Hi! I'm sorry it took so long to get this up, but I've been busy. This
chapter won't have quite as many scenes as the last one, but the ones that
are here will reveal some more insight into the lives of the Smashers.
Disclaimer: I only own Scales and Pi2. Actually, I own a bit more, but
that's not important right now.
The time: after the second round. The place: Majora/The Happy Mask Salesman's room. The room was nice and neat. The Salesman had left it pretty much the way he had found it, aside from placing lots of masks on the walls. There was one other addition to the room that the Salesman had made. There was a pedestal placed atop a twisted pillar of stone. On the pedestal sat the mask of Majora, immobile for the time being. The Salesman glared at his prized possession. "What did you do to Mewtwo out there?" "Nothing, Master. I merely broke his spine, along with a few other body parts." The mask replied. "That's not what I mean, and you know it! The infirmary should have released him and Garm by now, but they haven't! They're both in comas. They fell into comas during your matches, so that leads me to believe it's your fault. Now I ask you again, what did you do to him?" Majora stayed silent for a moment, and then spoke. "Master, I have caused nothing but physical harm to my opponents. I do not see why you are insistent that it is my fault they are in comas. I do not have any idea why they are comatose, but I swear by the dark gods that I did not do it." The Salesman frowned. "Why do I not believe you? You have never been one to keep an oath before. Perhaps I should try more forceful measures to get the truth out of you." "Such as?" The salesman reached into his pocket and pulled out a small bag. He untied it and poured a little of its contents onto his hand. It looked like some kind of blue powder. He sprinkled it on the evil mask and murmured an incantation in a long forgotten tongue. Finally, he asked again. "What did you do to those fighters to make them comatose?" "Absolutely nothing, Master. I already told you that." The Salesman blinked, surprised. The spell he had just performed was supposed to make Majora tell the truth. Either the spell wasn't working, or Majora was telling the truth. Since the spell had worked many times in the past, there was no reason why it wouldn't work now. That meant Majora obviously did nothing to the Smashers. Curious. "Well, you seem to not be responsible for their condition. I guess I'll just have to believe you then." He checked a watch on his wrist. "Ooh, it's time for As the Earthworm Jim turns! Let's watch." Majora groaned as the Salesman sat on the bed and turned the TV on, quickly changing the channel to the gods-awful soap opera. He sneered mentally and cursed the human. Impudent mortal. Does he really think he can control me like this for much longer? He has yet to realize that ever since the first round I have been strong enough to escape his magical bonds and immunize myself to his weak truth spell. I am stronger than before, but not yet strong enough. But when the time is right, I will kill him. This I truly swear by the blackened heart of my father. So, "Master," I suggest you watch yourself, for soon you will die. And then the universe will follow.
Wario and Waluigi were once again in the Italian restaurant. Wario was sobbing while his brother tried to comfort him. "Come on-a bro, it's not-a that bad." "But now I can-a never get Daisy back! That stupid frog will-a do horrible stuff to her!" "Come-a on, brother, chin up! You still have a chance-a at getting her back!" "I do? How? Did you-a win the lottery or something?" "No, don't-a you see? Your current predicament is-a exactly the same as-a the plot in Super Mario-a 64. Mario didn't-a give up to that big bad turtle, so why should you give up to-a that stupid frog? You-a can do anything that stupid plumber can-a do, even better than him!" Wario blinked and wiped away his tears. "You're-a right, Waluigi! I can do-a anything that plumber can do! I-a can do anything he can, even better than-a him!" "Yeah!" "I'm-a gonna go-a back to the Vegetable Kingdom and-a march right into that castle!" "Yeah!!" "I'm-a gonna go through the numerous and-a pointless painting-a worlds and collect all of those stupid stars and-a keys I need to move throughout the castle!" "Yeah!!!" "I'm-a gonna find that-a stupid Wart and-a clobber him all three times I need to beat him!" "Yeah!!!!" "I'm-a gonna show that frog who's boss and-a rescue my girlfriend!" "Yeah!!!!!" "And I'm-a gonna do it all right-a after we get our lunch!" "YEAH!!!!!"
In the infirmary, nothing short of a miracle would stop someone else's tears. Mew looked sadly at her son as more salty drops were shed from her eyes. She had tried everything she could to help him. She had tried contacting him psychically, mentally possessing his body to make it wake up, even gave him an infusion of her divine, golden blood in an attempt top heal his mind, but nothing had worked. It was like he wasn't even there anymore. She started speaking, even though she knew he couldn't hear. "Mewtwo, I got a call from Celebi. He says we got the top bid for the Master Stone. In a few hours, we'll have won the rock and can pay for it with the consolation money you got. Congratulations Mewtwo, you've saved Pokemopolis. You did not let your people down. Team Rocket will never penetrate the hallowed walls of our ancestral home." She turned her head away. "It's such a shame you can't be awake for this. You would have been so happy that we had won, even though you lost the match. If only you could hear me Mewtwo, I could tell you how proud I am of you. You are the best son a mother could have, even if you were cloned from me." She floated next to Mewtwo's head, close to his hidden earflaps. She whispered into them, "I wish you could hear me, so I could tell you how much I love you." She floated back to her original seat looking over his bed. The tears wouldn't stop flowing. She wasn't crying just because Mewtwo was in a seemingly hopeless coma, she was crying because of a range of conflicting emotions raging through her at that moment. She was happy, because they had effectively secured the artifact that would make Pokemopolis' future a reality. She was angry; full of hate for the vile mask that had done this to her child. And she was bitter, because she knew she was helpless. She was a goddess. She had sired the entire Pokemon species in all of its 300- odd variations. She had been the object of worship for many ancient cults and civilizations, which in the end lead to their downfall as well, for all argued on which society she had truly chosen to serve her. She had made a home for lost Pokemon, abandoned by their trainers to live in a wild environment they no longer felt familiar in. She had created a magical stone that could protect an entire city from penetration by anything short of a dozen nuclear warheads. And despite all this, she could do nothing to save her son. A single silvery tear fell onto the prone Pokemon's stomach and evaporated, testament to the fact that not even the gods are all- powerful.
Bowser drank from a bottle of champagne and sat down hard on the cushions that made up his bed. He shook the bottle, finding it empty, and threw it over his shoulder. He fell on his stomach, exhausted from the day's fighting. He pulled the same photo from his shell as before the one of his wife and children. Partly because of the wine, he was forced to remember the day almost a month ago that had made him decide to come here.
Bowser laughed heartily. He hadn't had this much fun for a while. "Come on Wendy, pass it to daddy!" he yelled. His only daughter, Wendy, grinned and threw the empty Buzzy Beetle shell to her father. He caught it and hurled it at one of his sons, Ludwig. The blue-haired turtle grabbed the shell, dribbled it, and shot it at the net, scoring a three-pointer. The team cheered. Bowser was playing basketball with his kids, something he had not done recently. It felt good for him to spend quality time like this with his children. It helped bring him out of his usual anger and depression, for a moment making him forget about avenging their mother. It also helped him in his lengthy decisions on which of the kids would be his heir. Morton, who was on the opposing team, got the ball first and started passing it back and forth among his fellow siblings and teammates. Despite their tactics and strategy, they quickly lost the ball. Bowser quickly took the ball when it was passed to him, ran across the court, and did a grand slam dunk, winning the game. His teammates cheered and gathered around him, followed by their siblings on the opposing team. It had only been a game, so there was no reason not to be angry that their other family members had won, right? Their cheering was abruptly cut off as the castle suddenly shook, as if from an earthquake. The kids screamed and got out of the way as Bowser fell over, unsettled by the tremors. As he tried to get back on his feet, he was horrified to see every one of his children vanish before him! "Kids? Kids! Where are you?!" Then, abruptly as they started, the tremors stopped. "What's going on?" The doors to the basketball court burst open. Mist streamed from the opening, and an imposing figure strode out of the doorway. It was a tall being, looking like a king, covered head to toe in steel and carrying a heart of coal. Bowser gasped at this familiar villain. "Hello Bowser. Long time no see, eh?" "SMITHY! I thought we got rid of you once and for all!" "You didn't. As you can see, I am still quite alive. I have merely been biding my time and regaining my old strength. And now, after all this time, I have returned!" "I'm not going to let you fulfill whatever evil you're up to, Smithy! You're not taking this world without a fight!" "Who said anything about talking over the world? This is all about revenge, dear Koopa. I have returned to wreak vengeance on those who defeated me last time, and you're first on my list." "Is that so? Well, I think you'll find that I've gotten a lot stronger than I was last time. I've got the legendary Star Rod, which makes me invincible!" "Oh?" Smithy raised his free hand and suddenly, a great broadsword appeared in it. "This here is the legendary Star Sword, which contains power equal or greater to that of the Star Rod. If you would like to test out your silly little wand on my great blade, I would be more than happy to oblige." Bowser started to reach into his shell for the Rod. ".But I must warn you that your children's lives will be forfeit." Bowser froze. "What did you say?" Smithy gestured with his sword. A ring of flames appeared in the air. An image formed in it, showing the seven Koopa Kids frightened and surrounded by the Axem Rangers. "If you battle me and lose, your children will die. Even if you win, they may still die, for the Rangers have orders to annihilate the brats at my command." The ring and image vanished. "So what will it be, Bowser? Will you battle me to the death for your kingdom and risk losing your heirs, or will you give me the ransom I now demand for their lives?" "Ransom?" "Yes, I will release your children if you give me no less than five million Nintendo dollars." "Why do you want it?" Bowser asked suspiciously. "That is none of your concern. Now tell me, what is your answer?" Bowser hesitated, and then slumped, his head lowered in resignation. "I'll get you the money." "Excellent! I assure you I will not harm your children while you are away. After all, they are my bargaining chips, so to speak. Go now and find the money, and don't return until you do." Some of Smithy's minions suddenly appeared. "My minions will show you the exit. Remember, do not enter my castle unless you have the money."
