Brawler

I was driving on the highway, going to this university. I wasn't too worried, mostly because it was taking all of my effort and attention to keep my ancient car going. It was a rust bucket, but it was my car, and I still loved it.

I still had no idea why the University had chosen me as one of its students. I wasn't anything special. My academic standing wasn't even that great. The only thing I was really good at was unarmed combat. It was a mystery to me.

I wasn't even going to apply in the first place. I had heard people talking about "some crazy guy trying to start up a university," but I hadn't given it any thought at first. I eventually decided to throw in an application. I thought nothing of it and went back to my life.

That's why it was so surprising when a letter from that university arrived at my trailer. I opened it and read the letter, which turned out to be an acceptance letter from the university, the name of it finalized as the University of Smash. It turned out to be a rather strange university, as it was not only going to offer me free room and board, but it would also give me the option of picking furniture for said room. Best of all, the university would be paying me to attend! How could I say no?

That's what brought me to the highway in my car. I had thrown all my clothes, as well as most of my other belongings, into a duffel the day before. I'd send for the rest of my stuff later. I had been driving for 9 straight hours, and it was starting to get to me.

Finally, like an oasis in the desert, the city appeared in front of me. It was the central hub for the entirety of the Nintendo world. I had never laid eyes on it before, and I honestly couldn't believe how amazing and magical it looked. I had never seen buildings so shiny and modern!

I took an exit ramp a little ways in and found myself in the heart of the city. People moved quickly on the sidewalks, and shiny new cars drove alongside mine. I was in awe.

Then, the university appeared. This thing was huge! It was noticeably shorter than the various towers within the city, but it made up for it with width and depth. I found the entrance road and entered in.

I showed the security guy my student card, and he nodded and let me in to the student parking lot. I had been allotted a space, which I found quickly. I grabbed my duffel, locked my car and found the entrance to the dorms.

There was an old man waiting at the desk when I entered. I approached the desk. "Excuse me," I said, raising my voice slightly to ensure he could hear me.

"Oh, hello!" the old man said with a kindly smile. "What can I do for you?"

"I'd like to get my dorm key, please," I requested.

"Ah, yes, of course," the old man said, nodding. "May I see your student card, please?"

I handed him my card, which was still in my hand from security.

"So you're Ethan, eh?" the old man said, raising his eyebrow. He looked over the wall, which was filled with hanging keys, and plucked one off. "Here you go! 1515."

"Thanks," I said. I looked to the left and found the elevator. I jumped on and zipped up to the fifteenth floor.

As I got off the elevator, I began to wonder who my roommate would be. The university allowed us to choose the furniture for our dorms, if we wanted to. I opted out of choosing, because I have no real taste in furniture. According to the letter I received, those of us that didn't choose furniture would get roommates that did choose furniture. I was just hoping that my roommate had good taste. I didn't actually care all that much, as long as the furniture didn't come from the dump.

I approached the door. A gold plate on the door declared this was 315. I put the key in the lock, took a deep breath, and opened the door.

As it turned out, my roommate had some decent design sense. All the furniture was black, with granite counters and stainless steel appliances in the kitchen. There was a flatscreen TV on a stand, playing a James Bond movie.

My roommate was sitting on the couch, watching the movie. His most prominent feature had to be his bright red hair, a stark colour contrast to his plain-looking clothes. His strangest feature was definitely his green skin. I wondered where this guy came from. Maybe I'd find out later.

He turned to me. "Are you my roommate?" he asked. His voice was rather deep.

"Yeah," I replied. "I'm Ethan. What's your name?"

"I'm Ganondorf," he said, a smile appearing on his face. "I already claimed the further bedroom. The closer one is yours. I hope you like the furniture."

"I do," I said. "I'll go get settled."

He nodded and went back to the movie.

I walked over to my room and entered. It was also rather nice, with a bed, a closet, two nightstands and a desk and chair. How can they afford all of this? I thought, bewildered.

