In Thoughts, Together (for YGKforever)

Super Smash Brothers! The ultimate gathering of fighters from across the multiverse, be they big or small, heroes or villains, human or beast. The Nohrian Princess Corrin was one of the lucky few selected to represent her world, and it was truly an honor - especially when she had to live up to the likes of Marth, the hero king, Roy, the young lion or Ike, the radiant hero. It was an honor she held in high regard, especially ever since it granted her the chance to win the heart of the lovely Lucina, the enigmatic blade and warrior from a doomed future; her legendary Falchion was almost as impressive as the Omega Yato.

Something she’d be looking to prove now as the silver-haired Princess spun her blade in her hand like a baton, stepping up to a defenseless sandbag with a devious glint in her fierce, red eyes. These things were the best for practicing and landing unrealistic, impractical moves for battle on! And that was a subject Corrin was particularly well-versed in; after all, it was no secret why Lucina had some of the best results among the other Smash fighters… whereas she, Corrin, did not.

Not that that bothered her. To her, this was just another opportunity to show off her new skills to her sweetheart. She spared a glance over her shoulder, seeing Lucina busy with her own training behind her… she was certain this would catch her attention. With a single pitch, Corrin hurled the Omega Yato above her head. “Hmf!” She grunted, crossing her arms over her chest as both her hands elongated and shrunk, her fingers coming together to form two long, jagged spears in place of her palms before she drove both of them through the unblinking sandbag. Violently, Corrin pulled the sandbag towards her, stomping her foot on it’s top before rearing back her head with a mighty roar as her whole body shifted in shape to that of a tall, white, giraffe-like dragon that stomped it’s mighty hooves down, creating a splash of water as the sandbag was launched across the ground of the Arena Ferox.

With another swirl of water, Corrin smirked as she returned to human form and held out her hand… and promptly lost her grin when the Omega Yato fell right past her, clanking against the ground and ruining her stylish finish. “...ah, curses.” She sighed to herself, turning around and picking her sword off the floor as she held it coyly.

Maybe it was better if Lucina didn’t see that.

[VGKforever]

Lucina, the princess of Ylisse (and would-be heir to the throne if her timeline's Ylisse still existed) watched Corrin from a distance. Corrin's technique was impressive on the surface, but to an experienced fighter like her, she could see it was full of holes. Because Lucina had far more real-world experience, Corrin typically welcomed her advice. One of the most basic things they'd covered was to not transform unless absolutely necessary. It provided a quick burst of power, sure, but it left her quite a bit weaker afterwards. She supposed practicing with the form was necessary, but she had a vague feeling Corrin's aim at the moment wasn't practicing, but showing off.

"Ho there, Corrin." Lucina approached the Vallite princess. "Your sword does you no good on the floor. And besides. I know you're not familiar with my world, but we're in Regna Ferox, and Gods help you if one of the Khans sees you drop your sword. Flavia once told me that the only reason a warrior's weapon should be on the ground is if its wielder dies."

Corrin’s fist clenched reflexively as Lucina uttered her greeting. Damn, she did see it! Feeling a pink tint of humiliation rise to her cheeks, Corrin turned around and pursed her lips as Lucina approached. She did always have something wise to say, but having to hear it meant acknowledging she did something stupid, and that’s where Corrin usually most held a problem. Her brow perched upwards at Lucina’s little history lesson… neat as it was to hear more about this alternate version of her own world, she bore easily. “Well…” She scoffed. “Whoever these Kahns were, they sounded quite… impulsive.” Corrin confidently muttered back.

“Fortunately, I won’t make that same mistake twice…” She ever-so-cockily assured her lover whilst turning her attention back toward the sandbag. Deep breaths. Time for attempt two, this time, with Lucina’s attention fully set on her. “Hm!” She grunted, tossing the Yato back into the air again - with a mighty ‘grraHH!,’ both her arms resumed their jagged, spear-like edges as she pierced them through the sandbag, pulling the dummy close to her and stomping her boot on it’s belly.

Ordinarily, this was the part where she’d resume dragon form, stomp down on the sandbag, then return to human form and catch the Yato. Unfortunately, in her attempts at doing so, her jagged, pin-like arms became stuck inside the sandbag’s cottony body. “Huh?” Corrin blinked, yanking on her arms again only for them to stay unbudging. “Come on…” She growled, with a final pull tearing her arms from the sandbag - by now, it was beyond too late to save the combo. In an effort to save it, she threw her hand out, even transforming it’s size and shape to make it a bigger landing pad… but alas, the Yato landed straight on the ground, bouncing off the floor and skidding to a halt directly in front of Lucina’s feet.

Wincing at her own failure again, Corrin turned around, hiding her hands behind her back now as she sighed. “I… suppose that makes two warrior’s deaths, then.” She mumbled. “I swear I will pull the full string off. Eventually…”

[VGKforever]

"You need to focus less on making it flashy," Lucina advised. "Combat is combat. Survival is the desired outcome. If you try too hard to show off, you're going to find yourself in a bad situation. Or somebody else might. I told you about my cousin, Owain, right? Owain is very... eccentric. He names all of his weapons and 'attacks,' is prone to long speeches, and fancies himself a 'Scion of Legend.' This has come back to hurt him, and badly. In our timeline, he was fighting against the Risen, and showing off with his sword while doing it. Because he wasn't focused on the fight, one enemy knocked the weapon out of his hands. His father dove in to defend him and took the blow from the monster. He didn't survive it."

It only took a few brief words for Lucina’s lecture to fade into white noise. Corrin was lucky to call the Princess her lover and she knew this, but that didn’t stop her from having to sit through a mouthful from time to time. Her eyes drifted tiredly as she waited, tapping her foot against the ground until Lucina seemingly had gotten her fill.

“Thank… you… for the tip?” Corrin blinked, coming out of her momentary distracted haze. At least she hoped what Lucina said was a tip. “Anyway. It’s okay. I’ll get it next time, for sure… I just need to practice my throw and catch a time or two more.”