Post-War 5: Adventure on Mobius!

Sheila's Post-War adventures continue! A word in this sentence is misspelled.

GKND H.Q. cafeteria

"WHAAAAAAAT?!" Sheila had never been more furious at her best mate. "YOU DON'T WANNA GO EXPLORING WITH ME?!"

"I'm sorry, Sheila!" Mason tried to console. "I just want a little break. Don't you remember? Life isn't just about trying to see a lot of things at once, you also gotta take it easy and… play games at home."

"But we were gonna go to Mobius…" Sheila replied with clear hurt and sadness.

"Isn't Mobius still repairing, anyway? We can go another day, when it's all fixed and can accommodate tourism again."

"But this'll be my first time seeing my proper homeworld!"

"Uh…technically, we already saw it, when we went to the chimera place?"

"Whatever! If you ain't comin', I'll find someone else!" Sheila looked around the cafeteria before spotting April and Jerome at a table. "AHA!" She ran up and leapt onto the table without regard for their food. "APRIL! I need a new adventure mate, come explore Mobius with me!"

"Uh…why me?"

"You must like exploring places, right?" The captain's loud voice and presence on the table was drawing the attention of other operatives, including Weiss at Sector $'s table. "With your artist stuff and all. Plus, you've already been to Mobius, so you got experience!"

"Hmm…it would be kind of fun." April figured. "Exploring for the sake of pleasure rather than duty would be good for the soul. Want to come, too, Jerome?"

"Nebula may still need some help around here, but don't let me stop you."

"Hey, did you say you were going to Mobius?"

Sheila turned and faced down at Weiss. "Yeh, so?"

"Do you think maybe I can go with you, too? I'd like to get to know the Mobians better."

"How come?"

Kokichi crept up behind Weiss and replied, "Because her dad insulted the Mobian Chancellor on TV and she feels the need to apologize to every Mobian in sight~"

"Shut up!" Weiss pushed him away. "Sigh…but I am doing it as a way of distancing myself from him, yeah."

"Fine by me!" Sheila fist-pumped. "I guess it'll just be a girls' week of adventure!"

"Please just get off my Lignus steak." Jerome requested.

Day 1: Valley of Peace

The Valley of Peace was a Chinese town surrounded by tall mountains, their peaks glowing in the morning light. The town steadily sloped up a mountain, the very top of which stood a great temple. "The Valley of Peace is a traditional town that celebrates the art of kung fu." April read on a brochure. "It attains its peace thanks to its kung fu masters, the Furious Five, led by the legendary Dragon Warrior. They defend the valley from all forces of evil, and thus, this fair valley is not in need of a KND sector."

"WOOOOO, this place is a beaut!" Sheila cheered, spinning up the street and drawing confusion from passing pig, rabbit, and geese Mobians. "Hee hee, and it looks like the Kremlings ain't do too much damage to it!"

"That temple up there is where the Furious Five train, right?" Weiss asked, pointing to said temple atop the mountain. "I bet you could get quite the portrait from up there, April."

"I've already drawn one from here, so I'm excited to get the other angle." April presented the painting in question.

"REALLY, THAT FAST?!"

"Look, mates! It looks like a restaurant!" Sheila pointed at an outdoor restaurant with wooden tables.

"It's called 'Dragon Warrior Noodles & Tofu.'" Weiss translated.

"You're Chinese?! I thought you were German!"

"No, I am German, but I studied Chinese. …Say, April, you're German too, aren't you?"

"Ja." April nodded. "It's also kinda funny that your name is Weiss, since… well, never mind. I'm a bit hungry after Sheila stepped on our food, so let's stop by."

Weiss ordered noodles for herself and April, the two sitting across from Sheila, who ordered dumplings. Using their chopsticks, the older girls slurped the noodles effortlessly, while Sheila casually tossed dumplings in her mouth one after the other, her chopsticks untouched. "Sheila, can't you at least try to use chopsticks?" Weiss asked.

