Bowser, Marth, Link, Duck Hunt, and Yoshi slowly opened their eyes, squinting at the bright sunlight. Link was the first to rise, helping the caped prince to his feet. While the others got to their senses, the hero scoured the area around them. As far as the eye could see, rolling hills dotted with green grass covered the landscape. Small lakes and rivers twinkled in the sunlight, and a vast, open plain stretched out for miles.

"Where are we?" Bowser asked. "This doesn't look like anything I'm familiar with…"

"Link," Marth spoke. "One of your adventures had you cover open terrain like this. Does any of this look-" He was cut off by a shake of the head. "Oh. Well, then… wait, look over there!"

Everyone turned a bit to the right, where a rising plume of black and grey filled the sapphire sky. "Smoke. Possibly from a fire. A small fire, from the looks of it. Come on, let's check it out!"

"Yoshi!" cried the little dinosaur, who took off running ahead of the group. Marth nodded, sprinting after the gesturing Yoshi. Everyone ran after him, disappearing down a hill… but right after they left, two massive feet covered in scales slammed down onto the grass and a low growl cut through the air.

It took them a while to reach the mark thanks to the distance they had to trek. A rocky path led them to the source of the smoke: a small fire that had nearly gone out. The sight of small tents led Bowser to one conclusion. "A campsite? Who would camp out here? And…" he paused, sniffing the air. "Hey! Food! I smell food! Lemme at it!"

"Sustenance isn't the only thing that's here…" Marth whispered with a sense of dread in his tone. Bowser looked closer at the camp… and gasped.

The camp wasn't empty. People in strange scaly armor were scattered around the campsite. And they were lying on the ground, not moving a muscle. Link approached one, pressed two fingers to the person's throat… and shook his head. Yoshi slightly kicked one, but that figure didn't stir. Duck Hunt sniffed another and nudged him… but he also received no response.

"They're all dead," Marth noted. "Stay alert. Whatever got to them should still be around. In the meantime, I'll find some clues."

A noise of effort from Yoshi made Link turn. The green dinosaur had overturned the figure he was investigating… and was pulling out a massive sword made from what appeared to be bone. A jaw from… something. Wrestling it free, Yoshi tried to lift it… but the tip of the weapon hit the path and he collapsed in exhaustion.

Approaching another figure, Bowser took out what looked like a large metal hammer. He held it in both hands, performing a few test swings with it. Then he turned to the armored people. "How can someone fight with these things?" he asked, looking to both Yoshi (who was still struggling to lift the sword) and Link, who was glancing at a large bow on the back of his figure. "I mean, I see how someone like me could do it, but you must be insanely strong to even swing one of these!"

"Here! Found something!" Marth called, holding up a small book from inside a tent. The group gathered around, Bowser dropping the hammer and Duck Hunt sitting down. "There's a map in here along with some traveler's logs. Let's see…" he flipped through some pages until he reached the map. "There's a red X here at the camp, so we're in… Forest Hill."

Link looked back at the plains. A suitable name, if not an effective one.

"But there's something else here, too," Marth continued. "Something the book's owner wrote down. 'Warning! Rathalos territory! Explore with extreme caution.'"

Bowser scratched his head. "Um… what's a 'Rathalos'?"

The sky went dark for a half-second as something flew over the camp, putting everyone on alert. Marth set the book down, a hand going to his sword's hilt. Yoshi grew uneasy and Duck Hunt shimmied up to Bowser. Link stood on full alert, keeping his eyes on the sky for anything unusual.

The ground exploded into flame, a series of fireballs slamming into the earth. Yoshi yelped in fright and Duck Hunt jumped up. Swords flew from their sheathes and Link held the Hylian Shield on his other arm. He ran to the front, getting into a ready stance.

Something huge and colossal touched down outside the flames in front of him, giving out a monstrous snarl. It moved forward through the fire, the flames licking at its bright red scales and black markings. It rose to its full height… and Link's eyes widened, dropping his stance.

Before the Smashers was a large dragon-like creature on two legs. Massive wings rested on its shoulders and a reptilian head observed them, a rumble echoing from its throat. Huffing in preparation, Bowser stepped forward and let out a challenging roar at the creature. Duck Hunt growled and tensed up, barking wildly at the creature. The animal simply drew back its head with a snarl…

...and roared so loud it felt like the sound barrier broke.

Link cried out, his weapons clattering to the ground and his hands flying to his ringing ears. Marth and Bowser yelled out in pain from the ear-splitting roar, the latter's resembling a moan. Yoshi and Duck Hunt shook and hunched over, trying anything they could to block out the deafening sound.

