This is gonna mostly be a Zelda/Shield Hero crossover, but I'll be including a bunch of other characters from different games.

Another thing: I'm going to have little label markers for the introductions of certain characters and monsters. I'm mostly taking inspiration from how Nintendo does it in the Zelda games. Here's an example of a monster's intro straight from the Zelda series in the format I'm using:

Parasitic Armored Arachnid

GOHMA

And here's an example of a character introduction in my format, also from the Zelda series:

King Rhoam

The Last King of Hyrule

One more thing: the cover art is not mine, it was made by animetayl on DeviantArt.

Anyway, on with the story!


Aris Atreides

Multiverse Traveler from Hyrule


Aris milled about the library in the temple of Lady Palutena, the Goddess of Light. He'd been staying here in Skyworld with her, as well as her loyal angel named Pit, for quite some time now. Pit had always been Aris's closest friend ever since he'd met the angel, and the two of them had almost become like brothers.

The Hylian perused the many shelves in the library, looking for a good read to keep himself occupied. Aris often came here to the library after returning from battle, wanting to rest and recuperate before he would be needed again.

Aris soon found an intriguing book with a red cover and a well-worn binding, making it stand out from the other well-maintained books in the library. He pulled it from the shelf and examined the cover.

The cover of the book was a shade of well-worn crimson, and had a strange symbol emblazoned on it. "'The Four Cardinal Weapons,'" said Aris, reading the title aloud to himself. "What the hell, I'll give it a read."

Aris opened to the first page of the book. "'In order to save the world from the waves of apocalyptic catastrophe, four heroes will be summoned from another world.'" He turned the page. "Seems like pretty standard stuff for a novel."

He continued to read, "'Each hero wields a distinctive weapon. A sword, a shield, a spear, or a bow.'" He thought for a moment. "A shield isn't really a weapon in most cases. It's more of a means of defense."

"I guess all four of those heroes are the main protagonists," Aris said to himself as he flipped through the first few pages. "We've got spotlights on the sword, bow, spear...even the shield hero gets-"

Aris stopped as he turned to the next page. There was nothing. Not a single word or picture. The page was completely empty. "Wait a minute," Aris said. "Where's the rest of the-?"

Suddenly, the book began to glow bright yellow as Aris continued to flip through blank page after blank page.

A brilliant flash of bright light emitted from the book and engulfed Aris completely. Before long, the library was no longer around him, and the Hylian was falling through a vortex of golden light.

He landed, finding himself in the center of some sort of circle which glowed bright teal.

"Fantastic!" said a voice. "The summoning was successful!"

A group of men clothed in hooded robes stood before him.

Aris was confused as he started to pull himself up. "What the..?"

"Brave heroes," said another hooded man. "Won't you please save our world from pure evil?"

Aris staggered to his feet, confused, but already willing to save yet another world. He noticed three other people near him, each wielding a different weapon. One carried a sword, another held a spear, and the third brandished a bow.

Aris placed a hand against his temple. "Where am I?"

"Please, brave heroes!" said another hooded person. "Our world is in dire need of rescue!"

"Is this for real?" said one of the other "heroes".

Aris raised his hand, as if he were a student in a classroom wanting to ask something of the teacher. "What do you mean it's in need of saving?"

"The story behind it all is quite long and complicated," said the leader of the hooded men, who wore his hood down. "But suffice it to say that you are the four Cardinal Heroes, and you were summoned here using an ancient ritual."

So he thinks we're all heroes of legend, Aris thought. I mean, I can understand if he's specifically referring to me, since I hold the Triforce of Courage and wield the Master Sword, but I don't know about the other guys here.

"Our world is in a most delicate state," said the leader of the hooded men, "and it teeters on the precipice of destruction. So we beg of you, o brave heroes," he and the other hooded men bowed their heads, "please lend us your aid!"

Aris nodded his head. "Consider it done."

"Ah, forget it," scoffed one of the other "heroes".

"I also refuse," said another.

"You can send us back to our home world, right?" asked the third. "Do that, and then we can talk."

