After saving the Zora of Zora's Domain, the group ventured towards the Gerudo Desert in order to help quell the sandstorm raging on there. Through intel gathered by Ginhana Sky and XDR, the sandstorm was only focused around Gerudo Town and the area close to it. The rest of the desert, starting with Kara Kara Bazaar, was okay.
So the groups first task was to make it to Kara Kara Bazaar, which both the Advance Teams had made their outpost.
Along the way, having been told of the updated rules to staying in Gerudo Town, David relays the information to the others as they came along, much to a few of the girls' increased disappointment.
"So since we're all cool with the Gerudo, you get the last laugh in the end." Hope said as they were headed through passage going through Gerudo Canyon to make their way to the desert.
"Seems like it. Looks like I got worried over nothing…again." David said.
"It's lucky I don't have a smartphone like the other girls do." Alear said. "I'm not the type to make fun of others."
"Oh, Alear… You are so kind. I… Thank you." David said. "It wasn't something I liked talking about anyway."
"The trend was all Tengen's fault anyway. He was the one who had the bright idea for you, Tanjiro, Zenitsu, Mark and Inosuke to dress up like that so you could infiltrate the houses to find where Daki was." Gemini said.
"It was the most embarrassing experience of my life, and I would give anything to never have to go through that again." David said. "Plus, it was kind of hot under there."
"You were wearing your motorcycle gear under the disguise. What were you expecting?" Sectonia asked with a sweatdrop.
"Wait, you were wearing your…you know what, never mind. That way is paved only with answers I don't want." Emo said.
"What, you thought I was gonna wear that crusty getup all day? Pfft… Give me a break." David said. "The sooner I got out of it, the better."
"Well, we saw the Gerudo outfit the first time we were here, and honestly, I'm glad you didn't have to wear that. The multiverse is not ready for that." Sheena said.
"Given how Egyptian style tends to look… I am inclined to agree with Sheena's statement." Mayumi said.
And so, Link and the groups ventured forth deeper into the Gerudo Desert, and finally arrived at Kara Kara Bazaar. Waiting for them there on the edge of the massive sandstorm covering the region beyond were Ginhana Sky Members Flygon, Heliolisk, Luxray and Trapinch, as well as Team XDR members Tsubasa Kazanari, Chris Yukine, Kanade Amou, Miku Kohinata, Keqing, Gunvolt and Huang Lingyin.
"Oh, I was wondering when you'd come." Keqing greeted the arrivals. "For those of you who don't know me, I'm Keqing, Yuheng of the Liyue Qixing from Teyvat. A pleasure to meet you, Hero Alliance."
"Sorry we're late. We were busy in the other three regions dealing with their phenomena." Connor said, looking at Chris. "I know what you're gonna say, Chris. We certainly took our sweet time."
"Nah, I figured some of the monsters you dealt with are annoying to fight." Chris replied.
Joule then appeared out of Gunvolt's relic pendant. "Good to see you, everyone. Better than seeing those zombies outside…" She shuddered at the latter part.
"...It's not ReDeads, is it?" Cure Starlight asked.
"What's a ReDead?" Paimon asked.
"Zombie with an upgrade." Rista answered. "They can let out a scream that can paralyze people. Then they leap onto you while you're stuck."
"No…they're Gibdos." Urbosa explained. "Strange though. I've never seen this many up above ground before. I see…the sandstorm is blocking out the sun, allowing them to move without fear of its light."
"That's why I sensed only the undead and not any other monster native to the desert here." Laura A. said.
"So how come you guys haven't been able to go in the storm and get to Gerudo Town? Is it because of the Gibdos?" G. Aqua asked.
"That, and the part about not being able to see where we're going." Heliolisk said.
"Luckily, the women of the town have already evacuated to the ruins under the city." Luxray said.
"How about we search for Riju first? She should know the current situation." Cure Starlight suggested.
"Good idea. If we know the citizens of Gerudo town are safe, we can look for her and get her up to speed." Connor said.
"But how will we find her? We'll never be able to see her in all that swirling sand."
"She wasn't anywhere in the village when the sandstorm hit…so she's likely training by herself in some ruins far from here." Flygon said. "If you had something that tracked lightning…it could make your job easier."
