Author’s Note: This story only uses characters from Super Smash Bros. Melee. SSBM and the characters thereof are owned by Nintendo.

 

 

Prologue

 

     Twenty-five. 25. XXV. There are so many ways to write it but there is no difference in value. But what is so significant about the number twenty-five? My friends, it is the amount of warriors who make up the famous Super Smash Brothers. At first there were only fourteen, but then eleven adventurers dared to challenge their skill and now they have become worthy of the title Super Smash Brother.

     But they knew nothing of Them. Who are They? They are four warriors who are known as the Ultra Smash Brothers. They dwell as stars in the sky watching over the battles of the others.

     “We have watched these twenty-five warriors for a long time,” spoke the youngest, a girl.

     “Their skill is worthy of an ultimate test,” said a slightly older boy.

     “We should arrange a mass tournament,” said an even older girl.

     “And only the victor may fight us,” spoke the eldest, a man. “My siblings, who do you think is the best?”

     “The white alien creature is very enigmatic,” said the little girl.

     “The dark sinister man is very powerful,” said the boy.

     “The blue haired swordsman is very lithe,” said the older girl. For a moment the man remained silent.

     “Tell us big brother,” spoke the little girl, “who’s your pick?”

     “The one with that legendary blade,” he said slowly. “I sense something powerful within him. Very powerful.”

 

 

 

Chapter I: Announcement

 

     The great bell of the Super Smash Temple, where the twenty-five warriors resided when not in battle, rang out to announce the sunrise. Link was up and out of his room before the final chime dissipated into nothingness. He was rushing down the hallway but stopped just as he passed Zelda’s room.

     “Perhaps,” he said in a low voice, “I should do the courtesy of escorting the Princess downstairs.”

     “That’s very kind of you,” said Zelda as she quickly opened the door and came out. “But please call me Zelda. As a friend, you need not worry about titles.”

     “Very well, Zelda,” sighed Link taking her arm. “But how did you hear me if I spoke so softly?”

     “It wasn’t your whispering. When I heard those loud footfalls of yours stopping right in front of my door there was only one person I could think of.”

     Link tried not to blush and to avoid it he said, “It could have been Marth.”

     Zelda chuckled. “Nice try. Marth is so lithe he can run and make no more noise than a bat.”

     Link could do nothing but admit defeat. “Alright Zelda. You win.”

     “Thank you. Hey! Don’t you think we should wake up your younger self?”

     “Sure,” said Link with a sneer. But when they got to Young Link’s room, the door was open and he was gone.

     “Where could he be?” piped up Zelda. “He must have gotten up before the bell.”

     “I think we can find out,” replied Link. “Let’s go to the observation tower.”

     From the observation tower, one could look down upon all the different arenas and battlefields. All of the arenas were very quiet, save one: the Final Destination. Link and Zelda could see Young Link fighting, not only the Master Hand, but the Crazy Hand as well.

     “I’ve never seen Young Link fighting the Crazy Hand before,” Link spoke. “He always told me he never had it in him.”

     “Maybe that’s why he got up so early,” replied Zelda. “He didn’t want anyone to know about it.”

     The two watched on as Young Link took out the Master Hand in no time. Only the Crazy Hand was left but Young Link only had two stocks left and the Crazy Hand still had 200 HP. Young Link kept his distance and used his bombs and boomerang to attack. The hand made a quick slap attack which sent Young Link off the stage for a KO. He had only one stock left and the hand now had 125 HP. Then the hand backed off and began to use its finger lasers. Young Link jumped and did repeated downward thrusts on the hand until the laser attack ended. Now it was down to 50HP. Young Link was too nervous to wait for another attack. He met the hand head on and bombarded him with everything he had. With only 1HP left the hand launched its rocket attack.

     “Bring your knuckles into my blade,” taunted Young Link. As the hand approached Young Link used his spin attack. The hand collided, took the final blow from the spin, and exploded. Link and Zelda applauded.

     “What did you think?” shouted Young Link.

     “Excellent,” replied Zelda.

     “Your skills will soon match mine in no time,” said Link.

     “I don’t know about that,” chuckled Young Link, “but I won’t stop practicing.” Zelda was just about to say something when the voice of the Super Smash Man (that is, the narrator) spoke.

     “All warriors, report to the Final Destination.” In no time, the twenty-five warriors warped onto the battlefield. “Brave warriors,” he continued, “you have been summoned to hear a great announcement. Look to the sky.” As they did, four stars twinkled and then flew down toward the battlefield.

     The first, gold in color, spoke with the voice of a little girl. “We have watched your battles closely.”

     The second, which was navy blue in color, spoke with the voice of a boy. “Your skill is worthy of a great test.”

     The third star, whose color was a mixture of gold, silver, and rose, spoke with the voice of an older girl. “We wish to find out which of you is the greatest for we are...”

     “The Ultra Smash Brothers,” spoke a man’s voice from the fourth star, which was black and silver in color.

 

 

 

Chapter II: Preparations

 

     “What do you want of us?” said Link, stepping forward.

     “Have you not been listening?” said the fourth star, “We wish to find out which of you is the greatest. Tell them, my siblings.”

     “All of you will battle in a mass tournament,” said the third star. “The one who remains victorious will have the honor of fighting us.”

     The stars flew around the sky drawing the brackets and then the second star spoke. “This tournament has three divisions with eight combatants in each division. But as you can see, the third division has no semifinal. The winner of the third division advances immediately to the final.” (A. N.: You may have to draw this out yourself to understand)

     “As you know,” began the first star, “eight combatants in three divisions make twenty-four combatants yet you are twenty-five. To fix this, there will an opening round in the third division.”

     After the three had finished, the fourth star spoke again “The set up of this tournament is as follows:

 

Division I

 

Link VS Pichu

 

Mario VS Kirby

 

Fox VS Captain Falcon

 

Dr. Mario VS Falco

 

Division II

 

Roy VS Pikachu

 

Ice Climbers VS Yoshi

 

Young Link VS Donkey Kong

 

Ness VS Bowser

 

Division III

 

Ganondorf VS Samus

 

Mewtwo VS Luigi

 

Marth VS Peach

 

Zelda VS winner of opening round

 

Opening Round

 

Jigglypuff VS Mr. Game and Watch

 

     “As for the rules, they are as follows. The matches will be one-stock matches. The first one KO’ed loses. The match time limit is one minute. If neither combatant is KO’ed within that time, sudden death is activated. The items are set at normal and there are no handicaps. Stage selection will be random, however, we have added a little twist. Although it is random, it will guarantee home-field advantage for one of the two combatants. That is all that needs to be said. Are all agreed on these?” An approval roared from the twenty-five. “Then all is done. The tournament will begin in a fortnight. You have that long to prepare yourselves.”

     “Wait,” shouted Link, “Who are you?”

     “We cannot tell you as of now,” replied the fourth star. “Once the champion of the tournament emerges, that is when we will reveal our names and our bodily forms. Farewell, warriors and good luck.” And with that the four stars flew back to the heavens and disappeared.

     The rest of that day, the combatants trained like never before. Anybody within a ten-mile radius would’ve been able to hear the shouting and grunting of those twenty-five.

     That evening Link, Zelda, and Young Link were at the Hyrule Temple discussing the tournament.

     “I can’t believe,” began Zelda, “that I was placed in the same division with some of the most powerful fighters, especially Marth.”

     “It is indeed strange,” replied Link. “Though you have good skills, you’ve admitted time and again that you are no match for Marth, Mewtwo, or Ganondorf.”

     “And what’s even more strange,” piped up Young Link, “is that they have made it possible for Link and me to meet in the semi-final. What a deadlock that would be. And another thing, they seemed to have matched us up with our easiest opponents in the first round.”