The "Sword Hero" raised his blade and pointed it at the men. "You brought the four of us here without our consent. Don't you even feel at least a little guilty about it? Not only that, but if you boot us out of here as soon as we restore peace, we'd have done all that work for nothing."

"How willing are you to accommodate our requests?" asked the "Spear Hero". "We might just be your enemies rather than friends, depending on your answer."

Aris facepalmed. Why had these three bastards been summoned? Their behavior was nowhere near that of a hero. A hero should rescue those in need and expect nothing in return, not just do it for fame and glory.

"Good sirs," said the leader of the men, "before I say any more, we would like you to have an audience with the king of Melromarc. You can negotiate rewards with him directly."

The Bow Hero sighed. "Alright, fine."

"I suppose we'll consider their offer," said the Sword Hero.

"Sure," agreed the Spear Hero. "Doesn't matter who we talk to, our demands won't change."

Aris sighed. "Could those dipshits be any more self-centered?" he muttered.

The Hylian followed the other three Heroes out of the room and up a staircase. The stairs were spiral-shaped; the four were clearly ascending some kind of tower. Aris glanced out of a window in the wall to his left. A large city was outside.

One of the other three Heroes, the Sword Hero, turned back to Aris. "Hey, did you come from Japan, too?"

Aris shook his head. "I've never even been there."

"Then, where did you come from?" asked the Sword Hero.

Aris hesitated before answering, "It's a long story."


"So," said the man Aris assumed was the king of Melromarc. "You young men are the four Cardinal Heroes of ancient legend. This is the land of Melromarc, and I am her king, Aultcray Melromarc XXXII. Welcome, brave heroes. Please, identify yourselves."

The Sword Hero brandished his weapon. "I'm Ren Amaki. I'm a high school student and I'm sixteen years old."


Ren Amaki

Hero of the Sword


"Motoyasu Kitamura," said the Spear Hero. "College student, age twenty-one."


Motoyasu Kitamura

Hero of the Spear


"I'll go next," chimed in the Bow Hero. "Itsuki Kawasumi. I'm still in high school, and I'm seventeen."


Itsuki Kawasumi

Hero of the Bow


Aris raised his left hand, displaying the glowing mark of the Triforce of Courage for all to see. "Aris Atreides. Sixteen years of age. Former prince of Hyrule, bearer of the Triforce of Courage, wielder of the Sword That Seals The Darkness. I make a living by traveling from universe to universe, saving the lands from evil. I train a team of Pokémon."

The other three Heroes looked like they wanted to say something, but held their tongues.

"Now then," said King Melromarc. "I suppose I should explain why you all are here. My beloved kingdom of Melromarc and the entire world surrounding it are on a path to inevitable ruin."

Aris didn't pay much attention from there, but he remembered all the important bits. There was an old prophecy about this world, one that spoke of a series of invasions of destructive force. They came to be known as waves. If the calamities caused by those waves weren't stopped, the world would meet its demise. Every country in this world had possession of an ancient Dragon Hourglass, devices that could predict the arrival of the next wave. The first of the waves had occurred not long before Aris had been summoned. Between the local knights and traveling adventurers, they somehow managed to fend off the monsters. However, every wave would increase in power. The sands in the Hourglass keep trickling as long as the waves kept coming, and the second wave would arrive in less than a month.

"We underestimated the waves," said King Melromarc. "Once we actually experienced the first one and barely survived, we realized that only the four Cardinal Heroes could stop them. So we followed the legend and summoned the four of you, but now, there is no time to lose."

Hold the phone, thought Aris. This sounds exactly like the story in that book I found in Lady Palutena's library!

"Okay," said the Sword Hero. "I think we get the idea. Anyway, I'm sure you didn't bring us here thinking we'd save you for free."

"Of course not," said one of King Melromarc's advisors. "Once you repel all of the waves, I can assure you, you will earn a most handsome reward."

"I guess we have no choice but to take your word for it," said the Spear Hero.

