Chapter 13

Training Grounds

The Game World Arena was shining brightly in the sun. The stands that had until recently been as full as they'd come, and their emptiness left an uncomfortably stale silence on the air. The area surrounding the arena was deceptively peaceful. Life was all around in the form of chirping birds and buzzing insects, plants grew all around and not a sound could be heard above the bird's gentle chirping.

Not a sound, that is, except for the calls of a pair of boots treading lightly up the stairs. They barely touched the ground as the warrior climbed into the arena and walked slowly to its center, reflecting on everything. His purpose had been stripped from him at the hands of two of his friends from an earlier time, and he was still reflecting on what the loss of purpose meant for him. He stopped in the center of the arena. He could think more clearly here at his true home, the field of battle.

The red-headed youth pulled his sword from its scabbard slowly, the sound of metal on metal barely escaping it. His remarkable armor glinted in the sun as he looked about the arena, making sure it was clear, and it barley sounded as he moved about it, going through his sword techniques. He thought better in action.

His movements were clear and fluid as he moved all about the arena practicing different forms and complex movements. He sped as he whirled about the place, fighting off a hundred invisible enemies, and he viciously slashed at them as he began losing his head to rage at the tournament's cancellation. The blur of movements ended in a sudden burst of heat and light as Roy blasted off one of the corners of the arena in a blaze of fury that expelled fire from his sword. Not even phased by the display, Roy sheathed the magnificent sword he wielded and headed back to the administration room. Marth had some questions to answer.

Link woke up with a splitting headache. He groaned and turned over in the bed - Bed? Yes, it was a bed - he was in. He had no idea how he had gotten there, but that was secondary to his other scrambled thoughts right now. He groaned again and opened his eyes slowly. "Wha?" he screamed, and the splitting pain seemed to leave his head. He leapt out of bed and took up a ready stance. When he saw nobody in this extremely unfamiliar place, he rushed to the door and threw it open.

Zelda smirked. She had heard the scream and knew that Link must be awake by now. She had moved toward the medical quarters and was taken by surprise when she found the strong-willed child bursting out of the door despite his grievous wounds. "Who are you?" the child demanded.

"My name is Zelda," the princess responded. The child looked shocked, and Zelda's smirk grew to a knowing smile. "You are far from home, little warrior."

"I'm warning you, if you don't let me go..." Link let the words hang menacingly in the air.

"You'll do what?" Zelda demanded. "Link can best you a hundred times over."

"I'm Link!" the little one spouted, practically foaming at the mouth.

"Me too," a familiar voice called from down the hallway, and the younger Link recognized it as his own. He would have spoken, but he was too dumbfounded by the realities that he had refused to accept until just now. "Be calm, little one. You'll find no harm coming to you here," the older Link assured his younger self.

"What do you want?" the mini-Link asked.

"Well, we have a great struggle ahead," Zelda informed him, "And we will need your help before the end."

"Why?" the younger link asked. "You said that he" - He pointed accusingly at his older self- "Could best me a hundred times over!"

"And that," Link said, "Is what we intend to remedy first."

"Why are you helping me?" young Link asked.

"As I said, we have a great struggle ahead," Zelda responded, and she began to relate her tail to him.

Kirby flew at the wire frame of a muscular male human with fury and passion, and he knocked him easily aside with a single well-placed kick. He turned to another and sucked it in, then turned to a third. He spit the second at the third with the force of a well-sped battering ram, and the two tumbled to the floor in a broken, tangled pile.

Kirby was taken by surprise when the fourth wire frame gripped him by his flabby dome and tossed him backward. Kirby cursed in gibberish as he began falling, but quickly silenced himself as he rose from under the suspended arena. The wire frame, not having the mind capacity to be shocked, rushed at him again. When he met a furious ball of rapidly twisting hammers and fire, he flew through the air and slammed against the walls.

Kirby stood there unfazed. The challenge was over, and he had emerged victorious easily. He put on a wide smile and began walking toward the door, but he was stopped by a vulpine form in the doorway. "Those wire men," Fox stated, "Are not worthy to test the mettle of a Smasher. Let's see how you fare against a real opponent!" Kirby squealed at the thought of a challenge, and Fox was ecstatic at a chance to finally fight somebody who would prove a challenge. Both of the fighters grabbed small controls from the walls and moved to the center of the arena. The arena melded and shifted to their thoughts. However, sense no place in the fighter's minds suited both candidates perfectly, the computer searched the databanks and formed an arena that would suit both of them equally, favoring no one over the other. Both fighters looked on as the arena shifted into the likeness of the Congo Jungle.

"Wabbi!" Kirby stated, as he pressed the ready button on his pad. Fox chuckled as he did the same, and both pads faded from their hands. They looked to each other and prepared to begin the match.