"'ey, all ya really need are your bare hands. If any gets stuck on your fingers, just lick it off. Besides, how in blazes are you supposed to use these things?!" She decided to humor them by grabbing the chopsticks in one hand. "Geh, how do they learn to eat like this?!" The sticks danced around her index finger. "You gotta use two hands to…" She took a stick in either hand and stuck them into either side of a dumpling. She rose it to her mouth—she flung the sticks up and sent the dumpling flying behind her.

A panda man was eating dumplings at a table behind her. While taking a bite, he didn't notice as another dumpling fell on his plate. Sheila went around to take her food back—the panda caught her hand in his chopsticks. "Now now, young lady, it's rude to take other peoples' food without asking."

"What're you talkin' about, this one was mine!"

"Then what is it doing on my plate?"

"Because of dumb chopsticks!" Sheila grabbed the dumpling in her other hand. "Now let go o' me, fatty."

The panda swiftly swiped the dumpling back. "Heh heh, look, young lady, I can tell you're new to town, so I should tell you… I'm the Dragon Warrior. 'Name's Po."

"Yeh, well I'm the Pirate King. 'Name's Sheila."

"I see someone was a fan of the Pirate War. But just because you're pretending, don't go taking things that aren't yours."

"I'll show you pretending!" Sheila lit up her fist and PUNCHED Po through a building, the customers gaping. April and Weiss were mildly horrified by her reckless action. "Now, if you don't mind~" Sheila opened wide to taste the dumpling—

Po flew forth to swipe the pastry with grace, about to eat, but Sheila shot a Light Fist at his belly, causing Po to thrust his arms forward and throw it. Sheila leapt above a roof to catch it, but Po quickly recovered and intercepted her. The two engaged in a close, fast battle of fists vs. chopsticks, dancing across the roofs as the dumpling bounced above them, as if struggling to decide who will eat it.

"Well, I'm already having fun." April said. Weiss sighed and skied after them.

With nearly the whole town watching the bout between the Dragon Warrior and the Faunus tourist, they were making their way to the great stairs leading to the temple. Suddenly, the two stopped in place when Po increased the grip of his chopsticks, clutching the dumpling and struggling to pull it toward his mouth, Sheila unable to wrestle it away. "You're a tough little girl, but you're a hundred years too early to challenge me! Come back then and we can share a dumpling together."

Sheila grit her teeth. She leapt and stamped both feet against his belly, Po throwing the dumpling in the air. Sheila raced up the stairs and caught the dumpling, continuing to outrun the panda. "Curses! She discovered my only weakness… stairs!"

Sheila was panting happily, ascending higher and higher, seeing the panda falling behind. She reached the top of the stairs without trouble, twisting around and seating herself at the highest one. She admired the view of the Valley of Peace, making the dumpling taste so much sweeter.

A short red panda Mobian in a jade-green shawl approached her from the temple. "Excuse me, young lady, can I help you with something? The Jade Palace is off-limits to tourists."

"Huff…huff…" Po had finally made it to the top. "That was… a dirty move." And he fell flat.

"Heh, 'guess I'm the new Dragon Whatever! Let's check out this palace!" Sheila was up and running in.

"Hey! I said 'off limits'!" yelled Master Shifu, chasing her.

Sheila whirled around to take in the fancy architecture, briefly glimpsing at the items on pedestals. "Whoa!" She nearly fell into a large tub of clear, reflective water. The water reflected the design of a Chinese dragon. She gazed up, seeing the dragon in question on the ceiling, a scroll clenched in its teeth. "Blimey, what is that dragon holding?!"

"That is the Dragon Scroll," answered Shifu, "and it is not meant to be read by anyone other than the Dragon Warrior. It contains unlimited power that is certainly not meant for tourists!"

"That little old thing?! I wanna take a gander at it!"

"NO! Get out of my palace at once!"