"I think I may have an idea." Keqing spoke up. "The Vision Bearers also have the ability called Elemental Sight, which can detect ley lines of any kind, including the elements. Let me try." She held out her hand and let out an elemental sonar that she, Aether and Lumine could see from their point of view. "There." She then noticed traces of electro. "Stay close to me, everyone." She then followed the trace while the group followed close behind.
The trail led them right inside the sandstorm, as they followed Keqing closely until they reached the North Gerudo Ruins. There they saw Riju, who looked a bit older as her hair was now neck length as she was seen practicing using her lightning ability with twin scimitars. She focused on a target dummy nearby, raised one of her scimitars, and then thrust it down as it was charged with electricity, a bolt of golden lightning striking down and crashing into the roins. But missed the dummy as it left a scorch mark nearby it.
"Missed again." she said. "Can't hit my mark… Won't do anyone any good."
"Really?" Riju then heard a familiar voice to her ears. "I actually thought that looked pretty badass."
Riju then turned to see Connor, who had walked up while she was training intensely.
"It's you…" Riju said as she sheathed her blades.
"Heh. Long time no see, Riju." Connor saluted.
Riju put her left hand on her hips. "This changes things. I didn't expect to see you all here. But then, you all always show up in unusual times."
"It is good to see you are doing well, Riju." Urbosa said.
"You've been working hard since the Cyber Collision fiasco." Connor said.
"Well, I am the Chieftess of the Gerudo, Connor. I may be part of your Agency, but I do have a duty to uphold." Riju said. "Despite the conditions of the desert, it must've taken something big to get you all this far. What brings you all here?"
"Right, let's bring you up to speed…" Connor said as they explained the situation to Riju.
"So Hyrule Castle rose up into the sky, Princess Zelda vanished right in front of all of you… and now you've all come here looking for clues." Riju said.
"She's still alive, don't worry." Revali said.
"And…yes, essentially." Nesma said.
"I understand how you all feel. Zelda is a dear friend to me as well. I will do everything in my power to help you all. But to do that, I need to bring a quick resolution to a problem we Gerudo are facing…" Riju said.
"You mean the sandstorm that's been covering Gerudo Town and the surrounding area and making it swarm with Gibdos?" Connor asked.
"Yes, exactly. What do you all know about Gibdos?" Riju asked.
"They're zombies, but they're tough bastards. You can hit 'em as hard as you want with weapons, but they still get back up. Very hard to kill at least one of 'em." Connor said.
"The only way to destroy a Gibdo is by using magic. Is that why you're practicing how to call down lightning like Urbosa?" Lysithea guessed.
"Sharp as always, Lysithea. If I can aim the lightning well, I think it may be an effective weapon against the Gibdos. But this technique is…unrefined. I only recently discovered it and still need more practice." Riju said. "I want to master this power so I can use it to defeat the Gibdos."
"What if we could use something as a conductor that your lightning can connect to?" Al asked.
"...I've got an idea." Connor said. "Let's you and me team up, Riju. If I shoot a target at just the right time when you've got your lightning set, my shot can act as your way point."
"A tag shot. Not a bad idea." Gunvolt commented.
"I think it could work. Let's give it a try, Connor!" Riju said.
Riju then raised her sword up and started expanding the range of her lightning strike. Connor relaxed and prepared to fire, and right when Riju's range extended over the target dummy, he quickdrew one of his revolvers and hit the target dead center, allowing Riju's lighting to strike right on target.
"A perfect hit. Good one, Riju." Tsubasa complimented. "Although it would be nice to target multiple enemies at once."
"How about trying an area of effect blast?" Cure Starlight suggested.
"Lumine, try summoning two rocks apart from each other." Aether said.
"Got it." Lumine complied as she did just that with her Geo powers with the two rocks being separate apart.
"Alright Riju, I'm going to fire a tag shot in between the rocks. Aim for where I land the shot." Gunvolt instructed, pulling out his Dart Leader gun. "Ready?"
"Ready." Riju said, charging up her lightning.
Once Gunvolt fired a tag bullet between the rocks, Riju unleashed her lightning at the tagged target as the area of effect destroyed both rocks at the same time.
