Author's Note: Oh wow...time flies. College is taking its toll on both of us, but the chief reason for this being so late is that I was too busy watching Initial D to write. I also got more deeply-involved in communities for a few other games, but that's not for here (the information's on my profile if for some reason you want to contact me through those channels).
I promise I'm not dead, but once again I can't guarantee an update schedule.
"You're up, Lucina," Master Hand intoned. In another room, she knew, his brother was calling up the Smasher that would run simultaneously with her. The princess quickly took her gloves off and wiped her palms dry again before heading to the entrance, hastily putting them back on as she did so. Crazy Hand's challenge had come far too soon for her to feel prepared, especially given the unknowns he insisted on including.
Word amongst the veterans that their enemies were members of the Subspace Army didn't exactly do much to raise her confidence. Complaints from both her and other newcomers that the returning Smashers had an unfair advantage went ignored; Crazy said he'd already thought about the problem and dealt with it accordingly.
A spike of anxiety caused her to lose her grip on her left glove, and it fell to the floor.
"Afraid of the unknown, are we?" Master Hand asked.
She picked the glove up. "N - no, just nervous."
"Understandable. Though...a word of advice - " he flew closer so he was right next to her. "The sooner you recognize things for what they are, the further down the path to understanding yourself you will be."
"Thank you," she muttered, still preoccupied by what could lay before her.
"What's going on over there, brother? Over." Crazy's voice suddenly came through a walkie-talkie laying on the floor, appropriately sized for Master Hand.
"Nothing, there was just a slight delay. Are you ready on your end?" There was no response.
The elder hand grumbled. "...Over."
"Yes, we are. Let me know when you are, over."
Master Hand saw Lucina had finished putting her glove back on and was standing with her weapon drawn, waiting for the word. "We are now. Start the countdown."
Only what sounded like faint, barely-restrained snickering came in response.
"OVER!" He screamed the word so loudly that some dust fell from the ceiling.
Lucina, for her part, took a moment to calm herself and hope the fact that she'd jumped enough for her feet to leave the ground remained unnoticed. After a few deep breaths, her pulse decelerated from a billion beats a second to the anxious pace it had maintained earlier.
"Alright." Crazy sounded highly amused. "Three...Two...One...Go!" Fortunately, Master Hand maintained enough of his composure to open the entrance to the maze at the right time without breaking the controls in the process. The princess darted in at a fast pace that she knew she could maintain for hours.
"Over." The lone word issued from the gigantic walkie-talkie as soon as the princess had left. "You honestly thought I was going to slip up there, didn't you?"
"No, I didn't, and I don't understand why you insisted on using this stupid communication system or these absurd rules, over."
"Then why are you abiding by my rules?"
"Because you're in charge, as much as I am regretting that now. And you forgot to say 'over,' over."
"I changed my mind. That rule doesn't apply any more."
"And you asked why I don't let you take charge normally."
"You didn't say 'over.'"
"I thought you weren't going to respond unless I did to enforce that rule?"
"What? I'm erratic, not unfair, I'll still give you warning when I re-instate that - " The deity set the device down, overturned it, and pulled out the battery. He'd need it again to coordinate the next start, but at least Crazy wouldn't be able to bug him until then.
The "maze" had turned out to be just one set of corners and then a long corridor, all of them ceilingless and devoid of enemies. Nevertheless, Lucina kept a hand on her weapon as she jogged towards the door at the end of the hallway.
Just before the entrance, the narrow hallway sprawled into a large courtyard. The princess made it about halfway across when currents of a violet substance began pouring over the walls in several streams. The Shadow Bugs soon gathered into two piles, each ominously emitting copious amounts of indigo smoke, so dark it could have been mistaken for black.
Then, with a flash of dark energy, the masses molded themselves into vaguely human shapes. The individual bugs soon began shifting within their molds, until two dark outlines stood before Lucina. With another dark pulse, color suddenly entered their forms, turning them into dark-tinted mimicries of Zelda and Peach. Lastly, their eyes finally opened, glowing orbs of pure gold that contrasted brilliantly with the muted hues of their bodies.
The fact that these enemies assumed the images of her friends didn't faze Lucina in the slightest. Grima had tried various manipulations of similar degrees. Her blade was out of its sheath and slashing at False Peach in one fluid motion. False Zelda cast a Din's Fire, but the cerulean swordswoman rolled under it and cleared the explosion's radius without a break in pace. False Peach pulled out a Bob-omb from the ground and threw it, only to have it deflected off Parallel Falchion before it could arm. Next came a Mr. Saturn, along with more Din's Fire from False Zelda. Lucina caught, then dropped the creature, and shielded the magical blasts before slashing straight at False Peach's head.