I set down my duffel and opened it. I took my clothes out of it and placed them in the closet. I turned on the lamp on my nightstand and flopped onto my bed. It was easily the most comfortable bed I'd ever been on. I stared at the ceiling.

This is the greatest day of my life.

Swordfighter

I had been on the road for way too long. It was a seemingly infinite distance to the university, but I knew it would be worth it. The drive honestly wasn't that bad; my car, a brand new Cadillac, was extremely luxurious, to the point where I could see myself living in it. I was a little anxious, as this was a completely new place I was going to.

Near the end of my high school career, I was looking forward to graduation and university, because I could finally spend some time apart from them, due to there being no universities within our city. Having achieved honour roll status all four years, I knew I could apply to any university and make it in.

The reason I applied to the University was because of all it had to offer. A luxury apartment, choose your own furniture, get paid to attend; you'd be an idiot not to apply.

Oddly, though, the application didn't seem to care much about educational standing; it cared far more about my fighting abilities. There wasn't much worry there - I was rather experienced with the sword - but it did kind of confuse me as to why fighting mattered so much to get into a university. Regardless, I was accepted within a week of applying.

I finally made it to the big city. It was definitely different from the gated community I'd grown up in, I'll say that much. Traffic was also fairly heavy at that time, so it took a while to navigate.

At last, I found the place and made my way to the parking lot. I slid the car in quickly between a blue Prius and a yellow Jeep. I got out and locked up, stuffing the key into my blazer pocket. I popped the trunk and grabbed my suitcases.

I found my way to the entrance of the dorms and approached the desk.

An old guy approached me. "Yes?" he asked, smiling.

"I'm here for my room key," I said. "Arthur's the name."

He nodded and walked over to the wall of keys. He grabbed one and tossed it to me. Not missing a beat, I caught it in midair. "Thanks," I said with a smile. I picked up my suitcases and went over to the elevator.

There was a young woman already waiting at the elevator. She appeared to be lost in thought. Her long-sleeve shirt clung pretty close to her body, and her white skirt went just above her knees. Her long, white hair swished a bit as she turned to face me, her eyes a deep red hue, like a ruby.

She smiled sweetly. "Oh, now nice to meet you!" she said. "What's your name?"

"I'm Arthur," I said. "And you?"

"My name is Kamui," she replied.

The elevator dinged and opened. We stepped in, her dragging her rolling suitcase behind her. She pushed the button for the 15th floor. The elevator began its ascent.

"You know, I know a guy named Arthur back at my home, too," Kamui said suddenly.

"Really?" I questioned. "What's he like?"

"Very heroic, but terribly unlucky," she replied. "I already kind of miss home."

I was silent. I had no idea how to respond.

The elevator opened. Kamui walked left towards the door of the first apartment. Before she entered, she turned to me and smiled. I smiled back. She entered the apartment and closed the door.

I proceeded down the hall to apartment 1522. I unlocked the door and entered.

I had opted to choose the furniture and overall design; I wasn't going to run the risk of ending up with ugly furniture. I looked around, taking in the apartment. I was quite impressed; it looked exactly like what I envisioned. I especially liked the brown fabric on the couch, loveseat and living room chair. I also quite liked the wall-mounted TV with the stand underneath.

I wondered who my roommate was and where he was. I hadn't heard a single sound since I closed the door. I walked over to investigate the bedrooms. There was no one in the closer bedroom, but I noticed a glow coming from the far one. I poked my head in to investigate.

I noticed someone at the desk. His white hair had clearly never seen a comb. He appeared to be wearing a black hoodie and baggy white cargo pants. He was hunched over a laptop.

"Hey," I said casually.

He jumped a little and turned. Clearly, he had been very focused and hadn't heard me come in. He smiled, a very warm and kind smile. "Hello, friend," he said. "You must be my new roommate. I'm Robin."

"Arthur," I replied. "Do you like my design?"