     “That’s what’s bothering me even more,” said Link. “Why did they make it so easy?”

 

     “Because it’s a warm-up, you green-hat,” the young boy said to himself as he, from the sky, watched the three converse.

     “Now now, little brother,” said the man, “don’t you underestimate his skills.”

 

     “Well,” said Zelda, “the sun is almost fully set. I believe it’s time.” Without a word, Young Link ran off while Link, as he had done that morning, escorted Zelda to her room.

     As he lay in his own bed he thought, “Who are these Ultra Smash Brothers? Where did they come from? If they are so powerful, why are they interested in us?” Link wasn’t the only one who had these thoughts. Everyone else did and for good reason. But it was too late to ask questions. Far too late.

 

 

 

Chapter III: FIGHT!!!

 

     The fortnight passed like nothing which was no surprise considering the excitement which ran through the twenty-five warriors. The first round battles began that morning. In the opening round, Jigglypuff defeated Mr. Game and Watch and thus the opponent of Zelda was decided.

     Pichu was no match for Link; in fact Link didn’t even sustain any damage. Mario blasted the puffball Kirby to the skies. Captain Falcon’s speed overwhelmed Fox. Dr. Mario’s scientific knowledge was insufficient against Falco’s flying skills. And with these results, the second round was as follows:

 

Link VS Mario

 

Captain Falcon VS Falco

 

     In Division II, Roy’s fire rocketed Pikachu into disgrace. The Ice Climbers slipped up against Yoshi. Donkey King could not cope with Young Link size and agility. Finally, Ness was clawed out by Bowser. Thus, in the second round:

 

Roy VS Yoshi

 

Young Link VS Bowser

 

     Division III was a no-brainer. Ganondorf blasted-off Samus. Mewtwo sent Luigi laughing into the sky. Marth pummeled Peach with his long sword. But Zelda, though she defeated Jigglypuff, didn’t have such a cakewalk of a fight. For that matter she was more afraid of the inevitable result which was:

 

Ganondorf VS Mewtwo

 

Marth VS Zelda

 

     That evening, Zelda, Link, and Young Link were once again at the Hyrule Temple discussing the tournament.

     “I can’t believe the Ultra Smash Brothers put me in a losing situation,” piped up Zelda. “I’ve never been able to defeat any of the three.”

     “And I,” began Link, “can’t understand why they gave me the winning situation. Those three are indeed a challenge for me but I won’t have to worry about them until the final.”

 

     “WHAT?!” shouted the older girl to the eldest brother.

     “Ha ha. Now you figured it out,” said the man.

     “What is the meaning of this?” demanded the little boy.

     “You put him where he safest and has the most chance of reaching us,” piped in the little girl.

     “Exactly. You see, I want him to fight us. I’ve been watching him forever and I am intrigued by his skill. He can give us the best battle. That is why. It wasn’t just for me, but for you as well. You will see when the time comes.”

 

     “I just hope,” said Young Link, “that I don’t end up meeting you in the semifinal, Link.”

     “I, personally, don’t think you will because you would still have to deal with Roy after you defeat Bowser.”

     “Well, Bowser should be just as easy as DK, so no problem there.”

     “Well,” Zelda yawned, “I think I’ll turn in for the day.”

     “Me too,” said Young Link.

     “I’m going to stay here a while,” said Link.

     “Not too long,” said Zelda.

     “Don’t worry.”

     Link stood at the edge of the temple and looked at the infinite vista beyond.

     “What is your purpose, Ultra Smash Brothers?” he grumbled. “You make it all too easy for me.”

     “And for me,” said a voice. Link whirled around to find Marth.

     “Why are you here?” asked Link.

     “For the same reason you’re here—questions,” replied Marth. “I too can’t understand why everything is so easy for us.”

     “The four of us—you, Mewtwo, Ganondorf, and me—have been defeated very few times by the other twenty-one warriors. But whenever we fight each other, it’s always a nail-biter.”

     “I quite agree. Only the end will decide everything.”

 

     The next day the second round began. Link had absolutely no trouble with Mario. Link was even aggravated at the fact that it was so easy. Falco avenged his fellow arwing fighter by defeating Captain Falcon. Roy once again demonstrated his prowess with fire in his defeat over Yoshi. Young Link’s prophecy of defeating Bowser came true with little surprise. Ganondorf, with little difficulty, finally defeated Mewtwo. Zelda entered her battle with Marth with high spirits. It kept her in the battle which went into sudden death. Unfortunately, she was finally KO’ed. The quarterfinals were as follows:

 

Division I

 

Link VS Falco

 

Division II

 

Roy VS Young Link

 

Division III

 

Marth VS Ganondorf

 

     “The time is getting ever closer,” thought the eldest brother. “Now, men, give it all you’ve got.”

 

 

 

Chapter IV: The Champion

 

     Before the morning bell of the Super Smash Temple rang, Link was already in the arena training for the quarterfinals. He knew that Falco wasn’t going to be hard to take care of but that was not why he was training. He was training for the semifinal.

     “Roy is definitely going to beat Young Link,” he thought. “And Marth will definitely beat Ganondorf. That leaves me with two battles that will be worth my while.”

     Link was quite right. Roy did defeat Young Link, Marth defeated Ganondorf, and Falco was nothing to Link. Manifest destiny was in control of the entire tournament until now. To the Ultra Smash Brothers it seemed all too fitting that the three greatest swordsmen were the final three combatants.

     “But are you sure, Link, that you can defeat Roy as easily as you defeated everybody else?” asked Zelda.

     “Let me put it to you this way,” he replied. “Roy may have more magical prowess than Marth. But that prowess does not equal skill with the blade. Did I ever tell you that Roy has only defeated Marth once? That tells me that Marth will never suffer a defeat to carelessness.”

     “I sure hope you’re right,” piped up Young Link, “because I definitely wasn’t careless.”

     “I never said you were. I think you fought with as much passion as could possibly be mustered within one’s self.”

 

     “HA. Foolish green-hat,” taunted the young boy. “Even if you become champion you still have to deal with ME.” He had hardly finished speaking when he felt a tremendous strike on his head.

     “THAT is carelessness,” said the eldest brother. “Remember that you have NEVER defeated ME.”

     “I quite agree with you,” said the older girl. But the youngest girl remained silent. She would have nothing to do with arguments.

 

     In the semifinal, Link defeated Roy with enough difficulty to satisfy Link’s desire for a challenge. Now only Marth was left.

     “Don’t think that Marth will be as easy as me,” taunted Roy.

     “I’m not worried about that,” retorted Link. “I’m worried about the Ultra Smash Brothers.” Roy left the arena without another word and went straight to his friend Marth.

     “He’s not affected at all, Marth,” he said.

     “And I’m not surprised,” replied Marth with a sneer. “Roy, why did you allow yourself to be defeated by him?”

     Roy chuckled. “So, you knew I wasn’t giving it everything. Do you think I would take the honor of defeating that ‘Hero’ away from you and in a tournament for that matter?”

     “Honor is in winning at all. It doesn’t matter to me who I fight even if it was you.”

     “Well Link didn’t have that same attitude toward his younger self.”

     “Then he has a weak will. That will be his downfall.”

     And thus on the following day Link and Marth met at the Final Destination for the Championship Match. The two looked at each other with cold eyes and taunting smiles.

     “Well then,” began Marth, “shall we dance?”

     “Watch carefully and learn,” retorted Link.

     “Combatants, are you ready? For you information, this fight cannot go into sudden death.” spoke the Super Smash Man.

