Chapter 9: The Draft

Sulfur.

Lucina took a deep breath. Sulfur? How come she was smelling sulfur? She opened her eyes slowly. Grays and reds filled the sky, and smoke billowed out of the fallow ground. She stood upon the top of a hill overlooking a long destroyed war camp. In the distance, she could hear the roars of several wyverns. Lucina's breathing became shallow. She had been here before. She heard footfalls coming from behind. Turning slowly, she caught the glimpse of a purple cloak. Before she could call out, she felt a sharp pain in her side. Gasping in shock, Lucina pushed off in the direction, her hand catching the assailant's shoulder. She put her hand to her side, feeling a small dagger stuck in her sides. Lucina gritted her teeth, pulling it out. She turned to face her attacker, holding Falchion in one hand, the other hand still covering her wound. The swordswoman's face fell as she saw the identity of her attacker. The armor was darker, the scowl was more pronounced, but the maroon eyes, the white hair, the way she moved said hair from her forehead...

Severa stood in front of Lucina, sneering at the princess. Lucina started breathing faster and even more shallow.

"S-Severa?" She managed to get out. "Why?" Lucina began feeling dizzy. Damn, blood loss. She thought.

"Why do you think, Lucy?" Severa shouted, the sneer still planted on her face. "Did you think I'd just forget what you tried to do to my dad?" She pulled her sword from her sheath. "When all he wanted was some help?!"

"Sev, I'm sorry!" Lucina tasted blood inbetween her words. "I was just trying to save-"

"I'm just trying to save!" Severa said, mockingly. "How about you 'save' your breath?" Lucina could see tears in Severa's eyes. "I thought you were my friend." She swung at the princess. "My. Best. Friend!" Each word was emphasized by another swing. It look Lucina everything in her to just block the attacks. "What kind of friend tries to kill their friend's father?" Severa swung, but as Lucina blocked, she kicked out with her foot. The leg connected, and Lucina tumbled down the hill.

Lucina grimaced. The wound was getting worse, and, even though she was a great swordfighter, she didn't have a chance against Severa in these conditions. As she saw Severa leisurely walk down the hill towards her, she heard a sigh. Lucina looked to her left. As if materialized from the air itself, there stood Cordelia. The Pegasus Rider looked at Lucina, sadness etched in her eyes.

"L-lady Cordelia!" Lucina said, pleadingly. "I didn't mean for this to happen! I just wanted to save the world!"

Cordelia looked at Lucina with pity. "I understand, Lucina. But can you blame Severa for being angry?" Lucina felt tears coming from her eyes. "You tried to kill her father." She glared. "My husband, as well." Lucina was now openly weeping. "But I understand that the greater good needed my husband and my best friend dead." Cordelia said bitterly.

"Aunty..." Lucina blubbered through her sobs. "Please..." Cordelia leaned in, and as she moved closer, her face seemed to melt and morph. Lucina gaped in horror. Inches from her face stood Robin. He was sneering.

"You presume to address my wife as such, after the hell she's been through?" Robin spat out. "No, Lucina. You've earned this." For a second, his skin seemed to glisten in the sun, like scales on a lizard. "You made me feel guilty. Made me sacrifice myself for the greater good." He began pacing in front on the now semi-conscious Lucina. "I could've had time with my family! If you hadn't made me feel like I had one option!" Lucina was now cradling herself, sobs choking her. She felt a hand grab her chin, and struggled as Robin brought her to eye level. "But do you want to know the worst part?"

Lucina closed her eyes tightly. She didn't want to answer, but felt the words escape her lips. "What?" She sqeaked out. She slowly opened up her eyes, and shouted in despair. A giant dragon stood over her, flames escaping it's mouth.

"Even after all that work, you still failed."

Lucina awoke with a scream. She felt the soft bed of the Smash Mansion, her silk nightgown, the morning sun coming through the treeline. She patted herself, spending a little extra time on her left side. She breathed a sigh of relief. It was just a dream.

"Hey, kid."

Samus's voice made Lucina jump a little. Samus sat down on a bench next to the bed, holding some cups of tea.

"I didn't mean to startle you, Lucina." Samus's face was etched with concern. "You were having a nightmare."

Lucina took a deep breath, and tried to compose herself. Her face was damp from sweat. "It was nothing." She finally answered. "Just a moment of weakness." Samus handed Lucina a tea cup and sat down next to the bed.

"Don't give me that." Samus scolded. "I've had those kind of dreams. The ones where you can't save everyone, or everyone suddenly hates you and wants you dead." Samus took a sip of tea. "It ain't fun."

