"Link… Link… Wake up, Link!" a rather deep voice shouted. Where was it coming from?
As I awakened, I noticed that it was the middle of the day, the bright sun and tropical breeze in my face, and I was under a natural alcove, lying on a boat that seemed to have been designed for someone a lot bigger than me. Needless to say, I was rather confused.
"Pull yourself together, Link!"
I stood up. "Who's talking to me and where are you?" I asked, half-expecting it to turn out to be my imagination.
"You are surprisingly dull-witted," said the voice. Immediately afterwards, the boat turned its "head" around. I was so shocked, I fell over. The boat laughed at me. "Did I startle you? I'm not surprised. Although the world is a big place, I am the only boat upon it who possessed the power of speech. Do not fear me, for I have come to assist you. My name is the King of Red Lions."
What was a lion? At the time, I assumed it was some Pokémon I'd never heard of.
"I've been watching you ever since you ventured to the Forsaken Fortress to rescue your sister. Your determination to save your sister showed me that you have the courage to stand up to anything… but even still, your very life was at stake! Being reckless like that won't get you anywhere!"
"The bird that attacked you is called the Helmaraptor King," the strange boat continued, "and the shadowy figure that commands it is none other than Ganondorf. Long ago, he tried to cover the land in darkness and steal the power of the gods, but was sealed away by that very same power. I do not know why the seal of the gods has failed, but he is once again threatening this very world. Link… are you still sure you want to save your sister from him?"
"Yes! I'm still going to save her!" I replied with determination.
"Would you be willing to risk your life to save her?"
"Of course! I survived the Forsaken Fortress!"
"I see, child. You seem worthy. In that case, I will guide you on your journey to save your sister. Ganon cannot be defeated by what little strength you possess. The key to defeating Ganon can only be found by one who has been through much toil and hardship. Do you understand?"
"Certainly!"
"In that case, we must depart to the Great Sea!" Red paused. "Or we would, but there is just one problem… I need a sail to truly be of use to you on your journey. I have brought you far east of the Forsaken Fortress to Windfall Island. On this island, there are many merchants who have travelled all over the world. You might be able to find a sail here if you search hard enough. But remember come back as soon as your errands are done"
I wondered for a moment how The King of Red Lions even managed to get me here in the first place without a sail, then jumped onto the beach under the alcove, and ran up to Windfall Island's town.
Windfall Island was like nothing I'd ever seen before. The main town was made up of all sorts of buildings, and there were all sorts of Pokémon around. There was so much to do here that I kept getting distracted.
After chasing some Tepig, spending way too much time playing the Sinking Ships game ("Sploosh..." "KERBOOM!"), breaking invaluable pottery and conversing with the rather… interesting townsfolk (one of them was perpetually dancing in front of a gravestone), I finally found a merchant. He was wearing a hooded coat that belonged in much colder weather, so I couldn't really make out what he was, and talked as if he had come from far away.
"Please purchase that from me! That is a very fine thing, and is all I have for sale!"
"Umm… okay then?"
"How does… 80 rupees sound?"
"Sounds like a deal to me!"
The strange merchant's "fine thing" turned out to be a sail, which was exactly what I needed. I wasn't sure why he was being so vague about it. I excitedly ran down to the alcove where Red was and attached the sail to him.
"Let us go follow where the wind blows! We shall head east to Dragon Roost Island, where the Spirit of the Skies lives!" the King of Red Lions proclaimed.
As the salty wind blew in my face, my adventure truly began.