"Sigh, fine, old man!" Sheila angrily began to stomp toward the exit.

One of the Furious Five, Master Monkey, approached Shifu curiously. "Who's the Tanuki?"

"Just some tourist. Probably from Menagerie, with the way she dresses. Parents really shouldn't let their children run around so-"

"Yaaaaaaahhhh!" Sheila dashed back with great speed, tail spinning as she performed a terrific leap up to the Dragon Scroll.

"NO! Get your hands off that!" Shifu yelled.

Sheila grunted as she tried to tug the scroll out of the dragon's teeth. Applying more strength, the ceiling began cracking. The entire dragon snapped off and SPLASHED into the pool. Shifu and Monkey were drenched, looking despairingly at their ruined relic. "'ey, what gives?!" Sheila asked, having opened the gold-plated scroll. "There ain't no infinite power! It's just a fancy gold paper with a reflection! Man, how much did this cost 'cause you got ripped off big time."

"Grrrrrrrr!" Shifu, Monkey, and the other Furious Five were growling at her furiously. "GET HEEEERRRR!"

April Goldenweek had followed them up the stairs. She discovered a beautiful sakura tree at the top of a cliff. She chose to set up a canvas under it, capturing the amazing view of the Valley of Peace. "It has a simple name… but it needs nothing more. Truly… peaceful."

"YUMMY, PEACHES!" Sheila quickly kicked the tree, causing the peaches to fall off, and she scooped up some armfuls before leaping off the cliff.

"How dare you steal from Master Oogway's tree!" Shifu yelled, he and the Five diving off the cliff.

"Hm…a waterfall would look nice." April decided to add a waterfall to the painting.

Day 2: Kuo Kuana, Menagerie

The homeland of the Faunus was a tropical town with wooden houses surrounded by palm trees. The locals were enjoying the peaceful sunny day, the fear of the war having lifted off all their hearts. Some people called attention to the Sunny Day sailing to their shore, but they felt no evil auras around it. That ship looked far more fun and friendly than the Kremlings' ships.

"Feels so good to finally be with my people!" Sheila cheered as the girls crossed a busy market. "HELLO, Kuana!"

"Sheila, not so loud. I don't want much attention." Weiss said.

"Why, you afraid of people recognizing you?"

"Kind of… I know I'm here to prove that I'm not like my father, but I just wanna have a good time."

"Did you know that 'Kuo Kuana' is Hawaiian for 'trash' or 'rejected'?" April asked.

"You two are seriously not helping. But yeah, the Faunus were given this island decades ago during the days of segregation. This was meant to be their 'breeding place.' Of course, now that humans and Mobians accept the hybrids, it isn't as compact and this town is a lot more peaceful."

The girls walked to the Shallow Sea, a district where shops were set up in shallow water and aquatic Faunus were swimming freely. "'ey, check out them tykes!" Sheila pointed to a submerged volleyball court, where some kids were playing. "OI, can I join in?!" Sheila splashed in the shallow water and ran up to them.

Weiss and April giggled at her spirit. As the kids seemed to accept Sheila into their game, the older operatives took off their shoes and socks, relaxing their feet on the warm boardwalk. They laid out a picnic blanket to relax, April laying a canvas down and beginning to paint while treating herself to cookies. Her painting depicted Sheila playing with a group of actual sharks and dolphins.

"Excuse me… your name is Weiss Schnee, isn't it?" a feminine voice asked.

Weiss gasped and turned. A red ponytailed girl with tan, scaly skin had spoken to her. "Um…yes. …Do I know you?"

"You probably don't, but… my name is Ilia. I was in the White Fang, with Adam."

Weiss got to her feet with a start. "White Fang?!"

"No, just relax! Please…" Weiss calmed herself, but maintained a ready composure. "Honestly… I wasn't expecting to see you here. But since you are here… I think you deserve to know. Adam is gone."

"…Gone? …Do you mean he escaped from prison?!"

"Well… not just that."