The minions roughly shoved Bowser across the drawbridge, and then raised it, leaving Bowser locked out of his own home. The King of the Koopas looked up at his castle sneering at the giant sword sticking out of the top of the black citadel. He had hoped never to have to see that again. Sadly, Bowser turned around and walked down the trail leading away from his castle. He had a long way to go, and he didn't even really know where he was heading.
About a week ago, Bowser had still not found the money he needed. He dared not go to his subjects for aid, because that would be equivalent to raising the taxes too high. Besides, he doubted any of them had the money he needed. He couldn't go to his enemies, for he had sworn never to work with the killer of his wife again. Sure, he had worked with Peach the last time Smithy came, but he was desperate then. His only option had been to wander around, looking for something he doubted he would find. Then he had seen the announcement of the tournament in the newspaper. He knew this was his chance. He had hitched a ride from the Mario World to Virtual Earth, where he had gotten registered. And here he was now; ready to enter the third round in a big fight against Majora. If he won, he would proceed into the final round in a fight against either Scales or Heinrich, neither of which he doubted he would beat. But that was okay; the loser of the final match would receive a consolation of eight million dollars, more than enough to pay off Smithy. And if he lost the match against Majora, he would still get five million, and he would pay off Smithy anyway. Either way, he would save the kids. He put away the photograph and started dozing off. But as he drifted away, he wondered to himself whether it would have been more honorable to fight Smithy instead of paying him off.
Chaos sighed and continued packing his bags. He was not quite shamed by his failure, but he felt like he was no longer needed here. He was heading home to Angel Island. Tikal and the Chao needed him. He paused as the phone rang. He grabbed it off the hook with a tendril and held it to his "mouth." "Hello?" "Hi, Chaos?" said the familiar voice on the line. "Tikal! What is it?" "I just called to congratulate you on the fight." Chaos was shocked. "Congratulate me? Why? I lost the match! Now we can't create the Chaotic Foundation." "Hey, you did extraordinarily well in that fight. You fought like a demon! Scales was a great opponent, and she almost lost to you. And you got some prize money, it won't be enough to make the Foundation, but it will be enough to create some more Chao Sanctuaries." "What good are Chao Sanctuaries when proper guidance and care is not provided for my children? Millions of people mistreat Chao daily despite their supposedly irresistible charm and cuteness. The Foundation would have prevented that." He said, pouting. The Chaotic Foundation was a special project Chaos had thought up. Despite its being called a Foundation, it was not a government and taxpayer funded wildlife preservation organization. The Chaotic Foundation was a mixture of magic, technology and Chaos energy that would result in a powerful semi sentient ethereal force that would provide ultimate care and protection for the Chao, keeping them from harm forever. Chaos cared deeply for the welfare of his far-flung children, and in truth didn't really trust them to be taken care of properly by anyone he did not deem worthy, which was just about everybody but Tikal. The money he would win from the tournament would be put into making the Foundation galaxy wide; to completely eliminate any more need for Chao Gardens and Sanctuaries. "Chaos, you know I never really was pleased with the idea of this Foundation." "Yes, but-" "But nothing. I know you're not happy with anyone else taking care of the Chao, but you've got to learn to trust other people a little better. You've always been a bit overprotective with the Chao. Hell, that's why you wiped out my tribe and I had to imprison you in the first place! I do admit killing Chao is a horrible sin, but it's not worth killing everyone over just to make things safe for the remaining Chao. While it is true that many people mistreat Chao and/or kill them, many more help the Chao develop to their true potential. The Foundation would have kept Chao from experiencing contact with anyone but their own kind, and prevent them from really learning interaction with others. And people would never get to experience the joy of raising their own Chao." Chaos hesitated. "I.I guess you're right Tikal. Perhaps I have been too overprotective. What do you suggest we do instead?" "Use the prize money to make some more Chao Gardens so more people can enjoy the privilege of their own Chao. It will benefit everyone, including the Chao. And we could save some money for ourselves so we could get that hot tub we wanted." she hinted playfully. He chuckled. "Yes, I would love to.join you in a hot tub. (Now, before any of you point out that there's no reason for Chaos to need a hot tub since he's made of water, think about his statement very carefully. Then think about Tikal in a bathing suit. And also remember that hot tubs need water.) Do you want me to come home now?" "Home? No! You don't want to stay and see the rest of the tournament in person? I would think that would be nice." "Hey, I don't care about seeing this in person. I would much rather watch the tournament at home with you then see it live." "Really?" "Of course, baby. There's nobody I'd rather watch the remainder of the tournament with than you and the Chao." "Oh Chaos.all right, I'll see you tomorrow then. Try to get back before round 3 starts, okay?" "I'll be back before noontime feeding. I promise I'll be back in time. I'll see you then." "Bye Chaos. I love you." "I love you too."
Ganondorf was in a lousy mood. He stormed through the garden, lashing out at anything in sight. He couldn't believe that stupid Koopa Bowser had beaten him. How could he, the great king of evil, lose to a dumb turtle? Grumbling, he suddenly found himself face to face with his nemesis, the Hero of Time and his winged lightbulb. He growled. "Get out of my way, Skirt Boy!" "Hey, it's a tunic!" said Navi. "Buzz off, lightbulb." "That's Princess of the Fairies to you, Ganondork!" Navi shot back. Ganondorf made as if to swat Navi, but was stopped by Link. "Navi, Ganondorf, please don't fight. Remember Navi, we're not here to insult him." "Oh, then why are you here, Hero Boy?" snarled Ganondorf. "I want to apologize for your loss. I thought you did quite well against Bowser. And hey, two and a half million dollars is still plenty of money right? It should be more than enough to fix up your keep." Ganondorf's sanity, quite fragile at the moment due to his recent humiliating defeat by Pichu and his loss to Bowser, snapped. "Okay, that's it!" he bellowed. "Huh?" said Link, confused. "We're going to settle this once and for all, Hero! You, me, the firefly and the Sages on the parking lot in half an hour! Be there." With that, Ganondorf whirled around and stomped out of the garden. Link stared after him, confused. "Navi, what just happened?" "I think Ganondorf finally lost it. I believe he's just challenged you to a duel." Said his ever-faithful fairy companion. "Oh, I see. Well, it shouldn't be that difficult. I've beaten him a million times before, once more shouldn't be any big deal, right?" "I don't know, Link. This time Ganondorf has the legendary blade of evil, the Slave Sword. He may be too much for you to handle." "Oh, come on! It can't be that bad." "Link, have I ever steered you wrong before?" "Well." "My advice has always been accurate, though admittedly random and often irritating. But I assure you that this sword is dangerous. It was forged by the Devil himself to counteract the effects of the blade forged by his sister, the Goddess of Time, the very blade now in your scabbard. Be very careful, Link." "Well, aren't I always?" Navi snickered. "What about the time you recklessly jumped off all those really high cliffs?" "Well." "Or the time you tried to fight Bongo Bongo without the Lens of Truth and get clobbered?" "Um." "Or the time you used the Mirror Shield incorrectly in the fight against Twinrova and got frozen AND burned?" "Er." "Or the time you tried to hit Phantom Ganon from the center of the Boss Chamber and kept getting hit by lightning despite my advice to stick to the edge of the arena, where you would be safe?" "Okay, okay, I get your drift! I'll just have to rely on your sage wisdom and targeting to get through the battle as always." "Thank you, I will."