     “Ready!” they replied in unison.

     “Then...FIGHT!”

     Marth was the first to make a move. He tried a dash attack but Link jump away from the slash. Upon his descent, Link tried his downward thrust but Marth rolled out of the way.

     “Nail biter indeed, Marth,” sneered Link.

     “That’s no reason for me to give up,” snapped Marth.

     “My sentiments exactly,” said Link throwing his boomerang which Marth easily dodged.

     “What were you aiming for?” taunted Marth.

     “That which you can’t see,” chuckled Link. Marth didn’t get it until he felt the boomerang hit his back. He found himself on the ground with Link running towards him. Marth attacked as he got up which knocked Link away. Marth, again, tried a dash attack and this time succeeded.

     “Taste my revenge, Hero!” shouted Marth.

     “Hah! That was just a warm-up,” retorted Link.

     “Indeed. Then how about this.” Marth performed his famous Double-Edge Dance. Link blocked every one of the slashes but the fourth knocked him off his balance and he fell off the arena. Fortunately, he was able to grab the edge and quickly he flipped himself back up slashing as he did. Upon getting to his feet, Link did a chain of powerful attacks which ended with a spin attack. This took Marth completely by surprise and he found himself flying high.

     “If I don’t do something soon,” he thought, “I’ll be KO’ed. Perhaps my litheness will help here.” As soon as he got to the ground he bolted forward. Link didn’t have time to defend before Marth ransacked him with everything but the kitchen sink. Marth ended his attacks by ground-pounding Link with a throw.

 

     “You see,” piped up the boy, “your green-hat is losing, big brother.”

     “Is he?” replied the man with indifference in his voice. “I’d watch more carefully if I were you.”

 

     “Now will you eat your words, Hero?” shouted Marth.

     “Not until I must eat defeat,” replied Link.

     “I’ll season it for you.” Then Marth charged again in uncontrollable rage.

     “And I’ll throw it back in your face.” Link prepared himself for the attack. As Marth got close he raised his sword. The warriors’ swords clashed. They pushed each other trying to get the advantage but to no avail. The spectators were in dead silence.

     “You’ve given me the fight of my life, Hero,” said Marth.

     “And so have you to me, Marth,” replied Link. “Now I must thank you for it.” Link jumped and in doing so Marth fell forward with the weight he put into his sword. Link quickly pointed his sword downward and his thrust rocketed Marth into the stars.

     “YOU HAVE PROVEN A WORTHY OPPONENT!” Marth shouted as he flew across the sky, “BUT THE COMPETITION WAS ENOUGH FOR ME!”

     “Attention all,” announced the Super Smash Man, “Link, from the land of Hyrule, is the Super Smash Champion.”

 

     “The hour has come, my siblings.”

 

 

 

Chapter V: Revelation

 

     The four stars once again twinkled in the skies of the Final Destination. Link, who now stood alone in the arena, watched the stars as they flew towards the ground.

    “Well done, Link,” said the fourth star. “Now that a champion has arisen, we shall reveal our true forms.”

     The first—the gold star—flew around the sky for moment drawing a cursive L in the sky with a trail of light. When it finished, it landed on the arena with an explosion. When the blast subsided, Link looked to see a small girl about half his size with long golden hair and blue eyes. She was clothed in a white and yellow dress on the chest of which was the same cursive L as she had drawn in the sky.

     “Greetings, champion,” she spoke. “My name in Lumine [Loo-me-nay] which is another form of the Latin word lumen, meaning ‘Light’.” Then she bowed to Link, walked to the side of the arena, and sat down.

     The second—the navy blue star—also flew around drawing a cursive C in the sky. From this star appeared a boy—slightly taller than Lumine—with long black-navy blue hair and dark-gray eyes. He wore a navy blue tunic—similar in design to Link’s—and over it was a thin plating of armor on the breastplate of which was the same cursive C. His maroon cape fluttered despite the fact that there was no wind in the arena.

     “Greetings, victor,” he said. “My name in Crepusculum [Cray-poo-scoo-loom] which is Latin for ‘Dusk’.” Then he too bowed and took his place next to his sister.

     The third—the gold, silver, and rose star—drew a cursive R and S. When this star landed on the arena, it emitted a blinding ray of light. But as intense as it was, Link did not shield his eyes. The light subsided revealing another girl, as tall as Link, with silver eyes. Her garb, which was that of a princess, was a mixture of white, silver, and rose colors. She wore a gold tiara which had embossed roses. But the one feature about her that stood out was her hair. It was perfectly straight, extremely long, reaching down past her waist, and the entire right side was gold while the left was silver. When she bowed it touched the ground.

     “Greetings, Hero,” she spoke. “My name is Rosa Stellarum [Ro-sah Stell-ah-room] which means ‘Rose of the Stars’.” Then she took her place by her siblings.

     The fourth, the black and silver star, slowly came down and leveled itself with Link’s face.

     “Although my siblings have revealed their form, I am going to hold back until you have defeated them. You are Champion of the Super Smash Brothers. But can you emerge victorious against us? That we shall see.” Then the star flew in the sky and disappeared.

     “Wait!” shouted Link. But the star did not reappear.

     “I knew he would hide himself until the bitter end,” said Rosa Stellarum. “Link, you have one week to rest and train before you must begin your fights with us. I suggest you use your precious time wisely.”

     Link glanced back at Rosa but didn’t answer. With that the three left the arena as did Link. He returned to the Hyrule Temple where he was immediately greeted with a big hug from Zelda.

     “Oh Link, I’m so proud of you,” she cried.

     Link gave her a hug back and said, “But it’s not over yet.”

     “What do you mean?”

     “You have forgotten about the Ultra Smash Brothers. They revealed themselves to me after I defeated Marth. All of them except one.” Link and Zelda released each other and sat on the stone floor.

     “When do your fights with them begin?” asked Zelda anxiously.

     “In one week,” Link replied somberly. “To me that seems hardly any time to rest at all.”

     “It’s going to have to do,” said a young girl’s voice. From around the corner came none other than Lumine. “Big brother,” she continued, “ wouldn’t allow any more time as much as we tried to persuade him.”

     “Excuse me?” started Zelda.

     “Oh, sorry. My name is Lumine, the youngest of the Ultra Smash Brothers. You are...?”

     “Zelda, Princess of Hyrule.”

     “Pleased to meet you,” said Lumine bowing. Then turning to Link she said, “I’m here to tell you that I will be the first one you fight. With as little time as you have, I thought it only fair to warn you that you must not underestimate us.”

     “If I underestimated anybody, I wouldn’t be champion,” said Link coldly.

     “Then we have nothing else to say,” concluded Lumine. “Farewell.”

 

     “He wouldn’t be champion if it wasn’t for your craftiness, big brother,” shouted Rosa Stellarum.

     “Precisely,” chuckled the oldest brother.

 

 

 

Chapter VI: Underestimation

 

     The next morning Link went immediately to the Hyrule Temple to train when he found he had company.

     “Game for a rematch, Hero?” came the voice of Marth.

     “O, come on,” grumbled Link, “I don’t have time for this.”

     “What do you mean by ‘this’? Surely you’re here to train.”

     “Yes, train. Not fight.”

     “But you train by fighting, hypocrite.” After that sentence, Link knew he had been beaten.

     “So you’re willing to be the welcome wagon for my training?” he asked.

     “Quite,” Marth replied with a smile. “After all, those wire-frame enemies are nothing. You need someone to give you a good fight.” Link’s eyes popped. He never expected Marth to say that.

     “OK then,” said Link with a smile, “let’s do this.”

     “En Garde, Link,” responded Marth drawing his sword.

