Ethan (Brawler)

I grabbed a hoodie from my closet and threw it on top of my clothes. Luckily, Ganondorf had already left to do whatever he was doing that day, so I didn't have him asking where I was going today.

I was planning on going somewhere later, but I wanted to fix something before I left. I pulled the lamp forward on my desk. I then dug around in my nightstand and grabbed a small metal can. Setting the can on my desk, I immediately pried it open. I had found this can while digging around a few days ago; I was amazed to find that it was a can of paint. There wasn't much left in it, but it was enough to do what I needed to do.

I pulled out a small paintbrush and dipped the tip in the can. As I pulled the brush back out, a small amount of paint dripped off back into the can. I hesitated for a moment before moving the brush away from the can. As I began to fill in the missing spots on the lamp, I noticed that the paint I was applying was ever so slightly darker than the original paint; I made a mental note to find out how to fix that and continued painting. I stroked slowly and in small amounts, being careful not to use too much paint in these areas. Even though it was an older lamp and had been in the trash, I still wanted it to look good.

After a short time, I was finally finished. I pulled out a piece of scrap newspaper and laid it out on my desk. It occurred to me as I did this that I should have laid this out before. Regardless, I placed the lamp on the newspaper, still standing up, so as to avoid smearing the paint.

With that finished, I felt like leaving to do what I originally intended to do. I peeked out of my room and looked around; Ganondorf hadn't returned yet. I grabbed my car keys and left for the parking lot.

I got into my car. As I sat down, a poof of dust rose from my seat, as it always did. I adjusted the blanket draped over the passenger seat, making sure it covered the seat properly. I stuck the key in the ignition and turned it; the engine stuttered for a few seconds but didn't start. I heaved a sigh. Leaving the key in the ignition, I got out of the car. I walked around to the front and kicked the bumper twice, uttering a grunt afterward. I jumped back in my car and started it with little issue. Now that I could finally get going, I could focus on what I was going to do.

As I drove through the city, I began to seek out one specific store. I had noticed an ad in the paper for a store run by other Miis. After nearly a month with almost no contact with other Miis, I was excited about the prospect of meeting Miis living in this city. I had also received my first paycheck the other day, meaning I had actual spending money for once. I wanted to see what it was like to shop for fun.

As I was driving, I pulled out the ad for the store. After a quick readthrough of it, I finally got the address of where I was going. I had to go to the center of the city to find this place.

After what felt like an entire week, I finally found the store. I pulled into the parking lot and parked in two spots at once. I got out of the car and took a good look at the name of the store on the front of the building: Mii Mart. Uncreative, but effective, I thought.

I walked over to the store. The doors opened automatically as I approached and entered. I was taken aback at first at just how large the store was; there were so many aisles to check out. From my first look around, I could tell this was a general store, selling all sorts of items, such as housewares and electronics. Most of the store was taken up by a clothing section.

I made my way over to the clothing section, trying to avoid eye contact with anyone. I really wanted to find a nice t-shirt, and there were definitely a lot of options. I picked up one that was red and blue striped and felt the soft fabric it consisted of. I put it back and picked up a simple yellow shirt and looked at it.

"You need any help?" someone asked.

I snapped my focus away from the shirt over to this unknown person. I first noticed that the guy was a male Mii, and then noticed that he appeared to be an employee of the place. His smaller eyes, his larger nose, his small smile, his huge glasses; something about him seemed incredibly familiar.

Then I read his name tag.

"Jeremii?" I questioned out loud, slightly bewildered.

"Yep," he replied. "You know who I am, huh? So I must know you..."

"It's me, Ethan! Don't you remember?"

"Ethan... Oh, wait! You mean from school? Yeah, I remember you! It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Yeah, I haven't seen you in a number of months. Sorry for not keeping up with you."

Jeremii waved his hand dismissively. "Please, don't be ridiculous! If anything, I should keep up with you! You hit the big time! Everyone back home can't stop talking about you. I was a bit out of the loop myself, though."

"Did that have anything to do with your name?"

"You know it! I will not stop fighting until I can write my name without embarrassing myself."

"Keep me posted on how that goes, okay?"

"Of course." Suddenly, he smacked his forehead. "What am I even doing?! I'm talking to a member of Smash! I need to really impress you with our wares!" He thought for a moment. "I know! There's something awesome I should show you. Come with me!"