Link focused himself. The only sound he heard now was a high-pitched ringing. His vision was blurry, and he felt dizzy and disoriented. When his sight returned… he saw a large scaly head rushing at him.

Link was racked with a heavy force from the creature's headbutt, which sent him flying and skidding down the stone path. He lay on the ground, more stunned than before, groaning in agony.

"Watch out! It's coming for you!"

"WHAT?! DID YOU SAY SOMETHING?!"

A large foot stomped Bowser to the ground, giving him a mouthful of dirt. The creature roared again, charging right at Marth. Shaking his head from the earlier sound, Marth readied his falchion… and broke into a run. "HYAAAH!" He dove around the creature's snapping jaws, his eyes trained on the beast's neck. The creature looked ahead in confusion, wondering where its prey had vanished to. Marth thrust his falchion right at the creature's neck, bracing for the blade to puncture flesh…

Ting!

The falchion bounced off the scales with not even a scratch on the beast.

"W-what?!"

The creature's head whirled around, snarling at Marth. The warrior jumped back from closed jaws, his cape narrowly avoiding the sharp teeth. Now in front of the beast again, he swung his weapon at the animal's head. But each strike resulted in the weapon being deflected and blocked by the scales. It failed to properly damage the creature… but succeeded to annoy it.

Marth stared helplessly at the massive monster as its throat glowed a bright orange…

It shrieked, its head slamming to the ground and its talons scratching the ground. Behind it, Bowser had a strong grip on the monster's tail. "HA!" he bellowed at the struggling beast. "Gotcha! You're not going anywhere!"

"What are you doing?!" Marth cried. "That's not going to work!"

"Seems okay to me! Argh!" Bowser grunted, deepening his hold on the squirming tail.

"It has WINGS, you fool!"

"What's that supposed to-"

The said appendages flung themselves open in an upward position. Bowser's face fell. "Uh-oh."

The creature launched into the sky, taking Bowser with it. Instead of holding onto the tail to stop it from moving, he was now holding on for dear life. "Whooooaaaaaaa!" The wind rushed against his face and he could nearly feel his claws slipping from the scales. The creature halted its ascent, sending Bowser tumbling through the air… and landing on the creature's snout. For a brief moment, Bowser's eyes made contact with the monster's own… before he gave it a strong punch.

The beast howled in pain, beating its strong wings and taking it back to the ground. On its approach, it shook its head wildly and flung Bowser aside, making him demolish a tent on impact.

An egg cracked across the beast's head… and it turned to a wide-eyed, cowering Yoshi. The desperate dino tried lobbing more eggs as it approached, only for those to crack apart without even a hint of damage. The monster caught an egg in its mouth, crushing it to bits and growling. Yoshi gulped.

A pixelated explosion lit up the side of its head, and it whirled to Duck Hunt with another roar. The dog fired off more explosions, calling on Wild Gunmen to blast the beast. The dragon charged with a roar of rage… and attacked the Gunmen in a vicious rampage. A foot stomped one into pixels, a bite separated a Gunman's top half from his bottom half, and a tail swipe both destroyed another and swatted aside Duck Hunt. Another Gunman continued to fire, only for the creature to close its jaws around it.

Before it could turn its attention to Duck Hunt, a single arrow plinked off its scales. Baring its teeth, the creature turned its attention to a fully-recovered Link, who drew another arrow and fired it. It hit the creature's head, clattering harmlessly to the ground. Gasping, Link drew and fired another, and another, and another.

But all of them had no effect on the creature, which stomped towards him and crushed an arrow beneath it. With another wild roar, an inferno of destruction blasted from its mouth. Link held his regained Hylian Shield ahead of him, the flames meeting his sole means of protection. And while he held out against the burning wave, his mind was at work. He'd seen how Marth's falchion didn't even faze the creature. Yoshi's eggs had shattered into shell fragments on contact. The shots from Duck Hunt's Gunmen was just enough for it to take notice, but not enough to deal significant damage. And his arrows just bounced off the beast's scales. That had to mean his own sword wouldn't be much help.

And that meant that their weapons were useless against this thing! How were they supposed to take it down?

From beyond the flames, Link noticed the dead people with the scaled armor. Scales that looked mighty similar to the scales of this creature. Maybe… maybe they were the key.

A fireball exploded against the beast's head, causing it to cease its fire breath and turn to Bowser. The Koopa King flung the last of the tent fabric off him, cracking his knuckles. "Hey, dragon! Lemme show you how a REAL beast breathes fire!" He inhaled, blasting out another fireball. This one detonated below the beast's left wing, making it snarl in pain. It shot out a fireball of his own, prompting Bowser to move his arms in a blocking stance. The fireball hit hard, blowing Bowser into a rocky cliff shell-first. He shook his head, stunned from the impact. "That… that all you got?"