     That was how the week began and Lumine, who was watching from behind the pillars of the temple, didn’t like what she saw.

     “His skill will be enough to give me a challenge,” she thought as she watched the two fight. “I hope you’re proud of your little sister, big brother.”

     “What do you think?” came a voice. Lumine spun around to see the black and silver star.

     “This is all for your own ego isn’t it, brother?” she sneered.

     “I picked him, remember,” he replied, “and I saw to it that he won.”

     “He wasn’t to happy about winning so easily you know.”

     “Well that’s for us to correct. Each of us will give him the fight of his life; and you’re first.” Lumine didn’t respond after that. She turned away and continued to watch Link and Marth.

 

     “KO number 20 for me, Marth,” shouted Link.

     “And I have yet to get my first,” laughed Marth, “but now I’m feeling rather worn out.”

     “I don’t doubt it. I’m the same. Would you be here tomorrow for another go at it?”

     “Absolutely.” And with that Marth departed.

     “20 KO’s for Link against none for Marth!” thought Lumine angrily. “This will definitely not be a cup of tea.”

     And Lumine watched the two fight for the next four days and she became all the more anxious about her fight with Link. But on the sixth day of Link’s training week, Lumine heard something that shocked her.

     “Marth,” said Link, “I would like to show you a plan I have for my last training fight.”

     “Hmm, this sounds special,” replied Marth.

     “It is. Come to the control center of the Super Smash Temple.” In the control center there were many consoles which were used to determine the rules for a match. “Get a load of this,” said Link as he showed Marth the setup. Marth’s eyes popped and a minute later he burst out laughing.

     “This is absolutely insane,” he cackled, “and I’ll tell you why even though you already know, Link.

     “Here you have set up a forty minute match. That is quite some time of fighting. Next I see you have set the damage ratio to 2.0—the maximum—thus increasing the possibility for quick KO’s.”

     “Very observant,” chuckled Link. “Anything else?”

     “Quite. I also see that you have made Poké balls the only available item. I know that pokémon can give instant KO’s. I also note that the item-dispensing rate is at maximum.” (A. N.: Try this yourself, gamers. It is insanely fun.)

     “So that was the long answer,” said Link, “Can you give me a short one?”

     “Yes: Chaotic Zone.”

     “Good. I am also planning to invite Ganondorf and Mewtwo to this battle. By the way, it’s at the Final Destination.”

     “Four man match?! Make that Insanity Zone.”

     “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

     “I won’t back out of this match.”

     Ganondorf and Mewtwo accepted without hesitation. They wanted to get their own back from what happened in the tournament.

     Lumine wasted no time telling her brothers and sister about this. The four watched the match in absolute awe. The four fighters were flying everywhere. Pokémon covered the arena to the point where not another thing could fit on it. The Ultra Smash Brothers saw every second of it until the bitter end and anxiously awaited the results:

 

First Place: LINK

KO’s: 173

Falls: 119

Total: +54

 

Second Place: MARTH

KO’s: 132

Falls: 147

Total: -15

 

Third Place: GANONDORF

KO’s: 116

Falls: 133

Total: -17

 

Last Place: MEWTWO

KO’s: 116

Falls: 152

Total: -36

 

(A. N.: These are real results. I played as Link.)

 

     “This doesn’t surprise me at all,” said Rosa Stellarum. “The outcome was just like the tournament. I mean look. Mewtwo fell to Ganondorf, Ganondorf fell to Marth, and Marth fell to Link. Seriously, big brother, I think you underestimated Link.”

     “I underestimated no one,” he shouted. “In fact I didn’t even estimate anybody. It is you who are missing the point. Yesterday, Lumine told me that Link KO’ed Marth twenty times but Link wasn’t KO’ed once. Now today, he wins a four-man match by 69 points.” He paused for a moment and stared hard at his siblings. “Don’t you get it?” he continued, “The fact that he won by such a large margin shows that he had trained very hard. He takes us seriously and he’s not going to back down.” The three siblings remained silent and thought about their brother’s words.

     “I suppose it is we who have underestimated him,” said Lumine. “I shall see how badly we have done so when I fight him.”

     “You’ve become very wise despite the fact that you are the least in battle,” said the brother. “I wish you luck in battle.”

     Lumine said nothing else but simply bowed to her brother and left.

     “Do you really think she has a chance, big brother?” asked Crepusculum.

     But he remained silent.

 

 

 

Chapter VII: Link VS Lumine

 

     Finally the day came. Zelda and Young Link, watching from the observation tower, awaited the battle. Zelda could not keep still

     “Princess, settle down,” said Young Link.

     “Oh, come on,” she retorted. “This is a special battle. Do you think Link wouldn’t want me to cheer for him?”

     “Well when you put it that way, I suppose so.”

     “Thank you.”

     “Spectators,” came the voice of the Super Smash Man, “may I direct your attention to the Hyrule Temple where Super Smash Champion, Link, will face Ultra Smash warrior, Lumine.” Thunderous cheers echoed and the chanting of, “GO LINK,” mingled with it.

     On the battlefield, Link stood rough and ready with sword in hand and shield on arm. In front of him, about ten feet away, stood Lumine now wearing a special armor and in her right hand was a whip.

     “Welcome, Hero,” she spoke.

     “I think that’s my line,” replied Link. “This is my home soil.”

     “Perhaps,” chuckled Lumine. “But anyway, are you ready to brave my Stellar Chain?” She raised her weapon for Link to see. The whip consisted of several metal chains fashioned in the shape of the emblems of the moon, sun, and the nine planets. Link took a good enough look and gulped but he didn’t respond. “Well then, we’ll see.”

     “Combatants, ready?” said the Super Smash Man. “This battle cannot go into sudden death. FIGHT!”

 

     Neither Link nor Lumine moved immediately. They simply stared at each other. A smile slowly grew on Lumine’s face and she chuckled. In a flash she swung her whip. Link blocked it easily, but a powerful force behind the whip knocked him off his balance. When Link got his composure back he said, “Warm-up.”

     “Hardly that,” shouted Lumine. “We’ll see if your insane training did you any good.” She ran forward readying her whip for another swing. Link dodged it with a forward roll. Upon finishing the roll, he made a quick stab at Lumine’s legs and connected successfully.

     “First strike,” taunted Link.

     “No!” shouted Lumine in disbelief. “It will not matter. You’ve yet to feel my full power.” With that she raised her whip again and it began to glow with a white light. She swung again and Link defended himself. But this time the force knocked him on the ground. He quickly looked forward to find Lumine now running toward him at full speed. Link jumped up slashing as he did, but his attacked was blocked.

     “Now that is magical prowess,” commented Link.

     “What?” Did you think this is all about brute strength?” retorted Lumine.

     “For me, yes.”

     “For me, no.” Then Lumine made a tremendously high backflip and landed on one of the stone platforms on the right side of the arena. The two were now nearly fifty feet from each other.

     “What’s this, cowardice?” cackled Link.

     “No, it’s called magical prowess.” She gave her whip another swing and the chains extended. Link just barely dodged it but he leaned over too far and fell. Lumine laughed. “Oh you should have seen the look on your face.”

     “Well that was impressive,” said Link, “but now here’s some physical prowess.” Link ran forward as fast as he could. Lumine swung again and Link defended with his shield.

     “HA!” shouted Lumine, “you fell for it.” Link didn’t get it until her whip had wrapped around his shield. She yanked it hard which sent Link flying forward. He tried to hold on but his grip slipped and his shield fell over the side of the arena and down into nothingness.

     “So it’s get rough time, eh?” snapped Link. “Good!”

     This time, Link abandoned all defense. He attacked Lumine fast and furiously. But she managed to avoid every swing.

