**Chapter 1: The Great Link-napping**

"It's-a me, Mario! And I'm-a tellin' ya, it's-a been way too long since we've had a good ol' fashioned rescue mission!" Mario exclaimed, bouncing up and down in his iconic red cap and blue overalls. His trusty bro, Luigi, nodded in agreement, adjusting his green overalls and matching hat. The two brothers were lounging in the Mushroom Kingdom, enjoying a rare moment of peace. It had been over a month since Princess Peach had last been kidnapped by Bowser, and the Mario brothers were itching for action. They missed the thrill of the chase, the rush of adrenaline, and the satisfaction of yelling "It's-a me, Mario!" at the top of their lungs. Just then, a Toad burst into the room, looking frantic. "Mario brothers! It's-a disaster! Every single famous guy named Link has been kidnapped!" The brothers exchanged a look, and their eyes widened in unison. "What?! That's-a crazy talk!" Mario shouted, his mustache bristling with indignation. "Which Links, exactly?" The Toad handed them a list, and they scanned it quickly. There was Link from The Legend of Zelda, Link from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Link from Hyrule Warriors, and even Link from the old Super Smash Bros. games. The list went on and on, featuring Links from various TV shows, movies, and books. Luigi's eyes grew wide. "Whoa, that's-a a lot of Links! And they're all named Link? What's-a going on here?" Mario's face set in determination. "We don't know, but we're-a gonna find out. It's-a time to save the Links! It's-a Mario time, and it's-a Luigi time! We're-a the only ones who can rescue them all!" The brothers high-fived each other, and Luigi let out a excited whoop. "We're-a gonna need a plan, bro! We can't just barge in without knowing what we're up against." Mario grinned. "Don't worry, bro. I've got-a a plan. We're-a gonna start by gathering information. We'll talk to the other heroes, see if they've heard anything about the kidnappings." As they set off on their mission, they stumbled upon a mysterious poster plastered on a nearby wall. It featured a sinister-looking figure with a menacing grin, and a caption that read: "The Great Link-napping: Courtesy of the diabolical... ZELDAXZ!" Mario's eyes narrowed. "Zeldaxz? Sounds-a like a real piece of work. We're-a gonna have some fun with this guy." Luigi nodded, and together they set off to track down the first lead, ready to face whatever dangers lay ahead. "Let's-a go save some Links!" Luigi shouted, as they disappeared into the distance. The fate of the Links, and the world, rested on their shoulders. The adventure had begun, and it was going to be a wild ride.