The monster growled, raising its wings and advancing towards the Smashers. It readied another stream of fire to roast them all…

SCREEEEEE!

Something lodged into its neck, causing it to screech in pain. Everyone turned to where the shot had come from… and Marth gasped. "Link?!"

The hero of Hyrule held a large bow in his hands, taken from one of the dead figures. He nocked another arrow, drawing it back with a stern glance. The glaring monster turned to him, roaring loudly again and breaking into a charge. Link let go, letting a harpoon-sized arrow fly free… and embed itself into the beast's torso. With a pained cry, the monster collapsed to the ground and scrambled back to its feet with difficulty.

The monster spewed out a jet of flame at Link. The warrior rolled away, launching another arrow at the monster's side. Screeching again, the animal swatted Link away with its tail. Bowser caught Link, setting him down and turning back to the beast.

The monster just roared at them again, beating its wings and taking to the sky. It turned around, flying off into the distance. "Yeah, that's right!" Bowser shouted. "You better run! Link, that was awesome! Nice job!"

"You managed to hurt it when none of us could," Marth said. "With a weapon that one of these people was carrying. Perhaps that means… these weapons were made specifically to combat creatures such as that."

Link smiled… before his eye caught movement down in the plains below. Curious, he moved to a good vantage point and viewed the land before him. A land… filled with life.

Strange creatures roamed the grasslands, some grazing on the grass and others drinking from rivers. Small, bipedal animals darted through the grass. Winged creatures soared through the sky. And a distant roar in a nearby chasm drew the group's attention. Another dragon-like monster, this one walking with its wings, trampled through the chasm until an armored human slashed it from overhead with a bladed weapon.

The beast roared, knocking the man aside with its head. A cat-like creature meowed, helping the person up. Three more figures charged in to corner the monster: one of them with a double-edged glaive released an insect on her wrist to distract it while she set up barrel traps. Another continuously blasted it in the side with a light cannon weapon. And the third wielded twin blades, striking at the leg with wild slashes.

The monster grew weak from the continued assault, desperately biting and swiping its claws. The one with the cannon shouted for everyone to double back. They ran from the monster, giving her a clear shot at the barrels. A trigger pull later, the barrels exploded in a red-orange burst… and the monster collapsed. The four figures celebrated their victory, and one of them approached the winged monster with a carving knife in hand.

"This world…" Marth realized. "This world is roamed by dangerous beasts. Ferocious and hostile to anyone they encounter. But yet, the people here thrive and fight them. Possibly for survival, equipment, food, or anything in between. And I think… hold on."

Picking up the book he found earlier, he skimmed through it. "Daily journals… drawings of the team… a quest log… here we are! A bestiary! N… O… P… Q… R. Found it!"

"Found what?" asked Bowser. Marth moved up to them so they could see what was on the page. Link recognized it immediately: the very same creature that had just attacked them and the campsite.

"Rathalos," Marth read. "The King of the Skies. A male Flying Wyvern that is dominant in the air and extremely aggressive to intruders, human or monster, in its territory. Known Habitats: varies. Notable Abilities: poisonous claws, fire breath, a club-like tail, a loud roar that can stun or disorient a Hunter, and strong talons able to lift large monsters with ease. Weakest Area: Head."

"At least we know where to hit it," commented Bowser. "Now what?"

"Strong Against Fire. Weak Against Ice, Thunder, Dragon, and Water."

"Uh, does that make it a Pokémon, then?"

"First Recorded Appearance: First Generation. Known subspecies: Rathian, a female counterpart. Hunters should engage this monster with extreme caution. The Rathalos is an apex predator above all else."

Marth closed the book. "Alright, we have our target."

"Wait, target?" Bowser repeated in shock, while Yoshi and Duck Hunt's eyes went wide. "You mean we're going after that thing?"

"I've been noticing a pattern as of late," Marth explained. "Mario had to defeat you, as Giga Bowser, to damage Galeem's shield. Then Mega Man and Snake had to defeat Galleom to furtherly weaken it to a critical state. And both were exceptionally tough foes."

"What's your point?"

Marth turned with a smile. "I believe we've found our third guardian. We take down Rathalos, we take down the shield and go after Galeem."

"But we hardly even scratched it!"

"Not with our standard weaponry, no," Marth continued, gesturing to the bow in Link's hands. The hero of Hyrule was currently investigating it, surprised to see that it could fold in half for easy storage. Quickly catching on, Bowser turned to Marth with a smirk. "Oh, I like where this is going…"

"Gear up," announced the prince of Altea. "We're going monster hunting."

Bowser picked up the hammer he found with a laugh. "I can't wait to bash that thing's face in!"

