Disclaimer: I don't own the SSB series, Nintendo owns everything. yay.
Oh yeah, a side note: In this story, Sheik is a girl. While Sheik looks-and sounds- male, I really don't think Zelda would change...all that...just for a disguise.
Well, I got back from vacation about a week ago, and then I couldn't think of anything. And when I did, school started and homework ate my time. So I hope this was at least a good chapter. And this turned out not to be "the best damned fight sequence I've ever written," because this is only my second one, and the fight scene in my other story was much more epic. Hey, it was a simple fight in Brawl. Not much you can do to epic-ify that. I mean, in the other one, Dark Link got a hold of the Fierce Deity Mask! How the heck am I supposed to beat that?! Oh yeah, as a present, you get another cliff hanger. Whee. Now since I'm boring you at this point, on with the fight!
Starting to Fall Apart
Within a minute of Young Link's announcement, half the Smash Manor was buzzing with the news.
All had been silent in the room for a moment, before Pichu came up, squeaking with false confusion. Mr. Game and watch joined in, asking Young Link why he was challenging Toon Link. Zelda, however, had slipped out the back door, ignoring the glance from Lyn.
Once in the hall, she began looking around for either Link or Ganondorf. As she walked down the hallways, she told everyone she met about Young Link's challenge, setting off the chain reaction throughout the Manor. By the time she had told Samus, Wolf, Captain Falcon, Wario, Jigglypuff, and Olimar, she had not come across either Smasher she was seeking. Finally, she threw her arms in the air in defeat and started walking back to the sitting room she had come from.
She had barely walked through her first door on her route back when she ran into a huge, armor-covered wall. Zelda bounced almost a foot back and heard a deep, throaty laugh. Zelda looked up into Ganondorf's face with a small glare, rubbing her sore nose. "Very funny. I bet you planned that, didn't you, Ganondorf?"
Still laughing, the Gerudo nodded.
Zelda sighed. "Ever the King of Evil," she said resentfully, causing him to laugh even more. Then, Zelda turned serious. "But really. Have you heard the news?"
Ganondorf stopped chuckling. "You mean about Young Link?" Zelda nodded. Ganondorf grimaced. "That's just great, it really is. We've barely settled down since the Brawl characters joined, and he feels the need to stir up a commotion? I wish the Ocarina Link hadn't given up his position to the Twilight one. I need to ask him if he had a mental condition in his youth."
Zelda nodded stiffly, worry obscuring the joke. "Link needs to be told. He might be able to deter Young Link. But that's not what worries me. Lyn and Roy were there, too."
Ganondorf frowned. Was this a joint plan?
Zelda gave him no time to wonder. "We'll worry about that later. Let's find Link."
Master Hand sighed in exhaustion when Wario finished his speech. "I'm still finishing paperwork from the introduction of Brawl," the glove groaned. "Could he have picked a worse time to do something like this?"
Crazy Hand floated over to his brother, patting the right hand's wrist. "Technically, yes. He could have done it right in the thick of creating Brawl. But really, what are you going to do?"
Master Hand lay limply on the desk. Even Crazy Hand got his head out of the clouds when he had heard about Young Link. The leading glove had no idea what he was going to do. Should he call Young Link in for a talk? Give him his match? Refuse him?
The office was silent for a minute as Master Hand contemplated his decision. Finally, the glove rose of his desk, and, in an exhausted voice, said, "Prepare for a match. I will be there briefly to explain the rules."
By now, the hallways were mostly empty. Master Hand had given Young Link his match. By now, the two Links were preparing in two different rooms, and everyone else was making their way to the Midair Stadium.
Two people were moving against the flow of traffic. Sheik was dodging the crowd, Ganondorf on her tail, mercilessly running over people in an attempt to keep up with her. It was times like these that the Princess threw away her composure. Nearly every other word coming out of her mouth was one that neither Lucas nor Ness should hear. Right now, she was cursing the fact that she had not gone to see Master Hand herself, as she was the only one who seemed to have noticed Lyn and Roy. She was also cursing the hero's amazing ability to disappear at times such as these.
Last month, with the introduction of the new Smashers, he and Marth had been given the task of giving Ike and Toon Link a tour around the Smash Mansion and helping them get settled in. Link had kept the other three waiting for hours before Link had come back from a fishing hole no one in Smashville had known they had. Zelda had kicked his ass in a Brawl shortly thereafter in retaliation, but a Brawl was the last thing anyone in the Manor needed right now. Sheik gritted her teeth.
"Oh, when I get my hands on him...!"
Ganondorf, jogging at a good pace behind her, rolled his eyes. It was like, tradition, for Link to vanish. She should have gotten used to it by now. But for once, he agreed with her; Link's habit of disappearing was really, really annoying.
