"I wonder how are the others doing." Fox McCloud said to his valued partner Falco Lombardi. They were heading towards the teleporter room to deliver a written letter to their friends Peppy, Slippy, and Krystal.

"I think they're doing good." Falco replied. All of a sudden, Fox heard someone scurrying down the hallway. His youthful green eyes peered around and his furry brown tail swayed in apprehension. "What is it?" Falco asked the Canidae.

"I heard some people running away." Fox answered the avian.

"Don't worry." Falco casually replied. "I think someone just needed to use the restroom really badly.

"Alright." Fox said, calming down. "Let's deliver the letter." Upon entering the room, Fox put the letter in the designated teleporter's slot, which ate the letter hungrily. It beeped and clunked nosily before it went completely silent. "Ok, it just delivered the letter-" Fox's sharp eyes caught a letter envelope lying next to the teleporter. "Hey, what's this?" He opened the envelope and quickly skimmed through the letter. It read:

Dear Lilina,

Sorry that I hadn't been writing lately. I got caught up in my matches, haha. I heard that Dad is recovering from his illness. That's great! Has anything been happening in Pherae lately? Did I miss anything?

I have lots to say about the Smash Mansion! I've made new friends! There's Marth, you should know him. (He's the shy Prince of Altea, if you don't remember!) This week, I met Pit and Ike! Pit is an angel who is from a place from Skyworld! He's from a franchise called Kid Icarus. If I remember correctly, he uses a magical bow. He is really cheerful and caring. Ike is a mercenary from a world called Crimea. Like Marth and me, he's a Fire Emblem character. I hadn't seen his weapon yet, but judging by his size, I bet he uses a really huge sword! (Compared to me, he's really tall and muscular!) He pays a lot of attention to his friends.

I hope you and the others are doing fine. I'm sorry if I worried you. Please reply soon! I can't wait to hear from you!

Your best friend,

Roy

Fox's grass-green eyes widened when he saw that "R" word. Roy? He's still here? But, didn't he leave to his homeland, never to return? Did Master Hand request him to return?! "Hey Falco, look at this." The shocked Canidae said to his partner, who looked over at his shoulder. The avian scanned through the letter and gasped softly.

"Roy wrote this?!" Falco whispered, unable to believe his eyes. "When the heck did he write this?!" Fox searched for a written date.

"It was written today!" Fox exclaimed, still keeping his voice quiet.

"But, Roy left the Smash Mansion after Melee ended!" Falco replied, a bit startled. He pointed to the Pherae teleporter, which was broken due to missing an important part. "He couldn't return! The teleporter is purposely broken so he can't come back! Didn't Master Hand tell us that?"

"That doesn't make any sense…" Fox said. He began to pace around the room as he thought. "If Roy was back at his home, why would he still write a letter to his family and friends today?" A sudden clue hit him like an out-of-control starship. "Roy must be still here! Master Hand was lying to us all along!"

"I'm interested." Falco spoke. "I would like to see if Roy's still here! I know that both of us didn't pay much attention to him but still, I'm interested! Why did Master Hand lie to us?"

"Let's try to find him." Fox planned. "Roy mentioned that Marth, Pit, and Ike were his friends. We can't ask Marth; he probably doesn't know that Roy is still here. We need to find Pit and Ike and ask them some questions."

"I'll find Pit, you can find Ike." Falco ordered. "Let's go!" The two best friends parted and went to find Roy's friends.

Meanwhile, Pit, Link, and Roy were in Pit's room, discussing what could've happened to the missing plug.

"I bet someone really hated Roy!" Pit guessed. "He or she didn't want him to communicate with his family and friends so they purposely blocked the only way to his home!"

"Who really hated you in the last tournament?" Link asked, flipping his floppy cap over his shoulders. "Was it my cousin?"

"No, it wasn't him." Roy answered. "He was kinda mean to me but that was because I bothered him!"

"Err… Bowser?" Pit asked, remembering his experience with the monstrous reptile.

"He was mean to a lot of brawlers, especially me." Roy responded. "But, he isn't good with technology."

"Ganondorf?" Link asked. He never liked that tyrannical king.

"Yeah, he looked down at me but like Bowser, he's not good with technology."

"Someone good with technology…" Link mumbled to himself. "Samus?"

"She always ignored me."

"Fox and Falco?"

"They ignore me too."

Link sighed and shook his head sadly. Suddenly, Pit thought of something. "What if… Master Hand took the plug?" Link's ears perked up in realization.

"That can be true!" he said breathlessly.

"I don't think so." Roy responded. "Master Hand always treated everyone equally."

"I don't think so." Pit said. "He told me that some of the brawlers from Melee left."

"But if that was true, why was I hidden away instead?" Roy questioned. In frustration, the redhead jumped onto Pit's bed and buried his face in the fluffy pillow. "This is too complicated!" Link suddenly got an idea.

"I got it!" The Hylian said with a grin. "I think Master Hand keeps a record book that contains all of the information of all the characters that entered the tournament; whether they are still here or gone. I'm going to sneak into the Hands' office and retrieve it now! It should say why you were banned from the tournament!"

