Chapter 3

Shulk drove through Smashville in search of a store to find a gift for his best friend. A Christmas tune was on, and he hummed along as he pulled into a parking lot. After turning off the engine, he got out of the car.

Near the parking lot was for a store called the "Clothing Shop". People of different species ran into the store in search of new and stylish clothing.

Shulk walked through the parking lot, shivering from the cold. Snowflakes fell down from the sky, and Shulk held out a gloved hand to grab one. The snowflake he caught landed in his palm before it quickly melted.

Shulk smiled before walking into the store. To his surprise, the place was crowded. The people walking around the store were chattering loudly, and the blaring of the intercom was heard from above.

Typical holiday rush, Shulk thought to himself as he pushed through the crowds. Clothing of different kinds and colors were hanging on the walls, from shirts to capes, to boots and socks.

Shulk hummed as he looked over the clothes, searching for the perfect type of clothing to get for Lucina.

Skirts…no, Lucina hates those. Shoes? Nah…Shulk thought to himself.

However, after searching through the entire store, he couldn't find anything that might fit Lucina. With a sigh, he turned to leave when something ended up catching his eye.

Hanging on the wall was a blue cape. On the back of this cape was a sword symbol, a symbol that Shulk had seen during matches on the screen above the stage.

With a large smile, he took the cape off the wall. "This is perfect!" he cried as he ran to the check-out counter.

The line was extremely long, unsurprisingly. He waited at the back of the line, shifting impatiently from foot to foot as he stood for longer than he would've liked. Grabbing his IPod from his pocket, he plugged in headphones to listen to some rock music.

When the music faded, however, he heard a woman and a child talking at a distance. Taking off his headphones, he listened in to their conversation.

"I'm sorry, Timmy…there are no more capes," the woman told the child.

The young child named Timmy looked down at the ground. "Oh…are they sold out?"

"Apparently so. We'll find one, though."

"But I want one with the sword thing on it," the child spoke up.

Shulk frowned, realizing the situation the parent and child were in. Staring down at the cape, he made his decision.

As the child and mother continued to talk, Shulk handed out the cape to Timmy. Timmy stared at the cape before gradually looking up at Shulk.

"Hey," Shulk greeted. "You want this, right?"

Timmy stared at Shulk's face, and a large grin began to form on his face. "You're one of those guys I saw on TV!" he gasped.

Shulk chuckled. "Yup. I'm Shulk."

Timmy jumped in excitement. "I love how you fight! You're awesome!"

The mother smiled as she took the cape. "Thank you, Mr. Shulk. Timmy here loves watching the Smash Tournament. He wanted to get this cape, since he's also a fan of Lucina."

Shulk's smile grew wider. "That's great! She's an amazing fighter."

The mother giggled. "Oh yes, she definitely is."

"Hey, Mr. Shulk!" Timmy cried. Shulk looked down at the child. Timmy had a notepad with a Smash Ball symbol on the side. "Can I have your autograph?!"

Shulk nodded. "Of course, little buddy." Taking the notepad, he signed his name on one of the pages before giving it back to Timmy.

"Thank you, Mr. Shulk! For the autograph and the cape! You're even more awesome!" Timmy exclaimed.

Shulk laughed. "No problem, little guy. Have a great Christmas!"

The mother smiled. "You too, Sir Shulk. Thank you for the cape."

With that, the mother and child walked to the end of the line that Shulk had been in.

Shulk felt his heart warm up, but at the same time, he was disappointed. He wanted to get the cape for Lucina, but he didn't want to see the kid go home without something he wanted.

"It's for the best, I guess…" Shulk whispered to himself before leaving the store.

When Shulk walked towards his car, he muttered to himself, "Welp, I guess I'll check out Smash R' Us. I think there could be something there that's worthwhile…"

He got into the car and started the engine, then drove out of the parking lot.

During the drive, there was one thing that Shulk was glad of: he made the little boy's day.

Constructive criticism is welcomed!

Beta reader: h34rt1lly