Sheik all but annihilated a doorway to an outdoor target practice area. Even Ganondorf, stopping a safe distance in the doorway, could tell that her already-red eyes could burn somebody into the ground with the fury they contained.
Link, oblivious of the arrival of the two, was strapping a bomb to an arrow. He calmly fitted it to the bowstring, pulled it back, aimed, and fired. It was an obvious bulls-eye, but unfortunately, there was no target to prove it. Several burning pieces of charred black wood fell to the ground and smoldered in the grass, and what remained upright was smoking insanely. Pit, who had been watching Link, doubled over in laughter.
Sheik quietly drew some needles and rubbed them together, letting the metal click and slide.
Pit and Link turned around, still laughing. In less than two seconds, their faces lost all mirth and blood and displayed similar variations of "oh shit!". Sheik played with the needles in her hands, wondering if she should hurt the hero. She eventually decided against it and said in a very obviously controlled voice, "Link."
"Y-yeah, Sheik?" Link asked tentatively. Zelda, no matter which form, was scary as hell when she was this mad.
Sheik closed her eyes slowly, deliberately, and took a deep breath, exhaling it in a sigh. her knuckles turned white as she clenched the needles in her hands tighter than ever.
"What is it, Sheik?" Link asked quietly, still worried about her obvious fury.
WHAT IS IT?!" Sheik shrieked, red eyes flying open, voice soaring into a surprisingly high octave, "WHAT IS IT?! HOW ABOUT THE FACT THAT I COULD NOT FIND YOU FOREVER BECAUSE OF YOUR STUPID HABIT OF DISAPPEARING, WHEN YOUNG LINK IS CHALLENGING TOON LINK TO A BRAWL FOR THE POSITION OF SMASHER?!?!?"
Before Link could close his dropped jaw and ask, "What?", Sheik was flying at him, tossing needles at his face. Link dodged with an "Oh Shit!" but could not counter as Sheik jumped on him from overhead and proceeded to alternately shake him and beat him, screaming profanities the entire time.
Pit, being the smart angel that he was, quietly began inching towards safety. When he was standing next to Ganondorf in the doorway, he muttered, "exactly how long were you looking for Link?"
Ganondorf leaned down, and muttered in just as quiet a voice, "Three minutes."
In the Midair Stadium, Zelda gave an angry "hmph," before folding her arms, turning away from Link, and fixing her eyes on the arena. Because of Link, she said, they had gotten horrible seats, all the way in the back. Though they could see the arena without someone's head in the way, they couldn't view the battle close up, like all the other Smashers below them. Still angry at the earnestly apologizing hero, she refused to sit next to him. Pit ended up in between her and Link with Ganondorf on Link's other side.
From one side of the stadium, Toon Link appeared, looking as nervous as a Zora above the Death Mountain Crater. Young Link sauntered in from the opposite side, still wearing his determined gaze. Silence greeted them to the battlefield.
From two other doorways underneath the stands came the Hands. Crazy Hand, actually still for once, floated to the edge of the arena and froze in midair, full of tension.
Master Hand glided over the the Smashers even more slowly than his twin, and his fingers seemed limp, tired with fatigue. He had actually forsaken sleep the night before, and was regretting it. He gave one last sigh, and addressed the Stadium, mainly the two Links in front of him.
"This match is one that will determine which Link in front of me stays, or becomes, a Smasher," the hand began. "To make this match completely fair and unbiased, this Stadium will not experience any tier changes or hazards. There will be no items, not even a Smash Ball. This will be a Stamina Match. The first person to fall loses. Do you understand?
The Links nodded.
Master Hand backed up. "Go to opposite ends of the stage. Crazy and I will referee this match. At my command, you may begin the match. Are you ready?"
Both Link's nodded, readying their swords.
"GO!" Master Hand yelled.
Young Link immediately charged, raising his sword at Toon Link. he leaped over the arrow Toon Link sent his way and prepared to drive the Kokiri Sword into Toon's head. However, Toon dodged a raised his Master Sword at Young Link, who was falling to the ground.
Young Link attempted to drive himself into air away from Toon as he fell, but the sword still grazed him, much to the delight of several Smashers, whistling, clapping, and cheering in the stands.
Young grimaced in irritation. He swung his sword at Toon again, only to meet a much longer, stronger-looking sword. The swords bounced off each other, and both Links' swords ricocheted backwards. Young took advantage of this to roll backwards, take out his boomerang, and toss it at Toon.
Toon got a blow to the face, sending him backwards. On the return trip, the boomerang clipped him in the back of the head, and he fell face-first into the ground. He stood up, dusting off his tunic, and barely managed to avoid a slash of Young's Sword. Toon called up a shield, protecting him from a furious flurry of blows, and as Young Link ceased his attack momentarily, he dropped the defense and drew Young towards him with his hookshot.