Half an hour later.Ganondorf tapped his foot impatiently in a cleared space in the middle of the parking lot. Zelda and the Sages had already arrived and were sitting on the hoods and roofs of surrounding cars. Link and Navi finally showed up, ready for action. "Linky-poo, what took you so long?" whined Ruto. "I've had to sit on this cold metal roof for five minutes now!" "Oh, shut up." Everyone said to her. "Ah, so at last you show up!" said Ganondorf. "I thought you were going to run away, frightened of actually having to battle me. So hero, are you ready to lose?" "Ready as I'll ever be." Said Link. Everyone looked at him, surprised. "What? Oh! I, I didn't mean it that way! I meant I'm ready to fight, not ready to lose." "Whatever." Muttered Ganondorf. "Now, prepare to meet your doom!" "Sure." Said Link, drawing the Master Sword. "So, how do you want to do this? A sword fight like in the movies?" Ganondorf shook his head. "No, no, I've got something better." Ganondorf drew the Slave Sword from its scabbard. He raised his right hand in the air, the Triforce of Power glowing brightly on his fist. Ganondorf was surrounded in an aura of greenish white light. And as the light encompassed him, he transformed. When the light faded, Ganondorf was no longer a green-skinned Gerudo male. He was now a great monster, greenish in flesh. He was twenty feet high, with cloven hooves for feet. A loincloth of sorts surrounded his privates. A long, reptilian tail sprouted from his behind, spiked at the end like a Stegosaurus. He wore a silvery necklace with several orange stones, just like he did normally. His arms were thickly knotted with muscles, ending in great fists. His head was like that of a boar, with curved tusks and horns, yellow eyes, and an orange jewel in a silver setting placed on his forehead. A mane of long red hair came out from his head, going down his back in three separate plaits. Instead of holding two crystalline broadswords, he only held the Slave Sword, now greatly enlarged and lengthened, held by both of the monster's hands. He had become the monstrous Ganon, Beast of Doom. Ganon snorted, and a ring of fire surrounded the area in which he and Link would fight. Link's hold on the Master Sword tensed as he waited for the first moved. Ganon ambled towards Link, sword ready. Link raised the Master Sword. Ganon swung, knocking the Master Sword out of Link's hands and sending it spinning out of the ring, where it imbedded itself in the lid of a car. Ganon chuckled as Link gulped. "Come on, Hero! You can defeat Ganon without the Master Sword!" shouted the old Sage Rauru. "Yeah, come on Brother! You can beat that pig!" bellowed the Goron Darunia. "If you beat Ganon, I'll give you a big kiss!" Ruto said eagerly. Link shuddered at the thought. "Come on, Link! Show him what you're made of!" cried Saria. "Use the Force.I mean, the Triforce Link!" yelled Impa. "You can beat that old windbag, kid!" encouraged Nabooru. "Do it, Link! Show that bastard he can't mess with the Hero of Time!" yelled Zelda. "Right! I won't lose! Come on, Navi!" said Link. As Ganon swung the Slave Sword, trying to decapitate his foe, Link rolled under the swipe and through Ganon's legs, uncurling on the other side. He quickly stood up, pulled out the Megaton Hammer, and swung it at Ganon's tail. The beast screamed and spun around, almost hitting Link with another swipe. Link backed away until he was almost at the edge of the ring, pursued by Ganon. Link put away the Hammer, pulled out a Light Arrow, and shot it at Ganon with Navi's targeting. Ganon immediately deflected the arrow with his sword, and surprisingly performed a jump attack, almost cleaving Link in two and cracking the pavement as he landed. Link had managed to sidestep the attack and struck Ganon's tail again with the Hammer. Ganon spun around again as Link backflipped away and attempted a direct stab. Link was unable to use his shield while holding the Hammer, so tried to use the Hammer itself as a shield. This proved to be a mistake. The blade cut through the wooden handle of the hammer, its point almost cutting Link's nose. Ganon withdrew the blade. The Hammer's head fell off, severed from the handle, leaving Link holding a useless stick. Frightened, he threw the stick away and pulled out the Longshot, the only other weapon he had that could damage Ganon's tail. He quickly moved away from the monster while keeping him targeted via Navi, and fired his Longshot at Ganon's head, trying to stun him. With incredible speed, Ganon chopped with the Slave Sword, shattering the chain and grappling hook of the Longshot, rendering it completely useless. Link was starting to understand what Navi meant about the Slave Sword being dangerous. "Navi, what can I hit him with?!" "You still have your arrows, right? You can probably shoot one at his tail and hurt him, I hope." "But how can I even stun him long enough to get behind him? He has an excellent defense!" "I'll distract him, you hit him. Got it? Good. Here I go!" Navi flew right in front of Ganon's eyes and started flashing at her brightest, hurting the monster's sensitive eyes. He wailed and tried to shield his eyes from the fairy's light, but she always got past his sword. Link drew a Light Arrow and aimed carefully, waiting for the right opening. When Ganon's sword was away from his face, Link shot the arrow, striking him right between the eyes! The bolt exploded in burst of light, stunning Ganon. Link ran around to his back and shot the tail with a normal arrow. Ganon spun around and slashed with the Slave Sword. Before Link could bring up his shield, Ganon had cut through the top half of the Fairy Bow, rendering it totally useless. Link was now completely weaponless, as bombs would take too long to explode and damage the monster and he didn't have any of his spells with him. There was nothing he could do. Link gulped and backed away as Ganon grinned and loomed over him, sword ready. Navi tried to distract him again, but the monster just swatted her away with a massive hand. Taking a full grip on the sword, Ganon brought it down in a slash. Link attempted to block with his Hylian Shield, but the Slave Sword shattered the metal defense and cut open Link's chest, drawing blood. All present gasped. Losing hold of what was left of his shield, Link looked down at his chest in disbelief, and then keeled over, lying on the ground as a pool of blood welled up around him. Navi screamed and flew to his body, hovering around his head. Ganon laughed. "HAHAHAHAHAHA! Yes! At last, at long last, I have won! Hahahahaha! Who's the man now, huh?" He grinned at the looks of shock and horror on the Sages' faces. "And now, to claim my final prize from my fallen enemy, the Triforce of Courage!" Letting go of the sword with his right hand, Ganon leaned down to touch Link's right hand when suddenly a voice rang out from across the wall of fire. "Stop right there, Ganon!" cried a young, female voice. "Wha? Who dares?" bellowed Ganon, turning around to see who was stopping him. He gasped, as did all the other Sages upon seeing the interloper. Standing on the hood of the car where the Master Sword was imbedded was none other than."Pichu!" growled Ganon. "Yup, it's me Ganny! And I'm here to stop you from killing Mr. Link." Said the baby Pokemon. "Oh? And how do you expect to do that?" asked Ganon. "With this!" said Pichu. She raised her right hand, er, paw in the air. The symbol of the Triforce appeared on the back of her hand. However, it was not any of the three gold triangles that were highlighted, but the empty, middle triangle, which was now glowing bright red. Rauru gasped. "It-it can't be!" he exclaimed. "What? What is that thing?" asked Ruto. "It is the legendary missing piece of the Triforce, the True Force!" said Rauru. "The what?" asked Nabooru. "I've never heard of any True Force." Said Zelda. "That is because it is not known in many legends, it vanished from history long before the dawn of modern Hylian society! Nobody knows where it went or how, but it is astonishing that this Pichu has it!" said Rauru. "A fourth piece of the Triforce? I must have it!" said Ganon angrily. "Well, you'll have to fight me to get it!" said Pichu. "However did you get it?" asked Impa. Pichu smiled. "Well, all of you Hylians know how the three goddesses Din, Nayru and Farore created the land of Hyrule, right? And how after they were finished, the Goddesses created the Triforce and placed it in the Sacred Realm for the use of the people?" Everyone nodded. "Well, what very few people know is that the mother of the Goddesses, the Supreme Deity the Goddess of Time, added a fourth piece to the Triforce, turning it into the Tetraforce. The fourth piece, the True Force, was supposed to have power over the other pieces, able to neutralize their magic. A long time ago, before civilized people loved in Hyrule, a caveman accidentally stumbled into the Sacred Realm and found the Triforce. Seeing as how his heart was not in balance, the four pieces separated, leaving the caveman with none. The three weaker pieces of the Triforce were eventually found and brought back to the Sacred Realm, but the True Force was lost, seemingly forever. However, it was not lost, not really. Just sent to another world. Specifically, the world of Pokemon. There, it was discovered by the prehistoric ancestor of the Pikachu, who accidentally became its master. The True Force started causing this prehistoric Pikachu to evolve faster, and I do not mean it turned into Raichu. It became much like the modern Pikachu, fast, small, intelligent, and able to electrocute things. This Pikachu had now become a sort of Super Pikachu, stronger than all the others. As the Pikachu was now more dominant than the others, it was easy for him to procure a mate. The first Pichu born to that couple received the same Super traits as its father, not to mention the True Force. As it grew up to a Pikachu, the Pichu ended up becoming a little more evolved than its father. This Pikachu soon got a mate, and their first-born also got more evolved and received the True Force at birth. This has continued for millions of years to the present time, where the Super Pikachus look exactly like modern Pikachus but with more electrical power. The