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Chapter 42 – Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

"Koyomi! Breakfast is ready!"

Yomi didn't answer. Instead she was scrawled over her desk with piles of books surrounding her. Entrance exams had come and gone, but she didn't receive any news yet!

"Koyomi? I'm coming in…" Her father opened the door. The sound made his daughter flinch.

"I'M STUDYING, I PROMISE!"

"Whoa! Another all-nighter won't things come faster. Although I do appreciate you preparing for those finals…"

"Dad…." Yomi found her glasses. "I'm too stressed. Even Tomo got her results, and here I am waiting and waiting and waiting! What if I didn't get in?"

"You just need to think positive. Come downstairs."

XXXX

"Koyomi, good morning!" her mother greeted at a table, but she gave a half-hearted nod before sitting down. "I made your favorite!"

"Not hungry…."

The elder Mizuhara woman looked at her husband pointedly. He sighed and scratched the back of his head.

"Your mother thought you needed a way to relax. Studying or not, all these all-nigthers aren't good for your health."
"I know. I'm not Tomo."

"Give it to her!" Her mother insisted.

"Can't it wait for graduation?"

"Honey! Koyomi is burning herself out!"

"What are you two talking about?" Yomi groaned. "I'm going to be late…."

"Wait." Her father sighed and handed over a wrapped gift. "Just something to reward you for all your hard work. Tomo's father says you all study with that Chiyo girl, right? And your grades haven't fallen, so…."

Yomi took the package, confused.

"Open it sweetie!"

Yomi did just that.

It was a Nintendo Switch.

XXXXX

"Mornin', Yomi!" Osaka and Chiyo met her at the shoe lockers after she arrived at school. "No word on your results yet?"
"No," she grumbled. "But Mom and Dad got me something special to take my mind off it. Do me a favor and don't tell Tomo, alright?"

"Tell me what?!"

Yomi just sulked. But considering it was best to rip off the Tomo bandaid now….

"HOLY F*** THAT'S A NINTENDO SWITCH!"

Yes, news of Yomi's gift spread like wildfire (again, thanks to Tomo). But it was not every student prodding her to see, it was Tomo herself.

"LET ME SEE!"

"No, we're in class."

She had to deal with Yukari too.

"LET ME SEE!"

"No, you're in the middle of our lesson!"

When the final bell rang, Yomi ran as fast as she ever had in her entire life…..and the other girls watched as Tomo chased her down through the streets of the city.


"I'm home!"

Not knowing where the two had gone, Chiyo and the others still decided to head back to her manor….only to find Yomi having to pry Tomo off her.

"LET ME SEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

"YOU'LL SEE IT RIGHT NOW! JUST GET OFF ME ALREADY!" Yomi sighed. "Sorry Chiyo. But your parents already let me in."

"Now can we-"
"SHUT UP!" Yomi opened the box to show the new console off. It was designed to be both portable and TV-bound, as it came with a dock and detachable controllers – Joycons. "My parents got it for me. Saw I down I was feeling about not knowing my results yet."

"Oh, Yomi…..ya'll get in!" Osaka assured. She had gotten her results too.

"Either way…let's break this bad boy in. I did all the setting up already, so we can play a new game."

"WHAT?!" Tomo gasped. "But when?"

"When I locked myself in the bathroom during lunch," Yomi glared at her friend. "The entire school didn't seem to care as much as you did!"

"But Yomi….it JUST came out! What game did your parents give you?!"

Yomi held up the cover.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

"Oh…." Sakaki nodded. "This makes sense. It was also developed for the Wii U, so you can still get it for yourself, Chiyo."

"Really?!"

Kagura crossed her arms. "That's dumb. Why buy this when you can buy it for a system that already exists?"

"Superior hardware!" Tomo insisted. (She tried to grab the game but Yomi karate-chopped her). "Oww….this means you can throw that dinky Wii U in the trash and play this instead!"

Chiyo openly gasped. "Y-Yomi…m-my p-parents g-got i-it f-for m-me…"

"It's okay. You don't need to throw it away," Yomi assured. "Look girls, we only have so much time left together. And I'd rather break in this new generation of gaming with….well, all of you."

Her friends all smiled.

"Then dibs on playing fir-" Tomo got karate-chopped even harder.


