NOTES: Um, where to begin…well, how about, I'm sorry? Yeah, I know it's been awhile, but sadly I got sidetracked from this story and every time I went back to it, I either had no inspiration, was too lazy, or was distracted by schoolwork, my job, after school stuff, or even other things. Well, I figured it's about time I got this story back on track, so sorry for the long wait guys. After rereading some of my earlier chapters, I've decided to change the way I write the battles in this fic. I mean, there's only so much you can do with only the standard moves each character is given in SSBM, so to make it a little more interesting I'm changing the way I'm writing all battles. Also I've decided to leave the new SSBB characters out of this fic, after some consideration and opinions from my fellow authors. Okay, well let's just get on with this; I'm already very anxious to start writing again!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the Legend of Zelda, Super Smash Bros. Melee, or any other games that have been used or mentioned in this story. These franchises belong to Nintendo and HAL Laboratories. If I actually owned these games, I wouldn't be writing this fanfic now would I?

Chapter 20: Preparing for the Unknown

The King of Evil sat in his throne room, listening to the Stalfos General's report on the surrounding area's physical features, when both of the twin doors at the far end of the room opened.

Inside walked Dark Link, holding a strange purple, heart-shaped mask with spikes decorated around it. It had many tribal markings on it from an ancient race, and as well as two golden, rounded eyes. When Ganondorf saw this, he gave an evil smile and ordered the general out of the room for a moment.

"Yes, my lord. I'll be waiting outside in the hallway."

The general gave a brief bow and walked briskly out the door, leaving his leader alone with the newcomer. Dark Link slowly came up to his master, showing off the mask that he had swiped from the body of the Mask Salesman.

"Was that Salesman any challenge?" asked Ganondorf.

"No, he was unarmed. I killed him with ease and precision…" remarked Dark Link with a slight chuckle.

"Did you dispose of the body and anything else he possessed after you finished?"

"Yeah, I burned it after I searched him with the weakling's lantern. I couldn't find anything on his body, but I did find this hidden away in his pack…" said the demon as he gave Majora's Mask to Ganondorf.

He examined it for a minute, studying its features, and then placed it on a pedestal to the left of his throne. He faced it while closing his eyes, and raised one of his hands as he chanted in ancient Gerudo. Lightning started to surge through his body as he continued to chant, while Dark Link watched in mild interest, having seen this many times before.

Then, Ganondorf stopped chanting and opened his eyes, releasing the energy inside of him. It struck the mask with brutal force, yet when the bolts subsided, not a scratch was left on the ancient looking mask.

The Gerudo watched it for a minute in speculation, wondering if his spell had worked. All of a sudden, the mask started to rumble on its pedestal as it tried to rise into the air. Quickly Ganondorf brought up his fist and using minor strength, brought the mask back down and pinned it to the pedestal. It started to speak in a demonic voice, full of malice and rage.

'Was it you who resurrected me, dark one?'

The King of Evil stepped forward, keeping his eyes transfixed on the mask.

"Yes. I am Ganondorf, the King of Evil, and I have restored some of your lost power to you. My loyal servant here swiped your inactive form off of a wandering Mask Salesman, who was entrusted to guard you."

The mask started to move again, but found that it was bound to the pedestal by some invisible force.

'Free me at once! I must have revenge on that infidel Hylian who defeated me!' it screamed.

"If you try to defeat him now, I'll guarantee that you will be easily beaten. But if you stay here with me for now, ancient one, I promise that I will help you restore your former powers."

The mask lay dormant for a moment, as if it was thinking, then suddenly its eyes started to glow, as they fixed on the intimidating figure of Ganondorf, who continued to maintain a strong demeanor as he watched the mask.

'What is it that you propose?' it asked.

Ganondorf allowed himself a small grin as he stated his terms, while the mask listened silently.

Two weeks later…

Link narrowly avoided Captain Falcon's incoming fist as he rolled to the side. He didn't have much time to rest as a lightning-fast roundhouse kick came close to hitting his head. He did a quick back flip, and returned to a ready stance inside a small alter, Master Sword and Hylian Shield at the ready while his opponent got in to a fighting pose.

"Wow, another near miss for Link! And Captain Falcon's not about to let up either. This is truly an exciting match folks, one of the best since the tournament started just two weeks ago!" cried the announcer over the speakers. The fans answered with cheers of excitement from the stands, waving banners and standing up to cheer on their Smashers.