"Yes! I'm getting the hang of it now!" Riju said with confidence as she swung one of her scimitars. "The Gibdos don't stand a chance against this power!"
"Good to hear." Gunvolt smiled, holstering his gun. "Actually, I should be thanking you for teaching me that new trick of yours. It'll definitely come in handy when I unleash my Crashbolts."
"Now…we just need to work clearing them all out of the city." Riju said.
Just then a familiar golden sound rang in the group's ears.
"What…was that? It didn't sound like any noise the sand shroud has made, that's for sure." Riju said.
"We'll explain later. You said something about doing Gibdo extermination in Gerudo Town?" Hilda asked.
"They've overrun the entire city, making it almost impossible to move back in." Riju said.
"Then we shall happily lend our assistance." E. Constance said. "Ganondorf has made a terrible error with this sandstorm. Thanks to it covering the desert sun, I shall be able to unleash the full might of my magic!"
"Go for it, Constance!" Shun'ei said.
"Let's go, everyone! I hope none of you have lost your edge in the last months since the Cyber Collision." Riju said.
"Actually, we improved." Gunvolt smirked, raising his blue electro hand and clenched it.
"And since when do we wanna disappoint you?" Connor asked.
"Let me lend a hand. Emblem, Engage!" Throné said as she Engaged with Soren.
"Count us in too." Kido said as he engaged with Camilla. It wasn't long before the group charged into Gerudo town and engaged the Gibdos.
Thronè has the orbs of fire, wind and lightning surrounding her. "I dispose of my enemies." she said as she launched the orbs at a wave of Gibdo before leaping up and bringing her hands to the ground as a gust of wind shot up at the Gibdos. "An obstacle in need of removing."
"Ready to die?" Kido asked as he mounted a wyvern and fire surged around his axe before he doved down and slammed it onto the ground, engulfing another group of Gibdos in fire. "That's all? Very disappointing."
A number of Gibdos approached from the south as Demiurge stood there. "Hellfire Wall." he uttered as a wall of flames burnt up the monsters in a moment. "Not even worth gazing at Lord Ainz or his subordinates other than me."
"So, Gibdos not Nazarick Material?" Connor asked Ainz, shooting an area around a trio of them as Riju struck them all with her lightning.
"They're nothing more than ordinary undead. There are a number within my army that can easily outdo these creatures." Ainz said.
"At least that is one thing Demiurge and I can agree on. These guys are hardly worth the effort." David said as he launched several ice blasts at another wave.
"Grovel at my feet!" E. Constance said as she called lightning down on another group "Beg forgiveness!" she added, following up with prismatic lightning before finishing with Agnea's Arrow as she laughed haughtily.
"Oversurge, Azure Striker!" Gunvolt raised his electro hand as chains appeared below the groups of Gibdos and ensnared them. "Voltaic Chains!" He then electrocuted the chains as the Gibdos took massive damage. "Rin, follow up!"
"Right!" Lingyin complied, combining her swords into a double-sword, ignite them in flames with her Pyro Vision, and threw it like a boomerang at the ensnared Gibdos, causing explosions on impact due to Pyro and Electro being mixed together before the weapon returned to her hand.
"I think we've almost wiped out the horde!" Lysithea called, as she and Marianne were destroying Gibdos with their magic.
"Good! Now we must destroy the hives that caused them to spawn into the city!" Riju said.
"No sense in taking too long!" Double D said as he flew up, over the town, allowing him to see each of the hives. "One, two, three…" he counted, before he tossed up a Scattering Bullet that hit each of the hives, blowing them up. "Done! The Gibdos have been eradicated from Gerudo Town!"
"I expected nothing less from you all. These past months have done nothing to dull your skills-" Riju said before they all heard the sound again. "Huh?!"
"Come…come…to where I am…"
"Again… you all heard it, didn't you? 'Come'... is it calling out to us?" Riju asked.
"Yes, we did." Cheetah said.
"You said you would explain what happened in the ruins before. I think I'd like that now." Riju said.
"Kareem, Bassam. If you two don't mind." Nesma said.