Link stashed the large bow on his back, fond of having one more weapon at his disposal. He grabbed the quiver of arrows, securing it to his person.

Marth salvaged another weapon from a dead Hunter: an ax that he soon learned could shift into a sword and shield. "That'll do nicely."

Duck Hunt stretched out, sniffing the ground for clues of Rathalos' whereabouts. And Yoshi once again tried to lift up the huge bone sword he found… but failed, wiping his forehead in exhaustion when the weapon clattered to the ground.

"I think this will be more up your alley," Marth said, handing Yoshi a smaller sword with a paw print embedded in it. "According to the book, these are usually wielded by Palicos, little feline helpers. It should fit someone of your size more likely." Yoshi swung the blade around, giving a thumbs-up in approval.

Duck Hunt led the way, sniffing the ground for any clues. The three other Smashers followed the dog and duck, ready for a rematch with the wyvern.

Rathalos' trail led the group up some stone steps. At the top rested a small, open space suitable for both a campsite and the territory for a monster. And speaking of monsters, the wyvern was spotted in no time, trying to recover from its wounds by pulling the arrows right out of its body.

But it was in no condition to fight. Anytime someone charged for the creature, it roared and took into the air to land at a different position. The Smashers had to chase him around the area, only for the monster to fly off again whenever they approached.

Link fired off an arrow from the hunter's bow. Instead of making contact, the projectile whizzed under Rathalos' chin and barely made a mark. The monster growled, beating its wings and getting airborne in no time.

Link huffed in frustration. He turned behind him, making a note that Rathalos wasn't the only thing to fight up here. Yoshi was fighting a yellow fake of himself, Marth was testing out his new Switch Axe (as the book had called it) on four Pits, and Bowser was swinging his hammer at a Charizard. A quick snag to its tail and a sharp yank was enough to slam it to the ground and keep it from getting airborne.

Link folded his hunter's bow and placed it on his back, swapping it with his sword and shield. The puppets would have to be dealt with before Rathalos; they'd just get in the way if the group tried to go for the wyvern. A Ness puppet sprung out with a bat in hand, giving Link his first target. The wooden item connected with his shield, opening the puppet up for a flurry of sword slashes. A kick and the blast of a Rune Bomb later, the puppet was put down.

"ARGH! STAY STILL, YOU STUPID DRAGON!" Bowser roared. Above Link's head, Rathalos flew off to another spot in the area. "Wyvern!" Marth corrected.

"Whatever! How do we get it to not fly away?!"

"Get behind it! Make sure it doesn't see you!"

"Easier said than done!"

A sudden roar alerted Link to what lay ahead of him: a charging yellow puppet of Bowser running right for him with horns pointed straight. Link rolled out of the way, watching the puppet come to a halt difficult to pull off. It turned to Link again, snorting and dragging a foot in the ground. The warrior took in his surroundings, lighting up his eyes when he spotted the shimmer of the sun on something right behind him.

The puppet roared, breaking into another charge. Link dodged at just the right moment… and the puppet was too late to stop itself from running right into the lake. Link continued onward across the water and up some more stone steps, leaving the puppet to drown.

THOOM! Rathalos touched down right in front of Link, leaving Marth, Bowser, and Duck Hunt to deal with more puppet fighters closing on their location. The hero of Hyrule stumbled back, far enough for Rathalos to spot him out of the corner of its eye. It lashed out with its tail, forcing Link to step back. With a roar, the wyvern launched into the air again… revealing Yoshi running after a small figure and wildly swinging his Palico weapon.

Toon Link lobbed a bomb at Yoshi, darting across a wooden bridge near a waterfall. The dinosaur yelped while Link noticed his counterpart… and narrowing his eyes in determination, took off after him.

Toon Link reached the end of the wooden bridge in no time, his red eyes sweeping over the pursuing Smashers. A grin on his face, Toon Link lashed out at the ropes holding the bridge in place… and Link caught his balance while watching the bridge detach and dangle from its two remaining supports.

Link sighed. He'd need to find another way to get across. His Paraglider was an option, but he'd need higher ground. And stronger winds than these.

Yoshi tapped him on the side. Link's head turned to the dinosaur, who pointed his sword at a nearby temple... what was left of one, at least. At the top of it rested a button. Link gave Yoshi a smile. That was a better plan.

The duo jogged to the temple, occasionally glancing down to the plains below to view the others' progress. Marth and Duck Hunt were mopping up the last of the puppets, and Bowser was approaching Rathalos as quietly as he could. Once he was close enough, he smashed his hammer down on the wyvern's foot.

