Prelude
"DUCK, DAMN YOU!" Bowser shouted at his Guardian, still blinded by the bright flash of red.
Fyre, usually quick to react, was the first to duck as Nao's flailing body flew over him. Somewhere behind him, Mewtwo's Guardian ended up crashing into Sam. After a long string of curses, Nao got up, leaving a somewhat irritated Sam to dust himself off.
By this time, the light had faded. The Guardians found themselves to be completely alone in an empty clearing. Except for the quiet whisper of the wind in the trees, all was silent. The source of the light was nowhere to be found.
There was something wrong about this. No matter how hard he tried, Fyre couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched. There was just something eerie and completely abnormal about the way the shadows of the trees seemed much deeper and darker than they were before.
"Any sign of Heather?" Nao asked as he looked around. Unfortunately, the stars provided the only light for the Guardians. Even with Sam's use of his Fire Arrows to light up the area slightly, most of them couldn't see five feet ahead of them.
Doggie shook her head. "Nope…" she sniffed around for a moment. "But… I do smell something unusual about this place…"
"You mean other than the fact that we were led here by a red light of some kind, but can't seem to find its source?" Cam asked. "Yeah, I think that's pretty unusual."
Sam started backing up. "Guys… I don't think we're supposed to be here…" he bit his lip. "If this place is empty, we should go back. We're beyond the barrier right now, and-"
"Oh Sam, stop being such a whiner!" Mah said cheerfully. "I mean… look how beautiful the stars are tonight!" she pointed at the sky. "Aren't they just gorgeous?"
Fyre looked up and he had to admit they were quite nice looking. It was an extremely rare occurrence nowadays for stars to shine down on Smashville. In fact, the young man had only ever seen stars once in his lifetime before this. He had been a small boy, barely above six years old…
"Do you hear that?" Bowser asked suddenly, snapping Fyre from his thoughts. For the first time, he noticed that everyone around him had tensed considerably. Doggie's ears twitched slightly as he listened intently to her surroundings.
Fyre closed his eyes, listening as hard as he could. He forced himself to listen beyond the gentle breeze, beyond the quiet rustle of the leaves, and even beyond the steady breathing of the Guardians that had come here with him. For underneath all of the quiet sounds of the night, he could've sworn that he heard something else.
Unlike the rhythmic, somewhat calm sounds of the other Guardians, this sound was rather fast and uneven. If anything, it sounded almost forced. There was no doubt that there was someone or something lying in wait for them. One wrong move and it would be all over for the Guardians.
"There's definitely someone here," Bowser said. "I hope it's Tabuu…" not for the first time, the fat dragon let out a low growl. "I'd like to get my claws on that son of a bitch…"
Fyre opened his eyes and looked around. The clearing seemed to be as empty as ever. But the forced breathing, now seeming to be even louder, continued. For a moment, the young man could've sworn he saw the menacing, silvery glint of a blade flashing in the dim light of the stars. With a cry of surprise, Fyre jumped back and landed on Cam's foot.
"YEOWCH!"
"Sh!" Mah hissed. "Are you guys trying to wake up Tabuu?"
"There's someone here…" Doggie's voice was quite high, almost a squeak. "We're not alone, guys…"
This time, Kage took initiative. "H-Heather? Heather, are you out here?" she gulped. "It's us, Heather… your fellow Guardians? You know?"
As if in answer to her call, the breathing stopped for a moment. A cold chill ran down Fyre's spine. Shivering, he allowed his hand to curl into a fist, unsure as to why he did that. Heather was an ally, right? She wouldn't attack them just like that, right? Everything was going to be alright…
… Right?
"I don't like the feel of this," Bowser muttered. "There's something dark about all of this… something dark and powerful…" he grunted. "I wouldn't be surprised if whatever is watching us is about as powerful as those Power Stars I ate a while ago…"
In the undulating, uneven light of the stars and Sam's quickly diminishing Fire Arrow, Fyre could just barely make out a strange shape floating a few feet above the branch of a single tree. It was indescribable in so many ways, save for the fact that it was thin as a skeleton and white as a corpse. Before Bowser's Guardian could so much as shout, it was gone in the blink of an eye.
"What the Hell was that?" Bowser asked. "And how the Hell did it disappear like- HOLY COW!"
Out of the corner of his eye, Fyre noticed a brief flash of what seemed like a black cloak of some kind. Black would b the perfect color to blend into the night with, he knew, especially if the person didn't want to be protected. From Bowser's experience in the first Subspace War, he knew that it was quite possible that the Shadow Bugs could mold themselves together into something like a cloak. It was usually to act as a diversion, causing their attacker to waste ammo or energy in trying to attack an apparition that could never be destroyed.
"Heather…" Doggie said uneasily. "In the name of all that is Dreamland, come out…" she jumped as she caught sight of what looked like a brief flash of tattoos in the uneasy light. Fyre, seeing this as well, bunched up his other hand into a fist and allowed a bit of the fiery breath he had been holding back to creep into his throat.
"Seriously Heather…" Cam said lowly. "This is seriously freaking us all out here… and we kinda wanna get back to be- AH!" in one swift motion, the Champion unsheathed both Ragnell and Sigmund, holding them both quivering at a particular spot in the bushes. "Did you guys see that?"
"The metal, you mean?" Fyre asked.
"No, he means the scarred leg, idiot," Bowser snorted. Fyre snarled a bit at him. "Don't be like that, kid."
"Guys, I think we should get back…" Sam said uncertainly as his Fire Arrow finally burnt to a crisp. He lit another, but the eerie glow the tiny shaft cast wasn't nearly adequate enough to allow the other Guardians to see a thing. "Something doesn't feel right!"
Nao slowly unsheathed his twin swords. "… Kai! Can you sense anything?"
Kai, who had been silently surveying the scene all this time, shook his head. "I can't sense any aura whatsoever… if there is truly someone out there, then they're doing something to stop me." the Pokemon scowled a bit. "And Ganondorf's dark magic is certainly not helping."
Huff… huff… huff…
Every single person standing in the clearing whirled at the sound. It was coming from a clump of bushes way off to the side. Swords, eggs, and Pokemon- esque powers came out as the rustling became louder and louder. As the thing in the bushes neared their location, Fyre couldn't help but shiver as he heard the creature's fast, uneven breathing grow in volume. Unthinkingly, he allowed Bowser's flames to rise a little bit more in his throat. Bracing himself, he released a great blast of fire just as their great flow pounced at them…
"OW! HOT! HOT! HOT!" KOR shouted, patting himself to put out the flames. A wordless uproar came in answer to his appearance. It wasn't long before KOR had been pelted by eggs, arrows, and Aura Spheres. It didn't help that he also had to dodge to avoid whirling swords and even more fire.