From the top of the stands reserved for VIP's, Zelda, Marth, Samus, Roy, and Peach all watched the viewscreen as the match at the holographic Hyrule Temple continued inside the grand stadium near Smash Mansion. They all watched in excitement as Link rushed at Captain Falcon again, while the two time F-Zero champion waited to act. Link swung forward with the Master Sword, but it missed Falcon as he avoided it. Quickly recovering, he tried to get in close to Link while preparing one of his powerful Falcon Punches. The Hylian brought up his shield, which connected with Falcon's fist, a flaming falcon peeling away some of the paint on the shield. It was a miracle that the shield didn't shatter, with the amount of force that Falcon launched at it. Link nearly got knocked off his feet as his shield absorbed the blow, sending his shield arm to his side. Realizing his entire chest area was exposed now; he did a quick roll forward and spun around to face Falcon. The racer slowly got to his feet, rubbing his hurting fist.

"Wow, that shield must be made of some durable metal. That was one of my strongest punches," remarked Falcon with a small grunt.

"It's made of the finest metal found in all of Hyrule. One of a kind now, since it's underwater now…" said Link with a sigh, pointing to the Great Sea below.

"Well it's been a good fight so far, Link. Only one minute left in this ten minute match and neither of us has a K.O. We're both evenly matched."

"Yeah, I guess medieval weapons are a match for martial arts after all," said Link.

"Well enough talk, pal. I know I'm at a disadvantage as this is your home stage, but don't you think I'm just going to give up because of that!" remarked Falcon behind his visor.

"I wouldn't expect you to, my friend. For Hyrule!" shouted Link as he rushed at Falcon, the Master Sword glimmering in the artificial sun as he raised it up. Falcon rushed as well, bringing up his fists.

Link swung vertically, hitting Falcon and stunning him briefly. He responded with a Falcon Kick, sending Link flying forward in flames. He jumped up towards the Hylian, grabbing on to him while he sparked a series of explosions. He let go, letting Link fall towards the bottom of the stage. He recovered quickly, and jumped towards the ledge, using a quick spin attack as a final boost to grabbing the edge. He sprung up again, readying himself for whatever was at the top.

He saw Falcon immediately, holding a blaster he found in a capsule. He fired immediately. Link got hit by the first shot, but managed to jump up to a platform above him, while Falcon readied another shot, jumping up after him.

At the top, Link's eyes lit up as he saw an inactive beam sword, which the computer had planted inside the match. He put his shield away while grabbing the weapon and fingered the activator, watching as the purple blade matched the size of the Master Sword. He jumped down to the bottom, facing Captain Falcon while forming his two blades in a deadly fighting pose.

Falcon gave a slight smirk, which was hardly ever seen on his usually serious face, as he brought out an identical beam sword that he had found inside of a crate at the bottom while waiting for Link.

"Usually I prefer either fists or guns over blades, but this will do just fine. I see you're finally using present-day technology, Link," remarked Captain Falcon with a small grin.

"You know I usually don't favor futuristic weapons since I have such a hard time using them, but the beam saber is an exception" Link retorted.

"30 seconds left, folks! Both competitors are at 250 percent damage and neither one will fall! Will this match end up going to a sudden death? Will there finally be a winner?" the announcer cried over the loudspeakers inside the stage and in the stadium back in the real world.

"Show me your moves, Link!" shouted Falcon as he ran at Link.

Link gave a battle cry as he rushed towards Falcon, his two swords at the ready. Falcon's blade came towards Link's face as he blocked with both of his blades. Falcon withdrew his blade and swung at Link's midsection, while Link parried it and did a cartwheel over Falcon's head. The racer spun around to meet the Master Sword just inches away from his face as he raised his beam sword to block. Link unleashed a vicious array of slices and blows, both from his swords and his feet, which Falcon barely managed to block with just one sword and his free hand.

With time running out and his body tiring, Falcon thrust at Link while fully extending the blade to its maximum length. The Hylian rolled to the side, and came up with a rising double bladed spin, sending Falcon airborne. He landed on the right handed edge of the stage, heavily breathing as fatigue started to take its toll on his body. Somehow he managed to get up, and started to run again at Link, who was dashing over to finish him off.

With only ten seconds left, Falcon instead charged one last Smash attack, waiting until Link was in range. He unleashed it, and Link leaped up into the air, doing a front flip over Falcon while discarding his beam sword and bringing out his Hylian Shield once again. As Falcon turned around, Link unexpectedly bashed his shield into Falcon's body before he could bring up his beam sword to defend. This brought him into a minor daze, and Link did a final spin attack, knocking Falcon off the stage for good in a dazzling display of lights and explosions.

