Link took a deep breath, savoring the freshness of the outside air. He tried not to think about the salty tinge it had. Dark waves sloshed against the rocky shore, mere feet from where he and the others walked. He cast a glance over his shoulder, just catching a glimpse of the Domain's main entrance before it went out of sight.
Resa had wasted no time in requesting that they be led to the temple, and in return, guards from the Zoran Royal Guard was summoned to be the Holders' escorts. These escorts were a male and female duo named Tyde and Elria as well as a duo of Carbink and a Wingull. With them leading the way, they were able to set out in less than an hour after sunrise the next morning.
The Riptide Temple was apparently located on the far north side of Zora's Domain, and that made for a moderately long trek. Link couldn't care less about the conversation Zelda and Resa made with their escorts, but he was tired of staring out at the ocean, so he idly listened in.
"Over the past couple hundred years, the Riptide Temple has slowly been sinking into the ocean," Tyde said.
Zelda glanced at the blue-scaled Zora. "How is it sinking? Is the sea level rising?" she questioned.
Tyde shook his head. "The ocean is just fine. It's just that the cliff that the temple was built on has started to collapse. After all, it was built on an overhang."
"Because of its sinking, the Tentacruel and Tentacool have tried to claim it in addition to the channel every year," Elria explained. "If we let them claim the temple, they might think they could invade the rest of Zora's Domain. That's why we have guards stationed by it. Otherwise, we would have let the temple stand in peace."
"Don't be surprised if we have to fend off some of those Water-type scoundrels," Tyde added.
"Like hell we will," Link scoffed.
Tyde's eyes widened as he looked at Link, incredulous. "One of those things almost drowned you yesterday. How could you defend them?"
"They're not just mindless things, they have thoughts and such too. It's like walkin' into an Ursaring's den and wonderin' why it bit ya!" Link spat. "Maybe you shouldn't've driven 'em outta the channel in the first place."
"Are you seriously questioning that?" Tyde asked, glaring at Link like he was a complete idiot.
Link's eyes narrowed as his brow furrowed. How could they not see where he was coming from? But then he realized what they were likely thinking, and he rolled his eyes. "Yeah, trade and travel and whatever. That justifies kickin' Pokémon outta their homes."
"At least you're not completely ignorant about how these things work," Tyde said. "And if you want to be strangled or melted by acid, be my guest."
What makes you think we'll be attacked? Resa asked.
Tyde looked at her, frowning. "The queen has those Gerudo troops standing guard there today," Tyde huffed. "I don't get how she trusts them. I wouldn't trust them with a Sunkern, let alone a Hyrule relic like a temple."
Link could feel the anger sparking from Resa's aura, but her tone was her usual icy calm when she spoke. You call it a Hyrule relic, even though the temple was built on your land?
"Well, yes," Elria said. "We've been allied with Hyrule ever since the kingdom was first founded, so of course when they asked if a temple could be built here, we agreed. We really have no right to claim something built by Hylian hands unless Queen Mipha says so."
"And you know she wouldn't. She cares about that desert—that king too much," Tyde sloppily tried to cover up what he was about to say, and Elria nodded in agreement.
Zelda was obviously upset about what was being said, and she didn't hesitate to speak up. "King Daemos sent over those guards to help you. Why are you scorning them like this?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.
Tyde looked at her, his brow furrowed in irritation. "You know how they are," he said, baring his pointed teeth. "They probably try to steal from the palace whenever they get the chance."
Elria gripped her spear tighter, frowning. "They're honestly more frightening when they're alone. They're more unpredictable."
"Like a cornered Mightyena," Tyde added.
Link wanted to agree with them, and he was about to when he saw Zelda's fists clench, and a golden sheen began to overtake her aura. "You don't—!"
How much longer until we reach the temple? Resa interjected.
Her words seemed to snap Tyde out of the anger he'd been brewing in as he glanced at Resa. "Not much farther." He pointed around a distant bend in the cliff. "We'll be able to see the temple once we round that."
Thank you, Resa said, crossing her sashes and aiming a glare at Zelda. The woman sucked in a breath through gritted teeth before forcibly relaxing her shoulders. Moments later, her aura settled back to its usual state.