"KOR! YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Cam tried to pounce on the Guardian of the Ice Climbers, only to be held back by Nao. The young man was struggling quite heavily, as using Mewtwo's psychic powers took a lot out of him. "GET OVER HERE SO I CAN TEAR YOU TO PIECES!"
Doggie whacked KOR with the large book she always carried around. "That wasn't funny!"
KOR rubbed the side of his head and grinned sheepishly. "I just thought I'd have a little fun, that's all… I really didn't mean to scare you guys like that…"
Sam frowned. "What I'd like to know is how the heck you managed to make all of those red lights… and the tattoos! How'd you manage to recreate the tattoos?"
"The… tattoos?" KOR asked. It was quite evident from his voice that he did not understand a word Sam had said. "The red lights? Wha-?"
Kage frowned. "The red lights and the tattoos, KOR… we thought you were Heather!"
KOR shook his head. "Listen, I only followed you guys out here because I thought you were all trying to break into the mansion or something. I don't know anything about red lights or tattoos."
"Then…" Fyre frowned. Out of the corner of his eye, he could've sworn he saw a pair of orange eyes gazing at them from a tree. But they were gone in a flash. "If you weren't the one with the red lights and tattoos, then who- HOLY SHIT, IT'S HEATHER!"
Everyone turned at the sound of his voice. But they turned too late. The moment the first word left Fyre's mouth, the completely unmistakable metal leg of the Scion of Rage- which he had seen quite briefly in the dim light of Sam's arrow- had disappeared. Frustrated by the disappearance, the young man forcibly swallowed the flames that were still building in his throat, causing his stomach to burn.
A knot appeared in Fyre's stomach as he realized that whatever was out here didn't want to be seen. Heather, not the type of person to play practical jokes, was either hiding from them or not here at all. In a moment, Sam's fire had burnt out, but he dared not light another. There was just something in the air that told the Guardians that if they should ever try to light something again, it would be the end of them.
A slight breeze danced around them, causing Fyre to shiver. For some strange reason, he could've sworn that he heard it whisper something to him. It was a single word, a very simple command.
Leave.
In spite of himself, he really did feel like running. Bowser was thinking along the same lines. Unconsciously, he and his fellow Guardians scooted closer together. He noticed that KOR was pulling out what looked like a sniper rifle. Cam was switching Ragnell and Sigmund between hands, unsure of whether to place Ragnell in his left or right. Nao and Kai each had a Shadow Ball and an Aura Sphere out and ready. Kage was tensed in a fighting pose, as was Doggie. But while Kage was unable to pull out any weapon, Doggie was now swinging Dedede's gigantic hammer- which had appeared out of nowhere- in large, slow circles.
Trapped in their tight circle, the Guardians were wary of all sides. Every so often, one of them would catch a glimpse of something and cry out. But other than those few interruptions, all was silent, save the slight hiss of their breathing and the movement of the wind.
"We should go back…" Bowser growled. "I'm… the others will wake up soon and we're heading out for the final battle in a day or so…" in spite of his best efforts, the Koopa King was unable to keep the nervous note from creeping into his voice.
"Guys, we should-" Fyre began.
Kai spoke at the same time. "I sense someone coming-"
Two things happened at the same time.
The first was that Fyre saw Heather. He literally saw Heather. He had only seen her face for a brief second, and he was sure that the others did too, but it was gone before they could react. There was some kind of expression on her face that he wasn't quick enough to read. Fyre frowned in confusion, try to search up the name of such an emotion.
"… Guilt…" Bowser said quietly. There was a new note in the Koopa King's voice now. A note of sadness. "The exact same emotion when I had to leave Junior behind to go face Tabuu. The same thing I felt all those years, wondering if he was okay…"
The second was that the bushes started rustling. This time, KOR was with them and unlike before, there seemed to be no warning. Squinting his eyes, Fyre could just barely make out two rather tall figures, as well as what looked like two oddly blobbish shapes. He only had seconds to shove Kai to the ground before a fireball as well as a barrage of arrows sailed over his head.
Four Smashers burst into the clearing.
KOR recognized them immediately.
Or… Nana did.
"IT'S US!" she shouted. "Oh my goodness! It's us!"
"Don't forget Link and Zelda!" Popo added. KOR immediately turned to face the four Smashers at his words. True enough, the bodies of his Smashers, as well as the two Hylians, were standing on the other side. What they were doing here, he would never know. But if there was one thing he knew for sure is that they were here and so were the Guardians.
They had to fight.
"NAO! GO BACK AND GET RINKU AND CIMAR!" Sam shouted as he loaded his bow. "TELL THEM THAT WE'VE FOUND LINK AND ZELDA!"
KOR watched as Sam released the Fire Arrows at the oncoming Smashers. It wasn't long before Aura Spheres too soared through the air. Kage let out a charged beam at them, this one so fast that it managed to pull ahead of the other projectiles and knock Link off his feet. Doggie threw a Gordo. Realizing that he was still holding his sniper, KOR let loose a flurry of icy bullets.
Had they been facing anyone else, the onslaught of powerful ranged attacks would have easily defeated their foe. However, Zelda simply stepped forward and unleashed Nayru's Love. Before the light blue crystal could so much as disappear, the Guardians' various attacks were already on their way back towards them.
"Duck!" Nana shouted
"NO! TAKE IT LIKE A MAN!" Popo said eagerly.
"ARGH!" KOR caught completely off guard by the sudden reflection of his bullets, was forced to duck. In spite of that, he felt a searing pain every time a stray bullet bit into his flesh. It was at times like these that he wished he was able to put on full armor before leaving the base.
Cam, gritting his teeth to fight back the pain of the reflected projectiles, charged towards Link, twin swords humming a deep throated death song. But although the soulless body of the Hero was caught off-balance by the attack, nothing could have prepared Ike's Guardian for what happened next. The Ice Climbers stepped forward and unleashed a blizzard from their mouths. Cam was blasted back, one hand encased in ice. Before anyone could react, the two hopped back into the bushes, most likely to tell Tabuu of what was transpiring.
"CHARGE!" Fyre shouted as he started to melt the ice around Cam's hand. KOR obeyed, this time switching out his sniper for his minigun. The less concentrated spray of icy bullets was met yet again by a powerful Nayru's Love. Just as the Princess was recovering, however, Sam and Kai both slammed into her, pinning her to the ground. Then, Fyre joined the fray, fists whirling, fire licking the corners of his mouth. Before Zelda could so much as attempt to blast Kai and Sam off her, she was being bombarded by powerful and rapid punches.