"Lady Riju. The truth of the matter is, that voice comes from a location hidden somewhere in this desert. In the previous three regions we explored, the sources of the phenomena were all coming from monsters who had took over Sage Temples." Kareem said.
"We have already found the Wind, Fire and Water Temples, and exterminated the monsters inhabiting them there. With that in mind, the only temple we haven't located yet, is the one which correlates to Lightning." Bassam said.
"I see… I wonder if that has anything to do with the stone mural we found in our Underground Shelter?" Riju asked.
"Stone mural? Could you perhaps show us?" Miriam asked.
"Of course." Riju said, taking them below the city and into the ruins.
She led them to a stone mural that was deep back behind the shelter.
"This mural is incredible. Who made this?" Cheetah asked.
"It is thought to have been painted by ancestors of the Gerudo. They must have used this shelter in the past too." Riju said.
"Looks like there's some kind of riddle on this mural just like the one on the Zora scripts in the Domain." Lysithea said. "Riju, can you tell us what it says?"
"Of course, Lysithea." Riju said. "'Standing back-to-back with the throne, witness red pillars across the vast sea. Unite the pillars in light to reveal the lightning stone and open the way. You who can hear my voice, come to me. I await you.' That mysterious voice that spoke to us… Its words reminded me of this mural. This image must represent the temple you all are searching for, and the engraved words are a riddle to discovering its location. It's the only explanation that makes sense."
"The only question is, what are the steps to solve the riddle?" Jin asked.
"First, we should follow the first part of the riddle. Standing back to back with the throne, witness red pillars across the vast sea." Lysithea said. "I think if we stare out into the desert from behind the throne in the palace, we'll be able to see something important, even in this sandstorm."
"Allow me." Nesma said as she started to take position behind the throne.
"See anything?" Raphael asked.
"Yes. It's faint but I think I see some kind of three-legged pillar." Nesma said. "The sandstorm is obscuring the visibility a bit, but I can definitely see it."
"And if the riddle said 'pillars', there might be more than one." Avlora said. "It could take awhile to explore the desert and find them all, but I'm sure if we figure out the riddle correlating to the pillars, we'll find the Lightning Temple."
The group then trekked through the desert as they activated three pillars as the beam of light shone from each of them into a triangle formation as a pedestal platform of some kind rose up in the very center of the formation, where they saw Zelda standing in front of a large yellow stone of some kind.
"Everyone!" Riju called as she arrived to where the group was on Patricia. "Did you see that? It's Zelda!" she said as they turned back to the altar, only for Zelda to have mysteriously vanished. "What? She's gone…" she said before running down to the large stone with the group following.
"I'm starting to wonder if that Zelda's the real one or not. She's been walking towards the center of the danger every time we've seen her." Sakura said.
"Well, we can find out once we get inside." Scarlet said. "For now, we've found the lightning stone, so how do we open the way?"
"Maybe my lightning strike is the key…" Riju said.
"Worth a shot. Ready?" Connor asked, grabbing one of his revolvers in his holster.
"Yes." Riju said, raising one of her swords into the air.
Once Riju's area of effect drifted over the stone, Connor shot at it quickly, letting Riju strike her lighting as it conducted through the point on the top of the stone. The ground then shook as rising out of the sands a bit of distance ahead of them was a large temple, however there were two gibdo nests on both sides of the entrance with a larger one attached to it.
"A nest…oh no….get ready guys…something's about to come out!" Theo said as the largest of the nests broke open as a massively large Gibdo emerged, looking more insect-like than the previously seen Gibdos as it let out a howl.
Scourge of the Lightning Temple
QUEEN GIBDO
"It's…so fricken big!" Connor said as the queen beat her wings as the sands were stirred up. "I get it…she's the one causing all the sandstorms!"
"Come on! Let's take it down together!" Riju said.
"Read my mind." Connor said.
The Queen Gibdo then took flight, trying to gain the early air advantage.
"It may be the queen, but it still has the same weaknesses as its spawn." Tsubaki said.
"Well it won't avoid them by going airborne, that just makes it an easier target to shoot." Zephyr said.
"Zephyr's right, we can do this." Ignatz said drawing an arrow in Riju's lighting field as it draped over the Queen Gibdo and hit it dead center, the following lightning strike sending it crashing down as its body turned skeletal.
