Sailor Moon Chronicles
Joist with the Leader of the Monstrous Gang
The Revolting King Bulbin
The rest of the night was spent in a deep sleep. Both Link and Zoey were so winded from their adventures that as soon as their head it their pillows, it was lights out. Since the children knew that they had been through a lot, they did not wake them and let them sleep until around noon. They awoke and got dressed. Zoey even transformed into Sailor Saturn right away. After starting the day with lunch, Sailor Saturn took Link out to the Spring of Eldin to give him a lesson on Pokémon training. Link sent out is Scyther, who he named Blade, while Sailor Saturn called forth Harutomo.
"A lot of the moves Scyther can use can be used by a Gallade," Sailor Saturn said. "I would have used Sarutobi because he needs some training, but he doesn't show much restraint in battle. Also, Bug-types like Scyther are weak against fire attacks, and I don't want to injure Blade. Since Harutomo is completely trusting of me, there won't be any risk."
The children watched the two practicing. They loved how amazing and strong the Pokémon were.
"Link's Scyther is so cool," Beth squealed. "He's a perfect match for him."
"I want one too," hollered Talo.
"Scythers aren't that special," Malo grunted.
"Link, tell Blade to use Double Team," Sailor Satrun instructed.
"Okay," said Link. "Blade, use Double Team."
Blade created three, illusory copies of himself.
"Three?" said Sailor Saturn. "That's not too bad. Now I want to see Blade's Slash attack." She found a patch of tall grass by the spring. "Use the attack on the grass."
Link gave Blade the command. Blade sped through the air at the patch of grass. After Blade passed the grass patch, it was reduced to tiny bits dried specks.
"That was so cool, Link!" squealed Beth.
"Great work, Link," Sailor Saturn congratulated.
Colin saw something moving by the shore of the spring. "What is that over there?"
Sailor Saturn turned to see what he saw. What he had found was a Cyndaquil. "I've seen those before. That's a Cyndaquil, a Fire-type Pokémon.
"It's so cute," said Beth. She and the other boys scampered towards the Cyndaquil.
"I wouldn't do that," Sailor Saturn warned, stopping them in their tracks. "Cyndaquils are timid Pokémon, but when they are startled, flames erupt from their backs."
The children slowly backed away. Link looked at with attraction.
"I like it," said Link.
"Do you want to catch it?" asked Sailor Saturn.
"What do you mean?"
"You can catch it if you want to. Here..." Sailor Saturn took five, empty pokeballs out of purse and held them out for Link to take. "I don't really need these, but you can use them to catch a full team of six. Now would be a good time for a lesson in capturing Pokémon. Are you ready?
Link nodded. He and his Scyther faced the Cyndaquil, who was now looking at them.
"Use Slash!" Link called out.
Scyther eagerly launched forth. The Cyndaquil saw him and jumped in shock. Suddenly, flames shot up from his back.
"Be careful!" warned Sailor Saturn.
Small balls of fire flew out of Cyndaquil's small mouth and hit Blade. The fire, though weak, stopped Blade in his tracks.
"What do I do now?" Link asked urgently.
"Tell Blade to use Leer," Sailor Saturn instructed. "That will lower Cyndaquil's defense."
"Use Leer," Link said.
Blade jolted back. His gaze tightened into Cyndaquil's eyes. Blade's eyes were intense with intimidation. Cyndaquil became frightened, and his flames went out.
"Now, Slash attack!"
Blade hit Cyndaquil with one of his blade-like arms, sending Cyndaquil into a rock. Cyndaquil, weak, stammered to his feet. He tried to fire up again but was unable to do so.
"Now, Link," Sailor Saturn ordered, "throw the pokeball."
"Got it!" Link activated the ball and threw it. "Go, pokeball!"
The pokeball nailed Cyndaquil on the back, opened, and sucked him inside. The ball closed and began to shake. After a few seconds, the shacking ceased, and the ball made a click noise. Link rushed over to the ball.
"I caught a Cyndaquil!"
All the children cheered and ran up to him.
"So what are you going to name him?" Talo asked. "Are you going to keep calling it Cyndaquil or something else?"
"I don't know," Link said as he turned the ball over. "How about you name him, Colin? You're the one who found him."
"Me?" Colin said, pointing to himself in surprise. "I don't know. What about Vladimir?"
"That's a dumb name, Colin," Beth scoffed.
"I like it," said Link.
"I love it!" Beth said, only agreeing to get Link's attention. Sailor Saturn noticed this right away.
"This reminds me of Epona," Link said dreamily.
"Who is Epona?" Sailor Saturn asked.
"She is my horse," said Link. "I lost her when those monsters attacked the village. I remember being able to call her by blowing into this special kind of grass." Link's eyes became wide. He ran off to a patch of grass. "This is it." He pulled an odd, horseshoe-shaped object off a plant.
"What are you going to use that for?" Saturn asked.
