NATIONAL ANTHEM

Chapter 4

Audi famam illus…

Solus in hostes wit et patriam serwavit.

The strains of Ninten's national anthem play as I brush up Link's tunic, press his shoulders to get him to stand straight and tall and generally say my last words to him before he is thrust into danger.

"You got your sword sharpened, that's good. Is it bound on you tight? Your shield's been polished up all pretty," I give it a light hit with my knuckles, "Still strong. You've decided to carry a token? I can give you something of mine to keep you focused…"

"No, Mr. Toki, I brought one from home." He holds out a strange-looking stone wrapped in a net and cord. I don't even ask what it's supposed to be – I guess that it must be some kind of fisherman's charm or a bit of smooth beach-glass that reminds the boy of his island.

The anthem continues to play over the loudspeakers in the Smash City plaza as we talk.

Ille…iuxta me.

Ille iuxta me.

Socii sunt mihi…qui olim viri fortes…rivalesque erant.

Those were some beautiful lyrics, if I was remembering what they were supposed to be correctly. It was roughly something about how "the person of legend I feared stands at my side – people stand with me, friends and mortal enemies." They were, at the same time, the most inappropriate lyrics in the world for what they were currently celebrating. Rivals were not slated to stand side by side. Friends were destined to become enemies for the sake of survival. The song spoke of many people, all in one fight, but at the same time, shining bright together.

Those that were to be united in the Stage were about to be divided – and with the way Ganondorf's games went, divided permanently from life.

splendor crescit.

"We shine brighter," my ass!

"Toki…"

My attention is brought back to the present. I lean down. The kid wants to give me a hug.

"Thank you, Toki," he says, throwing his arms around my neck. "I won't disappoint you. I'll fight hard and play with honor, for you… and your big brother."

I feel a tickle in my sinus. No, I can't cry… I've gotta keep the kid together and I can't do that by losing it. I separate from him, take him by the shoulders and look into his big eyes very seriously."

"May Farore keep your courage," I recite, "and may she preserve your life. If you should fall, look the Sage of Death full in the face when she comes a ridin' for you. It is said that if you show Death the bravery of your heart, she will guide you gently to Din's golden lands, to Nayru's infinite waters and Farore's eternal forests. Don't look back, for those that you love will join you in time."

I wasn't often that I prayed anymore or invoked Hyrule's gods, but it seemed like the right thing to do for the kid.

Little Link patted my hand. "Don't worry so much about me, Toki," he tells me. "I come from a long line of Heroes."

He smiles as the "angelic platform" that he is on takes him away, to teleport him to the Stage, which was set up somewhere in Old Hyrule's Faron Woods. All of the Champions are finished saying farewell to their charges at once. That is when Ganondorf arrives.

He swaggers out onto a stage built especially for him, flanked by Darknuts and Lynels (for those of you who never heard of the beasts, Lynels are a kind of centaur that roam high places in some parts of Hyrule. They have lion's faces and are terribly vicious). He throws out his arms, showing off his armored chest to the crowds. He says a few words about this year's Brawl into a microphone, nothing that we Champions do not already know. He steps down the stairs of the platform, letting his cape flutter dramatically.

I suppress a growl as he parades around in front of us. "Oh, this year is most special," he says in a deep, dark way. Puppies have been known to drop dead upon hearing Ganondorf's laugh. "I have made some promises to certain members of the contrasting worlds."

Huh? My ears perk. Our president walks around with a click-clop of his heavy armored boots.

"If a certain fighter becomes this year's champion, there is one world that will never have to worry about starvation again. If another fighter wins, his children and a certain brother of a past winner will be exempt from my Brawls forever. If one of two of a certain world wins, an entire people will no longer have to worry about small metal prisons…."

I am not the only person present who is completely confused. Marth has a confounded look upon his face, as does Falco. Cranky Kong, as crotchety as ever, is so befuddled, he's scratching his rear. He does that in the same fashion as a human might scratch their head.

"I've met with those to whom I have given this… extra incentive. I hope that you have trained your charges well. I'm sure that those fighting for a promise will fight extra… shall we say…viciously… for their respective prizes. Oh yes, there is a rather special promise I almost forgot to mention…"

He looks straight at me, then to Lady Midna. He has a smile on his face that is deeper than darkness. "Since I have unlimited power at my disposal, I can change the outcomes of certain 'story-modes.' If a very special fighter wins this round, he and his mentor will get to go back home to a version of their story… one where certain mistakes are not made…" That smile again, "A world with an un-shattered mirror. I do have that mirror in my possession on this plane of existence, making a reward for loyalty quite a simple matter. Two lovers, once parted due to the nature of their world's planes, together forever. Romantic, don't you think?"