"I bet physical attacks work on it when it's all white like that!" Hilda said as she gave it a good whack with Freikugel, dealing big damage as it tumbled across the sands. After it recovered, it quickly took flight and scurried off to the safety of the lightning temple. "Wha-?! Hey, get back here!"
"One good hit and it runs away? Some queen." Aoesia said.
"You got that right." Sectonia said. "Talk about self-conscious."
"But at least it ran right back into the Temple. We'll be able to corner it and take it down." Goblin Slayer said.
"He's right. It's cornered and we need to hurry in and finish it off before it causes anymore trouble." Theo said.
The group hurried into the temple itself. Upon arriving inside, all they saw was a central room with a lift.
"A lift…so the queen ran to the top floor then." Connor said.
"Oh, this brings back so many memories. Some I wished I didn't relive." Sectonia said.
"Oh yeah. I remember that." David said. "All the way at your castle in Floralia, right?"
"Yeah. I was pretty horrible back then, wasn't I?" Sectonia asked.
"Hey….uh…guys?" Natsu called out as he stood on the lift. "The stupid thing won't work! I think it's broken!"
"Hmm… How very strange. I don't think it's broken. Maybe just out of power." Sectonia said.
"Let's juice it and see if that works." Hilda recommended.
Link did so, activating the lift's main activation switch. But it only moved a few feet in the air before crashing back down.
"Looks like Sectonia's right. It is out of juice." Connor said.
"Daughter… Daughter of the Gerudo… This platform connects to the very top of this temple. Use your power to charge the four batteries, and it will function once more. Heed my words…"
"That is what we must do then…we need to fill the batteries across the temple with lightning." Riju said.
"Lucky for us, we have plenty of people who can cast lightning magic." Bow said.
"Including myself and Zan, among others. This won't be a problem." Sectonia said.
"Yeah, this'll be easy." Eze added.
And of course, it was. Wasting no time, the group's lightning users spread all across the temple and jolted alive any battery they happened to see before everyone regrouped on the lift.
"Going up!" Klonoa remarked playfully.
The lift then ascended to the top as the group found themselves in a room with four Gibdo nests around the area and a much larger one on the ceiling.
"Well, we made it. Now where's our runaway?" Ragna asked.
"Hmm…" Lumine glanced at the largest Gibdo's nest. "How about we flush it out by destroying the larger nest? One good electro blast should do it."
"I'll get it." Lysithea said as she charged up her magic and fired a big Bolting Blast, destroying the nest altogether. Upon its destruction, the Gibdo Queen jumped out and landed in front of the group, screeching at them as it was ready for Round 2.
(Cue- Spirit Awakening to Eternity- Valkyrie Profile)
"Let's go! We'll finish it off here and now, everyone!" Riju said.
"She must think since we're in the temple together, she can kill us easy. But she's got it backwards." Connor said. "We're not trapped in a Sage Temple with her."'
"Indeed." Mei nodded, preparing her katana. "She's trapped with us."
"You're not running away, this time!" Kanade said, twirling her spear.
The Gibdo Queen had no intention of running away this time, and took flight, ready to strike at the group whenever she had the chance.
"Thunder Blade!" Sectonia said as she sent a sword of lightning down on the Gibdo Queen. This grounded the queen and sent her down, turning her white.
"When she's white, it means she can be pummeled physically! Get her!" Nemo said.
The Gibdo Queen wasn't about to let them get close, and buzzed her wings to create a few sand tornadoes to launch at them.
"Not this time!" Houki said, rushing towards the tornado. "Mei! Tsubasa-san!"
"Hai!" Mei and Tsubasa nodded as the two and Mei unleashed a side-slash wave that sliced through the tornados and struck the queen, sending her crashing to a wall. Lingyin also followed up by throwing her Pyro double-sword like a boomerang right onto the queen's chest, causing huge damage before the weapon returned to her hand.
This attack caused the Queen Gibdo to get royally ticked off, as she climbed back into the air and let out a screech. The four smaller nests around her suddenly opened up as her spawn came out of them to back her up.