A roar of pain echoed across the hill. In retaliation, Rathalos bit down on the hammer's handle when Bowser swung again, throwing the Koopa King into some rocks. It beat its wings again, fleeing into the sky. "Oh, COME ON!"

Something suddenly burst from the stony debris of the temple ruins, alerting Yoshi and Link. Another roar filled the air: the roar of a white-furred Donkey Kong puppet who wasted no time in attacking. It lobbed a chunk of stone at the duo, who dodged and ran up to meet it. Yoshi swung, only for a parry from the ape to knock him aside and charge for Link. The hero slid underneath the puppet, slashing his sword at the ape's arm.

Link gestured to Yoshi while the ape recovered. Understanding, Yoshi darted up the steps of the ruins, leaving Link to deal with the puppet. The gorilla roared again, slamming a fist down on Link's raised shield. Another swing staggered it, and a shield bash from Link toppled it onto its back. With a cry, Link spun into the air… and stabbed downward into the ape's chest. A groan of pain later, the puppet faded into a trophy form.

Yoshi hopped up and pressed the button, triggering something back where the bridge used to be. Another bridge, this one composed of metal, shot out and struck the other side. The wooden bridge's last supports snapped on contact, sending it plummeting down to the water.

Link and Yoshi backtracked, crossing the bridge in moments. Toon Link gave a jump of surprise upon notice… before shaking his head and pointing his sword at them commandingly. Six puppets rushed out from behind a tree, in the branches of the tree, and from climbing over a cliff: puppets of Zelda, Link, Falco, Zero Suit Samus, Donkey Kong with an Ore Club, and an Inkling.

Yoshi moved in to engage, striking at the Inkling and Falco puppets. He disarmed and stabbed the Inkling, jumping up and slamming the blasting Falco. Link clashed with his counterpart, kicking it into the path of the charging gorilla. Yoshi hopped onto the ape's furry back with his sword ready, leaving Link to block an overhead strike from a Phantom. Bashing the construct aside, he engaged the Zelda puppet and deflected magical fireballs. A quick teleport from the false princess temporarily took him by surprise, but two strong swings sent the puppet flying off the cliff. Yoshi rolled underneath the false bounty hunter aiming for Link, jumping and ground-pounding it while it was down.

Once the puppets were out of the way, the duo attacked Toon Link from both sides. The alternate hero blocked Yoshi's strike, knocking the dino back. A running slash from Link sent him tumbling to the ground. And a combined attack from both finished the job.

Link's hand went to the trophy's base, reviving his cartoon counterpart. Toon Link shook his head, blinking in confusion and allowing Link to help him up. Yoshi lifted his Palico sword in victory…

...and another roar broke through the air, startling Toon Link. The small hero whirled around, sword and shield at the ready… but he dropped them when he took in the sight of the fire-breathing wyvern settling down atop a large plateau at the very top of the hill. A pair of stone steps led up to it, another roar of dominance beckoning someone to come and face it.

Toon Link nervously swallowed, but a hand from his counterpart on his shoulder seemed to be enough to put him at ease. Yoshi led the way back down to the plains below, where they encountered Marth, Duck Hunt, and a tired Bowser.

"Excellent," Marth noticed the sight of Toon Link. "One more to aid us in our quest. We'll have to find something for him, though."

"We…" gasped Bowser. "We managed to get him atop that huge rock. Don't… don't ever let me chase down a big, flying monster again."

"This is why some beasts in the Coliseum should be chained," Marth added. "Let's finish this, then."

The group trekked to the stone steps leading up to the beast's domain. But a familiar, gruesome sight awaited them there: more signs that served as a warning. "More hunters," Marth whispered. "Well, hunted now." He gently touched the body of one. "Not warm. This must've been a while ago… we might need to prepare ourselves this time."

Yoshi picked up a black scaly scythe, handing it to a stunned Toon Link. Sheathing his Master Sword, the small hero took the scythe in his hand and tested it out. He nodded to Yoshi in approval. Link scavenged through one hunter, discovering tiny devices that looked like earplugs. They could be useful for blocking out that awfully loud roar, so he put two in and handed out the rest to the others.

Bowser found some explosive barrels in an overturned wagon, picking one up in his empty arm. Marth found an unused trap and some small explosives, stashing those for extra measures. Once everyone was set, Duck Hunt led the way in climbing up to the plateau.

The climb was a long one, but Link had had his fair share of terrain-related exhaustion. He wiped his brow of sweat, swapping his sword and shield for his hunter's bow. Toon Link had his own shield equipped with his new scythe, eyes peeled for the beast. Bowser gripped his hammer tight, Marth shifted his Switch Axe into its sword mode, and Yoshi growled with his Palico sword in hand. The top of the plateau came into view in no time…

...but no wyvern.

