Wow. That was pretty fast.

I actually wrote it. I can't believe it. Usually, I would be lazing about or playing video games, but I actually found time to write this. Congratulations to me for being productive.

I felt that I should give Link a chapter where he's given more focus, so here it is. I honestly didn't like writing about basketball and its mechanics, so I have to thank my dad for helping me. lol

I don't own SSBB.

"Basketball?"

Link, obviously, didn't like basketball. It was the least sport he enjoyed. He wanted to avoid that club at all costs. But when Ike started with basketball, well… he clearly couldn't contradict but to let himself be dragged by the bigger man.

"Cheer up, bro! Zelda's going to be there, you know." Ike grinned at his elven friend reassuringly. Link turned even gloomier.

"Yeah, watch me 'play' basketball and be a disaster on court… how humiliating," he muttered, already visualizing the scene before him. Link, the worst basketball player in Smash High, never managed to shoot the ball in the hoop, not even once! Heck, it'll probably be the headline on the school newspapers. God, that's gonna be so embarrassing.

Ike winked at him and laughed, imitating what Link had done earlier.

"This is going to be fun, Linky Winky. Just you wait and see."

Link folded his arms over his chest and stared at the sight before him.

"Fun, huh?" he said in a mocking tone of voice and glanced at Ike whose fists were clenched.

"Is that idiot asking for a competition?" mumbled Ike questioningly, glaring at the familiar blunette across the court who was preparing himself for a game of basketball. Marth was already in his jersey and shorts attire. He looked a little weird though, since the clothes were too big on him… it only helped refine his awfully slim figure. Ike's eye twitched uncontrollably.

"What the… is he malnourished or something?" Link blurted his thoughts out loud.

"Totally. Now let's go change in the locker room before the game starts," said Ike as he dragged Link behind him who was whining helplessly.

"ASSEMBLE!"

The class gathered in front of their coach who was a huge ape named Donkey Kong. He had a big voice that echoed across the gym which everyone feared. They all listened attentively to his instructions, nodding their heads at his every command

"FORM TWO TEAMS. I DON'T CARE HOW YOU PLAN TO DO THAT."

Marth looked at Ike and smiled. "Coach, I think it's already decided."

Ike wrinkled his eyebrows at the blunette in front of him. "What's up, princess? Did they run out of those extra small size jerseys for you?"

The whole gym roared in laughter. So it weren't only Ike and Link who noticed. Marth flushed a deep shade of red.

"You shameless bastard."

Ike just smirked teasingly. "I know."

Donkey Kong was enjoying their little argument. He didn't want to cut it off, but he had to.

"ALRIGHT, SO I SEE IT'S IKE AND MARTH. WELL THEN, THEY MADE IT EASIER FOR EVERYONE HERE. NOW GO AND CHOOSE YOUR DESTINY!"

Link was already beside Ike. Pit was siding with Marth, no doubt. Zelda and Sheik preferred to stay on the bleachers since… well, they were royalties and they didn't involve themselves in rough games like basketball, with a lot of pushing and shoving. Diddy Kong, as expected, was part of the game. He was Donkey Kong's son and was very skilled like his father. He knew all sorts of things people never thought he knew and pulled a lot of pranks on people he didn't like. All in all, he was a naughty student, but the students were glad Donkey Kong never showed favoritism towards him. It was fair enough.

"I don't know who to side with! This is a tough decision!" Diddy Kong said while he rubbed his chin in thought. "Hmm…"

He glanced at Ike who did a thumbs up at him, gesturing for him to join his team. On the other hand, Marth's face was in a scowl, determined to get back at Ike for his rude joke. Diddy Kong shook his head.

"Meh, I don't like to be with thin people! I'll go with Ike," he announced as he skipped towards the burly male. Marth bit his lip, trying to fight back the curses he wanted to yell at him. It wasn't his fault he had a slender body like a woman's, but he was no sexier than Zero Suit Samus.

He was grateful though, when Meta Knight joined his team. He expected that the blue ball would side with his roommate, but Marth realized his team needed one more member to be even with Ike's. So technically, Meta Knight sacrificed himself. The prince rolled his eyes. So much for sympathizing.

