A/N: This chapter is a bit longer than the others. In fact, it was getting so long that I was forced to split it in two.

This is part one of a two part boss battle. Enjoy!

Chapter 21: Shadow of the Soul: Dark Link

Cody:

"Are all guys clueless?" Malon asked me.

"I'm not sure if I'm the right person to ask, being a guy and all. Why do you ask?"

We were sitting on the shore of Lake Hylia. Zelda was off a ways sitting by herself, looking dejected. She had been hugging her knees to her chest, gaze directed firmly at the ground, ever since Link and Ruto had departed.

Malon looked at me impatiently, "Do I really have to spell it out for you!?"

I just looked at her expectantly. She sighed, "Zelda likes Link, but he doesn't seem to notice. Now she's feeling all depressed because he willingly left her here and went with Ruto."

I look over at the forlorn Zelda. Now that Malon mentions it, it does seem rather obvious…

"You know, if you had let me go with, Link wouldn't be alone with the fish girl…" I shut up when I saw the look that Malon was giving me. Why did she not want me to go with? I don't think that I will ever understand girls…

"Anyway," I said, quickly changing the subject, "I wish there was something we could do to cheer her up. She's making me depressed…"

"That's it!"

Malon's sudden outburst not only startled me, but it also caused my sleeping companion to fly out of my hood with a yelp.

I took a deep breath to compose myself, then asked the obligatory, "What's it, exactly?"

She grinned at me (uh-oh), "You should talk to her!"

I looked at her with what I assumed to be a dumb look on my face. She was too busy giggling over her "plan" to notice.

"It's perfect! Who better to help her understand Link's psyche than another guy?"

"Understanding Link's psyche- what!?"

Malon finally noticed my confusion, "You're a guy right?"

I raised my eyebrow. "Last time I checked… Your point?"

Her grin came back, "You can tell Zelda how Link truly feels!"

I stared at her incredulously, "You remember that Link and I hated each other till yesterday, right?"

"It doesn't matter," she said, brushing it off. "She just needs reassurance from someone who can guess more of what Link is actually feeling… you do know what he's actually feeling, right?"

I sighed. What, am I Link's shrink now? "I don't know how he feels for Zelda, but I do know that he doesn't care for Ruto that much."

Malon actually looked surprised, "Really? He was letting her hang all over him."

I just shook my head, "Nah, he looked real stiff to me, like he wanted to get away. He probably just wasn't sure how…"

Malon grinned once more, "See? Guys think differently. You can explain the part about Ruto to her!"

I heaved another heavy sigh as I pulled myself to my feet, "I still think this is a bad idea…"

She responded by giving me a push towards Zelda. I just shook my head and started walking. Via remained behind (a wise decision in my opinion). As I was walking, I tried to think of what I could possibly say to snap Zelda out of her funk (dealing with emotional problems is definitely not my forte).

Zelda did not look up as I approached, and she did not look at me as I stood over her. I cleared my throat to get her attention, but she did not seem to notice. Deciding that she was probably listening, I plunged right in, "So… do you want to talk… or something…"

Why the hell did Malon send me over here again…?

Zelda was silent for a moment before responding, "Not really."

"Okay then, see ya!" I said quickly, turning around to leave. I was stopped short, however, by Malon's glare. I sighed, turned around, and plopped myself on the ground next to Zelda, "Do you mind if I do some talking?"

She did not respond, which I took to mean 'YES! I DO MIND!'. "I'll take that as consent then," I said with fake cheer (hopefully she doesn't kill me later…).

I looked out over the lake towards the island that held the Water Temple. "You know," I began, hoping to get this over with, "I don't think Link likes Ruto all that much."

"Uh huh…" Zelda replied noncommittally. I guess she did not believe me…

"Want to know how I know?"

Zelda remained silent, so I turned to her and just went ahead and said it, "He's always real stiff when she's around… He avoids looking at her when she grabs onto him…"

Zelda was silent for so long that I thought my comment had no effect, but she eventually sighed and looked out over the lake. "It doesn't really matter anyway."

