The Fractured Holder [Pokémon/LoZ Crossover]

33| The Eldin Highlands

Tomorrow was the day they were to leave for the Cavern Temple, and Zelda insisted on some last-minute training. All they'd been doing the past few days was was train, but besides Zelda trying to teach Link more of the alphabet, they really had nothing else to do. Still, Link was more than happy to train with Zelda, or merely spend time with her for that matter. She was just as enthusiastic.

"Okay, we're gonna try this again..." Link summoned an orb of Courage in his hand before tossing it skywards. A moment later, an arrow pierced it, and green light exploded across the cloudy sky. He stared at the explosion, trying to sense any traces of Wisdom. There were none, and he frowned.

"Ya said you were gonna try and do it with that one! Again!" he said, looking over at Zelda.

"I tried, but the energy dissipates before the arrow reaches the target," she replied with a sigh of frustration. "Give me another few tries, and I'll be able to do it then!"

Another few tries? Link knew he would be out of Courage soon, and the same went for Zelda's Wisdom. "It's not even noon, we'll be outta energy by then if we keep this up. At least, I think it's not noon yet..."

"You can't even keep track of the time now? We've definitely been here too long if that's happening," Zelda said jokingly, smiling.

Link couldn't help but smirk back. "Hey, the trees block a lot of the sun here! Unless ya want me to climb 'em, it's kinda difficult to see the sky."

The night of the village bonfire had been a confusing one to Link. He didn't fully understand what he'd felt that night with Zelda, but he wanted more of it. Even thinking about it made him want to smile. He knew the times he unironically smiled were rare, and yet Zelda had been able to make him smile almost every day. He felt guilty that she garnered more smiles than Luce. At the same time, he didn't care. He wondered if that was wrong.

"But really, I'm sorry for making us waste our energy like this," Zelda said. "I'll get it with this next one."

"Wait. Before ya do that, just lemme see what you're doin'," Link said as he walked over to Zelda. Following a nod from him, she pulled another arrow and raised the bow, her aura flaring. Blue and golden light flowed down the arrow as she shot it. For a second the energy around the arrow burned fiercely. Then it was gone, like it had fizzled away.

Zelda let out a groan of frustration, clenching her fists. "See? It's like it's escaping." Link's brow furrowed as he thought. Aura was capable of forming solid objects and maintaining those forms, so there should be a way for Aura to cling to an already-existing object. Soon, he conjured a mental image.

"Try this. It's another one of my bad vis... visualizations," he started, staggering on the word he'd heard Resa use yesterday. "Pretend the arrow's a hall or somethin', and the arrowhead's a dead end. The energy can't go past the dead end, and it can't go through the walls. Focus on that as ya shoot."