Prison transport, a few weeks ago

The officers of the White Fang were rounded up and riding a ship to Zordoom, along with other ships carrying officers. "…Well, Adam? What now?" Ilia asked her captain.

"I'm done." His response was simple.

"D…Done?"

"This White Fang bullshit was nothing but trouble. Between the war and the Kremlings… and the stupid bitch who turned me down… no wonder Sienna wanted to bail out."

"Do you… really think that?"

"…" Adam stood. "Don't give me that look. You feel the same way, I can tell. You were never that into it either."

"I mean… you're right. Sigh, there were a lot of times I wanted to bail out, but… I was afraid you all would get mad, and we'd already come too far…"

"…" Adam pulled open his cell seat, revealing his sword. "Let's get out of here."

"Adam…?"

"We're getting off this bucket. And if anyone asks about me… tell 'em I died."

Present

"And… that's what happened." Ilia finished. "We broke out of the cell, found an escape pod… and we steered it back to Mobius. We crashed somewhere in a desert, the pod caught fire… and I never saw him again."

"…" Weiss understood. "I…I find it hard to believe. Did Adam really want to… start over? How do I know he isn't plotting something? What if he's trying to target me?!"

"I couldn't really say. When he said that, I found it a little strange myself. But still, I wouldn't get why we didn't help the other officers, or why he didn't let me come with him. There's just not much he could do on his own."

"Hm…" Weiss still had a hard time believing it. Still… if her words were true… "I'm proud of him… if that's the case. I hope he's doing well for himself."

In a town somewhere

The local sword smith had hired a new employee. He seemed like a rather plain young man with smooth, dyed brown hair and a freckled face, but one couldn't argue with his skill in crafting blades.

A snake man unsheathed a Snake Fang Saber, admiring its sheen. "Now thissss is my kinda blade. For a newbie, your work ain't half bad."

"Heh, thanks. It's been a hobby of mine since I was five." The employee replied in a modest tone.

"Well, ya got me sold, Mister Terence. And 4,000 Rings is quite the bargain."

Day 3: Mogeko Palace

"Isn't this one of the Kremling bases?" Weiss asked as they sailed toward the seven-layer tower.

"Melody told me the Mogekos were rather peaceful without their boss around. And now that Moge-ko's in prison, I wouldn't mind visiting my new friend's home." April replied.

The Mogekos happily welcomed the girls into their palace. Weiss explored the cat floor and giggled at the fluff-ball cats rolling around. Sheila was milking the cows on the farm floor, enjoying a drink of fresh milk. April wandered around the bird floor, smiling at them freely flying around.

"Hm?" Something in one room caught her eye: a large portrait of a man with blue, gem-like hair reading a book on a couch. "Oh…so, one of the Mogekos bought my painting."

Day 4: Station Square

"Hang on, I thought we were on Mobius!" Sheila exclaimed, royally baffled by the presence of so many humans.

Station Square was the primary human city on the planet, the designs of the buildings and clothing of the people completely indistinct from an average American town on Earth. "Several decades ago," April read on a brochure, "several Earthican populations voyaged to the stars in order to colonize lands on other planets. This led to the foundation and development of Station Square. There are similar cities on Mushroom called New Donk, and on Mira called New Los Angeles."

"Baaaaah, I see human cities all the time on Earth!" Sheila whined. "This place don't look cool at all!"

"It's unique from the perspective of the Mobians." Weiss replied. "Anyway, our real destination is the Mystic Ruins. We can only get there by train."

"Besides, it seems like this place is in the middle of reparations." April indicated a block of broken buildings and construction. "I guess the Kremlings did their share of damage on this city. At least the trains are still running."

A train bridge connected Station Square with the jungle island, Mystic Ruins. The island was rather peaceful, but mostly empty save for a few humans in explorer gear. For a couple hours, the girls explored a deep, overgrown jungle, with Sheila constantly running ahead and losing sight of her friends. The remains of a Kremling base was present.