Her words were ominous, but she was no longer staring at the ground, so that was something. "It's something to think about at the very least," I said as I began to pull myself to my feet.

I stopped when I noticed that Zelda's eye's widened and the blood drained from her face. She sprang to her feet before I could think to ask what was wrong and shouted out, "Malon! Look out!"

I sprang to my feet as well and looked towards Malon. She had been busy watching us (probably making sure I did not chicken out or something) and was unaware of the danger approaching from behind her…

A long, thick tendril of water had risen from the lake…

Malon barely had enough time to turn around and see the tentacle before it swooped down and snagged her. She screamed as she was whipped through the air, causing her bow and her arrows to get slung all over the shore. Via flew over towards us in a panic, "W-what is that th-thing!?"

"Morpha," Zelda practically spat. "It's the guardian of the Water Temple. But what is it doing out here!?"

As we watched, many more tentacles rose from the water. In the center of the bunch, one of the tentacles had an eye floating in it, staring at us.

"Don't know, don't care," I said, unsheathing my sword. "I just know that I'm not going to allow it to hold her for a second longer."

"Agreed," Zelda said, drawing her Kodachi. "Let's go."

Together, we charged at the tentacle monster…

Link:

"Aren't you going to get us over the spikes my love?" Ruto asked me sweetly.

"How did you get over them the first time?" I grumbled as I pulled out my Hookshot once again. I had forgotten just how frustrating the Water Temple could be. I must have blocked it from my mind. What was worse, however, was that I did not have the Iron Boots this time around (and Mikau's mask has not worked for me since I left Termina). Ruto had to drag me around through the water in order to get us around at a decent pace.

And if things weren't bad enough, I've been haunted by the image of Zelda as she watched me get pulled into the temple by Ruto…

Like the last couple of temples, the monsters seem to be strangely absent, as if trying to lull us into a false sense of security. Why did Malgum leave these places so unguarded? Did he really think that one powerful creature would be enough to stop us?

I pushed these thoughts to the side for the moment, grabbed Ruto around the waist (eliciting a giggle from her), and shot the Hookshot at the target on the ceiling just on the other side of the spikes. We landed on the other side without a problem. I immediately let go of Ruto, but she did not let go of me. I looked down and saw that she had her eyes closed, her face looking content. I sighed.

"Ruto, do you mind?"

"Hmmm?" she asked, smiling, her eyes still closed.

"We really need to hurry up…"

"Alright…" she said with a pout, finally letting go of my arm. "The orb is in the room on the other side of the door."

I nodded, feeling as if a pit was forming in my stomach. Beyond this door was the room that I fought Dark Link. It was not a very pleasant experience for me. My only hope is that Malgum would think that the Orb of Water would be located in the chamber where Morpha resides (hey, I can dream, can't I?).

We opened the door, and headed on through.

The first thing I noticed was that the room looked exactly the same as it did before my fight with Dark Link. This immediately put me on edge, causing me to draw my sword.

"What's wrong?" Ruto asked, a little startled that I had pulled out my weapon.

"Probably nothing," I said, eyeing the room suspiciously. "Maybe we should hurry this up."

"Of course my love!" she said, beaming. "Anything for you!"

She spun around, facing away from me. She placed her hands in front of her (the same as Darunia and Saria) and began to glow with a faint blue light. A little too faint…

"Is everything okay?" I asked her as I put away my sword.

She did not turn around as she replied, "It's fine." Her voice sounded a little strained as she talked, "My power has been waning a little. Nothing to worry about."

She says something like that and expects me not to worry…

However, before I can question her more about it, there is a ripple in the water. The glow around Ruto ceased and she quickly scrambled away from it. Another statue on a pedestal rose from the water. The statue this time seemed to be of Lord Jabu Jabu, the Orb of Water resting in his partially opened mouth (an image that I could have lived without). I looked over to Ruto, who was sitting down, resting against the tree in the middle of the room, and nodded my thanks to her. She smiled wearily at me.

