After recovering the master sword and discovering that the Light Dragon was in fact Princess Zelda, the Hero Alliance returned to lookout landing to prepare to raid Hyrule Castle, while Cure Starlight took a separate team to look for any potential leads on the missing Sage of Spirit.
"So, does anyone have any idea how we're going to get to the castle?" Hilda asked.
"Last time, we just walked right to where Calamity Ganon was. The only difference now is, the castle was launched into the air by Ganondorf's power. Reaching it's gonna be tricky." Hope said.
"Well, can't we just have our fliers take us up there?" Peacock asked.
"Not that simple. We're a big group, and we all can't be carried up there. We could use our ships, but it would be hard getting close to the castle without wrecking it." Ichiro said.
"So what other option do we have?" Le Kraken asked.
"We have to enter from above somehow. Diving from the highest point possible." Al said.
"The Beel Bub method… That's genius!" Ethox said. "Great idea, Al!"
"If we want to pull this off, we have to jump off from one of the Sky Islands and dive right down to Hyrule Castle. But which island is even close enough to do it?" Mirror Match asked.
"When in doubt, always go back to where you started the adventure to get to the end." Adora said, looking to the Great Sky Island. "We can get to Hyrule Castle by jumping off the Great Sky Island."
"Then we have our entry point." Yuri said.
The group then returned to the Great Sky Island as they approached the diving point that would lead them to Hyrule Castle.
"Before we do this, does anybody have anything they wanna get off their chest right now? Y'know…just in case we mess up and go splat like a reverse firework?" Rista asked.
"Yeah. But if we survive, I'll probably get beat up for saying it, so I'll pass." Kazuma said.
"It's probably redundant at this point, so I'll keep it simple. It has been an honor being with all of you." David said. "We have all fought with and against each other in a lot of things, and I want to do more of that while living life with you all. If this goes sideways…I'll see you all in Valhalla."
"Lenneth will be there to welcome us with open arms." Ajna said. "But hey, gotta live life to the fullest before then, you know?"
"Yeah, that's what I've been sayin'." Connor said. "Thanks for putting up with me all this time, guys. And also, letting me in on this Emblem hunt. Up till now it's been fun."
"Don't talk like that, Connor. There's no way we'll mess up. We promised Alear we'd get her back to Elyos safe and sound, didn't we?" Hope said.
"And to do that, we need to get Veronica off Ganondorf's arm. So let's hurry up and rescue her already." Hitomi said.
"Right." Ace said as he held up Breidablik. "I'm ready when you all are."
"Geronimo!" Klonoa called as he jumped off.
"Shouldn't you say 'Wahoo!' like you always do?" Zi-O questioned before he and his team went after Klonoa.
Everyone followed after Klonoa as they dived straight for Hyrule Castle. It was a risky move, but despite the risk, everyone incorporated different strategies to get to the castle, and landed safely on the castle grounds.
"We made it!" Hagakure said.
"Ganondorf's probably in the same place Calamity Ganon was. At the very top of the castle inside the Throne Room." Hope said. "Let's book it and take him out!"
"Yeah….though it doesn't look like the path to get there isn't easy." Jexi said seeing a number of monsters and shadowy knights patrolling the castle grounds. "Then again, what fun thing is easy anyway?"
"Yeah. I was thinking we can use some target practice first, don't you, Cheetah?" David asked.
"Like you read my mind." Cheetah said.
"Ha… As in sync as usual." Sectonia said with a giggle.
"But you're not jealous, are you?" DW typed.
"Not at all. If anything, it's a bit of a boon." Sectonia said. "Moreso with their new abilities from Solistia." she said as she drew her swords. "Doesn't mean I won't join in on the fun, though."
"Let's mess these monsters up!" Bakugo said as the group charged in against the monsters and the knights.
With all their strength combined, it was a cinch for the group to muscle their way up to the Throne Room, crashing their way inside expecting a fight.
"Knock knock, Ganon-huh?" Hope said as they only saw the projection of Zelda standing there before it vanished.
"What's going on here? I thought he'd be waiting here." Connor said.
"It would seem we've taken the bait a bit too well." Ainz said as the doors shut behind the heroes. "Cause Ganondorf was never in the castle to begin with."
"He's a lot craftier than his other incarnations, that's for sure." David said.
"Then why did he use that Zelda to cause all that havoc?" Theo asked.
"She was bait…specifically to lure us all into the castle to finish us off in one go." Ainz said as massive puddles of gloom started to spawn many copies of Ganondorf.
"More of these guys? It was a pain dealing with just one." Hilda said.
"Tch… we should've followed Cure Starlight instead." Geiz muttered as they prepared themselves.
"Nothing we can do about that now." Revali said.
"Revali's right. We have to fight our way out of this trap!" Tsubaki said.
The Demon King's Phantom Saboteur
PHANTOM GANON
All the Phantom Ganons in the room charged the group with their weapons in hand as a brawl ensued.
