Hey guys! I'm back with another chapter! Man! I can't believe that I reached my 50th chapter in this story! I thought I would use this chapter to wrap up this section of the story before focusing on another group later on. In this chapter though, there's a reveal that may/may not shock you. What might that be? Read on to find out! Like I said before, I'm grateful for everyone's support of this story, and I'm hoping I can stay with it until the end! Now, as always, don't forget to fave, follow, and review. Without further ado, let's get into this brand new chapter!
Disclaimer: I do not own Super Smash Bros. It is owned by Nintendo and Masahiro Sakurai.
Barren Desert, World of Trophies
It was in the evening of the day after Ganon's defeat, but the five heroes who had set out on the journey to find the Sheikah tower had the toughest resolve.
Link was leading the group which consisted of Kirby, Sheik, Pit, and Shulk.
"I'm starting to feel like this whole tower journey is just a wild goosechase." Said Shulk.
"Don't lose hope, Shulk." Responded Pit. "I trust him. He'll lead us to where we're going. I'd bet my wings on it."
This was enough to barely convince Shulk about the tower for the moment.
After another hour of trekking in the dead of night, the hero raised his right hand which stopped the group. Sheik and Shulk stopped almost immediately, but Pit was semi-sleepwalking with Kirby in his arms. This wouldn't be for long though because he ran into Link, prompting him to drop the puffball and force himself awake. Fortunately for Kirby, he was unharmed.
"Why did we stop?" Asked Shulk.
"We're here." Said Link as he pointed to something in the distance.
When Sheik saw what he was pointing at, she was overwhelmingly relieved.
Pit, Kirby and Shulk had trouble looking at what Link was pointing at.
"Hold on, what am I supposed to be looking at?" Said Shulk.
"See that orange tower on the plateau over there?" Asked Link.
The Monado Wielder started putting the pieces together. "Hold on, you mean that's the place we've come all this way to visit?"
"Yes. Once I calibrate the slate with the tower, we can figure out the map of this region. Once we have that, we'll have a straight path to the Korok Forest." Responded Link.
They all then spent the next thirty minutes proceeding to the base of the tower. Once they got there, they realized they were going to have to climb the structure.
However, they didn't need to, as Kirby got out his warpstar and presented it to the group as a means of ascending the tower much quicker.
Pit and Shulk got on. As soon as they were secured, Kirby immediately zoomed up to the top and dropped off the two young warriors at the uppermost platform.
The puffball then came back down and picked up Link and Sheik. They got on board the star and got off at the top as well.
When they all were on the platform, they started to immediately look around. The top of the tower had a pedestal in the center platform with a conic shading structure right above it. It had the Sheikah symbol engraved on it. However, what really stuck out was the stalactite-like slab embezzled with strange symbols attached to the bottom of the conic shading.
"So we're here." Said Pit. "Now what?"
"I have to attach my slate to this pedestal. After that, I can fully see the map layout of this specific region." Responded Link.
The Hero of the Wilds proceeded to the center pedestal and put his Sheikah Slate in the open slot.
Once it was fully secured, the slab above the pedestal began to glow and form a droplet containing unique symbols. After a few seconds, the droplet fell from the slab and landed right on the slate.
Link picked it up again and saw the new map layout he had. After a moment of searching, a smile came onto his face. "I know where we need to go now."
"You do?" Asked Pit.
"If we keep on heading northeast from here, we'll eventually find the Korok Forest." Said Link.
Shulk was showing some doubt. "How do we know it's actually the forest you're looking for?"
"There's a tree that stands out among all the others. Called the Great Deku Tree." Answered the hero. "Its leaves are also very distinctive, so you can't miss it."
"You've been there before haven't you?" Said the Monado Wielder.
"Yes." Link then proceeded to draw his sword, but not to fight. "It's where I first obtained this blade that seals the darkness. The Master Sword. Only a select few can wield it."
Shulk then pulled out his own blade. "It's just like the Monado. Only a few people I know have wielded this blade."
Link grew intrigued by the design of the blade his new ally wielded. "Interesting. I'd like to learn more about your blade later."
"Likewise." Replied Shulk.
The hero then looked around the tower and its surrounding horizons before offering something that nobody would refuse. "We should set up camp here for the night."
"I have no problems with that." Responded Sheik.
Shulk and Pit were relieved and decided to lay down. This gave Link more than enough indication that they agreed with his proposal.
All that was left was Kirby. When the hero looked in his direction, he was already fast asleep.
The hero then pulled out some wood and a piece of flint. He proceeded to hit the flint with his sword which caused sparks to fly. Some of these sparks got on the wood and proceeded to ignite it into a decent flame. This fire would no doubt last them the night.
As everyone was fast asleep, Sheik was keeping watch. After an hour, Link decided to follow her out to the edge of the tower.
The Sheikah warrior gave a quick glance at the hero before looking back out onto the dark horizon.
"So… Did Impa send you?" Asked Link.
"After that light enveloped everything, she tasked me with mainly finding you. I wasn't expecting to find you so soon or know about the Calamity's more human form leading the Yiga Clan though." Responded Sheik.