I turned back to the statue and yanked the Orb of Water from the mouth of the Fish Deity, "We should get back to the others-"

"Link," Ruto said suddenly, interrupting me. I froze, realizing the tone in her voice. This time around, she sounded much more serious than she sounded all day.

I heard her pull herself to her feet and start walking slowly towards me. "Link," she repeated again, softer this time.

I knew in my heart what she wanted to say. I didn't want to hear it, but I knew that she had to say it.

"I… I know that you're not as fond of me as I am of you…" she started off hesitantly, a quiver in her voice. "I know that I forced you to become my fiancé that one time, and that it was wrong of me to do so…"

I don't look at her. I'm almost afraid to…

She continued, "I wanted to let you know that… I'm sorry that I did that." Her voice started to get more determined, "I know that you're a Hylian and I'm a Zora, but you are the only guy that I've ever had feelings for. Would you be willing to…" She paused to take a deep breath before continuing, "Would you be willing to consider… us?"

And there it was. I felt cornered. Though I've felt uncomfortable around her on more than one occasion, I can honestly say that I've never hated her. It's because of this that I wanted to find the best way to let her down easy. The truth of the matter was, I did not feel the same way she did, and it was unfair of me to draw this out any longer.

"Ruto…" I began as I turned around to face her…

I reached forward quickly and pushed the Zoran girl to the side. Unfortunately I did not have time to draw neither my sword nor shield, so I did the only thing I could think of to protect myself…

I spun around and presented my shielded back to the enemy. Almost the second that I was turned around, I felt the assailant's sword crash against my shield, causing me to start falling forward. I was able to turn my fall into a roll, however, and I soon sprang back to my feet and spun back around, the sound of my sword clearing my sheath filling the strange room. The sword clashed with my assailant's sword, and he moved in close as if to get a look at me.

I had fought this being before. He wore the same clothing as I, but his were all black. His equipment was also black, black as the deepest night. His face appeared to be distorted by shadow, but his red glowing eyes were distinctly visible. "How's it going, doppelganger?" he sneered at me.

Dark Link was back, and he was out for blood…

Cody:

I charged energy into my blade as I ran, Via close behind me. Zelda ran alongside me, tossing needles. The needles did not appear to be having an effect on the strange creature however, eliciting a very un-princess like swear from her.

"We need to cut down all of the tentacles," I said as we reached the monster in the water. I swung my sword, releasing the energy and obliterating two of the tentacles with one slash.

"That won't work," Zelda said with a grunt as she cut down one of the tentacles that got too close.

"Wait… what do you mea-"

Three more tentacles rose from the water to replace the ones we took down.

I swear rather loudly. "How do we kill this thing then!?"

Zelda dispatched another tentacle with her Kodachi. She then let loose a fireball at another, causing it to detonate in a shower of water and steam. "Morpha is a being that controls water. We have to take down the eye. It's the only way to destroy it."

I continued slashing my way towards Malon. I saw the eye in the center of the mass of tentacles. There was no way that I was going to come anywhere near that thing using a sword…

Zelda was protecting my rear as we made our way to Malon. As soon as there was an opening, she spun around me and tossed some needles directly at Morpha's eye. A torrent of water shot up, blocking the needles from even getting close. Zelda swore once again, "We need something more heavy duty than my needles. Can you shoot Malon's bow?"

I grunted as I slashed down another watery tentacle, "I barely know how to hold one. How 'bout we just rescue Malon and let her do it?"

"That would be nice!" Malon shouted from where she was dangling. "Can we hurry this up a little faster? He's a little slimy…"

"Working on it!" I shouted, pulling the Orb of Winds out of the Infinity Bag and jamming it into the crystal on the Dimensional Sword. Like before, the blade began to glow green and the wind picked up, swirling around the blade.

