"Care to explain why no one else is here?"

Itsuki started stuttering. "I-I'm sure they're just out for now. I mean, they probably heard you were coming and made a run for it."

"You really can't accept the truth, huh?" Aris sighed. "Oh, look, what's this?"

He picked up a piece of parchment off of his desk. "If the Yiga Clan really are here, they would've written in old Sheikah text, not the writing of this world. Which means Bitch probably wrote this." He shoved the parchment into Itsuki's hands. "Translate."

Itsuki gave it back. "I can't. Because you refused to tell me how you can do it!"

"Then let's have Rishia do it, shall we?" Aris handed it to her. "She's an intellectual powerhouse, you know."

Rishia accepted the parchment from Aris. She cleared her throat. "'After the failed coercion of the Sword Hero to join the Yiga Clan,'" she read, "'I have turned my attention to the Bow Hero, Itsuki Kawasumi. Unlike the Sword and Spear, however, the Bow is not easily swayed. I will have to approach this carefully. I have noticed, however, that the Bow harbors a strong desire for justice. This desire escalates to the point of willingness to kill in the name of justice. Perhaps I can exploit this.'"

"You expect me to believe Princess Malty wrote that?" said Itsuki. "You could've forged it in her name while Rishia and I were fighting in the arena! Why else would you have left?!"

"Excellent argument," Aris commended. "Unfortunately, I don't know how to write the way this world does, and the best writer here was fighting you."

Joker took a small stack of parchments from a nearby table and showed some to Itsuki. "Know what these are?"

Itsuki turned pale. "Th-Those are...promissory notes. And...And every single one is in my name!"

"Seems those so-called friends of yours were spending all your money behind your back," said Aris. "Is that something a friend would do?"

Itsuki was speechless.

"You put your faith in the wrong side, man," Aris said sternly. "Nothing good can come from working with the Yiga."

Atla marched towards the Bow Hero and punched him in the gut. Itsuki doubled over in pain, now at Atla's level. She grabbed him by his collar. "Where are they?!"

"They're..." Itsuki struggled to speak, "...They're probably in the underground tunnels."

"Which means they probably planned their escape beforehand." Aris sighed.

Rishia stepped forward. "Stand up, Itsuki. If you want to fight for justice, you need to be able to get back up after getting knocked down."

Itsuki staggered to his feet.

"You'll have a chance at a fresh start," said Rishia. "I'll help you as much as I can with your debt."

"It's..." Itsuki began to recover, breathing heavily, "not just that. I...I made a mistake. A big one. One I don't think can be fixed."

"Why's that such a big deal?" replied Rishia. "I've made plenty of bad mistakes myself. Aris, too. It's part of being a person. But if you give up now, countless lives will be spent in suffering. More than just the people of this world."

"What...What do you mean...?"

"After the Spirit Tortoise went down," said Aris, "my party and I went to another world. Rishia went, too. We met the people who were once our enemies, and became friends. We thought they were evil, but in the end, we made peace with them. And now, they're working towards finding a way to make sure both their world and this one can be saved."

"You remember the lady with the fans, right?" asked Rishia. "Black hair? It was during the Battle of Cal Mira."

"Her...?"

Aris nodded. "Yeah. While we were there, we fought someone who's past the point of being redeemable. He was at the Battle of Cal Mira, too. Long silver hair, huge katana? Ring any bells?"

"I...I think I remember someone like that," said Itsuki. "He fought Loretta, if I remember correctly."

"We took him down," said Aris. "Well...sort of. We didn't kill him, we just sealed him in a parallel reality called the Realm of Darkness."

"And now," said Rishia, "we're preparing to fight the Phoenix. And to do that, we need all the help we can get. So walk tall, my friend."

"But...But what about the bills?"

"I'll have them transferred to my name," Aris replied. "I've got a good amount of money thanks to governing an entire province, so it shouldn't be too much trouble." He turned to Rishia. "If you don't mind, I'd like you to help Itsuki recover."

Rishia nodded. "You got it!"

Aris activated his CD-Comm and called Sora. "Hey, can you grab the Gummi Ship and swing by here? I'll teleport everyone else back to Lighthaven, but Itsuki isn't registered into my party, so he can't teleport with me."

"I'm on the way!" Sora hung up.

"A Gummi Ship?" Itsuki was nonplussed. "What the heck is that?"

As if on cue, the roar of powerful engines shook the building. "Right outside is what it is," Aris quipped. "Go see for yourself."

Aris, Joker, and Rishia followed Itsuki outside.

The Bow Hero's jaw looked like it would unhinge any second. "Wow," he said. "Why's it so...colorful?"

The cockpit opened and Sora peeked out. "It's made of Gummi Blocks! That's what allows it to fly between the worlds! Hop in!"