The instant her weapon's blade came met the Shadow Bugs, they began to leave their form, with some of them being destroyed before they could escape. By the time Parallel Falchion had traveled through the area where False Peach's neck was, the imitation had disintegrated completely. If Lucina had paid close attention, she would have noticed the tip and edge of the weapon were trailing a blue aura as the sacred enchantment fought the caustic effects of the Shadow Bugs' remains.
False Zelda didn't last much longer. Lucina threw her weapon upwards, over her foe, before leaping after it and driving the weapon tip-first through the top of the other false character's head, upon which it also dissolved.
"That can't be all...that was far too easy to be any test." Sure enough, the Shadow Bugs had regrouped and were forming two different characters.
"Arm cannons...curved armor plates...and high-tech weapons - Samus." Lucina rolled under a pair of missiles from one and shielded a Charge Shot from the other. The two false Power Suits broke in opposite directions when she approached, though their speed was below even that of Samus piloting the suit; not close to a match for her blinding speed. Doing a short leap to close the distance faster, she brought her weapon down in an overhead swing and cleaved one in half.
A blast from behind knocked her down. Shards of metal from the exploding missile lodged themselves in her leather armor, though none penetrated the layer of fine chainmail interwoven between the plates. The source of the projectile was standing out in the open, charging a blast. The swordswoman raised her weapon over her shoulder and hurled it.
Though the blade wasn't designed to be thrown, it was balanced enough that it flew straight and true. Lucina had discovered the technique could be essential in saving someone's life during battle, and her weapon's suitability had led to her practice using it in such a manner routinely. The spinning sword impaled the False Samus in the visor, falling straight to the ground as the Shadow Bugs within scattered.
A thud from behind her confirmed that the battle still wasn't over. The Shadow Bugs from the first false character had regrouped and evidently joined up with reinforcements, as a fake Bowser was now looming over her. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the others reforming too, with more streaming over the wall to join them. She gathered her weapon from the ground and turned to face the latest incarnation of this amorphous foe.
"She handled the first effigies quite well," Link commented as he and his friends watched Lucina progress through the maze. They'd already completed the challenge themselves, and thus were allowed back into the mansion where they could watch the remainder of the event on screens in one of the lounges. "Even knowing they were fake, I still hesitated the first time I ran into them."
"Or maybe she doesn't care enough about them for it to faze her," Rock suggested darkly.
Sonic sat up instantly. "Come on, man, how can you say that?"
"Peach doesn't hang out with us, and Zelda's last interaction with her was an anger-management lecture that I'm quite convinced she didn't need. If anyone, it's Ike she cares about..." They glanced at each other, then back at the screen, before deciding to let the silence continue as they watched giant False Diddy Kong form from the remains of the two False Bowsers.
For the one running through the maze simultaneously was none other than the Radiant Hero himself.
Lucina sighed with relief as the Shadow Bugs scattered and didn't seem to be reforming. Allowing herself a break to recover, she made her way to the exit door, only to find it locked.
A series of bleeps came from behind her. Mr. Game & Watch, or some rendition of him, stood in the middle of the room, the key to the door in his hand. He made another string of noises and assumed a more aggressive position. Though the princess couldn't understand anything directly, the message was clear: to pass, she'd have to defeat him.
The two-dimensional character slid right under her first slash, and she barely brought Parallel Falchion around in time to block a retaliatory hammer swing. Pivoting as she held the two weapons in a lock, Lucina used her height advantage to gain better leverage. Mr. Game & Watch allowed himself to be pressed close to the ground before pivoting himself and sliding left under his hammer. His move caused the princess to suddenly lose balance and fall as she'd been putting her weight on the lock.
Years of training suddenly kicked in, and before she had fallen very far the cerulean swordswoman had thrown herself forwards and past her enemy's counterattack, rolling once she hit the ground to gain distance from a counterattack. As she came out of it, she saw her opponent lunging at her, another hammer poised to strike.
After a backflip on her part to regain her footing, she noticed he was wielding his weapon in one hand and had a flag in the other. A slash at him did nothing to check his headlong rush as he kept himself pointed directly at her, all but impossible to see let alone hit. She brought her weapon around, ready to parry the strike when it came.
At the last moment, Mr. Game & Watch turned sideways just enough for her to see the number. Lucina prayed he wouldn't raise a 9; such a blow would have far too much strength behind it to parry, and there was no telling if Crazy Hand had put it on his list of exemptions. It wasn't in normal matches, but it sounded just like him to make the opposite true for that reason just this once. If that was the case, the consequences would be dire; assuming it didn't snap her weapon in half at the hilt, it would shatter her arms.
He raised his flag as the hammer began to swing.
9.