     “Is that all you’ve got?” she taunted.

     “Hey, you haven’t even succeeded in damaging me yet.”

     “Yet is right.” She made a wide swing which was so wide Link didn’t have to dodge it. Link chuckled but Lumine remained smiling. The next moment, Link found himself face down.

     “Hey!” he grunted, “That’s my boomerang move.”

     “That’s right.”

     “So that’s what you’ve been doing. Watching us to turn our own moves against us.”

     “Of course. You’ve finally figured it out.”

     “Well then, maybe it’s time I used some of my magical prowess.” With that, his sword began to glow. “Feel the power of the Master Sword.” Again, Link attacked fast. Lumine had no choice but to back up. When Link saw that they were close to the edge, he did his famous spin attack. Lumine jumped back and landed just on the edge. She wobbled. That was it. Her guard was down. Link went at it with dash attacks, strong attacks, and smash attacks until Lumine was flying quite high.

     “My insane training must not be so insane after all,” shouted Link.

     “We’ll still see about that,” Lumine replied as she landed.

     “Then get with it.”

     Lumine did and made a combination of swings. One swing grappled Link’s sword. She yanked. He lost his grip. The sword was gone.

     “Now what are you going to do?” laughed Lumine.

     “Get another weapon,” Link replied.

     “Where?”

     A beam-sword fell right at Link’s feet. “HERE!” He picked up the beam-sword, quickly ran forward, and smash attacked Lumine. She flew sky high.

     “WELL DONE, HERO,” she shouted. “THREE MORE TO GO!”

     Thunderous applause came from the spectators.

     “Great work Link,” shouted Zelda. Link looked up at her and waved.

     “Here are your sword and shield,” spoke the Super Smash Man. The weapons appeared on his back. Then Lumine appeared in front of him.

     “Because of my defeat, I have been told to stay down here with you and the other warriors. Those who wish to challenge me may do so. Take this, Link, as my gift to you.” Instantly, a silver medal, engraved with that same cursive L, was pinned on his tunic.

 

     “But she is just a little girl,” grumbled Crepusculum. “When you fight me, green-hat, it won’t be easy.”

     “If you lose,” said Rosa Stellarum, “don’t say that our brother didn’t warn us.” But Crepusculum just grunted at that.

 

 

 

Chapter VIII: Questions

 

     Everyone took the honor of fighting Lumine, but not a single one of them could come close to damaging her. But whenever she and Link fought, the exact opposite happened. No one knew why, but it seemed that since the tournament Link was basically invincible.

     “So much the better, it seems,” commented Young Link. “You’ll need that strength to defeat the other Ultra Smash Brothers.”

     “Thanks for the vote of confidence, but don’t make me overconfident,” replied Link.

     “That’s more like Crepusculum’s cup of tea,” piped up Lumine. “His overconfidence led to the one and only time I have ever defeated him. I doubt he’ll make that mistake again.”

     “You know,” began Zelda, “I really would like to know exactly who you Ultra Smash Brothers are, where you came from, and so on.”

     “It is a long story.”

     “We have plenty of time, Lumine,” said Link.

     “Very well.

 

     “We four, along with twelve others, made up the original Smash Brothers. This was long before you and the other warriors were even born. In those days, the Smash Brothers fought with more magical prowess than physical strength; hence our powerful abilities. But anyway, of those sixteen warriors we were the greatest. There soon came a point where no one could defeat us. It was decided by our creator and master, the Super Smash Man, that we be removed from combat and live with him as spiritual entities. But with our removal, the total of only twelve fighters seemed too few. So our master abandoned the fighting altogether until new warriors could be found. You and the others are those new warriors.

     “But although the previous twelve had simply left to who-knows-where, we still remained with our master. We never forgot those days when we were the greatest and now was the perfect time to come back. What is more, one of us has been defeated.”

     “So fighting was everything for you,” said Zelda. “Could you not live normal lives if you so chose?”

     “We never thought of such a things, come to think of it. We were born for battle. But your statement is not impossible for us.”

     “Are you saying that you would be willing to live like these weaklings?” came an arrogant voice. Standing in front of the five conversers was none other than Crepusculum.

     “Brother, how long have you been here?” shouted Lumine.

     “Long enough,” he replied slyly.

     “Well you shouldn’t have eavesdropped and arrogance isn’t welcome here.”

     “Ho, ho, ho! Look who’s talking! I think you were acting quite arrogant when you fought and lost to Link.

     “I will make you eat those words when we fight, Crepusculum,” piped in Link.

     “Ho, ho! Look who’s being arrogant now! I’ll make you eat yours.” With that he left. Lumine shook her head in annoyance.

     “You will never learn brother,” she said. “Never!”

     “He will learn from me,” said Link.

     “I hope so. I must admit, he has been taunting you ever since he heard your name.”

     “Why is everyone so interested in Link?” asked Young Link.

     “It isn’t so much that we are all interested in him than it is our eldest brother who is,” replied Lumine. “He won’t even tell us, his siblings.”

     “Link,” began Zelda, “you don’t suppose it has anything to do with...?”

     “I’m trying not to think about that,” interrupted Link

     “If you fear about something, don’t talk about it,” said Lumine. “We could hear every conversation you ever had. I usually never took part in the eavesdropping. And Link, don’t underestimate Crepusculum. He can be very enigmatic at times.”

     “Thank you.”

     For the rest of that day, and the rest of the week for that matter, Link prepared himself for his second battle. He wondered how much harder Crepusculum would be compared to his sister.

     The evening of the battle, Link was standing, alone, at the edge of the Hyrule Temple once again looking at the infinite vista. Many thoughts quickly went through his mind. He believed he knew why the eldest brother found him so intriguing. Link looked at his left hand.

     “I thought the same thing,” came the voice of Zelda from behind.

     “Does he want it? Is he after it like Ganon was? Or is he wondering what it even is?” asked Link. But Zelda was silent. “I didn’t expect an answer.”

     “You’ve never used the power as a Super Smash Brother, right?”

     “Never. And I don’t intend to use it on any of these Ultra Smash Brothers.” He was silent for a moment.

 

     “There it is,” cries the eldest brother, “the Trio of Golden Triangles.”

     “That is his hidden power?” asked Crepusculum.

     “That is the power you sensed in him?” chimed in Rosa Stellarum.

     “Yes. That is it.”

 

     “Until I finally meet up with the eldest brother, these questions won’t be answered. It is best if we put them behind us for now,” Link finally said.

     “You’re quite right,” replied Zelda. “Well, I wish you luck in tonight’s battle.”

     Link smiled. “Thank you, Zelda.”

     “Link,” came the voice of the Super Smash Man, “it is time for you to come to the Battlefield arena.”

 

 

 

Chapter IX: Link VS Crepusculum

 

     Link was placed on the left-middle platform of the Battlefield. Just opposite of him, on the right platform, stood Crepusculum. In his left hand he held a star medallion.

     “So you’ve come,” he said in his same sly voice.

     “Did you think I was going to disappoint you?” retorted Link.

     “Maybe.”

     “Then you have no idea what kind of hero I am. By the way, what is that medallion?”

     “This,” he said holding it up, “is my weapon. Behold the Star Sword.” He threw the medallion up and when it reached its peak it flashed. The light subsided revealing the sword which came down, blade first, into the ground in front of Crepusculum. The entire sword glowed with a white light and each end of the crossguard was adorned with a star.

     “Impressive,” commented Link, “but it doesn’t scare me.”

     “It will,” retorted Crepusculum.

 

     “Combatants ready? FIGHT!”

