REVIEW RESPONSES:
RoyalFanatic: Sweet, flute's cool. Well your guess is wrong, but it's still an excellent one.
Bowser: "That's a crappy sentence to write for a review response!"
(Hits Bowser with a Beam Sword)
Ri2: Um, I have no idea. That question has plagued me for many years, so you're not alone. Hey, your guess is right! Lucky you!
Elfbrat18: Yup, you got it! Sorry last chapter was so short; hopefully this one will be better for you! Oh, and glad you enjoy cliffhangers; I do lots of them! (maniacal laughter)
OperationJonny: Hmm, you've just given me an interesting idea about Dark Link. As for your guess, you're wrong, but that's one of the most creative guesses I've ever heard. God, I didn't even think of that one!
JakeCrusher: Patience young Grasshopper, your reward will come in time.
WildGamer: Nope, but again an extremely creative guess!
anime/videogame freak: Don't worry, I intend to. Thanks for the review!
linkmaster2832: Sorry a million times to you! Don't worry, its revealed who it is in this chapter.
(Sob), I can't thank you guys enough for sticking with me. You guys are the best! Oh, and free cookie jars with many cookies in them to everyone! Yay!
NOTES: OMG, I am so, so sorry I took so long to update! I've been busy working on the running crew of the tech portion for our play, which premiered this Friday. I also have a long list of other things that have taken up my life, so my free time has been extremely limited these last couple of weeks. On top of all this, I completely, and I mean COMPLETELY, rewrote this entire chapter, just because I didn't think it fit with the rest of the story. But I have been able to keep reading my reviews, and I felt so guilty for not updating that I was determined to get a chapter up this weekend. Finally, the wait is over, I have updated! I'll try to never do that again, but if I do, just remember what I said before: I WILL NEVER, EVER abandon this story unless I die (hopefully I won't anytime soon, that would suck for all my dedicated reviewers) or until it's finished, which might be a while. So, without further ado, here's Chapter 12!
DISCLAIMER: Well, guess I still have to write this even though I've been gone a while (-sigh-). I don't own Super Smash Brothers Melee, Star Fox: Assault, Metroid Fusion, or the Legend of Zelda. These popular franchises belong to Nintendo, Namco owns part of Star Fox: Assault and HAL Laboratories owns part of SSBM.
ADDITIONAL NOTE: I said in my profile that I would do a special Halloween chapter. This is part 1 of it. I've based it on Resident Evil 1, as I just finished watching it for the first time, and I LOVED it. By the way, this chapter contains some gory stuff, and so will next chapter, so if you don't like that sort of thing, you can always skip the gory parts. This isn't a T rated fic for nothing. Oh, and I guess I should also say that for this chapter and the next, I don't own anything related to Resident Evil the movie, or the game series.
(AUTHOR'S NOTES 11/29: I've resubmitted this chapter, with some changes to make it more rating friendly, but also with a warning, since one of my reviewers brought to my attention that the action in the next chapter was kind of "M-oriented", which I'm thankful he made me realize that. I really don't want to head down that road, so I fixed some of the content, but there may be still some content that is towards that side, so I'm just going to give my readers a fair warning: This chapter and the next contains some gore and major action-oriented sequences. So if you're not really in to that sort of thing, you might want to skip those sequences in general. I mean, it's not anything utterly horrible, but it may be what you expect to find in a game of the Resident Evil genre. But I also tried to keep some Zelda-style combat in there too. So again, if you're disturbed by that kind of stuff, by all means skip the segment. Oh, and to previous readers: you might want to reread these two chapters, as I've fixed some minor errors on my part that I missed the first time. Thanks, and enjoy the next two chapters!)
Chapter 12: Resident Evil: Zelda Edition Part 1
As the figure slowly glided towards him, Link raised his sword, ready for whatever this "thing" had in store for him. All of his other weapons were still back in his locker, but that was okay with him. He had the Master Sword, although he wasn't fully confident in his abilities since he was still lacking his former strength. Drenched with sweat from the heat, he waited for the figure to finish its speech.
'Don't be intimidated, Hero of Time. As I said, I wish to help you regain your former strength.'
Then the figure came into view from the endless depths of the shadows.
"Mewtwo…" Link said in awe as the psychic Pokemon levitated down onto the same platform as him, eyes lustrous in the blackness of Brinstar. Even though he had seen Mewtwo on numerous occasions, Link had never bothered to make conversation with him. From what he had heard, Mewtwo disliked all beings inferior to him, particularly humans and their humanoid counterparts.
"How did you know that I was the Hero of Time? Or, for that matter, how do you know what will help me regain my former strength?"
"I read your mind just now, and have also been watching you these past couple of days. I've seen how the effects of being a fallen hero have affected you, both physically and emotionally."