"What are you planning!?" Zelda shouted, dodging out of the way of a tentacle that came too fast to effectively attack.

"I dunno… Something crazy?" I swung the sword at the mass of tentacles, unleashing a powerful blast of wind. The wind slammed into Morpha, causing the strange creature to sway violently. Using the opportunity, I rushed towards Malon, Via flying right beside me.

"That's not a good idea Cody Williams!" Zelda shouted at me.

I didn't listen to her. "I'm coming!" I shouted at Malon.

Of course, I found out real fast why it was a bad idea to rush in without a real plan. The wind blast turned out to not be quite as effective on an amorphous blob as it was on a living being. Watery tentacles slammed down all around me, cutting off all escape and effectively separating me from Zelda.

"I th-think we might be in tr-trouble…" Via said worriedly.

"We'll make it," I said with a growl, swinging my sword at one of the tentacles. Zelda was trying to fight her way to me as well, but she was making very little headway.

And to think, I used to like water…

I was surrounded by water on all sides. I swung my sword fairly wildly, keeping a constant wind blowing. That is till I was rudely interrupted by Morpha… I was grabbed around the ankle by one of Morpha's tentacles and hoisted roughly into the air. I was barely able to keep a hold of my sword.

I swung my body upwards and slashed at the tentacle. It released me, and I of course landed on my back. As I tried to recover from the throbbing pain traveling through my body, I noticed that Zelda had also gotten picked up in her haste and was forced to free herself in the same manner that I was. However, she was graceful enough to land on the ground in a crouch instead of on her back…

Showoff…

I sprung back to my feet, slashing at another tentacle. This created an opening to the tentacle that had Malon. Via flew to Malon at this point and started to reassure her, "D-don't worry! Help is almost h-here!"

Morpha squeezed Malon, eliciting a scream from the trapped girl. This spurred me to faster action. Charging energy into my blade, I spun around in a circle. The wind ripped apart the tentacles that were surrounding me, including the one holding Malon.

With a surprised shout, Malon began to plummet towards the ground. In a panic, I dropped my sword and rushed underneath her (using the power of the Zephyr Boots) to catch her. I ended up on the ground again (man, I suck), but at least I didn't drop her…

"Thanks," she said, a little breathlessly.

"Don't mention it…" I said with a groan. "However, aren't we forgetting something?"

"Right," she said, getting straight to business. She immediately started crawling for her bow, and I started grabbing the arrows that were lying around. I turned around to see that she was already crawling back to me. I started to crawl to her as well. I started to hand the arrows to her…

"Cody! Look out!" Zelda yelled from behind me.

I did not even have time to marvel at the fact that Zelda did not call me Mr. Williams…

One of Morpha's regenerated tentacles grabbed me around the chest and yanked me off my feet. Unlike with Malon, Morpha did not want to keep me around. The tentacle swung around and, for what felt like the millionth time, I was sent flying…

Link:

Dark Link was not giving me a chance to draw my shield. It was all I could do to keep his flurry of attacks away, and I did not have a chance to deliver my own.

"Come on!" he shouted at me with a sneer. "Is this the best that the Hero of Time can do?"

I ignored him for the time being, trying to formulate a plan or just drive him back long enough to draw my shield.

It was slow going. Unlike the last group of shadows that I fought, this one was not a mirror image. He was left-handed like me and was at least as skilled as I. Unfortunately, he had the advantage of his shield, and he was definitely using it. What could I do to even the odds?

Dark Link cackled, "I can't believe that Hyrule hasn't gone up in flames this entire time!"

I silently swore at the specter. He kept forcing me back towards where I assumed the wall of the room was located (it was hidden by an illusion after all). As I was being forced back, I started reaching for something, anything, which would aid me against Dark Link. My right hand brushed against the pouch on my belt where I kept the Elemental Orbs. Not wasting any time, my hand dove in and drew out an orb at random, hoping against hope that it was the Orb of Light.

