Chapter 31: Down in Flames; Fiery Clash in the Semi-Finals

Kara-Throwing in Kaiohdrahl Arc

Disclaimer: I don't own The Legend of Zelda, this is just a Fanfiction.

Featured Music: "Ranked Amongst the World's Best"The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass OST. Chapter Briefing.

"Desert Suite" - The Terminator II: Judgement Day OST. Scene 1 (First Half).

"Follow Me (Instrumental Ver.)" - The King of Fighters XIV OST. Scene 2 (Second Half).

"Parry Addiction" - Yakuza 0 OST. Scene 3 (First Half).

"Receive & Slash You" - Yakuza V OST. Scene 3 (Second Half).

"Tusk" - Yakuza 0 OST. Scene 4.


In a rather surprising finish indeed to round four, Link easily dispatches his older opponent; the Palashian princess herself, Vassia Palashia. After their explosive back-and-forth grand finals match in the Palashian Premier a mere month ago, the watching crowd of people all expected a much longer fight from the bold and powerful young girl. However, after his incredible endeavour and return from death following his fated battle with Velkarez Grigovich, Link's abilities have risen to the point of near-impossibility; having returned from the very void itself with assistance from the legendary Sorcerer of the Divine Divide, the old venerable sage unlocks what remaining potential he has stored within him and exponentially increases his powers in a desperate attempt to help deal with Velkarez.

With this increase, Vassia very quickly finds herself outpaced and outmatched. An unfortunate set of circumstances for the overconfident young princess but a good one; in this agonising and overwhelming defeat, she finds herself at last doubting her own strength and gaining some sense of humility.

Meanwhile in round five, Barkner presses on following his surprising victory over his close companion Alwyn and matches up with the mysterious and powerful Ragnar; a match-up no-one could have potentially predicted or even expected. In their fiery-fated duel, Draerithian martial arts clashes with Hyrule's Goron-like defensive strategy and the pair soon find themselves engrossing their watching audiences.

While the battle takes its sweet time in entertaining the watching people before them, it isn't very long until the winner becomes apparent, just as within Ragnar's previous match with Zayne. Barkner holds his own respectably, and with the incredible defensive power as a Goron, Ragnar very slowly and methodically picks the younger man apart in a brutal and barbarous beat-down, leaving him broken and bested. In their explosive match however, Barkner makes Ragnar work much harder than in his previous simple match with Zayne; an achievement no other within the Kaiohdrahl national championships has managed to do just yet.

In the current standings only three fighters and challengers remain; Link Firbrand, Lyna Greene and Ragnar Romanov himself. It is looking fairly likely, given prediction of results and analysation of previous matches, that only Link himself is able to stand a chance in challenging Ragnar for the envied title of 'Kaiohdrahl Champion', having easily breezed through his own match with Vassia himself. One more achievement within the Prima World Tour that shocks its participants and spectators alike after his incredible struggle to even match the Palashian princess in the Palashian Premier a mere month earlier.

Coming up in round six Link clashes now with the Hylian woman that managed to beat Raynard Van Garrick in round two herself, albeit barely and with the skin of her teeth. While most of the well-toned gamblers resting within Kaiohdrahl's walls place their rupees on Link to win after his incredible showing in round four, Lyna has managed to prove the near-impossible herself by challenging the current Hylian champion Raynard himself and somehow coming out on top. His mind still on matters of his raven-haired rival Raynard, Link tries with great effort to focus on the upcoming match with Lyna for fear of unintentionally insulting her by failing to pay attention to the match, much as he did in his bout with princess Vassia.

Lyna however not only uses her well-rounded knowledge of Raynard following her victory against him, but her research in having watched 'Fire Fist Firbrand' fight through the Hylian Hyrax national championship months back as well as his earlier spar with Vassia in round four. Two Hylians, one older and mettled by her age and one younger, now confront one another in the last semi-finals set of the Kaioh Bio...


Scene 1

An hour and a half earlier...

"-OOOOOO!"

CRASSSSH-TUMBLE-TUMBLE-ROLL

"Grngh...!"

DRUUM-THUD

Raynard grit his blood-stained teeth horribly, his chestnut-brown eyes scrunched shut as his small form collided with one of the unfortunate houses within Tiverpool City's borders, bringing down a sizeable amount of rubble and debris from the sheer force and power with which he crash-landed into.

"Is he okay...?"

"Goddess only knows."

"Hey kid, you all right?"

The sound of idle whispers and chatter very slowly began to settle into audible words as the blinding headache within Raynard's mind gradually ceased. He re-opened his tired and weakened tree-shaded eyes to get a good look at the source of the concerned voices obviously addressing and speaking to him, only to find a curious gaggle of Aurelians, Hylians and even Gorons and Zorans surrounding his fallen form. His vision blurred irritably as it attempted with great difficulty to adjust to its new surroundings; a trying task following his recent painful defeat mere minutes earlier.

When the nameless figures surrounding him attempted to step closer toward him, almost as if to assist him, he growled and back-handed violently at the air to dissuade them from approaching. While fairly crude it was effective; as Raynard's vision eventually and finally adjusted, he saw the people all murmur as they took wary and careful steps back away from him, giving him room to move with.

He grunted out and grit his teeth a second time, scrunching his eyes shut again as he pulled himself up slowly off the debris-infested ground he'd crash-landed in, wincing on in agony from his recently-gained wounds. His skin was covered in bruises and small cuts, presumably from having been launched out of the arena mere minutes ago by Lyna's huge 'Kikosho' wave and his bones were no less worse off; they ached with a terrible dull echo within the rest of his body that left him feeling extremely tired.

It was a feeling he had experienced once and only once in his life.

The grand finals of the Hylian Hyrax and his long-awaited face-off with his blonde-haired rival.

As he re-opened his tree-shaded eyes in thought to him he couldn't help but grow his angered scowl, his last words to him echoing and powerful within his mind.

"Better 'n just bein' bitter all my life."

While those words alone would have little to no effect on him and by most anyone speaking them even in the context he remembered, it was the fact that it came from the one person he respected besides his mentor.

The one person that stood a chance at beating him.

"The only one in this tournament that even stands a chance against me is him!"

As the surrounding Aurelians' chatter began to die down and they soon realised the black-haired boy was fine, they all turned to leave him to his thoughts. Raynard lowered his chestnut eyes and frowned deeply as he thought of the last thing he said to the blonde boy. While a sense of regret was still lasting on his tongue, it very quickly passed when he began to at last see Scaverin's words of wisdom within him.

