Chapter 11: Meet the Press

"Wake up, sleepyhead!"

Robin groaned as he lifted his head out of his pillow. His sleep had been consistently interrupted by recurring flashes of thought. All of the questions, and the frustrating lack of answers to said questions. It had been awhile since he had such a restless night. He yawned, and was about to turn back to his pillow for another five minutes of sleep, when the thought crashed into his head. Who's trying to wake me, and why do they sound like... Robin whipped his head around, facing the doorway. Anna was peering into his room. Robin looked down, sighing in relief when he saw his undershirt. Alright, he was relatively decent. He looked back up at this Seller friend. Anna was gazing in with a mixture of embarrassment and annoyance.

"Took you long enough!" She shouted. "You have your photo op in about 45 minutes!"

"Why are you the one waking me up?" Robin asked, accusingly. Anna rubbed her temples in frustration.

"Out of all the people, I would expect you to read the introduction packet." She said, pointing at the small booklet at Robin's bedside table. The tactician rubbed the back of his head in slight embarrassment.

"I was planning on it … but I got distracted." He picked the booklet up. "What's in here that's so important?" He began flipping through the pages.

"Naga help me," Anna muttered to herself, before walking into the room. Robin instinctively covering himself with the bed. "Oh, stop that. It's not like other redheads haven't seen worse." She rolled her eyes.

"Are you serious?!" Robin countered. "Just because you have similar hair color to Cordelia does not give you the transitive property of also seeing me like this!" He shouted. Anna just waved him off, walking into his closet.

"It's a ginger thing, honey. You just don't understand." She looked through his closet. "I think a tan suit, with some purple and white accents. It suits you." She looked back at the glaring tactician.

"Even for you, that was bad." He grumbled. Anna laughed, and Robin immediately felt something was off. That laugh was too familiar. "Wait a minute …" Anna had walked over to his bedside. He rubbed his eyes. He was still bleary, but everything about Anna seemed … off. The hair was a brighter shade of red, she seemed more … lithe, and her laugh and facial expressions were all …

"Don't tell me all of this time spent in this mansion has dulled your senses." Anna said, suddenly sitting next to him on the bed. Robin's eyes grew wide. Anna's face … wasn't Anna's at all! It was all to familiar, and all too welcome. He smiled, involuntarily. This Anna smiled back, and quickly swept him up in a kiss. As they ended their kiss and embrace, too soon for Robin's taste, he looked back at the woman he barely got to see since he came back. He frowned.

"Cordelia, that's a cruel trick." He pretended to sound hurt, but couldn't truly manage it. His wife grinned, slyly.

"You're not the only one who can outsmart people." She proclaimed. "Anna was the only one who could enter your room, so..." Just then, Anna burst in, wearing a moderate length skirt with a button up top.

"... We just pulled the old switcheroo!" Anna shouted, gleefully. "Ginger power can't be stopped!"

Robin was still perplexed. He turned to his wife. "Seriously, you had me convinced for a minute … while I was woozy." He admitted. Cordelia smiled, obviously proud of herself.

"It took me two days to really get Anna's mannerisms, you know." She winked and put her finger on her chin, in a distinctly Anna way. "It was not easy!"

Robin turned to Anna, mock glaring. "You have ruined the love of my life, Anna." He admonished. "I married her for her distinct 'non-Anna'-ness." Cordelia and Anna both rolled their eyes, before breaking into giggles. It had taken four years, but Robin was secretly glad to see Cordelia cracking jokes like this, sharing her sense of humor with others. It was at this point that Anna looked at her wrist.

"Seriously though, you need to get ready. You do have a photo op in 30 minutes." She stated. Robin frowned. So that wasn't a joke after all.

"Should I wear the suit, or my normal attire?" He asked. Anna put her finger to her chin in thought.

"Normal attire for the photo op." She answered. "Suit for the press if you can change in time."

Robin nodded. "Alright." He responded. "Now, while I enjoy the company of both of you," He shot a look at both women. "I really need you to leave the room so I can get cleaned and dressed." He could see Anna and Cordelia about to try to finagle their way into helping him out. Cordelia for obvious reasons, and Anna for potential monetary gains that he didn't want to think about. "Now would be nice." He hinted, faking a sweet voice. Cordelia blushed heavily, and quickly escorted herself and Anna out of the room. Robin sighed to himself, as he walked into the washroom.