Donkey Kong held the ball in his hand. Ike and Marth faced one another, the former grinning while the latter frowning. The whistle sounded and they both jumped as high as they could, yearning to grab the ball in midair.

Ike was the first to take hold of it. Marth cursed under his breath and tried to snatch it from Ike without success. The older male ran to his board as he dribbled the ball when he was cornered by Meta Knight.

"Heyyo, roommate. I'm surprised you gave yourself up for Marth. Oh well… good luck to you!" Ike searched the place to see Link standing like a moron, not knowing what to do.

"Heads up, Link!"

Upon hearing his name, the elf glanced up to see the ball heading towards him. He held his hands out and felt the sudden force of the ball push him backwards, slightly losing his center of balance.

ShitshitshiTWHATDOIDO.

Link frantically looked around him, desperate for help when he saw Marth's teammates almost closing in on him. He shut his eyes and prayed.

"Dammit… here goes nothing." He blinked his eyes open and threw the ball clumsily into the hoop, only to miss it by an inch.

"NOOOO!"

Link dropped down on his knees and slammed his fists on the floor beneath him, hating himself for what he had done. Ike escaped a laugh, amused.

I can't believe Zelda's watching this, he thought regretfully while he got up on his feet.

Marth claimed the ball. He was dribbling it when Diddy Kong suddenly appeared, blocking his path.

"HUWAHAHA YOU'VE NOWHERE TO GO!" the monkey exclaimed while he clapped his hands, threatening the blunette. Marth found an open space and moved to the side, already past the dumbfounded animal. Diddy Kong chased after him and blocked him again, holding his hands out to seize the ball when Pit waved his arm in the air.

"Marth! Over here!"

Marth caught a glimpse of Pit who was near their board. He nodded and passed the ball at him, catching it in time. In truth, Pit had no idea how to play basketball. He never knew the guidelines nor the limitations… but whatever. All he knew was he had to shoot the ball right.

Ike grinned, seeing the opportunity to take advantage. He knew Pit sucked at basketball and he was thankful Marth didn't know. He ran to him who was taking aim when he slid in front of him without warning, causing the angel to step backward in surprise. The sudden closeness made Pit's face heat up so he panicked.

"Nononono y-you're too close!" he stuttered and ran with the ball firm in his grip. Donkey Kong blew his whistle and indicated that his action was a foul.

"TRAVELING!" the ape's voice boomed.

Marth did a facepalm in dismay. Wrong move, he thought.

Pit showered his teammates with endless apologies while they dismissed it. They didn't want to give too much focus on the novice's mistake. Now they knew who not to pass it to.

Ike raised his hand and caught the ball thrown from Pit. He threw a sarcastic glance at Marth.

Let the real games begin, his eyes portrayed. Marth scrutinized him and nodded once.

Bring it on, he promptly replied with a squint of his eyes.

Ike checked the time and groaned in disbelief. They haven't made much progress as well as Marth's group. There were only five minutes left and both teams haven't even scored at least a point. He growled in anger. He was supposed to be good at this sport, but his teammates were bringing him down. Lucky for Marth… his members were worse. Now wasn't the time to give the blunette the limelight. He had to win this.

Marth had the ball. He was running towards his board while he dribbled. Diddy Kong was already tired while Link was of no help at all. Pit ran around in circles just to make it look like he was doing something productive while Meta Knight was barely moving on court. Everyone looked terrible. Ike didn't even know if they were still playing or not.

"Guys! Wake up!" Ike commanded his groupmates, arousing Diddy Kong from his small slumber. Link merely shook his head. This maddened the purple-haired male even more.

"THIS IS NOT FUNNY ANYMORE! MARTH HAS THE FUCKING BALL AND WE'RE JUST STANDING HERE LIKE A BUNCH OF USELESS SHIT!"

Marth took the chance to fix his angle while Ike cursed loudly for the whole campus to hear. Pit guarded Marth, unsure of what he was doing was right or not.

"Go and shoot, Marth!" he exclaimed excitedly. Marth let go and watched the ball fly towards the hoop, a sure shot, when a hand grasped it before it could. Ike passed by and dribbled immediately to his board.

