The continent of Fodlan

Fire Emblem dimension

Destiny and fate. Both unexpected, both determining one's outcome… and both to be chosen. Challenges would be certain, hardships just as so. There was no easy path in navigating through them, be it student or teacher.

Byleth Eisner learned that the hard way. Ironic, seeing that he was once the one passing the instruction down on those he believed would need it most. At Garreg Mach Monastery, he believed being a professor would be simple, and that the only few troubles would be undisciplined pupils and absurd shenanigans.

He could never have believed one of his own students to betray him. To declare war on the Church of Seiros and, within five years, become a ruthless empress. He had to admit, to defeat his former pupil was a test for them both. A test the pupil was confident of passing… but confidence leads to downfall.

Of course, it would have been impossible to do so without her help.

He was one with her now. Sothis. The goddess who had lost her memory and formed a connection with him. Ever since they were unified during their confrontation with Solon, she rarely spoke to him anymore.

But that did not mean she had lost the ability to do so.

Byleth stood outside the monastery, reminiscing on his past. Dimitri, Claude, and Edelgard all seemed like promising students. But it seemed like in one night instead of five years, the Black Eagles would battle with the Church of Seiros. The Blue Lions would dedicate themselves to stopping her. And the Golden Deer would dive into the mystery of the very artifacts Edelgard had grown to loathe.

Byleth needed to choose a side, just as he needed to choose which house to instruct. But choose he did, and here he was now.

Fate was a hilarious thing, he supposed. It has a knack for the unexpected and surprising those who walked its path.

And speaking of surprises, Byleth could see one coming his way now. He heard the distant rumbling that could only mean one thing: many hooves of horses thumping against the ground at a fast pace signaled the approach of an armed force.

Thieves. Bandits. Byleth would deal with them like he had the rest.

Their leader laughed in what seemed like a joyous manner. "Look alive, boys! There's plundering to be done!"

"Huh? Hey, who's that there?"

Their horses came to a stop meters away from the monastery's main gates. Byleth was all that stood between this sacred building and these pirates who wished to swipe away all that made it glorious. He moved a hand to his sword in caution, waiting for the thieves' inevitable attack.

"Who are you supposed to be?" their leader asked in annoyance. Byleth heard the disappointment in his tone; if he expected a security force, he would've expected greater numbers.

But this wasn't about numbers today. Rather, it was about skill.

"You are trespassing on sacred grounds," Byleth announced boldly. "Vacate now or face judgment."

"Ha!" the leader barked. "Says who?"

Byleth narrowed his eyes. "Says the finest professor to instruct at this monastery."

The bandits broke out into laughter. The leader couldn't help but crack a smile himself. "You? A small-time teacher thinks he can stop us, boys? What are you gonna do, lecture us to death?"

"I have found more suitable uses outside of the halls," Byleth replied calmly. "Do you wish for a demonstration?"

"Demonstration, no," one of the bandits announced, advancing on Byleth with a drawn sword. "A slaughter, yes."

Byleth turned to meet him. "Then let the lesson begin."

The bandit was the first to strike- naturally- with a quick swipe for Byleth's neck. The professor jumped back a few meters, evading the blade before rushing back in with a thrust from his sword. He stabbed the bandit through the chest, earning a surprised gasp from him… followed by a thud as his body hit the ground.

Their leader growled and pointed. "GET HIM!"

The rest of the bandits broke into a run with weapons ready. Byleth held his Sword of the Creator in hand, snapping it into its whip form. Three of the men rushed with swords and axes, ready to drive them through his flesh. With swift reflexes, Byleth lashed the sword at them, striking them down with ease.

A fourth bandit narrowly avoided the tip smacking the ground. "What the- what kind of sword is that?!"

"Who cares?!" shouted another. "Whoever kills him gets to keep it!"

Byleth held the weapon over his shoulder, getting into a defensive stance. He kicked away a thief with a dagger, cut down another, and evaded a third's downward ax swing. He struck with the sword's whip form, snagging the thief across the arm. With a yank, the man was sent sprawling to the ground.

"He's just one man! How's he beating us?!"

"ENOUGH!" boomed their leader, drawing a double-bladed ax from his back and dismounting his horse. "If you want something done right…"

He charged for Byleth with a roar of a battle cry. Byleth sprinted towards him in response, waiting for him to swing his ax down. And when he brought the huge weapon smashing down into the dirt, Byleth sidestepped the strike and slashed at the man's side. No sooner than the leader recoiled in pain did Byleth bury the blade through his back, never taking his eyes off the rest of the stunned bandits.

