As soon as Lillian announced this, the room broke into chatter. Myra instinctively looked at Barley, who had already returned his companion to Amiibo form and was heading towards Luke. She noticed Enzo had sidled closer to her with and excited expression on his face. "Maybe we'll at last be able to ask what this whole thing is all about."

"I dunno. Barley seemed fairly certain that this 'Champion' wouldn't tell." Myra responded.

The two friends looked up as Luke turned to them. "Alright, that's enough for today, newbies. For future reference, this group will be taking introductory tours and classes together." He addressed the five of them, and then turned to Lillian. The blonde haired girl whipped out a sheet of paper and looked down at it. She whispered something to Luke, who turned to speak to the others.

"For now, return your Amiibo to their bases and follow Lillian over here."

Myra watched as the room was bathed in the light of whatever energy is in charge of changing the Character's state. Since there was no other option, Myra held out the base and tried to do the same thing she did to bring the figure to life.

After several attempts it finally happened. The ribbons of golden light surrounded the Character, and then retreated back to the base in her hand. Myra felt a rush of heat as the bright ball swirled for a bit, then settled, revealing the small figure. She now looked at it with renewed interest before returning it to the pocket on her jacket.

One by one the group followed Lillian out the door and into the cold again. Snow piled atop Myra's head and clung to her hair, making her pull up the fur-rimmed hood. The fluffy powder made her think of Christmas. Would she be home in time for the holidays? What would her foster parents be thinking right now? In all honesty, Myra would rather spend Christmas with Enzo and their Amiibo Partners than with her foster family.

As they walked along the path, Myra noticed a small yellow creature trotting alongside Lillian. It was the Pikachu. However this one had a white band tied around its head, with markings on the front and the ends flowing behind it. Lillian must've given it to him. Myra thought it added a personal flair to the Character, showing how strong he and Lillian's bond is.

After a short walk the seven of them, as Luke had followed, emerged upon the Plaza. The circle of bricks was still covered in snow. Footprints of various sizes crisscrossed all around the busy area, and when she looked close enough Myra could see tracks of creatures that weren't human.

Myra looked around, wide-eyed at all of the people around her. Despite her initial belief of there being around fifty people - as that was the amount of Characters in the roster - there was much, much more. Some people looked older while others were around her age.

Out of sheer curiosity she peered around to see if she could spot any more Characters. She didn't see any until Luke led the Elk group to the center of the Plaza, where the raised podium was adorned with ribbons and lace of different colours. For a mere second Myra could spot a taller figure standing atop it before a rush of people blocked her view.

Her attention was then shifted to the other competitors, who Myra could pick out because of their Amiibo Partners that stood alongside them. Everyone was in a disorganized clump, and some of the younger kids were muttering to each other.

Myra swallowed uncomfortably as she passed an older woman, who had a disconcerting face. It was obvious she had been in this strange place for a while, maybe losing multiple Tourneys. At her side was the first Dreamland Character Myra had seen, King Dedede. He glanced at her once, before bringing his attention elsewhere.

At last the group came to a stop. The boy who'd introduced himself as Jack, and the one with Luigi stood at either side of her. She looked around for Enzo. Her friend was near the edge. There were many heads in front of her, blocking her view of the podium.

Soon enough Myra could see a gloved hand rise into the air. She could identify it only as the Champion's. With the signal, Luke summoned Lucario to his side. Within seconds the Plaza was alight with the golden glow of whatever it was working magic. Whoever didn't have there companions out before, did now. Myra leaned forward to look at Enzo again, who had Samus at his side. Going with the flow she summoned Link.

Everyone quieted down and the loud chatter dampened down into a curious murmur, then silence. Myra couldn't help but smile widely as she looked at all the Smash Characters around her. She still had no idea how anyone couldn't want this. Well, maybe if they have a family or someone they care about at home. Still, though. I would give up that boring foster home for this any day, even if it was against my consent at first.

Soon the Plaza was filled with a mechanic whirr. All the heads looked up to see the podium had risen, and a tall hooded figure stood proudly atop it. The sun's weird angle cast a strange shadow on the girl. Her face could not be seen, but her blue velvet cloak and darker leather gloves were bright against the sky.

Myra watched in curiosity as the woman's hands reached to the hood covering her head and pulled it down slowly as she scanned the cluster of people before her. Long strands of smooth brown hair fell limply over her shoulders, streaks of colour ran through the sides.