The two Links stared each other in the face as Toon delivered several well-aimed punches. However, Young quicky broke free, responding with a bomb. He rolled over to Toon's other side and slashed him into the explosion.
Covered in burns, Toon Link stood up from the explosion. He frowned at the screen to one side of the stadium, worried about how low his health had become. The board was reading the time into the match, as well as the Stamina remaining of the Links: Toon Link, 57, Young Link, 63.
Toon Link blinked, and returned his gaze to Young Link, still looking up at the board. Toon snarled, dashing at his unwary opponent, sword raised.
Young Link was hit by the attack before he had a chance to dodge. As he flew upwards, he caught a glipse of Toon under him, ready to smash him upwards as he fell. He took another look at the board. Toon Link 57, Young Link 50.
Young Link 38. The split-second lapse in concentration had really cost Young Link, but another look down told Young that Toon was planning on doing the same trick twice. This time, Young willingly spiraled down, pulling out of wild twists and the last second, drawing his sword to smash down.
Toon had still not gotten his sword up into the air as Young came down, and ended up getting struck into the ground with Young's sword. He rolled around Young Link, and delivered him a forward smash.
Young Link careened through the air, saving himself only by shifting his wieght and angling his body towards the stage. As he clung to the sides of the stadium, he took another look at the Stamina. Toon Link 41, Young Link 14.
Toon Link was running towards the edge Young Link hung off of, waiting to deliver a finishing blow. Thinking quickly, Young Link climbed up on stage.
One ace in the hole down, one left, he though grimly as he pulled out his trademark bottle and taunted Toon Link, running at him with sword raised.
One gulp, two gulp, three. Young Link sighed contentedly as the milk washed down his throat, filling him with life energy...
Suddenly, the crowd collective gasped. All of a sudden, Young Link's Stamina had gone from 14 to 64! Young Link doubled over in laughter as he caught sight of Toon Link's face, a mixture of incredulity, fear, and anger.
With a yell, Toon charged.
Young Link yawned and leaped over him, landing behind Toon as Toon swung his sword up. He raised his shield to block incoming strikes, and then went for a low jab at his feet. Toon Link tripped, and Young Link jumped into the air and prepared to drive his sword down on top of Toon. Toon rolled to the side and slashed at Young Link, but after two hits Young had backed up far enough to avoid the shots, and took out his boomerang, hitting Toon Link in the forehead. Young Link 58, Toon Link 33.
Toon Link fell backwards, and Young Link hesitated only slightly before advancing. He rolled back as Toon Link got up, slashing his sword, grabbed his boomerang on its return flight, and threw it at Toon Link again. This time, it only grazed his shoulder. Young Link whipped out his own Hookshot, dragged Toon in, and returned to him in kind what Toon had given him before in punches and kicks. Young Link 58, Toon Link 20.
Catching sight of the damage ratio, Toon Link did a series of rolls away from Young Link. From one side of the stadium, he fit an arrow to his bowstring and pulled it taut, aiming for Young Link's chest.
Young Link smirked. I guess the second ace in the hole is down, too. Two can play at that game!
From his pouch, Young Link pulled out...a stick.
Toon Link blinked, distracted. Did the fool honestly mean to try and hit him with a Deku Stick? Tiny little gasps of laughter came from Toon Link's mouth, but he did not double over.
The majority of the crowd began to echo Toon Link's sporadic laugh. What kind of attack was that? How could Young Link possibly hit Toon Link with a stick when he had had trouble before with a Kokiri Sword?
Young Link sighed, and pulled a Deku Nut out of his pouch, fitting it to his slingshot. he frowned, took aim, and hit Toon Link squarely in the head.
Even as low as Toon Link's Stamina was, the nut did only four damage. However, the second it hit the ground, it burst in a flash of light, decreasing the health by two more and causing Toon Link to stumble around, blinded by the flash.
Taking advantage of this, Young Link ran right up to Toon Link. He unsheathed his sword, powered up a Smash Attack, and swung it at Toon Link with everything he had.
Almost comically, Toon Link went flying beyond the boundaries, and, with a pained yell and a flash of light, got KO'ed in the air. For five full seconds, the entire Midair Stadium was dead silent. The Smashers all had stunned looks on their face, while most of the Omnipresent was smiling of smirking. Young Link whipped out his bottle of milk and took gulps again, restoring his health to 100.
After recovering his senses, Master Hand floated over to the victorious Link while Crazy hand flew away to find and heal Toon Link.
Master Hand paused before speaking. "You fought a good fight. As the victor, you are reinstated as a Smasher. However, I must ask you about the milk and the slingshot."