"Class dismissed," Byleth spoke, yanking the sword from the bandits' leader and leaving him to collapse face-first into the ground.

"He got Sawyer!"

"Oh, screw this! Run for it, boys!"

The thieves scattered like scared dogs, retreating over the hills to steal another day. Byleth sheathed the Sword of the Creator and never turned his gaze away until the last of the figures was obscure from sight.

An impressive display. It's fun to watch them run, don't you agree?

Byleth paused. He knew this voice. It was a voice he knew well, but one he had not heard in a long time. And that had to mean something crucial.

"Sothis," Byleth said. "I don't believe this is an ordinary chat."

Far from it, replied the goddess. This display reminded me that I have some news to share with you.

Byleth grew curious. "What news? Edelgard's war with the Church is over."

This news doesn't concern your students, but rather you. Your combat skills will be useful for this. Allow me to place it in simpler terms, Byleth.

You must join Smash.

Now Byleth's curiosity had transformed into confusion. "What? What is this… Smash?"

A union. But not one you are familiar with. Fortunately, fellow warriors from this world are already members. You must join them to repel a coming threat.

"I… I'm afraid I don't understand."

Honestly, neither did I when I first heard of it. This union is a link between worlds, between dimensions. They must grow in number if they are to do battle with threats you cannot begin to comprehend. Threats that endanger not just this world, but all worlds everywhere.

Byleth paused, taking a moment to view his choices. This "Smash" sounded like a worthy band of warriors. If he were to lend his sword to them, what would that mean to his allies here on Fodlan?

Come on! Sothis spoke up! I've got an invitation for it right here! What are you waiting for?

An invitation? So this wasn't just a strange request from Sothis after all. Whoever they were, they were contacting him. Perhaps for a reason.

Byleth knew more battles awaited him. But, as he constantly told his students, every fight provided a chance to grow and adapt. Perhaps it was time for him to adapt further.

"Alright, I'm in."

He briefly heard Sothis chuckle. That's the spirit!

"Now… what must I do to reach them?"

…

Southern Plateau

Metallic clangs rang out through the air as steel clashed against steel. A large greatsword scraped against a shield while a boot rammed against another. A boomerang was sent sailing for its wielder, who shot into the sky to avoid it. He swung his weapon, firing off a green arc at his target. The fighter below backflipped away from the resulting blast, barely giving himself enough time to counter a strike from the third warrior.

"What's the matter?" asked the Luminary as Cloud touched down. "Are we getting exhausted already?" Link's only reply was a silent stare at the hero.

"Not a chance," answered Cloud, rushing for Eleven with fast strides. The Luminary somersaulted over his charge attack and launched a fireball at Link. The Hylian Shield took the force of the projectile, which he proceeded to bash Cloud with. Link delivered a wild whirlwind of strikes, forcing Cloud to go on the defensive as the Master Sword struck his Buster Sword again and again. Sparks flew from each contact made.

The Luminary landed a diving strike at Link and spun to Cloud, thrusting at him with the Sword of Light, Cloud skillfully deflected the blow and kicked the hero away. As soon as he hit the ground, the Luminary rolled back onto his feet. Link charged towards Eleven, who responded by casting a spell at the hero of Hyrule.

Despite his raised shield, Link's defenses were breached by the spell… and he collapsed in a tired, exhausted state. With one opponent temporarily incapacitated, Eleven clashed blades with Cloud. A well-placed Cross Slash was enough to break the Luminary's defenses and send him tumbling.

"Now, what was that you said about being exhausted?" Cloud asked the recovering hero. Eleven only cracked a smile as he stood on shaky legs. "Hilarious…"

"Hmm… excellent form. You fight with a sense of ease and fluidity."

"Huh?" Both swordsmen turned towards the voice just as Link started to awake. Someone unfamiliar was approaching from over a hill: someone admiring them as if he was a master watching his sparring students. He had a curious look on his face mixed with eagerness.

Cloud turned to face the newcomer. "Who are you?"

"My name is Byleth," came his reply. "Where I come from, I am a professor… and I wish to test my skills against yours."