Her bright eyes fluttered over the crowd and a smile plastered her face. Myra noted she seemed to wear a bit of makeup to conceal blemishes, but despite that she appeared friendly and fairly athletic. It was obvious this Champion spends a lot of time training or otherwise.

"Welcome, wonderful people and Characters of Pocket." The Champion called. Her voice was rough and not really feminine, but was struck with meaning and passion. Myra also noted how she referred to the town as 'Pocket'. She wondered what that meant.

"As you know that time of year has come 'round again. The time of Christmas, and the time of the Tourney." While the Champion was speaking Myra's eyes flickered to the small figure beside her. They were standing slightly behind the Champion, and their head only came up to just above her waist. The shadow of the sun and their positioning, as well as the crowd of heads before her, prevented Myra from identifying the Character. But there was no doubt they must be the Champion's Amiibo companion.

Myra payed attention to what was being said once more. "We have five new contestants this year, taking the partner-less Amiibo under their wing. Please welcome Enzo and Samus, Dan and Luigi, Jack and Lucina, Elaine and Zelda, Myra and Link."

Everyone became to murmur among one another as they turned to where she was gesturing, right at Myra and her friends. Why they seemed so surprised, she didn't know.

Mutters rose in the crowd. Myra could pick out different things being said and could slightly piece things together.

But the Champion ignored them.

"After consideration and opinions, I've decided on the date. The Tourney begins on the 27th of December!" She announced the start of the Tourney two days after Christmas. Myra became less confident, knowing she would have to spend a lot of time training and learning about this place. However she did what she did best and just went with whatever.

Myra zoned out, and the Champion's speech ended after a few minutes. The group patiently as everyone else filed out to resume their days, whatever that entails. She waved a little sheepishly to some Characters, and certain ones returned the gesture. One boy with shaggy brown hair and freckles dotting his face waved back. Behind him tailed the monkey, Diddy Kong, who also returned the gesture. This made Myra smile.

Finally they left. Luke led them back to the building from earlier, containing the training room and Barley. Myra was relieved to see he was still sitting at his desk. Barley looked up and smiled as the group passed and so did Pit, who was sitting a little farther back.

The group entered the training room once more in all it's boring concrete glory. But now she knew better than to judge it by looks, as it could do plenty.

Myra noticed the smaller girl with the dress at the back. Surprisingly, she was making small talk with Enzo. Their Amiibo Partners were just behind them, walking silently. Out of curiosity Myra fell back to join them.

"Hey Enzo." She greeted.

"Oh! Hello, Myra." He turned to face her.

"And who's this?" Myra pushed.

The girl looked up with a little smile. "My name is Elaine. This is my companion, Zelda. Nice to meet you."

Myra nodded. "The name's Myra, by the way." She quickly added, before bringing her attention back to Luke. Something about this Elaine girl threw her off.

~*~*~*~

Luke continued for the next half-hour explaining the ropes of the small town, which was named Pocket. When Enzo asked why it was called that, he replied by simply saying: "The Champion gave it the name, not us. I don't know."

"Well why didn't she tell anyone?" Enzo persisted.

"She's a very secretive person. Although I have a sneaking suspicion that her companion Amiibo and Lillian may know more than they let on." Luke replied.

"Who's her Amiibo Partner?"

In response, Luke ignored the question. That made Enzo relatively angry.

Myra learned that her room that she woke up in would be her home for the amount of time she'd be staying in Pocket. Which, by the looks of it, would be a long time. She will be sharing the building with Elaine, who smiled at the announcement.

She also found out that the other boy's name was Dan. Finally Myra began to feel more settled and at home.

"Well then, newbies. We meet back here at ten tomorrow. Have a good night!" Luke nodded his head in dismissal. Lucario let out a satisfied yelp in goodbye.

Myra strode alongside Enzo as they left. She braced the cold wind, which came like a bitter bite. It was getting cooler as the sun set. A little ways down, she joined Elaine on the way to their dorms, she smiled.

Finally she had gotten that adventure she dreamed of. The kind she read in books, and played through in games. But this time, it was her in the world. She was the one journeying, not someone else.

And she loved it.

*****

Sorry for the late chapter! Last minute editing took longer than a minute... Anyhoo, I've been working really hard on this book, and am very passionate about it. Any votes or comments would be greatly appreciated!