Stage: Hyrule Castle

Fighters: Mario, Link

Rules: Free-for-all, 3 Lives Mario, 5 Minutes, All Items

Hyrule Castle

The Day Of The Decisive Battle

A young woman, trapped in a crystal. An evil tyrant, using dark magic to end the world. A young warrior, carrying sword and shield on both hands, struggling to maintain hope. If one were to describe the scenery of Hyrule Castle that day, this would be a way of describing it. Another way would be to say that there was a battle that day…

One that the heroes were losing.

The Hero Of Time, Link, was not only under a huge quantity of stress, but also had most of his body broken. He didn't know how was he standing up after all of that. Ganondorf, the Evil King, was near to deliver the final blow, and then it would be the end of Hyrule and all the life that inhabited in it.

At that moment, Link saw his life flashing before his eyes. He saw his playful days at the Kokiri Forest, the day when the Deku Tree entrusted to him his mission, the moment where both Zelda and him decided to find a way to stop Ganondorf's takeover, his awakening after being sealed for 7 years by the Master Sword, the multiple adventures that he went through to get to this moment…

"Only for me to lose like this… I can't run away from destiny, no one can. But it took so many things from me; my childhood, my friends, and now my life? Destiny is truly a terrifying thing, huh."

His last thoughts filled his head as he saw the sorcerer's hand nearing him, filled with dark magic.

"I'm sorry. Impa, Zelda, Saria, Darunia, Deku Tree, Malon, Epona… Navi…"

At that very moment…

Destiny took a turn.

"STOP!"

The mysterious voice echoed through the hall, confusing everyone. Link tried to see where it was, and who could it belong to.

Wait, why wasn't he dead?

After looking around, he found the answer. When the voice said "stop", it really meant it. Everything that was around Link had come to a stop. No one was moving but him. The clouds weren't moving, the lightning stopped mid-fall, and the wind wasn't even blowing; it was like the whole world had just given up on working. He was the only one that could move, breathe, or even feel anything.

"Who are you?!" Link shouted furiously. "Sorry, I'm not allowed to give it away." the voice replied in an eccentric manner. Link was skeptical about all this, but still wanted to know. "Are you…the goddess Hylia?!" The voice replied with a bit of sarcasm: "Do I SOUND like a girl to you, stupid?"

Link gave up about asking his identity. "If I can't know who you are, at least tell me what you want." The voice was quick to reply, "Isn't it obvious? I want you, Mah Boi." Link was not only confused, but creeped out too. The voice said, "Allow me to explain…" and then turned Hyrule's greatest hero into a figurine.

Link couldn't move. He couldn't speak either. All that he was seeing was black. And all that he could hear was that damn voice, speaking with that careless, sarcastic tone. It had began to anger him terribly.

"As I was saying, I want you to form part of my little big scheme. You see, by the time I said "stop" your world should've vanished without leaving a trace; however, an all-powerful entity like me thought that it would be too boring to just let it go without a little fun. So, here's the deal: Your world and a few others are forming part of a great tournament. Through competition and victory you'll get to me, and then I'll be your "final boss". Defeat me, and you get to save everyone. Worry not, you'll get countless tries; but only at the cost of the points you get. If you run out of points, it'll be game over for everyone. Understood? I hope so, 'cause I ain't explaining twice. You ready then?"

Link naturally knew what he had to choose. He just had that desire to save everyone no matter what, and all of his worries cleared away after that. With eyes that possessed a shining, flaring determination, he took a full-headed dive.

And then he ran out of luck.

The enemies? Way too strong. The items didn't particularly help him, as he didn't know how to use most of them. And the different stages had many sudden hazards that came out of nowhere. He had bit more than he could chew, but he didn't give up. A few rounds later he began to get the hang of it, and eventually the tournament became his lonely fight for survival. A fight that in no way could be lost.

Stage: Hyrule Castle

The Present Day

Link watched his entire life go by as he looked at Mario's determined eyes, with a glow that he thought was lost. The Hylian never felt so ashamed, he felt like he had lost his objective after all this time.

No, he hadn't lost it. But if he didn't, what was making him feel so wrong about that look?

"That's right… I've been fighting all alone…" said Link, laughing awkwardly at his own foolishness. He finally realized what was so wrong with him, and he decided to not make that mistake ever again. He wouldn't let himself be alone ever again. He wouldn't leave anyone alone. He wouldn't let anything knock him down, not even that tornado approaching him. This time, he would lend a hand.

"Mario, you don't mind if I help—"

"GAME!"

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey guys, BlackTorii18 here. If you've read this far, thanks again for deciding to read this one story out of the millions on this website. As I promised, this arc was far less cut than the last one. I know this chapter felt empty, but worry not, for the next chapter will be both a completion and closure of this arc and a tie-in to the next arc, which in comparison will actually be really short. Next chapter will also be Kirby's side of things, as he is the second most important character of this story. Thanks for reading once again, and if you want to know when the next chapter comes out, I recommend following this story, as well as favoriting it if you are liking it so far. I'll also take reviews, whether it be any small comments on the story or constructive criticism. I guess I'm fine with flamers too, I'll read everything and make sure anything you guys say is put to good use. BlackTorii18 out.