Before the game was to be launched, however, the girls had their first taste of the Switch UI. Compared to the channel-like aesthetic of the Wii or the floating plaza look of the Wii U, the Switch's menu was more minimalist. The snappy sounds of a Joycon docking were mirrored in the selections.

"Where's the Miis?" A disappointed Sakaki murmured.

"You can still make them, but the system isn't based on them anymore. If you ask me, they were a holdover from 10 years ago anyways."

Chiyo looked a bit disappointed as well. "It's….it's rather plain, isn't it? The whole menu?"

"Bah!" Tomo waved their moods off. "I'll bet some killer update will make this thing half as flashy as the Wii U!"

But it was Osaka that was looking at the bigger picture. "We can play this without a TV?"
"Yeah." Yomi removed the Switch from its dock, and the picture from the screen faded away. "You lose some resolution but it's perfect if you want to take it with you." The other girls huddled behind her. "Um….what is it….?"

"So it's like a Gameboy!"

Tomo glared at Osaka. "This isn't Yukari or Nyamo's console, it's OUR generation! Superior graphics and fun, not 8-bit chip tunes!"

"They should make a Gameboy version of this then," Osaka said matter-of-factly. "So what's the game about, anyways? We go save Hyrule again?"

"Guess we'll find out." Yomi redocked the console and launched the game. After a short black-screen intro, a voice was calling out for the typical hero of the series, Link.

"Link….wake up, Link…."

Surprisingly, the hero did not have his signature green tunic or hat….he was lying in a pool of liquid dressed only in his boxers. And the chamber he was resting in didn't look like a usual Zelda home….it seemed almost futuristic.

"Oh geez….what happened?" Kagura wondered. "Usually we live in some simple forest home, not….THIS!"

"The voice…..it has to be Zelda's, right?" Yomi concluded. "Well, I guess we'll figure out what happened."

At Zelda's behest, Link was directed to a tablet-like device….known as the Sheikah Slate. She promised it would help him guide his way, so he secured it firmly at his waist. Yomi searched the chamber and found both a plain shirt and plain pants. Then, he was off.

"Whoa….."

"It's…..all of Hyrule….."

"It's beautiful!"

Link was outside, and his vantage point showed the vast landscape of the world, complete with the game's title card.

The adventure had begun.

XXXX

"Arrrrrrgh! What the HECK do we even do?!" Tomo threw her hands up in impatience. "Where's the cool sword? And bows? How are we supposed to fight monsters?!" Link was just wandering around the hills and trees. "THERE'S NOT EVEN A MAP!"

"It's more open-world than usual Zelda games," Yomi offered. "It's letting the player discover and pave the way forward at their own pace. Osaka, Chiyo, you remember how quickly we were on our way playing Link to the Past, right?"

"I do! But what happened, Yomi…." Chiyo looked concerned. "….there's no one around! Why was Link sleeping?"

Osaka gasped. Did another Uncle die?

"We sure can pick up all sorts of stuff….apples, mushrooms…plants….with only three hearts, we're gonna need all the boosts we can get."

"Wait! Look!" Tomo pointed to some Bokoblins sitting around a fire. "Those guys have their guard down! We can get the jump on him!

"With what weapon, Tomo?"

"ARGH! Miss Sakaki, what do you think?"

Even as malicious monsters Sakaki had reservations about taking the Tomo method to them (i.e killing). "We….we should find some other person to help us. Are there any other fires? Smoke signals point to life."

"Maybe this way….."

It was also apparent running and climbing were actions that drained Link's stamina – a green wheel that appeared on screen. This was something not everyone had a consensus on.

"This thing slows us down!" Tomo.

"It's realistic. It's not easy climbing things, even as a hero!" Chiyo.

"It's cumbersome. Can't we get more of it?" Kagura.

"I….don't mind either way." Sakaki.

Osaka, on the other hand: "Man…..you girls sure are dumb."

"WHAT?!"

"Ya see, it's easy….Link's been sleeping for a long time! Member I sleep in Miss Yukari's class, and I barely have enough energy to move around after? We have….muscular atrophy!"

Silence.

"Osaka, of all the things to take from science class…." Yomi sighed. "Why would we have muscular atrophy if we can use muscles to climb in the first place? Can you climb a rock after Miss Yukari's class?"

"Heck no! I'd need another nap and maybe some onigiri…..hmm…..maybe two….."