"You want to learn Way of the Dragon Vein?"

Raphtalia nodded. "I'm curious about it."

"Well..." Wyndia said, "I'll let Gaelion explain the details."

Wyndia's Kommo-o, christened Gaelion, approached Raphtalia. The Dragon-type had since recovered from its possession at the hands of the Demon Dragon.

Suddenly, Gaelion did something Raphtalia never thought. "I was told you wished to learn Way of the Dragon Vein."

Raphtalia nearly jumped ten feet in the air. "Did he just talk?!"

"Indeed," replied the talking Pokémon. "I am Gaelion, the weakest of the emperor dragons. You may know me as the one slain by the Sword Hero. And who might you be, madam?"

"Um...I'm Raphtalia," replied the Demi-human, awkwardly holding out her hand for a handshake.

Gaelion eyed her hand quizzically. "Is this a...gesture of greeting?"

"Yeah," said Wyndia. "It's common for two people to shake hands after introducing themselves to each other, or to signal an agreement between them."

"I see." Gaelion turned his attention back to Raphtalia and gingerly shook her hand.

"How...How can you speak?" asked Raphtalia.

"I've been capable of uttering your tongue ever since I consumed that core," replied Gaelion. "Wyndia was the only one to know of it."

Aris walked over. "What's happening here?"

Wyndia smirked. "Gaelion, tell him."

"Raphtalia wishes to learn Way of the Dragon Vein," said Gaelion, "so I offered to teach her."

"Gah! You can talk?!"

Gaelion laughed, quickly explaining to Aris how he'd gained the ability to speak.

"Oh, okay." Aris exhaled. "I'm kinda curious about this 'Way of the Dragon Vein' stuff, too. Mind if I tag along?"

"I do not mind at all," replied Gaelion. "What, pray, is that old saying? The more, the..."

"Merrier," Aris finished.

"Ah, yes, that's it," said Gaelion. "Now, shall we head to the training grounds to begin?"

"The Militia Company's using it right now," said Aris. "But I can call the queen and see if we can borrow her knights' barracks."

Aris rang Queen Mirellia. She answered. "Mirellia Q. Melromarc speaking."

"Hey, your highness," said Aris. "I have a question. Do you know if one of the training areas your soldiers normally use is available right now? Some friends and I want to do some practice, but the militia barracks here in Lighthaven is busy right now."

"I see," replied the queen. "Were the soldiers' barracks available, I would happily allow you to use them. However, all of them are in use at the moment."

Aris sighed. "Okay, no worries. We'll try to find another place, then."

"Understood," said the queen. "Take care."

Aris hung up. "No luck."

"Maybe we could try and sneak into an empty coliseum in Zeltoble?" Raphtalia suggested.

Aris shook his head. "Too loud. We probably wouldn't be able to concentrate."

A new voice joined the discussion, "How about my hideout?"

Sadeena approached.

"You have a hideout?" asked Aris.

"Yes," replied Sadeena. "It's on an island not far from the village. Normally, I travel to and from the island on my Lapras."

"Well," said Gaelion, "if the barracks both in Lighthaven and in Melromarc proper are busy, and if Zeltoble offers too many distractions, I suppose it would behoove us to train there."

Sadeena returned her Lapras as soon as she, Raphtalia, Gaelion, and Wyndia had dismounted. Aris had ridden on the back of his Charizard to maximize space for Gaelion on Lapras's back.

Sadeena led the group into a dark cave. Aris lit the way with the glow of the Master Sword.

Eventually, they ended up in an open room with sunlight beaming down from a hole to the surface. The room had a small wooden table and a pair of mats in the corner, presumably for sitting on to eat at the table.

"Hey, you're friends with that Dante guy, right?" asked Aris.

Sadeena nodded. "Yes, why? Were you hoping he'd be here?"

"I was kinda expecting it," said Aris. "I haven't seen him in a hot minute."

"Oh, he's on a bit of a...personal journey right now," replied Sadeena. "Trying to find his way back to his home. He stops by every now and then, but every time he has, you've been away."

"Ah, okay."

"Sadeena," said Raphtalia, "you brought my parents here sometimes, didn't you? I...I remember them telling me about this place and promising to bring me here when I grew up."

"I did bring them here, yes," said Sadeena.

Aris smiled softly at Raphtalia. "They'd be proud of you. You went from just an average Demi-human girl to a slave dying from sickness and then to a Vassal wielder. You've grown so much."

"Not to mention you managed to capture the heart of the legendary Shield Hero himself," Sadeena teased.

Raphtalia blushed. "Guys..."

"Let us begin, then," said Gaelion.

"Wait, hold on." Sadeena eyed Raphtalia for a moment, looking her up and down. "I think there might be a bit of a problem here."