"He is a close confidant of the Hylian royal family. You can never trust him. Ever."

Although they were distrustful and perhaps even offending words, Raynard at long last found their weight in gold; something he had wished he saw earlier.

He's right, the youth thought.

I can't trust Link or anyone in that group of his, even if I wanted to.

"I was wondering when this would happen..."

The man's voice, so irreproachably timed, could make the listening Raynard only gasp in widened eyes. He stopped dead in his tracks and turned his head diagonally upward to his top-left only to find the firmly-frowning form of Scaverin himself standing overhead, a hardened look ever present in the usual firm quality of his eye.

"S-Scaverin-sensei..."

"Who was it?" The former priest asked, nodding his bald-headed query down toward the beaten black-haired boy. "That rat in lord Ganondorf's side?"

Raynard's surprised frown relaxed into an embarrassed twitch and he lowered it in shame and disgrace. "No...," he answered, wincing. "It was..."

Scaverin raised one of his eyebrows in genuine curiosity, his similarly inquisitive frown carrying his patient silence on.

Raynard's scowl deepened into a hardened grit-toothed glower as he finished his sentence, eyes scrunched shut in further humiliation. "... Lyna..."

"That Hylian woman...?" Scaverin hummed out thoughtfully, crossing his robed arms as he turned his head to the sky. "Yes... it just goes to show."

Raynard rose a curious raven-shaded eyebrow, as if to press his mentor to elaborate.

"Even the greatest of us can make grave miscalculations...," Scaverin began again, this time in a satisfied-looking grin as he re-lowered his head to face the boy with. Raynard lowered his own eyes and his scowl twitched as he did knowingly. "Even the great Ganondorf himself was ousted fairly quickly considering his grand future schemes were all put into place... it can happen to us all my son."

Although the shame he still felt coursing through his veins was great, it was somewhat allayed into a calmer quality by his teacher's words, a small sense of light relief washing pleasingly over his hardened spine. He felt far more trusting toward the older Hylian than he usually did and opened up his mouth as he struggled to stand to his feet; the frowning-faced Scaverin reached down and offered a calloused hand of his own, an invitation he gladly took.

"H-He... he told me I was too bitter..."

Scaverin rose a second eyebrow skyward, curiosity written across his older expression.

"Link, I mean," the black-haired mercenary spoke again, re-opening his eyes as he did. "Maybe I am... but... is it any wonder...?!" He finished out in an angry hiss, eyes narrowed forward. "He of all people should know what it's like to be an orphan... and with no family either."

"I told you this would happen."

The youth gasped out, half-surprised as he revolved his spiky-haired head to face the man with. Scaverin looked down on the boy with a hardened glare that bordered on intimidating.

"You cannot trust that boy... or anyone within his group," the former priest claimed boldly and zealously. "He is too closely affiliated with our enemy... with the royal family."

Raynard lowered his eyes in slow, reluctant defeat. "I... I know... I'm sorry."

"Take it as a lesson; a valuable one," Scaverin continued on, drawing his hardened gaze toward the far-off arena where Raynard previously came from. "The only one you can truly trust in this world... is yourself."

It was grim, hard to hear and even bleak in and of itself but the saddened Raynard couldn't help but feel the sense in the wizened older man's words, especially having after lived through his own traumatic life.

"Your friendship with this boy is over," Scaverin spoke boldly, turning his bald head back to frown on the boy below him. "As long as he chooses to assist the people that killed your family, we will do nothing more to aid them. Is that clear?"

Raynard nodded obediently and sensibly. "Yes... Scaverin-sensei."

"Good...," Scaverin murmured back, slow-swivelling his head to briefly eye Tiverpool Castle and its arena a few miles from them. "Come... if you've been eliminated from this tournament then we have no more need to stay here," he began again, stepping forward to march toward Tiverpool City's exit. "Enlightenment awaits us in Stralanavia, city of the stalwart," he ordered on, his Hylian robes swishing on as he marched. "This way."

Raynard stayed but only for a couple of seconds, idly staring at the far-off castle and its arena, his final thoughts on his dying friendship with his blonde-haired rival before he at last turned to follow his mentor loyally.


"Welcome back ladies and gentlemen to the Kaioh Bio!"

YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH

The sound of the surrounding Aurelian crowd meshed well with Mr. Marshall's pleasing baritone; a staple of the sporting commentary he offered alongside his younger comrade.

"In this exciting endeavour we've already had upset after upset, shock after shock and some of the greatest martial arts' displays we've ever seen!"

The huge watching group of people all let loose their calls of approval and excitement, their morale rising with the man's calling voice.

"I still can't believe we ain't goin' see that kid Raynard duke it out with our boy Fire Fist in the grand finals Marsh," the ever-grinning Tasty Seth claimed, shaking his brown-haired head as if in disbelief. "That match of theirs in the Hylian Hyrax grand finals was just..."

As he finished his sentence, he grinned on in exuberance as he kissed at the air with his thumb and index finger; a chef's kiss as if to describe his eagerness in watching the dream match.

"Ah... it was our first sudden death in over ten years; an incredible test of skill, speed and strength to be sure," Marshall smiled on as he leant back briefly in his chair, eyes turning to the ceiling as if deep in thought. "And from record-breaking children no less; can you believe it?" He chuckled on well-naturedly as he 'rounded his head on the grinning Seth to his left.

"Those Hylians ain't no kids Marsh!" Seth laughed. "Not with powers like those!"

"Right you are; a sentiment held by many within the Prima World Tour as our next round commences!"

With Marshall's words came the ever-loyal display of black and white pictographs that flashed up on the two connecting pillars of Tiverpool Arena; a rather early pictograph of Link stared back at the viewer, first taken during his sign-up at the Hylian Hyrax. It captured the overconfident twinkle in his ocean-blue eyes, grinning away as he always loved to do as he leant his curtain-haired head to the side. Beneath were his statistics.

Link Firbrand

Aggressiveness: A

Agility: A

Tenacity: S

"Young Firbrand has been one of our greatest competitors, easily," Marshall began again, frowning ever-seriously this time as he re-opened his mouth to continue his commentary. "In his rapid climb through the PWT he's won fans everywhere; male, female, Hylian and Aurelian alike. His signature 'Fire Fist', causing intense chip damage to his opponents can and has easily overwhelmed most of his former opponents; an incredible aggression that leaves his rush-down game second-to-none."

