The new employees' names were all announced and they were introduced. "I think that's it. Let us begin the battles!" announced the great glove. "'Ah, yes. And for you newbies, we have many many different stages for you to fight on, depending on what may come to your advantage. Some are longer, some are higher, some have more jumps, and some are flat. I can assure you that below the stage are many pads and cushions so that if you happen to fall, you will not be damaged in any way. It will just end the battle, unless, for some miracle, you believe you may like to continue in your present condition. Let us begin. Who would like to battle first?"

Link immediately shouted out, "Who dare take on the mighty, never before defeated Link?!"

"I'll take that as you would like to take a chance, Link?" The Master Hand
asked. "Would you like to choose your opponent or should I draw randomly?"

"I can take on anyone!" Link said conceitedly, tickling Zelda's neck playfully with kisses afterward, making her giggle childishly.

"You will battle...Marth!"

"'Ah! This'll be a synch. I gotta battle 'ol Tiara-boy!" Link said, getting up and holding out his arms, nodding with a grin as everyone laughed and cheered.

Marth smiled slightly at being picked first. He was a little nervous, but he walked up to the first stage and looked out at the many stages in view, bridges leading between each of them. He drew his sword from his scabbard and walked along till he came to Yoshi's Island.

"How about this one?" He asked Link sportily, as Link marched across the bridges, stretching and purposely flexing his muscles at the same time.

"That one? You're one sissy Tiara-boy!" He laughed. "Here, I'll go easy on you. I'll only use my fists first." He muttered, punching the air a few times first to warm up.

Marth shrugged and didn't take stance quite yet. "It's only fair to let you use your sword as well." He declared.

"Psh, just fight!" Link said forcefully.

Marth moved around, getting his sword comfortable in his fingers. He went into a stance with his right hand holding his sword hilt beside his ear, and his left hand fingers barely touching the tip of his sword.

"What kind of a pose is that? This ain't a beauty contest, pretty boy." Spat Link, moving forward and taking a punch straight for Marth's face.

Marth easily dodged, but got a little confused when he heard a squeaky voice come from something in the crowd, "No one dares to dodge Link..." everyone gasped, watching Marth dodge another blow.

"You're a harder sissy then I thought you'd be!" Link said. "More of a challenge for me, I guess." Link swung harder and faster for Marth, but Marth dodged once again, never breaking his stance. "Why won't you attack? Are you a coward?"

"No, I'm just waiting for you to draw your sword. I don't attack unless the scale is even." Marth said easily.

"Fine!" Link removed his sword from his sheath and held it limply in his left hand, using his right hand to punch, yet Marth dodged just the same. "What's wrong? I've got my sword drawn."

"Strengths should be used the right way. Yours is with your sword, as well as mine, and I prepare to fight you with your highest strength."

Link rolled his eyes and spat on the nearest rock, and then looked up, his dark eyebrows forming a V-shape. "You're gonna regret this..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Marth cleared his throat, the friendly smile fading from his face, being replaced by a concentrated look. "Come." He said shortly in a low voice.

Link gave him a nasty look and swung downward as hard as possible, aiming for Marth's outstretched fingers touching the tip of his sword. To his surprise, he found his sword falling and digging into the fake patch of grass on the level's ground.

"You missed." Marth said, not raising or lowering his tone. He had shown up behind Link, and swung his thin blade, slicing Link's left arm, right below the elbow.

Link twitched, then smiled smugly. "Just a scratch..." He muttered, then turned to face Marth, bringing his sword in a horizontal slash with him. By the time he turned, Marth was no where to be seen.

"Over here." Marth called, already on furthest right platform. He slashed his sword at the back of Link's cap, making half of it fall limply to the ground.

Link turned, glancing at the bottom half of his cap lying on the ground. He glared up at Marth and said, "Stop playing around!"

"Same goes for you." Marth replied, hopping on the middle and highest platform, waiting for Link.

"Get down here!" Link said, lifting himself heavily onto the first platform.

"Can't catch me?" Marth asked mockingly.

"Why you little!" Link paused, then lept into the air above Marth, placing his sword pointing down. He fell and waited to hear the blood splatter, but heard a shattering of metal instead. He collapsed on the platform on top of the shards of metal, trying to find out what it was. It was his sword...it had broken while hitting the strong platform below.

"It doesn't help your brute strength if you get hit first!" Marth yelled from the air. Link looked up and raised his shield just in time to be pinned to the ground, Marth standing on top of him.

"Darn you! Zelda gave me that sword!" Link screamed at him, pushing Marth off his shield and grabbing his sword hilt, jumping up.

"Seemed cheap!" Marth scorned, keeping a straight face, getting back into stance.

"Time to get serious..." Link growled, leaping off of the top platform, determined to hit Marth.

"It's about time." Marth said, hinting a bored look on his face.

Link fell as fast and hard as he could, putting all his weight and strength into his sword. He came down upon Marth's sword, making sure he hit.

"Funny. You act like an expert and yet you don't know you're supposed to aim for the target, and not their sword." Marth grinned. Link opened his eyes and tried not to scream out in fury to see he'd hit Marth's sword, and not his shoulder armor. "Try aiming for me next time." Marth muttered, tilting the tip of his sword upward, making Link's hilt slide and hit Marth's. Marth flung Link's sword out of the way and took a heavy blow to his stomach, making him fly a good five yards and off the stage, down twenty feet, with a large *Thump* onto the padded floor.

There was a nasty silence as Marth placed his sword into it's scabbard. He turned to the on looking crowd, and was surprised to see them all gawking at him. "Well...I'm glad that's over." Marth said happily, as if it were nothing but a board game.

"Link...?" Zelda called breathlessly, looking into the dark depths where the cushions lay.

Marth winced at this, remembering about his highly damaged opponent. He walked to the edge of the stage and looked down. A bloody lump lay at the bottom of the pit, but stirred.

"I'm...I'm not finished...not yet..." It whispered.