The girls located a cave, where they could hear a strong gust. "Oi, check out that updraft!" Sheila pointed to a strong draft at the end of the cave, rising up from a hole and up through a hole in the ceiling. "I wonder how high it goes…"

"I'm not sure if we should step in that." Weiss said cautiously.

"If you held your hand in that, the flesh and bone would tear off." April figured.

"Then we'd better make sure to put our whole bodies in!" Sheila grabbed their hands and did not ask for their consent. "WAHOOOOOO!" She pulled them all in, and they blasted up the draft like a rocket! In seconds, they were outside, and flying… thousands of meters above the island. Upon realizing how high they were going, their reaction was shared: "AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

They were flying to another island in the sky! However, it seemed their trajectory would crash them against the underside! They tried to shut their eyes, but the speed forced their lids open! They flew closer, and closer… and up through a hole under the island, where their flight slowed and they could step off inside a blue crystal cave. "Haaah… see, mates, if it was that dangerous, they would've set up a warning sign or something. Hehe, my adventure instincts never fail!"

"If that wasn't a source of inspiration, then nothing is!" April cheered. "Man, I gotta find something to paint!"

They followed the cave to an outside cliff, gazing with awe over the world below. They followed the cliff, seeing a bridge in the distance that connected to a smaller island. Sheila outpaced her friends in running toward and across the bridge. The island rested an ancient shrine with a giant emerald rotating in place.

A red echidna man was sleeping before the emerald. …He cracked open his eyes, seeing an eager young raccoon racing up the shrine steps. He was quickly up and balling his knuckles. "Oh, a kid… where'd you come from?"

"Too many places to remember!" Sheila beamed. "'ey, what's your name? Why you all alone on this floating island?"

"The name's Knuckles. Guardian of the Master Emerald."

"Kn…Knuckles?! 'ey, you're one of me mum's old mates!"

"Old… mates?" Now that he thought about it, her speech and appearance were very familiar. "Wait… you're Marine's daughter."

"That's me! Sheila the Sunny Fist!"

"Heh…Tails has been keeping me up-to-date about you. He and Marine still keep in touch."

"Well… they won't be keepin' in touch, anymore. Me mum died."

"Oh…I'm sorry to hear that. I guess she'll be with Sonic now."

"What do you mean?"

Knuckles led them down and around the shrine. There was a huge gravestone with a hedgehog design. "Sonic? He… died?"

"It was about 15 years ago. We were attacked by Sonic's Negative, Scourge. He was a green hedgehog who ruled over Moebius, and wanted to extend his rule to the Posiverse. Sonic and Shadow worked together to beat him, but Sonic ended up sacrificing himself. Naturally, this resulted in Scourge's death also, but life wasn't the same without Sonic. At least his and Amy's son was able to grow up healthy… but even though he was born with airbending, he hadn't inherited the same Sonic Boost as his father. He wasn't nearly as fast."

"I'm guessing that led to a few emotional dilemmas." Weiss figured.

"You wouldn't be wrong." Knuckles replied. "An airbender who could run so fast could only be one of a kind. Perhaps Sonic has been reincarnated as someone else. I can only hope they appreciate their gift."

Sector MG

"Achoo!" Wendy sneezed. "Sniff…bless me."

Angel Island

"Anyway, we're really impressed with how much you've accomplished, Sheila. If you had the time, we'd really like to invite you to a get-together. Me and Rouge, Tails and Cosmo, Blaze and Silver, it's been far too long. Especially after all that we suffered under the Kremlings' attack."

"Yeh… that would be pretty nice. Huh?"

Her wristwatch rang. Curious, Sheila answered, and Mason's face appeared. "Hey, Sheila. Could you open your Vanish Box?"

"?!" Heart pumping with excitement, Sheila grabbed the purple box from her pocket and opened: a little Mason was inside. "Hi! Is it too late for the adventure?"