"We'll do it, as long as you don't break your promise," put in the Sword Hero. "But don't you even go thinking you have a leash on us."

"Exactly," added the Bow Hero. "We won't put up with you looking down on us."

Aris pinched the area between his eyebrows. For the love of Hylia, these guys are so full of themselves, he thought.

"If I can trust that we have reached a reasonable agreement," said King Melromarc, "I would ask you brave heroes to now check your statuses."

Aris cocked his head. "What do you mean by that?"

"I'm with him on that one," said Itsuki, the Bow Hero.

"How many brain cells do you two have?" deadpanned Ren, the Sword Hero. "It should've been the first thing you noticed when you got here. Don't you see the icon in the lower right corner of your vision?"

Aris shook his head. "Nope, my eyesight's totally normal."

Ren thought for a moment. "Try that fancy arm of yours, Aris."

Aris mentally willed his arm to pull up his "status", or whatever. The Sheikah Arm's palm plate opened, displaying a translucent blue screen, which showed various pieces of data, including a level system, similar to a video game. "I guess I'm only at level one, then," Aris said.

"That's a disappointment," sighed Itsuki.

"No kidding," agreed Ren.

"Can we even fight like this?" Motoyasu said to himself.

Aris pointed to the translucent screen displayed by his Sheikah Arm. "What is all this?"

"It's called status magic," said King Melromarc's advisor, "and it's an ability exclusive to you Heroes."

"So, what's our first objective?" Aris asked.

"You must embark on an adventure to upgrade these legendary weapons you have equipped," said the advisor. "Or, in Aris's case, train a little more, since he seems to already have equipment at his disposal."

"You mean the others' weapons weren't already at full power?" said Aris.

Motoyasu twirled his spear. "Can't we just wield other weapons until these are usable?"

"I suppose we'll have to figure that out as we go," said Ren. "Regardless, it looks like we've all got a lot of training ahead of us."

"We'll have to level up hard and fast," added Itsuki. "Though it seems Aris won't have much of a problem."

"Once the four of us feel like we're ready," said the Hylian, "we can team up and-"

"One moment, brave heroes," interjected the advisor. "I seem to have neglected to mention that you must each recruit allies and travel separately. It is said that by their very nature, the legendary weapons repel one another. If you try to all travel together, it will apparently hinder their development."

"I think he's telling the truth," said Aris. "And I imagine that the other weapons are translating the verbal and visual information into Japanese, and mine is being somehow translated into Ancient Hylian writing."

"Since the setting of the sun is upon us," said King Melromarc, "rest here for the night. Your quest begins tomorrow. In the meantime, we'll gather the best of the best to help you form your parties."

A brunette woman in the room spoke up. "We have prepared rooms for you all." She gestured to a grand doorway to her left. "Please, sirs. Right this way."


Aris sat silent, pondering his situation as Itsuki, Ren, and Motoyasu discussed why they were here. They were apparently sure that this world was a video game of some sort, and began debating what video game it was. Then they began comparing general knowledge, starting with the question of whose face was on the 1,000 yen bill.

Eventually, they came to the conclusion that they were all from different versions of Japan. Aris had stopped meditating by that point and was doing some routine maintenance on his arm.

Itsuki mentioned the Hylian's name, piquing his attention. "What about Aris?" said the Bow Hero. "Ren told me that he said he wasn't from Japan, and he hasn't even been there."

"Good question," said Motoyasu. "Hey, Aris!"

Aris lifted his head.

"You said you were from some place called 'Hyrule', right? What's it like there?"

Aris lowered his head again. The memories suddenly came back to him. The destruction of his kingdom, millions of lives brutally ended by the Yiga Clan.

The Hylian decided to come clean. "Hyrule was once a prosperous kingdom, similar to this one. Not as technologically advanced as your worlds, in fact it was what you all might refer to as 'medieval'. My twin sister and I were born into the Royal Family, and lived a splendid childhood. But...one day, Hyrule was destroyed. Brought to ashes in a large-scale attack, perpetrated by a long-forgotten group of assassins known as the Yiga Clan. My sister and I were the only ones who survived."