"Not this time. Time to meet your maker!" Eze said as a yellow aura surged around him. "O blackness without beginning nor end! One-eyed god imprisoned there, now hearken to my call!" he chanted as the gibdo horde was trapped in a sphere surging with red and purple lightning. "Gravity Blessing!" he finished as the sphere imploded on itself, taking the horde with it.
"Eze gave us an opening, Riju, time to finish this! Let's rid you and your people of this pest problem for good!" Connor said.
"Now you're the one who's reading my mind, Connor." Riju smiled.
Connor and Riju then double teamed the Queen Gibdo, Riju striking it with lightning after Connor shot it in the head. As it tumbled down, Connor blasted it with his Rifle and a couple fire rounds, wearing it down. Riju then charged in and spun into the Queen Gibdo with both her scimitars, shredding it and setting it up for the rest of Team Revival to attack it with their weapons and magic combined, stunning it and setting it up for the finishing blow.
"I will show you no mercy!" Lysithea declared, before ensnaring the Queen Gibdo with her magic, trapping her between a light glyph at the top and dark glyph at the bottom, both pelting it with respective magic. "And that's what you get." she then pressed her hands together as the magic swirled into a sphere before it exploded, dealing huge damage to the queen.
After that onslaught, the Queen Gibdo struggled to get up as Malice leaked from its body as it quivered. Connor turned his back to it and adjusted his hat.
"Boom." Connor simply said, timing it perfectly as the Queen Gibdo exploded.
"Heh, good to see you not losing your edge." Chris said.
"Since when am I allowed to get rusty when it's you I took after?" Connor replied back.
"Touche." Chris smirked.
Once the Queen Gibdo was dead, the sand behind it collapsed, revealing the fourth Secret Stone. Riju, compelled to it, approached it as it shrunk down.
"Let Paimon guess… the ancestor of the Gerudo's is going to speak to Riju now?" Paimon guessed.
"Riju… beloved daughter of the Gerudo…" a voice said as everyone saw a Gerudo wearing a Vah Naboris mask appear suddenly.
"I know that voice… you're the one who's been talking all this time." Riju said.
"(Called it!)" Paimon thought.
"Yes, your ancestor from a time long past…" the Gerudo said. "I was a Gerudo warrior who served the first King of Hyrule and a sage who called down lighting, just as you can. Ive seen you brandish the power you have in defense of our people…. I would expect nothing less of my descendant. You are the pride of the Gerudo. The Demon King is responsible for sending the monster who caused the sand shroud. But the monster's true purpose was to prevent you from obtaining the stone you just found- my secret stone."
"Demon King? Secret stone?" Riju asked.
"Should I have you two go again? Or should we let Connor handle this?" Nesma asked.
"What do you think, Brother? Riju and Connor are partners in his agency, but perhaps we should also consider telling the story." Bassam said to his brother.
"I think we can each play out different parts. We may as well do it together." Kareem said.
"I don't mind telling the story with you two, let's do it." Connor siad. "Alright, so here's the deal, Riju. Way back when Hyrule was just starting out, the Demon King emerged and wanted to take over the kingdom entirely. His name is Ganondorf, but you probably already know that name because you and Urbosa joined up with me during the Ultimate Smash Battle."
"Yes, I remember that name. I also remember Ainz utterly destroying a man who had the exact same name he did." Riju recalled.
"Yes. It was quite an incredible battle. Although the sounds he makes during the experiments after were just as interesting." Ainz said.
"More to the point." Bassam said.
"Before we go on, I wanna check something." Connor said, looking at the Gerudo Sage. "In some parts of Hyrule's timeline, it's said that Ganondorf was born the only Male Gerudo among your people. Was it true back then?"
"Indeed. More than that, he was our chief….before he changed. His obsession with power transformed him into a monster." She said.
"Ah yes. Most of the incarnations of Ganondorf have always been a male Gerudo born to their clan every 100 years." Ainz said.
"Yes. And this incarnation was far too strong for Rauru and the Sages to handle." Kareem said.
"So, as a last resort, Rauru sacrificed himself to seal him away." Bassam said.