"Do you normally climb rocks and trees?!"

"Look! There's an old man!" Chiyo pointed out. A hooded figure, he was sitting by fire just a ways away from an old temple. He greeted Link, and explained they were on the Great Plateau….according to legend, the origin of the kingdom itself…..sadly, the temple they were near – normally a place of many ceremonies – had fallen into decay the last 100 years.

"Wait….is this Link 100 years old?!" Kagura's eyes widened. "That's insane! I mean, I knew he was a pretty strong hero, but that's ridiculous!"

"No, no…." Chiyo had put two and two together. "…the chamber we sleeping in! It must've housed Link for all this time!"

"That's we have muscular disastrophy!" Osaka concluded. (Chiyo had to explain that was the wrong condition).

The old man was kind enough to let Link take his baked apple for food, but also a torch.

"Now we can wack things with it!" Tomo grinned.

"I don't think so….." Checking her inventory, Yomi observed the torch only had an attack power of 1. "The man said we can, but it wouldn't be ideal. I'll bet we can find better weapons."

Link investigated the temple nearby….the Temple of Time. Zelda's voice called out to him.

"Link….Link. Head for the point on the map marked by the Sheikah Slate."

Now there was a clear destination. And Yomi found a bow in a chest.

"MY TURN!"


Yomi immediately regretted letting Tomo play….she was determined to fight as many monsters as she could find, rather than run off to the yellow dot on the map. Didn't she just whine about not having a clear goal?

"Awwww sweet! I found an axe! Let's bash some monsters!"

"Tomo!" Chiyo wagged a finger in her face. "We only have so much health. Shouldn't we be following what Princess Zelda is telling us?"

"No way! We need to get cool loot first!" Tomo insisted. She managed to find a pot lid to serve as a shield, but the axe so heavy Link needed to use two hands to fight with it. Meaning blocking – ZL – wasn't an option. "THERE!"

The Bokoblins were agile but not so durable to survive so many haphazard axe swings.

"Coool! We got some of their horns and guts!"

Sakaki turned green.

"But there ain't no hearts," Osaka noticed. "Dontcha normally get hearts for killing monsters?"

"Heyyy….Osaka's right! What the HECK!"

Chiyo had an explanation. "That would be too easy. If you can find apples and mushrooms to eat, why would the game give hearts for free? You get life…by exploring!"

"Wow Chiyo, that's….pretty lame…."

Yomi sighed. "Tomo, here's something you didn't realize yet. The durability on the axe….it's about to break."

"That's a funny joke, Yomi! This isn't Fire Emblem! Weapons don't break!"

The Woodcutter's Axe Broke!

"GUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUH?!"

"Don't worry, Tomo, those monsters dropped some clubs too!" Kagura pointed out. "At least you can block with those."

"No….NO FAIR!" The wildcat was incensed. "I had a cool weapon and the game says no?! Weapons never break in Zelda!"

"Well it'd be silly if they didn't in this game," Yomi tried to explain. "It's all about discovering and using what you can find."

"WELL THAT'S A STUPID RULE!"

"Stop it Tomo, please!" Chiyo begged. "My parents will get worried if you get so angry and yell! Maybe you just need a break!"

"Hmph…..you think I'm letting an egghead like you play this?! You and Yomi, always trying to explain stupid stuff the game is pulling! HERE! BONEHEAD, CATCH!"

So she threw the controller at Osaka….who didn't see it and got smacked in the head with it.

"TOMO!"


One ice pack and Tomo-being-banned-from-touching-the-controller later, Osaka was too dizzy to hold the controller….so Kagura decided to act in her place.

"What do you wanna do, Osaka?"

"Huh? …..mushrooms."

"Mushrooms?!"

"Yeah, we can make some mushroom curry."

"We'd need rice to do that!" Although Kagura wondered if you could just find some rice in the wild. "Wait….the old man had a baked apple."

"That sounds good, let's eat it."

Your hearts are full and cannot be recovered anymore.

"We…can't, Osaka."

"Huh?! But….we're so hungry…"

"We are?" Kagura looked Link over. "He….looks fine to me."

"Nah nah, he has cystic fibrosis."

"That sounds serious!" Kagura blinked. "Wait….he doesn't have that! Why would they put that in an Nintendo game?!"

"Kaguraaaaaaa…we both need baked apple curry…"

"Osaka, that's not a dish! That just sounds nasty!"