"Oh my!"
"HELL'S YEAH!" Popo laughed. "Get Link next!"
Some remnant of Link must've remained in his body, as the Fallen Smasher's grisly yellow eyes widened at the sight of Zelda being forced to the ground. Unthinkingly, he charged, giving KOR the perfect chance to slam the Hero with bullets while his back was turned.
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!
Bombarded by the powerful ice bullets, Link was forced to whirl around and hold up his shield to prevent them from penetrating his guard. Out of nowhere, Kage and Doggie- who had decided to put away Dedede's hammer- pounced on him, pinning the Hero to the ground. Cam was also on the Hero in an instant, swords sheathed, fists flying.
KOR grinned. This was way too easy. The Guardians' numbers greatly outshone that of the Smashers. After all, with the absence of the Ice Climbers, it was a 3:1 ratio.
A familiar urge tugged at his gut. The urge to rip, to tear, and to kill. It was part of the curse the plague had left upon him, in addition to his horrid, weathered hands. Every so often, he had to spill blood. He needed to spill the blood. If he didn't, bad things would happen…
He put down his minigun and desperately tried to beat down the beast that had awakened within him. But no matter how hard he tried, the creature would rear its ugly head and roar. The roar would drive him further towards the bloodlust he had to satiate. Ripping off his gloves to reveal his deadly, gleaming claws, he pounced.
"KOR, NO!" both Ice Climbers screamed. Their voices were far away, almost inaudible to their Guardian's maddened ears. With a laugh maniacal enough to send chills down anyone's spines, KOR did a small flip in the air before diving, claws first, towards the weakened Link.
With superhuman strength, he shoved Doggie, Kage, and Cam aside. Through the red haze that covered his gaze, he could see the shock and the horror of the others. With an inhuman scream, he slammed his claws into the Smasher's back, ripping off a horrid chunk of flesh and splattering blood all over his clothes.
For the first time, Link screeched. It was an unearthly wail that only a soulless creature could ever possess. Grinning maniacally, KOR raked his claws across the now exposed flesh and sheared off even more skin.
Another scream filled his ears, throbbing and pulsing like music. Again and again he raked and sheared the Smasher's flesh while the others simply looked on in shock. He knew why they didn't dare approach. They didn't want to risk being torn to shreds themselves.
"KOR, get off!"
"This isn't cool, man!"
"KOR, please!" Nana sounded like she was crying. "Please! We need Link in one piece for Rinku! KOR!"
"Shut up, bitch…" KOR snarled as he proceeded to slam the tips of his claws into the Hylian's back.
"DON'T TALK TO HER LIKE THAT!" a sharp pain in the very back of his mind told KOR that Popo intended to punish him in some way.
"KOR, stop!" Sam shouted as he struggled to keep Zelda pinned down. The other Guardians, finally finding their voices, echoed his command. "Tearing Link to shreds won't help us at all!"
"Rinku's going to kill you if you keep at this!" Doggie yelled. "Get off!" she tried to grab KOR to pull him off, but one of his claws strayed for a moment from his target to instead claw her across the arm. She fell back with a scream of pain.
In the madness of his bloodlust, in the thrill of feeling flesh tearing beneath his fingers, KOR never noticed the two tiny figures hop down from a nearby tree. Too busy watching in horror at the decimation of Link's body, none of the others noticed either. It wasn't until a blast of ice, ten times colder than anything they had felt before slammed into them that they knew that KOR's rampage was no longer their greatest problem.
Everyone was thrown off their feet and onto the bloodstained glass by a powerful gust of freezing wind. Before they knew it, ice was encasing their feet. The Ice Climbers continued to advance on them, blowing a billowing blizzard from out of their mouths. It wasn't long until the ice had travelled up their legs, their arms, and their torsos. KOR felt the madness fade as he realized just how horrible of a situation he was in. The ice was powerful, more powerful than any of the ice Popo and Nana had ever produced during their training.
"This isn't normal!" Nana whispered. "This ice… completely unbreakable!"
"Tabuu must've somehow been able to enhance our powers like that!" Popo said angrily. "This ice is ten times more powerful than anything we ever fought with!"
KOR struggled to lift his hand, but the ice held firm. He tried his legs, but they were completely frozen as well. Only his neck and head remained unfrozen, as did a particular circle positioned quite precariously over his heart. He knew from experience that the Ice Climbers were wonderful ice manipulators, but under the control of the Shadow Bugs, they were even more powerful than he had ever imagined.
A flare lit up his vision as Fyre attempted to use Bowser's fiery breath to melt the ice. But all that came out of his mouth was a little puff of smoke. He had a particularly thick layer of ice surrounding him. His body temperature was much too low to produce a flame.
"UGH!" Sam's voice was unusually high. Straining to look over, KOR was just barely able to make out Young Link's startlingly blue eyes. "I can't get out of this!"
"How do ya think I feel?" Dedede demanded, taking control of Doggie. "I'm supposed to be able to break anything, but my Guardian here is too weak to snap a twig!"
"Ice breaker… cannot compute…" ROB said sadly.
Kai 's eyes glowed yellow as he released blast after blast of deep purple magic. "CURSE THIS ICE! I possess the Triforce of Power, damn it! I shouldn't have to fall to something half as useless as this!"
"Shut up, Ganonpork," Ike muttered crankily. His Guardian's arm had been frozen just as it was about to touch Ragnell. "Cam's giving me a headache as it is." he glared as Zelda helped Link up. "Geez… even without souls those two can't keep their freaking hands off each other…"
"Agreed," Popo and Nana remarked.
Link's body picked up the sword he had dropped and turned towards the frozen victims. There was a glare within those horrible yellow eyes that made everyone in the vicinity shudder. Zelda and the Ice Climbers took on a look of smug triumph as the Fallen Hero slowly advanced.
His yellow eyes flickered back and forth between his foes, observing the rather large holes in the ice that were planted right over their hearts and the fact that their necks were quite obviously exposed for the strike of a sword. There was a malicious gleam in his eye that Link never had. It became all too evident that unless a miracle happened, every single one of them would die tonight.
There had to be a way out of this. But although KOR looked every Smasher in the eye, all of them lowered their gaze. Even Ike, a famed tactician, had nothing to say. KOR gritted his teeth and watched as Link slowly turned towards him, remembering how his claws had raked his back.
"I- I'm going to take over, KOR," Nana said nervously. "I'll think of a way to get us out of this-"
"Hold on, why do you get to take over?" Popo demanded. "I'm better than you! I should-"
"You? You'll get him killed!"