"Of course." Lucina raised her sword in a block and braced for the crushing impact, involuntarily closing her eyes.
Rock looked away from the monitor. "Ooh, that's going to hurt. It's a really good thing Crazy Hand didn't actually have anything that could ignore the protective enchantments."
"Have a little more faith in your friends, will you?" Sonic chided after a pause. The screen now showed Mr. Game & Watch being knocked out of the arena at high speed.
"And be disappointed more often if they can't live up to that? No thank you, I'd rather be pleasantly surprised or at least have less reason to devalue my friends."
"What does successfully countering a 9 have anything to do with how you see Lucina as a person?"
"Sonic, leave him alone. He clearly doesn't want to talk about it." Link added before they got any further. "That's Rock's business alone unless he decides otherwise, and you know as well as I that his opinions aren't spontaneous."
They went back to looking at the monitor without another word.
Past the door that Mr. Game & Watch had guarded, with another barren corridor in between, stood another entrance, though it had no doors and was framed only by a ring of energy. Lucina quickly patted her pocket to assure herself that the Shadow Bug trophy she'd earned by defeating them was still there and stepped through.
The first thing that she noticed when she entered was that there were no visible walls or ceiling, just two dark maws that marked the edges of ground where she stood currently and would likely have to face her next opponent on. A gate, similar in composition to the entrance she'd just emerged from, stood in the distance. The next thing was how strange it was. Though it felt solid enough, it was made of a mesh of translucent patterns, all of various shades ranging from cyan to amethyst, and pulsed dully with some mysterious energy.
Parallel Falchion's eye flashed blue briefly before the light abruptly cut. Not gradually fading out, like it usually did, but all at once. Simultaneously, the ground behind her disappeared, and about half of it between her and the gate did as well. A purple sphere, radiating golden light, rose from the space created by the disappearance of the latter. The air around it began to shimmer, until a translucent, cyan projection of a man surrounded the core, balled up in fetal position but hovering in midair.
When the figure spoke, his voice was deep and grave, commanding respect, yet retained an evanescence to it that made it sound as though the particles of the universe had all been given a voice. "The Hero King's descendant." Tabuu began uncurling himself, and as he did so a set of butterfly wings, with patterns to match those of the ground, emerged from their resting position on his back. Though they were clearly damaged, the wings were still a majestic sight, a fact only highlighted when Tabuu stretched all of his limbs to their maximum length and a wave of cyan energy rippled down his body.
Once he had stretched and settled back into a normal pose, he studied Lucina - who was trying very hard not to gape in awe - again. "It will be interesting to see what impression he has left on you, both in battle and outside of it. Shall we begin?"
Immediately, the supernatural being teleported to the far end of their battle ground and his body was covered by a flash of cyan. In the next moment, a massive energy blade raced across the stage at the princess. She threw herself flat on the ground and Tabuu streaked over her by millimeters. The moment she'd picked herself off the ground, he had already reverted to his normal form. Her first swing made contact with nothing as his image collapsed on itself before materializing behind her. She used her momentum to bring her weapon around, but again Tabuu just teleported to dodge it. She briefly considered throwing the blade at him when she next saw him materialize within reach, but unlike before, Tabuu now had an attack lined up.
He thrust one arm forward, and in a blur of motion a golden chain shot from it. A roll to one side prevented it from grabbing her, but Tabuu expertly looped it around for another pass. There was no time to dodge it again; Lucina lashed out at it with her sword in an attempt to break the chain before it could wrap around her.
When they connected, the chain burst into dozens of smaller links that instantly looped around the whole of Parallel Falchion. She only had time to utter a cry of surprise before Tabuu yanked her off her feet and the chain released her sword in exchange for her body.
"Wrong move." His tone was almost apologetic. "A shame to squander such a talented woman, but the extraordinary are the greatest obstacles to uniformity."
"Crazy Hand wouldn't dare put anything in that would actually kill us..." She repeated the thought in her head as her opponent began to swing the chain around before slamming the end with her wrapped around it into the ground. It was small comfort to her as she struggled painfully back to her feet. Of more concern was the fact that Tabuu had relinquished her only because he wasn't interested in finishing her off that way.
She found out how he was when pain spiked in her abdomen. A gigantic, three-bladed shuriken had torn straight through her armor and was lodged deep in her stomach. Fortunately, the protective enchantment held: there was no blood or need to stuff her organs back inside her. Gritting her teeth, Lucina took hold of the weapon and pulled it out before briefly examining herself. Though her armor very visibly showed damage, her body itself was fine. Pain still radiated from the spot where she'd been hit, but it was fading noticeably. And just as before, the pain had given way to a feeling of tension that she knew came with having high damage percentages in tournament sets. She couldn't see what the number was now, but at least the rules were still in play.