Lucina had decided to see the photo op earlier than she needed to. Maybe seeing how the whole experience would go could ease her mind. As she exited her room and turned the corner, she saw what looked like two Annas. At first, Lucina wasn't bothered, there were potentially hundreds of Anna's out in the world. The secret seller herself said that she came from a large family. However, this other Anna was taller than the ones that Lucina had met before. And as she got closer, she noticed that this new Anna didn't sound like any of the others, or really look it. She squinted. This Anna looked very much like... "... Aunt Cordelia?!" She shouted in surprise. Cordelia and Anna turned, startled. The pegasus knight smiled broadly at the accidental intruder.

"Lucina! I was hoping I could get to see you before the interviews." She said warmly. Lucina embraced her godmother as Anna huffed in frustration.

"What? No hugs for poor ol' Anna here?" She muttered. As she finished, she felt Lucina hug her as well.

"Oh, Ms. Anna. You've helped me so much already." The Princess said. "I can't possibly repay you!" Anna laughed nervously.

"Hey, let's not get too crazy! Repayment is always an option!" She said nervously. She couldn't help but smile. Cordelia undid her hair from her ponytail.

"Anna, you may need to help me with my hair." She stated. "I don't understand how you could wear it this way all the time." Cordelia grumbled as she tried to untangle her hair.

"Trust me sweetie, it's a gift." Anna said, winking for emphasis. She faced Lucina. "Have fun today, Lucy! I'm gonna go help Cordelia fix her hair." Both redheads ran down the hallway. Lucina smiled to herself. If Cordelia was already here, then that meant that her whole family was there! That meant... Lucina shook with anticipation. Family and friends always helped with nerves. It would be good for her to see her family before she got pictures taken.

As Lucina turned the corner at the stairs heading down to the foyer, she was greeted by a a familiar face.

Well, 'face' wasn't quite right. At the angle she was at, Lucina could not get a clean look at the face. But the white hair in distinctive pigtails was enough to confirm Lucina's suspicions. As she walked down the stairs, Lucina spoke up.

"Hello, Severa. I would expect you to be with your father right now." She tried to sound formal, but only managed to sound stiff. Her friend turned to her, scowling.

"What? No 'How have you been, Sev?' 'How are your parents, Sev?' 'How's your love life, Sev?'" Severa got more and more exasperated with every mock question. Before Lucina could even respond, Severa kept going. "As for mother, she decided to saunter off rather than spend time with her daughters!" She looked at the ground, red dusted her cheeks. "... I mean, mom was being romantic, in her annoying, perfect kind of way." Severa muttered. She found herself frozen as she felt Lucina embrace her. She could hear the princess giggle to herself.

"It's wonderful to see you as well, Sev." Lucina said, almost grateful that Severa hadn't changed at all. "Could you possibly lead me to my parents? I would really appreciate it." Severa nodded.

"Sure, Lucy." She said, before scowling towards the stairway. "It's better than waiting for my parent's to get their lives in order."

The photo op was taking place in the main foyer, which was good for a lot of the newer smashers, who had not quite gotten used to the labyrinth that was the mansion. What had been a collection of various couches, televisions, chessboards, and other various decorations were not replaced by four different stages. All the stages were surrounded by, as Lucina noted, what looked to be a lot of little pieces of technology. As she observed one such stage, she saw several people come up to the technology and mess with it for a moment. A bright flash emanated from the little boxes. Lucina blinked in surprise. I have to stand in front of that light? She thought, as she followed Severa through the foyer. As she passed another stage, she caught a glance of both crimson and dark blue hair. Add to that the squeals of delight she could hear from 40 or so paces away, and she had a good idea of who the people were. Lucina braced herself as her younger sister barreled into her.

"Lucina! I'm so excited!" Cynthia practically screamed Lucina's ear off. "Knights, glory, and fame?! I should've joined when I had the chance!" Severa rolled her eyes.

"Puh-leese." She said, sneering and crossing her arms. "Lucina and dad didn't even know they were in it until they were picked up." She smirked when she paused. "I don't think you can just 'sign up', Cynthia." The young pegasus knight pouted in response.