"Oh, yes," he said, his satisfaction evident in his voice. "I don't have much of a design sense, so I'm glad I got a roommate who does. By the way, are you OK with taking the closer bedroom? I can move if you want me to."

"I'm OK with the other bedroom," I said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to unpack."

Robin nodded and turned back to his laptop. "Oh, by the way," he said facing his his laptop, "don't forget about orientation tomorrow."

I entered the other bedroom. I pulled my laptop out of its bag and placed it on the desk. I opened my suitcases. I put my clothes in the closet, my alarm clock and picture of my family on my nightstand, and my taco poster on the wall (it's a long story).

I walked back to the living room and turned on the TV, beginning to relax.

I could definitely get used to this.

Gunner

I shifted in my seat as I tried to get comfortable. Sitting on a bus was definitely not a fun experience. This was made worse by the amount of stuff I had with me; I basically had everything I owned with me on this trip. I had checked the night before to ensure I had everything, because I had to leave early that morning. I had been on that bus all day, and it was starting to get to me.

What could have brought me to that bus? What made me subject myself to the general discomfort of public transit?

It was a single piece of paper.

It was a letter from a university I had never heard of. I read the letter and figured out that this one was concerned about my ability to fight. I had spent many an hour at the gun range with my dad, perfecting my shot and enjoying some quality time. I never thought I'd actually use it in combat!

I applied and was accepted in a few days. Thus, I was on this bus, feeling slightly nauseous from the trip.

Finally, I saw it. The gleaming towers of the city!

What a place it was! It was a stark contrast to Miiverse, the home of the Miis. Every building in Miiverse was white and green, and rather plain to look at. Here, every building was unique. I thought I had died and gone to heaven!

Eventually, the bus pulled up to the university. I gathered my stuff and stepped off the bus, breathing in the crisp air of the city.

I found the entrance and stepped in. I pulled my student card out of my wallet and presented it to the clerk.

"Let's see..." he said, reading the card. "Melanie... Ah yes!" He strolled over to the wall and plucked a key off of it. He walked back and handed it to me. "1509."

"Thanks," I said, picking up my stuff. I hopped in the elevator and waited.

Finally, I reached the floor. When the door opened, I saw two guys waiting by the door. Both were clad in overalls; one wore mostly red, the other mostly green. Both had large mustaches, as well. We walked by each other, and nothing happened. Who are those guys? I thought.

I found the room not far from the elevator. I slotted the key into the lock and turned it.

The first thing I saw was a huge suit of yellow and red armour. I jumped slightly and dropped my stuff. The armour turned to look at me. It reached up and removed the helmet.

The first thing I noticed was the hair; it was long and blonde. Then I noticed the facial features. The person in the suit was a woman!

"I-I've never seen a woman in armour before!" I stuttered.

"Well, hello to you, too," the woman replied. "Yeah, no one expects a woman to suit up. Sorry for spooking you like that. I'm Samus."

"I'm Melanie," I said. "I'm guessing you're my roommate?"

"That's correct," Samus replied. "I took the closer bedroom, so the one at the end of the hall is all yours."

"Thanks," I said. I gathered my stuff together and walked over to my bedroom.

I set up my laptop on my desk, along with the other trinkets I had on me. My clothes went into the closet.

I went back out to the living room. I sat down in the recliner and put the footrest up. I leaned back and closed my eyes, enjoying the comfort of my surroundings.

I'm going to enjoy this.

A/N: Hello to all my followers who may or may not have been eagerly been waiting for an update! I am, indeed, still alive! I apologize profusely for not getting any updates going. I kind of just slacked off a bit with the writing. I've been getting more invested in video games, as well as starting off the first of five years in university! I hope you'll forgive me for the lack of updates. I will make an effort to get more updates out, though most updates would likely be for this book.

On another note, shoutouts to Malacandra and Vellatra for suggesting names for the main characters; your assistance is very much appreciated.

Thanks again for reading, and I hope to have another update out before the year ends.