 

     Both Link and Crepusculum dropped down to the bottom platform which had the most area. The two ran toward each other and Crepusculum attacked first with several quick stabs. Link blocked them with his shield but was very surprised by the attack.

     “You’re no ordinary swordsman,” said Link. “You’re a fencer.”

     “That’s right,” replied Crepusculum giving a sword salute.

     “It that case,” continued Link, “my shield is useless.” And saying so he threw it away.

     “Why would you say that?”

     “A shield is for defending against wide swings not quick jabs.” With that he assumed a fencing stance and said, “En Garde.”

     “That’s my line, Hero. How’s your footwork?”

     The two went at it again. Crepusculum was paying more attention to Link’s feet than Link’s sword. Neither really got an advantage and most of the time they remained in the center of the arena. Crepusculum gave a stab which Link easily parried. Coming out of his parry, he gave a quick slash and Crepusculum jumped back to dodge it.

     “Well,” he said, “a rather impressive display. Tell me, how is it that you know the art of fencing so well if you live in a land that uses traditional swordplay?”

     “Adventurer, as well as hero, would be a good word to describe me,” replied Link with a smile. “You tend to learn a few things when you travel abroad.”

     “Indeed. But how are your skills against...?” Then Crepusculum jumped to the small top platform.

     “Against what?” said Link as he too jumped to the top platform.

     “Toe to toe combat.” Link then realized just how close he was to Crepusculum and took defensive measure immediately. The two did not even move their legs. After a short time, Crepusculum slashed which forced Link to jump on the lower platform. Crepusculum followed him and they were at it again.

     “You must try harder,” he taunted as they fought, “this is too easy.”

     “Easy?” retorted Link. “I find that hard to believe considering the fact that you haven’t damaged me yet.”

     “Indeed.” He slashed again and Link jumped down only to find that he was closer to the edge of the arena than he thought. Fortunately, he grabbed the edge. “Now that is what I call easy,” said Crepusculum as he walked to the edge.

     “You haven’t beaten me,” replied Link. “It’s just getting started.”

     “We’ll see about that.” Crepusculum raised his sword preparing for a quick stab. But just as he stabbed, Link, while still dangling on the edge, made a quick parry, pulled himself up, and slashed striking his opponent clean in the chest and knocking him on the ground.

     “First strike,” said Link with a smile. Crepusculum didn’t respond. He was so humiliated and angry that he didn’t care to. He got up and raged toward Link. But Link rolled past him and gave him a few more strikes in the back. After that, he had had enough. He attacked Link fiercely, so fiercely that Link was literally running backwards just to keep his distance. But he wasn’t fast enough, for Crepusculum grabbed him and gave him quick repeated stabs ending with a very strong one knocking Link on his back.

     “I await the call for mercy,” Crepusculum mocked as Link rose, “for I will show none.”  Again he attack in a frenzy this time with harder swings and quicker jabs. Then, for one moment, he stopped. Link seized the opportunity and attempted a swing. But as his arm came down, Crepusculum made a quick parry, thrust his sword in Link’s under-arm, and got behind Link. Link found his left arm helplessly twisted up and Crepusculum followed up by tripping him with a leg slash.

     “So,” Link thought, “he can’t defeat me at range and therefore uses grabs. That gives me an idea.”

     “Had enough, green-hat?” shouted Crepusculum.

     “Green-hat? That’s a new one. But I’m hardly finished. This is but the beginning.”

     “Everything is the beginning for you. I must end that now.” But as he ran toward Link, Link fired his hookshot which grappled his opponent.

     “Now how’s this?” shouted Link as he gave Crepusculum a knock on the head with the pommel of his sword followed by a ground throw.

     “It is the last straw,” Crepusculum thundered in reply. “Let’s finish this.” He attacked Link to the point where he was backed up to the edge of the arena. This is exactly what Link wanted and this is why. After Crepusculum failed to get Link to just fall off the edge he attempted another grab. Link acted like lightning, rolled behind him, and performed his famous spin attack which rocketed Crepusculum into defeat.

     Cheers from Zelda and the rest of the spectators thundered continually even as Crepusculum reappeared in the arena. Link raised his hand and the crowed finally quieted.

     “Well,” began Crepusculum, “it seems that I underestimated you. If you travel the world so much, you must know many styles of fighting.”

     “Indeed,” replied Link with a smile. “And your fight has taught me a few things as well.”

     “I can teach you more since I am to remain down here. Until then farewell.”

     “Hold it,” came the voice of Lumine, “you’re forgetting something, brother.”

     “Your quite right.” He presented Link with another silver medal, this one engraved with the cursive C. With that, they left the arena.

 

     “Did you hear him say it, brother?” shouted Rosa Stellarum. “Did you hear him admit that he underestimated Link?”

     “Yes, my sister, I heard him,” the eldest brother laughed. “The entire throng of spectators and I heard him. And remember, you’re next. I’d advise you to wear IT.”

     “IT? Ahh, you mean IT. Do you think that’s fair?”

     “Well he wears a light chain mail under his tunic. I believe it is fair.”

 

 

 

Chapter X: “Don’t Disappoint Me, Rosa Stellarum”

 

     Rosa spent most of the next week keeping a close eye on Link. With the amazing victories he had had over her siblings she wanted to find out what his strengths were and what his weaknesses were.

     “That will hardly be enough if you really want to defeat him easily,” her older brother commented.

     “I don’t care about defeating him ‘easily’,” she replied. “I just don’t understand how our siblings could’ve fallen with little effort.”

     “Have you given any thought to the Trio of Golden Triangles?”

     “What? You yourself heard him tell his precious princess that he would never use it. We don’t know much about him, but I would imagine he wouldn’t disobey his princess.” She paused for a moment but her brother said nothing. “He seems to have good reason not to use the power. It is probably so powerful that he would be unbeatable if he used it.”

     “Isn’t unbeatable exactly what we are, Rosa?” asked her brother. At first she was confused by the question because she knew that Lumine and Crepusculum were definitely not unbeatable. Then she realized that is not what he meant by “we”.

     “For you, yes. For me, I would beg to differ in opinion. It is true that we, your siblings, have never defeated you, but I’ve been defeated by Crepusculum before.”

     “But that happened only once, sister. Think of your mistake and you won’t be defeated by Link. If you hadn’t underestimated Crepusculum as he underestimated Link, you wouldn’t have suffered that shameful defeat.”

     Rosa was feeling uneasy about her brother’s speech. “Tell me truthfully: are you trying to give me encouragement? Because if you are there is one problem. To me, encouragement often leads to cockiness and cockiness to defeat.”

     “Come now, Rosa! I am indeed encouraging you but not to make you cocky. I’ve seen how your attitude has dropped since seeing your siblings fall to Link. I’m only trying to help.”

     Rosa looked at her brother and surprise twinkled in her eyes. “Help? This is the first time you’ve ever offered help to any of us.” She began to wonder if her brother was up to something again.

     “I’ll tell you the truth, sister. Link, as great as he is becoming, he does not distant himself from his friends. He is not proud like I am. He shares his joy of victory with his friends. I always left you behind in the dust, so to speak.”

     Rosa was shocked at this. “Brother, why are you saying this? Do you think we despise you because of your pride?”

     “If you didn’t you should have.”

     “No. We are all proud. Proud because we know we are the greatest. How does the saying go, ‘Pride goeth before the fall.’”

     “My sister, that is it. That is why our siblings fell so easily. To defeat Link you must fight as if you are going to lose. I repeat: you must fight as if you expect defeat if you wish to finish Link.”

     For a moment, neither spoke. Rosa was taking the words to heart. There was a truth in them. If one expects defeat, it gives motivation to try harder. But was it worth believing?