"But why now? Everyone has forgiven me, Samus." Lucina could feel herself tear up. "Why do I still feel like I'm a monster?" Lucina stifled her sobs.

"Because you haven't forgiven yourself." Samus answered simply. "Which I get. You feel like maybe you made a bad decision somewhere down the line." Lucina took a small sip of tea. "And now you feel alone and hated. Or, at least, you should be." Samus finished her statement, gauging Lucina's reaction. Lucina was shaking a little.

"How do I know that everyone doesn't feel the same way I do about this?" Lucina asked quietly. Samus looked up at her new friend. She sighed internally. Metaknight was dead on the money, she's more like me than I wished. She thought.

"Lucina, I know someone who could help." She blurted out. Samus paused, "But he can be hard to deal with."

Lucina sniffed, wiping away a tear. "W-who could help?"

"Another smasher, a Pokemon like Pikachu, but he has psychic abilities." Samus paused. "Name's Mewtwo."

Lucina looked at Samus, the pause was longer than it should've been. "Something wrong about Mewtwo?"

Samus scratched her head. "Well, not exactly." She took a quick sip of tea. "He's … hard to read. And I think he enjoys that." Lucina frowned.

"But is he helpful?" She asked.

"If you ask nicely, Mewtwo will do a lot for you." Samus replied. "But don't expect him to open up or pretend to care. He's … very blunt."

"But he will help."

"Yeah." Samus stood up from her chair. "He's in room 209, if you want to meet him." She made her way to the door.

"Where are you headed?" Lucina asked, still reeling from her nightmare.

"Some of us got called into a meeting with the Board." Samus gave Lucina a little wink. "Nothing we can't handle, probably some marketing issue before the big press event." Lucina attempted to get up. "Why don't you relax for a minute?" Samus said with enough force to mask her concern. "Go see Mewtwo, and do some light training?" Samus exited the room, leaving the swordswoman alone with her thoughts once more.

By the time Samus reached the boardroom, she could already hear the commotion from inside. As she stepped into the room, the dulled shouts from behind the wall became a monumental cacophony. There were 20 people in total, including herself. She recognized the small raccoon from earlier, as well as the redhead that knew Robin and Lucina so well. There was also a young girl with black hair, wearing a headband, a vest covering a flowery top, and brown shorts. Samus could also see what looked like … a toddler? The toddler looked the angriest out of all the board, engaged in a shouting match with Zelda. Samus walked over to Metaknight, who was silently perusing some papers. "What's going on?" Samus asked.

Metaknight looked up. "Good morning, Ms. Aran. You were delayed, I presume?"

Samus nodded. "Lucina had a nightmare. Sounded like family issues, she kept apologizing to her 'Auntie'." Metaknight squinted, trying to read Samus's reaction.

"Another nightmare does not bode well." Metaknight said. "First Link, then Lucina? How is she feeling?"

"Better. She's stronger than most, so she'll be okay." Samus sat down next to the Star Warrior. "But I agree, the whole 'apocalyptic vision' stuff is starting to worry me." She looked around the boardroom. "Speaking of apocalypse, what on earth is going on?"

"New format for the newbie tournament."

"New format?" Samus looked quizzically at Metaknight. "What was wrong with last year's tournament?"

"Nothing in particular. We just have more new smashers than ever, and the Board is concerned that the new smashers will feel alienated."

Samus was about to answer, when she heard a deep voice echo throughout the boardroom. "Silence." Out of the shadows came out the Master Hand. The hand was gargantuan, a white glove covering whatever ethereal being floated inside. Everyone at the table immediately fell into silence, and began to sit down. The hand took it's place in between the raccoon and the toddler. "The changes are final, this is not a debate. It is a draft." The echo held for several seconds, while the smashers looked at each other awkwardly. Samus raised her hand.

"Um … I came in late, so I missed a lot of the argument. What's this draft about?" She asked. The hand was silent, but moved to face the redhead.

"Board Member Anna, would you care to explain?"

Anna jumped a little bit. "Of course, sir! Right away, sir!" She almost shouted. "Well, this year there are 16 newbies, which, obviously, is a lot." She looked at the smashers as she continued. "So we decided to pair up each new smasher with a veteran. Based on some info we got from polls, this will also increase popularity about … thirteen percent."

Samus scowled. "What was wrong with the one-on-one style? We already have a lot on our plate."

