A/N: this is just a little something I wrote for fun whilst I may or may not have been dodging doing homework and writing essays. It'll be fairly short, about 7 to 8 chapters long. I really enjoyed writing this (though that might just be because my mind was far far away from homework at the time XD) I hope that you all will enjoy it too.

Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing, not Smash Brothers or it characters. If I did, I would not be writing fan fiction now would I? Technically, it would be considered canon then, wouldn't it? *rubs hands together gleefully* All credits to the original creators.

The Great Game

Summary : It is a basic tactic to divide and conquer; everyone knows it- basic but effective. The strands in a rope are only strong so long as they hold together. The same goes for most everything in life. Just what would it take to break apart a band of brothers?

Prologue

There were crowds of people watching him; many of whom were people he considered friends and comrades at arms. And yet, there had been few times in his life that he had ever felt this alone, so separated from everyone else. The sentiment as well as the thought filled him with a sense of righteous anger at this farce of justice, this mockery.

He directed burning eyes upon the figure that stood by Master Hand in the observer's box of the stadium. Link tilted his head upwards, proudly, the ridged line of his upright body exuding his defiance. He may have been unarmed, but anyone could see that he was still dangerous, simply by looking at him. It was a fact evidenced by the silence that overtook the stadium. The nervous hum of disconcerted sound that had been a constant background presence ended so suddenly that it created an almost tangible feeling of disquiet. Eyes throughout the stadium crowd followed Link's line of sight to focus on the man swathed in the confidence of his own arrogance, safe in the observation box.

It was because of this that the object of Link's attention finally returned his gaze. Link's lips drew back in a feral smile devoid of any kind of warmth or mirth—the snarl of a cornered wolf. The man standing safe in the observer's box, took an unconscious step backwards as he understood the silent message of the blond Hylian warrior: If this was to be some sort of cruel game that the man in safety had cornered him in, then he would play, if only to yell aloud in the quiet of his defiance that this would not end here, this would not end today. It was a challenge uttered so loud in the tension filled stadium that everyone heard it, despite the fact that that it had been spoken without words and in total silence.

The blond warrior turned then, any feelings of dread or sorrow swathed and masked by his show and promise of rebellion. The warp portals opened like the portcullises of an ancient gladiatorial arena, foretelling doom. Link stood ready to meet the monsters that would spring forth from them, silently vowing that he would live to reclaim his sword, his freedom, his friends, and the truth. This board had long ago been set, the pieces already manipulated into this farce. The final plays of this dark game had begun…

Chapter 1

~x~X~x~

Three days previous….

~x~X~x~

Light shafted through splits in the roof of the cavern to sparkle in the dust in the air. All around him, silence encompassed the shrouded passage. It was a sound that Link knew wouldn't last long; this was Smash Run after all. The silence only heralded the fact that there would be plenty of foes awaiting him and his battle partner. Thinking of his partner, Link stopped near the bend in the passage to look back. He and Ike had been paired together for the team competitions this season and Link was more than pleased with that arrangement. Not only was the mercenary a highly skilled and competent fighter, but he was also one of Link's greatest friends.

The mercenary looked up at him from beneath a mop of indigo blue hair, his lips briefly tilting up at the corners of his mouth.

"I can't help but notice that the quieter things are, the more enemies we seem to face later," he announced wryly, the words spoken so softly that they were barely audible in the gloom.

Link heard him though and nodded his agreement.

"Yeah, I think I noticed that myself when we walked into that corridor filled with darknuts two rounds ago," Link replied just as softly. "Are you ready for this?"

"No point in just skulking in this hallway."

"True enough."

The two swordsmen readied their blades and prepared to round the bend and rise in the road ahead.

It was pretournament season and runs like these did not really hold sway over the final championship, but participating in them granted the competitors much needed practice and winning did grant a higher standing in the eyes of observers. Avid observers waited eagerly for the results of the pre-tourney runs as hints to the outcome of, and sneak peeks into, how the finals would go.

Also, the prize money offered in the in the pretournament was an attractive offer for those whose kingdom and people had just come through a harsh war, as Link's had, or to those who had that as well as their own small army to support, as Ike did. After the fall of Taboo, benefits like these and the international appeal were some of the only things that kept the fighters there for a season annually.

Link and Ike had worked hard to maneuver their team into this final round of the pretournament along with the three other teams who had systematically knocked aside all competition.