No wonder Midna's been so aloof all this time! It wasn't like she didn't keep to her shadowy self before, but… ugh! And this must be why she'd been favoring Link d' Ordon over Sheik in the training! If that literal son of a bitch wins, he and the Twilight Princess get to be together, away and above the problems of our divided universe! Some Hero… I thought he was just psychotic before, but now I know that he and Middie are complete sell-outs. I want to throttle that long neck of hers… I don't care if she's a "lady."

"Lapdogs of the empire!" I shout, in spite of myself. Everyone is staring at me as I'm glaring daggers at Midna. Ganondorf sidles over to me and sticks one of his fingers beneath my jaw and lifts up my chin. He looks me full in face, those hate-filled golden eyes of his burning holes into my brain.

"I didn't really think it was worth it to give you and the little worm any extra incentives for victory," the president droned, "Truth be told, I think the boy is doomed. If he is not the first to fall, I will be surprised. I suppose if he wins, I could… say…exempt his sister from my amusements forever… or perhaps I can do something for you. I can cause the waters to recede and bring back what was lost. Oh, but why would I do that? It wouldn't matter." He laughed again – that puppy-killing laugh. "No, it would not matter at all to a broken hero. What is a hero's land without its people? All of your closest friends died years ago… most of them by my hand."

He takes his hand away from me and I spit on his cheek. I immediately feel the pressure of swords against my sides. The Darknuts surround me.

"Are you so eager to die, Toki? Don't you want to see if your little islander pulls through? I don't know about you, but I would like to see how long he makes it."

He snaps his fingers and the Darknuts depart from me.

He turns to me again, before ascending his platform with his guards. "You aren't even worth killing at this point," he says. "You are powerless…completely powerless."

The Champions are escorted by Peach and the helper R.O.B. units over to the viewing hall in our hotel. I am glaring at everyone the entire way. Okay, so I can understand why Mario didn't say anything to me. I know Mario and how he'll do anything to keep Luigi out of the Brawls. As for Bowser, he wouldn't care about keeping Luigi out, but probably jumped to agreement in regards to keeping his children exempt… I don't know much about his children other than the fact that they're fairly numerous. The "world that will be guaranteed freedom from starvation" is probably the world that Kirby and his fighter come from. I don't even care about them considering my animosity for Cannibal Kirby. I may hold out the idealistic hope that the people of his world are not all like the one I know, but there are always the horrible images from Kirby's victory-Brawl in my mind, haunting my dreams, particularly that poor boy that Kirby only half-digested due to the parka he wore.

"Freedom from metal prisons…" I can only guess that Ganondorf may have been speaking of the pokemon. Pikachu, for his part, seems very easygoing, disturbingly so. Something about that "incentive" doesn't smell right to me. Of all the pokemon I've known… some do truly detest being trained and kept by humans, but most seem to find great enjoyment in partnering with the humans of their world. Pikachu, himself, told me once that being inside a poke-ball was like taking a deep, satisfying nap between fights and play. Is Pikachu up to something? Between this event and his cozying up to ol' Genocide Samus earlier, I think something is up in that hidden-genius brain of his.

We get to the great viewing hall – where we'd met when the day of selection happened. Catering has been there to provide us a gorgeous feast and everything we could want to drink, as always. I take a look at some bottles of Chateau Romani, put out especially for me, obviously. That stuff is pretty interesting in its own right… Chateau Romani is a brand of liquored-milk, but it's something of an artifact-name. The original Chateau Romani had been made in Termina… a now extinct-world, but someone in New Hyrule who knew the stuff had taken up creating it. I've had the original stuff… strangely enough, when I was underage. The current stuff is top of the line, but it will never hold a candle to the real deal…

I sit down, keeping myself well away from everyone else. I'm not feeling too buddy-buddy today. Even when Mario comes close, I give him a wide berth. He nods a sad nod of understanding. He must know how betrayed I feel… with Ganondorf giving some of us secret meetings and leaving the rest of us out of the loop. Mario said that he liked my kid, too. He loved the boy for his courage and for doing for his sister what he was unable to do for his brother. Now I know just how "deep" admiration can run. I'll lick my wounds and get over it. After all, with Mario, at least, I understand the motivation.

