Round 1

Corrin vs. Cloud

A cheer erupted from the Smashers Box when Corrin's pose, summoning her black, spikey dragon helm while spreading her arms wide, played for them and the audience in the stadium. Then the picture changed to Corrin, hands delicately crossed, a wry smile on her face, in the plush leather interview chair.

"Hello, my name is Corrin, and my opponent is Cloud Strife."

"Corrin, one thing I've noticed is that you've ingratiated yourself with..."

\ "Dudes Living Courageously, yes," Corrin nodded, cutting off the voice of Nikki, "The Heroes of Askr that are here have been great training partners, but DLC has been a much more diverse training camp."

"So," Nikki inquired, "How does that affect your confidence against Cloud who, pardon my bluntness, beat you pretty convincingly in the Duel Tournament."

As Corrin blushed on-screen, Terry shouted, "Hey, c'mon!"

"Somebody's protective of the only single princess here," sneered Wario, blaring out the rest of the interview, "Lookin' to become the king of Nohr-Hoshido ya bum?"

A small patch of laughter from Wario's posse tore through the air as Terry refused to make eye contact with the fat treasure hunter. The entire room seemed to giggle when, in response to an unknown question, Corrin had said, "Cloud's lost a lot of his reasons to be angry, while I'm more motivated because I've got a colleague to impress."

Southtown's favorite son blushed even deeper, pulling his hat over his eyes and tucking his chin.

Next was Cloud's animation, his classic sword spin to an over-the-shoulder pose, which Toon Link attempted to do, fumbling and dropping his Master Sword much to the amusement of the room.

"My name is Cloud Strife, and my opponent is Corrin," dryly began the sword wielder.

"Now, in her interview time, Corrin reflected that you had less reason to be angry because all your friends are in the stands, and your relationship with Smash Brothers as a whole isn't antagonistic as it was in Duel, what do you have to say to that?"

Cloud groaned, placing two fingers over his eyes, "Did she forget about Sephiroth? If anything, I'm motivated to meet him at some point,"

"That would be in the quarters I do believe," Nikki quickly explained.

"Right. I'm the only one who can beat him, put him in his place,"

The Smashers seemed to cheer in unison, though the hope untoward Cloud seemed to die as soon as it began when Sepiroth, arms crossed, leaning against the back wall, chuckled a chuckle that seemed to chill the entire suite.

"Alright, thank you for your time, Mister Strife," Nikki concluded.

Cloud nodded curtly, carefully standing up as to make sure the Buster Sword attached to his back didn't upend the leather of the chair, and ambling off camera.

"Banana Bird, two anime swordsmen. Somebody wake me up from this nightmare," groaned Cranky.

"How can you say that?" barked an indignant 9-Volt, "Cloud is the champion of Duel, and quelled the Master Core. That aside, Corrin is a heroine in her own right. How do you..?"

"Tell that to Monster Hunter and Hart. Both of them got so injured in that battle we had to replace them. And Corrin…"

"Futaba, please, he's ranting again!" 9-Volt pleaded.

"I'll rant all I want to you…"

The raving ape was cut off by Futaba's appearance, "I'm voting for Cloud because when my bae Tifa is happy I'm happy,"

There was a pause, and the orange-haired gamer continued, "Look can I just gush about Final Fantasy 7 for a while? I mean we all know Cranky's gonna say something cursed, or worse, cringe, during entr-"

"And unfortunately we're back!" 9-Volt announced.

As if on cue, a somber piano tune, soon eclipsed by equally somber but beautifully sung lyrics played.

"Oh no," 9-Volt whispered just loudly enough for the camera to pick up.

"And Corrin," announced Cranky with frighteningly sadistic glee, "Only got over because of this stupid song."

At that moment, The camera cut from Corrin's relatively mundane entrance to focus on a male alternate universe Corrin, a toothpaste green-haired warrior, arm wrapped around a purple-haired woman in a silk white dress, cheering the princess on.

"Please no," 9-Volt begged.

"That stupid Lost in Thoughts All Alone song, and Camilla's freakin wabbos sold this game! And furthermore, why is Male Corrin the only alt-universe person that gets to come! My trophy when I kidnapped Pauline when she was blond is up in the Trophy Hotel, why does young me not get to spectate. I'm a legend damn it, and Corrin's game almost turned Fire Emblem, a great series mind you, into a visual novel translated by millennials who wouldn't know Japanese from Swahili and you would've had to pay for it in three separate installments!"