     “I do not know if that will really help, but it makes sense.”

     “We shall see. Don’t disappoint me, Rosa Stellarum.

 

     As for Link, his attitude was not different. He only became more anxious about the final battle against the eldest brother.

     “What is your name, recluse?” he thought. “That is probably unimportant. Still why are you interested in me?” He looked at the Triforce mark on his left hand. “I wouldn’t be surprised if that is why. Don’t think that I will be showing it to you. Its secrets I will protect with my life.” These thoughts were running through his mind like a wildfire. They could not be erased until the end came. “But I’m in no hurry to have them answered. I await your challenge, Rosa Stellarum.”

     “And you shall have it tomorrow night,” came her voice from behind. “The battle is at the Final Destination. Be there on time.”

     “I won’t disappoint you or you brother. I await his challenge too.”

     “First, you must defeat me. Only then will my brother reveal himself. Until then.” And Rosa left.

     “Only then,” repeated Link. “I can’t wait.”

 

 

 

Chapter XI: Link VS Rosa Stellarum

 

     When Link arrived at the Final Destination, Rosa was already waiting for him. He drew his sword and waited.

     “Well, right in time,” she finally said.

     “I said I wouldn’t disappoint you,” replied Link.

     “That is so.” She raised up her right arm and open her hand. An orb of white light appeared in her hand. The light flashed as she closed her hand and in it appeared a shining silver spear. “Behold my weapon, the Vesper Spear.” She gave it a fancy twirl and Link raised his eyebrows.

     “How interesting, but we should get started.”

     Link was the first to rush forward. He tried a dash attack but Rosa made a graceful jumped. Upon landing she performed a backstab with her spear but Link was already on the defensive side. Then Rosa twirled her spear right in Link face. He blocked every spin but it left him a little disoriented.

     “That’s just a warm-up,” taunted Rosa taking a few steps back. “Now time for some major action.” She raised her spear and threw it. It split into several small spears which sped quickly toward Link. He got his shield up just in time but the spears knocked him back off the edge. Link didn’t pull himself up immediately. He waited there to think. What weakness could Rosa possibly have? He knew he was thinking too long when he saw Rosa standing right above him with her spear reading to strike. Link jumped over her and slashed but she dodged it cleanly.

     “It seems,” thought Link, “that we are both on the defensive side more than on the offensive. Maybe this will work.” He ran forward chaining several attacks together. Still, Rosa either dodged them or blocked them with her spear.

     “You must try harder. This is too easy,” she taunted.

     “Your younger brother said the exact same thing.”

     “True, but that’s hardly reason to give up.” Link was totally confused by what was just said for it made absolutely no sense at all. That was the point because Rosa, without warning, began to quickly thrust her spear at him. Link entire body shook with surprise and he just got his shield up in time to defend the attacks.

     “Talk or fight,” he grumbled, “not both.”

     “Actually, I’m fine with talking,” Rosa laughed. Link assumed this was just another ruse to make him lower his guard. Then he got an idea.

     “So, what do you want to talk about?” he asked with a grin.

     “Actually, it’s more tease than talk,” Rosa replied.

     “So I gathered. What is your older brother’s name?”

     “What kind of a question was that?” That was the green light for Link. He attacked fiercely and Rosa was surprised. His attacks were so strong that he drove her back to the edge of the arena. He ended with a quick spin attacked which caused her to stumble back.

     “Did you like that conversation?” Link laughed. Rosa pulled herself up and then made a high jump to the other side of the arena.

     “We shall forego the talking,” she finally replied.

     “My sentiments exactly.”

 

     As the eldest brother watched the two fight he thought, “So Link has not found out about my sister’s secret. Even if he uses his strongest attacks he will do little damage to Rosa. But if he uses his power of the Trio of Golden Triangles, he would surely win. I am surprised that neither has sustained the first strike.”

 

     He was quite correct. The two were pretty much at a stalemate for no matter what attack one used, the other would always manage to defend against it. A full two minutes passed without a hit being scored and Link and Rosa knew it.

     “At this rate the battle will last forever,” said Link.

     “I’m in no hurry,” Rosa responded. “But if you are we can force sudden death.”

     “I’ll pass that.” Link hated sudden death and for good reason. It was pretty much a one-hit deal and the match would be over. He just didn’t want it to be him.

     “Shall we ‘talk’ it over then?” continued Rosa.

     “EH! No talking,” retorted Link with a slash of his sword. They were at it again and still neither got the opportunity. Then it happened. A Poké ball appeared at Link’s feet. He snatched it up and threw it down. Out popped Togepi and above his head flash a purple orb of energy. Everything became pitch black and Rosa couldn’t see Link.

     “It matters not,” she said, “You can’t see me either.”

     “Think again,” came Link’s voice from behind her. All of a sudden she felt a tremendous strike on back followed by several smaller strikes and stabs. She couldn’t defend or do anything because she couldn’t see where the attacks were coming from.

     “How in the world are you attacking me in this darkness?” she shouted.

     “It is nighttime, right?”

     “Yes.”

     “Well I was wondering why you looked so bright. You are bioluminescent; therefore, in this darkness you remain lit. But you can’t see me because your bioluminescence only lights up yourself and not your surroundings.”

     As he finished, the darkness began to lift. He finished his wave of attacks with a spin but was surprised to see Rosa fly only a few feet away.

     “I don’t believe this!” he shouted. “I used some of my strongest attacks and yet you didn’t get rocketed off the arena with my almighty spin.”

     “That because,” began Rosa with a sneer, “I’m wearing THIS.” She pulled away the upper part of her dress to reveal a smooth and shiny armor. Link looked in amazement. “This,” Rosa continued, “is my Moon Pearl Armor. Even with your strong attacks I take very little damage.”

     She had just finished talking when Link felt the Triforce resonate. It became clear to him that if he didn’t use his power this battle might take forever or, on the other hand, he would get KO’ed first. For a moment neither Rosa nor Link moved. Link telepathically called to Zelda.

 

     “What should I do? They want to see the power. I can’t do it. The Triforce will leave me if I misuse it.”

 

Zelda’s voice replied:

 

     “You must do what you think is right. I don’t know what to do either.”

 

     That settled it for Link. He wasn’t going to use it. He would attack all the way and not defend himself. He raged forward performing slash after slash. Rosa defended but couldn’t find the open window to strike back. Then Link made an especially strong slash which knocked the Vesper Spear out of Rosa’s hand. It flew to the other side of the arena and stuck into the ground. Her defense was gone and Link knew it. It was now or never. He attacked again and again. Rosa, being backed up at the edge, had no chance of getting past Link. She was trying hard enough just to dodge Link’s attacks. Then came another spin attack and Rosa was knocked over the edge. She grabbed the edge but Link was ready for her. He gave her hands a quick thrust and she let go only to fall into nothingness for the KO.

 

     “NO! THIS CAN’T BE!” thought the eldest brother. “He defeated my sister WITHOUT using the power! What’s more he did not sustain a single hit. It matters not. I will reveal myself to him and then I shall finish him.”

 

     “It took great skill to defeat me, Link,” said Rosa when she was returned to the arena. “Take this medal,” and she gave him another silver medal, this time with the R and S. After the medal was pinned to his tunic, it and the other two began to glow. Link was enveloped in a silver light and disappeared.

 

     “Good luck, Hero.”

 

     The next moment, Link found himself on a silver, circular platform. The arena on which he stood was basically a giant version of the Super Smash emblem. The only object in the pitch-black sky was a crescent moon which provided the light of the arena. The same black star which he had seen long ago flew around the sky. It drew a cursive M and N and landed with a silver flash.

