Chapter 14: The tournament commences
All particapents of the Smash Bros Melee tournament, the second one which beared the name Melee, gathered in front of Peach's castle. The Humans, Hylians, Lylatan, Dinosaur, Monkey, Dragon, Pokemon, Ice Climbers and Kirby. Link hadn't yet found a category to fit the pink blob into. He liked it better this way. No idiots. Just the best of the best to fight with. This time, Princess Peach Toadstool herself appeared on the balcony. She used a microphone to announce the beginning of the private tournament. Link looked around and enjoyed the sight of everyone who had come. Yes. He was back. Kyo and Impa were looking from a distance. Terry and Mary weren't there. "Do you know where Mary and Terry are, Kyo?" Impa asked. Kyo shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, but I think they dig each other. They're probably enjoying some time alone." he answered, guessing completely wrong. He had been trained by Zelda to concentrate his flame more and it had indeed improved his skills in the ways of magic. He was glad that Zelda had wanted to help him. He couldn't hear what this Peach was saying, but he could see by the smile on Link's face that he was glad to be back. The group of twelve people and Kirby started to walk into the direction of a place behind the castle, which was a large field littered with two meter high stages. Just the mere sight of these blocks made the fighters feel nostalgic already. Link and Zelda walked hand-in-hand and smiled at each other. This was the place where they had met a year ago. This was the place where their wonderful relation had started. Zelda moved a bit closer to Link. She put her head on his shoulder and he wrapped his arm around her waist. "Feeling the attraction, babe?" Link asked, smiling at Zelda. "We're back, Link. I can't wait to get started." Zelda said happy. The couple walked in between the stages. It didn't took long before Peach joined the fighters as well and several organisors came, who took place on seats above the stages. The sun shone nicely and the sky was littlered with little white clouds. "Okay, everyone knows the rules." one of the organisors said through a megaphone. "I'd say there's nothing which holds us back anymore. Let's get started!" This was met with huge cheers from the fourteen fighters. Kyo, who had followed the group together with Impa and a few other spectators, laughed. He had never seen such a great diversity of fighters. Especially those friends of Link were weird. The ape and the fox. There were four stages available. And the names of the people got called when they had to fight. Link had to fight Bowser and Zelda had to wait. "Wish me luck, babe." Link said smiling, holding Zelda's hands. "Good luck, sweety." Zelda said, placing a kiss on his lips. Link ran the tips of his fingers rapidly across her cheek before he jumped up and grabbed the edge of the stage before he pulled himself up. "I wonder what'll happen." Kyo said curious. "You'll be surprised, Kyo." Impa said smiling. "I don't doubt it." Kyo said. Link saw his opponent had already climbed the stage. The young man drew his sword and readied his shield. He smiled confidently and his eyes narrowed. Bowser was a Dragon, but one that had evolved. He had learned to walk on two feet solely and had learned to speak English. He had kept his firebreathing skills and his incredible strength. He growled at Link with a loud, low voice. "Heard a lot about you, Hylian." he growled. "Is that so?" Link asked. "Yes. Mario releasing something when I was choking him. I had no idea what that had to do with our fight, though." Bowser spoke with the same low voice. Link grinned. "You two must be big friends."
"Yeah." Bowser said, a sort of grin appearing on his face. "Okay, gentlemen. Three, two, one... GO!" the narrator which 'belonged' to Link's fight yelled, signing the start of Link's first match. Bowser didn't take things lightly on his first fight and charged Link in a wild stampede, his horns in Link's direction. Before the Hylian could react, Bowser struck him in his stomach, took him up on his horns and tossed him into the air. Kyo could barely believe his eyes as Bowser had Link fall on his spiked back and Link bounced off onto the ground, after which he stood up as if nothing had happened. Link should've been dead by now! "This isn't normal!" Kyo said, hardly over his surprise. "You've guessed it." Impa said, grinning. "Not bad." Link said and Bowser charged him again. But Link was faster this time. He threw his leg into the air and landed it heel-down on Bowser's head, making the Dragon fall down on his stomach. Link jumped up, pointed his sword down and planted it in Bowser's back, after which he bounced off, made a somersault and landed neatly on the stage. Bowser stood up and shook his head. He took a deep breath and Link was just in time to defend himself from Bowser's fiery breath by using his shield. Bowser looked like a living flamethrower as he engulfed Link in fire. It had no use, though. Link's sturdy shield was a perfect barrier for the young man, so Bowser ceased his attack. This was the sign for Link to attack so he quickly stepped forward and sliced to the left of him, striking Bowser in his stomach. Then he immediatly sliced right, sending Bowser sliding over the arena. "Get him, Link!" Impa yelled. Link rose his thumb to her before he turned to Bowser again. The two charged each other and Link bashed into Bowser with his shoulder, sending him flying off the stage. The Dragon hit the ground next to the stage with his back before he stood up. "This game's winner is... Link!" the narrator yelled. Link grinned at Bowser. "You held back, didn't you?"