"Wow!" Young Link said, his enthusiasm catching both of the Hylians in his presence off guard. They had thought he'd be resistant to their story. They liked the results, however, so they didn't question them. Instead, they lead him down a hallway and into a room where the other Smashers (minus Fox, Kirby and Roy)were waiting. They smiled when they saw Young Link following the two Hylians, and they all stood and greeted the elf-like boy in turn. Zelda smiled when she saw Ness and Jigglypuff greet him, glad about their returning to the elite team.

When the introductions were over, the Smashers got straight to work. "Allright everybody, listen up!" Marth had commanded to quiet the floor before turning it over to Peach and Zelda, who were far better then he with words.

"As many of you are aware," Zelda began, "A very serious problem has arisen." Nods from several of the Smashers told her that they did, in fact, know. "Further details I cannot reveal to you as of yet, but rest assured that the danger is serious." She was glad that Fox wasn't there at the moment so as to avoid his sarcastic comments about his own power and self-superiority. "It's beyond any of us," she continued, drawing concerned looks and in some cases, groans, from the Smashers.

"Therefore," Peach stated in conclusion, "We are starting a training program for all the Smashers." Marth joined them then, and together, they laid out the basics of their plans for training. The morning would be spent with Zelda, where the Smashers would learn to defend themselves with the magical spheres that Zelda had used against Mewtwo. Afternoons belonged to each Smasher individually, although their melee training would take place among fellow Smashers to promote constructive criticism. Evenings were Marth and Roy's domain. Marth would teach the Smashers what they needed to know of their most powerful enemies, and Roy would teach them all battlefield tactics for just in case the fight ever grew to a large enough scale for their employment. When the lessons were over, the Smashers would have some free time before the sleep they would need for their early start the next day, when the process would be repeated.

Kirby flew. Fox smiled as he ran along the arena and leapt into the air to finish Kirby off, but he was met by a sonic wave emitting from Kirby's hand. It swept him across the floor he had been knocked to for a long way, but he acted fairly quickly with a back-hand-spring and got to his feet before Kirby could follow the attack up. He pulled his practice blaster from its holster and leveled it at Kirby, and the shot hit its mark. Unfortunately for Fox that mark had turned to a boulder, leaving the gun to do no damage whatsoever.

Kirby saw weakness in Fox's style, and he was quick to exploit it. When the vulpine charged again, his flabby opponent stepped to the side, throwing Fox off balance. It swung around with a hard kick, knocking him in the head and sending him on his own short flight. Fox turned angrily toward Kirby and charged again. Kirby did likewise, and their blows met evenly. They locked hands and began a power struggle that would last for several minutes...

Until they were interrupted. "Where have you been?" Peach demanded. Both Smashers released their grips and turned to the angry, reddening princess. "You missed the Smasher's meeting!"

Fox smirked. "Sorry," he stated, "I didn't get the memo."

"Wabbi?" Kirby asked with a more sincere confusion about him. Peach's anger lessened at the sound of the balloon's voice.

"Oh, very well," Peach stated, "But you'll need to know what went on regardless of your absence." And with that, she began relating the story of what went on at the most recent Smasher's convention.

When Marth returned to the administration room, Roy was waiting for him. "Hello, Marth," he said. The tone of his voice told him that he was very angry.

"What's wrong?" Marth asked.

"That's what I was going to ask," Roy responded.

"Explain," Marth demanded.

"What have you and the princesses been hiding from me?"

"I already told you why it can't be revealed, Roy," the prince responded. "We missed you at the meeting. There were many questions that were answered there."

"Then inform me," he flatly demanded, turning a fiery glance on the noble. If Marth hadn't understood his anger, the general would have been in severe trouble.

"Very well," Marth stated without hesitation, and he began to relay the information revealed at the meeting to Roy. He seemed satisfied after the tale was finished, and he left the room after a hasty apology. Marth couldn't help but laugh to himself at the youth's rash disregard for etiquette.

The T.V. sounded in Game World Hospital. "During an interesting convention of the assembly of heroes that has come to be known as the Smashers," a news anchor said, "Princess Peach relayed her plans to the rest of her team. The press was not allowed to release any information regarding the plans, which were taken in fairly well by all the Smashers, especially their most famous members, Mr. Mario Mario and his brother, Mr. Luigi Mario." That was all the nurse had to hear.

"DOCTOR!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. Dr. Mario was in the room in minutes. "Look!" she shouted, pointing to the image of Mario on the T.V. screen.

"Mama mia!" Dr. Mario shouted, glancing into the room where the bandaged Mario lay. "That's 'a no-good! I'm 'a gonna be away for a whil'a! Tell a' Nurse Joy to take over while I'm 'a gone!" Without another word, Dr. Mario sped out of the hospital, hopped in his car and started driving hard toward the Game World Arena.

Well, that's chapter 13. Thanks for your reviews Roy, I'll update when the next review comes in!