"No, no….." Osaka shook her head. "Ya gotta roast the apple….then….you let it simmer with the curry….serve it over rice, with watermelon for dessert!"

"W-Watermelon?!" Kagura tried looking for one in the game.

Yomi leaned over to Chiyo. "This is getting nowhere. Let's get some food for everyone and let Sakaki play for a bit."

"HEY! I'M STILL HERE, YOU KNOW!"

Tomo, however, was in time out being guarded by Mr. Tadakichi, whom had a paper hat on his head, "guarding" her. Whenever she tried to run out and snatch the controller, he'd bark at her.

"MR. TADAKICHI! I'M SORRY I HURT OSAKA!"


Sakaki was a bit anxious by a) the jealous stare of Tomo b) the clueless stare of Kagura and c) the content stare from Osaka. But she was having fun in her own way. Unlike Tomo she never picked any fights, and focused on getting to the goal. She collected all she could.

"Sorry, Osaka…..no curry or watermelon yet."

"Aw, dang…..hey, Miss Sakaki, you can make a bridge."

Indeed she could; if Link cut down the tree, it'd fall between the two cliffs. But Sakaki opted to take the longer way.

"I don't want to kill the plants," she replied. "We can climb almost anything anyways."

To the girls' surprise, it was now nighttime ingame. The clock allowed for a 24 hour adventure, and the weather always changed – sunny, raining, sometimes cloudy – the simple yet realistic feel of it genuinely impressed Sakaki.

"Ah, we can't climb when it's raining…." Kagura noted. "The surfaces get too wet!"

"LAME!" Tomo shouted from the back.

Finally, Link had arrived at the point on the map…..an ominous red-glowing tower. It had to be scaled, so Sakaki went to work climbing. Luckily, there were intermenent platforms around the rise so stamina could be recovered in between climbs.

"If you ask me, this thing has the same vibe as the chamber AND the tablet thingy we carry," Kagura said.

"Sheikah Slate."

"Wait…oh! I get it, Miss Sakaki! Sheik's that character from Smash Bros.!"

A loud, exasperated sound from Tomo's direction rang through Sakaki's unflinching ears.

"Almost, Osaka. Sheik is named after the Sheikah race in these games. They're silent guardians of the Royal Family."

"Ohhhhhhhhh…but wait. Zelda's the princess, so who's the king?"

"Umm….." Sakaki realized not every game had one. "….he's around."

"Does Princess Peach have a King too?"

"I don't think so," Sakaki replied.

"But then shouldn't she be Queen Peach?"

"ARGH, Osaka stop confusing me already!" Kagura pointed at the screen. "We're at the top! I think you need to use your tablet- (Sakaki: "Sheikah Slate") in that slot!"

That was the right action. The ground shook and the animals ran away, but the tower turned from an ominous red to a calming, serene blue. And it filled in a portion of the map, showing where Link was on the Great Plateau. Towers all across the land sprang up.

"Remember….."

Zelda's voice made Link look towards the direction of Hyrule Castle.

"Try…try to remember…."

He stepped towards it, but there was a rumbling sound. A shadowy mist enveloped the castle.

"You have been asleep for 100 years….when the beast regains his true power…the world will face his end…."

And there it was – the wraith-like figure circling around the castle….

"No way! Is that Ganon?!" Tomo shouted.

"Now….you must hurry, Link…." Zelda's light shined through the darkness. "Before it is too late….."

Yomi and Chiyo, having returned with some snacks and drinks, saw the scene unfold too. The questions only seemed to grow, but at least Chiyo's guess was correct. Once Link landed on the ground, the old man from earlier landed via paraglider.

"Chiyo-chan! The Queen's in trouble!" Osaka shouted.

"I saw, she…..wait, we have to save the Queen too?"

The old man explained the shadows were Calamity Ganon…and 100 years prior, he had brought the kingdom to ruin. He obviously knew more than Link could remember….was there possibly more he could tell the player? He offered his paraglider so Link could venture off…..but not for free.

"We have to get some treasure from that place there…." It was an orange-colored structure. Sakaki passed the controller. "Chiyo, why don't you give it a try?"

"I will!"


The strange new structure opened when Link placed the Sheikah Slate on it. Inside…..the place was called a shrine.