"Cranky…" 9-Volt groaned.

"Do you remember that one support that was all ellipses? Preposterous! The author could've written a better support tree powered exclusively by Mountain Dew, convenience store taquitos, and hate."

"Seven Stars he's talking about the author again cut his m-" 9-Volt began, but was cut off by a familiar tune.

The crowd sang along with the classic Final Fantasy victory theme as Cloud emerged from the tunnel, Tifa following close behind.

"Look, if you don't know what this is, I can't help you." 9-Volt chided.

"Not a big fan of anime sword boys, but even this old codger can admit Uematsu-san does some amazing music!" Cranky shouted in approval.

Suddenly, the cameras in the arena cut three humanoids, a duck in a sailor's outfit, a spikey-haired brunette dressed in a leather jacket, and a dog dressed in green, all intently watching the proceedings

"Oh no, is that…?"

"Yes! Sora, Donald, and Goofy accompanied the Kingdom Hearts crew, but opted to sit in the crowd instead of aboard 'Dropship KH!' 9-Volt explained.

Cloud sat in the middle of the arena, arms crossed. Meanwhile, Tifa stuck a Muay Thai pose behind him, her leg raised into the air. Corrin covered her mouth, a smile peeking through at how expertly Tifa avoided the wolf whistles from the crowd that followed. Briskly standing up, Cloud exchanged a hug with Tifa, the bartender teleporting away.

As had become a tradition at this point. Mills Frames appeared, the two shuffling into their positions between him.

"And now," began the referee/announcer, "The following contest is a first-round match in the Super Smash Brothers Ultimate Tournament! The winner of this match will face either Bayonetta or Torri Gachi in the second round. Introducing, in the corner to my left, he comes to us from the Final Fantasy Universe. He is the 1st Class Soldier, and the champion of the Duel Tournament, he is Cloud Strife!

Cloud clasped his clenched fist together out in front of him, a urethral whistling sound emanating from a bright green sonic boom around him, causing the crowd to "Oooh" almost simultaneously.

"Introducing in the corner to my right, she comes to us from the Fire Emblem Universe. She is the Princess of Two Nations, she is Corrin!"

A shy, regal wave from Corrin sent a large pocket of fans into raucous cheers.

"If Cloud wins the coin toss, the stage will be Midgar. If Corrin wins the coin toss, the stage will be Battlefield Arena Ferox. Call it Smashers, heads or tails?"

"I have a thing against coin flip games, this is all you," Cloud growled.

"Okay! Tails!"

Mills flipped the coin, looking down at it.

"Heads!"

Corrin bit her lip. The dark, smog-filled, mechanical stage had thrown her off her game last time. Would a second time be any different?

"The rules are 2-stock, items medium! Smashers, are you ready?"

Corrin nodded eagerly. Cloud nodded slowly and stoically with the poise of a warrior who had done this a hundred times before.

Stage: Midgar

Rules: 2-stock, items medium

Music: "Let the Battles Begin"

3

Corrin flew down in her dragon form, transforming immediately.

2

Cloud's Buster Sword fell first, the spikey blond falling fast enough to catch it before it hit the floor

1

GO!

Corrin smirked as Cloud flew towards her. His sword could cleave a wyvern in half without struggle. So, she reasoned, avoid the situation entirely. Go high when he goes low. Corrin did just that, leaping up to the top platform faster than Cloud could move. The princess plunged downward, sword pointed directly at the ground. Cloud backpedaled out of the way, but not quickly enough to avoid the splash damage. The man grunted in shocked pain, but in the time it took her to get within sword's reach. Cloud had already recovered, slicing her with Cross Slash, and following it up with a Blade Beam as the final hit knocker her backward. Corrin managed to jump in midair to avoid a running attack, which would have hammered the side of the enormous blade into her skull. Corrin briefly celebrated her good fortune, but this had all been a feint on Cloud's part, connecting with another Crossslash to Blade Beam combination. Corrin focused, Her foot hyperextending into the claw of a dragon, the Dragon Lunge technique colliding with yet another running attack.