In checking herself, she suddenly realized she'd forgotten about Tabuu. A frantic look around revealed him levitating to her left at some distance, his wings and limbs folded around his body. His head shifted a little so they were making eye contact; even at this distance, Lucina could tell when his gaze focused on her. However, all he did was unfold his wings. The core within him glowed briefly before a massive wall of dull red energy raced at her. She raised her shield instinctively, but did so too early to perfect-shield the attack and the blast shattered it.
Blinding pain slashed through her mind as the protective sphere disintegrated. All she could see was pure white, all she could hear a loud ringing sound. The princess instinctively raised a hand to her head and rubbed her temples in a vain attempt to mitigate the manageable but still painful aftershocks of the shield break, praying Tabuu wouldn't do anything until her senses returned.
A few moments later, and the sensory overload had mostly passed. Tabuu, unfortunately, was in no mood to cooperate. "My condolences," he murmured as he sent out another Off Wave. The blast picked Lucina up and hurled her out of the arena with tremendous force. Still carried by the wave, she soared onward, away from the arena, into the surrounding blackness.
"If Smash rules are still in play, then where are the blast lines?" She thought helplessly after tumbling through space for a few more moments. It was then that she realized she was no longer flying, but laying prone on some invisible ground. A glance around showed nothing but pitch black. That changed with a sudden shimmering in the air in front of her that marked Tabuu's entrance. The blackness faded away to reveal she was back in the arena.
By that time, she was back on her feet and lunging at him. It was time to be aggressive; there was no way she would give him a chance to string his attacks together again.
"For someone that never fought the real deal, she's learning quick," Sonic commented to Link as they watched Lucina perfect-shield each of Tabuu's second onslaught of Off Waves in succession.
"Still doesn't beat experience," Rock observed as he returned from checking on the other screen. "Ike's already almost done."
"She's making a better name for herself against him than you are, and you're not worried?"
"Why should I be? For one, I didn't get combo'd to death by Tabuu, for another, I don't care."
The conversation didn't physically progress any further after that, but the unspoken retort echoed in both Sonic and Link's minds: "You care about what total strangers think of you, but not your friends?"
Lucina couldn't contain her sigh of relief when Tabuu's form finally wavered under one of her slashes and began to flicker violently before collapsing on itself, this time for good.
Suddenly, she was right in front of the gate that the supernatural being had been guarding.
"Congratulations, Lucina," Master Hand said from behind her, causing the princess to jump slightly. "You've triumphed over the Smash Brothers' ultimate enemy, but you have one last obstacle to face. You see, our collective archnemesis did not hold any special significance to you. You are a woman with a very kind heart; unwilling, yes, to open it to others, but doing so entirely once they earn your trust. I know Chrom has instilled within you the notion to always trust those you surround yourself with, but what if they do not deserve it? What shall become of you then? Thus, your ultimate enemy does not need to be powerful, simply manipulative."
"Why are you telling me all of this?"
"To help you understand your own weaknesses, of course. The ultimate goal of this challenge is to help you improve yourself. Now, if you will follow me, it is time."
"There's no preparation?" The sudden panic in her tone made the deity chuckle.
"I would have thought that, if anything, this challenge so far as taught you that your fears are conjuring up far worse demons than those that truly awaited you." They stopped at a doorway of pure white light. "Please step through. I cannot go in to aid you, so I am afraid this is where we must part."
She glanced at the entrance, then back to where Master Hand was, only to find that he'd already vanished. She briefly wished for his company despite what he'd said before shaking that off.
"Just one more obstacle to conquer, and then it will be all over. Relax, Lucina. Master Hand is right; don't let your fears get to you." The princess took a calming breath and stepped through the entrance.
She found herself on a stage she recognized as Final Destination. But that wasn't what surprised her. What surprised her was who stood before her.
"I - Ike?!"
Ike was beginning to grow impatient. Crazy Hand had said there were difficulties with handling his final opponent but been no more specific.
Now, it had been almost ten minutes with no word from anyone. And it wasn't exactly like Final Destination had anything to do; the view was stuff he'd seen already, mesmerizing the first few times one looked but boring afterwards. It had to be otherwise the images might be enough of a distraction to unbalance the playing field, but that knowledge didn't help at all.
"If they want me to fight my own boredom, they could have just said so," he grumbled to himself. Suddenly a with a crackle of energy, a portal opened up. The Radiant Hero was on his feet in an instant and had yanked Ragnell from the ground in the next.
Out stepped cobalt-haired woman with matching armor. It sported a long gash along the stomach area, but as its wearer didn't appear to be suffering from any injury, he didn't think much more about it. When her eyes met his, her jaw dropped.