"Steady…" Marth whispered to a seething Bowser. The Koopa King just huffed while Link and the others kept their eyes peeled both in front of them and above them. "If that thing is all the way by the lake now, I swear I will-"

BOOOM!

Something loud and hot flung Link off his feet, making everything spin and screams to ring out. He hit the ground hard… and felt himself moving! Quickly, he glanced over his shoulder. The first thing he saw was the shape of the plateau speeding away.

The second was everyone sliding down the opposite side of where they came up from. A roar filled the air and a winged shape flew through the smoke and raining pieces of rock tumbling down the slope.

Link realized it in no time. He and the others were looking out ahead of them and above them… but not from behind them.

Rocks and boulders slammed down onto the slope, tumbling and rolling down. From Link's right, Toon Link was using his shield as a sled and fighting to stay balanced. Marth was weaving between boulders that crashed down onto the slope, Duck Hunt was in an all-out tumble with the duck flying above him… and Yoshi was riding on top of a belly-sliding Bowser's head, hands over the Koopa King's eyes.

Link gritted his teeth, continuing to slide down the diagonal slope. In the skies above, Rathalos banked into a tight turn, one eye locked on Link. The hero of Hyrule glared back… and when he looked back ahead of himself, he noticed pieces of rock jutting out from the slope!

He gasped, leaning to the left just before he could hit it. Bowser was in a frenzy. "Get offa me, get offa me, get offa me, GET OFFA ME!" Unable to see where he was going, he smashed directly into a rock. Yoshi was sent flying into a tumble of his own while Bowser landed on his shell and spun wildly from the velocity. "Whooooaaaaaa!"

Marth scooped up Duck Hunt in his arms, holding the dog tightly in his grip while the canine's eyes went wide with panic. A fireball from Rathalos exploded up ahead, and Link threw his head back to avoid getting it taken off by a big stone.

Yoshi managed to right himself so that he was sliding on his back, cowering when another roar rang through the sky. Whipping out his bow, Link fired off an arrow at the incoming wyvern. The projectile sailed towards its target's torso…

...but Rathalos snatched it in its talon, breaking it in half. It blasted out three more fireballs, setting the slope just ahead of them in flames. Yoshi desperately tried digging his shoes into the ground to make him stop, but he was moving too fast. And to pile it on, the spinning Bowser slammed right into him, sending the dinosaur flying into the air. Bowser hit another rock, this one knocking him back onto his belly. Yoshi landed on his shell again, breathing in relief when he saw that he hadn't landed on any of the spikes.

"WATCH OUT!" Marth cried, bracing himself for the fast-approaching flames. Holstering his bow, Link threw up an arm just before the quickly-growing heat washed over him… and faded just as swiftly as it came. Duck Hunt barked a warning to his feathered friend, who quacked in confusion. The bird's head turned to the right… where it saw a fast-approaching wyvern with its mouth wide open!

QUACK! It dove right before Rathalos could snap shut, losing only a few feathers. Thinking quick, Yoshi grabbed two of Bowser's shell spikes and leaned hard to the right, moving Bowser away from more jutting-out rocks… while earning the Koopa King a mouthful of them.

"PFAGH! Yech! Granite!"

Rathalos roared from overhead, swooping meters above the sliding Smashers… to the arriving flatlands below. Seeing the end in sight, Link steadied his course and made sure to keep his distance from the belly-sliding Bowser, who Yoshi struggled to steer as he leaned from side to side.

Link felt his speed beginning to decrease as the end of the slope drew nearer and nearer. Duck Hunt was lifted out of Marth's arms by his duck, who carried him to the bottom of the slope. Link hopped to his feet the moment he reached the bottom, Toon Link dove into a roll and sprang up with scythe and shield at the ready as if the slide didn't even faze him. Marth drew his Switch Axe's sword and shield, taking in a deep breath.

And Bowser slid to a slow stop with a groan, Yoshi vaulting off and picking his Palico sword back up. "Please… no one ask to go again…" His hammer clattered to the ground beside him, and a scaly hand gripped the handle.

"That…" Marth gasped. "...was rough. Now… where's-"

Rathalos came to a stop right in front of them, digging its talons into the ground. Glaring at each of the Smashers, it drew back its head and unleashed a mighty roar. But unlike last time, the group was hardly fazed thanks to the earplugs Link had found. Link readied another arrow, drawing it back and holding it in place. Rathalos bared its teeth, taking a few thunderous steps towards the group…

...until a barrel rolled past them and bounced right towards a now-confused Rathalos. Bowser recognized the cylindrical shape, grinning deviously as an idea popped into his head. The barrel stopped near Rathalos' foot, who curiously sniffed the wooden container and lifted it off the ground in its mouth.