"It's a long shot," Link said, staring at the grass object. "Whenever I blew into this grass, the song that played from the grass always summoned Epona to my side." He put his lips to the object and blew.
A sweet melody chimed out. The chime was lovely. Link looked around desperately, but nothing appeared. He looked crushed.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
A neigh was heard by both of them. Then the thunderous sound of hooves pounding on the dry earth rattled the canyon town. Link turned to the source of the noise, which was coming around the corner into the village. A beautiful horse came galloping onto the scene. Her hair was a gorgeous crimson brown. Her mane, tale, and the hair above her hooves were pure, snowy white. There was a saddle on her. She scampered to Link and stopped before him. All the children rushed towards them. Link stroked her mane.
"I can't believe it," Link said in gleeful awe. "This is Epona."
"Holy c***!" gasped Saturn.
Link climbed onto the saddle. "She hasn't changed a bit."
"I've never be on a horse before," Sailor Saturn said as she stroked Epona's mane.
"You have never ridden on a horse?" Link laughed in disbelief.
"I caught a Rapidash when I was ten and told myself I was going to learn, but I just forgot."
"How would like to go horseback riding for the first time?" Link asked.
Sailor Saturn looked up at him and gawked. He was so handsome on that horse. The sun was eclipsed his head, so his shadowed body was outlined by the sun's heavenly, golden rays. The mysterious picture reminded her of how the "Knight in Shining Armor" appeared to her in her dreams. "You would really take me horseback riding?"
"Of course," Link said. "Epona can handle two people easily."
With Link's help, she climbed aboard Epona.
"What about the Goron Mines?" Saturn asked.
"We still have daylight," he said. "We can take a quick ride down to the section of Hyrule Field we traveled through to get her." He took hold of Epona's reigns. "Hold on tight to me."
"No problem," she said, happily putting her arms around him.
When Epona dashed forward, Saturn shrieked because of the jolt. Epona was faster than she had expected. She charged down the road passed the spring, passed the gate to the village, and into Hyrule Field. This part of Hyrule Field looked far much lovelier without the Twilight. The short grasses were the kind of yellow-green found in a box of crayons. The field so open; Epona was free to run and run. Sailor Saturn loved the wind whipping her body and the enchantment of the horse ride, but she enjoyed clutching Link much more. To impress her, Link found some broken fences around the field.
"Hang on," he said.
He led Epona toward a section of fence. At the perfect moment, Epona jumped and cleared the fence. When they went into the air, Sailor Saturn screamed at first and then giggled. After that, Link yielded Epona to a slow trot.
"That was amazing," Sailor Saturn said giddily. "Freakin' epic!"
"I'm glad you enjoyed it," he said. "I remember practicing jumping fences with Epona at Ordon Ranch. My boss, Fido, has the hardest time handling those goats. Every time he time he gets in over his head, he comes running to me."
"Tell me more about your life in Ordon," Sailor Saturn said sweetly. "I know about the kids. What else went on in that home town of yours? I barely spoke to anyone when I was there."
"It's a nice, quiet place, nothing like the bustle of Hyrule Castle Town. My friend Rusl, you remember, Colin's father, his wife is expecting a baby soon. She is a sweet lady. I never heard her raise her voice. Wish I could say the same about Beth's mother. She is a nice lady…on her good days. She runs the general store in town. Her husband is the most timid man you'll ever meet in your life. When you described the nature of a Cyndaquil, my mind went straight to him. He might be a pushover, but never try to mess with his family when he is around."
Sailor Saturn giggled.
"That reminds me of my friend Amy. She is sweet, timid, and brilliant. I have this one friend. She is a riot. She can be a bit of a meddler and a crybaby, but she has this incredible capacity for love. Her name is Serena."
"She sounds fun."
"Oh, she is." Sailor Saturn stopped when she saw something going on up ahead. "What is going on over there?"
From what she could make out, there were some enormous, horse-sized boars being ridden by green monsters. When she discovered them, they had already started to enter the village. Link's body grew cold.
"Oh no!" he breathed. "Don't let go."
He shifted Epona into high gear back to the village.
Meanwhile, Beth and Talo were standing in the middle of the street near the dome building talking. Soon, they felt the earth shake below their feet. An awful roar came from the direction of Hyrule Field. From around the canyon corner, a monstrous, armored boar with horns like a Texan steer came charging into the village. The boar was being ridden by an equally monstrous creature. This fat, humanoid tub of disgust wore a cheap metal armor that looked to be made of hastily melded scraps of metal. His helmet bared two holes for his great, devil-like horns. The monster riding the monster was followed by smaller yet still large boars being ridden by green, goblin-like monsters in tandem. Talo ran off immediately upon seeing their beady red eyes, but Beth remained in the middle of the road with an open mouth and wide eyes. Colin and Malo where at the door of the dome building and saw this happening. Something suddenly clicked inside Colin. Without a thought, he ran as fast as he could and pushed Beth at of the leader's path. Unfortunately, he was now in his path. With one of his massive arms, the leader scooped up Colin and held him by the back of his shirt. At that moment, Link and Sailor Saturn came thundering in on Epona. The monster leader's fat, round face turned to them. He held up an unconscious Colin in the air and laughed like a pig just to torment Link.