Gaelion placed his hand above Raphtalia's head. "Ah, I see the problem to which you referred. Miss Raphtalia seems to possess a sort of blessing that I cannot remove. Normally, the only way one can learn Way of the Dragon Vein is through a blessing from an emperor dragon such as myself. However, I am not powerful enough to grant such blessings to individuals who already carry one as powerful as the blessing Miss Raphtalia possesses."

"Maybe it has to do with the Vassal Katana," Aris suggested.

"Ah, that just might be the case," said Gaelion. "As such, if Miss Raphtalia's status as a Vassal wielder forbids her from learning Way of the Dragon Vein, then Mister Aris's status as a Cardinal Hero more than likely forbids him as well."

Aris shrugged. "No worries, then. I was kinda just curious as to how it worked."

"Perhaps we should return to Lighthaven, then," said Gaelion.

Sadeena sat alone on her small island later that day, gazing out at the distant ocean horizon.

"Pretty view, isn't it?"

She turned to see Dante behind her. Dante plopped down next to Sadeena.

Sadeena nodded. "It is."

"Hey, sweetheart," Dante used his playful pet name for her, "something up? You've lost that smile of yours."

Sadeena realized he was right. She only realized she'd been smiling because she'd felt her smile fade.

"I'm..." she hesitated, "I'm fine, Dante."

"Look, I know a lot of things," said Dante. "And one of them's when someone says they're fine even though they're not. So what's bothering you?"

Sadeena sighed. "It's...about New Hyrule. Or...more specifically, Lighthaven."

"What about it?"

"Before the first Wave," said Sadeena, "I was its guardian. Back in those times, it was known as Lurolona Village. But, when the first Wave rolled around...I wasn't there to help anyone. I...I couldn't make it in time. And...had I been there, I-I could've saved them..."

Dante remained silent, letting Sadeena continue.

"And when I did make it," she said, "it was...empty. But I knew the Wave couldn't have killed everyone...so I searched. I looked and looked for days, weeks upon end. I eventually found myself in Zeltoble making money in the coliseums so I could buy the freedom of some of the villagers who'd been sold into slavery there. But...there was one person I desperately wanted to free...but never found..."

"Who?"

Sadeena sniffed, wiping her eyes. "Raphtalia."

"Why her?" asked Dante. "I mean, you do seem to care about her a lot, so...why?"

"Because she and her parents were what gave meaning to my life," said Sadeena. "But...searching for a slave named Raphtalia who specifically looked like a raccoon was just too much. I never found her until that day in the coliseum where I met Aris. I...I never expected Raphtalia to be fighting alongside a Cardinal Hero, much less one like Aris."

"And that was after we met, wasn't it?" said Dante.

Sadeena nodded. "Yes."

"Wait," Dante interjected, "you said Raphtalia 'looked like a raccoon'. Is she not a raccoon-based Demi-human?"

"Not exactly," replied Sadeena. "She's...something else."

"Well, whatever she is, she's a good kid," said Dante. "If anyone's gotta help carry the weight of saving this world, I'm glad she's one of the people doing it."

"You and me both." Sadeena looked at Dante, smiling at him. "Dante...thanks. For listening to me ramble, I mean."

Dante shrugged, putting a hand on Sadeena's shoulder. "Anytime, sweetheart."

"Raphtalia's family comes from a long line of important people," Sadeena said to Dante as the sun began to dip below the horizon. "Ever since before Raphtalia herself was born, I served her family as a priestess."

"Cool," said Dante. "Where'd you guys live? Here?"

Sadeena shook her head. "I...can't exactly tell you where. I've kinda already told you more than I probably should. But, anyway, Raphtalia's father didn't want to take on his responsibility as head of the family, so he eloped with Raphtalia's mother and left the country with her. I, of course, went with them."

"Ah," said Dante. "Do you...wish they stayed? Did you not want to go with them?"

"Not at first," replied Sadeena. "I lost a lot by leaving, but I gained even more. I don't regret it at all."

"Okay..." Dante continued prodding, "so, just how important was Raphtalia's family?"

"In their homeland, they were as important as the Cardinal Heroes are here," said Sadeena. "Possibly even more. The legend of the Heroes doesn't exist there, but there have been records of past Heroes visiting that region. However, the people there referred to them by a different name."

"Is it, like, isolationist or something?" asked Dante.

"Exactly," Sadeena affirmed. "It's been that way since ancient times. There's a lot of other countries in this world that have isolation policies, but the one Raphtalia's parents and I came from is among the most exclusionary."

So it's kinda like feudal Japan, Dante reasoned. "You thinkin' they might try something bad?"

"That's...part of it," said Sadeena, "but if that's all it was, it wouldn't really be an issue. What's more important to me is Raphtalia's happiness."

"Well, then, why not tell her all this?"