I was pulled along to the employee doors. "Wait here a moment," he said, disappearing behind the doors. He reappeared shortly after with a set of clothes in his hands. "Let's have you try this outfit on," he said, shoving his glasses back up.

I followed Jeremii to the change rooms. He handed me the clothes and I went inside to change. A few moments later, I emerged wearing the outfit he provided.

"So, what do you think?" Jeremii asked. "Pretty sweet, right?"

"It's been a very long time since I wore brand new clothes like this," I replied. "It's rather nice. I especially like the shirt."

"This shirt isn't even available to the public yet! We were planning on selling them after the first exhibition match, but I think we can make an exception for you."

"Sweet. I'll take it. Where do I pay?"

"Just up at the front. You're buying the whole outfit."

"Might as well. It goes together so well. By the way, when we get a chance, we should hang out outside of work sometime."

"Sure. I can just find you at the university, right?"

"Usually, yeah."

"Great! I'll see you later, then." Jeremii turned and left to continue his work.

I smiled. This outfit was perfect, and I had found an old friend.

This shopping trip was worth it.

Arthur (Swordfighter)

I walked down the hall, my sword clanking on my back. I had a destination in mind, so I was marching at a brisk pace.

Today, I felt the need to train again, so I got up incredibly early, geared up and made my way over to the training room. I'd heard earlier in the week that there was an expert swordsman here to help train the sword-wielding fighters; obviously, I had to check it out.

The atmosphere felt rather different. This early in the morning, there appeared to be no one else in the hall, and the light had barely begun to reach in. The air was still and light; it made me feel a little more energetic, oddly. The sounds of my sword and footsteps were amplified by the lack of other sounds.

I opened the doors to the training room. The lights were turned off; the only light entering the room were from the windows. Dust particles seemed to dance in the beams of light.

I stepped forward, my hand reaching to the hilt of my sword. I breathed as quietly as possible, so as not to disturb the peace or muffle any sounds. I heard a faint sound of metal scraping against something for a brief moment. I tensed up, ready to act.

Just then, I felt the need to draw my blade. I did so, and my instincts proved to be correct, as another blade clashed against it as I did.

The swordsman grunted approvingly and withdrew his blade. "Well done," he stated, his voice deep and slow. "You might be worth my time."

"Who are you?" I asked.

"The time for introductions will come later. You came here to train, did you not?"

"Uh, yeah... but shouldn't we use training blades instead of real ones?"

"Exactly what I was thinking. No sense in risking pointless injury to ourselves. Here."

A training blade fell at my feet. I sheathed my sword and picked up the blade. As I stood up, his blade hit my shoulder. I shouted in pain and grabbed my shoulder.

"You'll have to be quicker than that," he said. "You must be ready for anything."

I grunted and shook it off. I looked around to try and locate where the guy was. I heard a boot slightly to the right; I turned and raised my blade to guard. I got hit on my left side. He had tricked me. I swung to the left and hit air; he swung and hit my right side. I stumbled a bit, but kept my sword raised. In a moment of desperation, I turned around completely, swinging as I did so. I finally made contact, and I heard him stumble a bit. I pressed the attack, and he blocked my next swing. I thrust forward with the tip, but this was knocked aside. He then kicked me, shoving the sole of his boot right into my gut, followed up by a heavy slash. This knocked me clean off my feet and caused me to drop the blade.

I laid on the ground for a few moments, moaning. The guy stuck his hand out, and I grabbed it. He pulled me to my feet. He clapped twice and some of the lights came on, enough to finally see who this swordmaster was.

I couldn't believe my eyes. I knew immediately who it was. "You're Matt!" I exclaimed.

He laughed, a goofy smile appearing on his face. "So the young ones know who I am," he said heartily. "That's good to know." He put his hand on my shoulder. "You did pretty well."

"You absolutely destroyed me."

"Sure, but that was to be expected. I go all in to test people. I don't expect them to beat me; I expect them to show some skill. You show some skill."

"Hmm..."

"Listen, I'll be hanging around the university for the next while. Come around occasionally and we can work on your techniques."

"...Okay, I will. But what are you going to do now?"

"Wait for others. After all, you're not the only sword wielder around here."

"Right. I'd best leave, then. I'll see you around."

"Hold a moment." I stopped. "I'm going to need that training blade back."