"There will be a one-on-one tournament, don't worry!" Anna said reassuringly. "We'll have the one-on-one tournament, the newbie double tournament, and the regular double tournament." Samus continued scowling. "And that's why we're doing the newbie tournament before the other two, so you guys can get a break!"

"Wait, what?!" Peach interrupted. "How long is this Smash season going to last?!"

"Two months, same as always, yes?" Tom Nook answered. Anna sat down, relieved. "The first two weeks will be the newbie tournament, the next two will be the main events."

There were murmurs, but everyone kept relatively quiet. Master Hand spoke, startling the smashers.

"The draft will now start." A jar filled with paper strips materialized in front of Zelda. "Each of you will pick one paper. Each paper has a number. That number will determine when you choose your new partner." Zelda took a paper and passed it down the line. As it reached Samus, she pulled out her paper. She looked at the small number "4" written on it. After a few minutes, the jar had finally reached everyone in the group. Master Hand spoke up again. "Good, now we'll call out the numbers."

Anna grabbed a sheet of paper. "Alright, let's give it a shot."

"One."

"Yo." Falco nonchalantly raised his hand while responding.

"Two."

"Here." Marth nodded in recognition.

"Three."

"Mhm." Link raised his hand, making a … standard amount of sound for him.

"Four."

Samus raised her hand. "Yep."

"Five" Anna continued on. As they reached nine, and Ganondorf raised his hand, Samus noticed that Zelda hadn't responded yet. Ganondorf had noticed too, and wore a smug grin.

"Fourteen"

"Yes." Zelda stated flatly.

As Anna finished, Samus began looking through newbie profiles. Honestly, she had a good idea of who she wanted to draft, but she wanted to cross her t's and dot her i's. She smiled. Good, I won't seem like an idiot. She thought.

Lucina stood outside of room 209, looking at her feet. She had been standing there for several minutes, just trying to figure out how to approach this situation. She had never even met this Mewtwo, and here she was, asking for a favor. I mean, that was inappropriate and very uncouth. Maribelle would scold her endlessly for this. As she was debating with herself, the door in front of her slowly swung open. A dark blue light emanated from the room.

No offense, Lucina, but I don't have all day.

Lucina looked around, startled. The voice in her head continued.

It's alright, child. You'll see in due time. Please, come in.

Lucina carefully walked into the room. The room was similar to her own, with a small bed, a desk, and a door leading to the bathroom. However, the lighting was much darker, and the walls were covered in strange arcane symbols. There was a small yoga mat, and levitating over it was a strange cat-like creature. It kept it's eyes closed, but Lucina could feel it's thoughts pouring over her.

I would say this was an unexpected visit, but that would make me a liar. Lucina heard Mewtwo in her head. And I know what you're going to ask me, but I'll be polite. What can I do to help you?

"Um … I was hoping you'd take a look into my dreams, and try to help me." Lucina murmured.

… Very well. Take the seat. A seat moved from the desk to right next to Lucina. She quietly took the seat. Mewtwo opened his eyes. What does Robin mean to you?

"E-excuse me?" Lucina was flustered. "He's my best friend's father! And my father's best friend!"

But why are you so afraid of him?

"Well, he had turned into a monster once upon a time..." Lucina tried to make it sound convincing.

Don't lie to me. Mewtwo was curt. It's not a rational fear. You like the man, but you're afraid of him for some other reason.

Lucina frowned. "If you know the answer, why don't you tell me?" She asked.

It's not my place. And I think you know that. I'll help you, but you need to think about yourself first.

"What do I need to think about?" Lucina started shaking.

Mewtwo closed his eyes again. Before he spoke, he gave a small smile.

Tell me more about your friend Severa.

As Lucina entered the main foyer, she was met by several people. Samus, Zelda, Marth, Corrin and Robin were talking amongst themselves. As Lucina joined them, Samus patted the swordswoman on the back.

"What's up, Lucina? Did you talk to Mewtwo?" Lucina gave a small smile.

"Yes, it was … very strange."

Samus frowned. "He wasn't an ass, was he? Because if he was ..." Lucina laughed a little bit.

"No, no, no. Nothing like that." She looked at Robin, who gave her a supportive smile. "I just have a lot to figure out, and some people I need to apologize to." Samus nodded in understanding. "What was the meeting about?" Zelda and Samus gave each other a look.

"Well, the tournament rules have changed." Zelda began explaining. "New smashers were paired up with 16 veteran smashers."

Lucina paused, noticing the grim look on everyone's face. "What happened? All of you look so downtrodden." She asked.