"Colin!" Sailor Saturn screamed.
The leader and his gang then charged on out of the village through the north exit. Link made Epona speed up to pursue them. The giant boars were much faster than Link anticipated. When they exited the canyon to the new section of Hyrule Field, they found the leader of the gang, King Bulblin, and his mount on hill. He held a giant lance that had Colin tied to it. Upon seeing them, King Bulblin gave Link the "bring it on" hand motion. Link answered him by unsheathing his sword. King Bublin then took out a horn. The low siren it bellowed singled those of his minions who heard it to come to his aid. Five answered the call. There were five boars. Each one carried a Bulblin rider and an archer in the back seat. King Bulblin used the distraction to charge onward. Link was boiling. Sailor Saturn could feel his body growing hot as did her body but for different reasons. Link lashed Epona to pick up the pace. The Bulblins behind them came closer and closer while King Bulblin got further and further away. The flaming arrows shot by the Bulblin archers made Link's maneuvering difficult.
"Can you do something about those guys?" Link asked.
"Way ahead of you," she said, taking out a pokeball. "Go, Pidgeotto! Use Quick Attack on the monsters behind us and knock them off their mounts!"
Pidgeotto soared high and swooped down and rammed one of the riders in the head, knocking him off his mount. With the boar unmanned, the boar began to serve out of control in confusion and ram into another boar, knocking over its riders.
"Dokukemuri, use Smokescreen!" Sailor Saturn called as she released the pokeball.
Her Weezing came out and opened his mouth. A thick, black smoke spewed out of his mouth and blinded the three remaining riders. It worked since they didn't emerge from the cloud of smoke.
"Terrific work, Saturn!" Link congratulated. "Now it's my turn."
Thanks to Sailor Saturn's quick thinking, Link had caught up the King Bulblin and was parallel to the monster. He slashed off pieces of the Bulblin leader's armor with his sword. Soon, all King Bulblin had were his helmet and pants. With a last magnificent slash, Link knocked King Bulblin unconscious. He soon snapped back and turned in the direction of a long, stone bridge. When Link reached the entrance to the bridge, King Bulblin was already on the other side facing them. He still had his lance up with Colin as the flag. The boar he rode was scratching the ground with his foreleg.
"Looks like he wants a joist," Link said with his sword ready.
"Wait!" Sailor Saturn said. She summoned her Silence Glaive to her hands. "You need more range than that sword. Please, use my scythe."
"But that is the Silence Glaive," Link said. He smiled and took the spear-like weapon.
King Bulblin began to charge. Link pulled Epona's reigns, and she shot off like a bullet. The two were heading towards each other without a flinch. Faster and faster, none shifted an inch. Faster and faster, they were fractions of seconds apart. And then….Link shifted Epona to the right, dodging King Bulblin. Link swung the Silence Glaive and hit King Bulblin with such a force that King Bulblin was knocked not only off his mount but off the bridge. His disgusting body and scream disappeared into the black chasm below. Link and Sailor Saturn looked to see him completely gone. In victory, Epona lifted her forelegs in the air and balanced on her hind legs. The image of him on his horse with Sailor Saturn, basking in the light of the setting sun and the Twilight, was absolutely breathtaking. Since his master was out of commission, the giant boar carrying Colin came to a stop at the end of the bridge. Link rode over to cut Colin down.
Link, with Colin balanced on his lap while still holding the reigns, and Zoey, out of her transformation, rode slowly back to Kakariko Village.
"Link, you were absolutely amazing," Sailor Saturn said dreamily.
"Thank you," Link said. He looked into Colin's face. He was still unconscious. "I'm glad I managed to save him this time."
Zoey laid her cheek against his back. "Link?"
"Yes."
"I want to say something to you."
"What is it?"
"Link, I –" Her watch rang. Suddenly, she realized something. It was Sunday evening, and she had to go to school tomorrow!
"What do you have to say, Zoey?"
"Link," she said, tearing up, "I have to leave."
"Leave?" he exclaimed. "Why?"
"I need to go back to my world. I have to go to school tomorrow and for the next four days after that. I am so sorry."
He stopped the horse. "It's okay." He turned partially to her. "Will I ever see you again?"
She immediately rummaged through her purse and pulled out a small emerald hair clip. She held it out to him. "If you keep this, this item will allow me to always know where you are whenever I can comeback to Hyrule." She placed it in his hand and closed his fingers around it. "I promise you. I will come back."
Link nodded and smiled. "I trust you, Zoey."