Midna, on the other hand – she sits at the far end of the room, in the shadows – can go to Hell.

We watch as the angelic platforms leave the fighters in different, random portions of the Stage. Meta Knight and Bulbasaur are let off in the same area and the battle is immediate. No running, no looking for supplies, not even an acknowledgement between combatants – just war. Vine whips fly and that crazy sword of the Knight's drills and flays. Wind off of cutting edges becomes leaves, becomes blood and leaves a moaning beast to drown in its pain.

Pikachu isn't even watching. He's at the buffet-table. I do not know if he's jaded to this, if this is what he was expecting, if he just doesn't care or if he even knows what is going on, distracted by the bowl of berries from his homeland and a tray of sweets.

Meta Knight moves on after his kill and the "action" is a bit dull for a while. Fighters are moving along, some confused, some immediately seeking and staking out ground. Little Link is alone, wandering through a dark part of the forest. Thankfully, he seems to be separate from the others – very well away from everyone.

Evening comes and deepens when I find myself nibbling the corner of a roast beef sandwich and watching a shot of Sheik and Link d' Ordon posing, respectively, upon the body and the head of Charizard, whom the two had just slain together. Link d' Ordon is perched between the unfortunate dragon's horns. The two Old Hyruleans have a few burns in their clothing and some singed hair, but look none the worse for wear. The two are clearly posing – preening themselves for the camera. They disgust me. I turn to Pikachu, who is now sitting upon a couch near my chair.

"It looks like you will not see your promise of freedom for your people," I say to him, sadly.

"They're already free," Pikachu admits to me in his native language.

"You don't seem too sad," I almost growl. "Both of yours just bit it today."

"I will mourn them privately," Pikachu says calmly.

"You act as though you still have someone in this game, rat," I hiss.

He gets up off the couch and stands, looking up at me. "I did say that the best laid plans of mice and women may just have a shot," he says before grooming an ear. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I wish to go back to my hotel room and grieve my fallen ones."

He pads off. I look back to the viewing screen and see the divided screens for the various parties. Little Link has found a cave. He's shivering in it, using a pile of dried leaves for a bed. Poor kid. At least he hasn't run into anyone dangerous today. The cave he's in seems to be at a good strategic place, too. How the hell did he climb up there? The screens didn't show that! Only someone small and light could do what he did. Oh, my boy is smart!

I yawn and decide to adjourn for the night. There is a television in my hotel room, a small one, but the customary viewing for the Champions takes place in the big room. I sometimes go out drinking with Mario and see stuff from the bars and restaurants in the city after our fighters have died and we aren't really rooting for anyone anymore. I want to watch Tiny's run from the big room. I leave my T.V. off as I flop into bed. I know I probably will not get much sleep tonight. I could if I had a little "milk," but I've already had a bit today and I really want to stay sober for a change this year, at least until I lose my boy. Then I'll drink my brain into oblivion.

I don't even bother to change out of my clothing when I lay my body down and look at the ceiling. There is something hard and annoying in my pocket. I jump up and nearly hit my head on the ceiling when I hear a "Whoo!" sound. My pocket is flashing. Why is my pocket flashing? I reach in and pull out the strange hard thing. It flashes and I hear a voice coming from it.

"Toki!"

"Tiny?" I question.

"Yeah! It's me!"

It is definitely young Link's voice coming from the stone in my hand. "How? What?" I briefly look around the room to see if I am being haunted by a ghost. I don't see my slain charge in spirit-form, but the stone is still glowing.

"I slipped the stone into your pocket before I left! It's part of my token! It's a communication stone that a friend gave me!"

"Are you out of your mind?" I gasp into the stone, afraid to raise my voice too loudly. "This kind of thing is illegal! If you're caught talking to me… Ganondorf will have the Stage-help send something after you!"

"Nobody said I couldn't take something like this in… Besides, I want to talk to you."

"Careful!" I insist. "It's already too late… and, kid, this is kind of genius… but you've got to make it look like you're not using the thing…"

"I'm pretending to be asleep."

Indeed, I can hear deep breathing and snores.

"You can snore at will and make it sound real?"