"Time!" the announcer proclaimed as Falcon reappeared on a floating platform, breathing rapidly. Link sheathed the Master Sword and put his Hylian Shield on the scabbard attached to his back, wiping sweat off his face as both Smashers were teleported back to the stadium.

Both Smashers reappeared unscathed but fatigued as they made their way outside their respective teleporters. The crowd was on its feet, cheering and clapping. Both Link and Captain Falcon waved at them, and made their way towards one another. Falcon immediately stuck out his gloved hand, smiling.

"That was one hell of a fight, Link. Congrats to you!" he said.

Link extended his own gauntleted hand and grasped Falcon's in a firm handshake.

"Likewise, Falcon. I hope you can make it to the finals!"

"Nah, it's not that important to me pal. If I do, that's great, but I'm more focused on winning another F-Zero championship. The Grand Prix starts next month and I have to start training again if I'm going to win. So I'm going to Mute City until Master Hand tells me when my next match is."

"Well, good luck. May the goddesses smile upon you!" Link said.

Falcon nodded, gave Link a clap on the shoulder as he walked off towards the southern exit, heading for his number 07 Blue Falcon to head back to Smash Mansion.

'He's truly a great warrior with a good heart, for a racer that is…' Link said with a grin as he watched the Mute City denizen walk out the exit, giving some final waves and signing autographs as he left. He turned around to see his friends running towards him. Zelda enveloped him in a hug as she got to him, while the others followed her, smiling as they approached the pair.

"Wow Link, you really kicked Falcon's ass!" remarked Samus.

"What a difficult match. Nicely done, Link!" Marth remarked, while Roy and Peach nodded their approval with a smile.

"Thanks, but let's get out of here before the fans have a chance to leave before we've gone," said Link with a smile as Zelda finally released him. The six friends started to make their way to the northern exit, heading for their respective rides back to Smash Mansion.

'And another victory for the Hylian hero, Link! Two weeks and he has yet to lose a match! Could this be his year? Could he possibly go on to win the title? We'll just have to wait and see folks, but for now on to other Smash Bros. news. On Corneria this afternoon things started to heat up as legendary mercenary Fox McCloud and famous Mushroom hero Mario fought…'

Master Hand muted his private vidscreen immediately as the announcer started to cover another match, with pictures of Corneria, Fox, and Mario in the background. He slowly turned in his seat to face his servant Ganondorf.

"This is disturbing news, my friend. Luckily for us, the Mario incident blew over quickly thanks to a convincing explanation by yours truly. Yet it hasn't stopped that irritating Hylian from winning every single one of his matches ever since then. What's his record now…err…5-0…7-0?"

"6-0, my master," Ganondorf corrected.

"Whatever! The point is that he's starting to become a nuisance. And if you want to win this competition for us Ganondorf, you're eventually going to have to not only fight your first battle in this tournament, but also you'll have to face your nemesis in combat," the hand said.

"What are you asking me to do, then?" asked Ganondorf.

"It's rather simple. I've just realized that Link has only been fighting matches inside the stadium. He's been too close to home for his own good. So, why not make it a little more interesting, hmm? I'm sending Link to Venom, to fight Fox McCloud of the Star Fox team."

"Excellent, master," Ganondorf said.

"And Ganondorf, have you chosen a suitable fighting style yet? Unfortunately, if you used your magic attacks in the competition it would make you too powerful."

Ganondorf gave an evil smile as he eyed the image of Captain Falcon, waving to fans as he boarded the Falcon Flyer to head back to Mute City.

"I've found just the style I like."

"I can't believe you have to go to Venom with the Star Fox team to fight!" exclaimed Zelda as she talked with Link inside his and Marth's dormitory, while Link continued to pack his things inside a travel pack.

"There's not much I can do about it, Zel. It's Master Hand's orders…" said Link calmly as he continued packing his things, including his Hookshot, Hero's Bow, Bomb Bag, Boomerang, Goron and Zora tunics, and various other things he had acquired in his travels.

"But what if something happens to you out there? I won't be able to help! I mean, you've never even been to space!" shouted Zelda.

"Zel, relax! I'm gonna be with Fox and his crew, anyways. Remember, I can travel with other Smashers to get to other arenas. Fox already contacted me yesterday and said he'd come back here with the Great Fox after he finished up some business in Corneria. So don't worry about me, okay? They're not the galaxy's best team of mercenaries for nothing!" said Link with a slight laugh.