I realized I was still holding the training blade and sheepishly handed it to him. I turned back around and left; the lights shut off as I left.

I returned down the hall. As I did, I passed by a blonde man with a large red sword. He didn't appear to notice me, and I thought nothing of it.

I returned to my room quickly. I needed to change into something more comfortable. I threw on a sweatsuit and decided to sit around the apartment for the day.

Just as I threw myself on the couch, someone knocked at the door. There was a pause, then the knock turned into slamming. There was a rustling sound coming from down the hall and Robin burst out running. He opened the door to reveal Chrom standing there. Chrom gestured for Robin to come with him. Robin stepped out.

After a few seconds, Robin gestured at me to join them. I gestured to tell him to go without me. He nodded and left, closing the door behind him.

I stared at the ceiling for a short time before there was another knock at the door. I peeled myself off of the couch to answer it. When I opened the door, Corrin and Kamui were standing at the door.

"Hey, Arthur!" Kamui exclaimed. "Are you here alone?"

"...Weird question, but yes," I replied. "Do you need something?"

"We were just wondering if you wanted to spend some time with us," Corrin explained.

"That sounds great, but I was hoping to just stay home today."

"Then we'll hang out here at your apartment," Kamui suggested.

"Fine by me, as long as I don't have to change outfits."

I invited them in, and they entered. "What do you say we sit outside on the balcony?" I suggested. "The weather is pretty nice today."

They agreed, and we sat on the chairs on the balcony. We took in the view from the balcony.

"Hey, isn't that the garden down there?" Corrin asked.

"Sure is," I replied. "Isn't it nice?"

"It's beautiful," Kamui said, a tinge of amazement in her voice. "I especially like those large pink ones."

"Hey, Arthur, what kinds of flowers grow in the Miiverse?" Corrin questioned. "There must be some unique flowers growing there."

"You would be correct. There's one particular flower we grow back at my home that I love. The flower is mostly white with light blue accents, and these blooms are huge! We have them all over the place."

"That sounds wonderful," Kamui said dreamily. "Can I see one?"

"I don't have any with me, but I'll get some when I get the chance."

"We just love taking in the sights," Corrin said. "After what we went through for so long, just seeing flowers like these is a pleasure."

"Oh?"

"We used to live in Nohr. Nohr is a very dark place."

"Huh, interesting."

"There are actually flowers in Nohr," Kamui added. "I used to get them from my siblings."

"Speaking of our siblings," Corrin said, "a few of our siblings have told me they'll be at the first tournament."

"The tournament is tomorrow, if I'm not mistaken," I stated.

"Correct. Sure hope we're ready."

I sunk back into my seat and stared out at the sky. Was I ready? Could I compete with the others here?

Either way, I find out tomorrow...

Melanie (Gunner)

I was hunched over the kitchen table, staring into my bowl of cereal. I poked at the soggy cereal and sighed.

With a grunt, I got up from the table and threw the bowl in the sink. My stomach was churning; a trip to the bathroom for some medicine fixed that somewhat.

I knew my stomach issues weren't because of the cereal. The first real battle was happening tomorrow. I needed to prepare.

I moved to my room. What's the worst possible thing that could happen to me during a fight? I thought. ...That would probably be an equipment failure. Better start with that.

I pulled out the case containing my arm cannon from my closet. After popping the latches open, I carefully lifted the cannon out and set it on the floor. I flicked a small lever and a cartridge popped out. I looked over it very carefully, shaking it a bit in the process. The inner components rattled inside. Satisfied that the cartridge was in good shape, I clicked it back into place. I turned the cannon around, checking the outside for any dents or scratches. I didn't see any, but I noticed a few smudges. I pulled out a polishing cloth from the case and gave the cannon a quick rubdown.

Lastly, I took a look down the barrel. I poked my finger in there, and concluded there was nothing in the barrel. The cannon was in perfect working order, so I set it back in the case and stored it.

I stepped back and realized I had been gritting my teeth. Worrying about tomorrow won't help, I thought. I'd best get my mind off of things.

I left the apartment and made my way down to ground level. I pushed the doors open and went outside to the courtyard. The courtyard was in pristine condition, and the fountain in the middle of it burbled quietly. There was someone sitting on the edge of the fountain, gazing upward. It appeared to be a guy.