"Aw sorry 'bout that, Fried Dumpling. See you later!"

One more minute left, Ike repeated in his mind, keeping himself in the game. He seriouslyhad to win this.
Marth was faster – he was able to catch up with Ike, blocking his way. Meta Knight was also there, making sure Ike had nowhere to go. Pit was nearing, and in this situation, Ike would have been trapped for sure. He had to think fast. He glanced at Link who was staring into space, his facial expression screaming "I GIVE UP". Ike didn't have a choice.

"LINK!"

His elven friend turned to face him, alarmed.

"Catch it and shoot the goddamn ball! HURRY!"

Link thought of refusing and running away but that would only worsen the problem. He was already labeled as a person who sucked at basketball and now he didn't want to be called a coward next. He redeemed his courage and strength in his system.

"Pass it!" shouted Link.

Ike did and Marth tried to catch it, but he missed and Link had it within milliseconds. Link took the time to look at the clock which showed thirty seconds. His mind was racing and his heart was palpitating at the pressure. He realized that the audience was chanting his name, witnessing the sudden twist of the game. They would love to see this part.

"RUN, LINK, RUN!" Ike yelled and Link obeyed. He dribbled the ball and reached his board, poised to shoot. Suddenly, doubt filled his heart, rooting him on the spot. He was scared shitless. He had a sudden change of mind – he didn't want to shoot anymore. He could already see it: he would miss and his teammates would blame him for it. Everyone would scorn him every time he would pass by the hallways. They would make fun of him for missing that one shot his team heavily depended on. He was frozen in place at the thoughts that flooded his head.

"LINK, SHOOT IT ALREADY, GODDAMMIT!"

"I CAN'T!"

Marth was already running towards Link.

"TEN SECONDS LEFT! GO AND DO IT!"

"NO, I MIGHT MISS!"

Link could see Marth getting closer each second. He was prepared to lose.

Just then, a melodic voice sounded across the entire gym, making everyone look at where it came from.

"BELIEVE IN YOURSELF, LINK!"

Link gazed upon Zelda, shock written all over his face. He saw her glistening eyes which woke his senses. His spirits lifted and his mood suddenly lightened up at once.

"THREE SECONDS! MOTHERFUCKING SHIT!" Ike cursed from a distance.

And so Link believed in himself.

The ball was airborne for a moment. It then passed through the hoop and the scoreboard lighted.
Everyone jumped up from their bleachers and whooped at the top of their lungs.

Link stayed where he was, confusion seeping within. What had happened? He didn't know. All he knew was he scored that point. He made his team win. He made that last shot possible.

"Holy shit," Link murmured.
"YOU ALMOST GAVE ME A HEART ATTACK THERE, YOU," Ike said as he draped his arm over Link happily. The elf grinned widely and jumped in joy.

"YEAH I'M AWESOME! I SCORED A POINT, HECK YES! BOW DOWN TO THE LEGENDARY BASKETBALL PLAYER!" he bragged while the students cheered for him. They couldn't believe it either.

Marth wiped the sweat on his forehead and sighed wearily. He didn't care anymore. Sure, it was frustrating to be defeated by a loser like Link, but at least the dumb elf gained the confidence he needed. But still… to lose against Ike…

No, it was not the time to get mad. He just wanted to leave the place right now… he would congratulate Link later. He headed back to the locker room to change. Plus, the clothes were already embarrassing enough.

After receiving compliments from all those people who had watched the intense game, Link's eyes darted in search for Zelda and saw her standing from the bleachers followed by Sheik. He wished she could see how happy he was…

He was about to turn away when she locked eyes with him. Their stares lingered for a while before she gave him a sincere smile. Link felt his heart flutter at the image.

"Did you see that? She smiled at me," he whispered to Ike.

"Who?" asked Ike curiously.

Link pointed to where Zelda and Sheik were but they were already gone.

Diddy Kong's such an ass

I know there's not much Marth and Ike scenes here, but... I'll try to insert some in the next chapter? Hehe

Reviews are beautiful, just sayin'