"Are you sure it exists?" Pit asked.

"I'm sure!" Link said. He exited Pit's room.

Pit sighed loudly in weariness and sat next Roy, who lifted his face out of the pillow. This is too difficult! All he wanted is to know why was Roy hidden in the attic away from the others! Master Hand, who seemed to know every detail about every brawl character, made the situation more problematic and suspicious; he refused to mention Roy's name! Pit was tempted to ask Roy's old friend Marth but he probably believed that Roy was gone for good. Marth… Roy did mention that the Prince of Altea was his only friend…

"Hey Pit, I have a question." Roy spoke up. Pit looked at him with a small smile and a "Hmmm?". "During breakfast, I thought I heard my friend Marth…" Pit's wing's tensed up. Roy still recognized Marth's voice?! "Do you think it will be alright if I can say hi to him?"

"Err… I'm not sure." Pit answered unsurely. "Marth might be really surprised if he saw you. Also, the others might see you!"

"I think it'll be ok!" Roy replied cheerfully. "I really want to see Marth again! I miss him!"

"Well…" Pit softly replied. He thought for a quick moment before answering. "Sure. Let's meet him at dinnertime!"

At that moment, Link was at the entrance of the Hands' office. Opening the door in just an unobtrusive crack, he peered in and was surprised to see no one inside. Taking this as a chance to snoop around, Link silently entered. The door soundlessly shut behind him.

The nosy Hylian began to search through the drawers for the alleged record book. Paper flew in the air like panicking birds and piled messily on the floor like trash. After rummaging through the drawers, Link scanned his impatient azure eyes through the bookshelves and let out a deep huff in annoyance. Where is it?! Maybe the Hands hid it somewhere else!

"Crazy! Stop flying around!" Link heard Master Hand shout in annoyance. The Hylian's ears perked up in alarm. Shoot, the Hands are coming! If they catch him in their office, he'll get into BIG trouble! Looking around for an escape, Link's panicked eyes caught the large windows, which were wide open to let some fresh air in. Without thinking twice, he leapt out of the window and hid underneath it.

"What the- Why is there paper everywhere?!" Master Hand shouted in surprise.

"The wind must've blown it out of the open cabinets!" Crazy Hand answered carelessly.

"I don't remember opening them…" Master Hand spoke. Link's anxious body tensed at the doubtful sentence.

"You must've forgotten that you opened them!" Crazy Hand insisted.

"That might be true." Master Hand said. Link sighed quietly. He's not in trouble! "I've been really busy ever since the tournament started! You know what I find really suspicious?"

"Is it Pit?" Crazy Hand guessed.

"Yes!" Master Hand exclaimed. Link's eyes perked up. They might mention something important about Roy! "He tried to get information about…" Master Hand paused. "…About you-know-who."

"You still feel guilty over that?" Crazy Hand asked, sounding mature for once.

"Yes, I do." Master hand explained. "It just wasn't right, but I couldn't tell him! Neither can the other brawlers!" With a flick of his ears, Link began to ponder. They must be talking about Roy now! What do they mean by "Couldn't tell him"?

"I know that feel." Crazy Hand replied. "He was no longer needed because his abilitieswere an exact clone of Marth's."

"Who is this 'he' you're talking about?!" Master Hand and Crazy Hand turned around and spotted Link glaring distrustfully at them through the window. His ears were pointed down not in sadness, but in disappointment like the tip of a sharp arrow. "Don't lie to me!" Link said to the two hands crossly as he carefully climbed through the window. "Don't try to pretend Roy doesn't exist! I heard every word you two said!"

Master Hand signed in defeat. He couldn't shoo away the Hylian; he's too determined to learn the truth behind Roy. "Link," he began. "Why are you so interested in Roy?"

"Well…" Link's face softened when he tried to think up of a lie. "My cousin who used to be in the Melee Tournament told me that Roy was one of brawlers who did not leave. I was really interested in meeting him but yesterday, I found out that he did not return. Everyone acted like Roy did not exist. I want to find out why did he leave."

"Link, sit down." Master Hand flicked some paper off a chair. Link seated himself and eyed the gloved hand with a stern look. "Near the end of Melee, we had some issues with a few brawlers…"

Author's Notes: DUN DUN DUN! CLIFFHANGER! /gets chased by angry reviewers armed with pitchforks

Roy's Past will probably be revealed in the next two or three chapters. (It depends; when do you want to see Roy's past? It cannot be the next chapter)

Also, for my poll the "M rated Ike & Roy story" and "Link wants to become mush stronger" is tied for votes. (Including the guest reviewers' votes) If you hadn't voted yet, please take a look at my poll!

Story Question:

Now that more information is *coughs* given about Roy, what do you think happened to him now?

Is the pace of the story right?

Let's pretend you are a returning brawler from Melee. If you saw Roy, who was said to be banished from the Smash Mansion, how would you react?