"I - Ike?!"
"Lucina." In stark contrast to her voice, his remained cool and professional. "It seems we are to do battle. Be warned: you may be a friend to me elsewhere, but in here, you are just another opponent. You'll get no sympathy from me so long as there remains a battle to be won and more than one of us standing. Are we clear?"
She nodded in reply, keeping her head down.
"Good. It's not fair to either of us if we let our emotions weigh us down." He brandished his arms, lifting his weapon effortlessly in one hand, before settling into a ready stance. "Prepare yourself!"
He wasn't the fastest opponent Lucina had faced, but she knew what he lacked in speed, he made up for with power. Rather than attempt to block his opening attack, she swung her own blade to redirect it. The parry left him open to an attack, but she took the opportunity instead to jump over him, reversing their positions. Falchion remained by her side even though a blow to his back probably could have gone unpunished; the Radiant Hero was now making no attempt to face her.
"Lucina, what did I tell you?" There was palpable annoyance in his voice now.
"Not to hold back," she responded. "And I'm not."
"Then why didn't you strike? That was an opening a new recruit would have seen." There was no response.
This was unacceptable. Ike turned Lucina around. "If it helps you, don't think of me as someone you know."
She glanced at her sword, then shook her head. "You already are somebody to me, I can't change that."
"By not doing so, you're giving off an impression to everyone, including your father, that you harbor feelings for me," he argued.
There was a noticeable reaction as it dawned on her, but she didn't waver. "Then...so be it. Nothing hinges on what happens here anyways, it's just a match."
Ike was losing patience. She was right that nothing depended on the outcome of the match, but wouldn't that just be all the more reason to fight him and get it over with, rather than drag it on? At this point, it was clear nothing positive would be able to change her mind. "Why do you continue to hesitate? I told you not to think of me as a friend."
She looked away. "I can't unsee what I've seen."
He sighed. "You can't keep running away from your problems like this."
Her expression tightened. "Wh - what did you say?"
"Don't you see? Crazy Hand said that our ultimate enemies would await us at the end of this challenge. It's not either of our fighting prowesses that make us deadly to each other, it's who we are. I learned the hard way that you cannot let your emotions weigh you down in combat, and that the most dangerous enemies are the ones that can play with your mind. To succeed against them, you have to face them. As you must face me now. There will be those whose manipulations reach far beyond any sway I may hold over you. You must train and be prepared; that is what we are here for, after all."
"My own past...is a separate matter from this entirely."
"Is it?" Ike suddenly brought Ragnell around in a quick one-handed slash. Lucina stepped away. "I see the same thing both then and now: a common unwillingness to stand and face your problems!" He punctuated the last word with another attack. This time, Parallel Falchion intercepted his weapon and deflected it.
"Good, I forced her hand."
"Huah!" Ike didn't waste a second, using the momentum of the deflection to bring his blade around in a wide arc before slamming it down. Lucina jumped away, but couldn't gain enough distance to alleviate her disadvantaged position. Blow after blow came at her, but she only diverted and dodged, until he'd backed her against the edge of the stage.
"Even now, on the cusp of defeat, you refuse to fight..."
"I'd rather concede defeat than fight you."
"Then walk out of here a coward, loser, and honorless." He shoulder-bashed her off the edge.
The hairs on his neck suddenly stood up as the look in Lucina's eyes shifted at that moment. The hesitation vanished instantly, and in one fluid motion, she grabbed the ledge and pulled both of her legs up so her feet were braced against it. Ike raised his sword to knock her off, and at that moment she kicked off, throwing an assist trophy through his legs as she backflipped and fell beneath the stage. He took a step back to avoid the rising slash he knew she used to recover, pivoting to face the new threat.
Too late. A wave of Shadow Bugs had wrapped around the foot that remained on the ground before he'd turned, and the minute his other foot was back down, they swarmed that one too. A part of the swarm suddenly split and leapt onto his arms, dragging him to the ground face-first before flipping him forcefully around to face Lucina, who landed back on stage at that moment.
"I said I wouldn't fight you. But there alternatives to fighting."
"Fair enough. You have the advantage; do as you will with it."
She nodded and raised the blade. Suddenly, the Shadow Bugs flashed cyan and turned a slightly more vivid shade of purple. One on his arm suddenly broke formation and split in two. In a ripple of motion, the others followed suit, multiplying so fast that it looked like an army advancing up his body. The violet tide spread with alarming speed, leaving his horrified expression visible for just a moment longer than the rest of him before it too was absorbed. The crude casket remains for a few moments before it dissolved, the Shadow Bugs scattering left and right. The False Character that remained jerkily sat up and opened its eyes.