"The rest of us survived that historic battle. Not long after, a visitor came to me. And she set the Gerudo on our destined path. Another of the Six Sages - the Sage of Time." The Gerudo sage said. "She warned the Demon King would become released from his magical bindings. When that came, she requested we lend our power of lightning to those named Link and the Hero Alliance, noble warriors who would oppose him. And so, I swore that when the time was right, the Sage of Lightning would awaken once more. We are responsible for his existence in this world, and for that, we must make amends."
"Which leads us to you, Riju. You're the descendant of the last Gerudo Sage, which means by right of blood, you're gonna become the next Sage of Lightning." Connor said.
"I'd take it, if I were you, Riju-san." Miku said. "We'll need all the help we can get."
"The voe who is your trusted ally, and the vai from another realm entirely, speak the truth, Riju. Daughter of the Gerudo… you must take up my secret stone and honor the vow I made to the Sage of Time long ago. Fight alongside the swordsman Link… and the Hero Alliance." they said before fading away.
"So it's always been my destiny to fight by your side, even before you first asked me to join you…" Riju said, looking at Connor. "My destiny as a sage, my duties as chief, and fighting side-by-side with you, Link, the rest of Team Revival, and all of the Hero Alliance?" she closed her eyes, before smiling with confidence. "Ha! Sounds like fun! I will gladly strike down this so-called Demon King! I guess it's time to claim my destiny!"
With that, the Secret Stone in front of Riju tuned a golden yellow, garnering the symbol of the Gerudo. Riju adjusted her hair so it would zip right below her right ear as a dangling earring. She then turned to the group, her own secret stone in hand.
"I am the Sage of Lightning! Witness this new power I possess!" Riju said as she snapped her fingers and an astral clone of her materialized and struck the ground as lightning struck. Both the clone and Riju approached Link and Connor. "Link, Connor, give me your hands." she requested as she took Rauru's arm and Connor's right arm in each of her hands. "I, Riju, the Sage of Lightning, swear that I will stand with you! And here-as proof of my vow!" she declared as a golden yellow light transferred from her to Rauru's arm and Connor as a ring with the Gerudo's symbol appeared on his ring finger.
As for Connor, the power surged straight through his relic and back to his right arm, where the Gerudo symbol appeared on the back of his right hand. Both would allow them to call upon Riju's avatar at any time, Connor smirking as he confidently gripped his right hand.
"Well, if that doesn't solidify our partnership, I dunno what will." Connor said to Riju. "You've got my word too, Riju. Anytime you and the Gerudo need help, I'll come running."
"There's no doubt in my mind you'll uphold that, Connor. Lady Urbosa and myself both trust you and everyone you work with." Riju said.
"So, now that we've cleared up all four Regional Phenomena, now what do we do?" Hilda asked.
"Well…obviously…we charge straight for Ganondorf! Hahahaha! Been waiting all…" Connor said before he was zapped by Nami.
"Whoa…what was…" Kazuma said.
"Oi! What was that for?!" Chris exclaimed, pointing at the electrocuted gunman.
"Before any of you idiots decide to play hero and fight Ganondorf, it doesn't matter how you fight him, you can't even seal or finish him off." Nami said.
"We're still missing the Master Sword, remember?" Ace asked.
"He's right. Without that, we can't get rid of Ganondorf." Izuku said.
"Though I think the shock therapy was a bit too much, Nami." Joule spoke from inside Gunvolt's relic pendant.
"I swear to the Gods above, you guys forget that all the time." David said with a hand to his forehead. "And people moan about MY ego…"
"Too much ego is bound for failure. Villains especially." Kiana stated.
"Well it should be in Korok Forest, right? Just like the last time we found it." Gemini said.
"Yeah…those were our thoughts too. That's why we sent a team. But like we said, the Lost Woods are almost impenetrable right now." Riolu said.
"Hmm…we should check out the situation for ourselves before we decide on a game plan." Hope said.
"Not to mention those monsters will disappear once Ganondorf is defeated. We should head for the Lost Woods immediately." Cheetah said.
"Sounds like the best course of action at the moment." Kiana agreed. "Hopefully Fu Hua and the others found a solution by now."
"Then we're going to the Lost Woods." Shun said.
"Mm." Zi-O nodded as the team started leaving the temple. "Time to pay the Great Deku Tree a visit."