Dark Link unleashed a torrent of energy, causing me to slam into the invisible wall behind me. I was out of time. I slammed the orb into the crystal on the hilt and swung at Dark Link.

A torrent of flame arced out from the blade. Dark Link barely had enough time to raise his shield as the fire slammed into him. The force of the attack caused him to backpedal, giving me enough time to finally draw my shield. As I readied my sword and shield, I noticed that the blade of the Master Sword had turned red and was wreathed in flames.

This will work.

I looked up at Dark Link who had also readied his weapon. "Time to end this," I snarled at him.

I rushed at Dark Link and started unleashing a flurry of attacks. Thanks to the Orb of Flames, I was able to keep him from counter-attacking. He was forced to back up as I put him on the defensive. As I pushed him back towards the tree in the center of the room, he started laughing.

"What's so funny!?" I yelled at him, unleashing more fire at him.

He blocked the flame with his shield and began to talk, "You killed them."

What?

"You killed all those people when you pulled the Master Sword as a child. It was your fault that Ganondorf got the Triforce."

No!

My strikes became more frantic as I desperately tried to shut him up. That's not true! It's not! The flames from my sword were starting to burn me as well, but I ignored the pain.

"If you couldn't protect those people then, what makes you think you can protect them now?" he said gleefully. "You will fail!"

I was vaguely aware of what he was trying to do. He was playing on my fears… my self doubts… Even so, I could not completely force them out. The faces of all the people who had died in Ganondorf's attack. The faces of the ones that are dying by Malgum's hand…

I kept bashing at his shield with my sword, the flames licking my leather gauntlets. He was not even bothering to counter-attack. I almost had him backed up to the tree. He would have no where to run…

I could finally shut him up for good…

In my haze, I had forgotten why I had come here. Specifically, I forgot that I came with someone. That realization hit me when I saw Ruto peer out from behind the tree, a frightened expression on her face.

Ruto?

In my shock at seeing Ruto again, Dark Link struck. I was too dazed to even block. His sword cut deep into my right shoulder, only stopping when it met my shoulder blade. He let out a gleeful laugh as he yanked the sword from my shoulder. I screamed in pain as my arm fell uselessly at my side. My shield slid from my arm, falling into the water with a splash.

Dark Link immediately pressed the attack, laughing the entire time. I parried as many of his strikes as I could, but my strength was fading fast. I could feel my blood soaking into my tunic. My vision was starting to go dark around the edges…

"When I get done with you," he said with a sneer, "I will finish off the fish girl."

He kept hacking at me with his blade. As I fought, I noticed that the flames around my blade seemed to be going out.

"After that, I'll go outside. I'll cripple the human and kill the red-head in front of him. Only after that will I kill him!"

No!

He came at me with an overhead strike. I was able to bring me sword up and our blades clashed. He used the opportunity to force himself in close, my blade still blocking his. The dying flames from my sword were uncomfortably close to my face. He grinned at me through our locked blades. It was fast approaching the point where the only thing I could make out were his red eyes.

"After I kill them, I'll capture the princess," he said, smiling as he said it. "And I'll kill her nice… and… slow."

ZELDA!

My vision immediately sharpened as the flames on my sword sprang back to life. "I… won't… let… you… HARM HER!"

I shoved with all my strength, sending my dark doppelganger stumbling back. I could feel a strange sensation on my back as energy I had never felt before flowed through me. The flames on my sword turned white.

Dark Link looked surprised at my sudden boost of energy, but he quickly recovered his smile, "Looks like I hit a nerve."

I dashed at Dark Link and swung my sword at him with all the strength I could muster. He raised his shield, getting ready to block my blow…

My sword connected with his shield, but it kept going. My blade cut through his shield like a knife through butter. Without slowing, I completed the slice, cutting the dark being in half. The white flame quickly began to devour him. He did not have time to make a sound before he was completely consumed, disappearing into nothing.

