Chapter 3

After the familiar dizzying trip through the portal, Roy was brought in front of the same Smash Mansion. It appeared to be different than it was five years ago: the black paint on the façade of the Mansion was peeling off, and there were a few holes on the roof.

When Roy dismounted, he saw another portal appearing behind him. Turning to face it, he tilted his head.

"Huh?" he wondered aloud.

Then, a young boy, no older than thirteen, walked out of the portal. He had blond hair and wore a yellow shirt with red stripes. He also wore blue shorts, with a matching pair of blue shoes.

The boy looked up at Roy. "Oh!" he said with a polite smile. "Hello. Are you a newcomer?"

Roy shook his head. "Not really…" he replied. "I was just invited back. I was part of the Melee tournament."

The boy's eyes lit up. "A veteran? Me too!" he cried excitedly. "I was part of the Brawl tournament, but I was sent back home for a year."

Roy nodded. "I see. I am Roy, by the way."

The boy smiled. "I'm Lucas. Nice to meet you Roy,." Lucas said cheerfully.

That was when another portal appeared beside them. Lucas and Roy stared at it, both of them wondering who else was coming to join the tournament.

That was when a man, possibly in his early thirties, walked out of the portal. A red headband was tied around his forehead, and he wore white karate gi. He looked at the area around him before he turned to face Roy and Lucas.

"This is the Smash Mansion, right?" he asked.

Roy and Lucas nodded. "Yes. And you are?" Roy asked.

"I am Ryu. I was just invited here."

Lucas smiled widely. "A newcomer?! I thought Master Hand was done giving out invitations for newcomers?"

Ryu shrugged. "Apparently not."

The three then turned to face the Mansion. Roy gulped down a lump in his throat as his mind raced. He remembered Marth and all the friends he made back in Melee. He had heard that some of them did not return to the Smash Tournament for Brawl, and would probably not return this time either. He then thought of Marth. Is he still there?

"Um…Mr. Roy?"

Roy snapped out of his thoughts and turned to face Lucas.

"Is something wrong?" Lucas asked, an eyebrow raised.

Roy shook his head. "I-I'm all right."

"Well," Ryu spoke up, "let's get going."

Roy and Lucas nodded. They walked up the cobblestone steps, and Roy was the one to open the door.

Inside, it was dark.

Lucas' eyes widened, and he began to shake. Ryu raised an eyebrow. Roy tilted his head.

"Huh? What's going—" Before Roy could say anything else, the lights were suddenly turned on, and all the Smashers, along with new people that Roy had never seen before, jumped out of their hiding spots.

"WELCOME TO SMASH!" they all cried.

Lucas yelped as Ryu stepped back, and Roy jumped.

Mario was the first one to greet the three. "Welcome to Smash! At least…to Ryu," Mario chuckled. "Welcome back, Lucas and Roy!"

The three smiled. "Thank you, Mario," Roy said with a smile.

Meta Knight and Ness ran towards Lucas, hugging the psychic boy.

"LUCAS!" Ness cried, tears springing his eyes. "Why did you leave us?!"

Lucas chuckled. "Well, I had some stuff to do, but I'm back now!"

Meta Knight was the next one to speak. "You were not slacking off with your training, right?"

Lucas laughed. "No, Sir Meta Knight. I've been training every day!"

A short boxer rushed towards Ryu, his eyes wide and a large smile plastered on his face.

"You're…Ryu?" he asked.

Ryu smiled at him and nodded. "Yes."

The boxer's smile grew wider. "I'm a big fan of yours! It's an honor to meet you!"

Ryu chuckled.

Roy ignored the chattering about Lucas and Ryu, and he stared at the new faces he'd never seen before.

That was when a familiar cat-like Pokémon and a doctor came up to him.

"Ah, Roy." Mewtwo spoke telepathically.

Roy smiled widely at the two. "Mewtwo! Dr. Mario! Oh, it's been too long!" he cried cheerfully.

Mewtwo and Dr. Mario nodded. "We are glad that you're back, Roy," Dr. Mario said.

Roy's smile slowly turned into a frown when his eyes scanned the crowds. He did not see Pichu nor Young Link anywhere.

"Say…where's Pichu and Young Link?" Roy asked.

Mewtwo and Dr. Mario stared at each other, frowns also forming on their faces. They then turned back to face Roy.

"I apologize, Roy, but," Mewtwo sighed, "they're not coming back. They left after the Melee tournament."

Roy's frown intensified. "I…see."

"We were actually worried that you might not come back, honestly," Dr. Mario explained. "Ike was considered your replacement."

Roy's eyes widened. Replaced?!

"But…why?" Roy asked.

Mewtwo shrugged. "We are not sure. That is what Master Hand said."

"Oh…" Roy sighed.

Dr. Mario placed a hand on Roy's shoulder. "Well, I hope you stay for years to come! We should get together at lunch and talk like old times."

Despite this, Roy was unhappy. Thoughts about this "Ike" person replacing him swirled in his head. Why would they replace me?

He snapped out of his thoughts when he heard a familiar voice.

"ROY!"

Roy turned around, only to be tackled into a hug by a blue-haired man. Roy studied him, recognizing the tiara and the blue hair.

"…Marth?"

Marth let his longtime friend go, a grin on his face. "I'm so glad you came back!"

Roy smiled slightly. "Thanks Marth. Did you miss me?"

"Of course!" Marth laughed. "I thought about you every day while you were gone."

Roy chuckled softly. "Well…"

"You should meet my friends!" Marth cried excitedly.

Roy raised an eyebrow. "Friends…?"

Marth gripped Roy's hand. "I'll introduce you."

Roy did not even protest as Marth dragged him towards four people. Two of them had similar looks, but they were of different genders. They both had white hair, they both wore black robes, and under their arms, they held thick tomes. A blue haired woman who looked extremely identical to Marth was chatting with the two. Beside them was a buff man with spiky blue hair. He wore a green headband, and a tattered red cape was draped over his shoulders. His entire body was encased in blue armor.

The four people stopped chatting and they turned to face Marth and Roy.

"Ooooh," the white-haired woman gasped. "Is that THE Roy you were talking about, Marth?"

Marth nodded. "Yes. Robin? Reflet? Lucina? Ike? This is Roy, my best friend."

The older blue-haired male named Ike chuckled. "I thought I was your best friend, Marth?"

That set Roy off. He clenched his jaw, and his face grew redder by the minute. He stomped towards Ike and got up in his face. "YOU! You replaced me from the tournament, and now you're replacing me as Marth's friend?!"

The commotion got all the other Smashers' attention. Even Lucas and Ryu stared.

Ike's eyes widened. He had heard stories of how calm and friendly Roy was, so he was not expecting this.

"Whoa, take it easy, I was just joshing yo—" Before he could get another word out, Roy pushed him hard. Ike tumbled right into a table, tipping it over as he fell to the ground.

Robin, Reflet, and Lucina ran to check on him, and Marth stared at Roy in shock.

"ROY! What was that for?!" Marth scolded.

Roy glared at Marth before leaving with a huff. The other Smashers watched Roy walk away, and he disappeared down a hallway.

Marth also watched him leave, an eyebrow raised in confusion.

…What happened to Roy? I have never seen him like this before…

Constructive criticism is welcomed!

Beta reader: h34rt1lly