last holder of the True Force was my father, the Pikachu of the legendary Pokemon trainer Ash Ketchum. The Force was passed to me at my birth, and so I have it now!" she finished cheerfully. "Well, you are going to be the last of your family to wield the True Force, my dear!" said Ganon. "If you want to stop me from killing the Hero, then come and fight me! The winner (who will surely be me) gets the True Force and chooses what to do with the life of the skirt boy. Agreed?" "Agreed. But I'll need one thing first." Pichu grabbed the Master Sword by its hilt and amazingly pulled it from the hood, wielding it in both hands with ease thanks to the super strength granted her by the True Force. "There, now I'm ready." Ganon opened a gap in the flames, allowing Pichu in. The fire rekindled behind her, trapping her in the ring. "You know of course, that only one of us is going to leave this ring intact. Me!" taunted Ganon. Pichu snorted. "I've beaten you twice before, this time isn't gonna be any different! Though it'll probably take longer than either of our previous fights." Ganon roared and charged at Pichu, swiping with the Slave Sword. Holding the Master Sword, Pichu jumped up, kick-jumped off the flat of the giant Slave Sword, and double-jumped over Ganon's shoulder, slashing at his tail as she came down. Ganon screamed and spun around, swiping at her. His attack went right over her head, seeing as she was so small. Holding the Master Sword down, Pichu ran under Ganon's legs and slashed at his tail again, getting another hit. Ganon turned around and jumped into the air, trying to squash her beneath his hooves. Pichu darted away from the falling Ganon, running to where his back would be facing when he landed. When he struck the ground, cracking more pavement, Pichu cut at his tail, which was now facing her. Ganon spun around, his downward-pointed sword sweeping towards her. Pichu struck out with the Mast Sword. The two blades collided. They startled trembling, not liking contact with one another. Pichu immediately charged her body, sending electricity up the Master Sword, through Ganon's sword, and shocking the monster. While Ganon was screaming from the electricity, Pichu ran around his back and slashed at his tail again. Ganon screamed, then swung his tail, catching Pichu off guard and knocking her away in pain. She winced and got up, barely avoiding a chop from the Slave Sword. Pichu hit the evil sword with her own, generating another shock that stunned Ganon and allowing her time to get another hit on his tail. Ganon screamed and ran away from the electric mouse turning around when he was in the middle of the ring. He held out his sword horizontally and stood still, concentrating. The sword suddenly started collecting energy from all around, turning blue, then a bright red. Ganon lashed out with the sword, spinning around and sending out a wave of red energy that smashed into Pichu, causing her to scream and knocking her into the wall of fire. Zelda and the other Sages did that annoying scream/gasp that you hear whenever you get hurt in the final battle with Ganon in OoT. She screamed again and fell away, the yellow fur on her back burned away. She bit her lip and struggled to her feet, still holding the Master Sword. She raised it in the air and charged at Ganon, yelling. He charged as well. Just before they reached each other, Pichu skidded to a halt and raised her arms in the air, crying out. A mighty lightning bolt shot down from the heavens, striking Ganon in the head. He roared and screamed in pain as Pichu's Thunder attack spread throughout his body, paralyzing him. Pichu took advantage of this and ran behind Ganon. Before striking, she paused and raised the Master Sword, crying out again. Another lightning bolt shot down, striking the Master Sword and going into her body, supercharging herself and the sacred sword. Now crackling with electricity, Pichu raised the Sword, also crackling with electricity, and launched a devastating series of jump attacks against Ganon, each one striking for more damage than ever before and causing the monster's body to convulse with more and more electricity. Ganon finally screamed, coming out of his paralysis. Her temporary power fading, Pichu quickly moved away, fearing a counterattack. Ganon turned around, stumbled, and fell to the ground. The flames died out. Ganon grunted and tried to get to his feet, but was struck by a blast of golden light fired from princess Zelda, causing him to fall back onto the ground. "Pichu, I am holding Ganon with my magic! Use the sacred blade and deliver the final blow!" Zelda shouted. The golden light faded. Ganon shook on the ground, trying to get up and failing. Pichu ran around to Ganon's front and held out the Master Sword. The True Force glowed on her paw, sending power into the Master Sword. The magic blade glowed a bright red, ready to defeat its foe. Pichu screamed a battle cry and attacked. She slashed once with the sword horizontally, drawing green blood. She performed a vertical chop, leaving a long cut that spewed more blood. Finally, she thrusted, stabbing Ganon right between his eyes. There was a pause, and suddenly Ganon leapt to his feet, knocking the sword from his eyes and away from Pichu. He swung the Slave Sword wildly, going totally berserk. Zelda raised her hands. "Sages, I call upon you to bind the Evil incarnation of Darkness, imprisoning him in his locker room until he cools off and stops being so crazy!" Rauru got off of his rear and stood on the top of the car. "My fellow Sages, let us combine our power and finish off the King of Evil!" "Hey, why are you two saying such weird lines reminiscent of the ending sequence from Ocarina of Time?" asked Saria. "Yeah, it's kind of weird." Said Nabooru. "Well, uh, look, we're just playing things out, okay? Come on, let's combine our power!" said Rauru. The other Sages got up onto the roofs of their cars as well. They all concentrated. One by one, they turned into a ball of colored light, yellow for Rauru, green for Saria, blue for Ruto, orange for Nabooru, red for Darunia, and purple for Impa. The balls streaked through the air, zooming around the parking lot, before colliding in the air right above Ganon, turning into a swirling vortex of white light. Ganon screamed as the Slave Sword dropped from his hands and he was turned back into Ganondorf. He slowly rose into the air, spinning into the vortex with a grotesque look of hatred on his face. "Curse you Sages! Curse you Zelda! Curse you Pichu! Thanks to you, I am defeated and am now banished to my room!" "Wow, that's really obvious." Muttered Pichu. "I may be gone for now, but someday.er, when will this spell of yours break?" Ganondorf asked Zelda. "Tomorrow." She replied. "Right, tomorrow the seal on my prison will break and I will return to kill your descendants!" he continued. "But I don't think any of us have descendants yet." Said Pichu. "Actually, Darunia has a son." Said Zelda. "Okay, so I will return to kill Darunia's kid and the rest of you!" By now, he had stopped spinning and was floating on his back into the vortex. "As long as I have the Triforce of Power, I promise this." He was sucked into the vortex. There was a flash, and the Sages reappeared on the ground, the vortex gone. As they shook their heads, disoriented, Pichu panted and dropped the sword. "Phew! That was a tough workout." "Yes, but you did marvelously." Said Zelda. "Is there anything we can give you as a reward for your victory?" asked Zelda. "Can I keep the Sword?" Pichu asked hopefully. "Sorry, no." was the reply. "Damn." "Come on, we can talk about a more suitable reward later. For now, help us get Link to the infirmary." Said Zelda. "Okay." Said Pichu a little sadly, walking over to Link's prone form, which was now surrounded by the other Sages.
Ganon appeared in his locker room angrily. "Arrgh! Damn them all! I can't believe I was beaten by that little rat again!" He ran to the exit and tried opening it. It was locked. "Damn it! Maybe I can bust my way out." Ganondorf tried all of his moves, from throwing thunderballs to the Gerudo Dragon, and the door stayed firmly shut. He was trapped. "There must be some way out of here." He muttered. Then he saw the air vent. "Of course! I'll crawl out of the ventilation system!" He ran over to the grille and pulled it off. He then attempted to squeeze into the duct, only to find he couldn't get anything below his shoulders through. "Of all the.I can't believe this! I'm too big to fit through the duct! Well, it looks like I'm stuck in this room until tomorrow. At least I've got cable and satellite TV, instead of that crappy black and white junk in the Evil Realm." He started to pull himself out of the duct and suddenly came across a problem. He was stuck. "Oh no! I don't believe this! How can so many bad things happen to me in one day? It's like the Gods hate me or something! Well, at least I doubt that anything worse can happen." That's when he heard a great, horrific noise echoing through the duct, emanating from the room just next to him. At first Ganon thought some horrible monster had gotten into the ventilation system and was coming to eat his face or something, but it turned out to be far worse. The next room's occupant was Bowser, who asleep and snoring very loudly. The snoring echoed through the metal walls of the duct, amplifying the noise and hurting Ganondorf's ears. He started screaming from rage, frustration, and sheer unhappiness.
Ah, poor Ganondorf! Don't worry folks; he'll get himself out soon. By the way, remember that the vents are too small for a big guy like Ganondorf to go through. This can be considered a clue as to the mystery of the thievery of Cortex's masks. So you can eliminate anyone on your lists who's about Ganondorf's size or bigger, like Bowser for instance. Anyway, this is only the first half of the break. The second half contains something special for all you Scales lovers. I should have it up in a few days, honest. Next time: Scales and the rest of the Sonic Team go on a trip to one of the most fascinating places known to man, especially to a lizard who has never been in a place like this. Where are they going that's so fascinating? Find out on the next.Super Smash Bosses!