"Yes." Bowser said. "I want to save my strength for when I face Peach or Mario. Nice fight, though." he said, scratching his head. Link laughed and jumped off the stage, landing right next to Zelda. "Nice fight, my prince." she said smiling as she wrapped her arms around Link's neck and Link put away his sword and shield. "Not too bad, huh?" Link said with a grin. "That was so unbelievable!" Kyo, who came walking yelled. "How is that possible? You should've been killed!" he continued. Link turned his head to his Human friend. "Disappointed?" he said with a slight chuckle. "No, but isn't this kind of against the laws of physics or something?"
"Don't worry about that, Kyo. I'll explain it to you sometime." Link said smiling, after which he returned his full attention to the lovely girl who had wrapped her arms around his neck. Then Zelda heard her name being called. "Rats." she said sighing. She let go of Link. "We'll finish this some other time." Link said with a smile. Zelda walked to the stage to which she had been called and placed a kiss on her hand, which she blew to Link. The young man caught the imagined object and smiled at Zelda again. How great it was to be in love with this goddess... Zelda climbed up the stage and Link then noticed she was wearing a simple dress and not her Sheikah-suit. He decided not to call her, since he knew she perfectly knew what she was doing. She wasn't stupid. Zelda was surprised to see who her opponent was. It was Princess Peach, who impatiently tapped the wooden surface of the stage with her foot as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. "If you're finally done with this wheedling with this peasant of yours, could we get this started?" she said angry. "Hello to you too, your Majesty." Zelda said in an unavoidable sigh. "Don't your-majesty me! Act like royalty for goodness sake. You look like a peasant!"
"Flattery won't get you anywhere with me, Peach." Zelda said softly, smiling a bit. Peach looked angry at Zelda as the sign was given for the two to begin the match. Zelda knew there was no time for big spells, so she just had to use smaller ones which didn't took her so long to cast. "Come on, Zelda. What's taking you so long?" Peach said, awaiting Zelda's move, so she could counterattack. Zelda carefully walked to Peach. There was no need to rush things. She had to take her time. Peach estimated Zelda close enough and quickly ran at her. Her royal dress danced at her speed as she crashed into Zelda and rammed her down on the ground. Zelda quickly stood up and cast a small sparkle of electricity from her hand, hitting Peach with it and greatly increasing her offensive power. Peach's body violently reacted to the high voltage and now it was her turn to fall backwards as her body was still cracking with lightning. Peach rapidly stood up, not wanting to lose from the princess she despised so much. Zelda wanted to attack a second time, but Peach was faster and hit Zelda's arm down, before slapping the Hylian in the face a few times. Peach wasn't imbued with much of a fighting-style. Peach threw Zelda down on the ground and let herself drop onto the younger princess. Before Zelda could stand up, Peach kicked her in the side, grabbed her and tossed her to the side of the platform. Zelda stood up, only to see Peach charging at her. The Human jumped up and hit Zelda with her rear end, forming a smal explosion and sending Zelda soaring through the air, off the platform, in a pile of smoke. "This game's winner is... Peach!" the commentator yelled enthusiasticly. Zelda looked up at Peach, who had jumped of the platform and stood with her hands in her sides, smiling mean. "Not much. Just as I had expected." she said victoriously. At that moment Link came walking to Zelda and helped her up her feet. "You okay, babe?" he asked concerned. "I'm... fine." Zelda said. She looked up at him. "That didn't go very well..."
"Hey, you're just a bit stiff. Don't worry." Link said, noticing that Zelda felt defeated. "Perhaps you shouldn't interact with peasants, Zelda." Peach mentioned. "I'll show you interaction." Zelda said angry before she put her hand at the back of Link's head, pulled him close and pressed her lips against his. She knew Peach hated it. "That was nice." Link said as he brushed away some strands of Zelda's hair from her cheek. "Ugh... Disgusting." Peach said as she walked away furiously. At least HER boyfriend was a hero. Not a tramp. The fights went on and on that day and Zelda won and lost matches, but nothing to be unsatisfied about. Link and Fox did great and at the end of the day, Link had won a stuffed bear. Whether it was a joke or a real prize, Link didn't know, but Fox was able to see the humor of it all. Link granted the stuffed bear to Zelda, which was more a sign of their bond than that it was anything special. Though for Zelda it was special. It gave her a feeling Link had fought for her. Which was particially true, since Link wanted to show off and impress her. He had even accidently jumped off the platform by himself, because of some complicated jump he had tried to perform.