Things were quiet after that. Nobody bothered to make any more conversation, though Link could tell what it would have been about. The anger and hostility pulsing off everyone's auras was like a thick, dark smog. Link found himself falling back in hopes of trying to alleviate the churning in his gut that resulted from the oppressive emotions. Luce stuck by him, purposefully keeping her own emotions light. Link gave her a smile of appreciation for that.
The cliff face soon shifted as they rounded the bend Tyde had pointed out, and the temple came into view. It sat at the end of a long shelf of rock that seemed to slowly dip down into the water the farther out it went. From where Link was, he couldn't tell how deep the water that had crept over the rock was. At the end of this shelf, appearing as an island rising from the ocean, was a moderately large, square-shaped building made from dark stone. But oddly, there was nobody around, making the already lonely-looking temple seem all the more isolated.
"Uh, didn't ya say there were supposed to be guards here or somethin'?" Link asked.
"There were supposed to be," Tyde growled. "Damn desert scum. Of course they shirked their work!"
A scowl twisted Zelda's features in seconds, and she got in Tyde's face. "Why do you instantly think they abandoned their posts?" she demanded.
"Because they're layabouts who'd rather waste their time on their own selfish wants!" Tyde hissed, not flinching, even with how close Zelda was to him.
Link's senses pricked as he could feel new auras nearby, just to the left of them. He shared a glance with Luce, and her aura sensors were raised. These auras were in the water, and a shiver ran down Link's spine at that. He swore he could see red lights pulsing in the blackish depths. Resa followed his gaze, and her blade began to glow with a ghostly energy.
Is something wrong? she asked Link and Luce.
"Definitely," Link said, beginning to back away from the water, but his words were drowned out by Zelda.
"You have no right to judge them this way! There could be another reason for why they aren't here," she said.
Elria turned on her next. "Then where else would they be?"
"Get back!" Link yelled. Nobody else seemed to be paying attention until it was too late. He grabbed Zelda's arm and yanked her away just as a powerful torrent of high-pressure water blasted towards the quarreling trio. Everyone else scattered, barely avoiding the Hydro Pump that smashed into the cliff face and sent bits of rock in all directions.
Link had instinctively pulled Zelda behind him to shield her, like he would've done for Luce if she hadn't already dodged. Zelda roughly hit the cliff wall behind them, and she let out a slight squeak of pain. But she didn't react adversely to what Link had done, not even a flicker of anger.
Fira scrambled back to his paws after having thrown himself to the ground. Th-thank you, he said, stunned.
"Thanks later," Link snapped, whirling around to face the group of Water-Poison Pokémon that were beginning to surface. The amount of auras swelled, quickly growing from six to twelve, then twenty. The ocean became alight with red lights as the orbs atop the Pokémon's heads glinted ominously.
"Th-there's so many," Tyde stuttered, his mouth falling open.
"Don't even think about attackin' 'em," Link shot everyone stern glares, lingering on Tyde a moment longer than the others, "not 'til they move first," he finished. He'd been in situations like this more times than he could count. "They'll think we're fleein' and definitely attack us then." That point was even more strained with Pokémon in packs.
Link's eyes searched the sea of Pokémon, and among them he could see some things that didn't look anything like the tentacled creatures. There were around four of them, and they were also red, but it wasn't the red of the glimmering orbs. Also, these things seemed to wave about like seaweed.
His gaze traveled down the red waves, only to see that they were attached to things that were ensnared in the tentacles of the larger Tentacruel. He couldn't exactly tell with the rippling water, but these things seemed to be writhing in the tentacles, like they were trying to escape.
"Car..." Luce hissed, her eyes glowing azure as she stared into the water. She looked panicked now, and Link quickly found out why. He had to struggle to sort through the auras to separate these ones, but the sheer fear and panic that twisted them made them easier to pick out, and acute shock struck Link when he had.
Those auras belonged to the Gerudo guards.
At the same time, however, Tyde seemed to notice this as well. He lurched forwards towards the water, brandishing his spear. "The Tentacruel have the guar—!" he was cut off when a flurry of attacks were fired at them. Hydro Pumps, Acids, Bubble Beams, Water Pulses, all of these delugued the shore and hacked at the cliff face.
"Get rid of them, Carbink! Power Gem!" Elria commanded.