"Yo I gotta say, any time our boy Fire Fist is up I gotta lean forward to watch," the grinning Seth shot back, tilting his head lightly mid-sentence in his growing elation. "Every match he's in is just... fire!"

Marshall shook his own brown-haired head back, eyes briefly shut before soon re-opening them to cast a half-approving smile over at the younger man. "Clever." He spoke sarcastically.

"Thanks, I thought so too." Seth smirked on, eyebrow rising ever upward as the listening audience let out pity chuckles.

Whether the listening Seth actually knew of his older companion's sarcasm and chose to challenge it or he merely didn't and spoke as always was left up for debate however. Before Marshall could question him on it however, a second pictograph flashed up on the next pillar.

Lyna Greene

Aggressiveness: A+

Agility: S+

Grapple Countering: A

"YOOO!"

Seth's near-hysteric call made even the audience turn in his direction; Marshall raised his own eyebrow and double-took toward him, as if to prod him to speak further.

"It's another dream match...!" He half-whispered out, eyes widened as he realised the fight card laid out before them all. "I never knew how much I wanted this Marsh...!"

"Neither did we all, my young friend," Marshall chuckled back good-naturedly as he reached over to pat the excited youth across his back before soon re-facing the front, speaking back into the small Gossip Stone in his right hand. "Two Hylians, powerful in their own right coming up! Don't go away!"

2

"I hope our match will go well today."

The frowning-faced Link, surprised and pulled directly out of his deep-seated thoughts, turned his head from viewing at the arena ahead of him to face the woman's voice that spoke to him behind him. It was only when he did so that he soon recognised her as the oddly-faced smiling Lyna herself, soon also realising she was referencing to their upcoming match. He turned his own frown into a light-faced smile in response, nodding his pony-tailed head as he did.

"Of course it will," he spoke back confidently enough, swinging his smile into a swiftly-switched smirk as he sailed up his right clenched fist to knock softly and respectably with hers. She reciprocated with an unusually sociable smile. "After watchin' you school Ray I can't wait to lock fists with ya." He grinned on excitably, drawing a half-chuckle from the young woman.

"I figured you'd be annoyed." She admitted, placing a hand on her hip as she retracted it from the earlier exchange. Link couldn't help but drop his smirk in place of a blinking-faced frown, re-opening his mouth to press her.

"Annoyed?"

"I stole your chance to take revenge on that Van Garrick kid."

Realising she was referring to his marginally close defeat at the Hylian Hyrax he soon regained his earlier grin, shook his straw-haired head and chuckled on in light amusement.

"Yeah...," he grinned on, re-raising his head to face her again. "I guess you did."

"Sorry." The Hylian woman smiled apologetically in her own light chortle, teal-haired eyebrow raised up as she did.

"Don't worry about it," the youth merely shrugged off, imitating her stance as a form of his old habit in his adventures across his homeland. "I'm sure I'll get another chance...," he began again, his smirk soon widening into a toothy shut-eyed grin. "Eventually!"

Lyna at last folded her arms and quipped up another eyebrow, expelling out a tiny breath of air through her nose in entertainment. "I'm sure you will." She conceded in her light smile.

"'Sure you will' what?"

The pair of Hylians swung their eyes and heads 'round only to find the source of the man's voice the ever-grinning form of Barkner approaching them, his own muscled rock-like arms folded. Joined by him were the rest of their close companions; Impa, Alwyn, Malon and as always, Zelda. Not accompanying the close-knit group however was the oddly-missing presence of Vassia.

Link found himself frowning as he took almost immediate notice of it; ever since his recent match with her in round four, a near whitewash, the fairly sociable Palashian princess was nowhere to be found. While he found his initial matters worried for the similarly missing Raynard it was only recently that he began to worry for her.

Maybe it's good for her, he thought.

She's been all high and mighty ever since we met in Palashia... but since then this is the first time I've ever seen her speechless.

Still though...

Maybe I went too far.

When he caught the look of concern written across the frowning-faced Zelda's cerulean-eyed gaze, he couldn't help but deepen his own frown as she joined her hands softly at her centre; an old habit of her own she seemed to carry both in his own timeline and in this new one. Link winced and lowered his gaze from hers, finding an odd sense of guilt in the way she looked at him; a kind of stare that seemed to pierce straight into his character and his history. While it was something he liked about her, it wasn't a quality he found engaging right about now.

"Find some excuse to bail on the after-party today I'm sure." Malon quipped in with an all-knowing grin plastered across her defiant young expression, folding her own small arms at the blonde youth. He rose up his head to eye her and forced a half-enthused grin on his face in response.

"I'll show," he shot back. "I kinda have to when I'm-a win the whole thing, huh?"

"That's a lot of Cuccos to count before they hatch fairy boy," Malon grinned on, arms folded and ever-confident. "What makes ya think you'll win this time?"

He shrugged back at her, his own grin growing as the group watched his blonde-haired eyebrow rise up as if half-surprised. "When ya sign up ya kinda have-ta believe you're gonna win baby."

The listening Barkner couldn't help but grin and snapped one of his fingers in the farm girl's direction, drawing a surprised look from her. "He's got you there."

His words, while half-joking, pulled out a similarly jesting warning knock against his rock-like chest by the likewise-grinning faced Lyna; a joking cautionary that half-surprised the wide-eyed Goron. When he turned to face her again however he couldn't help but chuckle with her when he realised her jesting tone.

"I'd put a bet on it but you already won your last one, didn't you?" Malon fired back knowingly, rising up a fire-haired eyebrow as she did in amusement. Link's own grin slowly dissolved when he realised she was referring to the defeated Vassia merely a single round ago and what felt like hours to them after the last fiery battle they witnessed.

"He certainly did."

Surprising all within the immediate vicinity, they all swung their heads in the soprano's direction only to find the subject of conversation herself standing before them, frowning unusually and a single hand resting on her white-dressed hip. All chatter very quickly died down, perhaps out of respect for the recently-defeated young Palashian, leaving only the awkwardly-faced Link to respond to her.

"U-Um... I was... lookin' for you..."

"What a coincidence mon amour," Vassia spoke fairly quickly in retort, at last regaining the light smirk on her face the group knew her well for. Link felt his nerves somewhat settle when he saw it; a familiar sight. "Come..."

