A/N: Hey hey, two uploads in one day, imagine that haha
I'm still pretty rusty when it comes to writing, so any sort of feedback is certainly welcome. Hope you enjoy!
A Champion's Invitation
Chapter One
Zelda
"Link!"
A voice cried out over the golden plains. These vast fields were once wrought with various ruins, some hundreds of years old, others thousands. Over the course of the previous year, however, the people of this land had gotten to work, cleaning and repairing their kingdom one ancient gear at a time. Looming towers of ancient sheikah origin still cast their shadows over the land, and the castle itself was still worse for wear. Although progress was slow, if not in any part due to the people's reluctance to work together again after spending so much time apart, it was progress. And this made Zelda, Queen of Hyrule, happy.
Queen, Zelda mused in her head as she scribbled notes down in her journal as she stood amidst the Hyrule plains, still not quite used to that. "Link!" she called out again, looking up from her journal; by the Goddess Hylia, where has that boy run off-
"Boo."
The blonde hylian girl shrieked as she jumped around, facing her would-be scarer: a boy no older than her, strands of blonde hair flying against his face in the morning breeze as he grinned widely at her. He bore a blue tunic, a Champion's garb; and a weapon of equal renown strapped to his side.
"You're getting jumpier, Zel', I can feel it," Link said, before being shoved by Zelda herself.
"It's not funny Link," she started, but she was already forcing herself to hold back a smile as the boy belted out loud laughter. Goddess alive, why can't I stay mad at this boy? She briefly thought back to everything that had transpired; the events of over 100 years ago. She remembered the Champions, and how they fought valiantly against Calamity Ganon before succumbing to the malice. She remembered how foolishly she acted towards Link, all out of some sort of spiteful jealousy that he had managed to accomplish his goal and she had not. Most of all, she remembered her father, and her strained relationship with him. Now, it was all gone; all but Link. Or, was he? The Link she knew all those years ago acted differently than the one who was laughing right now; he almost never allowed himself to speak, much less laugh. It had already been a year since Calamity Ganon's defeat, yet Zelda still found herself pondering about Link like this. He managed to be happy like this so easily; so why was she still on edge, as if the war was still raging on around her?
Zelda quickly shook herself out of this stupor and looked back at Link. "Were you able to get in touch with the Rito?" she asked, her voice not betraying her earlier thoughts.
Link managed to settle down from his giggle fit before answering, "Yeah, but they're busy reinforcing trade routes; we still have groups of Bokoblins in that area, and they're trying to get it locked down. They won't be able to help us excavate the rest of the Guardians here."
Zelda nodded intently as she scribble down all of this new information. It was only when she looked up again that she realized how terrible Link looked; he had scrapes and scorch marks peppering various parts of himself.
"Uh…Zel-" Link began, noticing what she was looking at.
Zelda looked up, her eyebrows scrunched up in confusion. "What happened?" She asked.
Link's eyes darted over her face, "Well, the reason why I took so long getting back here was…eh-"
"What is it?"
"…Can we go sit by that tree over there?" Link indicated towards the edge of the woods, a few dozen meters away from where they were currently. "This one's a bit of a doozy…"
Link
(A few hours earlier)
A group of bokoblins sat around a small fire in the dense forest, loudly slurping on their latest meal and bickering amongst themselves. Unbeknownst to them, a figure clung hidden to one of the numerous trees, a bomb arrow nocked and ready for fire.
For as big as their ears are, they never hear these, Link thought to himself as the bomb sizzled loudly. He aimed at the center of their camp and fired, blasting the nearest bokoblins away shrieking as the others roared and took up arms, having spotted him.
Might as well, Link thought, his heart thumping in his ears as he landed on the ground. It was only then when other, larger figures suddenly lurched from the shadows of the dense forest; Link counted no less than six Moblins, all armed to the teeth as they screeched at him. Then, loud, booming footsteps shook the trees violently around them.
Oh no.
Lumbering through the trees, a figure larger than all of them crashed through the woodwork; long shambling limbs, a supremely rotund body, and one disgusting glimmering eye at the top. Then another. And another. Link fully realized the trap he had just fallen into; he counted seven remaining Bokoblins, six Moblins, and three Hinoxes. One Hinox bellowed loudly in his direction as all monsters lunged at the blue-garbed adventurer-
Zelda
"-Idiot!"
Link stood in the shade of the tree, his story interrupted as Zelda proceeded to hit him on the shoulder with her journal shouting "Idiot!" repeatedly. The blonde boy attempted to appease her to no avail as she continued to shout a mix of-
"YouidiotdoyourealizehowdangerousthatwaswwhywouldyoudothatIcantbelieveyou-"
and
"IfIhadknownIwouldhavegonewithyouyoumoronyoudensebufffoonhowcouldyou-" and so on. Link quickly realized that nothing he said would appease her, so he did the next best thing.
"Dontyouevereverpursueabattlethatdireyoudenseimbecilepromisemeyou-mmf!" Zelda's lips were held shut by Link's own as he caressed her face. They stayed like that for a few moments, the wind blowing through the branches and rustling the leaves, grass swaying to and fro. When Link pulled away, Zelda's glare had definitely softened.
