The characters and all their elements of video game references are properties of Nintendo.

Chapter 8.

Zelda observed Link and Samus closely from a distance, her eyes filled with a knowing look. They seemed so natural together—laughing, talking, and sharing little moments. It was clear to her that there was something deeper between them, even though they always tried to deny it.

"What are you looking at?" Lucina asked, noticing Zelda's focused gaze.

"Those two," Zelda said, nodding in their direction.

Lucina followed her line of sight and grinned. "Oh, them? I don't understand why they keep hiding it. It's so obvious."

Palutena, who had been listening in, chimed in with a soft laugh. "It's more than obvious. Neither one of them dares to take the first step."

That conclusion made Zelda laugh. The idea that Link, the Champion of Hyrule who had faced overwhelming dangers, and Samus, an intergalactic bounty hunter who had battled galactic-level threats, were too afraid to confess their feelings was almost comical.

"I told Samus she should make the first move," Lucina said with a playful smirk.

"I agree. She has that strong, dominant personality," Palutena added with a nod.

Zelda smiled at their insights but remained quiet for a moment. "I won't argue with that," she said, her eyes still on the couple, as Link and Samus continued their playful banter, completely unaware of the amused observers nearby.

Ganondorf, the King of Evil, was infamous in the mansion. His stern, unfriendly demeanor gave the impression that he was always plotting some new scheme to conquer or destroy the world. He often spent his time alone or occasionally with other villains, those who, like him, relished the thought of watching the world burn.

Despite being a man of few words, Ganondorf had a particular enjoyment in mocking and humiliating the warriors who stood for light. His delight had grown even more recently after he and Meta Knight had won a group match against Pit and Palutena. The victory had been sweet, watching the darkness triumph over light.

As Link and Samus were heading towards her room, they encountered the imposing figure of Ganondorf.

"Well, well, who do we have here? The hero and the robot woman," Ganondorf sneered, his voice dripping with mockery.

Link and Samus exchanged a brief glance and chose to ignore him, knowing that Ganondorf thrived on provoking others. He was only speaking to rile them up.

"I must say," Ganondorf continued with a malicious laugh, "it's amusing how the so-called sublime knight no longer escorts his divine princess but instead has to play bodyguard to a mere mortal without a hint of divine grace."

Link's steps came to a sudden halt, and his eyes sharpened into a fiery glare directed at Ganondorf. The insult hit hard, and the urge to retaliate surged within him.

"What's wrong, hero?" Ganondorf taunted further, his grin growing wider. "Do you want to fight? Come on, show me that divine rage."

Link's hand instinctively moved to his Sheikah Slate, ready to unleash its power and silence Ganondorf. But before he could act, Samus gently but firmly grabbed his hand.

"Don't waste your energy," Samus said in a calm, cold tone. Her gaze remained locked on Ganondorf as she subtly pulled Link away. "He's not worth it."

With a tight grip on Link's hand, Samus led him away, ignoring Ganondorf's further provocations.

As they walked off, Ganondorf let out a low, satisfied chuckle. "A very wise decision, hero," he said, watching them disappear into the distance. His words lingered in the air, but Link and Samus were already far beyond his reach, focused on something more important than engaging with a hateful tyrant.

After the unsettling encounter with Ganondorf, Samus noticed that Link was still frowning. It was unusual for him to remain so upset—he was typically tolerant of Ganondorf's provocations, but this time felt different.

"Link, are you okay?" Samus asked, concern evident in her voice.

Link took a deep breath, his frustration beginning to subside. "No… well, not really," he muttered, calmer but still visibly bothered.

"Are you sure?" Samus pressed gently. "You really worried me back there. You could've gotten into serious trouble."

Link clenched his jaw briefly before replying, "I just don't like the way he treats you."

Samus gave a slight shrug, as if trying to dismiss the importance of it. "It's fine, Link. I've dealt with worse," she said nonchalantly.

"No, you're worth so much more than that," Link replied, his tone sincere, causing Samus to blush slightly at his unexpected words.

"Don't worry, Link," she said, offering him a reassuring smile. "I know my own worth, but… that's really sweet of you to say."

There was a brief silence before Samus added, with a glint of determination in her eyes, "Besides, one day, if we have to face him, we'll give him what he deserves."

Link's tense expression finally softened into a small smile. He chuckled quietly, clearly more at ease now.

"Come on," Samus said more seriously as she took his hand, guiding him away. "I want to show you something in my room."

Curiosity sparked in Link's eyes as he followed her, leaving the bitter encounter behind them.

Link looked at the strange artifact in front of him, still trying to wrap his head around it. "What did you say this was called?" he asked, his fingers hovering over the keys.

"It's called a computer. You don't have these in your world, right?" Samus replied, unbothered, lying down on her bed.

"No, this is new to me," Link said, squinting at the screen. "It has letters, numbers… but also a lot of strange symbols. What do they mean?"

Samus glanced over at him, amused. "That's a lot to explain—it'll take some time. But I wouldn't mind teaching you," she said, settling back to stare at the ceiling.

Link smiled, still studying the device. "I'd really like that. Maybe then I could fit into your lifestyle a bit more."

Samus turned her head slightly to look at him. "What are you talking about?"

"I mean, compared to you, I'm like a caveman. The lack of technology in my world… it feels like I'm from another era," Link explained, laughing softly.

Samus chuckled too. "Don't say that! Besides, your world might be more advanced than you think. Didn't you say you had to face machines?"

"Well, yeah," Link admitted. "Maybe one day Zelda will continue her research and take us further into the future."