Cloud nodded to Link and Eleven, who approached him from both sides. They readied their weapons as the new arrival drew his own. Byleth took a stance before he broke into a run, sprinting for the swordsmen.

Cloud jumped into the air and came down from above. Link rushed Byleth from the right while Eleven approached from the left. Byleth paused, waiting until the moment showed itself…

When all three of the swordsmen came down, Byleth jumped away and flung the Sword of the Creator at them. The tip struck a surprised Eleven and Byleth quickly whipped it at a shocked Link. Byleth struck Cloud, who raised his Buster Sword to block with a loud clang. The two bounced off each other… and Byleth proceeded to fend off all three of his attackers simultaneously.

He kicked Link in the lungs, swatted Eleven aside with his blade's whip form, and ducked a vicious swing from Cloud. Byleth sidestepped a downward swing and countered by jabbing Cloud in the torso.

"You seem to be cooperating efficiently," Byleth noted as he kept up his solid defense. "Good. Teamwork is essential in bringing down a hardened foe. But if you are on the receiving end like I am, it is not just about being stronger than your enemy."

He spun in a circle, driving everyone back with the sword's whip form. He snapped it back to his side, holding the weapon proudly. "It is about keeping pace with them."

"You seem to know an awful lot about the art of combat," Cloud muttered. "How many foes have you vanquished in your world?"

"Many," came Byleth's reply. "Bandits, dark priests, fallen warriors with great potential…" He trailed off, his eyes focused beyond the trio of heroes. His expression was one of surprise until it became one of annoyance.

"Hm. Lesson adjourned, gentlemen."

"Huh?" Cloud, Link, and Eleven glanced over their shoulders, where they saw what had caught Byleth's attention: a fast-approaching wave of puppet fighters.

"It's an ambush!" cried Eleven. "Ready yourselves!"

The enemy numbers consisted of a false Palutena accompanied by a gigantic fake Charizard, a Dr. Mario clone assisted by a fake Villager, a female Robin clone backed up by three fake Jigglypuffs, a fake Lucina with its sword already drawn, and another false Villager with a clone of Byleth.

The professor squinted at the crowd. "Is that… is that supposed to be me?"

"Long story short, it's a duplicate," Cloud responded. "It knows every trick you do, so watch yourself."

Byleth only smirked as the enemies drew near. "Tell me, imposter. If you're meant to be a copy of me, are you capable of doing this?" He shot into the air… and lashed out at the puppets with his sword's whip form.

…

"So you've returned. And sooner than I expected."

"There's been some… ugh, difficulty. Most of the foes I face are… well-armed. A significant number of them wield blades, and some have enough skill to… best even myself, as you can see."

"I see. Too many swordsmen, are there? And you, you wield a sword as well?"

"Is that meant to be ironic?"

"What will you do?"

"Hmm…" A knowing smirk crossed the speaker's face. "I'll even the odds, that's what. If I am to triumph, I can't rely solely on just a single weapon."

"Huh. So that is how you plan to win the day? So be it. I reward your cleverness this time."

Three colorful meteors plummeted from above: one blue, one red, and one yellow. They crashed down in front of the speaker, glowing red as if they had been recently forged in the blacksmith. A sleek lance, a dynamic bow, and a powerful ax.

"How is this?"

The smile returned. "Perfect."

…

Poison Woods

"Where did these guys come from?!" cried Shulk, blocking a strike from a swordsman in a blue cape. A clone of Ganondorf charged towards Bowser, who used his shell as a shield before punching it away. "Dunno! But it'll take a lot more than a stupid ambush to do me in!"

Chrom and Lucina fought back against two clones that differed in appearance, yet shared a similar weapon. Ike stood at their rear, facing a third identical clone. "I don't know who you're supposed to be a copy of, but whoever it is knows their stuff!" He jabbed his blade into the ground, forcing the copy to leap away.

"They are skilled, I'll give them that," said Lucina as she slashed at her attacker. "But skilled enough? I highly doubt it." The opponent stumbled while grasping its shoulder, making Lucina huff in disapproval. "I expect more from the former servants of Galeem and Dharkon."

"Don't become too overconfident," Chrom told his daughter as he jabbed his target in the face with the hilt of his blade. "As Ike explained, these copies are unfamiliar to us. We don't know what they're capable of."

An arrow shot from the bushes, striking Chrom's attacker through the side. It collapsed and exploded, leaving the projectile behind. Confused, father and daughter turned to the foliage… where a green-haired woman stood with a large bow in hand.