"Her father didn't want her to know." Sadeena took a sip of wine. "But, it probably won't be too much of a problem, as long as Aris and Raphtalia don't get too intimate."

"So them boning would cause some family issues," Dante concluded.

Sadeena nodded. "If you could," she said quietly, "tell Aris about that. If he and Raphtalia decide to get married and perhaps have children, I want to make sure it's after that country gets the boot."

"What do you mean she can't wear it?!"

Dante put his hands up as if to surrender. "Look, kid, it's for her own good."

Aris glared at him. "And why's that?"

"I'll fill you in." Dante turned to Raphtalia. "I'll explain once you've changed."

Raphtalia entered a nearby cottage and started changing. Meanwhile, Dante told Aris everything Sadeena had told him the night prior.

"So, what I'm getting at is-"

Dante didn't have the chance to finish before Raphtalia screamed. She came running out of the cottage, clad in her regular outfit and gripping her Vassal Katana. "The dress just caught fire!"

Suddenly, a large group of ninja-dressed people ran out after Raphtalia.

"What the hell?!" Aris shouted, drawing the Master Sword.

Dante brandished his handguns, Ebony and Ivory.

Sadeena sent out her Pikachu and Gastrodon.

Sora, Pit, Riku, Kairi, Ren, Itsuki, Joker, Motoyasu, and Rishia all arrived on the scene.

Raphtalia blocked an incoming kunai which was headed straight for the back of her neck.

Meanwhile, the cottage she'd been using caught fire.

"Gastrodon, use Rain Dance!" Sadeena commanded.

Motoyasu sent out a Pokémon of his own. "Mudkip, use Water Gun to put out that fire!"

The ninja commander pointed a kodachi at Raphtalia. "Daughter of he who abandoned the seat of the Heavenly Emperor!" he declared. "Your intentions have been made clear to us! Prepare yourself as we do everything in our power to thwart your claim to the throne!"

"What?!" Raphtalia tightened her grip on the Vassal Katana.

The ninjas all drew weapons which were shrouded in pale flames.

With a battle cry, they attacked.

Sadeena and Dante fought side by side, driving back a large group of ninjas as they tried their hardest to not fall off the cliff behind them.

Pit attempted to block an attack with his Guardian Orbitars, but an incoming kodachi shattered right through the barriers produced by the floating spheres.

"Hundred Swords!"

"Arrow Rain!"

"Maeigaon!"

"Maragion!"

A storm of arrows and swords fell from the sky, pelting the ninjas. Joker's Persona unleashed a wave of black and red energy as Rishia's sent out a wave of flames.

"Meteor Shield!" Aris stood beside Raphtalia and a few others, protecting them from the incoming barrage.

S'yne teleported into the fray. "Lea-...Spider Net!"

A stretch of sewing thread tangled itself around the army of ninjas, slowing them down.

"Brave Blade: Crossing Mists!"

"Give me strength! Valor Forme!"

With a burst of light, Sora's clothes became a burning red and a second Keyblade appeared in his left hand.

Ost leaped into action and cut down a slew of the ninjas with her own Keyblade, activating her Spirit Forme.

Despite being vastly outnumbered, the incredibly strong ninjas did not back down.

"Commander, permission to deploy the sakura stones of destiny!" a ninja called out.

"Negative!" the commander barked back. "We didn't bring any for this operation! Prepare to die honorably if you must!"

Atla darted from ninja to ninja, punching and kicking them to their knees. Where conventional weapons and even holy ones such as the Keyblade and the Master Sword failed, Atla's bare hands and feet succeeded with flying colors.

S'yne's web was cut to pieces.

"Meteor Slash!"

"Eagle Piercing Shot!"

"Staraptor, use Brave Bird!"

Ren, Itsuki, and Motoyasu led the final charge, the third of whom was using some Pokémon to aid in the fight. A fiery apparition of an eagle emerged from Staraptor's body and knocked over a whole line of ninjas.

Raphtalia lifted the Vassal Katana skyward as its blade gleamed with light from the Triforces of Courage and Wisdom. "Eight Trigrams, Blade of Destiny!"

Quick as a flash of lightning, Raphtalia whipped out her katana and slashed outward. A beam of light shot out and hit every single ninja in sight, launching them into the sky like fireworks on New Year's Eve.

The blazing building had been put out and everyone had resumed their prior routines. Aris and Raphtalia were discussing what had just happened with Sadeena and Dante.

"They probably saw Raphtalia's miko outfit as a declaration of war," Aris suggested.

"But why, though?" said Raphtalia. "Can someone please explain to me what the actual hell is going on?!"

"I'll...keep it simple." Sadeena met Raphtalia's gaze. "Raphtalia. In...a certain other country...you're basically a royal heir."