Once they made it to the final round, each team would pick one representative to compete in the final contest. The outcome of that contest would ultimately decide the victor, though extra points could be awarded by showing exemplary skill or planning during the run through enemy infested caves. Though those extra points were not enough alone to snatch victory if the final round was lost; it could lessen the sting of defeat by narrowing the margin of loss and increasing the rewards.

Link focused back on the situation at hand and tried hard to get a sense of the room ahead of him. After a moment, he held up three fingers clenched his fist and then held his hand flat. He looked a question at Ike who narrowed his eyes at the dark aperture before them and then nodded once.

They both leaped into action, employing one of their many tactics that had thus far worked well in keeping them successful. In response to Link's silent hand signal, Ike dashed in at full tilt, yelling a battle cry that shattered the silence before the enemies they knew were there had the chance to. His sporadic action created a huge distraction that allowed Link to slip in unnoticed after him and skirt the far wall in order to flank their foes.

It was a good thing that they did for the several green and blue Kritters inhabiting the room turned all their attention on Ike, allowing Link to come at them from behind. Ike and Link converged on the foe as they fought, the maneuver successfully crushing the slashing and biting creatures between them.

The cavern was cleared and silent once more after their furious push. Link, however, did not lower his blade. He had a foreboding feeling that this was not over yet. He could tell by Ike's narrowed eyes and ready stance that the mercenary felt the same.

As if in repose to their suspicion, the earth beneath them began to tremble and an enraged Clubberskull burst forth from the sandy ground, separating the two warriors on opposite sides of the cavern.

"What were you saying about silence being a bad thing?" Link called as the grotesquely misshapen creature, made of rotten bulbous flesh, pulled itself to its full height—which was considerable—and turned its full attention to the blue haired mercenary.

"Now is probably not the best time," Ike called back as he raised his blade.

The creature swung its skull-clubbed fist and Ike leaped to the side in a roll, narrowly avoiding being struck. The massive putrid creature's fist swung wide and slammed into the opening that they had just come through. The impact collapsed the aperture, effectively blocking Ike's only escape route and trapping him in between a hard place, and another gruesome looking, foul smelling, hard place with a personal vendetta.

Link saw Ike roll away from the monster's second strike and ran to come to his friend's aid.

"She really must like you, Ike," he called with a grin as he stabbed at the creature from behind and danced nimbly away from a retaliatory strike. "I mean, she destroyed the only exit just to keep you near her."

"I'm touched," Ike called back with a grunt as he swung his heavy blade hard into the creature's blubbery slimy forearm. It howled and staggered back.

Link poised his weapon to strike it again when he felt his senses suddenly warn of incoming danger. Cursing, he whirled around to see several Peahats and three Zurees. They were headed through the narrow opening of the exit to this cavern gallery.

If the murderous razor leafed plants and turban wearing wizards forced their way into the cavern room, he and Ike would not stand a chance; not against all of them at once with a ragging clubberskull on the loose. He knew instinctively as well as tactically, that he needed to hold the narrow passage of the cave.

By standing there, they could only come at him one or maybe two at a time. It was the only way to stop them. The only problem was that guarding the exit would leave Ike to fight the clubberskull alone. He caught the mercenary's eye and he saw Ike tense as he understood, his eyes flicking away for a brief moment to see the oncoming enemies

"I think she deserves to have a chance with you," Link called over his shoulder glibly in a way that well hid his apprehension. "I might just leave you two alone," he yelled as he began to hold the exit, and he could not resist one last parting jab, "You know, so you can bond."

"Oh, we're bonding alright!"

Ike dashed under the creature's skull club, his mind racing for a strategy. He saw an opening and raced forward, his sword making contact with soft belly flesh. The creature howled again and charged at its small tormentor, unleashing its full fury. The wildness and forcefulness of its assault forced Ike to take cover behind a pillar and outcropping of rock.

"I don't know why," Ike shouted over the din to Link, "but I'm just not feeling the love. Do you think we might have misinterpreted the signs?"

He faintly heard Link's laugh echo through the pounding yet fruitless blows of the clubberskull. The sound of the furious monster then diminished suddenly as if it finally realized the fruitlessness of its efforts. Finally, it stopped all together.

Ike's ghost smile faded entirely when he saw why. Knowing that it had no chance to get him, it had turned its attention upon Link who was still trying to hold back the last few enemies. The clubberskull made a rush at the green clad Hylain who hardly stood any chance of defending himself, beset by foes as he was. Swearing softly, Ike made a split second decision and committed himself to an utterly reckless course of action just as he heard Link's worried cry of "Ike?"