Bowser quickly spat out a fireball, too late for the wyvern to react. The sizzling sphere rocketed for the barrel and…

BOOM!

GRRAAAAAWWWR! Rathalos howled in pain, smoke and embers flooding its mouth. It backtracked, shaking its head wildly and growling in agony again. Bowser clambered to his feet, hoisting his hammer into the air. "Let's get him!"

Everyone charged, and Rathalos roared threateningly. The wyvern broke into a small run, jaws open and ready to crush bone. Link slid underneath the monster's maw, releasing his arrow right into the wyvern's underside. Rathalos staggered with another shriek, trying to bite down on Bowser. The Koopa King dodged to the side, striking the wyvern's leg with his hammer. For extra measure, he slammed Rathalos' head to the dirt.

Rathalos took to the air, swiping at Yoshi and Marth with its claws. Toon Link fired off his Clawshot in an attempt to bring the beast down, but the chain bounced off the wyvern's leg. Roaring out again, Rathalos fired three fireballs onto the field, blowing Duck Hunt off his feet with a yelp. The beast broke off from the battle, circling around in the sky… and with another roar, it sped low along the ground, nearly abducting Bowser as it raced by. Marth took out a Flash Bomb as it circled again, waiting for the wyvern to swoop in and try to snatch someone up. "Come on, beast…"

Rathalos dove for a sprinting Link, moving to grab him in its talons. Marth threw the item as hard as he could… and the sky flashed in bright light. With a roar of pain, Rathalos crashed to the ground hard, knocking Link to the ground from the dust it kicked up.

Marth swung for Rathalos' neck while Toon Link attacked the leg with a spinning scythe slash. Just when they managed to get some good hits in, Toon Link just barely blocked a tail strike from Rathalos that sent him sprawling. The head knocked Marth aside and the monster rose to its feet.

Yoshi and Duck Hunt dropped onto the wyvern's head, the former striking wildly with his sword. Duck Hunt growled and bit down on scales, his bird pecking at Rathalos' face. The beast bellowed in fury, swinging and stomping around wildly to try and buck them off. It flapped its wings in a frenzy, howling in unbridled rage. Bowser and Marth charged, the latter switching to ax mode. Link hung back for ranged support, drawing back another arrow… but his eyes caught something lying on the ground.

The Pitfall Trap! Marth must've dropped it when he was knocked back! Folding up his bow and holstering it, Link picked up the trap and quickly examined it. Gripping it firmly in his hands, he planted it into the ground. Just as he did so, he noticed the mechanism shifting and moving.

Rathalos bellowed again, flinging off the dog and dinosaur. Noticing Bowser taking more swings at it, the wyvern flew backward and blasted him with another fireball. It spun itself around, knocking Marth and Toon Link back with another tail swipe.

Link felt himself starting to sweat. He needed to hurry.

The Pitfall Trap dug into the ground before him, a mesh of leaves for camouflage emerging from the top. The trap submerged into the ground, the mesh laying atop the large hole. There!

Rathalos unleashed a jet of flame, forcing everyone to flee. Yoshi ran around in a panic with the tip of his tail on fire, Duck Hunt desperately trying to extinguish it. Rathalos swept its head around, burning the grass and smoldering the dirt. Bowser found himself cut off by the flames, the smoke shielding him from any good spot to strike. A tail lashed out from the wall of fire, striking an unprepared Marth. Rathalos threw its head to the sky, roaring loudly in triumph.

FWEEEEEEE!

It whirled its head in surprise, to where Link lowered two fingers from his mouth. He raised both arms in the air, shouting out and waving them wildly. Rathalos diverted his attention from the rest, seeing he had no weapons in his arms… completely defenseless.

It stormed through the fire with a mighty roar, charging for Link at a bull's pace. Link ceased his actions, taking some cautious steps back as the beast came closer… and closer… and closer…

...until its right foot touched down onto the leaves and fell right through.

RAAAWRGH!

Rathalos roared in surprise and alarm, losing its balance and crashing right into the large hole dug by the Pitfall Trap. It flailed its wings every which way, frantically trying to free itself and take to the sky. Everyone noticed the beast was grounded, rushing in to take the opportunity.

Bowser bashed it in the side with his hammer, Yoshi jumped onto its back and swung wildly, Marth struck its neck with his Switch Axe, Duck Hunt fired off pixelated blasts, and Link fired off arrow after arrow near Rathalos' wings. The beast blasted out more fire, trying to ward the group off crowd-control style. Link reached for another arrow… but grabbed nothing but air.