"And… and you'll be boring!"
"Will you two just shut the Hell up?" KOR hissed as Link slowly limped towards him. "I'm already dead as it is…"
Zelda was approaching as well. Her eyes were locked on Sam and Kai. She raised one elegant hand and coated it with fire, triumph flashing in her eyes. With little effort, she released Din's Fire, a holy flame in possession of the greatest evil.
The blade flashed in the air as it made the plunge towards KOR's exposed neck. The Ice Climbers' Guardian closed his eyes and waited. He thought about his village before the plague… his mother… his friends…
CLANG!
"Hey, don't you know that it's impolite to strike a fallen enemy without asking?"
FWOOSH!
"Excuse me, but it's not a very good tactical maneuver to attempt to kill a fallen opponent without checking to make sure there aren't any reinforcements first."
KOR opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was green. Two figures, both clad in chainmail and green tunics, stood in front of the Hylians. Their pointed ears and the Royal Hylian Crest on their armor marked them to be from Hyrule as well.
"Rinku!" Young Link grinned.
"Cimar!" Bowser said in shock.
"… What, no welcome for me?" Nao waved from where he was standing beside Ike. "I'm hurt!"
"NAO!" Ganondorf growled. Despite being frozen, the King of Gerudos had not at all lost his fierce reputation. Or his great temper. "WHAT THE HELL TOOK SO LONG?"
Nao rolled his eyes. "Mewtwo and I got into an argument, he gave me a headache, and I botched up my story a bit so Rinku and Cimar thought I was going nuts."
"You told us that rabid bananas were attacking our fellow Guardians and that we had to go save the Nyan Cat before it was too late!" Cimar snapped, not taking his eyes off of Zelda.
Rinku raised an eyebrow. "I thought he said that bananas were taking over the world while the Nyan Cat went rabid."
"WILL YOU TWO JUST HURRY UP AND GET US OUTTA HERE?" Sam, no longer being controlled by Young Link demanded. His eyes kept going back and forth from Link's gleaming sword, to Zelda's flame covered hands, to the menacing hammers of the Ice Climbers.
For a moment, all was silent. The only sound that could be heard was Nao's quiet tinkering as he used his swords to chip away at the ice around KOR. His swords, made of tempered steel so hard that few substances could break it, worked swiftly. His breathing was deep and labored. He felt the high tension in the air, as did KOR. Any second now, something would happen…
"KOR…" Nana watched as her body slowly spun her hammer, leering at the new arrivals. "KOR… did you bring your Smashball? Do you have your Smashball with you?"
KOR nodded in response. He had always kept his Smashball in the right pocket of his jacket. True, it wasn't the best place to put it, but it was better than not having it at all. From Mars' observation, hitting a Smasher with a Final Smash would get them their body back. But no one knew what would happen if said Final Smash hit another Smasher or missed entirely.
Already he could feel that quite a bit of ice was off. Just enough, he believed, for him to be able to break out of it. Gritting his teeth, the Guardian of the Ice Climbers tensed his muscles and pressed both his elbows against the ice as hard as he could.
Crack!
The ice shattered, shards flying in all directions. KOR heard the groans of the other Guardians as the ice sliced into the exposed bits of their skin, but he could do nothing about it. Turning around to face his Smashers, he reached into his pocket and enclosed his hand around a small, pulsating sphere.
And there they were, three Guardians facing off against four Smashers. Rinku and Cimar, who had tensed into fighting poses this whole time, were now somewhat relaxed. Their hands, KOR noticed, were in the waist pouches they wore on their belts. The Smashers were watching them warily.
KOR found it strange that they hadn't attacked while the Guardians were distracted. Then again, the fact that two Hylians had appeared out of nowhere and blocked their attacks didn't exactly encourage them.
KOR pulled his Smashball out of his pocket and glanced at Rinku and Cimar. They both nodded. Grinning in ecstasy, KOR closed his powerful claws around the Smashball. Next to him, Rinku and Cimar did the same thing.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
"ICEBEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRG!" Popo cackled happily.
"Don't hurt us too badly, though!" Nana said.
Suddenly, the ground underneath KOR's feet began to quake. Blasts of ice cold air erupted from the ground like geysers, narrowly missing the other Guardians. Nao, who was hard at work on chipping away Sam's ice, nearly dropped his sword as a huge fissure opened right next to him. In fact, this fissure soon gave way to a great gaping hole, one so large that it was a wonder no one fell in.
It started with the tip, hard as diamond and as high as any iceberg could be. It did not take long for the tip to elongate and thicken, quickly transforming from a tiny icicle into a huge mountain. Rinku and Cimar leaped back upon seeing it. But as the Smashers tried to do the same thing, a single touch of the great mountain encased them in a block of ice. KOR watched as one particularly large one was thrown high in the air, reflecting the dim light of the moon and stars as it did.
It was as if the light painted a target on it. KOR suddenly had his sniper out and ready. He quickly took aim.
Then the full brunt of what he was about to do hit him. Once Nana and Popo were out of his head that meant no more headaches. No more stress. No more arguments. He had to admit, however, that he was going to miss them.
During his brief time as he Guardian, KOR had learned that Nana was the sweet one. She was also the more level-headed of the two and despite being a wonderful fighter, preferred words to end arguments. She meant everything to Popo. KOR had never really delved into their relationship, thus he did not know if they were siblings or merely friends.
Popo was the hard-headed one. He was the type to charge into a fight without another thought. But he was much stronger than Nana in many respects. It was said that in the old days, if one knocked Nana out of the ring, Popo would still fight no matter what. But if one knocked Popo out of the ring, both he and Nana would go down. It was both frustrating and fascinating how their bond worked. It was well known that he meant everything to Nana. But still, no one knew what type of relationship they both had.
In turn, the Ice Climbers slowly pieced together KOR's past. He had been raised in a small village not far from Smashville. A terrible plague had descended upon it unexpectedly, not long after a few people in the village attempted to rebel against Tabuu. But although those people eventually perished, the plague never went away. Each day, more and more people died. And each day, more and more people would perish. And with each death, more and more people became desperate and hungry.
They had prayed to Tabuu, who they considered a god. They had prayed and prayed and prayed. They had even gone as far as to sacrifice people from the village as an offering. But that only increased the amount of death that was slowly spreading through.
KOR knew that he had to leave that place. Thus, as the plague struck him, he left. He left and was forced to watch as every single person in the village dropped dead. He had escaped the jaws of death, but he had not escaped the plague. As a final insult to him, the virus had left him with a mark as a reminder that no matter where he went, there was no escape.