"Aww, it just seems so heroic." She responded, turning to hug her sister once again. "I'm really proud of you, Lucy." Lucina returned the embrace, smiling.

"Thank you, Cynthia. It means a lot to me." Lucina turned to where Cynthia had come from. Severa's little sister Morgan was speaking to the two people that Lucina wanted to see the most. She walked up to the two figures, trying to not look too childish.

"Hello father, hello mother!" She said, smiling widely. Chrom and Sumia turned to face their daughter, the queen immediately fawning over her.

"My little Lucina!" Lucina was getting used to all of the hugs, but her mother always seemed to hug just a little bit harder than the others. "I'm so proud of you!" Lucina gasped as the hug got even tighter.

"Mother … can't … breathe." She managed to squeak out. Sumia let go of her daughter, flush with embarrassment.

"Oh, dear. I'm so sorry." She apologized. "I still overdo it sometimes." Lucina smiled weakly in response.

"It's alright, mother. I'm glad to see you and father today."

Chrom spoke up. "Neither of us would miss a chance to support you, Lucina." He patted her shoulder. "Are you looking forward to today?" As Lucina was about to answer, her father leaned in and whispered. "Because I have no clue what any of this means."

Lucina grimaced. "To be honest, I'm not certain." She answered. "It's all so new." She looked down at the ground. She felt her father hug her.

"You'll do fine, Lucina." He told her confidently. "You have poise and strength beyond your youth." Lucina smiled and returned the hug. She heard Severa huff.

"Great, a hug-fest." She muttered.

Samus checked her watch. She groaned. There were only 10 minutes until her photo op. Normally, she would just wait until the presser, and avoid the photo op. However … I need to give a good impression to Lucina. I have to be a role model. She thought. She looked in her closet. Maybe it was time to wear the power armor. As she gave her power armor a glance over, she smiled to herself. She reached over and flipped a switch on the helmet. As the suit lit up, she heard a robotic voice.

"hello samus"

"Mornin' VI." VI was the suit's new program interface. It was a new interface after the distaster of ADAM.

"you have an appointment in 10 minutes, samus" Samus smirked.

"I'm well aware, VI." She answered. "I'm thinkin' about wearing the power armor for the photo op."

"i'm in agreement, samus" the suit's voice droned. "it would be an appropriate way to get people excited" Samus snorted involuntarily.

"You don't have to convince me, you know." She said.

"i just wanted to let you know how unappreciated you make me feel"

"Watch it, VI. I'm still not over robots trying to kill me." Samus said in a fake hurt voice. She began putting on the armor. As she was putting on the leg armor, she heard a knock on her door. "Yo, come in!" She shouted. The door cracked open, and Samus could see Zelda peering in. Zelda gave off a startled shout.

"Ah, I'm so sorry, Samus!" Zelda cried out. "I'll come back when you're decent."

Samus rolled her eyes. "Zel, you've seen me in the Zero Suit more times than in my Power Suit." She said with exasperation. "I'm pretty sure I'm decent."

Zelda peeked in again. "... so can I come in?" She asked meekly. Samus nodded.

"Of course! You're my friend!" She answered. "And I might need your help getting this armor on." She turned her back to Zelda. "Can you put the back plate on?" Zelda nodded, slowly picking up the piece of armor. She placed the piece on Samus's back.

"Was that satisfactory, Samus?" Zelda asked.

Samus turned around, rolling her eyes. "Of course it was, Zel!" She responded. "What's wrong? You're acting really down."

Zelda averted her eyes from Samus's gaze. "I'm … just worried about all of these recent nightmares that our friends have been having." She finally looked at Samus. "What if our failure to get Robin away from Ganondorf dooms everyone?!" Her voice was beginning to strain. She gasped in surprise as she felt metal gauntlets on the sides of her head. Samus was staring the Hylian princess down.

"Zel, stop being so hard on yourself." She said softly. "All we can do is help where we can. Just be brilliant like I know you can." Samus stood up, helping Zelda stand as well. "C'mon, we've gotta get to the photo op." Before they left the room, Samus turned towards her friend. "Do you really not trust Robin? I think he can handle himself." Zelda grimaced and responded.