"Well, milk helps me recover some damage. In this case, 50 percent, same as a Maxim Tomato. And the slingshot, I just switched my bow for it. It's my new B move."
Master Hand sighed. More complications. But all he said was, "Very well. Tomorrow we will hold a ceremony for your reinstatement. Until then, get some rest." Young Link nodded, and walked back into his prep room, to shower and relax after the fight. The Stadium gave him round of applause, hesistant at first, but then accepting, and everyone filed out of the seats and back into the Manor.
The Manor was once again buzzing, this time with talk of Young Link's victory. Toon Link and Crazy Hand still hadn't reappeared, and many of the Omnipresent were in the basement celebrating the success.
However, three Smashers were sitting in Master Hand's office, somber once again. After hearing about the presence of Lyn and Roy, Master Hand was once again lying limply on his desk. An age passed before he rose, tired as ever, and said, "Watch out for those three for me, will you? Whenever you see them, keep tabs on whatever they are doing. I will call a meeting for all Smashers but Young Link. Pass the word around to all of them."
"Surely you don't think it's that serious?" Link said, raising an eyebrow. "I mean, sure they were there, but they could have been walking in instead of flanking him, or trying to persuade him out of it. Maybe they were helping him train for the fight, sure, but is it cause for so much alarm?"
Master Hand shook himself side to side. "No, this is more serious than it looks. Something greater than this lies in wait, I can feel it. And something must be done, before it's too late to stop it."
Young Link walked into his room and heaved a sigh of relief. He had been avoiding glares, questions, and curious looks all day. The Omnipresent had congratulated him, and had approved an idea he had to further their aims. In the dark and quiet of his room, Young Link took out a cell phone Waluigi had kindly lent him, and dialed a number he'd been given. After several rings, an annoyed voice answered. "Hello, may I help you?"
"Yeah," Young Link said, somewhat quietly. "I need you to connect me to someone."
"What?" the voice said, not hearing Young Link.
After several minutes of a shouting match over the phone, Yong Link crawled under his bed and began speaking in a normal volume. Once the mysetery person at the other end knew who he wanted to speak to, he became immediately more cheerful, and connected quite willingly.
A new voice picked up the phone. With an ethereal laugh, a girl asked, "Hello?"
Without bothering to introduce himself, Young Link asked, "Is there anyone with you?"
The girl's voice became confused. "Well, yes...just Stupid," she said, giggling as her neighbor gave a bloodcurdling shriek. The shriek became louder as she put the phone on speaker at Young Link's request.
Into the phone, Young Link whispered their two names. "My name is Young Link."
The two, who had been arguing on the other end, froze. "Young Link?" they said together.
"Yup!" Young Link said. "You met normal grown-up Link, didn't you?"
"Yeah!" The girl said, while the man with her muttered, "Unfortunately."
"Well, I'm at the Smash Manor with him, and I came to invite you to Super Smash Bros, Brawl," Young Link said.
Once again, the voices on the other end grew silent.
"So that's where Link and Zelda and Ganondorf went!" the girl said. "Why weren't we invited?" she asked, angrily.
"I'm not in charge, don't blame me," Young Link said. "But listen, there's going to be a lot going on at the Smash Manor now. I was a Smasher in Melee, but not in Brawl, but I just got my title back. There's an entire underground group that's just formed devoted to taking back the Smash Mansion! And we're inviting you to join us, for the chance to be Smashers."
The two began whispering with each other, arguing about whether this was a good idea or not. Eventually, the male spoke. "What do we have to do?"
"Not much," Young Link said. "Basically, create a set of moves and then get to Smashville without anyone seeing you. The Smash Manor is the biggest building in town. My room is in a stone tower, where Link and Zelda and Ganondorf also have their rooms. I'll mark my room with a Deku spiral symbol, and then you sneak in when you get there, alright?"
Two affirmations were heard on the other end.
"Very well, then," Young Link said," I'll see you two soon." And with that, he hung up.
The male laid the phone down into its holder and turned to his companion. "Pack your bags," he said, grinning with glee. "We're going to Smashville."
Like, ohmygod. Who was Young Link talking to? Well, you'll never guess. Just like I said you'd never guess the Fairy Slingshot. For all of you who got that the first ace in the hole would be his Lon Lon Milk, good job! So if you do guess, and get it right, you get a virtual cookie.
As I was writing this little thing at the end, I was listening to the Oath to Order. I found that ironic, just so you know. But the Song of Healing is the best MM song.
Well, I don't know how else to end this chapter, so I'm ending it now. Review if you can, and have a good time until I update again!
...OH!! I remembered! If anyone has any suggestions for guys' names, I'll see if I like any you suggest. The fifth chapter will not appear until I have at least one name, because it is CRUCIAL!!