As she turned, presumably to lead him away from the gaggle of their companions, he briefly eyed them all as if to get some form of permission before rolling his oceanic-eyed gaze in annoyance when he found most of them looking at him in teasing ways and manners.

Some things never change, he thought to himself as he turned to stride forward after the slow-marching Vassia. In great spite to his earlier settling however, his stomach couldn't help but tie itself in tiny knots as he began to approach her position, now a safe distance away from the group to earn themselves some privacy.

This could be good or bad, he thought to himself worriedly.

Farore only knows.

"First off... I'd like to thank you."

Link rose up both straw-haired eyebrows in genuine surprise, unsure on how to handle her suddenly-seeming gratefully-spoken words. Further surprising the young Hylian, the Palashian princess chose to bend her violet-haired head downwards in a respectful bow, leaving him near-speechless on what to say next.

What's her endgame here, he pondered silently.

"Absolutely... no-one has been able to talk to me the way you do," she began again, re-raising her curled head to cast him a knowing smirk. He grew half-embrassed and uncertain zig-zag-like frown, turning his oceanic eyes away from hers as he did. "And, likewise, no-one has been able to beat me either... and especially with that level of force." She finished the inflection of her sentence with a light narrowing of her eyes, placing her only remaining right hand on her hip as she closed the distance between them.

Link re-rose his eyes to face her and, suddenly and disturbingly aware of their proximity, began to panic; an old habit from his endeavours with Ruto.

"I think I like this side of you..."

He felt her step closer to him, rising up her hands to glide softly up and down his karate-gi uniform, eliciting an unpleasant shiver down his spine.

"I was genuinely curious on what I should do now that I know you're finally stronger than I am..." She admitted honestly to him, very slowly and carefully snaking her hands softly to the small of his back, pulling him closer to him. He widened his oceanic eyes, soon realising how uncomfortably close she pressed him to her and shook terribly as if instinctive reaction to escape from her grip. While the exotic scent of her no doubt extremely expensive perfume filled his nose and the rest of his senses, he couldn't help but near-shell up in defence.

Unfortunately for the young Hylian however, the Palashian princess' constraining clasp was enough in its sudden grasp that kept him to her, adding on to the worrying possibility that he'd merely draw further attention his way.

Maybe she knows that already, he thought worriedly.

She's thought this out.

She's playin' dirty.

"But now I feel like I'm okay with that...," she whispered so closely and so quietly into his small Hylian ear he had to wince and flinch in response. He felt her fingers close around the small of his back and the uniform protecting it, drawing ever closer to his undefended rear below him. "In fact..."

He near flinched again when he felt her fingers, very slowly and oddly skilfully, snake further down.

"I think I like it."

He gasped out audibly and rather noisily at that as he did, abruptly jerking back from her and, in doing so, successfully and suddenly escaped from her intense grip. She pulled her hands back from her front and joined them behind her innocently, raising her violet-haired head up at him as the rest of the group behind the young Hylian swung their heads in their direction, the commotion drawing their eyes. Link, still sweating profusely in response to the extremely embarrassing situation, darted his blonde-haired head behind him to get a quick look and gauged the rest of his companions' gazes.

While the watching Barkner, Shanaari, Alwyn and even Impa all stared back at him carefully and unsurely, it was the oddly knowing look in the half-annoyed Malon and smiling Zelda that made him widen his eyes in anxiety.

Do they know, he wondered worriedly.

The suspicious look in Malon's ocean-blue looked deductive but nothing else. Zelda's, however, was far more entertained.

And that look alone terrified him; it suggested to him that she knew instinctively and intrinsically, and opted perhaps to shelve the information with which to tease him later. The young Hero of Time found his frown twitching in a mixture of frustration and discontent, fearing an inevitable teasing later by her.

That's gonna suck, he moaned internally, his eyes wandering away in a limp-positioned deep-faced frown.

When he turned back 'round to exchange his frustrated frown with the satisfied smirk sitting on Vassia's face, she re-opened her mouth to speak to him.

"What's wrong mon amour?"

He sighed, rolling his oceanic eyes back at her, wandering them away as if unable to find an appropriate level response, instead opting for his go-to sarcastic one.

"Nothin' dear."


"Welcome back ladies and gentlemen, to the Kaioh Bio!"

YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH

As always, the sound of the surrounding Aurelian audience filled the walls of Tiverpool Castle's arena, rebounding powerfully against them as they echoed on out as far as the very streets themselves. The smiling Mr. Marshall and ever-grinning Tasty Seth spoke from their commentating table a few steps away from the main ring itself.

"We've already seen one hell of a martial arts display! From the very basic Loftwing-Style to the sleek and speedy Zora-Style and even to those of self-taught disciplines!" Marshall spoke on, chuckling as he tilted his brown-haired head. "You can't get this kind of entertainment just anywhere folks!"

"By 'self-taught', you mean that Van Garrick kid don'tcha?" The grinning Seth quipped on with a notable click of his fingers.

"Indeed! But also the young woman coming up in round six herself!" Marshall smiled back as he turned his head to face the younger man with. "Lyna Greene!"

YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH

As the audience all cried out in approval for the upcoming match-up, the two competitors themselves at last emerged from the competitor's box, drawing the cheering to an even greater high.

"Today will be a treat, not just for our lovely audience, but for us to boot," the smiling Marshall began, leaning lightly back in his chair as he spoke. The pictographs of Lyna's business-like frowning face and Link's ever-overconfident smirk flashed on the pillars again, as if cued up by the experienced commentator's words. Their statistics sat below the likenesses as well, a similar gathering of data the two martial artists shared. "Two rush-down specialists my friends! That's what we have to look forward to!"

In the inflection of his smiling spoken sentence, Marshall clicked his fingers audibly, drawing another excited cheer from the listeners surrounding him.

"This is gonna be off the hook!" Seth called out noisily and raucously, pulling forth another inspired cheer from the congregation of Aurelians. "At this point I dunno who to put my rupees on!"

"And that simple fact is the best part of our world tour!" Marshall chuckled on as he clicked his fingers a second time, this time directing his smile and look toward the younger man on his left. "Even with full knowledge of all our roster, expectations are easily and nearly always completely shattered!"

YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH

"Red side, ready!"

The ever-grinning Link nodded in the young referee's direction before standing to attention and lowering himself in a half-amused bow of respect toward his opponent-turned-companion.