Magnesis Trial – Oman Au Shrine

"What do we even do?" Kagura wondered. "Magnesis? Hey Chiyo, what's that?"

Chiyo placed the slate in a nearby terminal, and a mythical blue glow caused something to drip onto the slate. When Link took it out….an icon of a magnet appeared in use.

"Whoa!"

Pressing L allowed for the power – or rune – of Magnesis to be used. Magnetic objects could be pulled into the air, indicated by which ones glowed red under the rune.

"Hey, you can lift those things on the floor!"

Removing one of the metal rectangles revealed a hole under the gate. It also was able to move a metal cube out of a wall so Link could progress.

"I take it back, this game….RULES!" Tomo exclaimed. "We have this AWESOME magnet power! There, Chiyo, you can open that big metal door!"

"Wow, you're right!"

"I noticed there's other icon slots…." Yomi observed. "So something tells me this isn't the only shrine….that means the old man is testing us."

At the end, Link found a mummified monk in a blue cube of Sheikah spirit energy. He placed his hand to dispel the cube….but the monk's voice – Oman Au himself – congratulated him on a job well done. The monk's role was to help those fighting Ganon, and the role was fulfilled.

Please accept this spirit orb.

"Wowwwwwww…" Osaka's eyes shined. "….here I thought we were gonna get money."

"This orb isn't treasure!" Kagura objected. "But maybe Yomi's right. The counter says one, so that means we get more than one."

"Yeah! Kagura used her brain for once!"

"SHUT UP TOMO, YOU'RE STILL IN TIME-OUT!"

XXXXX

According to the old man, everything was connected to the Sheikah Slate….the Sheikah had invented the high-end technology of the runes, the shrines, the towers, and saved Hyrule for many years in the past. But now, only so much remained. There were three more shrines on the Great Plateau to find, and he asked Link to find the treasure of them all.

"That wasn't the deal!" Tomo exclaimed.

"Whether it is one treasure or four, what's the difference for a young-go getter like yourself?"

"We'll find the other runes this way!" Chiyo realized. "But first….Osaka?"

"Yeah, Chiyo-chan?"

"Are you feeling well?"

"Well….to be honest…..something's bothering me."

"Oh, your head still?"

"Yeah." Taking a serious look, the Osakan explained: "I dunno if we're in the past or the future. Are we time-traveling in this game, Chiyo?"

"I….meant your injury with Tomo?"

"Oh. Nah it's okay, the onigiri you made helped! Hehehe…..in fact, maybe Tomo can play again."

"YES! THANK YOU, OSAKA!"

"….Actually, it's Yomi's game, so she can play next!"

"Thank you, Osaka." Yomi smiled cheekily at her impatient friend.


Now that there was a clear goal, Yomi seemed much more efficient at her play now. She immediately climbed the tower again as a vantage point, to look for the other shrines. Their glow was visible when she checked first person view, and the slate even let her mark them with bright lights.

"One….two….and three…."

"Yomi, you look….so excited!" Chiyo giggled. "It's great you're enjoying the game so much! Make sure your parents know, hehe…"

"I can't help it. Magnesis can offer a lot of fun things with the game's physics….so what can the other runes do?"

The girls picked up small details through Yomi's pace….Link could reclaim shot arrows, pressing R let him throw a weapon from his hand….and by near accident, Link could surf on any shield.

"Hey! How did you DO that?!"

"Well there was a slope…." Yomi shrugged. "….you never know what's possible." The shield broke after sliding down too much. Eventually she reached the next shrine.

Bomb Trial – Ja Baij Shrine

Of course, the name seemed a little disappointing to Yomi. Bombs were a staple inventory item in the series, but there was some inventiveness to them this time – the rune bomb didn't run out, they could be denonated at any time via L, and it came in two forms – round bomb and square bomb.

"Ohhhhh! You can use either based on the surroundings!" Chiyo said. Yomi nodded, and claimed the orb in no time flat. "We have a bomb, arrows…..hmm, what other staple weapons are there?"

"Boomerangs!" Tomo said.

"A musical instrument to play songs," Sakaki said automatically. She gasped when Yomi showed her that Link could whistle by pressing Dpad down.

"A hammer?" Kagura tried.

"Girls, you're all thinking so….typically." Yomi was already en route to the next shrine. "This is a different kind of Zelda. We might have gotten a bomb but I don't think they'd just assign regular weapons as special runes."