"I think he thinks that as well, and that's the problem."

"Can you point the sword upward? Think standing up to a large monster in a heroic fashion."

Lucina smiled and complied. While this all felt superfluous and silly, it was hard to deny that this whole photography session was fun. Robin, Cordelia, and Anna had now joined the group.

"Think that you're defending the world from harm!" The photographer called out. "Perfect! That's it!"

After another minute or so, Lucina was called off the stage. Robin now walked onstage.

"Alright, so you're Robin?" The photographer didn't wait for a response. "Okay, let's do the 'dangerously smart' kinda look." Lucina saw Cordelia whisper something to Anna and Sumia, resulting in giggles breaking out amongst the group. Sumia caught her daughter looking at them curiously, and mouthed out a 'I'll explain later'. Lucina nodded in acceptance. As she looked towards the main staircase, she saw a strange sight. Zelda was entering the foyer with a strange, metal clad warrior. The two made their way towards the group, Zelda waving and shouting something to Lucina. However, Lucina could hear nothing. The sounds of multiple photographers giving orders to smashers on separate stages created a din that made Zelda's voice hard to discern.

"I'm sorry, your majesty, what was it you meant to say?" Lucina asked when the two finally joined them. Zelda smiled and replied.

"I was wondering how you were feeling. Mewtwo had mentioned you having a nightmare." Zelda shot Samus a look. She had to go find and bother Mewtwo to get gossip that she could've gotten from her best friend. But Samus stubbornly refused to tell her.

Lucina blushed slightly. "It was nothing, just a passing worry." She answered. "I apologize if I worried you."

Zelda laughed. "Nonsense! We're all friends here, and we should look after each other!" Zelda noticed that the other members of the royal family had now joined them.

"Hello again, your majesty." Chrom bowed. "It truly is a pleasure to see you again."

"The pleasure is all mine, Lord Chrom." The princess replied. "And Queen Sumia, I'm also glad to see you as well." Sumia walked over to the Hylian and wrapped her up in a big hug. Zelda gasped in surprise. Sumia pulled away, obviously embarrassed.

"I'm so sorry, I just …" Sumia paused. "... get carried away sometimes."

"Well, looks like we have a wonderful little moment here!" Another voice entered the group. The others turned. Fox, Falco, Marth, and a man with a pink hoodie had joined the group.

The person wearing the orange armor spoke up. "If you want a hug, just ask, Falco." They flexed, "I give great hugs."

Falco winced. "Samus, I'd like to catch a glimpse of a mid-life crisis before I go." He replied. Lucina looked at Samus in shock.

"Samus is in there?!" She cried out. The bounty hunter took off her helmet, revealing her face to the young princess.

"Yeah, kid, this is my power armor." She replied. "It's what I use for … bigger fish."

The photographer interrupted their conversation. "Alright, I need Princess Zelda on this stage, and Samus needs to go to Stage 3 for the photo op. You two are the last two today!" Samus looked at her royal counterpart.

"Alright, alright. I'll see you guys at the press conference." She said non-chalantly, walking towards the other stage.

The Board set up interviews in three sections. First would be the new smashers in the tournament, separated in sixes. After that would be the32 smashers participating in the Newbie Doubles tournament, brought in by pairs, followed by the All-Star interviews. While the terminology was strange, Robin understood and appreciated the planning that had gone into this system. Robin hadn't had the time to switch out of his robes, much to Cordelia's dismay. He also had to go into a separate area before the presser. As Robin looked at the schedule, he looked at who he was with. Luckily, he was at least with Lucina, though Corrin would be in a later group. Robin sighed to himself as he entered the stage. It was going to be difficult, meeting all these new people. He took his seat in between Lucina and another swordsman, although his garb suggested a similar lifestyle to Fox or Samus. The man in the pink hoodie seated himself to Lucina's left. To his left sat a woman wearing tight black clothing, which matched her raven hair. She wore small glasses and a near-constant smirk on her face. Robin looked to his right. At the very end of the table sat a man with blond hair, black clothes, and a scowl on his face. A giant sword was propped up against the side of the table.