As I stared in shock at what just happened, I felt the energy that I had just received disappear as quickly as it came. I dropped my sword into the water, causing a hissing noise as the flame-wreathed sword connected to the water. I was vaguely aware of the illusion fading and the room returning to normal. I collapsed to my knees and was about to fall face first onto the ground when I felt hands on my shoulders. I looked up into Ruto's frightened eyes.

"You're h-hurt," she said, her voice trembling.

"Support me while I grab a potion," I told her wearily.

She nodded as I reached with my good arm and grabbed a Red Potion. I quickly uncorked it and drained it, wincing at the taste. Immediately I felt some of my strength return as the wound on my arm knitted itself back together. I was going to be sore for a few days, but it should keep me till I get out of the temple at least.

Luckily, it was going to be easier leaving then it was coming in.

"Link," Ruto said quietly, "You know the symbol on your sword?"

I blinked at her and looked down at the Master Sword where it had fallen. The Orb of Fire had been ejected from the crystal and was lying on the floor next to the hilt. I noticed the symbol on the Master Sword: the Triforce with some lines that seemed to originate from the sacred triangle. That symbol had been on my back?

Just like with Cody.

Ruto helped me to my feet and grabbed the sword and orb for me. She handed them to me and ran off to grab my shield. I put the orb away, and as I was sheathing the sword, Ruto, spoke up, "About what I said earlier…"

I glanced over to her to see that she was holding my shield to her chest. She was not looking at me. I didn't say anything as I slid the Master Sword back into its sheath. Was she really bringing this back up again?

She took a deep breath before continuing, "I want you to pretend that I never said anything."

I was surprised. This was definitely not what I was expecting. We both turned to face each other at the same time.

"You like her don't you. You always have," she said with a sad smile.

I opened my mouth to speak, but she raised her hand to stop me and shook her head, "You don't have to say it. I already know."

She brought her arm back, closing her eyes as she did this. She seemed to be desperately clutching my shield to her chest. "I promise that I won't bring this back up again, but…" She paused hesitantly, then opened her eyes to look at me. They were glistening with unshed tears, "Can… can we still be friends?"

It felt as if my mouth was dry. It was probably the hardest thing she ever had to say to me. I finally was able to croak out, "Of course."

She dropped my shield and rushed over to me. She grabbed me in a fierce hug as she buried her head in my chest, crying. It was a little uncomfortable do to my recent injury, but I kept my mouth shut. There was no way I was going to say something like that after what she had just told me. Instead, I wrapped my arms around her the best that I could.

She seemed to calm down after a few minutes. Sniffling a little, she asked me, "Will you come to visit this time around?"

"Yeah," I told her, "I promise."

She finally pulled away, rubbing her arms across her eyes as she did so. "Sorry about that," she said with an embarrassed smile. She bent down and picked my shield up off the ground. As she handed it to me, she said cheerfully, "I guess we should head back now."

She ran off towards the hole in the floor that was revealed when the illusion faded. She seemed to be back to her old self, though I knew differently.

"Thanks Ruto," I whispered after her.

I noticed then the chest that was revealed when the illusion cleared. If memory served me correctly, the chest had the Longshot hidden inside it. I retrieved the Longshot from the chest and quickly followed Ruto.

I didn't know how I felt about Zelda. But after what Ruto said, maybe it was time I found out.

Cody:

With a loud crash, I flew through the window of the building by the lake. I hit the ground hard and rolled into a wooden platform on the opposite wall.

"I wonder if Hyrule has some form of jet pack," I said with a groan, "or maybe artificial wings. I could use them."

I checked myself out as I came to my feet. I was covered with all sorts of lacerations from the broken window. My recently repaired jacket was looking to be in bad shape once again, and the Zora Tunic was soaked through with blood in several places. My right arm was hanging uselessly at my side, probably dislocated. I couldn't move it at all.