Internally she was hoping the next one was a bit more…..proving of her point.

XXXXX

"The next shrine!" Osaka pointed. "Hehe, I can't wait to get another Spirit Orb…." Why she thought it was such a great treasure was a bit lost on the others, but Yomi finally reached it.

Stasis Trial – Owa Daim Shrine

Everyone but Yomi had a blank look. Yomi, meanwhile, had a feeling her hunch would be correct. Link got the next rune, and-

"HOLY…..you can stop time!" Tomo was amazed. Like Magnesis and its red aura, anything that glowed under Stasis's yellow aura could be stopped. "We can stop that gear so the platform won't move."

Next was stopping boulders as they fell so Link could progress. But that seemed a bit too….obvious of a use for Yomi. Then she found an Iron Sledgehammer.

"Huh? Free loot I guess."

"No Miss Kagura, Owa Daim must've put it there to test us!" Chiyo argued. "Look, there's a heavy ball blocking the way!"

It clicked immediately for Yomi. She froze the ball, but swung the hammer repeatedly at it. It clanked and produced an arrow, showing the direction of built up energy. The more it turned from yellow to orange to even red…..

SHINK

….the faster the ball zoomed off the platform when time began.

"I get it. We cause momentum when we freeze objects," Sakaki said. "All the potential energy turns into kinetic energy."

"Is this Zelda or science class?" Kagura muttered.

Yomi smiled.

XXXXX

The last shrine proved to be a bit of a problem….it was on a snowy mountain. But when the temperature got too cold, Link would physically tremble and his health would start to deplete.

"Aw come on! This is too real for a video game!"

"A lot of games do the opposite," Chiyo noted. "For instance, all those lava levels in video games? Normally you'd burn up just by standing near them. Applying a bit more realism goes a long way in making the experience immersive!"

"What do we do, Yomi?" Sakaki asked. "I mean….you need to get up that mountain….would the old man give us some winter clothes?"

"Good guess, but no."

Instead Link found a cooking pot and threw in a bunch of spicy peppers. Now he had a dish that would grant cold resistance for a set time!

"No way! I thought we would just eat the peppers raw," Kagura said. "I wonder how many dishes you can cook up like this?"

Osaka made a face. "Spicy pepper curry….bleh! I ain't forget the time you tricked me, Yomi."

"I'm sorry." She held out the controller. "You want to find the shrine?"

"Nah!" Osaka smiled again. "You're a real whiz at this game. You probably know more than the developers do!"

Yomi doubted that, but she was glad to be center stage for once. All the girls were watching her efficient and creative gameplay. It seemed at every turn, she was discovering something new, a little quirk to make the experience even more unique.

Cryonis Trial – Keh Namut Shrine

The rune Link got was linked to the small pool nearby…..it allowed him to create blocks of ice in water. He could climb them to get higher up.

"Cool!"

Or he could generate them in water to raise a gate.

"That's awesome!"

Or….fight small robotic creatures that pointed a laser at him.

"WHAT THE HECK IS THAT?!" Tomo shouted. The robot only had so much HP and was defeated with ease, but it still alarmed the girls. The music even took this synthetic, tech-y vibe. "Geez! Did the Sheikahs make those too?"

Sakaki hid her blush. They seemed pretty cute.

"Almost there…." Unfazed, Yomi used Cryonis to tip a balance so she could get higher. It seemed less versatile than Stasis or Magnesis, but she stll appreciated its uses. Finally, she had all four orbs.


The old man appeared to congratulate him on his hard work, but he wanted to tell him….everything. He instructed him to meet him at the Temple of Time.

"I got a bad feeling about this…." Kagura said. "I mean, what if it turns out he was working for Ganon?"

"By guiding us and giving us these runes?'

"Well…..I don't know! Why the secrecy!"

But even Yomi shared Kagura's apprehension. Nothing in this world was free, and there was surely a hefty price for all the neat powers Link had. Warping to the Resurrection Chamber as a shortcut, Yomi soon arrived at the temple's top.

"Well done, young one! But the time has come to show you who I really am."

It was apparent the man had plumes of spirit energy surrounding him….when he removed his hooded garb, there stood the spirit of a King.

King Rhoam – The Last King of Hyrule

"The KING?"