"IT'S NEVER TOO LATE!" Sheila yanked him out, Mason popping to normal size. "Mason, what changed your mind?!"

"Well, I got to this hard boss and I couldn't beat it. It bummed me out, so I figured I'd cheer myself up by joining you."

"YAHOOOO! Now the Adventure Crew is fully complete! Except for Haylee and the others, but MASON'S all that matters!"

"Too bad he missed out." April said, standing at the edge of the island and overlooking the world as she painted a canvas of the four of them at the top of the world. "Speaking of which, how do we get down from here?"

"There's a teleporting device under this shrine." Knuckles replied. "It connects to one on the Mystic Ruins."

"She'll be apples then." Sheila said. "I'm glad you're here, Mason. I know exactly where we're going next."

Day 5: Southern Island, Sol Sea

The Sol Kingdom was primarily an archipelago, the islands varying in climate. The Plant Kingdom was overgrown with giant mushrooms, the Blizzard Peaks the frozen home of the Vikings, the ruins of Sky Babylon rested on another floating island… yet, between all these remarkable islands to explore, Southern Island just felt plain in comparison. Koalas lived in Windmill Village, which faced Seagull Beach. A volcano stood out in the center, and the only season was summer.

The others had to admit they weren't expecting much when they docked on this small island. A koala man was happily playing a guitar on Seagull Beach, but gasped at seeing Sheila set foot on the island. "It…It can't be." He approached her to confirm his suspicions. "By Jove, it's really you… Sheila Frantic."

"And I'm guessing you would be…?"

"Muzy. I was the musician for the Raccoon Pirates. It…It's so great to meet you." He extended a hand.

"Pleasure's all mine." Sheila grinned. "This here's me best mate, Mason." The boy waved sheepishly. "These two are Weiss and April, me new rookie crewmates."

"'Rookies'?" they repeated.

"So, tell me, Muzy… is Mum's house still standing?"

"Aye-aye, Captain! We kept it fresh as the day she left it."

Muzy led them to Marine's old house. It had several charts posted on the wall, a fish lamp, a barrel desk, a decorative helm, and the wood floor felt like the deck of a cabin. Although it looked as if it had received regular cleaning, Sheila knew that no one had lived here for many years.

"Your mother was only seven when Sonic and Tails took her on her first adventure. They sailed to the Plant Kingdom just a few miles to the west. Then it was the Machine Labyrinth, the Coral Cave, the Haunted Ship, Blizzard Peaks, Sky Babylon… and before long, Marine had seen the entire Sol Kingdom in no time at all. No longer trapped on her island, no longer confined to her kingdom, she sought to see the rest of Mobius. Then, she set her sights on the grander universe. At age 10, she got herself mixed up with the GKND, met the would-be legend Nigel Uno. She met all kinds of remarkable people, and gave birth to a legend as well."

"Awww… ya flatter me too much."

Sheila entered her mother's old bedroom. The bed was small enough for a 7-year-old, too small to fit Sheila's teenage body. The bed was neatly made and never had an occupant for decades. There were pictures of Marine, Sonic, Tails, and Princess Blaze making several silly poses at the different islands (though Blaze seemed more annoyed).

Sheila took her seat on her mother's old bed, being the first to indent it in years. "…Welcome home, Mum."

Mason sat beside her, feeling the bed creak. There was barely room for both teenagers. "I'm glad I came, Sheila."

"I am, too. I was never gonna come here without you."

Mason blushed. "…I'm not missing out on any more adventures from now on."

"I should hope not. Mason, the Pirate King ain't just a title for the strongest pirate. The Pirate King is the one with the most freedom. My goal in life is to see as many places as possible, and I want you around for it."

"You can count on me, Captain."

Weiss and April smiled at their cute moment. "Hey, April… did you know that me and Sheila swapped bodies once?" Weiss asked.

"Yeah, I heard about that. Manaphy did it, didn't he?"