Except there were clearly differences. His armor remained its normal color, while the flesh underneath was not simply a dark-toned version of his skin, but various tones of violet. His hair had similarly changed color, and the eyes were blood red.
Lucina stumbled back in shock, hands over her mouth. "Wh - what have I done?!" She almost screamed as what had formerly been her friend's face chipped off in violet flakes, leaving a dull, stone-grey mask underneath, punctuated by slash marks in several spots that resembled miniature canyons.
The monstrosity before her jerkily dropped its jaw open and spoke in a raspy, echoing voice. When it did, dark purple smoke dribbled from within. "Luuciinaa..."
She backed up, hands covering her face as she wrestled with the full implications of what she had just done. "No...No, no, no, no, this can't be happening..."
Plegia Castle
"Oh, but it is, princess. And, for once, I'm not even micromanaging it."
Grima watched in satisfaction as now-Risen Ike got to his feet and brought his weapon to bear. Even the sword itself seemed repulsed by its new owner, the golden hue fading from the parts of the blade closest to the hilt when it was grasped.
The latest in his line of mischief-making schemes had been inspired by a set of notes that described the process of manufacturing Shadow Bugs. That process was of little use to the Fell Dragon given that this "Mr. Game & Watch" was apparently a Smasher himself, but some of the side notes made about the creatures dictated means to control them, and, more importantly, their capabilities. He'd had no success with using them outside the Smash realm - not surprising, in hindsight - but to his surprise, regardless of where they were, they readily responded to his commands.
Perhaps it was that, as the most powerful being to be granted powers by Tabuu - according to his mysterious ally's own words - the powers were somehow gravitating to him after their true owner's defeat. Whatever the reason, it had manifested at the perfect opportunity: Crazy Hand had apparently kept some Shadow Bugs locked away in the R&D lab the two used to make new items, and, even better, was planning to use them in an upcoming event.
From there it was just the simple matter of issuing the command to them at the right moment. The creatures could, in large enough numbers and with a proper basis, attain sentience, so once they had infested their victim, all he would need to do was cover up traces of his infiltration and watch the chaos unfold.
It truly amused Grima that, despite all the random factors involved, Lucina of all potential victims was the one to suffer yet again. Unfortunately, the conversion of Ike to a Risen didn't seem to do much other than enhance his already impressive strength. He decided that a little more hands-on involvement to fix that would be in order.
Lucina rolled under a slash and hastily wiped the tears of guilt from her eyes as she stood. The demon had all of Ike's power, but barely a sizable portion of his speed, and was thus unable to follow up on her lapse.
"I turned him into a Risen...Gods, why did I think it was a good idea to use that trophy?" Ragnell came swinging at her and she deflected the blow, again refusing to counterattack. "If I stall long enough, one of the Hands might come and fix this...ouch!" Her opponent suddenly lashed out, a quick jab that was relatively weak but struck right at the gash that Tabuu's shuriken had left. With the chainmail and armor punctured already, there was nothing to offer significant resistance.
To her surprise, the wound drew blood. Before she could process the implications of this fact, her opponent's blade came swinging again, this time in a powerful swipe at her legs. The princess reacted a fraction of a second too late and the sword sliced deep into her left leg, ripping through the greaves like paper. She stumbled and another slash at the other leg left it out of commission as well.
Fighting the pain radiating from her lower body, she tried to scoot away from him to buy time, only to find she was already against the edge of the stage. Risen Ike laughed in a tone and manner unbefitting of him and far more suited to his creator as he raised his weapon, aiming the tip straight at her heart. A thin line of blue flames started emitting from the edge of the blade, forming a steadily-growing inverted pillar of fire.
"Say farewell, princess." Grima brought down his right hand, previously elevated in order to command his minion.
Then, several things happened in quick succession.
His victim blocked at just the right moment to perfect-shield the explosion.
Rather than leave its user unharmed, the Eruption's recoil blasted Ike backwards hard enough to knock him to the other side of the stage. The violent shockwave broke his grip on Ragnell, leaving the sword stuck on Lucina's shield.
Before Grima could order him back to his feet, the corrupted fighter was seized from behind by Crazy Hand. Master Hand simultaneously appeared above Lucina and began tending to her.
"Dammit!" He swiped his hand through the image hovering in front of him in disgust. The tome that had been projecting it, along with a number of other objects, clattered to the ground as the sleeve of his heavy robe dragged them off the table.
Clearly the hands were smarter than they let on, or they wouldn't have been able to surprise him like that.
"There you go." Master Hand drifted back, having healed the princess. "The strikes didn't hit anything vital, though I would recommend not being too hard on yourself since there was some blood loss."
"Thank you. Why don't you do this for everyone who gets hurt?"