"Blue side, ready!"

Lyna nodded in her usual-faced frown toward the referee before blinking in her younger foe's area and swinging her frown into an noteworthy smile of her own. The older Hylian soon returned the bow and smiled on as she did.

As always, the powerful sound of the world tour's gong struck the air, meshing well with the knocking din of the cheering audience.

"Begin!"

3

FWIP-WHOOSH

Lyna deftly side-stepped to her left to avoid the incoming left-handed stabbing strike her young opponent shot in with; a super-fast yet fairly vertical lunge. She responded with a quick right jab of her own that he met with his open-palmed right, catching it mid-flight. The pair of Hylians yelled out together as they broke their holds simultaneously with a burst of Aegir, soon following up with an incredible deluge of rapid punches and pummels that they similarly hastily parried and blocked.

As Link at last found a small window with which to attack however, the youth set out immediately with a quick series of jabs and elbows, high and low. Lyna regained her normal frown, ever written across her expression as she expertly shot up both toned arms to block the blonde boy's offensive before grunting out lightly as she used one of the small gaps within his punches to swing one of her own diagonally into the air. The former Hero of Time weaved his head back abruptly to avoid the blow before immediately counter-attacking with a wide-angled roundhouse kick.

FWIP

TK-TK-TK

In an acrobatic back-flip Lyna bounded backward through the air to easily stay out of reach of his assault, further gaining valuable space away from him by utilising her hands and legs to push up and off the white-tiled ground beneath her in three nimble movements. The narrow-eyed Link, of course, gave immediate pursuit in a similarly far-bouncing leap, forward and side-flipping as he liked to in his adventures across Termina.

As Lyna's slim form began to very quickly approach the invisible Aegir wall blocking them from interfering with the audience behind her however, she narrowed her teal-shaded eyes and used the very wall itself to bounce back off of as she landed, its magical material displaying very briefly as she did. It was only during his own pursuit that Link realised his unfortunate mistake and widened his oceanic eyes when she managed to score a lightning-quick swipe at his chin.

"Ngh...!"

Time at last slowed down for the Hylian pair as the scrunch shut-eyed Link hung backward in the air from the sheer force and surprise of Lyna's abrupt counter, before eventually it soon regained its flow in Link's swift movement; as he too began to fast-approach one of the many Aegir walls protecting the audience behind him, he snap-opened his eyes and scrunch-scowled his face as he landed on it and immediately bounded from it with a quick snap and jump.

It wasn't long before the narrow-eyed Lyna re-appeared in her own pursuit; a lightning-quick advance that saw the worried Link darting his eyes 'round in swift and desperate search for her. Just as quickly as she returned to the field, she shot down her arm in a deep horizontal chop that the wide-eyed blonde ducked at the last second, drawing out baited gasps and breaths from the watching and enraptured audience.

As Link swung 'round in mid-air to swing his counter-attack horizontal strike her way, she blocked with her right arm and glared on back as she shot some lightning-fast jabs in return. Like a pair of spinning tops they were off, their forms blazing with Link's tell-tale fire-red and Lyna's teal-jade auras of Aegir clashing with one another; a gladiator like contest between the two Hylians that saw no sign of ending.

CRICK

"Ah-!"

Link gasped out and scrunched his eyes shut as Lyna at last found a fairly small window with which to launch her offensive; a super-fast series of slices and strikes that finished in a simple-enough forward kick, sending the grunting young Hero of Time floating backward in mid-air. With control in their Aegir together, they kept their positions in mid-air however, essentially managing to levitate.

"Now!"

As Lyna cried out in exertion she shot up both hands high in a vertical position, widening her teal-shaded eyes as she brought them both crashing down on the openly-defensive Link; he shot his straw-haired head up just in time to catch sight of her axe-like swing, crashing painfully down into him.

SSSMACK-VWEEEEE...

His form whined out, like an arrow being fired from a ballista, before he grunted out and flipped his body acrobatically and expertly mid-flight to land back on the white-tiled arena below him safely enough. Having all been watching in quietened awe, the audience at last gave vent to their next scream of approval and, as the frowning-faced Lyna folded her arms and looked on down at the far-off Link imposingly below her, the watching commentators opened up their mouths to commentate.

"What a start to round six!" Marshall cried out loudly, speaking into his small Gossip Stone with his right hand and clenching a fist with his left rather passionately. "I don't think I was even able to follow most of that! Firbrand and Greene give us just a taste of their incredible godlike speed and strength; a mere portent of their true powers sure to come!"

"Yooo Marsh they were like sparks of fire!" Seth called out in an excited grin, pulling another adoring scream from the surrounding audience. "Flyin' along the wind and settin' it alight!"

"Like a pair of Flare Dancers," Marshall chuckled on, nodding. "I can certainly dig it."


Link wasted no time in following a counter-attack and leapt up with a sudden ferocity that surprised even the watching and folded-armed Lyna; she barely had time to prepare herself before the super-fast form of her foe flung a quick but damaging stabbing strike to her cheek.

CRACCCK

"Argh...!"

Lyna's teal eyes widened as she hung backward in mid-air from the abrupt strike and, it wasn't much, but it was enough to open her up; Link's own eyes widened as he pressed forward in his counter-assault by issuing forth a lightning-fast series of jabs and strikes in her face, drawing blood from the sheer force with which he hit her.

CRIKKK...

The sound of the boy's bare leg struck her lower chest and she sagged backward in mid-air, gasping, before he followed up with a brutal downward strike that sent her sailing back down to the ground below her. As she began to fast-approach the ground below her, however, the shut-eyed scowling Lyna widened them both in sudden snaps. Just as quickly as she did, did she vanish from common sight; a feat that saw some in the audience murmuring out and others cheering. Link widened his own cerulean-shaded eyes before darting them 'round in search for the missing woman only to gasp when he caught her flying toward him from his undefended side.

SMACCCK

"Rgh...!"

Link was sent just a few inches higher into the air, still floating thanks to their use of Aegir-control, allowing the narrow-eyed Lyna to follow-up her recovery assault with a further counter-attack; she air-dashed forward and smashed her own pony-tailed head directly into his. An agonising mash of their heads, a double-edge of sorts took place, and Link cried out as a newly-made freshly-placed wound appeared on his head, floating backward in pain. As he sagged rearward Lyna flew forward and narrowed her eyes a second time as she slammed her elbow into his exposed lower chest, sending him grunting and wide-eyed back toward the white-tiled arena below them both.