Robin watched as a small raccoon, whom Zelda referred to as 'Tom Nook', went up to the front podium. He cleared his throat, catching the attention of the press.

"Hello, hello!" The small creature began. "Welcome to this year's first press conference! We've been through all the rules, yes, yes?" He pretended to wait for a response, but continued anyway. "Excellent! Our first interviewees are here! We have the lovely Bayonetta," The woman with raven hair politely nodded her head. "Little Mac," The man in pink waved, carrying a self-assured smile. "Lucina," Lucina gave a brief smile before returning to looking through the crowd. "Robin," Robin waved. He managed to catch a glimpse of three people in the back returning the wave. "Shulk," Shulk gave the press a little wink and wave. Robin managed to hear a small chuckle from the group out in front. "and Cloud Strife." The blond haired man made no motion of acknowledgment, choosing to just sit and take in the scene.

"We will now field questions from the press."

A woman with turquoise earrings put up a hand. "Little Mac, you've been the boxing champion of the world for three years now. What made you choose to enter this tournament?" Pink Hoodie shifted a little. What am I becoming, Gaius? Robin thought.

"Well, I figured that this is the next big challenge for me." Little Mac answered.

"But do you think you're at a disadvantage, considering your fighting style?"

"Considering almost nobody here fights like me, I'm not too worried 'bout that."

Another reporter. "Cloud, do you feel like your speed will hinder you in matches?"

"No."

There was small awkward silence before another question came up. "Cloud, do you think you'll do better in the singles tournament, considering the history of your solitary style of fighting?"

"Yes."

"Is there any way we can get more than one word answers?"

" … No."

This time, the panel were the ones laughing. Robin caught Cloud giving the others a small smirk.

"I have a question for Lucina." Lucina stiffened slightly.

"Yes?"

"Lucina, we don't have any good looks on you yet, but we have heard that you have a birthmark … on your eye?"

"That's correct."

"Does that effect your fighting?"

Lucina laughed in surprise. Robin could see her relax. "No, not at all! I wouldn't notice if people didn't mention it to me."

"Bayonetta, what are your plans for the tournaments, considering the amount of magic involved?"

The raven haired woman smirked, before speaking. "Darling, you wouldn't want me to spoil the fun, now would you?" She paused, taking in the response. "And I'll handle it like a witch and a lady, thank you very much."

"Shulk, how much advantage does the Monado provide for you?"

"Aw, I would think it provides some insurance, but it's not infallible, you know?" He shrugged. "I can see moments, but I can't read a mate's mind."

"Robin, you're known for your planning prowess, what should we expect from you?"

Robin grinned. Everyone had told him to be himself, so he went with a little dry humor. After all, at least he could make Cordy laugh. "Long nights with no sleep, maybe even a thrown book or temper tantrum, if you're so lucky." He answered quickly. He heard Little Mac spit out some water, and the laughter of the panel and press.

The first interview had gone as expected. Some soft questions for the press to toss out and get easy answers. Robin was now watching the pairs interviews. Falco and Little Mac were giving sarcastic non-answers to questions, mostly for fun, but Robin also understood why you wouldn't want to share information. He heard heavy footsteps heading his way. He turned his head. Ganondorf walked over to the tactician.

"Are you prepared for the interview?" He asked Robin. Robin shrugged in response. "I hope so, it could be rough."

"All the questions have been rather … soft." Robin replied.

"Yes, but you're about to be interviewed with the 'king of evil'." Ganondorf said before laughing. "They never really take it easy with the bad guy."

Robin was silent. Falco and Little Mac had left the stage, which meant …

"Robin and Ganondorf, you're up!" Someone called from the stage. As Robin walked out and sat at the table, he heard some hushed whispers.

"Alright, we'll start fielding questions, folks."

A balding man in a tan suit raised his hand. "Robin, we have read that you were once a …" He looked at his papers nervously, " … well, you have some history of violence. You claim to be a hero, but are you really?"

Robin was stunned for a moment. So much for soft questions. He leaned over to his microphone.

"Well, first of all, I've never claimed to be a hero." Robin started. "And a history of violence is a pretty vague way of describing my past as a giant death-worshiping dragon." It all came out so easily, maybe it was the cold anger brewing in Robin's gut, but he didn't seem to have any trouble answering this question. "Honestly, that was involuntary already. Plus, I would like to believe that my other actions in my life have made it all a wash."