Mewtwo's eyes glowed with a bright yellow in the darkness as he spoke, each word seeming to cause a tingling sensation in the back of Link's mind.
"Well, I guess I'll accept any help you can give me. Everything I've tried has failed."
'Very well, then. Think for a moment about your past. What was it that made you bound to your fate?
"My past hasn't been a particularly happy topic for me," he muttered, looking across the endless cavern in the distance, "ever since I failed…when I failed them all."
'I respect your past troubles, but they won't help you recover; they'll just weaken you. Think for a moment. You once possessed something that granted you your former strength, an object that represented your determination, wisdom, and most of you're your courage.'
Link felt as if he had been struck by lightning, a realization passing through his mind.
"My Goddesses, of course! The Triforce of Courage!"
'Yes, the piece of the Golden Power that you once were the guardian of long ago. During your travels through time to defeat Ganondorf, it granted you the power to wield the Master Sword to the fullest extent, and that strength remained with you after you laid it to rest. But since it was wielded by another after you, that aftermath of strength was drained from you and passed onto the Hero of Winds. That's why you have been having so much trouble wielding it; your body and soul are wounded by the scars of your past, and the lack of your former strength completes that weakness.'
"Still, there's no way I can recover the Triforce of Courage now. Last I heard the Triforce split again after the King of Hyrule made his wish for Hyrule to be sealed beneath the waves."
'And, if I read your mind right, you're fighting in this tournament to bring it back above the waves. Ganondorf is fighting for the same thing, although for more malevolent purposes.'
"Roy told me that you've managed to keep an eye on him."
'He would be correct. I've also been able to work my way into his inner circle, becoming his second-in-command while maintaining a low profile. Easy since not many of the Smashers trust me, as I do not trust them either. But you, Link, you interest me. Ironic, since humans and humanoids of all types are my enemies, after what…they did to me. Maybe my interest is due to the fact that I've never seen anyone possess such a strong will, or so much courage all at once.'
"But none of that will help me recover the Triforce of Courage."
'There is a way. I could teleport you near its location, but you would encounter many dangers.'
"I'm ready to do whatever it takes. Just let me grab my gear and I'll come with you."
'No, you don't need your other weapons. All you need is the Master Sword.'
Link shifted uneasily at the thought of just fighting with the Master Sword alone, but nodded to symbolize his acceptance. Of course, Mewtwo knew what he was thinking but decided not to say anything.
'Ok, then hold on. I don't have to explain teleportation to you, since you're used to teleporting with the Ocarina of Time.'
Mewtwo's eyes began to blaze with a solid purple color as a white light encompassed them both for a brief second, and then they were gone.
Link felt himself fly at the speed of light, which didn't bother him much since he was used to teleportation like Mewtwo had said. The feeling came to an end when his feet hit what felt like solid rock.
When his eyesight returned to him, he saw Mewtwo standing ahead of him, or rather levitating.
They seemed to be underground, in an ancient looking hallway, similar to the ones Link found long ago in Hyrule Castle's secret passageways.
"Where are we?"
'You may feel familiar with the type of hallway this is. Or, better yet, what building this hallway belongs to.'
"You mean?"
'Yes, we're about 30,000 feet below the sea level of the Great Sea. You're in Hyrule Castle.'
Link just couldn't believe it. After all these years, he was finally back. But, something didn't seem right to him.
'You may be wondering why we're not currently underwater. Even though the King of Hyrule ordered the Goddesses to drown the land, the castle was protected inside a sort of shield. Only the castle survived the flood without any flood damage.'
"Wait, so is this where the Triforce of Courage now rests?"
'Yes, why else would I bring us down to this seawreck? I do fear, however, that it is well protected by some kind of creature or creatures Ganondorf left behind in case you ever came here to get it back. We must be cautious, at least until we reach the hidden basement in the main throne room, where I feel Courage resides.'
Link drew the Master Sword from its sheath, focusing his mind on battle as they started down the long dark path, Mewtwo guiding the way with a charged dark energy ball floating in his palm. Link still couldn't understand how the psychic Pokemon knew where exactly Courage resided, or even how he knew the history of Hyrule. It's as though Mewtwo had lived here his whole life.
Soon, they came out of the dark tunnel, and into the main throne room.
Link winced as he viewed the destruction caused to the massive statue of him. Mainly, the ruined stature was sawed in two, but there were also many fragments missing from his shield, sword, and face. The wreckage looked beyond any type of repair.
Mewtwo paused, closed his eyes for a brief moment to focus, and then reopened them.
'Yes, I sense we are near. But these statue pieces are blocking our way. I shall try to move them via telekinesis, but it might take some time. Keep an eye out for any sign of trouble.'