"Promise me. If you ever get into another situation like that, promise me you'll call for aid."
"Promise." Link said sincerely; as much as he enjoyed an intense battle, he didn't enjoy worrying someone he cared about. Then, remembering the rest of what had transpired, a broad smile grew on his face.
"And that wasn't even the best part."
Link
(A few hours ago)
Link's mind was moving at a million miles per second; he was forced into a wide sidestep to miss a Moblin's swing only to enter the path of one of the Bokoblins; the master sword swung true, cleaving through the creature's leg and immobilizing it for the time being. Before Link could regain his bearings he was kicked in the gut by another Moblin, sent flying backwards as all of the air was forcefully pushed out of his lungs. Mere moments before connecting with the ground, Link reached within himself and activated a champion ability; a swift and powerful gale shot him upwards above all enemies. With no time to lose before his enemies regrouped, Hyrule's Champion quickly pulled out his bow and nocked three bomb arrows; his last ones.
Time seemed to slow down. Link precisely aimed at three different areas of the clearing, trying to hit as many monsters as possible. Just as he let loose the arrows he pulled out his paraglider; the explosions propelled him further away into the air, only to bump into another tree and lose momentum. He surveyed the field; no Moblins or Bokoblins left, but the three Hinoxes still lumbered toward him, smacking their lips hungrily.
And he had just run out of arrows.
Without hesitation, Link leapt off the tree, landing on one Hinox and plunging his blade deep into its eye. The Hinox let out a bloodcurdling scream as it smacked Link away hard, his body flailing through the air before colliding with the gravelly ground below. Link felt his broken bones and ruptured intestines being rapidly healed by Mipha's Grace, but now he was out of his hail mary pass; it was only just now that he felt the severity of his situation. The stabbed Hinox had sit down, the intense trauma from its pierced eye causing it to lose consciousness, while the others continued to head towards Link. He quickly stood up once more, adrenaline pumping through his blood, a wild look in his eyes; he was already five steps ahead.
Just as the Hinox closest to him reached out with a giant wart covered hand, Link held his Sheikah Slate out; suddenly; the Hinox was frozen in place.
Gottamovegottamove-
A glowing blue orb materialized in Link's hand before he threw it at the moving Hinox; it exploded right in front of its eye, staggering it for a second. Link immediately began slashing at the frozen Hinox, but was only able to get a few deep cuts in before the Stasis projected onto the beast wore off. The Hinox wailed at its wounds before swiping at Link, which he only just barely dodged. Both lumbering creatures loomed over Link, and as Link realized he just might have run out of options-
BOOM!
Something faster than Link could fully see had crashed into the ground behind them. The Hinoxes turned around, and Link focused on this as well. Whatever it was had kicked up a lot of dust, making it difficult for Link to see what exactly it was; he could make out the beginnings of a silhouette. The figure was humanoid, like him, only with significantly larger shoulders, it appeared. One arm…wasn't an arm, it was something more akin to a small cannon-
A bright green glare flashed amidst the dust, right where a human's head would be. The Hinoxes stared dumbly at this new figure, one of them beginning to approach it. As soon as it took one step, the figure raised its "arm", with what appeared to be small device that Link couldn't properly see promptly shooting out of it. It collided with the approaching Hinox's head; Link was peppered with bits of skull and flesh. The Hinox stood there for a second, then another…it fell to the ground, headless, a small tremor shaking the trees in the process.
The remaining Hinox looked at the figure, then at Link. It silently lumbered off back into the shadowy forest. Link stood up, breathing raggedly, sweat and scorch marks adorning his clothes. He could finally make out the figure more clearly.
It didn't appear human; more like something Dr. Robbie would have thought up in his lab; its surface was of a metal Link couldn't identify, and it did indeed have a small cannon for an arm. It watched Link silently, the aggressive visor on its head putting him somewhat at unease.
"Can you talk?" Link said, projecting his voice so that the figure at the other side of the clearing could hear. The figure seemed to pause for a moment before nodding curtly. It then began approaching Link, its movements as robotic as its appearance. Link tensed up-this could be another enemy-
The figure stood directly in front of Link, towering over him somewhat. The head shifted up and down, presumably assessing Link's appearance.
"Yeah," a metallic, monotone voice rang out from within the figure, "You're definitely a Link."
Link bristled at this somewhat. "How do you know that name-?"
"-Is there a Zelda on this world?" The figure interjected.
Link frowned. "This world?"
The figure paused, as if thinking about something. It promptly lifted its free hand to its head, tapping some hidden button on its exterior. The head proceeded to glow yellow as it vanished, revealing something Link was shocked to see; a person.
She had piercing eyes, and a head of blonde hair. She was beautiful, in an angular, harder kind of way. She held Link's gaze unwaveringly; Link had seen this before, the glare of a warrior who had seen many battles. She held her hand out.
"My name is Samus Aran," she stated, her voice no longer metallic sounding but still monotone, "You and Zelda have been invited."
Link, eyes wide, held out his hand and shook Samus's. "Uh, Link," he said, his voice sounding distant and unnatural, "but I suppose you already knew that."