I took a seat next to this person and got a better look. It was definitely a guy, looking up at the sky. He appeared to be unaware of my presence. His clothes were the most distracting part about him; it was hard not to notice the pink sweatshirt.

He seemed to be pretty relaxed, so I decided to try looking at the sky. I grabbed the edge of the fountain and looked up. It was a nice sunny day, but there were some clouds in the sky. I scanned over the clouds, looking for any that were a weird shape. I noticed one that was skinny on the bottom, and bloomed at the top. I smiled.

"You noticed that cloud that looks like a tree?" the guy next to me asked. I jumped a bit, surprised that he noticed me. He smiled and pointed at the cloud. "That cloud up there... It looks like a tree."

"You're right, it does," I replied. "Do you see any other clouds that look like stuff?"

He turned to the sky and pointed to another cloud. "That smaller one looks like a baseball glove."

"Ooh, and that skinny one looks like a bat!"

"I don't see a baseball cloud anywhere..."

"Well, that's a shame... but look at that big one over there in the distance!"

"Huh... That's almost a perfect triangle. What are the odds of that?"

"Pretty slim odds, if I had to guess."

"Mac!" a voice bellowed from the left. I turned to see a large black man in a red jacket approaching us. "Here you are! Listen, we need to get back to training."

"...All right," Mac sighed. He turned to me. "Well, see you around."

Mac and the other guy began walking toward the gym. The other man stopped a moment. "Sorry to take him away like this, but his daily training isn't finished," he explained. "My name's Doc Louis, by the way. I'm Mac's trainer."

"Nice to meet you," I replied. "Don't push him too hard."

Doc laughed. "Sorry, but I have no choice. It's the best way for him to improve." He turned and followed after Mac.

I stopped a moment and realized I felt calmer. It's exactly what I needed. I headed back inside.

Nothing will stop me from winning tomorrow!

Sakurai

"Yes, everything is going as planned. The first exhibition matches are happening tomorrow. We're expecting a sellout crowd. ...So you'll be in the box tomorrow? Fantastic. See you then."

I hung up the phone and rubbed my face. I took a sip of water, and as I did so, there was a knock at the door. "Mr. Sakurai?" a voice asked from the other side.

"Come in, Reggie."

Reggie entered the office and sat in front of the desk.

"Seriously, Reggie, you don't have to ask to enter my office."

"Sorry, it's just a habit. Anyway, you wanted to talk?"

"The first real fights are tomorrow. I wanted to go over the details with you again."

Reggie leaned forward. "Very well, let's begin."

I pulled out a list and began to read over it. "First of all, the fighters currently here."

"According to my list, we're still missing two, but the rest are here. The two have told me they'll be here soon."

"Good, good. The announcer?"

"I contacted him and confirmed he'll be here tomorrow morning in time to get set up."

"Great. The rep from the higher-ups?"

"You're in charge of that, remember?"

I paused for a moment. "...Oh, right," I said sheepishly. "I just got off the phone with them. They'll be here. Lastly, the ticket sales."

"..."

"Reggie?"

"...Well..."

"Reggie, you sold the tickets, right?"

"...Not exactly."

"What do you mean?"

"I've sold some tickets, but we still have quite a few unsold. What should I do?"

"...Sell them."

"Okay, but how?"

"Just get out there with some of the staff and get selling. We need to fill the seats."

"Sure thing, Mr. Sakurai. At least the tickets are cheap..."

"All right, but before you go, one more item; the situation with the stadium."

"I talked with the engineers earlier. They told me they did a thorough inspection and everything is ready for tomorrow. They'll be on hand during the matches in the event of technical difficulties."

"Perfect. Everything seems in order. Now get out there and sell more tickets."

"Right away, Mr. Sakurai!"

With that, Reggie jumped up and rushed out the door. I took a few minutes to call up some staff to help Reggie before finally getting up from my desk. I sat in front of the fireplace and stared into the fire.

I felt my hands dig into the arms of the chair. I breathed deeply and let go, sinking into the chair as I did. Everything will be fine tomorrow, I thought. I've gone over everything. I've ensured all the details are smoothed out. The exhibition matches will go well.

They have to go well...

A/N: Yep, this story is still going. Yes, I'm inconsistent. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is so good. I don't remember if I mentioned this before, even though it's obvious, but I'm a Mii Fighter main. The next chapter will finally get to the real fights for the first time, so stay tuned for the next chapter!