All particapents of the Smash Bros Melee tournament, the second one which beared the name Melee, gathered in front of Peach's castle. The Humans, Hylians, Lylatan, Dinosaur, Monkey, Dragon, Pokemon, Ice Climbers and Kirby. Link hadn't yet found a category to fit the pink blob into. He liked it better this way. No idiots. Just the best of the best to fight with. This time, Princess Peach Toadstool herself appeared on the balcony. She used a microphone to announce the beginning of the private tournament. Link looked around and enjoyed the sight of everyone who had come. Yes. He was back. Kyo and Impa were looking from a distance. Terry and Mary weren't there. "Do you know where Mary and Terry are, Kyo?" Impa asked. Kyo shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, but I think they dig each other. They're probably enjoying some time alone." he answered, guessing completely wrong. He had been trained by Zelda to concentrate his flame more and it had indeed improved his skills in the ways of magic. He was glad that Zelda had wanted to help him. He couldn't hear what this Peach was saying, but he could see by the smile on Link's face that he was glad to be back. The group of twelve people and Kirby started to walk into the direction of a place behind the castle, which was a large field littered with two meter high stages. Just the mere sight of these blocks made the fighters feel nostalgic already. Link and Zelda walked hand-in-hand and smiled at each other. This was the place where they had met a year ago. This was the place where their wonderful relation had started. Zelda moved a bit closer to Link. She put her head on his shoulder and he wrapped his arm around her waist. "Feeling the attraction, babe?" Link asked, smiling at Zelda. "We're back, Link. I can't wait to get started." Zelda said happy. The couple walked in between the stages. It didn't took long before Peach joined the fighters as well and several organisors came, who took place on seats above the stages. The sun shone nicely and the sky was littlered with little white clouds. "Okay, everyone knows the rules." one of the organisors said through a megaphone. "I'd say there's nothing which holds us back anymore. Let's get started!" This was met with huge cheers from the fourteen fighters. Kyo, who had followed the group together with Impa and a few other spectators, laughed. He had never seen such a great diversity of fighters. Especially those friends of Link were weird. The ape and the fox. There were four stages available. And the names of the people got called when they had to fight. Link had to fight Bowser and Zelda had to wait. "Wish me luck, babe." Link said smiling, holding Zelda's hands. "Good luck, sweety." Zelda said, placing a kiss on his lips. Link ran the tips of his fingers rapidly across her cheek before he jumped up and grabbed the edge of the stage before he pulled himself up. "I wonder what'll happen." Kyo said curious. "You'll be surprised, Kyo." Impa said smiling. "I don't doubt it." Kyo said. Link saw his opponent had already climbed the stage. The young man drew his sword and readied his shield. He smiled confidently and his eyes narrowed. Bowser was a Dragon, but one that had evolved. He had learned to walk on two feet solely and had learned to speak English. He had kept his firebreathing skills and his incredible strength. He growled at Link with a loud, low voice. "Heard a lot about you, Hylian." he growled. "Is that so?" Link asked. "Yes. Mario releasing something when I was choking him. I had no idea what that had to do with our fight, though." Bowser spoke with the same low voice. Link grinned. "You two must be big friends."
"Yeah." Bowser said, a sort of grin appearing on his face. "Okay, gentlemen. Three, two, one... GO!" the narrator which 'belonged' to Link's fight yelled, signing the start of Link's first match. Bowser didn't take things lightly on his first fight and charged Link in a wild stampede, his horns in Link's direction. Before the Hylian could react, Bowser struck him in his stomach, took him up on his horns and tossed him into the air. Kyo could barely believe his eyes as Bowser had Link fall on his spiked back and Link bounced off onto the ground, after which he stood up as if nothing had happened. Link should've been dead by now! "This isn't normal!" Kyo said, hardly over his surprise. "You've guessed it." Impa said, grinning. "Not bad." Link said and Bowser charged him again. But Link was faster this time. He threw his leg into the air and landed it heel-down on Bowser's head, making the Dragon fall down on his stomach. Link jumped up, pointed his sword down and planted it in Bowser's back, after which he bounced off, made a somersault and landed neatly on the stage. Bowser stood up and shook his head. He took a deep breath and Link was just in time to defend himself from Bowser's fiery breath by using his shield. Bowser looked like a living flamethrower as he engulfed Link in fire. It had no use, though. Link's sturdy shield was a perfect barrier for the young man, so Bowser ceased his attack. This was the sign for Link to attack so he quickly stepped forward and sliced to the left of him, striking Bowser in his stomach. Then he immediatly sliced right, sending Bowser sliding over the arena. "Get him, Link!" Impa yelled. Link rose his thumb to her before he turned to Bowser again. The two charged each other and Link bashed into Bowser with his shoulder, sending him flying off the stage. The Dragon hit the ground next to the stage with his back before he stood up. "This game's winner is... Link!" the narrator yelled. Link grinned at Bowser. "You held back, didn't you?"