The time: after the second round. The place: Majora/The Happy Mask Salesman's room. The room was nice and neat. The Salesman had left it pretty much the way he had found it, aside from placing lots of masks on the walls. There was one other addition to the room that the Salesman had made. There was a pedestal placed atop a twisted pillar of stone. On the pedestal sat the mask of Majora, immobile for the time being. The Salesman glared at his prized possession. "What did you do to Mewtwo out there?" "Nothing, Master. I merely broke his spine, along with a few other body parts." The mask replied. "That's not what I mean, and you know it! The infirmary should have released him and Garm by now, but they haven't! They're both in comas. They fell into comas during your matches, so that leads me to believe it's your fault. Now I ask you again, what did you do to him?" Majora stayed silent for a moment, and then spoke. "Master, I have caused nothing but physical harm to my opponents. I do not see why you are insistent that it is my fault they are in comas. I do not have any idea why they are comatose, but I swear by the dark gods that I did not do it." The Salesman frowned. "Why do I not believe you? You have never been one to keep an oath before. Perhaps I should try more forceful measures to get the truth out of you." "Such as?" The salesman reached into his pocket and pulled out a small bag. He untied it and poured a little of its contents onto his hand. It looked like some kind of blue powder. He sprinkled it on the evil mask and murmured an incantation in a long forgotten tongue. Finally, he asked again. "What did you do to those fighters to make them comatose?" "Absolutely nothing, Master. I already told you that." The Salesman blinked, surprised. The spell he had just performed was supposed to make Majora tell the truth. Either the spell wasn't working, or Majora was telling the truth. Since the spell had worked many times in the past, there was no reason why it wouldn't work now. That meant Majora obviously did nothing to the Smashers. Curious. "Well, you seem to not be responsible for their condition. I guess I'll just have to believe you then." He checked a watch on his wrist. "Ooh, it's time for As the Earthworm Jim turns! Let's watch." Majora groaned as the Salesman sat on the bed and turned the TV on, quickly changing the channel to the gods-awful soap opera. He sneered mentally and cursed the human. Impudent mortal. Does he really think he can control me like this for much longer? He has yet to realize that ever since the first round I have been strong enough to escape his magical bonds and immunize myself to his weak truth spell. I am stronger than before, but not yet strong enough. But when the time is right, I will kill him. This I truly swear by the blackened heart of my father. So, "Master," I suggest you watch yourself, for soon you will die. And then the universe will follow.
Wario and Waluigi were once again in the Italian restaurant. Wario was sobbing while his brother tried to comfort him. "Come on-a bro, it's not-a that bad." "But now I can-a never get Daisy back! That stupid frog will-a do horrible stuff to her!" "Come-a on, brother, chin up! You still have a chance-a at getting her back!" "I do? How? Did you-a win the lottery or something?" "No, don't-a you see? Your current predicament is-a exactly the same as-a the plot in Super Mario-a 64. Mario didn't-a give up to that big bad turtle, so why should you give up to-a that stupid frog? You-a can do anything that stupid plumber can-a do, even better than him!" Wario blinked and wiped away his tears. "You're-a right, Waluigi! I can do-a anything that plumber can do! I-a can do anything he can, even better than-a him!" "Yeah!" "I'm-a gonna go-a back to the Vegetable Kingdom and-a march right into that castle!" "Yeah!!" "I'm-a gonna go through the numerous and-a pointless painting-a worlds and collect all of those stupid stars and-a keys I need to move throughout the castle!" "Yeah!!!" "I'm-a gonna find that-a stupid Wart and-a clobber him all three times I need to beat him!" "Yeah!!!!" "I'm-a gonna show that frog who's boss and-a rescue my girlfriend!" "Yeah!!!!!" "And I'm-a gonna do it all right-a after we get our lunch!" "YEAH!!!!!"
In the infirmary, nothing short of a miracle would stop someone else's tears. Mew looked sadly at her son as more salty drops were shed from her eyes. She had tried everything she could to help him. She had tried contacting him psychically, mentally possessing his body to make it wake up, even gave him an infusion of her divine, golden blood in an attempt top heal his mind, but nothing had worked. It was like he wasn't even there anymore. She started speaking, even though she knew he couldn't hear. "Mewtwo, I got a call from Celebi. He says we got the top bid for the Master Stone. In a few hours, we'll have won the rock and can pay for it with the consolation money you got. Congratulations Mewtwo, you've saved Pokemopolis. You did not let your people down. Team Rocket will never penetrate the hallowed walls of our ancestral home." She turned her head away. "It's such a shame you can't be awake for this. You would have been so happy that we had won, even though you lost the match. If only you could hear me Mewtwo, I could tell you how proud I am of you. You are the best son a mother could have, even if you were cloned from me." She floated next to Mewtwo's head, close to his hidden earflaps. She whispered into them, "I wish you could hear me, so I could tell you how much I love you." She floated back to her original seat looking over his bed. The tears wouldn't stop flowing. She wasn't crying just because Mewtwo was in a seemingly hopeless coma, she was crying because of a range of conflicting emotions raging through her at that moment. She was happy, because they had effectively secured the artifact that would make Pokemopolis' future a reality. She was angry; full of hate for the vile mask that had done this to her child. And she was bitter, because she knew she was helpless. She was a goddess. She had sired the entire Pokemon species in all of its 300- odd variations. She had been the object of worship for many ancient cults and civilizations, which in the end lead to their downfall as well, for all argued on which society she had truly chosen to serve her. She had made a home for lost Pokemon, abandoned by their trainers to live in a wild environment they no longer felt familiar in. She had created a magical stone that could protect an entire city from penetration by anything short of a dozen nuclear warheads. And despite all this, she could do nothing to save her son. A single silvery tear fell onto the prone Pokemon's stomach and evaporated, testament to the fact that not even the gods are all- powerful.
Bowser drank from a bottle of champagne and sat down hard on the cushions that made up his bed. He shook the bottle, finding it empty, and threw it over his shoulder. He fell on his stomach, exhausted from the day's fighting. He pulled the same photo from his shell as before the one of his wife and children. Partly because of the wine, he was forced to remember the day almost a month ago that had made him decide to come here.
Bowser laughed heartily. He hadn't had this much fun for a while. "Come on Wendy, pass it to daddy!" he yelled. His only daughter, Wendy, grinned and threw the empty Buzzy Beetle shell to her father. He caught it and hurled it at one of his sons, Ludwig. The blue-haired turtle grabbed the shell, dribbled it, and shot it at the net, scoring a three-pointer. The team cheered. Bowser was playing basketball with his kids, something he had not done recently. It felt good for him to spend quality time like this with his children. It helped bring him out of his usual anger and depression, for a moment making him forget about avenging their mother. It also helped him in his lengthy decisions on which of the kids would be his heir. Morton, who was on the opposing team, got the ball first and started passing it back and forth among his fellow siblings and teammates. Despite their tactics and strategy, they quickly lost the ball. Bowser quickly took the ball when it was passed to him, ran across the court, and did a grand slam dunk, winning the game. His teammates cheered and gathered around him, followed by their siblings on the opposing team. It had only been a game, so there was no reason not to be angry that their other family members had won, right? Their cheering was abruptly cut off as the castle suddenly shook, as if from an earthquake. The kids screamed and got out of the way as Bowser fell over, unsettled by the tremors. As he tried to get back on his feet, he was horrified to see every one of his children vanish before him! "Kids? Kids! Where are you?!" Then, abruptly as they started, the tremors stopped. "What's going on?" The doors to the basketball court burst open. Mist streamed from the opening, and an imposing figure strode out of the doorway. It was a tall being, looking like a king, covered head to toe in steel and carrying a heart of coal. Bowser gasped at this familiar villain. "Hello Bowser. Long time no see, eh?" "SMITHY! I thought we got rid of you once and for all!" "You didn't. As you can see, I am still quite alive. I have merely been biding my time and regaining my old strength. And now, after all this time, I have returned!" "I'm not going to let you fulfill whatever evil you're up to, Smithy! You're not taking this world without a fight!" "Who said anything about talking over the world? This is all about revenge, dear Koopa. I have returned to wreak vengeance on those who defeated me last time, and you're first on my list." "Is that so? Well, I think you'll find that I've gotten a lot stronger than I was last time. I've got the legendary Star Rod, which makes me invincible!" "Oh?" Smithy raised his free hand and suddenly, a great broadsword appeared in it. "This here is the legendary Star Sword, which contains power equal or greater to that of the Star Rod. If you would like to test out your silly little wand on my great blade, I would be more than happy to oblige." Bowser started to reach into his shell for the Rod. ".But I must warn you that your children's lives will be forfeit." Bowser froze. "What did you say?" Smithy gestured with his sword. A ring of flames appeared in the air. An image formed in it, showing the seven Koopa Kids frightened and surrounded by the Axem Rangers. "If you battle me and lose, your children will die. Even if you win, they may still die, for the Rangers have orders to annihilate the brats at my command." The ring and image vanished. "So what will it be, Bowser? Will you battle me to the death for your kingdom and risk losing your heirs, or will you give me the ransom I now demand for their lives?" "Ransom?" "Yes, I will release your children if you give me no less than five million Nintendo dollars." "Why do you want it?" Bowser asked suspiciously. "That is none of your concern. Now tell me, what is your answer?" Bowser hesitated, and then slumped, his head lowered in resignation. "I'll get you the money." "Excellent! I assure you I will not harm your children while you are away. After all, they are my bargaining chips, so to speak. Go now and find the money, and don't return until you do." Some of Smithy's minions suddenly appeared. "My minions will show you the exit. Remember, do not enter my castle unless you have the money."