The mercenary sprinted forward across the sand and onto the grotesquely misshapen body of the monster, only to launch himself higher from its springy rotten flesh. The extra push granted him lift which he converted into extra force as he flipped, charging the flames of his sword as he plunged downward towards the creature's most sensitive spot- knowing all the while that he was leaving himself utterly vulnerable to retaliation.

Two things happened very fast. Ike slammed into the creature's weak spot. The shielding around the beast flung it from the stage, but not before its club fist slammed into the mercenary. Ike went flying in the opposite direction and landed hard in the soft dirt of the cavern. The force of the blow caused him to tumble until he came to a stop near the blocked entrance.

Link had seen it all from the corner of his eye and he threw himself flat as the clubberskull passed overhead, taking out the last of his enemies and widening out the exit in the process.

Link leaped to his feet, worry riding heavy in his chest. He dashed headlong across the now empty cavern to where Ike sat slumped against the rough rocks of the cavern wall.

"Ike?" the mercenary's name echoed for a second time through the cavern gallery.

Ike let out a soft groan and his eyes flickered open.

"Oww," he said simply, rubbing his head.

Link knelt beside him, practiced hands already searching for injuries and then finding one in the shape of an already forming lump upon the mercenary's head. Link winced. His friend pushed his questing fingers away.

"I'm alright. It was mostly a glancing blow." Ike's voice sounded steady and Link's fears began to ease.

In an impulse that was one part concern one part relief and a bit of cheek all mixed up, he held up his hands.

"Are you sure? How many fingers am I holding up?"

Ike glanced at his upraised appendages and answered promptly, "eight."

Link reset his hands and put down two different fingers.

"How many now?"

"Eight."

"And now?"

"Eight again."

"How about now?" Link moved his fingers into another pattern.

"Still eight." Ike's response was short, annoyed.

"And now?"

"Link..." Ike's voice was flat as he began to get to his feet, glaring at his Hylain comrade who was holding up his fingers in yet another pattern of eight.

Link grinned, lending a hand to help his friend up. Once Ike was standing, Link regarded him mostly seriously, his eyes sparkling.

"Thanks for saving me from your girlfriend."

Ike allowed himself a smile. "Yeah, it figures she would be too much for you."

Both were smiling then with relief at their victory and the knowledge that they only had one last chamber to clear. They were well used to each other.

The next chamber was much easier than the first and they made it through to the place where the last contest was to be held with little difficulty. However, Link could not help but notice Ike's slower motions and he winced again when he thought of the knock on his head.

Once they reached the final cavern, and saw what the last contest was going to be, Link saw Ike's shoulders slump. The final competition was 'Climb', an obstacle course that was a mix of a race and bouldering, or free climbing up the tallest cave wall. It was a deadly race where there were a few platforms and ledges on the wall to aid in climbing, but things would be dropped from above.

It was Ike's turn to complete the final challenge for their team, but Link could see that this could not be, not with Ike's head wound.

"I'll handle this one," Link said, catching Ike by his arm.

The mercenary nodded gratefully.

Link rushed forwards to where the competitors for this final contest were already lined up. He took his place in between Samus and Mario and caught a glimpse of Captain Falcon heading forward to join them.

He hardly had any time to prepare himself before the horn was blown and the clock started. Whoever was the furthest up the course, by the time that the clock ran out, would be the winner of the Smash Run Pretournament.

Link launched himself towards the rock face and began climbing with a will. He would climb and combine that with leaping upwards when he reached platforms. He would leap, catch a ledge and then pull himself up with practiced agility.

He had the lead and resolved to keep it. The incentive of fear, brought on by the knowledge that this was not a 'no contact' sport, urged him forwards. As if in response to his thoughts, he saw Mario and Captain Falcon engaged in a precarious battle over a ledge below him.

Link dodged a projectile thrown from above by swinging by one arm away from the spot he had previously clung to. The missile narrowly missed him. He swung back and re-exerted his hold on the section of rough wall he was currently traversing, only to see that Samus was gaining on him. The light of competition was shining dangerously forth from her eyes. She was not one to simply let a victory slip through her fingers.