Samus nodded, then suddenly had an idea. "Actually, let's do something. How about you try writing something on the computer? I'll guide you through it."

Link's eyes lit up. "Really? I'll give it a try."

Samus showed him how to position his hands on the keyboard, and before long, Link had written a few words. "I wrote some words, but I don't know how to separate them," Link said, confused.

"Click the biggest key," Samus said, guiding him.

Link did as instructed. "Got it! Look, I separated them!"

Samus leaned over to see the screen. She was impressed by how much he had written in such a short time. "You did a good job," she said, giving him a nod of approval. "There are still things to improve, but for your first time, you're on the right track."

Link smiled shyly. "Thanks."

Samus lay back on her bed, looking at the ceiling. "I'm surprised by how quickly you pick things up, even though this is completely new to you."

"When I was training to be a royal knight, they said the same thing, but they also said I was lazy," Link replied with a nervous smile.

"They're right about the lazy part," Samus teased, laughing. "You're a real sleepyhead."

Link chuckled, but Samus quickly shifted back to a more serious tone. "By the way, I wanted to ask you something."

"Yeah? What is it?" Link asked.

"When we ran into Ganondorf earlier, what exactly were you going to do?"

Link hesitated for a moment before pulling out an artifact from his pouch. "I was going to paralyze him using this," he said, handing it to Samus.

Samus took the small device and studied it closely. "What is this? It looks like advanced technology."

"It's called a Sheikah stone," Link explained proudly. "It's one of the most powerful tools in my world. It lets me do a lot of things—paralyze enemies, move objects, even manipulate metal. It's the most advanced thing we have in Hyrule."

Samus was intrigued. "That's amazing," she said, inspecting the artifact more closely.

"Here, let me show you," Link said, taking the stone back and pointing it towards Samus' armor, which was resting on a platform. He activated the stone, and the armor began to move toward him—only for it to knock over a few things and cause a small mess in the room.

Link quickly deactivated the stone and looked at the mess he had made. "Sorry, Samus… I didn't mean to do that. I usually only use it in battle."

Samus looked at the scattered objects and then back at Link. She was annoyed but tried to hide it with a smile. "Maybe it's better if we try it outside next time."

Link scratched his head, embarrassed. "Yeah, good idea."

Samus sighed as she bent down to start picking up the mess. "It's fine… but next time, let's keep the demonstrations away from my room."

"I'll help clean it up," Link said quickly, still feeling guilty.

Together, they began cleaning up the room, but despite the small chaos, the moment felt lighter between them. Even in the mishaps, they shared a quiet bond that was growing stronger with each new experience.

As Pit stood cornered by Ganondorf, the tension was rising. The king of darkness loomed over him, mocking Pit for his recent defeat.

"Well, little angel of light, it seems that you and your excellency Palutena ate dust yesterday," Ganondorf sneered, grinning as he towered over Pit.

Pit, doing his best to hold his ground, clenched his fists. "Don't be annoying, Ganondorf. You won, well, I congratulate you," Pit said, trying to walk away without provoking the dark lord further.

But Ganondorf's laughter echoed through the halls. He wasn't done yet, reveling in his victory over the forces of light. As Pit attempted to slip away, the atmosphere suddenly shifted.

"The king of darkness shouldn't be so annoying," a smooth voice interrupted, cutting through the air like a knife.

Ganondorf and Pit both turned to see Bayonetta approaching, her usual confident stride carrying her toward them.

"The witch of Umbra," Ganondorf acknowledged with a smirk. "The pleasure is mine, but you still shouldn't meddle in royal matters."

Bayonetta simply smiled, unphased. "It's a bit dishonorable for a king like you to take pleasure in bullying those of lower rank. You really do love playing with your food," she said, raising an eyebrow.

Pit wasn't sure if Bayonetta was defending him or throwing him under the bus. It was always hard to tell with her. Ganondorf, on the other hand, didn't respond, only offering a smile before turning away.

"Very well, witch. Enjoy your little games while they last," Ganondorf said before walking away, his deep laughter lingering in the air.

Pit let out a sigh of relief as the dark presence of Ganondorf faded, but his relief was short-lived as Bayonetta stepped closer, her eyes locking onto his.

"Thanks, Bayonetta," Pit said, still trying to calm his racing heart.

"Thank you?" Bayonetta repeated, her voice teasing as she leaned in. "Not everything in this life is free, little angel." She smiled mischievously as she kissed him on the cheek.

Pit's eyes widened in shock as his face flushed bright red. He stood frozen in place, his mind racing. First, he had to deal with Ganondorf's intimidation, and now Bayonetta was throwing him completely off balance with her teasing.

"My God, first Ganondorf and now her. Maybe all witches are annoying," Pit thought to himself as his thoughts scrambled.

Bayonetta, amused by his reaction, took a step back and blew him a kiss. "See you around, handsome," she said with a playful wink before turning and walking away.

Pit's heart pounded in his chest as he stood there, dazed and confused. He couldn't decide if he should feel flattered or terrified by her boldness. One thing was certain, though—Bayonetta had a knack for making him feel incredibly flustered.

Still feeling the warmth on his cheek, Pit mumbled, "Ugh... what just happened?"

But as Pit started walking away, he couldn't help but glance back in the direction Bayonetta had gone. He wasn't sure if he was more annoyed by her teasing or secretly intrigued. Either way, he knew one thing for sure: Bayonetta had a way of getting under his skin, and he didn't know how to handle it.

But despite his best efforts to move on, Pit's thoughts kept drifting back to Bayonetta, and the feeling of her kiss lingered long after she was gone.