The minions roughly shoved Bowser across the drawbridge, and then raised it, leaving Bowser locked out of his own home. The King of the Koopas looked up at his castle sneering at the giant sword sticking out of the top of the black citadel. He had hoped never to have to see that again. Sadly, Bowser turned around and walked down the trail leading away from his castle. He had a long way to go, and he didn't even really know where he was heading.
About a week ago, Bowser had still not found the money he needed. He dared not go to his subjects for aid, because that would be equivalent to raising the taxes too high. Besides, he doubted any of them had the money he needed. He couldn't go to his enemies, for he had sworn never to work with the killer of his wife again. Sure, he had worked with Peach the last time Smithy came, but he was desperate then. His only option had been to wander around, looking for something he doubted he would find. Then he had seen the announcement of the tournament in the newspaper. He knew this was his chance. He had hitched a ride from the Mario World to Virtual Earth, where he had gotten registered. And here he was now; ready to enter the third round in a big fight against Majora. If he won, he would proceed into the final round in a fight against either Scales or Heinrich, neither of which he doubted he would beat. But that was okay; the loser of the final match would receive a consolation of eight million dollars, more than enough to pay off Smithy. And if he lost the match against Majora, he would still get five million, and he would pay off Smithy anyway. Either way, he would save the kids. He put away the photograph and started dozing off. But as he drifted away, he wondered to himself whether it would have been more honorable to fight Smithy instead of paying him off.
Chaos sighed and continued packing his bags. He was not quite shamed by his failure, but he felt like he was no longer needed here. He was heading home to Angel Island. Tikal and the Chao needed him. He paused as the phone rang. He grabbed it off the hook with a tendril and held it to his "mouth." "Hello?" "Hi, Chaos?" said the familiar voice on the line. "Tikal! What is it?" "I just called to congratulate you on the fight." Chaos was shocked. "Congratulate me? Why? I lost the match! Now we can't create the Chaotic Foundation." "Hey, you did extraordinarily well in that fight. You fought like a demon! Scales was a great opponent, and she almost lost to you. And you got some prize money, it won't be enough to make the Foundation, but it will be enough to create some more Chao Sanctuaries." "What good are Chao Sanctuaries when proper guidance and care is not provided for my children? Millions of people mistreat Chao daily despite their supposedly irresistible charm and cuteness. The Foundation would have prevented that." He said, pouting. The Chaotic Foundation was a special project Chaos had thought up. Despite its being called a Foundation, it was not a government and taxpayer funded wildlife preservation organization. The Chaotic Foundation was a mixture of magic, technology and Chaos energy that would result in a powerful semi sentient ethereal force that would provide ultimate care and protection for the Chao, keeping them from harm forever. Chaos cared deeply for the welfare of his far-flung children, and in truth didn't really trust them to be taken care of properly by anyone he did not deem worthy, which was just about everybody but Tikal. The money he would win from the tournament would be put into making the Foundation galaxy wide; to completely eliminate any more need for Chao Gardens and Sanctuaries. "Chaos, you know I never really was pleased with the idea of this Foundation." "Yes, but-" "But nothing. I know you're not happy with anyone else taking care of the Chao, but you've got to learn to trust other people a little better. You've always been a bit overprotective with the Chao. Hell, that's why you wiped out my tribe and I had to imprison you in the first place! I do admit killing Chao is a horrible sin, but it's not worth killing everyone over just to make things safe for the remaining Chao. While it is true that many people mistreat Chao and/or kill them, many more help the Chao develop to their true potential. The Foundation would have kept Chao from experiencing contact with anyone but their own kind, and prevent them from really learning interaction with others. And people would never get to experience the joy of raising their own Chao." Chaos hesitated. "I.I guess you're right Tikal. Perhaps I have been too overprotective. What do you suggest we do instead?" "Use the prize money to make some more Chao Gardens so more people can enjoy the privilege of their own Chao. It will benefit everyone, including the Chao. And we could save some money for ourselves so we could get that hot tub we wanted." she hinted playfully. He chuckled. "Yes, I would love to.join you in a hot tub. (Now, before any of you point out that there's no reason for Chaos to need a hot tub since he's made of water, think about his statement very carefully. Then think about Tikal in a bathing suit. And also remember that hot tubs need water.) Do you want me to come home now?" "Home? No! You don't want to stay and see the rest of the tournament in person? I would think that would be nice." "Hey, I don't care about seeing this in person. I would much rather watch the tournament at home with you then see it live." "Really?" "Of course, baby. There's nobody I'd rather watch the remainder of the tournament with than you and the Chao." "Oh Chaos.all right, I'll see you tomorrow then. Try to get back before round 3 starts, okay?" "I'll be back before noontime feeding. I promise I'll be back in time. I'll see you then." "Bye Chaos. I love you." "I love you too."
Ganondorf was in a lousy mood. He stormed through the garden, lashing out at anything in sight. He couldn't believe that stupid Koopa Bowser had beaten him. How could he, the great king of evil, lose to a dumb turtle? Grumbling, he suddenly found himself face to face with his nemesis, the Hero of Time and his winged lightbulb. He growled. "Get out of my way, Skirt Boy!" "Hey, it's a tunic!" said Navi. "Buzz off, lightbulb." "That's Princess of the Fairies to you, Ganondork!" Navi shot back. Ganondorf made as if to swat Navi, but was stopped by Link. "Navi, Ganondorf, please don't fight. Remember Navi, we're not here to insult him." "Oh, then why are you here, Hero Boy?" snarled Ganondorf. "I want to apologize for your loss. I thought you did quite well against Bowser. And hey, two and a half million dollars is still plenty of money right? It should be more than enough to fix up your keep." Ganondorf's sanity, quite fragile at the moment due to his recent humiliating defeat by Pichu and his loss to Bowser, snapped. "Okay, that's it!" he bellowed. "Huh?" said Link, confused. "We're going to settle this once and for all, Hero! You, me, the firefly and the Sages on the parking lot in half an hour! Be there." With that, Ganondorf whirled around and stomped out of the garden. Link stared after him, confused. "Navi, what just happened?" "I think Ganondorf finally lost it. I believe he's just challenged you to a duel." Said his ever-faithful fairy companion. "Oh, I see. Well, it shouldn't be that difficult. I've beaten him a million times before, once more shouldn't be any big deal, right?" "I don't know, Link. This time Ganondorf has the legendary blade of evil, the Slave Sword. He may be too much for you to handle." "Oh, come on! It can't be that bad." "Link, have I ever steered you wrong before?" "Well." "My advice has always been accurate, though admittedly random and often irritating. But I assure you that this sword is dangerous. It was forged by the Devil himself to counteract the effects of the blade forged by his sister, the Goddess of Time, the very blade now in your scabbard. Be very careful, Link." "Well, aren't I always?" Navi snickered. "What about the time you recklessly jumped off all those really high cliffs?" "Well." "Or the time you tried to fight Bongo Bongo without the Lens of Truth and get clobbered?" "Um." "Or the time you used the Mirror Shield incorrectly in the fight against Twinrova and got frozen AND burned?" "Er." "Or the time you tried to hit Phantom Ganon from the center of the Boss Chamber and kept getting hit by lightning despite my advice to stick to the edge of the arena, where you would be safe?" "Okay, okay, I get your drift! I'll just have to rely on your sage wisdom and targeting to get through the battle as always." "Thank you, I will."
