they finished their drinks and decided to head towards the smash lounge to relax. Perhaps they would play a friendly round of checkers now that Lucina learned the rules.

[A Wonderous View]

A large scream echoed through the air and shook the battlefield arena with the sheer intensity of its volume. The ear-splitting battle cry belonged to none other than the dreaded space pirate Ridley taking part in a match between the noble mercenary and radiant hero Ike.

Ridley lunged forward towards his opponent with vicious intent, preparing the grab him with his lanky claw like hands. However, with quick and clever maneuvering, Ike managed to dodge the space pirate's grasp by side stepping the attack and countered with a massive swing of his two-handed broadsword Ragnell to the space dragon's face. Though not enough to break the skin, the force of the strike was still enough to knock Ridley off-balance for a moment, giving Ike a chance to follow up on another attack.

Taking advantage of the opening with a quick downward swing, the mercenary slammed his sword against the space between Ridley's left shoulder blade and rib cage. A fearsome strike from the swordsmen but unfortunately it was not enough as Ridley grabbed ahold of the blade with his hand and countered with a tail strike to Ike's midsection, cracking it against him like a whip. This sent Ike flying a short distance across the battlefield.

"Ouch." Lucina thought to herself as she along with her teammates Young link and Wolf, watched the ongoing battle from the monitor screens in the mansion lounge. They were all grouped around one of the couches placed in front of the main TV monitor.

"I don't blame Isabelle for choosing not to watch this battle, it's getting to be rather gruesome." Lucina remark.

"I've been in worse." Wolf mused unimpressed. He was slouching against the armrest of the couch, resting his head on his arm.

"Looking back on all of his previous battles, Ridley's opponents tend to receive more injuries from their matches against him than almost anyone else in the tournament." Lucina stated.

"Except Ganondorf." Young Link mentioned coldly, sitting still as he continued watching the battle with displeasure. He wasn't the only one either, Wolf narrowed his eye as he watched Ridley trade blows with Ike, hating how much Ridley always looked like he was having sadistic fun when fighting no matter how damaged he got.

As the two fighters clashed once again, the timer was running low and the battle was about to come to a close. Ridley had managed to trip Ike at a crucial moment with his tail and grabbed him as he began to fall, slamming him against the floor. With Ike completely pinned, Ridley then dragged the swordsmen against the ground before throwing him far off stage and out of bounds securing his victory.

"Game!" The announcer shouted. "This game's winner is: Ridley!"

"Feh." Wolf muttered in disgust, displeased with the outcome.

"That was a pretty close match. Ike really managed to get the better of Ridley a few times during the battle. But my educated guess for what clinched the match for Ridley was stamina and overall aggressive attacks. It's like he's able to take the brute force of so many attacks while keeping on offense." Lucina posed.

"And despite his frail appearance, his skin seems to be very sturdy. Being able to act just like armor." Young Link added.

Wolf got up from his position and turned away, he didn't want to hear any of this. Wolf honestly hated seeing the reptilian monster claim victory almost as much as the Starfox crew. Almost.

"Are you leaving Wolf?" Young Link asked.

"Yeah, I'm sick of watching other people's matches. I'm gonna go find Isabelle."

"Well if that's the case I believe she said she was going in the back of the lounge to sit by the windows." Young link said pointing in the direction behind them.

Wolf began walking in the appropriate direction, passing by other smash combatants absorbed in their own leisurely activities. Some were also watching matches on other available TV monitors, some were playing simple games like a round of cards, and other were reading miscellaneous books found on the lounge bookshelf. None of this interested Wolf enough to care.

As he made it to the back of the lounge, Wolf managed to find Isabelle sitting on a decorative comfort chair facing large bay windows to the view outside. She had the look of utter amazement in her eyes yet her facial expression and relaxed body language gave the impression of total tranquility.

Isabelle seemed so content that Wolf questioned if he should even bother her.

After standing there for a minute or two and mentally weighing the decision, Wolf figured his presence wouldn't disturb her (at least he hoped it wouldn't) and proceeded to walk over to Isabelle.

"Hey. There you are." Wolf spoke softly.

"Oh hi Wolf." Isabelle replied turning her head to face him. "Did you guys finish watching the evening matches already?" She asked.

"Well I certainly did. There's still matches going on, but I got tired of watching other people fight."

