The Awakening of a Memory
"You looked pretty happy when you received the Switch version of 'The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening' in the mail..." Ash mused as he and Misty followed Brock upstairs to his room. "I only ever played the DX version--and I've tried to keep away from spoilers just in case I get a copy for Christmas too."
"Bad memories of Braviary's Tower..." Misty shuddered as she plopped on a beanbag chair, sending an array of Pokemon dolls tumbling to the floor. "I very nearly threw my electric blue Game Boy Color at the wall!"
She smiled as she retrieved a Flygon neck pillow. "So, what's the big differences besides nicer graphics and updated music?" she asked as she draped the Flygon pillow around her head.
"Does the old Secret Samba trick still work?" Ash wondered as Brock took a picture of his own copy of the black Game Boy cartridge and the tiny Switch card together.
"From what I have read and seen on MyTube, yes, the old trick still works." Brock replied as he texted the picture to his family, then inserted the new game card into his Switch.
After retrieving a Pro Controller near the TV, he wasted no time in christening one file "Link", then typing "ZELDA" on the second file, just as he had done on his electric green Game Boy Color many times before.
Ash's eyes widened as the familiar Latin infused version of the iconic video game theme started playing. "Wow...they even got real instruments to play the song!"
"This is just like how I imagined the bleepy Game Boy version to sound in my head!" Misty smiled, grooving to the beat and the trumpet playing the familiar heroic melody.
After deleting the "ZELDA" file, Brock highlighted the "Link" file. "Shall we start our grand adventure?"
"Yeah!" Ash and Misty replied at nearly the same time.
"Pika!" Pikachu agreed as he snuggled against a Jolteon doll Ash had picked up from the floor.
"What a relief!" Brock read Marin's text in a spot on mimic of Misty's voice. "I thought you'd never wake up!"
"Brock really going to voice act all the characters?" the real Misty wondered as Brock continued reading the text, using his mimic of Misty for Marin, and a lower pitched version of Mario for Tarin.
"If you just want to read the text yourselves, I'll keep it quiet." Brock replied as himself. "I just felt reading the characters' lines in character would give you guys a little more immersive experience."
"Keep doing voices! I kinda wonder what kind of voices you'd give the quirkier characters." Ash suggested.
"Or the chattier monsters, or the Pokemon of the Pokemon Village." Misty suggested.
"Okay, I'll keep voice acting unless both of you specifically ask me to stop." Brock assured his companions. "But we're not going to get very far without a means to defend ourselves."
"So let's go find a sword!" Misty smiled.
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"Okay...we have a sword, we got the Tail Key...let's head for Tail Cave." Brock suggested as he guided his Link south of Mabe Village. "I do know there is a rudimentary dungeon maker in the Switch version, but I don't know where it is yet. The map is a bit more expansive, and you can make notes on it."
"I do like how the sword and the shield have dedicated spaces..." Ash noticed on the pause screen.
"I'm pretty sure the Power Bracelet and Pegasus Boots have dedicated spaces too--so less time fumbling in the menus and more time adventuring." Brock explained as his Link made his way inside the cave.
Misty smiled as Brock carefully yet quickly make his way through the cave. "Memories coming back to you at all?"
"Yeah...I'm actually surprised by how much of the Game Boy version I remember!" Brock replied.
He balked as an enemy sent him towards a hole, inches away from the cave leading to the Roc's Feather. "Et tu, muscle memory?" Misty grinned as Brock's Link respawned at the passage's entrance with one heart left.
"Yeah..." Brock sighed. "Forgot the shield has its own dedicated button in this version..." He let that hang as he finally obtained the Rock's Feather. "The good news is, now we can pick up this floating heart, so we can avert the GAME OVER screen...at least for now."
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