Life in the Smash Village

Tourneys and a Table for Two, Please

The Mess Hall was nearly full, and the smell of food impregnated the room. Tables of various seating arrangements, ranging from two seats to six seats, were organized around the large room. There was a buffet prepared at every meal, with foods that satisfy anyone. Laughing and chatting filled the hall, and it could be seen that fighters usually stayed close to other fighters from the same dimension as them.

Link stood in the buffet line behind Zelda, noticing that her steps were slow and her plate didn't have much food on it. He tapped her on the shoulder and was surprised to see her face worn out and void of any makeup.

"Zelda, are you feeling alright?" He asked worriedly, hand on her shoulder and eyes locked on her face. She gave a small smile and nodded her head.

"Just a long night, is all. Couldn't sleep." Zelda replied, her voice light. "Thank you for looking out for me, Link." He shook his head, bringing his attention back to the buffet.

"Zelda, I've known you long enough to know that you sleep like you're in a coma unless something has happened to you." He remarked, piling string beans on his plate. Link gave her a side stare, noticing her eyes roll. Feeling his stomach knot and not wanting Zelda mad at him, he cleared his throat and kept quiet until they reached the end of their table.

"Took you two long enough!" Pit said, his mouth full of food. Palutena sat next to him, her plate consisting of only desserts. Next to Palutena was Marth, and Zelda quietly sat in front of him, her eyes never leaving her plate. Ike was sitting in front of Pit, and he looked up at Link expectedly. The Hylian sat in next to Ike, in front of Palutena.

"I wanted you to get to know the people that got me through Brawl, Lady Palutena!" Pit chirped, and Palutena kindly smiled at them all. Her cheeks were a light pink when Link smiled back at her.

"D'aww, Pit. I remember when you first arrived. You were so lost! I remember you actually took a whole day to find your room, even though we had signs and everything!" Marth laughed, the rest of the group joining in.

All of a sudden, the huge double doors of the Mess Hall swung open, and Master Hand floated in, followed by a large board. The board was completely covered on one side by a red velvet curtain. The Hall grew silent quick, save for a few curious murmurs and whispers.

"You may all be wondering what exactly I've been up to this past few days, and I have quite an answer for you!" He announced, and in one quick motion, he tore off the curtain. Gasps of surprise overtook the smashers.

In front of them was the Holy Grail of the tournament. The layout for the tourney, the lowest tier full of small thumbnail-sized pictures of every fighter.

Marth bolted up to the brackets, several fighters joining him. They all eagerly searched their names, and made either sounds of exclamation or disappointment.

"Ugh, Ness?! Why?!"

"Does anyone remember who this one is?"

Marth's eyebrows scrunched when he noticed something peculiar about his photo. He looked up to Master Hand, who had his fingers prepped to snap. The sound silenced the fighters' rambling, and the bracket list vanished without a trace.

"Now, obviously there are some discrepancies that I need to sort out and fix, but don't fret! The Fourth Smash Tournament will begin in a week!" Master Hand snapped again, disappearing before anyone could process what he said.

Marth ran back to the table, beating Link and Pit. He slammed his hands on the table and startled the three seated.

"What does a red outline mean?!" He nearly yelled, eyes wide and full of concern.

"Woah, calm down, Drama King." Link spoke up from behind, clearing his throat as he took his seat back, allowing a smirk to creep on his face. "I got one too, so it could mean we're difficult opponents or something."

"Hey! That's completely unfair!" Zelda snapped, face heating up with anger. "You don't know that! We're all capable here, and you don't get to think of yourself any better than anyone else just because you won the last tournament!" She turned to Marth, jabbing a finger in his chest.

"And you! Melee is nothing compared to this! You got lucky on that final round and we all know it! Both of you should deflate your egos before it gets you knocked out of here the second round!" She exhaled, her face returning to its pale color. She stormed away and paid no attention to the shocked faces and the complete silence in the Mess Hall.

Pit broke from the shocked state and glanced between Marth and Link, whose faces had turned solemn. Ike coughed and smiled, leaning from his seat to punch Marth on the shoulder lightly.

"What's the problem with your girl? Didn't tell her you loved her twenty times yesterday?" He sneered, laughter bubbling from his throat. Link stomped on Ike's foot at the comment, and the mercenary flinched. Marth didn't even seem to register the sarcasm; he just stared at the door.

"Well," Palutena spoke softly, her voice gentle, "I think it's best to call it quits in breakfast. After all, the city is open today!" She look expectedly at the company -- Link looked over to her and held his stare. Locking eyes, she blushed lightly. However, she noticed a hint of purple hidden underneath his hair. Before she could say anything, Link looked away and caught Ike giving a side glare at the green-haired goddess. The mercenary cleared his throat, collecting his empty plate and cup.

"You're right, Palutena. C'mon, Link." He said, standing up and walking over to the dish disposer, dumping his plate. Link stood up, nodding a quick farewell to the Goddess before following Ike out the door.

•-•-•

Hours later, the train station at the city was bustling as the fighters arrived. They filed out of the train, leaving it essentially empty.

The city before them was as beautiful as they'd seen it last time. Dozens of warm lights illuminated the streets, and the smooth pavement reflected the glow. Buildings varied in length, yet all of them were bright, their signs ready to lure anyone.

Palutena felt her arm yanked and yelped, her panic settling once she saw the bouncing blonde waves leading her. Feeling someone behind her, she turned and came into straight eye contact with Wii Fit Trainer.

"Peach! Where are we going?" Palutena called, but the princess didn't listen. She led the goddess far away from the train station and down several streets.

"Shopping~!!" Peach replied, her voice singsong, Wii Fit Trainer following closely behind. Before any objections could be raised, the trio arrived at a huge building with at least five stories, and seemingly infinite lights twinkled the place to life.

Palutena gasped at the sight -- last time she came to the city, she limited herself to only the park, enjoying the more calm side of the huge town. Now that she was exposed to the brightly lit area, she didn't even remember what the sleepy orchard looked like. She stood there, staring at the lights for what felt like hours to her but ended up being only a few seconds.

"What are we waiting for?" Wii Fit Trainer asked, placing her hand on her hip. Peach's only reply was snatching the two ladies' hands and darting for the door.