Half an hour later.Ganondorf tapped his foot impatiently in a cleared space in the middle of the parking lot. Zelda and the Sages had already arrived and were sitting on the hoods and roofs of surrounding cars. Link and Navi finally showed up, ready for action. "Linky-poo, what took you so long?" whined Ruto. "I've had to sit on this cold metal roof for five minutes now!" "Oh, shut up." Everyone said to her. "Ah, so at last you show up!" said Ganondorf. "I thought you were going to run away, frightened of actually having to battle me. So hero, are you ready to lose?" "Ready as I'll ever be." Said Link. Everyone looked at him, surprised. "What? Oh! I, I didn't mean it that way! I meant I'm ready to fight, not ready to lose." "Whatever." Muttered Ganondorf. "Now, prepare to meet your doom!" "Sure." Said Link, drawing the Master Sword. "So, how do you want to do this? A sword fight like in the movies?" Ganondorf shook his head. "No, no, I've got something better." Ganondorf drew the Slave Sword from its scabbard. He raised his right hand in the air, the Triforce of Power glowing brightly on his fist. Ganondorf was surrounded in an aura of greenish white light. And as the light encompassed him, he transformed. When the light faded, Ganondorf was no longer a green-skinned Gerudo male. He was now a great monster, greenish in flesh. He was twenty feet high, with cloven hooves for feet. A loincloth of sorts surrounded his privates. A long, reptilian tail sprouted from his behind, spiked at the end like a Stegosaurus. He wore a silvery necklace with several orange stones, just like he did normally. His arms were thickly knotted with muscles, ending in great fists. His head was like that of a boar, with curved tusks and horns, yellow eyes, and an orange jewel in a silver setting placed on his forehead. A mane of long red hair came out from his head, going down his back in three separate plaits. Instead of holding two crystalline broadswords, he only held the Slave Sword, now greatly enlarged and lengthened, held by both of the monster's hands. He had become the monstrous Ganon, Beast of Doom. Ganon snorted, and a ring of fire surrounded the area in which he and Link would fight. Link's hold on the Master Sword tensed as he waited for the first moved. Ganon ambled towards Link, sword ready. Link raised the Master Sword. Ganon swung, knocking the Master Sword out of Link's hands and sending it spinning out of the ring, where it imbedded itself in the lid of a car. Ganon chuckled as Link gulped. "Come on, Hero! You can defeat Ganon without the Master Sword!" shouted the old Sage Rauru. "Yeah, come on Brother! You can beat that pig!" bellowed the Goron Darunia. "If you beat Ganon, I'll give you a big kiss!" Ruto said eagerly. Link shuddered at the thought. "Come on, Link! Show him what you're made of!" cried Saria. "Use the Force.I mean, the Triforce Link!" yelled Impa. "You can beat that old windbag, kid!" encouraged Nabooru. "Do it, Link! Show that bastard he can't mess with the Hero of Time!" yelled Zelda. "Right! I won't lose! Come on, Navi!" said Link. As Ganon swung the Slave Sword, trying to decapitate his foe, Link rolled under the swipe and through Ganon's legs, uncurling on the other side. He quickly stood up, pulled out the Megaton Hammer, and swung it at Ganon's tail. The beast screamed and spun around, almost hitting Link with another swipe. Link backed away until he was almost at the edge of the ring, pursued by Ganon. Link put away the Hammer, pulled out a Light Arrow, and shot it at Ganon with Navi's targeting. Ganon immediately deflected the arrow with his sword, and surprisingly performed a jump attack, almost cleaving Link in two and cracking the pavement as he landed. Link had managed to sidestep the attack and struck Ganon's tail again with the Hammer. Ganon spun around again as Link backflipped away and attempted a direct stab. Link was unable to use his shield while holding the Hammer, so tried to use the Hammer itself as a shield. This proved to be a mistake. The blade cut through the wooden handle of the hammer, its point almost cutting Link's nose. Ganon withdrew the blade. The Hammer's head fell off, severed from the handle, leaving Link holding a useless stick. Frightened, he threw the stick away and pulled out the Longshot, the only other weapon he had that could damage Ganon's tail. He quickly moved away from the monster while keeping him targeted via Navi, and fired his Longshot at Ganon's head, trying to stun him. With incredible speed, Ganon chopped with the Slave Sword, shattering the chain and grappling hook of the Longshot, rendering it completely useless. Link was starting to understand what Navi meant about the Slave Sword being dangerous. "Navi, what can I hit him with?!" "You still have your arrows, right? You can probably shoot one at his tail and hurt him, I hope." "But how can I even stun him long enough to get behind him? He has an excellent defense!" "I'll distract him, you hit him. Got it? Good. Here I go!" Navi flew right in front of Ganon's eyes and started flashing at her brightest, hurting the monster's sensitive eyes. He wailed and tried to shield his eyes from the fairy's light, but she always got past his sword. Link drew a Light Arrow and aimed carefully, waiting for the right opening. When Ganon's sword was away from his face, Link shot the arrow, striking him right between the eyes! The bolt exploded in burst of light, stunning Ganon. Link ran around to his back and shot the tail with a normal arrow. Ganon spun around and slashed with the Slave Sword. Before Link could bring up his shield, Ganon had cut through the top half of the Fairy Bow, rendering it totally useless. Link was now completely weaponless, as bombs would take too long to explode and damage the monster and he didn't have any of his spells with him. There was nothing he could do. Link gulped and backed away as Ganon grinned and loomed over him, sword ready. Navi tried to distract him again, but the monster just swatted her away with a massive hand. Taking a full grip on the sword, Ganon brought it down in a slash. Link attempted to block with his Hylian Shield, but the Slave Sword shattered the metal defense and cut open Link's chest, drawing blood. All present gasped. Losing hold of what was left of his shield, Link looked down at his chest in disbelief, and then keeled over, lying on the ground as a pool of blood welled up around him. Navi screamed and flew to his body, hovering around his head. Ganon laughed. "HAHAHAHAHAHA! Yes! At last, at long last, I have won! Hahahahaha! Who's the man now, huh?" He grinned at the looks of shock and horror on the Sages' faces. "And now, to claim my final prize from my fallen enemy, the Triforce of Courage!" Letting go of the sword with his right hand, Ganon leaned down to touch Link's right hand when suddenly a voice rang out from across the wall of fire. "Stop right there, Ganon!" cried a young, female voice. "Wha? Who dares?" bellowed Ganon, turning around to see who was stopping him. He gasped, as did all the other Sages upon seeing the interloper. Standing on the hood of the car where the Master Sword was imbedded was none other than."Pichu!" growled Ganon. "Yup, it's me Ganny! And I'm here to stop you from killing Mr. Link." Said the baby Pokemon. "Oh? And how do you expect to do that?" asked Ganon. "With this!" said Pichu. She raised her right hand, er, paw in the air. The symbol of the Triforce appeared on the back of her hand. However, it was not any of the three gold triangles that were highlighted, but the empty, middle triangle, which was now glowing bright red. Rauru gasped. "It-it can't be!" he exclaimed. "What? What is that thing?" asked Ruto. "It is the legendary missing piece of the Triforce, the True Force!" said Rauru. "The what?" asked Nabooru. "I've never heard of any True Force." Said Zelda. "That is because it is not known in many legends, it vanished from history long before the dawn of modern Hylian society! Nobody knows where it went or how, but it is astonishing that this Pichu has it!" said Rauru. "A fourth piece of the Triforce? I must have it!" said Ganon angrily. "Well, you'll have to fight me to get it!" said Pichu. "However did you get it?" asked Impa. Pichu smiled. "Well, all of you Hylians know how the three goddesses Din, Nayru and Farore created the land of Hyrule, right? And how after they were finished, the Goddesses created the Triforce and placed it in the Sacred Realm for the use of the people?" Everyone nodded. "Well, what very few people know is that the mother of the Goddesses, the Supreme Deity the Goddess of Time, added a fourth piece to the Triforce, turning it into the Tetraforce. The fourth piece, the True Force, was supposed to have power over the other pieces, able to neutralize their magic. A long time ago, before civilized people loved in Hyrule, a caveman accidentally stumbled into the Sacred Realm and found the Triforce. Seeing as how his heart was not in balance, the four pieces separated, leaving the caveman with none. The three weaker pieces of the Triforce were eventually found and brought back to the Sacred Realm, but the True Force was lost, seemingly forever. However, it was not lost, not really. Just sent to another world. Specifically, the world of Pokemon. There, it was discovered by the prehistoric ancestor of the Pikachu, who accidentally became its master. The True Force started causing this prehistoric Pikachu to evolve faster, and I do not mean it turned into Raichu. It became much like the modern Pikachu, fast, small, intelligent, and able to electrocute things. This Pikachu had now become a sort of Super Pikachu, stronger than all the others. As the Pikachu was now more dominant than the others, it was easy for him to procure a mate. The first Pichu born to that couple received the same Super traits as its father, not to mention the True Force. As it grew up to a Pikachu, the Pichu ended up becoming a little more evolved than its father. This Pikachu soon got a mate, and their first-born also got more evolved and received the True Force at birth. This has continued for millions of years to the present time, where the Super Pikachus look exactly like modern Pikachus but with more electrical power. The