The deity quickly checked on how much progress Crazy Hand was making purging the Shadow Bugs from Ike before responding. "It doesn't replicate the body's healing process, in which the damaged part is rebuilt stronger than before. I can revert it to how it was before it was damaged, but I cannot mimic that growth factor. The whole point of this gathering is to strengthen all of you; I'm sure you can put two and two together from there."
Meanwhile, Crazy Hand had finished extracting the Shadow Bugs, leaving something that looked like a proper False Character mimicry of Ike with a mutilated face, and had begun healing the effects they'd left behind. He suddenly paused in the midst of healing the Radiant Hero when he saw his brother looking at him. Leaving Ike physically repaired but still retaining much of the violet tone to his skin, he scooped up the container of Shadow Bugs and disappeared through a portal he quickly opened up.
"CRAZY! GET BACK HERE!" Master Hand entered a portal of his own to give chase, suddenly leaving Lucina alone again.
A weak cough from Ike brought her instantly to his side.
"...Ugh...Lucina, is that you...?"
"Yes, Ike, it's me. I'm here." She forced her relief back; nobody had said he was fine yet.
He attempted to sit up and winced in pain less than halfway there. "Where...where's my weapon?"
Lucina put a hand on his chest, supporting him with the other, and gently lowered him back down. She took care to not use an ounce more force than absolutely necessary. "Don't be too hard on yourself." Despite lacing the words with concern and sympathy, she was unable to wholly purge the air of a command not to be disobeyed. "I'll get it."
The Radiant Hero watched her do so through a violet haze. When she returned, she set Ragnell down with almost reverent delicateness at his side, then took a step back. They remained that way for a while, the princess of Ylisse making a not-so-subtle show of trying to keep her hands to herself - unintentionally, of course - while Ike teetered on the edge of consciousness.
The awkward tension was broken when Master Hand returned. He wordlessly levitated Ike into the portal he had just emerged from.
"Um...Master Hand? Where are you taking him?"
"The hospital wing, where else?" His reply was short and terse.
"Oh. I was just checking..." The apologetic tone made the hand regard her for a moment.
"If there's anyone who should be apologizing, it's me and Crazy, Lucina. This got way out of hand, even according to him." With that, he close the portal behind him and a beacon appeared at Lucina's feet to send her back.
Immediately upon exiting the stage selection room, the throngs of spectators were asking what happened. Apparently the Hands had cut the camera feeds the instant they realized something went wrong. She kept her head down and ignored them all, not even apologizing when one overenthusiastic spectator ended up in her way and was unceremoniously knocked aside as she pushed through the crowd.
"If he doesn't completely recover from this, I'll never forgive myself..."
The first thing Ike registered when he could finally focus was a warmth enveloping his right hand. He cracked open his eyes to the sight of Lucina slumped in a chair next to him, evidently asleep, one hand in his. The darkness held only at bay by the medical ward's dim lighting explained virtually everything else he needed to know.
Sighing, the Radiant Hero gently pried her hand loose and sat up a little, noting that he was still very sore as he did so. But, at least he could do it himself.
As soon as they broke contact, Lucina stirred and opened her eyes. They looked at each other for a moment before he finally broke the silence.
"...so, Lucina, do you mind explaining to me why you're still here in the middle of the night?"
She started subtly wringing her hands and looked away. "Well, I couldn't just leave without making sure you were alright, could I? It was my fault, after all."
"Didn't Master Hand himself say otherwise? Crazy Hand should be responsible for even conjuring such a dangerous assist trophy."
"But I still decided to use it...I should have just accepted defeat my defeat, then this wouldn't have happened - "
"Must you insist on blaming yourself? Using that assist trophy was well within the bounds of the rules, and you had no way of knowing how dangerous it actually was. I told myself I wasn't going to use any of mine and simply fight clean, but that was purely a personal choice." Immediately after he'd said that, Ike realized his word choice had only worsened the situation.
Lucina's shoulder slumped and she slid forwards in her chair slightly. "My style is underhanded to you, then?" Normally she would be quite defensive of her techniques, but this time it was resignation instead that filled her voice.
A pause before the Radiant Hero decided to change the subject. "So what made you change your mind?"
"Huh?"
"What made you suddenly decide to use that assist trophy?"
She shifted uncomfortably before finally answering. "I...your words reminded me of past events. That helped me forget my qualms."
He didn't push further. It was obvious the princess was hesitant to admit even that. Ike sighed and lay back down. "I see. Thank you for taking my...advice to heart. I know I came off as harsh to say the least, so please find it in yourself to forgive me."