Link had no problems taking this in. "I see. But I can't help but remember what you said to me when we fought Ganon, I couldn't fully hear it because of the noise, but I think I know who you really are."
A little blush of embarrassment washed over Sheik's face, leaving the warrior silent and unsure about what to say.
"I've been to Kakariko Village numerous times before. The Sheikah residents have always had silver hair. However, yours is a golden blonde." Explained Link.
Sheik was further flustered by this.
The hero then jumped to his own conclusion. "You don't need to hide your face anymore. I know it's you, Zelda."
The Sheikah Warrior was unsure of what to do. After a few seconds though, she made up her mind. She took a deep breath before removing her headgear and bandages. Once they were off, Sheik showed the face of a girl in her late teens. She had long golden braided hair and pointy ears much like Link.
Once the hero was able to see her face, his own face lit up in a smile. "It really is you."
"It's been quite some time, Link." Responded Zelda as she showed a slight smile toward him.
Link then proceeded to tightly hug her in a warm embrace. Zelda reciprocated back the same feeling.
"I thought I lost you when that light happened!" Said the hero with worry.
"I was still safe in Kakariko Village. Impa took good care of me." Responded the princess.
They soon broke the hug before Zelda decided to ask Link some questions. "Where did you end up?"
"I was exploring a cliffside on the western edge of Hyrule when I saw that light. After that, I was left unconscious until I woke up on a floating island in the sky." Explained Link.
Zelda grew even more curious. "How did you end up here?"
Link then proceeded to fill her in on everything that had happened to him. From his awakening on Skyworld all the way up until their battle with Ganon.
Zelda had all sorts of emotions running through her mind throughout Link's explanation, ranging from worry to intrigue. Despite that though, she still had enough spirit to stay alongside the person she adored and respected the most.
"You've always had that spirit." Said Link. "Ever since I first met you, you've always had that fire and love in your heart, even when the going got tough. That's why you couldn't bear to watch me risk my life earlier. Because you truly care for me. Maybe more than anyone."
"You're right… That… That really means so much to me." Replied Zelda as she teared up a little.
After another comforting hug from Link, the hero couldn't help but ask the princess about her situation. "So how did you end up in the desert?"
Zelda had no problem explaining. "I was in Kakariko Village. I was going on a routine visit to check on the residents because I wanted to see how they were recovering after the defeat of Calamity Ganon. I was just discussing with Impa and her granddaughter Paya about relations with Hyrule when that light happened. For some reason, I wound up in the same place as before, but around half of the other residents disappeared. Entire families were missing, couples were separated, kids were left alone with no one to care for them. After some adapting to the situation, Impa thought it best to look for you. However, she needed someone who was the most suited to the task."
"So she wanted you to find me." Said Link. "I'll have to thank her if I visit Kakariko again."
Zelda proceeded on with her story. "For at least a week, Impa trained me in the arts of stealth, combat, and weaponry. She also taught me to use my opponents' weaknesses against them. After some time, she deemed me ready to go out and find you. She thought it best to head to the western canyons. Where you were heard last. I talked to locals over there in case they needed help. Eventually, I heard talk that the Yiga Clan had resurfaced, so I went to investigate in the barren desert."
Link was more understanding, but still had one more thing to ask. "How'd you find the hideout?"
The princess chuckled for a bit. "Let's just say the Yiga have a habit of leaving a trail. I came across your pink friend when he was in trouble. After we defeated the Yiga squadron, we followed the trail they left behind to their hideout. That's when I soon met Shulk, who was dealing with the outside guards. After that, we all formed a plan to storm the hideout and potentially rescue whoever was inside. I was more than sure you would be in there. However, I wasn't expecting the angel."
"Yeah. He's been a good friend throughout the short time I've known him. Regardless though, I'm glad you're here now." Responded Link. "Are you gonna tell the others?"
Zelda was quick to reply. "When the time feels right. There wouldn't be any point in them knowing at the moment."
The two then looked out to the moonlit horizon before both got back to the group.
As soon as they did, they promptly fell asleep right next to each other.
The Next Morning
Link woke up to the sound of Pit and Shulk fighting each other.
When the hero saw what was going on, he instantly wanted to know. "I thought we were friends here. What's with the fighting?"
Pit was the first one to explain. "Well, we wanted to spar against one another to see who was the strongest fighter."
"He claimed he was the strongest." Said Shulk. "I was feeling a fight, so I obliged to challenge him."
"Let's put the fight on hold for now guys." Asked Link. "We've still got a forest to find."
Sheik then came from the other side of the tower with Kirby following closely. "Agreed. Otherwise, Galeem will win."
The five heroes then descended from the tower using their own skills and abilities. Link used his paraglider while Kirby and Pit used their respective light weight and wings to float their way down. This left Shulk and Sheik, who proceeded to climb their way down.
Once they were all on solid ground again, Link took out his Sheikah Slate to indicate which direction they needed to head in. "Like I said last night, we need to head northeast. Once we're there, we'll enter the forest, but we all need to stick together no matter what. We can't afford to get lost. Everyone got that?"
The four heroes nodded in response, indicating their resolve.
Link had a determined smile on his face and proceeded to lead the group to their destination. However, the group has no idea about the trials that would be in store for them.