Mewtwo clapped his three-fingered hands together. 'Well played!' He called. 'Well played indeed!'

Japs opened his eyes. The floating island had gone, and he was in the gym again. He was lying on his back, but he did not want to get up. It felt like his legs wouldn't move. From his left he saw the unmistakable kangaroo- like feet of Mewtwo toe themselves beside him, and then he felt himself being lifted up by the clone's power. Instantly, once released, the boy's legs gave way and he fell to a heap on the ground, only this time on his stomach. He had hit his chin in doing so, and his mouth, and his lip burst. He could not move much, except his head, thus he lifted it so to rest it on the underside of his mouth. Link, Ness and Kirby were in front of him. Kirby looked better than he had in battle, and Ness looked like he was going to be sick after eating too much popcorn. Link, on the other hand, though opposite Japs, was not looking at him.

'He's paralyzed!' Explained Mewtwo. 'That must have been a sharp blow to the head.'

Japs tried to speak, but ended up wailing in pain.

'Beaten by his own game.' Said Ness, shaking his head. Link looked at Japs for the first time since the battle ended, but his smile was no longer showing. Instead, he scrunched his face up in anger and growled at the sight of Japs, then turned and departed from the hall. Japs could still say nothing. Mewtwo returned, crouching down to him, and Japs shuddered. The boy now felt very cold, and he began to quake. Then he felt his pains numb and slowly fade, and his aches and bruises seemed to vanish. He could now stand up, and he did so, giving each limb a stretch and a shake. But still he did not talk, nor take heed that Nekoni and Kumba were behind him, but he ran out the doors in pursuit of his friend.

Link heard Japs' footsteps as he ran out after him. The Hylian did not think, but his hand strayed to the hilt of his sword, it's sheath slung on his back by the support of a baldric. Also he stopped, and the wind blew his golden hair past his face to his right. Japs slowed and stopped, and as he began to talk, Link also did.

'What is a friend, Japs?' He asked.

'-What?' Japs asked, taking a step forward. 'Link, it's m--' He stopped. He saw Link's grip on the sword tighten when he moved. Japs had very sharp eyes and ears.

'What is a friend?' Link asked again. His eyes were closed.

'You are.' Said Japs. 'And so is Yoshi and Kirby a--'

'Kirby? How good a friend is he?'

'He...' Japs began. He had to put in a good word for Kirby. For all he knew, Kirby was the only one to know his secret. Memory of the battle was little now. 'He is a good friend.'

'So, I rank below good?'

'What? No, Link! You're my best friend! I can tell you anything!'

Link laughed. Japs saw him raise his blade slowly out of its hilt for about an inch. It shone in the sunlight.

'What have I done?' Japs asked. His eyes were now fixed on the gloved hand of the warrior.

'You l...' Link began, but hastened. 'Forget it.' He said, dropping the sword back in its hilt. He began to walk away. 'I'm just wasting my time with people like you. You never change, Japs. You're just looking after number one, not a thought to those who care-... used to care for you.'

'Link?'

'Goodbye, Japs.' Link said, never looking at the boy. He said this, but his mind was going like clockwork.





'You shouldn't hurt him like this, Link.'

'I know I shouldn't. But he deserves it.'

'How, Link? How does he deserve it?'

'He told Kirby above me, his best friend, about Nekoni.'

'Are you sure he told Kirby?'

'Yes! He was more too happy to shout off about it during that battle.'

'He did not know you were watching.'

'That just makes it worse, Zelda!'

'Does it?'

'Yes. He is egotistic! He didn't even mention anything of that subject to me!'

'Kirby didn't get told, Link.'

'Well how, Zelda? How did Kirby find out?'

'Ask Japs.'

'I am not talking to him again!'

'He's crying.'

Link stopped dead in his tracks. He was out of the view of Japs, and vice versa.

'Crying? Japs never cries.'

'He cries every night, Link.'

'What?'

'Think about it. What does he really have to live for? The one he loves hates him; someone who hates him chases him every day. He has nearly the whole school against him. And now he just lost his best friend, the one who kept him going through this.'

'But...'

'His pet robot, The Kanaka. Do you know why and when he built it?'

'No.'

'He built it three years ago, when he was twelve. He had no friends then, and so he built himself one. He made it act just like him, and follow him wherever he went. It's only flaw was it malfunctioned when Japs was programming it to speak.'

'To speak?'

'Yes. Japs was teaching it the word "Kiiu", but it's system crashed and forever froze on "Kii".'

'Kiiu? That's Lylatian!'

'The Lylatian word for death. When ever The Kanaka speaks, it is telling it's master to die.'

'Japs knew Lylatian at twelve?'

'It was his second mother tongue. His junior school was one in the Lylat system. There he was like a freak, being one of the only humans. He was different, and still thinks he is.'

'Zelda, where is Japs?'

'He is hiding.'

'Where? Where is he hiding, Zelda?'

'I don't know if I should tell you. He is egotistic and all.'

'Zelda! I didn't mean what I said about him!'

'And why are you telling me this?'

Link sighed. He had jumped to conclusions. But something stuck in the back of his mind, from a long time ago.

'Do you ever cry, Japs?'

'No. Not unless I am really upset. You know me! Always happy!'

'He cries every night?' Link thought, and he started to look for Japs.