"Then you're lucky I do."

The rest of the enemies turned their attention towards the newcomer and lunged towards her. She was ready for them, swapping her bow for a lance. With fluid movements and graceful strikes, she blocked attacks and struck with sweeping motions. She knocked one foe off its feet before running it through, quickly stabbing another through the chest. Drawing the weapon out, she spun it before smacking the enemy down with the flat end.

The Ganondorf puppet charged towards her with a greatsword, ready to chop off her head. Its downward swing was blocked by the newcomer's third weapon: a powerful ax. Parrying the attack, she swung across the enemy's chest to stagger it and at the legs to topple it. After it fell, she buried the ax into its head, vanquishing it with one solid blow.

"Whoa!" Bowser gasped. "Where'd she come from?"

"Greetings, fellow warriors," spoke the stranger. "I am Byleth, a renowned professor at the Garreg Mach Monastery. I have come after receiving an invitation about your band of warriors."

"Invitation?" repeated Lucina, sheathing her blade. "Well, we are always welcome to accept new champions."

"You have a knack for multiple weapon usage," noted Chrom. "That will be… interesting."

"We should take her to the others," suggested Shulk. "And while we're there, we must find somewhere else we're needed." At the boy's words, Bowser punched a palm in anticipation. "Fine by me! I'm enjoying cracking heads like this!"

Byleth turned to Chrom. "Is the beast always this boastful?"

The shepherd shrugged. "As he is brutal."

"The 'beast' is standing right here, you know!" Bowser called with an annoyed tone.

"Come," said Chrom as he started to walk away, ignoring the Koopa King's snap. "I wish to know more about those weapons of yours." The group began to follow him with Byleth in tow. "They are regalia, sacred and legendary weapons wielded by three of the finest students to ever attend the Garreg Mach Monastery," Byleth explained. "They are called the Heroes' Relics."

Shulk raised a brow. "You said you were a professor. Did you teach these students yourself?"

"Only one of them, I'm afraid. I've grown acquainted with the others… but everything changed when one of the students betrayed the monastery and declared war on the Church of Seiros, the highest form of power in Fodlan."

Byleth held out her sword. "This is the Sword of the Creator. Previously wielded by a warrior named Nemesis, the sword was entrusted to me a thousand years after his demise. It can take a unique whip-like form."

Next, Byleth presented the lance to the group. "Areadbhar; the personal weapon of Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd, prince of the Kingdom of Faerghus and leader of the Blue Lions. It has a considerable striking distance thanks to its long, slender appearance."

She held up the large bow. "Failnaught; the weapon of choice for Claude von Riegan, heir to the Leicester Alliance and head of the Golden Deer. Extremely effective against flying targets and possesses great long-range capabilities."

Lastly, Byleth held out the ax… and she stared at it in silence. After a sigh, she spoke before anyone else could. "Aymr; created long after the rest of the Relics and designed to the specifications of Edelgard von Hresvelg, leader of the Black Eagles… and Empress of Adrestia who waged war on the Church of Seiros. It is slow to wield but tremendously powerful."

"Wait, hold on…" Shulk stopped in his tracks and sniffed the air. "Is that…?"

Lucina narrowed her eyes. "Smoke." And it was coming from the direction of Console City. The faint sounds of battle could be heard far off in the distance. "Byleth? Now would be the time to give a demonstration to our other allies…"

…

In the streets of Console City, Marth cut down a fake Mii Brawler while Roy obliterated a Little Mac clone. The two Robins blasted spells at a Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong duo, and the two Corrins rained watery destruction from above on two Ryu clones.

Mega Man sprinted down the road and took cover near a parked car, opening fire on a doppelganger of himself. Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, and Pikachu charged at a squad of giant Peach clones surrounding it, the former landing a strong punch to a clone's head. Samus fought off two more copies of Mega Man with the aid of Snake. Incineroar threw himself at a giant Mewtwo clone and King Dedede slammed his hammer across a giant Mii Brawler copy. In his egg form below, Yoshi rolled through a squad of tiny Mr. Game and Watch clones with Kirby in tow.

Marth pierced a Bayonetta copy through the chest before kicking it away. "I'll say this," he spoke with a gasp for breath. "They are as relentless as I remember!"