"I see, so then what brings you all the way back here?"

"I was mainly just coming to see what you were up to." Wolf said as he sat down in the chair to the right of her while avoiding her eyes, almost giving her the impression he was nervous.

"Oh well, nothing too grand. I was actually just enjoying the view from the windows." Isabelle said as she pointed forward directing Wolf's line of sight out the windows to the scenery outside.

The landscape outside looked to be almost like that of an impressionist painting, with various environments all mashed together in a chaotic yet somehow beautifully cohesive way. A vast ocean far off where the horizon met the sky fractured and broke off into small bodies of water that broke off even further into wall falls separated by different types of landmasses such as rocky mountains and forests.

"The view from here is something to behold wouldn't you say Wolf?" Isabelle asked.

"I suppose." Was all he replied with.

"There's something so wondrous and other-worldly about the luscious environments here. I can't help but feel relaxed whenever I sit back here by myself, away from all the noise and excitement from the rest of the mansion. It's like my own private little corner."

In a way Wolf could relate to this, finding quiet solitude for himself was half the reason he had stayed in his room keeping to himself for a good chunk of the early tournament.

Considering how interested she seemed with the landscapes around the mansion, Wolf got a tiny bit curious and decided to ask.

"So...I'm guessing you enjoy sightseeing?"

"Yes, I do!" Isabelle replied enthusiastically. "Though I usually don't have the time to travel back home. My work keeps me pretty busy and tied down to the village I live in."

She continued on, "I am however a bit fortunate in that my village is right off the coastline of the ocean, so the beach is within walking distance for me. Sometimes during the evening when I have a day off, I like to sit at the beach and watch the sunset and it's always a gorgeous view!

"What about you Wolf? Being a space traveler, surely you've seen some AMAZING sights in space!"

Wolf had thought about for a moment, what Isabelle had said was indeed true. During his career as a space mercenary, Wolf he had travelled through many interesting sections of space around the Lylat system.

Seeing entire planets and their atmospheres from the view of space, technologically advanced orbital space stations, brightly colored nebulas, and even the chaotic nature of asteroid belts. Wolf had seen quite a lot and all of it was breath-taking. Though to him, it was really hard to describe all of it. He wasn't one for elegant descriptions or fantastical storytelling of cosmic wonders.

Wolf then spoke up, "you could say that, though unfortunately it's a bit hard to put into words exactly how the wonders of space can mesmerize a person. It's just one of those things where the pictures in textbooks won't do it any justice. You need to experience them for yourself."

"I can only imagine… Someday I'd like to do just that." Isabelle declared.

Wolf couldn't stop a warm smile from creeping across his face at listening to Isabelle claim as much, it was hard not being impressed by how curious see was about the reaches of space.

Wolf and Isabelle sat in silence for the rest of the evening watching the sun set over the horizon, causing the sky to change from a heavenly orange red to the bewitching night sky filled with stars.

Another day at the smash mansion had come to a close.

But something was amiss. A strange phenomenon was brewing. Off in the distance, far enough that no one could see it, a small light, foreign and alien, gave off a peculiar glow, like a star that should not exist, and moved in a very peculiar trajectory.

Author's Notes: This time I went for a very unorthodox type of chapter that consists of 5 smaller dabbles/passages. These were all ideas of short scenarios that I had that I knew wouldn't work as full-length chapters. The purpose of them and this "chapter" as a whole was to build off of the baseline foundation of the group's dynamic I set up in the previous two chapters. I felt the need to develop the group a little more before moving the plot to the next stage, which will start very soon. So I guess think of this chapter as meaningful filler showing the developing character interaction between the members of the group.

At the risk of this Chapter feeling a little unfocused and all over the place, I'm happy with how these mini shorts turned out. Hope you enjoyed the fluff content!

For the next chapter, the fic will return to the standard format of normal length single chapters as we move onward with the overarching plot.

I would also like to mention that despite the small gap between this update and the last, the story has gotten quite a few new followers and attention. Thank you all for following this story and having an interest in it. It means a lot and helps keep me motivated.

Lastly, I want to thank my friend Jonathan for once again going all out with this chapter's illustration. If you're reading this on you can switch over to the archive of our own version to check it out or visit his Twitter or DeviantArt account mentioned in previous chapter notes.