Zelda replied. "Well, Samus had the fourth pick, but I was stuck at fourteen." She looked at Robin, apologetically.

"Who's my partner?" Lucina was nervous.

"Oh, don't worry." Samus answered. "I picked you! Our team is gonna crush it!" She paused, looking sheepish. "The problem is more about Robin."

Robin looked a little miffed. "By all accounts, I should be flattered. My 'statistics'-" He emphasized this by rolling his eyes. "-aren't exactly good enough to warrant a high pick."

"The problem is who picked you up." Zelda grumbled. Lucina opened her mouth to ask, when she heard a booming voice come from behind.

"There you are, Robin! I was afraid I missed you!" Lucina turned around, and there stood Ganondorf. Despite his fearsome size, he had a bright smile on his face. "I wanted to figure out a time for us to meet, you know, have a 'meeting of the minds' and all that?" Robin chuckled nervously.

"Y-yeah, absolutely. We should meet soon. Maybe after the presser?" Robin asked meekly.

"Alright, I like that choice." Ganondorf clapped Robin on the back, knocking the wind out of the tactician. "Well, I have to go, lots of things to do, people to see!" He bowed to the others. "It was a true pleasure." As Ganondorf left their sights, Lucina turned to glare at her friends.

"Him?" She hissed. "You let him pick Robin?"

"I had a later pick! I couldn't actually do anything!" Zelda pouted. "Samus, Falco, and Marth all had top 5 picks!"

"Hey, don't look at me!" protested Falco. "I had the first pick! How was I supposed to know? And I wasn't about to pick someone with long range weapons." He looked down at Robin. "No offense, dude."

"None -wheeze- taken." Robin managed to get out.

"I figured you and Samus had an actual gameplan." Marth said, sarcastically. "I felt like interfering would be silly."

Samus paused, looking around awkwardly. "I admit, I might have been a little selfish with my choice." she finally admitted. "But I honestly think we can handle it. All we have to do is beat Robin and Ganondorf, right?"

Zelda pondered for a moment. "I suppose so. Ganondorf is forced to wear power limiters, so focusing on beating Robin should be top priority."

Robin looked up. "Wait a minute." He said in a worrisome tone. "Don't I get a say in any of this?"

"And then they all had to nerve to just let fate decide what to do with Robin!" Lucina was ranting to the communicator. Severa sat on the other side, sitting straight and proper while Lucina paced around the room.

"Honestly, Lucy. This isn't normal for you." Severa said in a concerned voice. "You never get this angry."

Lucina paused, took a deep breath, and continued. "I know. But now Robin is once again stuck with evil people!" She turned to her friend. "He's your father, and I failed him, so therefore I fai-" Severa held out her hand.

"I know what you're going to say, Lucy." She scowled. "But honestly, I don't care." Lucina gaped, stunned. "Don't look at me like that, it isn't flattering! What I mean to say is that my dad can handle this Ganondorf loser! You're getting to work with Samus, who, if I remember correctly, is everything you want to be." Lucina frowned.

"But still, what if Robin get's tricked? What if I have to fight him for real?"

"Then do it. My dad can handle it, you know that!" Severa scolded. "Now get on your feet, Lucy! It's not like you to be sulking." Severa said, adding a wink at the end. "That's my job."

Lucina smiled. "Thanks, Sev. I appreciate it."

"You're welcome." Severa smiled, and Lucina could hear voices from beyond Severa's room. "Ah! I have to go! Mom is expecting visitors, we're having an all-girl dinner party!"

"It sounds like I'm missing out on quite a bit of mischief." Lucina giggled.

"Well, don't worry about missing me! I'll be by in a couple of days!" Severa said with a grin.

Lucina froze. "A … couple of days?" Severa just laughed and continued.

"Yeah, silly! Mom, Morgan, and I are heading to your outrealm so we can see your interview first-hand!"

"That's … great!" Lucina attempted to hide your nerves. "I'm really excited to see you!"

"Aww, Lucy, you do care!" Severa winked after her statement. "I really do need to go though. Miss you!" And with that, Severa disconnected the call. Lucina started pacing again, much faster and with more intensity.

"Why does this get more and more complicated for me?"

I honestly did not expect to get the positive reactions I've gotten over the past few days. Thank you all so much! I tried to use some of the suggestions you guys gave me to improve my writing.

In response to my most recent reviewer, sometimes things just fall into Ganondorf's lap, huh? But it's cool, he seems like a chill dude.

Next chapter is super exciting! Watch the mundane day before the Presser in Chapter 10: My Golf Trip with Bowser!