"So what do you think?!" Roy called as he held back a dark-colored Incineroar clone. "Do they want to capture us or destroy us?!"

Mega Man blasted a soccer ball out of the air before sprinting towards some fake Wii Fit Trainers. "Does it really matter?!"

"I agree with the robot," said Snake nonchalantly as he knocked one of the fake Mega Man clones to the ground and stomped on it. "Their intentions are useless without some light or dark god to command them. Right now, they want revenge."

"A path that leads only to more suffering," Marth deduced. "Well then, let's end their agony!" He struck at a Bayonetta clone with a Gust Bellows, sending the weapon flying out of its grip. A follow-up strike from Roy destroyed the clone in a fiery blast, releasing another spirit.

"Incoming!" cried Mega Man, aiming his Mega Buster down a road. "We've got more hostiles coming up the street!" A Yoshi clone, two fake Falcos, an Isabelle clone accompanied by two fake Inklings, and a Villager clone with a nigh-invisible Peach ran across the asphalt like a charging army. Mega Man, Samus, and Snake all lined up, ready to blast them with suppressive fire…

"HEY!" roared a sudden voice. "Leave some for the rest of us!" Bowser jumped from the roof of a building, smashing into the mob shell-first. Some of the puppets were sent flying, allowing Shulk, Lucina, Chrom, and Ike to slash through them like knives through butter. A woman with green hair brought up the rear, holding a sword of her own and pointing it at the clones in a commanding gesture.

Bowser laughed as he punched and swiped at the puppets who rushed him, sweeping around while fire erupted from his mouth. The Yoshi clone's tail caught aflame, leaving it running around in a frenzy until Kirby stomped it down. The emerald-haired newcomer stormed into the fray, effortlessly dispatching any clone in her path with lashing strikes from her weapon.

"Uh…" Roy said. "Is it me, or is that sword also a whip?" Marth was silent, his eyes trained on the mysterious woman curiously. The hero of Altea studied the new arrival as she skillfully took down every puppet that came at her with a variety of different weapons.

Marth only snapped back to reality when a sharp needle whizzed past his face.

"Behind us!" Roy cried, his sword meeting that of a doppelganger of himself. Marth rolled away from a Sheik copy's diving strike and swiped at it, only for the clone to acrobatically flip away. A false Mii Swordfighter took its place, running up to engage Marth in a one-on-one duel. A Zelda clone backed up by two fake Kirbys with bunny ears converged on Yoshi and the real Kirby, prompting them to stand back-to-back in a defensive formation.

An Incineroar clone snarled at the two Corrins while a tiny Robin puppet supported it. Byleth turned her attention to them, snapping her sword to her side. She readied herself for a charge… until a boomerang smacked into the Incineroar clone's face. Whirling its head towards the newcomers, the Robin puppet cast an Arcfire spell. "Kafrizzle!" Someone shouted before a large fireball eclipsed it and engulfed the fake sorceress.

Cloud walked through the smoke with Link and Eleven in tow. "Looks like we're not too late," he commented. With a silent nod, he ordered the two heroes to charge at the enemy. Link rammed into the false Mii shield-first, slamming it off of Marth and making it fall to the street. The Luminary engaged the tiny Robin, firing off spells to keep the Zelda and Kirby clones at bay. Cloud stared down the Incineroar copy with the Buster Sword in hand, the fake Pokémon cracking its knuckles with a sneer.

It raised a hand to pound the man standing in front of it, but an arrow lodged into its shoulder. With a howl, the clone staggered back while the shooter emerged from the dissipating smoke of another fireball. Like the woman, this one was also dressed in black with green hair. He watched the heroes dispatch the puppets in a minute. "Impressive," he announced as Link swept out the Swordfighter's legs and stabbed it through the chest. "Very impressive."

The remaining puppets attempted to make a last stand; an effort that was for naught. A combined strike from Roy and Marth finished the Incineroar clone, Lucina and Chrom took down the Zelda and Kirby clones, and Eleven triumphed over the Robin puppet. Cloud took down the Sheik puppet with a well-placed Cross Slash and the strange man faced down the still-standing Roy clone.

He sidestepped a downward strike and kicked it back. "I'll finish with this!" he cried, lashing his sword in front of him. He struck the clone across the torso, stunning it. The man drew himself back, a voice echoing in his head.

Your will and mine be now as one!