"I guess we're wondering if you are the hero everyone says you are."

"I'm not sure, but I can tell you one thing." Robin paused. "I'm here to win a tournament and make my family, friends, and country proud. If that's evil, I'm not sure I want to be good." It was a joke, and some of the press took it as such, giving off little chuckles here and there.

A woman with a dark suit spoke up. "Ganondorf, you've finished last in the last two tournaments. Do you feel like your performances match your potential?"

Ganondorf gruffly replied. "Of course not. Who would answer that with a yes?" He gave the reporter a stern look. "Every year, I come in to win it all."

"But a lot of people claim you don't give it your all." She insisted.

"Power limiters can do that to a person." Ganondorf pointed to a bracelet on his right arm. "Gotta make it fair for the others. Three or four others have them as well." This quieted the press.

Robin decided to speak up. "I like to think we're in the present, and we're going to have a good plan. A really good plan, you will not believe your eyes." He nodded and winked. "Trust me, we're going to surprise a lot of people."

The interview lasted another fifteen minutes, with Ganondorf and Robin deflecting questions about their gameplan, about their next opponents, and such. Robin was actually starting to regret his boisterous comment earlier, when the last question came up.

"This one's for Robin." What looked to be a cat-like creature had raised their hand. "We were wondering how you're enjoying the city, and what are your plans for the next couple of days before the tournament?"

"Well," Robin looked for Cordelia and his daughters. "My first plan is to enjoy the city with my wife and daughters. Then Ganondorf and I will go train for the next couple of days. Get it together for the tournament." He finally caught a glimpse of one family member. Severa was smiling broadly at him, and waved when their eyes met. Robin smiled back. "I may be a crazy death-worshiping dragon monster, but I can be a family man as well." He pretended to sound offended, earning another laugh from the press. Tom Nook came out front again, motioning for Ganondorf and Robin to leave the stage. As Robin walked from backstage, he felt a large hand on his shoulder. Ganondorf was smiling down on Robin.

"I think we're going to have a good partnership." Was all he said before walking out. Robin grinned involuntarily. As he exited backstage, he saw Lucina and Samus chatting with Lucina's family. Zelda was talking to Link, Cloud, and Bayonetta. The whole foyer was bustling with smashers and press alike.

"Dad!" He heard Morgans voice only a brief moment before being plowed over by his enthusiastic daughter. "You were awesome up there!"

"Thanks, Morgan." Robin replied.

"Yeah, who knew you could be so funny?" Robin turned around to see Cordelia and Severa catching up to them. Cordelia was smirking.

"I know, I should try it more often." Robin replied sarcastically. The pegasus knight giggled. "So … who wants to go into the city?"

There was a unison 'YES' from his two daughters, catching the attention of Lucina. The five walked over to Robin's family.

"You got room for five more?" Samus asked.

"Absolutely!" Robin replied. "Although … we should probably find Corrin and bring her too. I mean, I heard her families didn't show up at all."

"Yeah, I suppose she'll be with Marth and his wife, though." Samus replied. Robin caught a glance of Zelda and Link walking over with their new partners.

"Are you guys talking about heading into town?" Zelda asked. "We should have a celebratory dinner!"

Robin heard Severa mutter to herself, "-etting too crowded." But Lucina whispered something in her ear. Severa immediately perked up.

"I think that would be wonderful." Cordelia responded before anyone could protest. "What do you think, darling?" She nudged Robin.

"Of-of course!" Robin stammered out. "I'll go find Marth."

Cordelia smiled. "I'll go find Anna, she worked so hard for us today." As she walked away, Robin called out after her.

"No switching please!" He pleaded. Cordelia held her hand to her ear, suggesting that she couldn't hear him, before disappearing into the crowd. Chrom laughed and patted his friend's back.

"It's never a dull moment with your family, my friend."

Robin grimaced, before responding. "It's a regular party."

Sorry about the wait, I had a very busy weekend. As always, your support and reviews are wonderful and appreciated!

Next Chapter: Partners in Thyme