Memories of Hyrule Past

Chapter 5 - Mipha's Admiration

Summary: Link's continues his pursuit of combat excellence. His love for the Zora people drives him to confront an enemy who has been terrorizing them.

I had pretty much exhausted the monsters in Hyrule for training purposes. I did not feel they offered a challenge comparable to what I would face when Calamity Ganon returned. So, I struggled for ideas. Then it occurred to me. Why not put these ancient Guardians to use?

Guardian research was under the supervision of Purah and her student Robbie. Both were young Sheikah scientists who specialized in ancient Sheikah technology. They worked at the Hyrule Castle research lab, and I was able to set up a time to meet with them. They knew about me and who I was.

"Link, what can we do for you," said Purah.

"Hello Dr. Purah and Dr. Robbie," I said. "I am hoping you can help me. I am training for my possible battle with Calamity Ganon, and I had the idea that perhaps I could practice battling one of the Guardians you are working with."

"That would be very dangerous," said Robbie. "Have you seen what these Guardians can do? They have a strong energy beam and enough automated intelligence to back off when attacked by a sword and use their beams while reversing. They are quite deadly, and not something to be trifled with."

"Are they deadlier than Calamity Ganon?" I asked.

Purah and Robbie looked at each other.

"No, of course not," said Robbie. "No single Guardian is as powerful. We don't know much about Calamity Ganon but the stories of 10,000 years ago indicate four Divine Beasts were needed to help subdue him."

"Then if I cannot defeat a Guardian, how can I expect to defeat Calamity Ganon?" I responded.

"I won't deny you have a good point," said Purah. "But I am concerned you could suffer a terrible injury in the process. The Guardian beams are quite strong. You would need to be very careful."

"I want to do it," I said.

"Well, let me see if we can moderate the energy beam to be less powerful," said Robbie.

"And we will need to check with Princess Zelda at least," said Purah. "She may be reluctant to see you take such risks for training purposes. Let us check with her, and we will let you know."

I left the meeting but was not overly optimistic. But later that same day a member of the Royal Guard said I should follow him and that Her Highness wished to see me. I followed the guard, and he led me to a room where Zelda stood. I bowed my head and said, "Your Highness, you wished to see me?"

"Yes. Regarding your idea of battling Guardians. I think that is an excellent idea. But I am concerned for your well-being. Should I ask Mipha perhaps to be on hand to deal with any injuries? I know she is your friend." said Zelda.

I had to think for a moment. I missed Mipha and having her here would help me recover from any injuries. On the other hand, I know Mipha would be nervous watching me battle. And knowing she was here might cloud my judgment about how much risk to take. After all, she would not be present when I had to battle Calamity Ganon. So, I thought it best not to involve her.

"No, Your Highness," I said. "I think it would be stressful for her and I should train without relying on her presence."

"Very well," said Zelda. "I will let Dr. Purah know you can proceed with your combat training against a Guardian."

It was too late to start training today, so I planned to do it first thing tomorrow.

Next day I met with Robbie on Hyrule Field. Robbie said he would supervise the training exercise and he had powered down the Guardian beam somewhat. It could still burn but would not cause the level of harm it could inflict at full power. He gave me a demonstration of the Guardian Stalker's capabilities, and they were quite impressive. The range and power of its beams were amazing, and its ability to autonomously react to circumstances made it a formidable adversary. I told Robbie I was ready and he activated the Guardian. It homed in on me almost instantly, its red eye pulsating with energy. It fired its weapon, and I dodged it just in time. The Guardian was recharging so I took the opportunity to shoot an arrow into its eye. That stunned it for a moment. Then Robbie halted the exercise and called me over.