Zelda still looked worried as the Hero of Time finished packing, tightening his travel knapsack and strapping his scabbard containing the Master Sword to his back, along with his newly painted Hylian Shield. Because of the last match, he had also packed the Mirror Shield just in case, along with his iron and hover boots. He grunted slightly as he hoisted the travel knapsack over his left shoulder.

"Do you really have to bring so much equipment with you, Link? Half of that you won't be able to use in the battle," stated Zelda with a questioning look.

"From my experiences, I've learned that you can never be too prepared for what the unknown will throw at you," said Link as he moved closer to her. He gave her a quick kiss on the lips and then embraced her. Zelda hung on tightly, not wanting to let go of her hero.

"Link, just promise me you'll be careful. Come back to me alive, okay?"

"Of course. Just stay safe until I get back."

Zelda gave off a slight laugh as they let go of each other.

"Don't worry about me; Samus'll stay with me until you return. Marth also said he'd keep an eye out for you, since Roy went off to the Mushroom Kingdom with Peach to fight Yoshi."

Link nodded, gave Zelda a final hug and kiss, and started out the door. Samus suddenly opened the door before he could reach it, though.

"Link, the Great Fox just landed. You'd better get a move on, since I know Fox and Falco want to leave as soon as possible. They don't need fuel until they get to Venom anyways."

"Okay, thanks Samus…oh wait, I almost forgot something!" said Link as he quickly made his way back over to his closet. He pushed aside a row of dress tunics and other Kokiri tunics to find a large box. He opened it, and searched until he found a strange looking mast. It looked similar to Link, except the mask had white hair with tribal markings outlining the wooden face, and a horrified expression. He hastily packed the mask away and put away the box, closing his door.

"Was that what I think it was? You're definitely not going to need that, are you?" asked Zelda with a horrified expression on her face.

Link turned around and put a reassuring hand on her golden-plated shoulder, giving her a determined look. She still couldn't resist the calming sight of those cerulean eyes of his.

"I'm not gonna be using it, but I'd feel safer knowing it's with me instead of here. I have a feeling it might be dangerous if I left it here, especially with Ganondorf around…" remarked Link with a solemn expression.

Zelda knew the whole story behind the Fierce Deity's Mask, and how Link had used it to defeat Majora's Mask in Termina. The only time Zelda had ever seen true fear in the eyes of Link was when he told her about it, four months after they had come to Smash Mansion.

'…I'm telling you Zel, that mask is evil. I nearly lost control of myself the last time I used it. The amount of power I felt…it was unimaginable. I swore after that encounter with Majora's Mask that I would never use the power of the Fierce Deity again. But I didn't want to give the mask to the Mask Salesman for safe keeping either, so I decided to keep it, to guard it from evil hands. At least until I can find a way to destroy it…'

"Come on Link, Fox's getting impatient!" yelled Samus as she waited in the hall.

"Okay, I'm coming already! Oh and please remember to look after Epona for me, Zel!" shouted Link as he lifted his travel knapsack again and started to run out the door. But before he could leave, Samus grabbed his arm and handed him a communicator wristwatch. Link looked at her questioningly as she gave a slight smile to him.

"Call me if you need any help out there. I promise I'll look after Zel for you while you're gone, okay? I have no matches for the next week anyways, and neither does Marth so he'll also help me."

"Thanks, I appreciate it," said Link, giving Samus a quick embrace as he ran towards the docking bay, putting the wristwatch on his right wrist. Zelda came out of Link's room; shutting the door and watching him make a mad dash down the hall.

"He'll be fine, Zel. Even if he is no mercenary or bounty hunter, he'll be fine in space…" said Samus. Zelda only nodded as she watched the man she loved disappear around the corner, hoping that that wouldn't be the last time she saw him.

"Come on Zel, let's go watch some TV. I'll make some tea for us too," said Samus as she walked with Zelda back to their room.

I think I'll end this chapter here, as I don't want it to be too long. Well, I still had more I wanted to include, but I'll just save it for next chapter. I'm mostly gonna focus on Link in the coming chapters, but I'll eventually go back to Zelda and Samus, as they will be doing something eventually instead of waiting around for Link to get back. So, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, everyone. I'll definitely try to update more often, so hopefully I'll be able to finish the next chapter sometime in the near future, but it's going to be hard with having to deal with work, another show, and second trimester finals on the horizon. Thanks again to all my reviewers for their continued support, especially to BKP, Royal Kenya, crystalicios, and Sage of Downtown Hyrule. Anyways, thanks again everyone, and please hit the little button below and review!