Another Day in Paradise
Now that the kingdom of Hyrule was safe and the Cobalt Star shard was won from Vaati, Yugi and his friends were ready to return to their world. "It's time to go home," Yugi announced.
"Oh, so soon?" Princess Zelda asked. "But you just got here. I mean, I was just starting to get to know all of you."
"Me too," Link agreed. He didn't want them to go right away.
"We did what we came here to do," said Kaiba.
"But we'll come back someday," Joey promised.
"Let's not make this 'goodbye' just yet," said Yugi. "After all, we promised Link that we'd take him with us to see the Pure Valley once our adventure was over," he reminded everyone.
"The Pure Valley?" the Hyrulean princess asked. "The enchanted world created by the Great Goddess herself?"
"Mm-hmm," Emily replied. "You're welcome to come along too, Princess Zelda."
Her smile brightened up. "Of course!" she said with glee.
Link shared her excitement. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" he said with zeal.
So they left the courtyard and snuck past the guards and exited the castle. When the group arrived in town, they saw that the townspeople were cleaning up and removing the decorations and taking down their stalls and stands. The festival was over, so it was time to put everything away until next year.
The group came to an alley that was obscured by the shadows between the buildings. Yugi led the way with his friends following behind. Emily took Link's hand and Link held Zelda's hand as they walked into the darkness. When they stepped into the light, Link and Zelda were amazed at what they were seeing. There were fields of all kinds of flowers, colorful trees with all kinds of fruits, bushes and shrubs with lots of different kinds of nuts and berries, many different kinds of vegetable patches, and so much more.
"It's so beautiful," the Hyrulean princess sighed.
"Yeah," Link sighed, listening to the sound of the wind blowing and the water flowing.
"This is the Secret Garden," said Emily. "It's the heart of the Pure Valley."
"There's a lot more to see," said Joey. They all began showing Link and Zelda all of the other places they knew in the Valley. There were ponds, waterfalls, hot springs, small caves, and meadows. There was also Rainbow Canyon just past Half Moon Pass at the northern border. While showing Link and Zelda around, the heroes also saw some of their other friends from the other worlds as well.
After giving their friends a tour, everyone stopped on a hill to rest. Link continued looking around. "Wow, this place is everything you said and more."
"I never thought I would actually get to be here," said Zelda. "I was sad when I was told that this place had been sealed after the age of the Shadow Games. But now I'm glad that people can come here again."
Emily nodded. "All of our other friends feel the same way. They can come here whenever they want to and we can all visit each other's worlds whenever we want to."
"I'd sure like to see what all of those worlds are like," said Link.
"I'm sure you will someday," Joey told him.
Emily took out her camera and asked Link and Zelda if she could take their pictures. After each adventure in a new world, Emily would take pictures of her new friends and add the photos in her photo album. However, she hadn't yet had a chance to take pictures of her new friends in London or Paris and she had to remind herself to do so.
After taking Link and Zelda's pictures, Emily wrote their names on the photos and taped them on a blank page in her photo album.
Having explored enough, Link and Zelda were ready to return home to their world. Yugi and the others escorted them to the door with the image of the Triforce printed on it. "Thanks for everything," Link said to his friends. "I'm sure going to miss you guys."
"We'll see each other again," Max promised.
Kaiba nodded. "And hopefully, when we do, the fate of the world won't be on the line."
"You said it," said Joey. "But, yeah, one of these days, we might come back to Hyrule for a visit."
Link and Zelda liked the sound of that. "That would be grand," said the Hyrulean princess. "And I hope that someday, we can visit you in your world."
"We'll hold you to that," said Max.
"And you're welcome to come back here whenever you want to," Yugi told them.
Link nodded, then turned his attention to Max. "Hey, Max, I'm really sorry I misjudged you," he apologized. "When we first met, I wasn't sure about you because you were a warrior of Cobalt. Then before the final battle, I thought that…" he paused, trying to figure out the right choice of worlds. He didn't want to hurt Max's feelings by saying he thought she was a traitor.
But Max knew what he was trying to say. She was used to this demeanor. "Hey, you're not the first person to have misjudged me. And you certainly won't be the last. So don't worry about it."
Link smiled. "Well then, let's just say I'm glad you proved me wrong. And I'm also glad that we're friends."
Max nodded in agreement and she and Link shook hands. After saying 'goodbye' and promising to meet again, Link and Zelda pass through the door and return to Hyrule.
"Well, that was fun," said Joey. After all the excitement of meeting Link and joining him on this whole adventure, he felt like he was a part of the Legend of Zelda games.
"Link's a good kid," Kaiba admitted.
Yugi agreed. "I'm glad he and Zelda are our friends."
The girls agreed. However, when the two of them looked at each other, they could sense that they had a lot on their minds. A silent agreement was insured between them, promising to meet for a private discussion.