His claws were this mark. His claws and the urge to go berserk and kill. Sooner or later, someone was going to put an end to him because of those. But when that time came, KOR knew that he would hold his head high.
"KOR…" Nana whispered. From the sound of her voice, it was pretty obvious that she was pretty much ready to cry. "I can't believe it's time already…"
"Do it, man!" Popo said. "You don't have much time left to shoot! We'll break out of it eventually…"
KOR gulped, his sniper shaking slightly. "I… I just want you guys to know that-"
"That you'll miss us, I know…" Nana said. "But you must do this now, KOR."
"And don't worry about missing us," Popo laughed. "We'll… we'll just be seeing you soon, alright?"
KOR nodded. "Yeah…" he pointed his gun at the huge block of ice, watching as it slowly descended. Through the transparent barrier, KOR could see the bodies of the two Ice Climbers already struggling to break free. He leveled the weapon, placed his finger on the trigger, and pulled.
BOOM!
"Incoming!" Zelda warned.
"NAYRU'S LOVE!" Cimar quickly spun around, coating his hands with magic. The blue diamond that appeared around him served as a barrier to reflect the ice shards that were currently flying towards him. Next to him, Rinku merely put up his shield, but still took the full brunt of the ice. Nao, who had been working on unfreezing the Guardians, was forced to put up a psychic shield to ward away the ice.
Cimar watched as the block of ice holding the Ice Climbers within shattered and the two bodies fell. They lay unmoving upon the ground. But from the spark of triumph in KOR's eyes, Cimar could tell that he had successfully managed to place his Smashers back in their bodies.
"KOR, go help out Nao," Cimar ordered. "Rinku and I will take the Hylians!"
"But we're Hylians…" Rinku said.
"You know what I mean!"
Cimar looked around the battlefield, analyzing the tactical aspects of it. He noticed that although both Link and Zelda possessed the power to break free of the ice containing them, each time they would touch the mountain, another block of ice would form around them. If timed correctly, both he and Rinku could hit the Hylians while they were frozen, thus reducing the chance of their Final Smashes missing.
"Cimar, we're going to have to put everything we've got in your Final Smash…" Zelda said. "It seems to be the only weapon that can get us back into our bodies…"
Cimar nodded. "Exactly, Princess…" he looked down at his Smashball and smiled. "It seems… it seems that soon, you shall be reunited with your Hero and lo-"
"C-Cimar!" an extremely flustered Zelda chided. "How dare you! I don't… I mean…"
"Don't get your stockings in a twist, Zelda," Cimar laughed. "I was just teasing you, 'tis all. Anyways, I truly hope that you both have a happy reunion and everything. After all, a hundred years of being away from your body might do things to you…"
"CIMAR!"
"Kidding, kidding, Your Highness!" Cimar laughed yet again.
It had been a rough road for him and Zelda. Ever since he had met her for the first time, there was always something ready to get in the way of them. Whether it was an evil overlord trying to keep all of Hyrule under his iron fist, or merely a wave of Primids, never a day seemed to go by without news of attack. But no matter what happened, Cimar would remain loyal to the Guardians and his Smasher. And eventually, there were days that passed by in peace.
Origin stories had been exchanged during this time. Zelda, Queen of Hyrule, had been born and raised within the walls of Hyrule Castle. Her mother, Queen Delia, had perished not long after the princess' fifth birthday. Her father, the King, not knowing how to care for his daughter, had left her instead with her nursemaid.
Many years later, the Twilight struck Hyrule. Zant, the mad overlord, came into the palace and changed any person he did not kill into a spirit. Zelda was forced to surrender the castle in her father's name. As the dark Twili magic covered Hyrule, the Princess was forced to watch and wait for the prophesized Hero Chosen by the Gods to come.
That Hero had been Link.
But Link's adventure describing how he restored Hyrule had long faded to legend by the time Cimar was old enough to read. He had been raised in secret to become a Disciple of Wisdom. With Sorius' takeover, it was only natural that the evil king intended that the wisdom that once bathed Hyrule would give in to his power. As such, there had been many, many book burnings. A few brave individuals had managed to hide the books underground, along with some younglings who had lost parents because of the war. They had been raised to embrace knowledge and enlightenment. And it was because of all of this that Sorius had tried to stop them at all costs.
Cimar had met Rinku for the first time when the prince ran away. He had been dehydrated and starving. Although he could not stay nearly as long as he needed to help the young man, Cimar had left him all the water and food he had with him. It was truly an amazing thing to meet him again.
Like many scholars, Cimar understood the concept of a beginning and an end. It was here that he knew that this was the beginning of the end. Whether he was completely sure of himself or not, he never really understood. He just knew that tonight, something was going to end but something completely new would begin.
He turned and locked his eyes upon the delicate body of the Princess as it was frozen and unfrozen over and over again. Concentrating on nothing more than returning the princess to her body, he unleashed all the energy that the Smashball had built up within him.
A golden bow appeared in his hand. A deep blue aura surrounded his entire being. The Triforce of Wisdom on his right hand glowed and shot out of it, encasing his target in a spinning prison of light. Zelda was left completely vulnerable and unable to retaliate as she struggled to break free of the powerful Triforce prison.
Cimar drew back the arrow upon the golden bow and aimed directly at the Princess' heart. A bright light swirled around him, mingling with the bright blue aura surrounding his hand. In a single fluid motion, he released the arrow. The ornate Arrow of Light streaked through the skies like a comet, its razor-sharp broad head piercing Zelda's body like it was made of butter.
First came a scream, so unearthly that it was a wonder that any body could ever possess such a voice. Next came the trembling of the ground as the huge icy mountain began to disappear back from whence it came. Third came the flash of a sword as Link's body finally broke free of its final block of ice and charged straight at Cimar. Cimar only caught a glimpse of the pure, intense hatred in his great yellow eyes before another flash of green blocked his view.
CLANG!
"It's not polite to try to hit an unarmed opponent, Link!" Rinku smirked. He had managed to intercept Link's blow with his powerful shield just in time.
"I hope Zelda's alright…" Link said worriedly. He had been thinking about almost nothing else from the moment the Princess' body had been encased in a spinning Triforce.
"She's alright, Link, chill," Rinku said loftily. "Hey Cimar, if you don't mind, I'd like to take on this one myself."
"Good luck, Rinku," Cimar said simply before turning around and kneeling before Kai.
"… It's time, isn't it?" Link asked. In many ways, Rinku was sure that the Hylian had been preparing for this day for a long time. After all the adventures they had together, it was all going to end here.