"Whulf...!"

VWEE...

KERRRRASSSSH-CRK-CRK...

The sound of the arena's tiles and debris crashing apart and falling echoed on out into the dust-filled crevice that Lyna just very recently created; she hung in the air oppressively, teal-iris eyes glaring on down knowingly into the cloud of smoke below her.

"With a huge difference in their fighting powers, young Firbrand's speed is of similarly little consequence to Greene's defence and strength!" Marshall called out excitedly, frowning on in his ever-serious faced passion, free fist clenched at his side as he did.

"It's been one hell of a fight so far Marsh, I gotta say!" The grinning Seth commented on, tilting his head as he ever did. "It's just fast! Fast as hell; we love it!"

YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH

As always, the listening and surrounding audience all cried out in thunderous approval, driving force the point that Seth was making to home.

VWOOSH

Surprising the screaming crowd of people into swinging their heads back toward the ring, a sudden sphere of non-elemental Aegir was fired forth from the fiery-eyed palm of the levitating Lyna, launched in a diagonal angle toward the cloud of dust and smoke of her own creation. Perhaps as a way to end the combat as quickly as possible, she hoped for her offensive technique to collide her fallen foe for some serious damage and okizeme to top it all off with. When the narrow-eyed Link very suddenly and abruptly shot skyward out of the cloud below him the watching audience all gasped out.

CRASSSH

As the initial sphere that Lyna tossed collided noisily and destructively with the ground below her, she darted her teal-eyed gaze up to match the high-flying Link's before grunting out as she volleyed a second sphere of energy.

VWEEEE...

RRRIP-VWEEEEEE...

Link's eyes widened again in a shocked gasp as he, very barely at the last second, managed to avoid the sphere by leaning his small-framed body to the side in mid-air. However, as it passed him it lit alight and managed to burn the top half of his already torn karate-gi uniform, leaving him topless and grit-toothed in shock. The watching Lyna's frown twitched, as if disappointed in her aim, and as the gasping Link turned his oceanic eyes down to examine the fresh burn mark on his chest the watching audience let loose a squealing cry of approval.

It was only when the similarly listening Link within the sky realised that the approval came from the female side of the watching crowd that he double-took in all their directions, blinking as he did, before eventually grinning on as he waved back. As half-expected, the surrounding young girls all cried out his name in mixed voices that left a laughing impression on the other half.

"Our boy Firbrand doesn't miss a beat; just listen to that following!" The smiling Marshall chuckled on as he tilted his head in response. "He's not gonna have any trouble securing any social engagements; I tell you that much!"

"Kid that popular at his age? Damn, even I'm jelly Marsh." The grinning-faced Seth shot in with.

"He keeps that up and he'll be losin' use of those arms."

The listening blonde boy's group of companions all turned their heads 'round from their positions in the competitor's box to find the narrow-eyed Malon cricking and cracking her fingers into one of her open-palmed fists, her frown twitching into a briefly-seen scowl that drew out laughs from the watching Barkner and Shanaari.

"Can hardly blame him for losing his shirt when Lyna's burnt it off, can you?" The unusually-smiling Impa commented on with a genuinely curious rise of her silver-shaded eyebrow, her armoured arms ever folded.

"Why I must say... his fault or not...," the watching Vassia began, swinging her raven-eyed gaze skyward, her frown slowly upturning into a satisfied-looking smirk. "He looks, how you say... trés délicieux." The violet-haired Palashian princess finished, a light lick at her well-chapped lips, drawing out another laugh from the ever-amused Barkner and even a shut-eyed, head-shaking smirk from the folded-armed Alwyn.

"Has our little blonde hero's closest friend here have anything to add...?" The grinning Shanaari poked and prodded figuratively and knowingly, leaning her brown-haired pony-tailed head in the frowning-faced Zelda's direction. The modest-mannered princess of Hyrule double-took her own long pony-tailed head toward the guard in response before she shut her deep-blue eyes and took on a more resolute-looking frown on her face, re-affixing the fashionable black top she wore to match the ocean-blue slim trousers beneath her.

"I will say absolutely nothing on the matter," she spoke up confidently and oddly noticeably enough that everyone in their group had turned their eyes all on her, genuinely surprised. "Unlike the rest of you my romantic attachments are not public knowledge."

Though she was surprised by the rather rude comments her royal charge spoke of, the risen-eyebrow and half-smile that adorned Impa's face was all the Sheikah gave to indicate her acknowledgement of them. Vassia turned to regard her fellow princess with a half-annoyed frown on her face before she soon regained her earlier entertained smirk, re-turning to face the front and the arena once more; an unusually mature and reserved way of handling the surprised conflict.

The highly-offended Malon, however, was not nearly as aloof or composed unfortunately.

"And what's that supposed to mean?!" The easily-angered farm girl called out irritatingly, swinging her small form 'round on the similarly-aged girl to her left, placing her hands on her white-dressed hips as she did confrontationally.

This time the frown that adorned Zelda's face upturned into a cheeky eye-rolling smile, her hands softly joining at her centre as she did. "Oh... no reason."

"She's joking Malon." Impa at last spoke up, a half-amused smile on her own firm expression, drawing out yet another entertained laugh from the watching Barkner. Alwyn shook his Zoran-shaped head a second time as he sighed briefly through his nose, turning back 'round to eye the arena, a light smile of his own resting across his aged face.

"Never a dull moment..." He commented on quietly to himself.

4

As Link lowered his form to land gracefully enough the annihilated tiled arena below him he cast his newly-faced frown forward firmly, his small frame drawing up a light rumble in the ground and surroundings that made even the floating form of Lyna rise up one of her teal-shaded eyebrows in curiosity. The sitting audience in the stands all began to cry out in anxiety and uneasiness, as if unable to find an appropriate level of response before they soon calmed when they remembered the Aegir walls between themselves and the arena placed up to protect them.

VREWWWW...

Without warning and shocking all into wide-eyed gasps, the similar-eyed Link snap-opened his oceanic-eyed gaze as his lightning-fast form shot into the sky in pursuit, vanishing from common sight as he did. The levitating Lyna furrowed her brow and darted her own eyes in swift search only to soon realise, all too late, where her newly-buffed opponent approached her from.