"It's how I used to get out of chores and some of my sister's stupid games when I didn't feel like playing them."

"Alright. I can't give you advice all the time, but I'll talk to you when I can. I definitely cannot help you much during the day. Don't talk to me unless I start talking to you. If I get up to go to the bathroom too much, people will get suspicious. Too bad I don't smoke…"

"I don't know why I'm not allowed a communicator when Samus is…"

"Say what?"

"I tailed her earlier… I guess the cameras weren't following me then. She's in the valley below me. I heard her talking into one of her wrists."

"That's illegal! That sneak!"

"Unless there are wild pikachu out here… I didn't think any of them lived outside of the pokemon-lands."

"That rat!" I exclaim, almost too loudly. "There's something going on between Samus and Pikachu. She has no official Champion-mentor, but I'm pretty sure she and the yellow rat had something going on from the very beginning. Now, I want you to be very careful. Do not let her see you or hear you."

"I think her armor is powered down. I saw her curl up into a ball like a pill-bug once, but I think that's all it can do."

"Good. Now lay low."

"There were a couple of failures today…"

"Yeah. Bulbasaur and Charizard. I guess you won't be fighting any dragons."

"Bowser's still with us?"

"Yeah."

I hear a tiny yawn.

"Get some sleep, kid."

"Are you sure I can?"

"Listen, I saw your cave from the camera-view. You chose wisely. As long as no one knows you're there, you can get a few hours of shut-eye."

"Don't stay up all night drinking."

"I won't."

I hear nothing but soft snores after that. I wrap my stone in a handkerchief to mask any glows it might put out when active and slip it back into my tunic pocket. Sneaky, devious kid. Smart kid. Gutsy kid.

The worst of it is that he's reminding me of how I used to be.


The next day, everybody lived.

The Stage was not without excitement. Sheik fell into a bit of Deku Babas. As I'd watched, I smiled in spite of myself, not because an enemy of my charge was getting hurt, but because I remember fighting those things. A fond memory of monsters… There was some speciation in them in the Faron Woods, however. I'd never fought any that could live and move like snakes once their stems were cut. Sheik was bitten by one of these "Serpent Babas" pretty hard, but apparently, their venom is mild. Link d' Ordon cut down some of the carnivorous plants and helped out his ally.

The party of Donkey and Diddy Kong had a confrontation with Bowser. It did not result in death – both Donkey Kong and Bowser limped away with bruises and other minor injuries. I am sure the crowds were disappointed. Occasionally, that happens – fighters will be evenly matched and decide to back off and regroup later, waiting out one another's wounds.

Little Link vacated his cave. He did so just in time, too. Fox found the cave – I don't mean a fox, I mean Fox McCloud. He came sniffing around the cavern and apparently decided to make it his base.

The next day of the Brawl of Honor, Samus killed Meta Knight. Apparently, she was allowed powered-down armor, but was still allowed one weapon, her basic energy-canon. The fight was fierce between the two armored foes, but, in the end, Samus prevailed in a manner that reminded me well of her nickname. Meta Knight's death was quick and clean… but there was not much left of him to clean up and send home.


That about brings us up to date.

As late afternoon rolls around the same day of Meta Knight's demise at dawn, I watch Little Link wander the deep woods, gathering edible fruits and leaves. The poor child is desperately hungry. As he wanders, I lean forward in my chair. I see another screen detailing another fighter wandering the same area of the forest, coming right for him – Pit, the boy with the angel-wings.

I watch the moment they spy each other. Link immediately puts up his shield and takes out his sword. Pit draws that weird blade-bow thing of his. They eye each other in a stalemate, approaching each other slowly. An arrow of energy forms upon Pit's bow. Link gets a scowl on his face.

"I don't want to do this," Link says.

"I don't either," Pit says, lowering his bow and letting the arrow of light vanish.

They stand, staring at each other for a long time.

"The two of us aren't going to come out of this together, you know," Pit observes.

"Yeah, I know," Link answers, "But the two of us are little guys. Little guys should stick together, right?"

Pit smiles. "Do you want to see how far we can go together?"

"Yeah," Link says, walking up to him. They shake hands.

They walk together, the camera and sound following them. "I wonder what your Champion thinks of this. I didn't have one."

"I think he probably likes seeing a swordsman and an archer together," Link answers.

I smile a sad smile as I watch the newly-formed alliance look for shelter for the night.