There was a beginning and end to everything. Link's life had begun in a quiet village called Ordon and in a way, it had ended on the Plains of Smashville. He had never stopped blaming himself for what had happened on that faithful day. In penance of this, he had taken it upon himself to drill Rinku long and hard on the secret arts of the sword. Everything from the Helm Splitter to the Back Slice was passed on to his Guardian. Now today, of all days, it was time for his teachings to shine through.
Rinku's life had begun in a time of poverty and war. His mother, Sorius' concubine, gave birth to him alone and miserable. He had been her greatest joy, her shining light in the darkness that had long covered Hyrule. But although both his parents seemed human, Rinku- like Cimar- had been born with the pointed Hylian ears of old.
The life of Prince Rinku had ended when the boy ran away at a young age. Although Sorius tried everything to raise him to embrace his power and become a dictator like him, Rinku had inherited his mother's personality. His sense of righteousness led him to join the Warriors of Courage, quickly becoming one of their most capable fighters. And it was here that the life of Rinku, Warrior of Courage took off.
There was a beginning to all things. The beginning of their partnership was when Link had been released and saw a war-ravaged Hyrule. And now, this was the end.
"You're one good kid, you know that?" Link asked. "I gotta say… I wouldn't ask for any other Guardian… well, okay, maybe Cimar. Because he actually thinks before-"
"Hey! I thought these goodbye things were supposed to be, you know, touching?"
"Sorry dude, I don't do touching. I'm just here to hack, slash, yell, and hopefully avoid getting kicked in the balls."
"Touché."
Rinku smirked as he slammed the crosspiece of his sword into Link's exposed left side. He forced the Hylian back with powerful jabs and slashes.
Link's sword retaliated, however, and it was not long before the two were locked in mortal combat. Rinku was much faster than Link, but the Hero's blows were all timed masterfully and each hit jarred Rinku to the very bone. Both young men had been practically born with a sword in hand, but Link's body had an extra 100 years to perfect his training. If it had been anyone else up against the powerful Hylian, it was all too obvious who the winner would be.
But Rinku wasn't just anyone.
He was the Guardian of Link.
The Triforce of Courage glowed bright green, blasting away from his hand and encasing his foe in a spinning Triforce-shaped cage of light as he tried to close in for another attack. Rinku grinned, spinning his sword in a whirling pinwheel of light as he used his superior speed to move in for the "kill".
His attacks were lightning fast, every slash and stab timed in perfect succession. He dashed by Link and slammed him with a power side cut on the first blow, only to turn around and come back for a power backhand overhead cut on the next. Back and forth he went, zooming around like Sonic in his Super Form. With every slash, he felt as if a weight was slowly being lifted from his shoulders. The more he slashed, the lighter he felt.
It was time.
Rinku skidded to a halt in mid-air and prepared his sword, smirking devilishly at the still trapped Hero. With a battle cry loud enough to shake the heavens, he charged, the Master Sword flashing silver in the bright light of the Triforce.
"HYAAAAAAAHHHH!"
Nask picked up her armor and sighed. It had been exactly two days since the attack of the Ice Climbers, Link, and Zelda. Since then, the four Smashers had chosen to stay at the Guardians base rather than return to Tabuu. It was a terrible risk they were undertaking, but truth be told, Nask wasn't altogether sure if Tabuu really cared whether or not some of his Smashers returned.
"He is an uncaring monster," Marth said, reading his Guardian's thoughts. "And thus it is imperative that we put a stop to him."
Nask nodded. "I know…" she picked up her Naginata and looked at the blade, staring at her reflection. "It's just… I never thought this day would come so soon…" her voice broke as the full brunt of what she said hit her.
Today was the day when they, the Guardians, would begin their march. They would be accompanied by the two hands, but it was today when the Final Battle would begin. Their Champion, Cameron, was already there at the battlefield, going over tactical strategies and the like with Cimar and Zelda. The pilots were busy fixing up their ships and quite a few Guardians were going over last minute training sessions. But even with all of this preparation, their chances of victory were still much too slim for comfort.
A worm squirmed in Nask's stomach. They had an escape plan for the younger Guardians, sure, but even the best escape plan could fail. What was more, there were so many things that she wanted to do that after today, she may never be able to.
It was so easy to remember the old days, when the only thing she really cared about was one day taming and riding a powerful wyvern. It was so easy to remember the days when her mother was alive and before her brother, Ridere, was separated from her. Now, after so many years, she had found him at last.
But he didn't remember a thing.
"Are you afraid, Nask?" Marth asked. "Because… because it's alright to be afraid…"
She would never admit it, but she was afraid. She was afraid that she would not make it out alive. She was afraid that she would die and Ridere would not know her for who she really was.
"You must speak to him, Nask," Marth urged. "This can be your one and only chance to-"
"… Even if I speak with him, Marth, his reaction will be the same as before," Nask slowly sank into a chair. "He doesn't remember me at all, Marth. He only remembers life on… on that ship…"
"Nask… you can't give up now… you're not that kind of person…"
"I have no choice," Nask whispered. "I… If I address this to him, he'll… he'll be distracted. I know him well enough to know that if there's a problem on his mind, it'll distract him. And he does get distracted easily… if that happens during a vital point of the battle…" she shook her head. "I can't bear it… the thought of any of us not making it out alive…"
"Nask…" Marth sighed. "It… it is the curse of every tactician and commander to be forced to send soldiers to war, knowing that it was very, very likely that few would make it out alive. But no matter what happens, you must do the right thing. You must soothe your conscience and know that what you are doing is right. If I didn't kiss Sheeda goodbye before leaving for the Plains, I don't believe I never would have forgiven myself." Marth's voice cracked slightly at the sound of his deceased beloved's name. "War is both a time of rejoice and sorrow… rejoice at your victories, but wail over the pain of losing those you have come to know as friends." he gulped. "I… I know that what I have said may not pertain to the situation at hand, but… but I believe what I'm trying to say is that…" he gulped. "Is that there is a great difference in doing what is best… and doing the right thing."
Nask hung her head, her hand travelling- seemingly on its own- into the pocket of her pants. She meant to grasp onto her Smashball, but instead felt the tiny, smooth texture of something that she had long forgotten about. Gingerly, she pulled out the little white music box with the painting of a rose on its cover. Despite her many battles, it had somehow remained completely untouched and devoid of blemishes that such a delicate object would surely gain from such wear.
It was the one thing of beauty that she owned. The attack on Altea and her father's squandering had greatly diminished the family treasury. They had been forced to sell many prized possessions just to buy the crusts of bread they needed to survive. And that was when it was only her and her father, not long after Ridere had been cruelly taken from them.