SMASH

"Ngh...!"

Unable to even see him coming, Link's air-dash was so fast his entire small figure was coated in a blood-red fire-like aura as he crashed a fiery-fist fiercely in Lyna's grunting face, sending her sagging backward through the air.

VREWWWW...

Like a light he was off again, leaving sparks of flame and fire, curving 'round the air so he approached her undefended back.

CRACCCK

"AGGGH!"

In Lyna's scrunch-eyed scowling shout she sailed high into the sky before widening her eyes as she flipped her body backward in a swift recovery, casting her annoyed bleeding scowl down on the boy below her. Sure enough, as his fiery-aura form began to shoot up toward her she crossed her arms defensively in preparation, eyes narrowing deep into his.

VREWWWW...

Lyna gasped, eyes widening as she dropped her scowl, messy-haired head darting to follow Link's insanely quick feint; he aborted his current path of flight before angling himself so he dove-down on her in a destructive dive-kick. Lyna made to turn around but her opponent, however, was just too fast.

"N-No-!"

In desperation she volleyed another sphere of non-elemental energy and Aegir, watching it whining and moving quickly through the air, hoping with great fervour it hit its mark. Unfortunately for her, however...

It did not.

CRACCCCK

"Agh...!"

VWEEEEEEE...

Just like her projectile, Lyna's adult form gave out a quiet whine that saw her sailing and careering back down savagely into the white-tiled arena below her, creating another painful-looking crevice. A few seconds of difficult and anxiety-filled silence descended upon the watching audience as small rocks and debris fell noisily from the crevice below them, before at last, the under-filled Lyna reacted.

"AHHHHHHHHH!"

DROOOOOM-CRASSSH

As the watching audience were all protected by the invisible Aegir walls between them and the arena, the sitting Marshall and Seth were not so lucky; as they sat within the battlefield itself with their commentating table, they were although fairly far back, still within the radius of any high-flying wreckage and rubble. Sure enough, as Lyna burst her fiery form from the fallen floor, small pieces of it came pelting viciously against the walls of magic littering the arena, drawing out surprised calls from some in the front seats. Marshall and Seth, meanwhile, widened their eyes and hid comically below their desks in order to best avoid any incoming fire.

The narrow-eyed Link wasted no time in his further hunt by air-dashing toward her, mixing his hardened glare with hers. As his flight took him to the tiled floor below him, the fire following him endlessly left beautiful sparks of flame when the youth tapped himself up into another high-flying leap almost as soon as he landed.

Reacting out of panic and desperation, Lyna scowled forward as she swung a sudden but fierce stabbing punch forward, whiffing noticeably as the narrow-eyed Link swerved his body out of its direction. His body seemingly moving quicker than sheer light itself, he feinted a second time to curve overhead Lyna before swiftly smashing his relatively small frame into her adult one behind her.

CRACCCK

"ARRGH!"

She recovered fairly quickly from the quick but brutal blow by bounding back into a front-flip and about-turning before shooting off forward almost as quickly as she landed, fists at the ready. As she pulled one of them back, frowning firmly, the magical pull of her Aegir burned intensely in her left palm; a fearsome yet fairly obvious assault that the narrow-eyed Hero of Time saw coming. He abruptly swerved his blonde-haired pony-tailed head out of the way before immediately counter-attacking with a powerful body blow to the woman's lower stomach.

FRRR-BASSSH

The sound and aesthetic of Link's telltale flame adorned his low punch, and successfully began to burn apart the already ragged tunic she wore so well. While she was wide-eyed and coughing out aloud in genuine and abominable pain from the awesome counter-assault of her opponent, it was the watching audience that erupted into similar cheers and whoops as when Link's karate-gi burnt up at the top half, though this time the male side.

"It would appear our old friend Greene also has a strong following of a fan club!" The grinning Marshall chuckled as he pulled himself up hesitantly from under the desk he shared with Seth. "Who would have guessed?"

"She's somethin' else Marsh!" The likewise-faced Seth bantered on as he similarly pulled himself up carefully, as if to avoid any incoming injury.

As Lyna coughed out a noticeable plume of blood, staining the narrow-eyed scowling-faced Link, she very slowly began to stagger backward from the sheer agony she seemingly suffered at the hands of her smaller opponent. Still coated in the same fiery-red aura of Aegir, Link stood up to attention and relaxed his scowl into a simple-eyed frown, casting it forward as he furrowed his brow at the gasping woman before him. She re-opened her eyes in a sudden snapping glare that soon saw her flipping backward, presumably with which to counter-attack. Perhaps in growing rage, she recklessly leapt forward to assault him once more, pulling her own pulsing arms back.

FRIP-FRIP

Their fists made connecting sounds as they clashed together; the frowning-faced Link caught the angry-eyed Lyna's stabbing clenched fists in his stony-faced grip, watching her carefully. Lyna dug her heels in deeply into the tiled arena below her and the very last of its beautiful design was annihilated as per the rest of it, leaving nothing else to the watchers' imaginations. Link's simple-faced frown very slowly opened up to match Lyna's grit-toothed scowl and, as it did, so too did the power he exerted.

CRACK

"AGH!"

CRRRRACK-CRRRRRRRRRACCCK

"ARRRRRGGGGGH!"

The scene itself would have seemed ridiculous to any other random passer-by; an older adult woman screaming to the sky in horrific agony as her fingers were slowly crushed within the grip of a much smaller, younger Hylian child. Lyna, seemingly having had quite enough of the painful exchange however, utilised her legs and climbed up upon the young blonde's very small arms themselves. With his strength he easily supported her and swung his wide-eyed head up to stare back at her; she widened her eyes and wrenched her arms free from his, joining them together to hang them overhead as if to attack with.

Unfortunately for her, however, she simply just took too long in her assault.

"Heyt!"

CRASSSH

"Ngh...!"

Link savagely smashed his small pony-tailed head directly into her grit-toothed face, drawing out blood flying high into the sky as he did. Time slowed down for the pair as she was sent careering into the air alongside it, allowing the young Hero of Time to reach up and brutally swing two haymakers across her exposed defences.

SLAM-SLAM

The youth, in utilising his much-increased speed and strength, followed up even further by issuing out a series of callous yet merciless strikes across her airborne body, sending her yelling, bloody and bruised all across the arena. Finally he finished up his meteor combination by smashing his knee directly down into her, bringing them both crashing and agonisingly down into the debris-filled battlefield.