"They're not as strong as the real thing, but they're still pains in the butt!" Hilda said, countering one and giving it a big hit.
"She's not wrong." Alear said, blocking one attacking with a spear before she went around and struck it down. "They're skilled with more than just swords."
"They're still just ghosts of the real Ganondorf, we can take 'em!" Flamberge said, cutting down one of them with a flaming slash of her sword.
"They won't be that hard to…" Revali said, taking to the air before dodging a barrage of arrows as he saw a few brandishing bows. "So they're skilled archers as well." he said before diving back down.
"Ganondorf in this time really is prepared for everything!" Lei K said, beating back a few.
"We really need a miracle right now." Meowth said before they all heard banging on the doors before they were beaten down by a figure wielding a large hammer.
"Is that…?" Noel asked.
"Gotta be!" Ragna said, seeing the figure who was wielding the hammer to be none other than Tinkaton.
"I…have finally mastered it!" she cried out as she jumped in swinging the hammer and bashing in any phantom in her path. "Ginhana Sky…I wanna thank you all for gathering the materials for my dream hammer."
"Uh…glad we could help." Riolu said.
"And hearing about your exploits from those who visited me…allow me to say that in lieu of payment…I'll be joining you from now to eternity!" Tinkaton said as she smashed another phantom into the ground as the ground actually cracked. "Anyone object?" she asked cutely.
"No objections here, welcome aboard!" Ethox said.
"Kinda hard to say no to a Pokémon with that big of a hammer." Legolia said.
"But wait, wasn't she a Tinkatink when we first saw her? When did she evolve all the way to Tinkaton?" Subaru asked.
"You really wanna question the girl with the giant hammer?" Kaminari asked.
"Unless I wanna get flattened… nope, I rescind." Subaru said.
"Tinkaton, Just keep smashing the Phantoms!" Kendo said.
"It doesn't matter how many that Demon King creates, I'll crush them flat as I accomplish my dreams…of smashing really big monsters with a really big hammer!" Tinkaton said.
"Why does it not surprise me that her dream is just smashing things with a hammer?" Jiro said.
"Oh…and I didn't come alone either." Tinkaton said, showing the group four other figures. These being Tulin, Yunobo, Sidon and Riju.
"Everyone, we are here!" Sidon said.
"Tinkaton told us you guys were headed to Hyrule castle, so she gathered us all up to come help out!" Tulin said.
"Where's Zelda? Is she here, goro?" Yunobo asked.
"No, unfortunately. Ganondorf set a trap, and we fell right into it. We would've been overwhelmed if Tinkaton hadn't busted in and started smashing stuff." Hope said.
"Hm. Those who carry the secret stones…" A voice said as a projection of Ganondorf's mummified husk appeared before them.
"So you show your face again, Ganondorf. We'll admit, it was clever of you to make us think you were here in Hyrule Castle. It takes great wit to set a trap for all of us to fall into." Mirror match said.
"I see my puppets have failed to subdue you all, no matter. It is only a matter of time. Allow me to show you… Show you the world that was and will be again when I have been restored." Ganondorf said as the secret stone on his forehead shone a dark light as everyone saw a vision of Ganondorf's army of monsters destroying all of Hyrule. "You see… You cannot hope to escape your fate. My power will sweep across this land. You need but await the inevitable end." he said before laughing as his apparition dispersed.
"After taunting us like that, he just runs away?" Avlora asked.
"I don't think it was because he was scared. He probably isn't even at his full strength yet." Connor said.
"You're right, Connor. He must not be at his full power. Otherwise, why flee instead of finishing us off?" Riju asked.
"Yes, but this gives us the time we need. Hopefully the others have found information on the Sage of Spirit." Lana said.
"If they even found anything. Still…where the heck is Ganondorf anyway?" Hope said.
"If he's not in the castle…then he's gotta still be in the Depths." Jexi said.
"Likely where we first found him." Lana said. "Actually, probably even deeper than that since that room crumbled away."
"Then we should…" Franky said.
"Wait…Lana was right earlier." Cia said. "We can't go charging in since he's likely in the deepest part of the Depths where his strongest protect him. We need to find the Sage of Spirit."
"Let's hope Akira's team found something on their search to find them. Where are they?" Connor asked.
"The Faron Region. It's the only place that has any hint about spiritual culture." Riolu said.
"Then let's meet up with them and see what they found. We'll find the Sage of Spirit…and then face Ganondorf with all we got." Hope said.
"Yes. Let us go quickly. We don't have any further time to waste." Cheetah said.
"Hold tight, sis! We're on our way!" Zi-O said as they quickly began leaving the castle before any more unpleasant surprises happens.
"(Laugh all you want, Ganondorf. But if you think about power all too much, you're bound to lose, just like what happened to your counterparts in the other Zelda timelines. Just wait till karma sends you packing into the afterlife. Just you wait…)" Geiz thought.