last holder of the True Force was my father, the Pikachu of the legendary Pokemon trainer Ash Ketchum. The Force was passed to me at my birth, and so I have it now!" she finished cheerfully. "Well, you are going to be the last of your family to wield the True Force, my dear!" said Ganon. "If you want to stop me from killing the Hero, then come and fight me! The winner (who will surely be me) gets the True Force and chooses what to do with the life of the skirt boy. Agreed?" "Agreed. But I'll need one thing first." Pichu grabbed the Master Sword by its hilt and amazingly pulled it from the hood, wielding it in both hands with ease thanks to the super strength granted her by the True Force. "There, now I'm ready." Ganon opened a gap in the flames, allowing Pichu in. The fire rekindled behind her, trapping her in the ring. "You know of course, that only one of us is going to leave this ring intact. Me!" taunted Ganon. Pichu snorted. "I've beaten you twice before, this time isn't gonna be any different! Though it'll probably take longer than either of our previous fights." Ganon roared and charged at Pichu, swiping with the Slave Sword. Holding the Master Sword, Pichu jumped up, kick-jumped off the flat of the giant Slave Sword, and double-jumped over Ganon's shoulder, slashing at his tail as she came down. Ganon screamed and spun around, swiping at her. His attack went right over her head, seeing as she was so small. Holding the Master Sword down, Pichu ran under Ganon's legs and slashed at his tail again, getting another hit. Ganon turned around and jumped into the air, trying to squash her beneath his hooves. Pichu darted away from the falling Ganon, running to where his back would be facing when he landed. When he struck the ground, cracking more pavement, Pichu cut at his tail, which was now facing her. Ganon spun around, his downward-pointed sword sweeping towards her. Pichu struck out with the Mast Sword. The two blades collided. They startled trembling, not liking contact with one another. Pichu immediately charged her body, sending electricity up the Master Sword, through Ganon's sword, and shocking the monster. While Ganon was screaming from the electricity, Pichu ran around his back and slashed at his tail again. Ganon screamed, then swung his tail, catching Pichu off guard and knocking her away in pain. She winced and got up, barely avoiding a chop from the Slave Sword. Pichu hit the evil sword with her own, generating another shock that stunned Ganon and allowing her time to get another hit on his tail. Ganon screamed and ran away from the electric mouse turning around when he was in the middle of the ring. He held out his sword horizontally and stood still, concentrating. The sword suddenly started collecting energy from all around, turning blue, then a bright red. Ganon lashed out with the sword, spinning around and sending out a wave of red energy that smashed into Pichu, causing her to scream and knocking her into the wall of fire. Zelda and the other Sages did that annoying scream/gasp that you hear whenever you get hurt in the final battle with Ganon in OoT. She screamed again and fell away, the yellow fur on her back burned away. She bit her lip and struggled to her feet, still holding the Master Sword. She raised it in the air and charged at Ganon, yelling. He charged as well. Just before they reached each other, Pichu skidded to a halt and raised her arms in the air, crying out. A mighty lightning bolt shot down from the heavens, striking Ganon in the head. He roared and screamed in pain as Pichu's Thunder attack spread throughout his body, paralyzing him. Pichu took advantage of this and ran behind Ganon. Before striking, she paused and raised the Master Sword, crying out again. Another lightning bolt shot down, striking the Master Sword and going into her body, supercharging herself and the sacred sword. Now crackling with electricity, Pichu raised the Sword, also crackling with electricity, and launched a devastating series of jump attacks against Ganon, each one striking for more damage than ever before and causing the monster's body to convulse with more and more electricity. Ganon finally screamed, coming out of his paralysis. Her temporary power fading, Pichu quickly moved away, fearing a counterattack. Ganon turned around, stumbled, and fell to the ground. The flames died out. Ganon grunted and tried to get to his feet, but was struck by a blast of golden light fired from princess Zelda, causing him to fall back onto the ground. "Pichu, I am holding Ganon with my magic! Use the sacred blade and deliver the final blow!" Zelda shouted. The golden light faded. Ganon shook on the ground, trying to get up and failing. Pichu ran around to Ganon's front and held out the Master Sword. The True Force glowed on her paw, sending power into the Master Sword. The magic blade glowed a bright red, ready to defeat its foe. Pichu screamed a battle cry and attacked. She slashed once with the sword horizontally, drawing green blood. She performed a vertical chop, leaving a long cut that spewed more blood. Finally, she thrusted, stabbing Ganon right between his eyes. There was a pause, and suddenly Ganon leapt to his feet, knocking the sword from his eyes and away from Pichu. He swung the Slave Sword wildly, going totally berserk. Zelda raised her hands. "Sages, I call upon you to bind the Evil incarnation of Darkness, imprisoning him in his locker room until he cools off and stops being so crazy!" Rauru got off of his rear and stood on the top of the car. "My fellow Sages, let us combine our power and finish off the King of Evil!" "Hey, why are you two saying such weird lines reminiscent of the ending sequence from Ocarina of Time?" asked Saria. "Yeah, it's kind of weird." Said Nabooru. "Well, uh, look, we're just playing things out, okay? Come on, let's combine our power!" said Rauru. The other Sages got up onto the roofs of their cars as well. They all concentrated. One by one, they turned into a ball of colored light, yellow for Rauru, green for Saria, blue for Ruto, orange for Nabooru, red for Darunia, and purple for Impa. The balls streaked through the air, zooming around the parking lot, before colliding in the air right above Ganon, turning into a swirling vortex of white light. Ganon screamed as the Slave Sword dropped from his hands and he was turned back into Ganondorf. He slowly rose into the air, spinning into the vortex with a grotesque look of hatred on his face. "Curse you Sages! Curse you Zelda! Curse you Pichu! Thanks to you, I am defeated and am now banished to my room!" "Wow, that's really obvious." Muttered Pichu. "I may be gone for now, but someday.er, when will this spell of yours break?" Ganondorf asked Zelda. "Tomorrow." She replied. "Right, tomorrow the seal on my prison will break and I will return to kill your descendants!" he continued. "But I don't think any of us have descendants yet." Said Pichu. "Actually, Darunia has a son." Said Zelda. "Okay, so I will return to kill Darunia's kid and the rest of you!" By now, he had stopped spinning and was floating on his back into the vortex. "As long as I have the Triforce of Power, I promise this." He was sucked into the vortex. There was a flash, and the Sages reappeared on the ground, the vortex gone. As they shook their heads, disoriented, Pichu panted and dropped the sword. "Phew! That was a tough workout." "Yes, but you did marvelously." Said Zelda. "Is there anything we can give you as a reward for your victory?" asked Zelda. "Can I keep the Sword?" Pichu asked hopefully. "Sorry, no." was the reply. "Damn." "Come on, we can talk about a more suitable reward later. For now, help us get Link to the infirmary." Said Zelda. "Okay." Said Pichu a little sadly, walking over to Link's prone form, which was now surrounded by the other Sages.
Ganon appeared in his locker room angrily. "Arrgh! Damn them all! I can't believe I was beaten by that little rat again!" He ran to the exit and tried opening it. It was locked. "Damn it! Maybe I can bust my way out." Ganondorf tried all of his moves, from throwing thunderballs to the Gerudo Dragon, and the door stayed firmly shut. He was trapped. "There must be some way out of here." He muttered. Then he saw the air vent. "Of course! I'll crawl out of the ventilation system!" He ran over to the grille and pulled it off. He then attempted to squeeze into the duct, only to find he couldn't get anything below his shoulders through. "Of all the.I can't believe this! I'm too big to fit through the duct! Well, it looks like I'm stuck in this room until tomorrow. At least I've got cable and satellite TV, instead of that crappy black and white junk in the Evil Realm." He started to pull himself out of the duct and suddenly came across a problem. He was stuck. "Oh no! I don't believe this! How can so many bad things happen to me in one day? It's like the Gods hate me or something! Well, at least I doubt that anything worse can happen." That's when he heard a great, horrific noise echoing through the duct, emanating from the room just next to him. At first Ganon thought some horrible monster had gotten into the ventilation system and was coming to eat his face or something, but it turned out to be far worse. The next room's occupant was Bowser, who asleep and snoring very loudly. The snoring echoed through the metal walls of the duct, amplifying the noise and hurting Ganondorf's ears. He started screaming from rage, frustration, and sheer unhappiness.
Ah, poor Ganondorf! Don't worry folks; he'll get himself out soon. By the way, remember that the vents are too small for a big guy like Ganondorf to go through. This can be considered a clue as to the mystery of the thievery of Cortex's masks. So you can eliminate anyone on your lists who's about Ganondorf's size or bigger, like Bowser for instance. Anyway, this is only the first half of the break. The second half contains something special for all you Scales lovers. I should have it up in a few days, honest. Next time: Scales and the rest of the Sonic Team go on a trip to one of the most fascinating places known to man, especially to a lizard who has never been in a place like this. Where are they going that's so fascinating? Find out on the next.Super Smash Bosses!