"Play the tune again, Nask," Marth said wistfully. "I remember it… it was played at mine and Sheeda's wedding…"
Nask dutifully turned the music box upside down and twisted the key. It was then that she noticed for the first time that there was not one, but two keyholes on the bottom of the box. However, she only possessed one key. When she tried placing the other key in the hole, it wouldn't fit. Frowning, she placed the key she did have back in the correct hole and turned it.
Once done, she flipped open the lid. A tinkling tune emitted from it, one that slowly undulated with a rhythmic pulse that was both saddening and uplifting. It was the kind of song that would be the perfect medicine for the cheeriest and hardest of times. However, it was hardly music fit to be listening to just before the final battle.
Nask soon found herself lost in the music, as did Marth as memories swam past them. Nask remembered happier times when her mother was alive and Ridere was well. Marth remembered his first man and wife dance with Sheeda and the first day he laid eyes upon her. For a moment, the mood in the tiny room of the Smash Base seemed to change and flow with the music. For just a tiny moment, it was as if it could never be broken. For just one teensy little moment, Nask and Marth weren't grim soldiers getting ready for war. They were smiling and laughing people, leading carefree lives.
"… Excuse me…?"
The spell was broken. The little room became a dismal place once again. The light that seemed to radiate from every corner of the room disappeared. The former Prince of Altea and his Guardian were grim soldiers once again. Smiling wistfully, Nask closed the lid to her music box and turned around.
Ridere stood in the doorway, his arms crossed. His face was a mixture of confusion and wonder. Marth saw Snake flickering behind Ridere's eyes. From the way he was dressed, he was all ready to march out to battle. Nask and Marth couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness when they realized that it would not be long now.
"That song…" Ridere began awkwardly. "I… I've heard it before…"
Nask paused. "You… you have?" Marth felt a flutter of hope in her.
Ridere nodded. "Yeah… I used to hum it to myself back on the ship when they made me swab the deck. But I never knew where it came from…" he frowned, furrowing his brows.
"It's… it's the Song of Altea…" Nask said.
"Written and composed by a man long dead," Marth sighed. "Played for the first time ever during a wedding between…" he trailed off.
Ridere took a step closer, staring at the music box. "I remember… I remember that too…" he frowned.
Nask nodded. "This used to belong to my mother… it was passed on to me when she… left the mortal plane."
Ridere cocked his head. "Well… I doubt that you're my mother…" he hesitated. "But… you do have… I mean… you seem familiar…"
Nask smiled sadly at him. "I guess so, don't I?"
Ridere nodded. "Yeah… I guess you do…" he kept frowning at the music box, never taking his eyes off it even as Nask put it away.
"Nask… now's the time…" Marth said desperately. Much to his annoyance, she ignored him.
"I… I must be getting ready for the battle," Nask picked up her Naginata and stood up. "Ridere… I wish you luck…"
When Ridere said nothing, she gave him a gentle pat on the head and turned towards the door to leave. Just as she reached the doorframe, something stopped her. It was a soft whisper from Ridere, possibly him talking to Snake. She couldn't help but feel that it was something about her.
"Hey… Hey Nask?" Ridere asked, his hand digging into his pocket.
Nask turned. "Yes, Ridere?"
"I… Snake… Snake and I couldn't help but notice that your music box… it only had one key, but it had two keyholes…"
Nask turned and nodded. "Yes… I don't have the other key, unfortunately… but I am interested in what winding the other key will do…"
Ridere dug around in his pocket a bit more for a moment before pulling out a small gold object. It was a rather small and simple gilded key. "I've had this thing for who knows how long… and I've got no idea how the Hell it got into my pocket…" he walked over to Nask and handed it to her. "But… but if you can use it…"
Nask was already back at her desk by the time Ridere had finished with his sentence. She briefly dug in her pocket for her music box before placing it on the table and inserting the key into the vacant hole. Much to her pleasure, it fit. Carefully, she turned the key and propped the music box on the table. She felt Ridere's eyes following her as she opened the lid.
"Naskara! Ridere! If you are hearing this, then that means you two have successfully reunited the second key with the music box…"
"The Hell?" Marth asked in disbelief.
She knew that voice well. It was her mother's, bell-like and clear as mountain air. She had not heard her voice since that faithful day when their old castle was attacked. She remembered how her mother had pressed the music box into her hand, begging her to keep it safe at all costs.
Ridere gawked. "S-She… she knows who I am!"
"Strange indeed…" Marth murmured. "She must have recorded this message before… before she-"
"I don't know if you two will ever be separated… but I have a feeling that something will go horribly wrong… but whether it is here and now or in the future, I do not know," Nask's mother continued. "I just wish you two to know that no matter what happens, I'll always be proud of you… of both of you. I know that you both will rise up and do the right thing. I know that you are both destined for greatness…"
Nask felt a lump in her throat. "M-Mom…"
"You will both rise up and end all of this war, this pain, and this suffering… I just know it. I know that you both will be at each other's side until the day you yourself will leave terra firma…" her mom's voice cracked slightly. "Just remember you two… I love you… and I always will…"
It was here that the recorded message ended.
For what seemed like hours, Nask and Ridere simply stood there and stared at the music box, unsure of what to say. But it was all too obvious to Marth and Snake that something had to be said. But whereas Marth gave Nask a gentle chiding, Snake practically shoved Ridere.
"… That key…" Ridere began, breaking the awkward silence. "I… I was told that that key would help lead me back to find out who I was…"
Nask nodded, fighting back tears. "Ridere… I thought… when you didn't recognize me, I thought that I had lost you forever…"
"It was supposed to 'unlock the secrets of my past'…" Ridere went on. "It was supposed to lead me back to the mother I lost… the father I hated… and…" he locked eyes with Nask. "The sister I've found…"
Nask's eyes welled up in tears. "Ridere…"
"Nask…"
Then, in unison.
"FINALLY!"
Cam was starting to have second thoughts about this whole thing. After all, everything did ride on him. If he failed, not only would he die, but so would everyone else. It was a huge tactical gamble to place everything that the Guardians had worked for in one single Champion, but if it gave them the best opportunity to save as many lives as possible, then it should be well worth it.
"Hey Cam, do you want your emblem to be in red or pink?" Pikana called from the table she was working at. Truth be told, Cam wasn't all too happy when he found out that the crazy Pokemon girl was going to help him with his armor and such. "Because I have to say, black is so boring!"