With Mario and Captain Falcon stalled below, it became a desperate race upwards between the two of them. Neither of them for a moment even considered giving quarter to the other. Link felt his breath coming in raged gasps that matched in sound to his competitor's as he pushed his body to the limits.

The horn sounded a short five second warning. Link pulled himself over the final ledge, landing lightly on his feet at the exact same time as Samus. The horn sounded the call to stop. The bounty hunter and the hero eyed each other as they waited for the announcer to call the name of the victor. They did not have long to wait.

"And the winner is…Samus, by two and a half inches!"

Samus beamed and Link could only feel a sense of surprise. He had been sure that they had reached the ledge at exactly the same time. How could she have beaten him by two inches?

Suddenly, puzzlement gave way to shocked and then angry realization. Samus was exactly two and a half inches taller than he was, when she was wearing her flat bottomed shoes for climbing instead of heels.

His mouth dropped open and he found himself too astounded to voice the protest against discrimination that filled his thoughts. He had lost a contest that should have been a tie, simply because he was shorter.

~x~X~x~

About an hour later, Link watched Samus and her partner for these games, Lucina, standing proudly on the winner's podium. It was not a total loss for Link and Ike had gotten themselves higher stats than Samus and Lucina by killing the clubberskull; and Link had only lost by two and a half inches. But the circumstances behind that loss still rankled with him. He knew he was not tall by any of the normal standards but he had never before had cause to find fault in his stature. Being smaller had lent a hand into giving him quite a few advantages in the past, when it came to stealth especially.

By then, the room in which the victory ceremony was being held, was already filled with smashers who had all been informed of, or had seen the means and reason behind, Link and Ike's lot in second place. Although there were a few pitting stares, for the most part, the reaction to the news was the same—amusement. Though nobody was actually brazen enough to laugh at him face to face yet, the mirth of the others was obvious.

With the sting of unfairness still being a little fresh, Link was willing, but not quite ready to fully accept their mirth and add to it his own.

Ike put a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Ike." Link said simply. He was, after all, the reason that they had lost.

Ike's face did not show any sign of condemnation. There was disappointment, yes, but also understanding.

"You tried your best," he said, then smiled faintly. "Maybe I should have raced for us, all things considered," he said his mouth tilting up slightly at the corners… so much for being understanding.

"You actually probably should have; too bad for us that you felt the need to get hit on the head by your ugly girlfriend. That wasn't very well done: she was just one enemy and while you were struggling with her, I managed to take down about ten others and then run the race for us on top of that." Link smiled back, taking Ike's teasing challenge.

Ike seemed to consider that before he nodded seriously. "Which isn't at all bad for someone of such small stature. When you think about it, it's pretty inspiring how you can work through such difficulties."

Link felt his eyebrows draw downwards, a retort already forming on his lips when he saw Marth, another of his closer friends, enter the room with Princess Zelda not too far behind. The two of them had been paired for the pretournament but had decided to enter in Classic instead of Smash Run. They had actually gotten the highest score, followed shortly by Robin and Pit, then Lady Palutena and Sonic, and finally Ganondorf and Dark Pit.

Marth politely voiced his congratulations to Samus and Lucina, but hurried on when Zelda decided to stay and talk. He headed straight towards where Ike and Link stood. He raised a hand in acknowledgement and then stopped, facing them.

"Link, Ike," he greeted. "I heard about your narrow loss, and I am sorry that the margin was decided like that. I did not think it very fair. You should have tied."

Link felt himself relaxing slightly. Marth was one who generally upheld proper manners before fun. It made sense that he, and probably Zelda, would be the only ones who wouldn't laugh at him, directly or otherwise. After all the attention and laughter aimed at him and his circumstances, it was a break from the embarrassment that plagued him whenever he was faced with being the focal point. Hearing a more polite reaction was a breath of fresh air.

Link smiled at Marth, then grew slightly suspicious when he saw what appeared to be a twinkle of mischief lighting the other's eyes. Having known the Altean swordsman for the better part of two years, he knew that that look, rare at it was, was the equivalent of his and Ike's cheek; though it was generally more calculated then their typical fooling around.

Having recognized the look, Link waited for an inevitable jibe to follow Marth's words of condolence and support, and was surprised when none came.

Marth merely smiled again. He began to take a brown leather satchel from off of his shoulder.

"I got you a gift Link." Marth's face seemed alight with an expression akin to pride. "I hope that it will help you out a bit."

Curious, Link took the satchel after uttering a soft, "thank you."