A wave of horror washed over Link. "Wait, stop!" he yelled, only to be too late as the rocks were hurled at the water-bound Pokémon. Gurgled shrieks rang out as the glowing stones mercilessly stabbed into their targets, and the water bloomed with red.
That one attack seemed to be a signal, one for everyone else to start retaliating. Within seconds, everything devolved into absolute chaos. Chaos that, for once, Link didn't want to be a part of.
Resa easily sliced through Bubble Beams and Water Pulses, bursting them harmlessly and striking back with a Shadow Sneak or Aerial Ace. Fira followed suit with Psybeams and Flamethrowers that served to deter the opposing Pokémon from rising out of the water. Those that did rise were struck by Zelda's arrows, though they didn't fly with nearly the same fervor.
Even with Zelda and Fira striking, that still didn't stop the Pokémon from hauling themselves up onto the shore, where they did manage to attack. Purple-green acid flew, burning and melting everything it touched, and poison-coated tentacles gouged holes in the rock as they stabbed down and missed. But the Pokémon that dared to approach were impaled by the Zora guards' spears or more Power Gems. The shoreline quickly began to run with water, acid, and blood, and the air grew thick with a noxiously metallic stench.
The only one who wasn't fighting besides Link was Luce, who just tried to repel the Water Pokémon's attacks with Aura shields or plainly punch and kick away any who got too close.
Through all of it, Link tried his best to stop things. He was shoved away by Tyde and Elria, nearly burned by Fira, and flat-out ignored by Resa. "Stop it, dammit!" he yelled, panicked. No matter how loud he yelled, nobody was listening to him, and it made him want to scream with frustration.
A hiss from the water drew his attention then, and with a lurching heart he narrowly dove out of the way of an Acid attack. But he couldn't avoid all of it as corrosive liquid splashed his arm and spattered the left side of his face, instantly setting his skin on fire with a horrid searing.
He choked back a cry as he ripped away the fabric from his shirt sleeve. It exposed the quickly-forming burns to the open air, but it prevented the acid from further eating away at his skin. The damage to his face had already been done, so trying to wipe away the droplets only resulted in corroding his other sleeve. Meanwhile, his assailant pulled itself from the water and began to crawl towards him.
Reluctantly, he drew the Master Sword, hoping he could just intimidate the Tentacruel. "Don't make me hurt ya," he bluffed, scowling as he brandished the divine blade. Was it just him, but did the sword's aura feel as uncertain as him? But the Tentacruel didn't back down. It only raised its tentacles as they glowed a sickly purple, preparing a Poison Jab that was easily fatal to a person. It flashed through Link's mind to use Courage, only be quickly chased away. After what happened with Luce, he felt sick just thinking of using it against another Pokémon.
The Tentacruel rose up on its tentacles, looming over Link. He tensed, preparing to dodge and run. An arrow then sailed in from the side and buried itself in one of the red orbs on the Pokémon's head with a sickening thunk. It hissed and slithered back into the water, leaving a red trail in its wake. Link didn't need to look to see who had shot the arrow, but he still glared at her nonetheless.
"What are you doing?" Zelda cried. The anger in her expression turned to worry when her eyes fell to his burns. "You could've been killed!"
Link cradled his injured arm as he protested, "But we don't have the right to hurt 'em! They're just tryin' to defend what they think is their turf."
Zelda's anger returned then. "Now isn't the time to be a hypocrite!" she retorted. "We can't let the guards die either! They did nothing wrong, not to mention that our lives are on the line as well!"
Anger strangled Link's horror as he scowled, but it wavered when he saw tears shimmering in Zelda's eyes.
"W-we can't reason with wild Pokémon, not when the guards will die if we take too long," she tried to state, though it came out as more of a whimper. "Use Courage if you don't want to hurt them, and I know you can do it. I've seen you practicing with Luce, you're trying to control it. Send it through the water; I'll do it with you! If you're worried about hurting them, there's nothing they can hit besides each other." Link still hesitated. "Please!" Zelda insisted. "Those guards did nothing wrong, they need our help!"
Nothing wrong. 'What had she done to you?' Even through the chaos, Link could recall Resa's words clearly. And... the guards truly hadn't done anything wrong. Link couldn't believe what he was thinking. A Gerudo not doing something wrong? It couldn't be true!