"Kids today. Always so noisy…"

I spun around, surprised. Standing at a workstation underneath the window that I had just flown through was the old hylian scientist from earlier. What was his name again? Dr. Mizumi? Anyway, he was busily dusting glass shards away from the table he was working at.

"Um…" I said, a little dumbfounded, "Aren't you a little surprised? I just flew through your window."

"No time," he said, picking up some strange tool and bending over the contraption on the desk. "Just a few more adjustments…"

Seriously…

Via flew in through the window in a panic. She flew right up to me, "Cody! Th-thank the forest you're okay!"

"Relatively speaking anyway," I said, wincing as I grabbed my right arm. "Can you heal me? I need to get back out there right away."

She flew around me real quick, checking me out. She flew back in front of me and said apologetically, "Y-yeah. I should be able to…"

"Why? What's wrong with it?" I asked, more than a little worried.

Seeing Via become silent, I turned to see what was the matter and came face to face with Dr. Mizumi. "Argh!" I cried out as I stumbled and fell down. For an old guy, he sure was quick…

"What's with the fuss boy!" he said, sounding irritated. "I'm just here to help you."

"Um… sorry?" I said. Weird. He seemed so disinterested just a second ago. Via was floating behind him anxiously as the Hylian examined my arm.

"What's that?" he said, pointing off to the side suddenly. I blinked in surprise and looked over to where he was pointing. Strange, there doesn't seem to be anything over-

I screamed as the old man suddenly yanked on my arm, relocating it with a sickening pop. I unleashed a torrent of colorful words that caused poor Via to glow pink with embarrassment.

Dr. Mizumi shook his head at me, "Language dear boy, language!"

I ignored his comment and glared at him, "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!"

He looked at me as if I had asked him what two plus two was, "I fixed your arm. You're welcome by the way."

My mouth was hanging open as the Zora scientist went back to the workstation and immediately went back to work. Via could have healed me without nearly as much fuss… I stared at him for a few seconds, completely dumbfounded, when Via said, "W-we should probably h-hurry."

I nodded, "Right."

Via began to glow brightly as she flew rapid circles around me. I felt the healing energies enter me and my wounds close up. Even the ache in my shoulder began to recede. I moved my arm experimentally to make sure that everything was in working order. Satisfied, I nodded my thanks at Via and started to run for the lab's exit.

"Wait!"

I came to a screeching halt right in front of the door and turned to the old man, flabbergasted, "If you haven't noticed yet, a giant blob is attacking…"

"I noticed," he said, sounding irritated. "I also noticed that none of you have the proper equipment to deal with Morpha."

"And I guess that you're saying you do…" I said, humoring him.

He smiled proudly, "As a matter of fact-"

He turned around and grabbed the strange contraption off the table and presented it to me. It reminded me of the hookshot that Link had, but it was a little bit bigger, and instead of the metal point on the front, there were three prongs forming a claw. It also had a hand guard on it, though I was not sure what it could be used for.

I looked at it for a second before looking back at the old man, "How's this supposed to help?"

The scientist rolled his eyes at me, "This is the Clawshot, my newest creation. It can be used to retrieve the eye."

I was wasting too much time with this guy, "Look, it's nice and all, but wouldn't this Morpha thing just block it like all the rest of the attacks?"

"It's a metal projectile fired at a high velocity by a powerful mechanism. It will be very hard to block."

Well, that sounded… smart…

"Okay, okay. I'll take your word for it." At the very least, I'll have a weapon until I can get my sword back. I knew that I should have sheathed it…

I swiped the clawshot from the elderly scientist. "Thanks!" I yelled as I threw open the door. "I'll be sure to bring it back!"

I didn't hear his reply as I burst out of the house and made a break for the shore. Malon and Zelda needed me.

A/N: It looks like Cody was able to acquire a new weapon, thanks to the old scientist. Now that he has the clawshot, will Cody be able to make short work of Morpha?

Stay tuned.