Two Souls into Battle

Hello! This is actually my first ever fic. I hope you enjoy it! Also quick advertizement! If you're interested in joining a Smash-related discord server, then look no further! Super Smash Prose is open for new members any time! Code: gDK48ua

Any ordinary person would say jarred fingers are painful. But to Cole, it was a routine. Every day for six months, slamming the same pinky into the same punching bag for hours at a time. At first, under extreme pressure from the Chief, it was excruciating. But slowly, after getting used to pain and suffering, the routine was put in place. Not to mention the hundreds of other activities Cole was forced to partake in, including martial arts with Emmett, who would consistently thrash him.

Cole was the type of being to tolerate extreme situations, without the hint of fear, weakness or pain. But that didn't mean he was immune to those emotions. He'd just grown up with the motto enforced into his brain.

Thou shall not stop

At first thought, you would see it merely as a positive phrase to help keep one going. Quite the contrary, in fact. Once you were obligated to chant the saying over and over again if you failed an activity, it became a sort of cult proverb. Worst part of all, you had to shrug it off, like it didn't matter. Cole, being one of the "prodigies" at the facility, was prone to listening to the advice, even if he didn't see it being the right way to teach young minds.

It didn't matter though. Anything he said or protested about was used against him in an unfair manner. It seemed foolish to fight back, but many of the students had tried and cracked a little surface with the instructors. Nonetheless, Cole was relatively happy with his position at the facility. Due to his unusual powers of inferno, he had a large amount of power as a young student. Once old enough, Cole would then choose his career path. He had already applied for Smash, hoping to get into one of the final fighter spots.

It was insanely difficult to get into Smash, and you had to have 5 of the characteristics provided. Courage, bravery, intelligence, strength and skill. Cole had been working his way through activities at the facility that would help grow his understanding of each characteristic. He knew he had a chance of getting in, even if it was the smallest. Not many people applied this year, according to the Smash statistics board. It wasn't long until he graduated and was either offered a spot or denied a spot. Either way, Cole was looking forward to finally leaving.

"Hey, Cole! Get outta bed We got work to do," Braelyn said, poking at Cole's forehead. She had her long black coat on and an umbrella over her shoulder.

What do you want?" He said, covering his face with a pillow.

"Not what I want, what do you want?" She responded, removing the pillow from his face.

Cole got up, puzzled. Braelyn urged him out of the room. He was already dressed but he slipped on some boots and wandered out.

"Sorry for startling you. We've got work to do." Braelyn said, pulling a little stop watch from her pocket.
"You didn't startle me. I'm just confused. It's my break day. Why am I needed?" He asked politely.

Braelyn smirked.

"You aren't. I just need to show you something. Now hurry up." Cole shrugged and obeyed.

They were jogging for roughly ten minutes before said destination came into view. An empty alleyway. Cole, clearly irritated, gave Braelyn a stern look. She looked back at him with a look that ordered him to shut up. Cole was raised to listen, so he did just that. But in fact, curiosity and confusion brimmed his mind and he couldn't resist blurting his thoughts.

"What in the living fuck are we doing here?" he growled. Cole quickly covered up his mouth, in obvious shock that he had actually said that to Braelyn.

She snickered.

"Got some bite left in you, hm? Good, you'll be needing that."

They waited patiently for about five minutes when Cole realized that Braelyn never gave him an answer.

But just as he opened his snappy mouth, a large figure turned the corner into the alleyway. At first glance, Cole instinctively summoned flames from his hands, in case things got choppy. He quickly comprehended that the figure in front of him was none other than Link.

Cole's jaw dropped, his palms went clammy and he started to shake rapidly until Link started to talk.

"Hey. You called?" he said softly.

He was in a long brown trench coat, similar to that of the ones worn in British detective series. His hair was out, and his Master Sword was slinged to his spine. Cole was in utter awe. Link had been his hero since he learnt what Smash was. He aspired to join Smash and befriend Link and battle duos alongside him. But his dreams were so unlikely to happen that Cole gave up on believing.

Until now.

"Yes I did. Cole, this is Link. Link this is Cole. Introduced? Cool, come on." Braelyn said, eager to move on. She still hadn't explained the point of this journey, but after meeting Link, he couldn't care less. With the rain plummeting down, Link offered him a space under his umbrella. Cole smiled and accepted the request, huddling underneath to protect himself from catching a cold. It went silent for a little while, Cole just admiring the thought of fighting real battles in Smash.

Cole noticed a large circular building up ahead. When he got closer he realized it was a Smash arena. His heart dropped, his stomach started to swirl and he felt his muscles grip tightly together. There was no way in hell they were actually going in to watch a smash battle. He looked over at Braelyn, who was too focused on the entrance to the arena. Link beamed a crusty looking smile. Seeing that, Cole knew Link hadn't smiled in a long time.

They walked up to the ticket booth, expecting to be purchasing a ticket. But Link politely refused and told them we were allowed to enter as Link's plus two. Braelyn was pleased, she was not looking forward to paying for Cole.

They reached the top of a staircase which led to three doorways. Each one of them had a path leading to the reserved V.I.P sections of the arena. But one in particular was reserved for smashers. Link opened that door and hurried the other two inside.

The view from the top seats was spectacular. You could see the entire cinematic lighting and of course the battle below, between Kirby and Incineroar. Cole had always dreamed of seeing a battle involving Kirby, for the main reason being he wanted to see someone get knocked out by his insane hammer. But Incineroar was a difficult opponent. His Alolan Whip was a tough move to defend and also a painful one which would be sure to cause large amounts of agony to the opponent. Both of these smashers had their weaknesses and strengths fighting each other. It was going to be a close win, and Cole had no clue who would win it either.

Cole had studied Smash for several years. At the facility, there was a special option that allowed you to study a particular topic if you saw yourself having a career out of it. Cole, choosing Smash out of thin curiosity, quickly realized just how astonishing the career really was. He knew he wanted to do this though. He knew this was his future.

After seeing Kirby complete the Final Cutter multiple times and Incineroar perform the Darkest Lariat, Cole was satisfied. He had been sitting on the edge of his seat for the whole time and Braelyn had actually told him to sit back, as she was worried he would fall off the area and flat on his face. Link was far back in his chair, grinning the whole time while chewing on a toothpick. He looked over at Cole and urged him to come closer. Cole did just that.

"You got potential, kid." He whispered, patting Cole's shoulders.

"You fit all the characteristics of bein' a smasher. I wouldn't be surprised if you made it in." he said, then sat back in his chair.

Cole was shocked. How did Link know he had potential? They had only just met.

"How did you-"

"A good magician never reveals his secrets." Link winked at Cole.

After the match, Cole felt alive. He'd never seen a Smash battle before, and now, seeing it for the first time, it was everything he expected and more. He fist pumped the sky, pleased with his day and pleased with the opportunity to meet his hero. A chance into Smash? It seemed too good to be true. Yet Link still said it. It was the beginning of something incredible, Cole could tell.