"Please, Link!" Zelda cried.
It couldn't be true... and yet, it was. Icy nausea churned in Link's stomach, but he still spoke. "F-fine, I'll do it," he muttered. Pure joy overtook Zelda. She seized his hands, grasping them tightly.
"Thank you!" she cried. Link had never seen her so look happy, and it twisted something strangely in him. But there wasn't time to dwell on it, as he was hit by a rush of power from Zelda's aura. He made Farore's essence surged in an attempt to match hers. They turned to face the ocean, just as a huge wave conjured by many Surfs began to rise.
Power swept through Link's body, setting his veins aflame along with his Triforce marking. In seconds it began to waver, though it was reignited by the energy he felt course to him from Zelda. In unconscious synch, they flung their hands out towards the waves, responding with ones of their own. Cyan light raced outwards, crashing into the Pokémon on its way to the massive wave. Divinity then collided with nature in a great display.
Everything seemed to stop when the Surf exploded into spray. Water flew everywhere, bursting upwards like a geyser dozens of feet tall. Pinkish droplets glittered sickly gold in the weak sunlight and seemed to scrape the clouds. The water then came down in a rain on the unconscious Water-Poison Pokémon, washing away some of the blood from the more injured and deceased ones.
It was then that Link's legs gave out, and he sank to his knees, his chest heaving. His vision was beginning to spiral away into blackness as it felt like every last ounce of his strength had been wrung from him. Zelda fell beside him, slumping onto her hands and knees. Over his labored breaths, he could hear Elria cry, "The guards!"
The Zora dove into the surf to retrieve the now-free Gerudo, Luce alongside them while Resa waited with Fira on the shore. Link couldn't tell if the guards were still alive from their auras. After all, he was too focused on the pounding that had started up in his head the moment that cyan light had left him.
"L-Link?" Zelda faintly muttered. He struggled to look at her, though to him it seemed like he was viewing her down a long, dark tunnel. Her hand then rose, and Link dimly wondered what she was doing. His answer came when Zelda smacked him across the face, hard, pulling him back into consciousness. Before he could even think of protesting, she snickered, "D-don't... pass out. Isn't that... wh-what you wanted?"
Link wanted to laugh. Hylia, that girl was a pain, but he definitely admired her guts. "Yeah, it is," he wheezed. "Th-thanks, Zelda."
She shook her head slowly. "N-no, thank you for helping me. I know that... must've been a difficult choice t-to make."
Link watched the four Gerudo guards be pulled from the water, limp and seemingly lifeless. He thought he'd seen one or two of them break free and reach the surface during the fight, though Wisdom and Courage's power had likely knocked them out. Link and Zelda could only watch as the others tended to them. The Wingull had already left to retrieve help, so it was just a race against time now.
"You think th-they're alive?" Zelda wondered, glancing at Link expectantly. He sighed and tried to focus on their auras. They were hardly there, like lit candles in a breeze. Three little flickering flames with a sputtering fourth.
"Three are... Can't really tell with the fourth... but I think she's fine too," Link said, glancing at Zelda. That seemed to be enough for her, as the relief on her face was instant. It almost looked like she was about to slump over from sheer relief, or perhaps it was Wisdom's effects. Link looked back to the guards, frowning. "I-I don't get it..." he muttered.
Zelda mustered up a small smile, already knowing what Link was referring to. "Perhaps... d-don't be so quick to judge them next time. J-just consider it."
Just consider it... In a second, the brief uncertainty was dismissed in his mind. If Link had enough energy to, he would have scoffed. No, she was wrong, this was wrong. If anything, this was just a fluke. He deliberately tried to shove aside the incident in Seres City. Just a fluke.
"Never trust the Gerudo, Link. Not with your life or even the time of day."
If his mother's words weren't enough to go by, then it was the scene he was presented with mere weeks after she'd said those words. He'd seen the truth, and it still dwelled in the recesses of his mind, haunting his dreams yet providing the kindling for that precious inner fire he treasured. And he refused to let the fire go out.
Still... even with renewed anger simmering in his chest, he couldn't deny that it was nice to see Zelda happy with him for once.