"HAA!" The man extended his blade into its whip form and stretched it out again, this time with the weapon surging with power. As it enveloped the surprised clone, the voice rang out again.

The end approaches!

And approach it did. Once the dust settled and the man returned the sword to normal, the clone was gone. Mega Man peeked down the streets before rising from his crouched position, reverting his Mega Buster into a hand. "Sector clear. No signs of hostiles."

"That won't be the last of them," Snake muttered. "I can feel it."

"It may seem as much," replied the man. "These soulless replicas lack skill… but they make up for it in surprisingly overwhelming numbers. My name is Byleth, and I-"

He cut himself short, as did the woman. Both of them froze in their tracks and their eyes went wide as they gazed upon the other. Silence filled the streets of the city… and everyone realized the current situation.

The two Robins shared a glance and the two Corrins looked at each other awkwardly. Some of the fighters expressed disbelief and rolled their eyes while Marth just facepalmed with a groan.

"Not again…"

"Another from your world, Marth?" Samus asked. "Or should I say two others?"

"What does that make now, eight?" Snake questioned. Beside him, Ike nodded. "It would appear so…"

"You gotta be kidding me!" groaned Bowser. "Another one? How many good fighters does your world even have?!"

"Never mind that," muttered Snake with a low groan. "More sword people? We're gonna need a bigger armory… Megs, can you remember how many fighters we currently have with swords?"

"Well, let's see…" Mega Man looked down at his hand and started curling one to a few fingers at a time, keeping the rest of his palm open as he did so. "Link, Marth, Ike, Roy, Toon Link, Young Link, Chrom, Lucina, Corrin, one of the Miis, Shulk, Cloud…"

"Um…" Shulk had a dumbfounded look on his face as he holstered the Monado. "What are you doing?"

Mega Man gave the boy a confused look. "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm counting."

"Like that?" asked an equally confused Bowser, pointing at the robot's hand. "Who the heck counts like that?" The Blue Bomber opened his mouth to speak… before it dawned on him. "Oh, right. Of course, organic beings can't count in binary."

"Binary?" Shulk repeated.

"See, it's like this," Mega Man stepped forward to demonstrate with his other hand. "This is zero. Fold your thumb here, and you get one. And then you get two, and two plus one is three. So this would be four, five, six-"

"Not really looking for a how-to right now, thanks," Shulk interrupted while Bowser scratched his head with a scaly claw. Unfortunately, Mega Man didn't notice this and continued to speak. "You can actually count up to thirty-one on one hand, and on both, you can go up to one thousand twenty-three. It really helps when I get bored sometimes, like when..."

Bowser groaned under his breath as Mega Man continued to talk, feeling like a child being lectured by a parent. "I'm getting bored myself…" he stared at the babbling blue robot. "Where's his off switch?" Shulk slowly backed away with an awkward expression while everyone else turned to the primary matter.

"So… what you're saying is…" the male Byleth said to Cloud. "This is supposed to be me from an alternate timeline?" The spiky blonde-haired man nodded. "Just about."

"And you two aren't the first," Chrom added, gesturing to the two Robins and the two Corrins right behind him. "You'll get used to it eventually."

"You'll find you have so much in common!" shouted the male Corrin. His counterpart smirked at the comment with crossed arms. The female Byleth made no response to this statement, as she only continued to observe her doppelganger. "I can only think of one other reason as to why this is possible…"

The male Byleth was the first to guess. "Sothis' fault?"

"Sothis' fault."

"I suppose we can agree on that much." He admitted, turning to the Hero-King of Altea. "I don't suppose the rest of your allies will have no trouble at all adapting to two similar warriors?"

Marth smiled and shook his head. "Not at all. Samus, how are the patrols?"

"All clear, for now," answered the bounty hunter, lowering her hand from her helmet. "The Star Fox pilots have finished another aerial sweep with Pit and Charizard. Smashers from multiple sectors are giving the green light."

"Good. Tell everyone to assemble at the four-way intersection near Kirby's landing site," Marth instructed as he sheathed his falchion. "Professor… or professors, I suppose… it will be quite a while before the enemy decides to strike again. With a brief moment of relaxation ahead of us, now should be the proper time for you to be acquainted with the rest of us. Wouldn't you agree?"

Both professors shared a look and nodded. "By all means."

Marth took the male Byleth's hand and shook it. "Then welcome to the Super Smash Brothers."