     From the light came a man who was slightly taller than Link. His eyes, like Rosa Stellarum’s, were silver and his hair, also like Rosa’s, was waist long. It was black on the right side and silver on the left. His tunic, also similar in design to Link’s, was black and he wore a silver breastplate that had the Super Smash emblem engraved on it with the same M and N. A sheathed sword hung from the left side of his waist. His black cape, as well as his hair, fluttered and there was no wind.

 

     “Greetings, Hero of Time,” he said. “You have waited very long, I’m sure, to meet me.”

     “Too long, sir,” replied Link. “Who are you?”

     “My name is Media Nox [May-dee-ah Nox].”

     “Which is Latin for what?”

     “Midnight.”

 

 

 

Chapter XII: The Beginning of the End: Link VS Media Nox

 

     “Perhaps now,” began Link, “you will answer my questions.”

     “Hardly,” retorted Media Nox clasping the handle of his sword. “We must fight now. Behold my weapon, the Midnight Edge!”

     The sword was immense in size. The pommel was fashioned in the likeness of a crescent moon. The crossguard, which was quite broad, was adorned with seven precious stones three of which, all different colors, were on each side of the crossguard. In the center of it, just between the handle and the blade, was a large and bright diamond. The thick, broad blade began as a single blade, but divided in two on down. On it, just below the hilt, was the same emblem that was on Media Nox’s breastplate. He gave it a test swing and drove it into the ground which caused several silver sparks to fly. Link was transfixed by its awesome power.

    “This is the sword I used long ago, Link,” said Media Nox. “Now prepare yourself. You may have defeated my siblings but can you defeat me?” He laughed as he finished speaking.

     Link took another look at the Midnight Edge and said, “Even if you have such a mighty weapon as that I’m in no position to give up.”

     “So be it. FIGHT!”

 

     Media Nox moved like lightning and slashed. Link defended the attack but the awesome force and weight behind the swing knock him hard on the ground. Media Nox laughed loudly as Link got up and ran towards him. Media Nox just stepped aside and Link ran right past him.

     “Is that all the better you can do, Hero?” he taunted.

     “I’m in no position to give up,” Link repeated.

     “Then I’ll give you one!” Media Nox attacked again with a powerful stab. But when Link blocked it, his shield cracked and split into many pieces. The shards dissolved and Link was speechless. “Now will you give up?”

     “Absolutely not,” shouted Link grasping his sword with both hands. “My shield may have fallen to your might, but this Master Sword can never break.

     “We shall see.” Media Nox made a strong vertical slice and Link blocked it with his sword. Media Nox began to push down on Link and Link tried his best to counter.

     “That’s not good enough,” Link taunted. Then Media Nox pushed down even harder.

     “How’s that? Soon I’ll crush you. You can’t beat this power with natural abilities.” Link just grinned and made a little push.

     “I’ve defeated others like you before. I can defeat you even it takes until Kingdom Come.”

     “Ha! Think again, Hero!” Media Nox retorted as he pushed even harder. “Let me put it in simpler words. You cannot defeat with physical strength alone. You have to use magic.”

     Magic? Was Media Nox referring to...Link didn’t even want to think about it. Magic! He must have meant the Triforce. What other magic did Link possess? He couldn’t hold out much longer against the strength of Media Nox. There was no way that Link could get out of the situation without getting hit. Then the Triforce resonated again. Link was gaining strength! He pushed.

     “You want to my power?” he shouted, “I’ll ram it right down your throat!” The Master Sword glowed and the power of the two swords caused an explosion. The two fell on their backs. As Link hit the ground, the Master Sword flew out his hand and over the edge of the arena.

     “Impressive! What power!” said Media Nox as he got up. “ Now, Link, you have no weapon. You see, your power was useless. It is time I finished you.” He ran toward Link with his sword pointed for the kill.

     “I’m not finished with you yet, Media Nox. Witness the true power of the Triforce.” Just as the Midnight Edge came inches away from Link, he reached out his hand and grabbed the blade. A blinding light shone and a loud hum sounded.

     “This can’t be possible,” shouted Media Nox. “My Silver Power should be more powerful than the his Golden Power.”

     “This is what you wanted,” replied Link, “and this is what you will get.” An explosion blasted in Media Nox’s face and sent him flying to the other edge of the arena. He looked up at Link in amazement. On his hand the Triforce shone, no longer gold but silver. Media Nox was even more amazed.

     “NO! How can that be? How can my Silver Power be mixed with his Golden Power? They are opposites!”

     “Not opposites, Media Nox,” replied Link, “but merely different.” When he finished, he held out his left hand and the Master Sword returned to him. “Let us finish this.”

     “Very well,” snarled Media Nox.

 

     The two went to it instantly. Link, with his new power, now had the strength to counter the awesome might of the Midnight Edge. He made hard slashes which possessed so much force that Media Nox was getting knocked around. Link drove him to the edge where it was toe-to-toe combat. The two swords clashed together and once again were locked.

     “You should never have asked to witness the power, for it was more than you were prepared for,” said Link. “But that was the point. You wanted to see the power. You thought you could take the power. Power was everything to you. You can now have it all.”

     “I don’t fear defeat,” Media Nox snarled, “though I have never faced it.”

     “Then it is time you did.” Once again the Mater Sword began to glow and this time with a sparkling silver light. Link made a push followed by a spin attack. A wave of silver energy spread from the spin and Media Nox was thrown off the arena into space.

 

     “Where is Link?” Zelda shouted to Rosa Stellarum. No one knew where he was taken.

     “He is fighting with my brother, Media Nox, in the final match. No one is allowed to watch this match.” Zelda was trembling with fear. She thought it was better that she didn’t watch but at the same time she wished to at least know if Link was OK.

     Then it happened. The bell of the Super Smash Temple began to toll. The temple shook and began to crumble. A loud scream was heard. Who it was no one knew. Then the temple collapsed.

 

 

 

Epilogue

 

     The twenty-four warriors, along with Lumine, Crepusculum, and Rosa Stellarum, found themselves on the arena where Link and Media Nox had their fight. There, they saw Media Nox down on one knee with Link just to his side. He looked up at the others.

     “Link has defeated me. He took no damage from me.” The Ultra Smash Brothers gasped. Their oldest brother defeated? They couldn’t fathom it and Media Nox saw it in their faces. “It is no lie,” he continued, rising. “He used the Golden Power and it absorbed my Silver Power. With the mixture, he finished me.”

     “But Link,” cried Zelda, “you promised not to use the power.”

     “Silence, Princess,” shouted Media Nox. “The fact is I fought him to take the power away from him. Because I used my power, the only way he could possibly defeat me was to use his.”

     “So that’s it, brother,” sneered Rosa. “I thought it was something like that.”

     “But now Link has proved himself to be the greatest fighter alive. Take this Link. Take it respectfully.” The three medals on Link’s tunic disappeared and were replaced by a silver four-point-star medal. The Super Smash emblem was engraved in its center and on the end of each point were the letters of the Ultra Smash Brothers.

 

     “Congratulations Link, Hero of Time!” the four said as they, in a flash of light, returned to their star forms. “When great danger befalls your land, you WILL defeat it.”

     The four stars flew around and around. They crossed. They spiraled. They did all sorts of different things. They landed on the ground and exploded. When all became normal, the twenty-four warriors and Link saw a new temple.

 

     “All of you, enter this Ultra Smash Temple,” came the voice of Media Nox, “and you will return to those lands where you belong.”

 

     And thus, this story ends. But the Legend of the Ultra Smash Brothers will live on “per omnia saecula saeculorum (for ages and ages).”

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