Maybe Cloud has underestimated me, Corrin thought gleefully.

That was the ticket. Go high when he goes low. Go high when he...

Corrin jumped to the bottom right platform, only for Cloud to effortlessly swing his Buster Sword behind him, the blade connecting with her chest on the backswing, Corrin wheezed in pain, tripping off the back platform, still trying to catch her breath when Cloud bolted to her position, executing a Triple Slash. Corrin was knocked forward a considerable distance but was able to recover back. Cloud nodded, his lips clenched, lazily stepping back into a Materia that had appeared on stage. With such speed and vigor Corrin could've sworn it was the same movement, Cloud picked up and threw down a Pokeball. Alolan Raichu appeared, surfing towards her. She desperately fired a blast of water from her Dragon Fang, hoping it would dissuade something from happening, where that be Ramuh or Raichu. Alas, it was not to be as Raichu collided with her. As if mocking her, Raichu met her movement when Corrin tried to get up and away from the surfing orange rat, its electric power pecking her to the Blast Zone for the KO

Corrin: 1

Cloud: 2

"Oooh, an early elimination!" 9-Volt shouted.

"No disrespect to Corrin either, Cloud is just too damn good," Cranky explained.

Corrin left the revival platform seething. The two clashed swords in the middle of the arena, Cloud's sword leaving an orange particle effect as he moved. Immediately, Corrin conjured her Smash Shield by tapping the center button of her communicator, able to withstand the second and third hit. With a frustrated sigh, Corrin tanked the fourth and fifth slice, shuddering to think what would happen if the shield broke, and her paralyzed form would be easy pickings for Cloud. Not like it mattered much, Cloud launching into a Triple Slash and Blade Beam before Corrin could even make her next move. A Smash Ball appeared, Corrin extending another dragon claw with the Lunge in the second it took Cloud to look back at the ball, which lazily laid on the ground. Cloud suddenly flopped to the ground, baseball sliding when Corrin closed the distance.

Go high when he goes… Corrin began to think.

Jumping on a platform, her body froze, her every muscle seizing with pain.

Electrocuted because of the Materia…right, Corrin remembered.

She could only watch in resigned defeat as Cloud used his Armorslayer sized sword to cut the Smash Ball with the precision that her butler Jakob used to cut the meat in her meals. Glowing with both the power of the Limit Break technique and the Smash Ball, Corrin broke free from the electricity, spinning her body as she launched into Cloud.

"You're finished," he said with icy professionalism.

Cloud body checked her. Somehow, in this state, Cloud could control gravity, flying them both to the center of the arena. Corrin was completely helpless, being slashed everywhere Cloud could get his sword two. 14 slashes and a final dramatic cleave sent Corrin down, then up to the Blast Zone.

GAME!
CLOUD WINS!

"Limits are meant to be broken," Cloud growled in the courtyard, slashing at nothing as a splash screen declared his win.

Corrin couldn't look at the camera as she clapped. When she got the cue from a Polygon cameraman that the camera was on her, she immediately pivoted towards the tunnel, holding up her hand when Mister Zero attempted to interview her. She pushed through the door of the Smashers Box. Ignoring the applause, she pushed to the back of the room, burying her face in crossed arms, weeping silently. Even Cloud telling Marlene and Denzel not to eat too much candy in his interview couldn't bring her any joy. She'd lost, just as badly as she had last time, and that was that.

The applause that heralded Cloud's entrance, and a clasping shoulder awoke her all at once. Through tears in her eyes, he saw Terry gazing down at her.

"Hey, you okay?"

"No, I'm not. I lost. So badly," she blubbered.

"Cloud's one of a kind. There's no shame in losing to a freak like him."

"Really?"

"Yeah. You held your own in training, and if I win, I'm gonna need you to train more than ever."

Corrin nodded, "I will."

"THE VILLAGER VERSUS WOLF!"

Corrin looked up. Wolf was already at the front of the room, while Villager shook hands with people as he walked, Isabelle trailing behind him. Finally, he shook hands with Isabelle, and she melted back into the crowd.

"Villager, you're in Tunnel B. Wolf, you're in tunnel A."

Wolf simply snarled, spitting tobacco at Villager's feet. Unflinching, the boy turned to his tunnel, Wolf doing the same, the Smashers walking to the arena.