"When that happened, I got to see into Sheila's memories. And… I think I can still feel her memories. Somehow, this house makes me feel very nostalgic. Even though I've never been here, and she's never been here… I can tell this house is important to her. And I feel the need to protect it, always…"

"Well, that's enough messing up Mum's bed." Sheila said, standing up. "Mason, you got making up to do! Let's go back to all the places we just explored!"

"PLEASE, NO." the others moaned.

As the friends sailed to Sol Capital, April had finished her next painting: Sheila and Marine sitting on the latter's old bed and sharing a drink, with Marine depicted as a spirit.

Hyrule; Korok Forest

Cheren Uno was told by Nebula to revisit the forest, passing a message from the Hyrulean KND. Already, he suspected who was calling him.

Biscuit Krueger was in bandages, glaring at him near the entrance of the Deku Tree. Cheren approached her with a sheepish smile. "Hey, Bisky… you're not still mad at me for beating you to a pulp, are you?"

"No, I'm mad that I had to miss out on the whole war because of it. AND the Victory Party!"

"Sorry…"

"But never mind that. Now that the hard part is over, it's time for some honesty."

"You're not keeping something else from me, are you?"

"It's nothing drastic, don't worry. I wanted to tell you the real reason I decided to train you. It's true that I wanted the honor of teaching Link's latest incarnation… but the real reason was because I was hired to."

"Hired to by who?"

"Come inside." Bisky limped into the Deku Tree. Cheren followed her. The tree had a few shops run by Koroks inside… and there was an inn. A blonde, ponytailed girl with a wooden staff and red dress sat on the bed.

"Hello, Cheren."

"VIRIDI?!" the boy gawked seeing the Goddess of Nature casually chilling in the room.

"You know, Cheren, it was very rude of you to attack my protégé after she worked so hard to train you."

"WHERE IS THIS COMING FROM?!"

"Viridi is the one who taught me Haki." Bisky explained proudly. "You should've seen me before, Cherry. When I was little, I was the weakest kid on the playground. Everybody beating me up with no rhyme or reason… although, I guess it was because I was part of a noble family and the poor kids hated me. My parents refused to teach me martial arts… so I ran all the way to the Korok Forest and asked the wise Deku Tree if he could teach me how to fight. The Deku Tree got me in contact with Viridi. From her home on Flora, she telepathically taught me the art of Haki."

"Her progress was so incredible that I asked her to train you." Viridi continued. "Because based on what I observed, you made no attempt to train yourself after losing your God Tier. I wanted you to learn once and for all that mortals don't need unnatural god powers to become strong!"

A memory clicked in Cheren's mind: when he first met Bisky, she made the point that all the Firstborn Guardians were guilty of relying on power-ups to win battles. "Then… you really did put her up to this, Viridi."

"And thanks to me and Bisky, you're stronger than ever."

"And after all I did, you beat me up." Bisky huffed.

"You didn't tell me my friends were in danger!"

"I would've helped you save them."

"Look, what's done is done." Viridi said. "But Cheren… we didn't just make you stronger so you could fight in the war. We also trained you so you would make it to the bottom of the Pit of 100 Trials."

"Why?"

"You found something at the bottom, didn't you? A reward… for your efforts."

"…" Cheren reached into his Infi-Cube and pulled out a four-pronged weapon with hollow holes on its tips. "Now that you mention it, I found this weird thing. Right at the end."

Viridi seemed to stare at it with ominous eyes. "Cheren… hold your Master Sword beside one of the holes."

Confused, Cheren drew his blade and held it up. …A thin yellow stream seemed to connect between the sword's yellow gem and a hole. "So… it really does exist."

"Viridi, what is this?"

"Cheren, that's a dangerous weapon that gods aren't allowed to touch. I don't know where it came from, but Link once wielded it."

"What does it do?"

"When Link first wielded that weapon… he tried to kill Skaios, but could only gouge out his right eye."