He continued, "Once the dust had settled, Loretta and I wandered the desecrated Hyrule in search of survivors. We traveled to the furthest reaches of Hyrule, from its eastern coastline to the snowy Hebra Mountains of the north, and everywhere in between. It was during this time that we discovered that we were the chosen bearers of the Triforces of Courage and Wisdom, and also the time during which I drew the Master Sword from its resting place within the Korok Forest. We eventually discovered gateways to other universes, and parted ways, traveling to other worlds on our own separate adventures. I travel from world to world, defeating evil after evil, in the hopes that the people of other universes might not have to experience the destruction that was wrought upon Hyrule."

The Spear, Sword, and Bow Heroes were all silent for a while before speaking up. "I thought the reason you aren't from Japan was because you're the Shield Hero," said Itsuki.

"It does make sense," Ren agreed. "I mean, do you even have a shield? You don't seem to be carrying one."

"I do," said Aris, "but what's so bad about a shield?"

"Calm your tits, prince boy," chided Motoyasu. "Let me brush you up on the basics. As far as I've seen, the shielder class that specializes in the shield," Motoyasu narrowed his eyes at Aris, "is for losers. Because no true gamer would ever play it."

"I've never really played any video games," Aris said. "So, you're kinda right."

Motoyasu turned to Ren, ignoring Aris. "What's the terrain like here?"

"It seems like it's what I'm used to," answered Ren.

"Each weapon has its own ideal hunting ground," said Itsuki. "If we spread out..."

Aris zoned out. Whatever, he thought. These bozos clearly have no idea what they're doing. At least, compared to me. I have much more experience than them, and I could easily beat Ren at a sword-on-sword duel. No blade can compare to the might of the Master Sword.

Aris got up from his seat and walked out of the room onto the balcony. He stared out at the night sky, and the city below. Lights glimmered from buildings as the people in the city were getting ready to turn in for the night.

If I'm lucky, thought Aris, I might have a nice girl in my party. My love life in the past has really been lacking, but this might be the chance for me to meet the one. I was chosen for this. I can't fail!

"I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass," said Aris, "and I'm all out of bubblegum!"

Meanwhile, Motoyasu suggested that everyone head back to their quarters. Aris did just that, seating himself on the elaborate bed.

"I guess since they kinda know about my Pokémon, I might as well do this while I'm here," he said.

Aris took something from a pouch on his belt. A small sphere, one half red, the other white. It was about the size of a golf ball, but with the push of a button, it grew to the size of a softball.

Aris tossed the ball to his feet. It opened, and energy beamed out. The light died, and there stood a creature resembling a sort of wolf. "Hey, Lycanroc," Aris said to the Pokémon.

Lycanroc huffed at him indignantly. "Roc..."

Aris sighed. "Yes, I know I should've let you out of your Poké Ball sooner. I just wanted to see if it was safe to let you walk around beside me first."

"Can, Ly?" asked Lycanroc, a concerned look of scolding on her face.

Aris sighed again. "Yes, I've been eating. You don't need to baby me, Lycanroc"

The Hylian may have always acted annoyed whenever Lycanroc behaved like this, but he secretly liked it. Trainers always adopt their Pokémon physically, but Lycanroc had almost adopted him, in a weird way. The Rock-type was always nagging him about taking care of himself, which Aris admittedly wasn't very good at. With Lycanroc's help, he'd been improving, though.

"I suppose I should head to sleep," Aris said to himself, kicking off his boots and removing his outer clothing, leaving himself in a simple off-white shirt and trousers. He removed a hair tie from his hair, freeing his blonde locks from their ponytail and letting them cascade down his neck, stopping at his collarbone. Aris lay down on the bed, resting his head on one of the soft, luxurious pillows. Lycanroc bounced onto the bed with him and curled up by his side. Aris gave the Rock-type a few gentle scratches behind her ears. "Goodnight, Lycanroc," he said quietly.

"Canroc," Lycanroc whispered.