"Pleasure," Samus replied stiffly. She then smoothly swept her arm over to her cannon, pressing some buttons on it until a small compartment opened up with a surprisingly dainty-looking letter in it. She lightly grabbed it and handed it to Link: the letter's seal had a symbol Link didn't recognize.
Link's confusion was growing worse by the second. "Invited to what, exactly?"
Zelda
"Well, what does it say?"
Zelda was brimming with dozens of questions, but that one was at the front of her mind. At that, Link pulled out his Sheikah Slate, pressing on it until the letter in question materialized in front of her. The seal appeared to be a cross that was placed asymmetrically. She began to read the letter, which read as follows:
Good morning/afternoon/evening!
You have been invited to the 5th Super Smash Bros. Tournament! A tournament where dozens of heroes from various worlds come together and do battle for our entertainment! Interact and battle with the best of the best! Unwind and relax at the multiversally famous Smash Manor! If your decision is yes, simply peel off and press down on this letter's seal to acquire your train fare!
Housing fees need not apply. Any injury you may or may not sustain as the result of a Smash will be attended to by our team's inhouse doctor free of charge. Smash Season lasts approximately 1 full year. Any special requests (home stage, assist trophies, etc) must be approved by team leader Master Hand before the tournament officially begins.
Zelda found herself with even more questions.
Multiverse? Heroes from other worlds? Train fare? Housing fees?
"You hear that, Zel'? No housing fees!" Link exclaimed, his eyes already glowing with an excitement that Zelda just couldn't match.
Meeting people from other worlds? Other universes? The research potential laid out from this prospect was astronomical; and yet…
"Link, I can't," Zelda sighed dejectedly, "our home still lies in shambles. I have to be here to see through its restoration. It's my responsibility."
Link's expression fell, but his eyes held a solemn understanding. "Yeah, I know," he said sincerely, "it's just…this might be the only chance we get to see what lies beyond Hyrule."
Zelda thought for a moment, and then for another. A strange glimmer appeared in her eyes.
"Precisely," she began as a new idea began to take root in her mind, "That's exactly why I'm staying, and you're going."
Link's mood immediately shifted. A wide grin etched itself across his face as he jumped and pumped his fist in the air in a victorious fashion. "Yes!" he exclaimed.
Zelda's cheeks grew red, "W-well now, you don't have to appear so glum about it!"
Link's face morphed from excitement to confusion, "Wait, but why? Hyrule needs protecting, does it not?"
"Yes, and if this letter had come at any other time, I don't think this would have been possible…but now, we're already under the process of restoring Hyrule's army to its former glory, and we have the cooperation of the other Champions' descendants. Having taken all of that into account, I think Hyrule would be fine missing one warrior for a year."
A year. That word stuck in Link's mind as he realized the connotations. "But…a year apart from-"
Link stopped himself as he saw the mischievous gleam in Zelda's eye.
"Oh?" she began, her voice overly soft, "is the great Champion of Hyrule, slayer of Calamity Ganon, saying he'd miss his beloved queen?" Zelda's teasing smile grew as she continued, "besting a group of horrific Moblins and Bokoblins, that's a small feat, but spending even one second apart from his belo-"
Link held Zelda in his arms, catching her off guard again with a kiss. When they parted, Zelda was pouting. "Not fair."
A small fleeting grin passed through Link's face, but his eyes remained serious. "I'll write you every day. I'll write, take pictures on the Slate, I'll-"
"Alright, alright, you big softie," Zelda attempted a teasing tone again, but her blushing cheeks betrayed her true feelings. As much as she herself would miss Link, she had to stay strong for her kingdom.
Link sighed, "I should probably start packing up, huh? Head over to the house in Hateno, get some things-"
"Hold on a second," Zelda interjected, pointing at the letter, "You should probably get that…"train fare" they were talking about.
"Oh yeah, right," Link said as he bent down, picking the letter up once more. The afternoon sun glimmered through the tree branches as he looked at the Smash seal. Might as well acquire this train fare now, he thought.
Link quickly peeled the seal off of the letter and pressed down on it with his thumb. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, Link was gone.
Zelda's eyes widened. "Link?"
Link
One second, Link was under a tree in Hyrule field with Zelda. The next, he was…was...
Link looked around, he was on a cliff he did not recognize, overlooking a sea that seemed to stretch on forever, the sunset reflecting off the shimmering waves. Slightly ahead of him, stood Samus Aran herself in full armor. Link no longer held the letter's seal; instead, he held a small gold token with the Smash symbol engraved into it.
Link was the most disoriented he had ever been his entire life. Samus turned her head, as if just noticing he was there. "I see you've made it," Samus said, her gaze still unwavering, "The train should be here in a bit; Smash season technically starts in a few weeks."
A few weeks..?
Samus suddenly looked confused, the first emotion shift Link had seen her go through, "Where's your Zelda?"
Link flashed a nervous smile at this. He raised his arms up in a helpless gesture, "Well…"
Realization seemed to dawn on Samus as she shifted her body to fully face Link.
"Shit."
A/N: I suppose you could classify this story as a slow burn, just thought I'd throw that out there. Again, any and all constructive feedback is much appreciated!