VWEEE...

KERRRASSSSSSH

Lyna, eyes widened and her scowl temporarily dropped, could only stare forward at the bloody-filled battlefield below her that she stained as time slowed down a second time for the Hylian pair. Link used her vast recovery time to flip backward in his own recovery from the counter-assault, his bare feet kicking up white stone and wreckage before him. The young blonde at last gasped out, presumably in effort and fatigue, as he fell to a single knee with his eyes briefly shut; he re-opened them in a deft snap, gasping out for breath.

"Too... much... too quickly...," he whispered out, pulling his own bruised and sweaty-haired head up to gaze at the far-off coughing Lyna. "It's... still not... fluid yet..." He lamented quietly to himself, referring to the fiery-aura buff he gave himself earlier, now noticeably gone.

Almost as if she were listening to his quietly-spoken words herself, Lyna darted her scowling and bloody face 'round to glower back at him before she turned fully to face him. Seemingly still full of energy she leapt high into the air presumably for a finisher, drawing out a yell of approval from the watching audience. Link gave out a disappointed grunt in a quick twitch of his scowling face as he watched her himself, re-opening his mouth.

"This is gonna hurt..." He murmured out.

FRRRR

In an instant the fiery-aura that once filled him re-appeared 'round his topless body, drastically heightening his strength and speed once more. Lyna pulled both calloused hands back, as if she were reading his mind, her own Aegir pulsing powerfully within the palms of her open hands. Link rose up his own hands, conjoined to face her briefly as if to aim before he swiftly pulled them back, magic and Aegir rapidly gathering within the space between.

"This is it people!" The excited Marshall called out, fist clenched at his side as he sat up in his seat. "The end to the semi-finals, right here, right now!"

"Yo! The earth is breakin'!"

DROOOOOOOOOOOM...

Just as the wide-eyed Seth called out so too did the audience begin to call out in light distress at the earth-shattering shakes and convulses, a sight that left a similar reaction upon the audience at the grand finals episode of the Hylian Hyrax and of it's incredible build-up finish.

Fairly soon the great rumbles and trembling that the pair of Hylians gave off in their preparation grew even further, their auras of fire-red and ocean-blue filling their forms; Lyna high in the sky and Link resolutely grounded. Finally, however, the wide-eyed Lyna reacted; with her Aegir-powering at last seemingly finished she thrust both slim arms pulsing with power forward and a similarly beautiful-blue wave of energy and magic came flying forth from her fingers.

"KIKOSHOOOO!"

VROOOOOOOOOM...

Faced with no other alternative as Lyna's massive wave of energy came careering down to meet him, it gave his face a beautiful-blue tint as he widened his own eyes and whispered out the technique of his own counter-attack.

"Metsu..."

He grit his teeth together and pulled everything within the fiery-red of his near-satanic like Aegir to respond; one last trump card.

"HADOOOOKEEEEEEEN!"

FWOOSH...

KERRRRRRRRRRASSSSSSSSHHH

FRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR-KRRRRRR

The very earth itself near shattered in its orbit as the two Hylians' incredible attacks collided, leaving all watching in distressed yells of aggrievement. Soon reminding themselves once again that the invisible walls of Aegir were placed in between their seats and the arena were there to protect them, the watching audience very slowly switched safely into yells and cries of approval. Unfortunately for the poor sitting Marshall and Seth however, given in their profession to be as close to the ring as possible, they held on for dear life as the rest of their equipment bar their valuable Gossip Stones all flew into the skies high above them from the sheer wind that kicked up from the savage beam struggle.

"Hey... Marsh!"

The gasping older man turned his single-eye shut head 'round carefully as he held dearly onto the wall behind him to prevent himself from being sent flying into the air, only to find the grinning eye-shut Seth staring back at him.

"How ya doin'?!"

His question, full of sarcasm and his own brand of humour, near irritated the older man; Marshall held back a sigh as he rolled his eyes and turned back to the struggle in the ring.

Soon enough, as the rumbling grew even more intense, so too did the power and Aegir with which the two Hylians let loose; Lyna's scream, drowned out by the incredible din of their techniques, was indicative of how much she had invested to win. The standing Link however remained far more focused and reserved; grit-toothed and eye-narrowed as he fired forth his beam of hellish-red energy high into the sky. As he did, so too did the results begin to bear fruit. Lyna's jade-like blue beam of energy was very slowly beginning to be eaten through the powerful fiery red of Link's own technique; a worrying fact for the watching woman.

As she levitated high in the air she widened her teal-shaded eyes and attempted, with great effort, to pull into whatever reserves that remained. With great horror Lyna soon realised she had none and fear and foreboding began to shoot up and down her spine as Link's 'Metsu Hadoken' wave of lava-like Aegir began to devour her 'Kikosho'.

FRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR-KRRR

It wasn't very long before hers was eaten through almost entirely; she realised it and, in bending her body with great effort to her sharp and sudden left, Lyna just barely managed to pull herself out of boiling-blood red Metsu Hadoken's pathway. The force of which however, as it just grazed her cheek, left a horrific burn mark that stung almost as immediately as it struck her. As Link's technique came careering high and soaring skyward as if in victory, Lyna shut her eyes and gave out one final grunt as she dropped, unable to maintain her levitation through Aegir-control with most of it now already depleted. Unfortunately for her, her current positioning made it so she was directly above the side of the arena and essentially out of bounds. Time slowed down for everyone watching, all on baited breath as the shut-eyed and seemingly unconscious Lyna fell like a stone to the ground, limbs all splayed out to the sky above her face up.

VWEEE...

CRASSSH-KRSSSSH...

The sound of her savage smash to the ground left ripples within its stone concrete; just one more massive wound for the poor shut-eyed woman as she lay fallen and defeated at long last. Back within the ring, the gasping Link dropped to one knee from the sheer exertion of attempting to pull out the power of the Shinzui in a controlled fashion; it was one that paid off but one that almost ate through all of his own Aegir.

A daring yet well-founded gambit indeed.

"Lyna Greene is unconscious and has been knocked out of bounds from the ring!"

The sound of the young woman acting as referee managed to draw out the wide-eyed audience from their shocked silence and return time to its normal flow. She re-opened her mouth, as if to give the final verdict and result of the titanic match.

"This set's winner, and of the Kaioh Bio's semi-finals, is Link Firbrand!"