"I don't know how much help I can be, seeing as I can't fight with this thing as well as I used to," said Link as he despondently looked at the floor.
'Link, not all of your strength came from the Triforce of Courage. Most of your strength comes from the courage you were born with. Remember, you can do anything if you put your mind to it. Fighters like you have the ability to reach a kind of climax in battle, and everything seems to become second nature to you, while time seems to move in slow motion. Take a look around in this room, and I'll alert you when I'm done.'
Mewtwo turned away and proceeded to remove the rubble, slowly piece by piece. While he did this, Link took off towards the nearby stairwell.
As he made his way upstairs,Link stopped at a portrait of Zelda, and her 6 aides.
'She's so beautiful in this picture. I wonder why I never saw any of these aides while I explored here, though. Hopefully Mewtwo will finish quickly, and then I can get back to her. I'm the only protection she's got now.'
Then, he heard something roll out from behind him. He raised the Master Sword, ready for any kind of creature Ganondorf had left him as a "present". But as he stepped around the pillar, he didn't expect to see a Hylian Soldier, shuffling slowly along the cracked floor towards him. He wore the traditional Hylian armor, but something didn't seem right about him.
"Hey Mewtwo, I found a survivor from the floods!" he shouted as he approached the figure.
"Hey, are you alright? You're going to be okay." he said as he approached the man. But as he got closer, he noticed there was what seemed to be dried blood streaming down his face, and his skin was a tinted bluish color.
The Hylian reached out his hand to steady this "soldier" as he stumbled again. But then, a sudden change reaction seemed to occur, as it became active and started trying to bite Link! He fell to the floor while dropping the Master Sword, struggling to keep this thing from biting his neck. He barely managed to get his hands around its neck and snap it, causing a puff of black smoke to blow up in his face.
Link was horrified, and rarely did he truly become afraid. Never in all the years had he been adventuring had he encountered such a grotesque creature. Well, it was comparable to ReDeads, but at least they weren't actual people!
"Um, Mewtwo, what in the name of the goddesses was that?" he said to what seemed to no one in particular.
Link got his answer from the inside of his mind:
'I didn't sense any life-force coming from that man. Basically, he's what you humans call a zombie. I heard Ganondorf talking to Bowser once about secret genetic experiments he'd been conducting during his second takeover of Hyrule while you were away. He'd been combining Redead cells with other cells of his monsters, and this is what he got. I believe he calls it the R-Virus, obviously giving a nod to the ReDead cells. He explained that it reanimated the deceased body, giving it basic functions, and that it possessed great possibilities for his current army. He also said that unfortunately to his dismay, he wasn't able to use the virus earlier, for it was not completed until he was imprisoned again .He had only perfected it right before he fought with the Hero of Winds. He also said that he had left some samples of the virus in Hyrule Castle accidentally, but I guess he figured it would be a nice present to leave you if you ever came back here, so he left it. It must have escaped into the air briefly during the second flood, reanimating the dead bodies on the higher floors.'
Link thought he recognized this plot. Last month, some of the Smashers couldn't stop talking about some movie they had watchedone night called "Resident Evil". Apparently, Captain Falcon had brought it back from his last trip to Mute City or "New York as it used to be called, and said it would be a good movie for some Earth holiday called Halloween. Link had seen it himself, and the way that zombie Hylian had looked had reminded him of how the victims of the T-Virus had looked liked in the movie. It also reminded him of ReDeads. How he hated those things!
'Hmm, deja-vu. Wait, didn't a whole lot of them surround the commandos after the first one was slain in the movie?'
Link swore to himself as he picked up the fallen Master Sword and ran down the stairs to where Mewtwo was. He found the Pokemon surrounded by other "infected" Hylians. Mewtwo scanned around him, realizing he was outnumbered as the "dead" slowly closed around him.
Link remembered something he had learned in the movie, and, without thinking, drew his sword, running full speed at where Mewtwo was, and did a high somersault in midair. He finished with slicing off the heads of about 6 of the creatures, instantly decapitating them. All six then disappeared in a puff of black smoke, like the rest of Ganondorf's creatures.
Link got in a ready stance, his back to Mewtwo, who had a fully-charged dark energy ball ready for them.
"Aim for the head, it kills them in one hit."
'I know that; I saw Resident Evil on Halloween night too, you twit.'
Link smirked as the zombies continued to circle, all hungry for the two Smashers' flesh and blood.
I know, hate me for leaving you at yet another cliffhanger, but I will have the next chapter up by next weekend, because I'll have some time off. I have some cool things I'm gonna use for this fight, but I can't do anything until tech is finished. (This is the last week of it, yay!) Thanks for reading, and, as always, please review!