"Yes." Bowser said. "I want to save my strength for when I face Peach or Mario. Nice fight, though." he said, scratching his head. Link laughed and jumped off the stage, landing right next to Zelda. "Nice fight, my prince." she said smiling as she wrapped her arms around Link's neck and Link put away his sword and shield. "Not too bad, huh?" Link said with a grin. "That was so unbelievable!" Kyo, who came walking yelled. "How is that possible? You should've been killed!" he continued. Link turned his head to his Human friend. "Disappointed?" he said with a slight chuckle. "No, but isn't this kind of against the laws of physics or something?"
"Don't worry about that, Kyo. I'll explain it to you sometime." Link said smiling, after which he returned his full attention to the lovely girl who had wrapped her arms around his neck. Then Zelda heard her name being called. "Rats." she said sighing. She let go of Link. "We'll finish this some other time." Link said with a smile. Zelda walked to the stage to which she had been called and placed a kiss on her hand, which she blew to Link. The young man caught the imagined object and smiled at Zelda again. How great it was to be in love with this goddess... Zelda climbed up the stage and Link then noticed she was wearing a simple dress and not her Sheikah-suit. He decided not to call her, since he knew she perfectly knew what she was doing. She wasn't stupid. Zelda was surprised to see who her opponent was. It was Princess Peach, who impatiently tapped the wooden surface of the stage with her foot as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. "If you're finally done with this wheedling with this peasant of yours, could we get this started?" she said angry. "Hello to you too, your Majesty." Zelda said in an unavoidable sigh. "Don't your-majesty me! Act like royalty for goodness sake. You look like a peasant!"
"Flattery won't get you anywhere with me, Peach." Zelda said softly, smiling a bit. Peach looked angry at Zelda as the sign was given for the two to begin the match. Zelda knew there was no time for big spells, so she just had to use smaller ones which didn't took her so long to cast. "Come on, Zelda. What's taking you so long?" Peach said, awaiting Zelda's move, so she could counterattack. Zelda carefully walked to Peach. There was no need to rush things. She had to take her time. Peach estimated Zelda close enough and quickly ran at her. Her royal dress danced at her speed as she crashed into Zelda and rammed her down on the ground. Zelda quickly stood up and cast a small sparkle of electricity from her hand, hitting Peach with it and greatly increasing her offensive power. Peach's body violently reacted to the high voltage and now it was her turn to fall backwards as her body was still cracking with lightning. Peach rapidly stood up, not wanting to lose from the princess she despised so much. Zelda wanted to attack a second time, but Peach was faster and hit Zelda's arm down, before slapping the Hylian in the face a few times. Peach wasn't imbued with much of a fighting-style. Peach threw Zelda down on the ground and let herself drop onto the younger princess. Before Zelda could stand up, Peach kicked her in the side, grabbed her and tossed her to the side of the platform. Zelda stood up, only to see Peach charging at her. The Human jumped up and hit Zelda with her rear end, forming a smal explosion and sending Zelda soaring through the air, off the platform, in a pile of smoke. "This game's winner is... Peach!" the commentator yelled enthusiasticly. Zelda looked up at Peach, who had jumped of the platform and stood with her hands in her sides, smiling mean. "Not much. Just as I had expected." she said victoriously. At that moment Link came walking to Zelda and helped her up her feet. "You okay, babe?" he asked concerned. "I'm... fine." Zelda said. She looked up at him. "That didn't go very well..."
"Hey, you're just a bit stiff. Don't worry." Link said, noticing that Zelda felt defeated. "Perhaps you shouldn't interact with peasants, Zelda." Peach mentioned. "I'll show you interaction." Zelda said angry before she put her hand at the back of Link's head, pulled him close and pressed her lips against his. She knew Peach hated it. "That was nice." Link said as he brushed away some strands of Zelda's hair from her cheek. "Ugh... Disgusting." Peach said as she walked away furiously. At least HER boyfriend was a hero. Not a tramp. The fights went on and on that day and Zelda won and lost matches, but nothing to be unsatisfied about. Link and Fox did great and at the end of the day, Link had won a stuffed bear. Whether it was a joke or a real prize, Link didn't know, but Fox was able to see the humor of it all. Link granted the stuffed bear to Zelda, which was more a sign of their bond than that it was anything special. Though for Zelda it was special. It gave her a feeling Link had fought for her. Which was particially true, since Link wanted to show off and impress her. He had even accidently jumped off the platform by himself, because of some complicated jump he had tried to perform.