Grunting, he tossed his bow aside. Rathalos grew weakened, its wings slowing their beating. Bowser set his hammer down, moving in front of Link. Marth called out, tossing the sprinting hero his Switch Axe. Toon Link backed off from a smashing tail, catching the sight of the wild warrior grabbing the two-in-one weapon. Link jumped onto Bowser's hands… and was sprung high into the air.

Rathalos opened its mouth in another roar of rage as Link flew through the air with his ax held high. The warrior replied with a determined cry of his own… and swung hard.

The ax connected with the beast's head, causing the trapped monster to let out an agonizing roar of pain. Link held on for dear life, swinging back and forth from the thrashing head.

The ground quaked and Link collapsed on his back. The wind rushed from his lungs and a grunt of exhaustion escaped his throat. He took a moment to recover from that daring stunt… and looked to Rathalos.

The wyvern wasn't moving. Its eyes were slumped shut, the Switch Axe lodged in its skull. Its body didn't show signs of a rising or falling chest… "Did we… did we do it?" Bowser asked. No reply came as Marth slowly crept up to the unmoving wyvern and slowly nudged it with his hand.

"I'd… I'd say we did."

"ALRIGHT!" Bowser cried, his response prompting everyone to remove their earplugs in relief. "We totally mauled that monster! And on another note, that's three! That shield must be toast! Come on! Let's blow this-"

Realization struck and he paused in his tracks. "Oh. Right. Um… anyone know how to get outta here? I'm open to suggestions."

The sky crackled from behind him with blue lightning, taking the Koopa King by surprise. Space disrupted and phased, opening a swirling portal awaiting their approach. "Ah! That's more like it!"

"Let's head back," Marth spoke up. "It's time to rally everyone and face Galeem head-on!" With him taking the lead, everyone jumped through the portal with a flash indicating their departure. The portal blinked from existence, returning the air to a calm state…

"Huh?" spoke someone in red-scaled armor rounding a corner. "Is… is that what I think it is?"

Another female figure in blue-orange armor gasped, her Palico meowing in alarm. "The Rathalos! And it's… dead?"

"How?" asked a male in metal protective gear. "No Hunter team's been able to take it down! It left behind their corpses as a warning!"

"Not that it left much to track," added a fourth in heavy-duty armor, holstering her folded-up bowgun. "They're more suited to the sky than the ground."

The hunter in red circled around, noticing the Switch Axe lodged in the wyvern's head. "Strange," he muttered, pulling the weapon out. "No Hunter abandons their weapons after a successful hunt. Unless… they have something new in mind."

"Doesn't look like it!" said the one in green. "They didn't even carve it! They just left!"

"A bow, a Switch Axe, a hammer, and a Palico sword and scythe," noted the second female. "What if the Rathalos got them like it did everyone else?"

"Guys!" called the hunter in red. "Spread out and search for signs of the group that took this beast down!"

"I think I've got something! Footprints!" answered the female in blue. "Three human sets, two possible Palicos, and…" she paused, tracing two fingers in a beastly footprint. "This last one doesn't make any sense. It looks like a monster, but… I've never seen anything like it."

"A new species, probably?" asked the man in green.

"Judging by the size, it doesn't look very big," noted the one in red. "We should probably return to camp once we finish that Gypceros quest. Come back to this later."

"Hold on," said the blue armored female, pulling out a knife and turning to the Rathalos. "I've been meaning to get my hands on a flame sac for a while now…"

The sky cracked and shattered for the third time. The earth trembled and shook, nearly knocking Red, the Mii Gunner, and the Pokémon to the ground. In the midst of the occurrence, the stones lit up with lightning again… and flashed brightly, revealing Bowser, Link, Marth, Yoshi, Duck Hunt, and Toon Link before them.

Quickly becoming aware of the ear-splitting shattering that was louder than it was the previous times, they covered their ears as light showered across the sky. Suddenly, it ceased. All became calm. Everyone whirled to the towering celestial being above it all… and immediately saw that it was completely exposed.

"The shield!" gasped Red. "It's gone! Great work, guys!"

The Pokémon erupted into cheers and the Mii Gunner pumped her cannon in celebration. "Whatever you did, it did the job!" she cried. "Come on! Let's head back to the town and get everyone ready for the rematch!"

Their spirits high and their morale boosted, the group sprinted back through the islands while Galeem watched from his unmoving position in the sky.

(A/N: After his journey in Breath of the Wild, I am a hundred percent convinced Link would make an excellent Monster Hunter. I was really excited about doing this chapter since I know someone from high school who was a big MH fan. I don't know if he'll ever see this, but I think that's just me.

We're into the final act of the Light Realm now. The guardians have fallen, the shield is broken, and the fighters march towards Galeem with the friends they've gathered so far. Got a few more places to cover before the showdown, though, so bear with me.)