The biggest surprise of the day came when Lucina suddenly took his hand in hers again with a smile. "It's fine. I know you didn't intend to harm me, at least as much as two combatants a duel can avoid harming each other. Just like I couldn't fully devote myself to fighting you, I felt that you couldn't do the same to me."
"Felt? Where did that come from? Is she actually so keenly able to sense her opponents' feelings? No, it couldn't be, she's way too dense outside of combat. Maybe I was just that transparent?"
The trail of questions was suddenly broken as Lucina spoke again. "I - Ike, I just want to say something now." She was back to wringing her hands and looking unsure of herself.
"What is it?"
She blushed a little and she started fidgeting worse than ever. "Well, I...I...er..." Her cheeks grew redder as she continued to stammer, unable to voice whatever was on her mind. "Sorry..."
The Radiant Hero raised his arm, wincing as the limb protested the action, and put a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay. I promise I won't judge. Just get it over with and say it to get it off your chest, I promise it will be a whole lot less nerve-wracking."
Lucina raised her gaze to meet his, though not before looking around to make sure nobody else was present, and leaned closer. "I - I th - think...I'm in love with you, Ike." The last part tumbled from her lips all at once.
To avoid possibly hurting her feelings, he kept silent for a moment, scrambling to regain his mental footing. "What...brought this on?"
She wrung her hands, keeping her eyes on them at the same time. "I...I've been struggling with this for a while; I just couldn't find a definitive answer until today. It's been there for a long time, though, since at least the day I got to meet you in person."
He nodded in a "go on" gesture when she stopped and looked at him to see how he was taking it, forcing himself to keep his expression stoic as he did so.
"Even before then, though, I was fascinated by yo - well, all heroes of legend, but you especially." For a moment she wanted to say something more, but stopped herself.
A sigh from him. "Alright...I think I know what's going on." Ike leaned forward and placed his hands on Lucina's shoulders, and for once he didn't speak immediately. "I understand how you must be feeling right now, but don't rush it." The way she looked back hopefully made him look away again to steel his resolve before resuming. "For one, consider who you've taken interest in. I may have been a hero earlier in my life, but now, I'm just a mercenary, doing what he needs to do to get by, and slotting vigilantism in between contracts. I couldn't guarantee your safety, let alone give you the life someone who's fought a lifelong struggle as you have deserves."
He had to force himself not to wince as her expression went from hopeful to confused, then to disbelief, and finally, sadness. "It's for her own good," he reminded himself. "Faltering now will just make it harder for her to accept the truth."
"...S - so what are you saying?"
Ike let go of her and slumped back against the pillows. "I'm saying that, in addition to this all being rather hasty, you deserve better than me for a romantic partner. We've known each other, on a personal level, for just over a month. Don't mistake what I'm saying: I do like you, and it's because I do that I can't make such a commitment. It would be a great insult to you if I were to do so and renege on my word, whether I had the intention to or not." With great effort, he moved himself back to an upright position and took one of her hands in both of his. "Please understand me; I'm doing what will hurt both of us least. You deserve better than me, and you deserve more time to make the choice of who that someone will be than a month. You have plenty of friends who care for you as much as I, and could look after you when I can't. Distance yourself from me a little, spend some time with other people, and in time you may yet find someone who suits you better. If, after all of that, you can still honestly choose me, then I can accept it."
He paused and looked away before resuming eye contact. "But…when it's so soon, I cannot. Please don't take this to be some sort of contest or experiment; the reason I'm saying this is because I want you to be happy, and if you can't be honest to yourself about your feelings, then you're doing not only yourself, but me a disservice. Do you understand?"
"I...I - I understand," she said finally, gently pulling her hand away. "Thank you for being so thoughtful."
"Well, that took you long enough. Now that that's finally settled, I think it's about time you let Ike, and me, have some rest, Lucina." The voice of Dr. Mario came from the entrance to the office, and he sounded irritated.
As she processed the sight of the doctor, Lucina felt only one thing. Betrayal.
"He let him listen in on all of this...how can that traitor say he cares about me when he so readily let other people eavesdrop on my confessions?! What a no-good, backstabbing little - "
Her tempest of thoughts was momentarily pierced when Ike spoke. "Lucina." She looked at him, making no attempt to hide her anger. "I know this is a lot for you to take in, but I hope we can still be friends after this." He extended his hand.
She thought back to when he'd last held her hand, just mere moments ago, but it may as well have been in another reality. The sense of betrayal came roaring back, fueling the tumultuous emotions within the void left by her broken heart.
Ignoring his hand, she turned heel and stormed out of the hospital wing. Only her newfound loathing for the Radiant Hero held back sobs until after the doors had shut behind her; but any passerby would have seen that nothing could hold back her tears.
A/N: I told you we were going somewhere with all of this earlier, didn't I?