He opened the pack, vaguely aware that most the eyes in the room were now directed upon him and his mysterious gift. He reached inside and extracted a study wooden box that was about 12x12x12 inches. On the front of it, a rendition of the triforce had been neatly painted in gold and black.

Link looked up in puzzlement. The mischievous gleam was back in Marth's eyes. That was the only indication, on a face that was schooled by years of politics into remaining neutral, that he was holding in gleeful laughter.

"It's a box," Marth told him solemnly.

"Yes, I can see that, but wha-"

"Just stick it on the ground, stand on it, and it will make you instantly taller. You can finally look people in the eyes when you speak to them, reach things, and even appear more intimidating in battle. It's the perfect cure for your, ehm, difficulty."

By now Marth could no longer contain his impish grin. Link's mouth dropped open in surprise.

"I even painted a triforce on it for you," Marth went on, "so Little Mac won't be able to steal it."

At Marth's revelation and Link's stunned expression, Ike's face broke into a broad grin and he doubled over slightly with muffled laughter. However, aside from Pit—who, in deciding earlier that Link would be his friendly rival this season and therefore found all this hugely amusing, enough so that he'd nearly fallen over he was laughing so hard—Ike was the only one who laughed. Everyone else gawked in silence at Marth's brashness.

To say that Link had a reputation for being a highly skilled fighter would have been an understatement. The idea of incurring his wrath was not one that most of the smashers wished to entertain and yet Marth seemed to have forgotten his supposed wisdom and purposely done just that.

Zelda stared on at the unfolding scene in the same shocked silence as everyone else, save Ike, Pit, and the few villains who were eagerly looking forward to a fight. She saw Link shut his mouth slowly, his eyes narrowing under lowered brows. He opened his mouth to speak but seemed to be having difficulty forming comprehensive words. Zelda prepared herself to move forwards with the intentions to try and stop any potential oncoming violence. As she did so, she noticed that everyone else, aside from Ike and Pit, now practically pounding each other's backs in mirth, had taken a step back.

"Whatever—" Link began in a low voice, "Whatever possessed you to do something so…so…" he lifted his eyes upwards to meet those of the prince and then, to everyone's surprise, his composure broke and his tone lightened, "so considerate?" he finished and then burst into laughter himself. His laughter was so genuine and infectious that most everyone in the room ended up joining them.

As everyone was leaving, Link hung back to walk out with Ike and Marth. Link looked down at the box he still held in his hand and then jabbed Marth in the shoulder.

"You're just as bad as Ike and I."

"True, but you two are worse at hiding it, which saves me the strife of having both of your reputations," he grinned and then gestured to the box in Link's hand. "You don't have to keep it, I really only meant it in jest."

"Are you kidding? I love it! I am going to treasure it always."

"Or at least until he finds the perfect opportunity to throw it at your head," Ike chimed in. "Perhaps you should have rounded off the corners."

Marth laughed. "If he can throw it that high, that is."

"Oh, that just does it!" Link cried indignantly, hefting the box deftly from his right hand to his left and taking a throwing stance.

"Marth you shouldn't test him like that, he just lost the first major race of the season. A person doesn't just recover from that in an instant." Ike said with mock sincerity.

"I may have lost the race that's true," Link returned his false sympathies, "but Ike actually deserves your pity more than I do; not only did he lose the race, he also lost his lover."

Ike nodded solemnly.

"Oh, and who was she?" Marth asked.

"A Clubberskull," Ike and Link replied simultaneously.

Marth curled his lip in an involuntary show of revulsion. "If that's the best you can do, Ike, perhaps you should stop trying."

"Don't be so judgmental. She was very powerful, and she was also the first woman to actually be able to see into my heart and recognize my truest potential."

"And as soon as she did, she hit him over the head," Link added.

"Figures." Marth grinned.

A/N: Thank you for reading! I really appreciate getting feedback and even constructive criticism. I'm an aspiring author who still has a lot to learn so feedback helps a lot!

I would like to thank the DS version of Smash brothers for the inspiration for this chapter. I cannot tell you how sick and tired I am of losing to the taller characters in smash run when the competition is climb. It's totally unfair XD Size prejudice I say! It's unacceptable. I hereby call for a short people revolution! We may be small but our passions and hearts are…. can anyone actually hear me from down here?

Question: is anybody happy to have Roy back? (the swordsman not Bowser's minion, though he's cool too, in his own minion-like way XD )