"Make it red, please!" Cam said quickly, picking up Ragnel to sharpen it. "Ashera, no one will ever take me seriously if it's… that other color…"
Pikana shrugged. "Suit yourself, Cammie!"
Cammie. He remembered that She used to call him that. He remembered how much She smiled every time she said that nickname of his. It both annoyed and pleased him.
"… You ready, Cam?" Ike asked gruffly. He had been awfully quiet since Cam woke up today.
"… If I say no, will that mark me as a wuss?" Cam asked.
"Possibly," Ike shrugged. "But it's not like anyone's judging you. After all, it's pretty possible that you're going to get owned very quickly."
"Yune, do you have to be so blunt?" Cam asked.
"Yes, yes I do," Ike shrugged. "Can't lead a team of mercenaries without being blunt, after all. If you're all flourishing with your words and stuff, no one's going to take you seriously."
"Well…. How about some words of encouragement then?"
Ike laughed. "How do I know said words of encouragement won't go to your head?" without waiting for an answer, he plowed on. "Listen, Cam… do you know what you're fighting for here?"
"Well let's see…" Cam thought a moment. "I seem to be fighting for freedom, for the Guardians, for Master Hand, for you Smashers, for Tabuu to get his ass kicked…"
"As true as all of those things are…" Ike said carefully. "There's still one you missed… you're fighting for a future, Cam… a future that Smashville- and all of the known worlds- deserve. A future without some asshole dictating everything that you must think and do…"
"… The way you put it sounds like you're trying to say that I can beat up one of the greatest fighters in the known worlds," Cam said quietly.
"Who knows? Maybe my awesomeness has rubbed off on you."
"Yeah, yeah, what-"
"CAAAAAAAAAAAAMIIIIIIIIIIE!" Pikana called cheerfully. "I have a present for you!" she walked over carrying two large packages.
"Pikana… don't ever call me that again," Cam told her. "Now… what have you got?"
Pikana placed the two on the ground and with a great flourish, unveiled the one on top. It was a beautiful armored coat, made out of what looked like glass woven together. When picked up, the armor was even lighter than air. But according to Cimar, who had spent countless hours preparing it, it was as hard as a dragon's scale. This mithril battle armor, taken from the treasuries of Hyrule, would be just enough to keep Cam- and the other Guardians who were able to wear this- alive.
An emblem was painted on the surcoat. Two swords, one large and broad like Ragnell and one shorter and skinny like Sigmund, were crossed in a large X. Depicted behind these two swords was a Smashball, painted solid red. It was the simplest, yet the most beautiful thing Cam had seen.
"Pikana… I-"
The little Pikachu reached out and touched her hand to a tiny little Pokeball in the corner with a bazooka behind it. "My emblem… since I don't get any of this fancy armor…" she smiled sadly. "Win this, Cam… for me and my…" her voice caught. "My… Picho and Pichn."
Cam bent down and ruffled her curly hair. "I'll do my best…"
Her expression turned mischievous. "You better! Or else I'll shove Bazookie up your ass!"
In the distance, a trumpet sounded. Both Cam and Pikana looked up towards the source. It was coming from the Plains of Smashville, the sight of the beginning and the end.
"The Call of War…" Ike whispered.
"They're calling you…" Pikana said quietly.
Cam nodded. "C'mon guys… it's time…"
The march was long and painfully tense. Whispers sounded all around as Cam was forced to the front of the group. Master Hand floated alongside him, talking in a low voice to Crazy, who continued to twitch. It wasn't long before they finally cleared the final path and entered the Plains of Smashville.
It was a truly horrible place, still littered with the vessels of dead Shadow Bugs. It was said that this place once used to be full of life, but had long become a desolate wasteland. With every step, Cam felt his heart becoming heavier and heavier as he realized that this was it. A knot tightened in his stomach as he saw that the Subspace Armada was already there.
There were thousands- no, millions- of Primids. The army was so large that it took up half the field. At the very front of the hoard stood Tabuu and the Smashers that had not been freed. Up above, the Arwings floated. Cam took a deep breath, praying that Falco and Wolf were still on their side.
Next to him, he felt Link stiffen, wrapping a hand around Princess Zelda. To his right, he saw Cimar adjust his cloak and Rinku fidget with his sword buckle. Cam found himself also checking to make sure that his armor was in place.
Master Hand halted the Guardians army and slowly floated forward, coming to meet Tabuu in the middle between the two. Although the giant hand possessed no face, Cam had no doubt that his expression was both tensed and angered.
"So, Master Hand…" Tabuu sneered. "You have arrived…"
"Indeed I have, Tabuu," Master Hand said. "Prepare yourself, for today, you shall meet your match."
The Subspace Lord laughed. "I think not, foolish Hand! For today, it shall be you who will feel my wrath!"
"We shall see, Tabuu…" Master Hand said gravely. "But know that I have complete faith in my Champion and his abilities…"
"You place your faith in foolish causes and that shall lead to the demise of not only you, but all the Guardians here!" Tabuu laughed again. "And this time, no foolish Prophecy shall stand in my way!"
"You know the rules of Trial by Combat, Tabuu," Master Hand continued. "There shall be only one Champion from each party… the moment the Champion representing a party falls, that party forfeits all hopes of victory."
Tabuu waved a large, blue hand. "I know the rules, Master Hand… but remember this! The moment any of your precious Guardians try something underhanded, I shall declare full- scale war! And know that not a single one of those ridiculous teens shall make it out alive!"
"Your vow has been noted," Master Hand said calmly. Then, he raised his voice. "CHAMPIONS! STEP FORWARD!"
Cam froze. He didn't think it would happen so suddenly. The battle? Here? Now? Already?
Link gently pushed him forward. Numbly, Cam managed to get his legs to move and he stiffly made his way to the center of the battlefield. At the same time, a tall, cloaked figure made their way to meet him. This cloaked figure unnerved him. There was something familiar about them, but also cold and vacant.
"Champions… state your names and your purpose," Master Hand said. "And you may begin at your ready…" he added in a lower voice. "Good luck, Cameron… may the Immortals smile down upon you…" with that, both he and Tabuu floated away.
Cam gulped. "I am Cameron of Tellius! Guardian of Ike and wielder of the Cursed Blade Ragnell and the Blessed Sword Sigmund!"
"And now for my champion." Tabuu's devilish grin chilled the Guardians to the very bone.
Slowly, the cloaked figure raised their hands to their hood and lowered it. They remained silent the whole time. Cam watched in fear and shock as their face was revealed. His every muscle froze, his skin crawled, and the knot in his stomach became all the more tighter.
"Hello Cameron." Heather spoke.