King Rhoam revealed the Great Calamity of 100 years prior had ravanged the realm and took his life. Ganon had turned into a monster of pure Malice. Again, it was time for his awakening once more.

"So then….our Uncle died in this game too….?" Osaka looked saddened.

To oppose Ganon, the prophecy pointed to ancient relics left by the Sheikahs – Guardians, the robot-like entities seen in the shrines…and Divine Beasts, large monster-like contrapations only Champions of the realm could pilot.

Together…..with the Princess and a skilled knight…..they would be enough.

"Ganon was cunning….and responded with a plan beyond our imagining."

The girls watched the flashback in shock – his Malice had corrupted both the Guardians and the Divine Beasts…..Hyrule was in danger.

"No! Those Champions died too!" Tomo shouted.

But Rhoam revealed the knight by Zelda's side….was Link himself. And right now, the princess's power was keeping Ganon in the castle….her voice called out for him.

"You are our last hope. The fate of Hyrule….rests with you!"

"All this time…." Chiyo sniffled. "We were sleeping while the kingdom suffered for a whole century….all those lives lost…..and the King!"

Rhoam mourned his daughter's fate. Zelda's power would not last forever. Once she fell, Ganon would regain his true power and destroy the world.

"Find your way to Kakariko Village. There you find the elder, Impa. She will tell you more about the path that lies ahead." Rhoam pointed out into the distance. This was the last piece of guidance he could give. He pleaded for Link to destroy Ganon…..and finally, his spirit departed.

The girls all sat in silence for a bit.

"Well….let's go kick his butt!" Tomo stood up. "We're the hero!"

"That's not a good idea," Sakaki countered. "We only have so many tools at our disposal. We should find the elder."

"But we only have so much time!" Kagura exclaimed. "100 years! Zelda's gotta be tired right now, right?"

"But…..if we die, then all her work was in vain!" Chiyo cried out. "Yomi, what should we do-"

CLICK

"….Huh?"

Yomi had saved and turned off the Switch. She removed it from the dock and placed everything back in the box. "Sorry. But I'd better get home. I think it's a good stopping point, right?"

"Yomi you'd better not play too far!" Kagura said. "We gotta know what happens next!"

"What are you talking about? It's open-ended. You can fight Ganon, or you can see the rest of the world. There's no right way to play this game." She got her coat and bag. "See you girls tomorrow."

"But Yomi-!" Tomo watched her leave.


"Yomi stop!" Tomo chased her down the street. "Everything okay?"

"….."

"Listen, I know you're worried about your entrance exams. But come on! If a total moron like me can get in, then you're safe, I promise!"

"Heh…." Yomi turned. "….Tomo. Have you thought that the day's gonna come where we can't hang out anymore?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean we've been friends for longer than the others. We're going to different colleges, different paths in life. Guess I was starting to get a little emotional."

"WRONG!"

"H-Huh?"

Tomo marched right up to Yomi and jabbed a finger into her face. "Koyomi Mizuhara, you think you can leave me alone? You don't think I'll call and email you roughly five times a day, ask you for help on my homework, and put you as my emergency contact?"

"I…..didn't think about that?"

"We may be going different paths, Yomi…..but you're my BEST friend. You're not allowed to leave my life, and you're not allowed to leave mine! I'll stalk your college if that's what it takes!"

Yomi couldn't help it. She started to cry.

"Hey, maybe I won't go THAT far….."

"No, it…..what the heck am I going to do with you, Tomo Takino?" She managed a smile. "You're right. How can I get rid of you?"

"Wellllllllll-" Tomo eyed her bag.

"No. You can't borrow my Switch."

"AW COME ON!"


To be continued...


This actually lined up with me playing BOTW recently (after years of never getting into it), and I have to say, I am totally having a blast. I don't know if the irl Switch release contradicts with typical Japanese graduation dates but...bah, it's alright, right? (right?)

My goal, and I might have to increase writing priority for this, is to conclude the fic this year. It's nothing personal. I love it, but I feel that I've reached an organic stopping point. So I guess the fun now is to see what the final games will be. Remember, this was Yomi's turn, so we have Tomo, Yukari, Sakaki, Kaorin, and Chiyo left, in that order!

Next Game - Sonic Adventure 2: Battle [Tomo, Yukari, Chihiro, Osaka, Kagura, Chiyo]