It was another dark, dank, and gloomy day within the Underworld as Pain and Panic went about doing their daily chores. They had already fed Cerberus and had just been pooped out after he had once again eaten them. They had then bathed in the river of lost souls before going into Hades throne room to tidy up the place before going to do the daily soul count down in Tartartus to make sure all souls were still accounted for.

"Say Pain" comes Panic, getting his fat and chubby companion to look up from his spit polish work on Hades throne. "Do you ever wonder why we even do this to begin with? I mean, we could clean for a thousand years and it wouldn't look any different than it does before cleaning?"

"I don't know. Maybe just the act of doing the deed itself is..." Pain doesn't finish as the room is suddenly assaulted by strange, old school rock sounding music.

"What's that?" asked Pain.

"Maybe Orpheus is trying out something new?" suggest Panic.

They then hear another noise which makes them to towards the entrance, just in time to see a truly horrible sight come sliding into view. That sight was a near naked Hades, wearing nothing but boxer shorts and some snappy looking shades while shaking his boney booty to the beat of the music.

Just take those old records off the shelf

I'll set and listen to em by myself

Today's music ain't got the same soul

I like that old time rock n' roll

"OH MY GOD!" scream both Pain and Panic as they run to and hug each other tight in fear as they watch their master dancing like a fool to the music, singing along with the song while shaking both arms and butt like he was the hottest thing alive...or dead.

"Oh yeah, so feeling the groove" says Hades, oblivious to his underlings freaked out mental states.

"I see you're enjoying yourself, Hades" comes the voice of Maleficent, making the God of Death stop, his eyes already turned towards the direction the voice had come from and seeing a ball of green flame appear and a ghostly image of the Dark Fairy to appear around it.

"So, what do I owe the honor in your visiting me, Dark Fairy Girl...so to speak of course?" says Hades.

"You first. What has gotten you in such a jubilant mood? From what I've heard, that boy Hercules has thwarted you at every turn in your plan to become the King of Gods" comes Maleficent.

"Minor roadblocks, I assure you" comes Hades, sounding rather calm than he usually was when his failings were brought up. "And soon, nothing more than a past memory."

"Oh, does that mean you actually have a plan that can work?" asked Maleficent.

"Oh, you could say that. I won't bore you with the details but I recently came into ownership of something that will insure my rise in station within the ranks of the Olympians. And the best part is that the Fate sisters have told me that even Hercules won't be able to stop this."

"Do tell" comes Maleficent.

Hades sticks a finger out and shakes it. "No, no, sorry. But keep an eye or two on this little world of mine and I promise you'll get quite the show. Now then, why did you come a calling?"

"I felt I should inform you that the Keyblade brat and his companions are in approach to your world and could be arriving at any time" comes Maleficent. "I wonder if they could pose a problem for your plans?"

Hades laughs, saying "Thanks for the heads up, but it really wasn't necessary as I already suspected that the brat would be coming as the Fates spoke of outsiders coming into play, not that they're interference will matter when all is said and done."

All they said was to beware the power of Valor, born of two hearts as one. Whatever that means?

"Well, since you seem to have everything under control, I'll take my leave then" says Maleficent as her image fades and the fire floats off till it can no longer be seen. "But I will watch your little show. If nothing else, it should be entertaining" she says as the flame fades from sight.

"Oh, it will be at that" says Hades before spinning around and yelling out "Pain, Panic."

"You called, your most nakedness" they both cry.

"Go and rouse the beast from the dungeons. The time for my games has come..."

Realm Hearts

chpt.26: Zeroes to Heroes

pt.1: Let the Games Begin

"Man oh man, sure is a lively place" says Mushu, leading the group through the busy streets of the city they had landed close by to. Well, he was leading only because he was keeping himself in the front, wanting everyone to think he was top dog.

"And different to, A-Hyuk" adds Goofy.

"Who cares about that right now" grumbles Donald. "We only need to seal one more keyhole before we can finally get to Master Yen Sid's. We need to hurry up and find it."

"So does that mean you have any ideas on where it is then, feather duster?" asked Mushu.

"Uh...well, we could ask around I guess" says Donald, not sounding to sure of that idea.

"Yeah, real good idea. I'm sure EVERYONE here knows all about it" says Mushu which makes Donald glare at him. Goofy sighs, knowing another round of head butting was about to happen.

"Hey guys, I think I may have been to this world before" says Roxas, wanting to stop the latest Donald and Mushu spat.

"Just like with Wonderland? Are you sure, son?" asked Jiminy who was currently standing on Goofy's shoulders.

Roxas shrugs, then says "I can't be sure. The world I'm thinking of was one of the first I visited and I spent most of my time there lost inside a cave. But the design of the buildings does make me recall the design of the far off city I saw in that world. Either this is the same world or one that's a lot like it."

Mushu turns around to look back at him while still walking, now backwards. "So, any ideas on where the key..." He doesn't finish as he walks into a person, making him trip over himself.

"Mushu, watch where you're going" yells Donald.

"Gawrsh, sorry about that, mister" says Goofy.

The old, bald headed man simply smiles at them and says "No problem son. I was the one who stepped out into his path." He then looks the group over and says "Odd garments you wear, strangers. I take it you are not from around here?"

"You can say that, old timer" says Mushu.

"Here for the games, I take it? Just like all travelers these last few days" asked the old man.

"Games?" asked Jiminy.

"Yes, our fine city is holding a great tournament over at the coliseum in a few hours and many have come to either compete or watch the challengers in action. I hear even Hercules himself, the most famous of heroes, will be competing. But with the prize being offered, I can't say I'm surprised."

"Prize?" asked Donald and Mushu.

The old man nods. "Yes, there is a prize of course, being offered to the winner or winning team by the one behind this tournament. Hades, lord of the Underworld. That prize is to have any one wish granted by Hades. Naturally, many would want to win."

"Any wish?" asked Donald and Mushu who were already thinking about what they would wish for.

"And he could grant it; that wish? No matter what?" asked Goofy.

"Of course, son. He is a god after all" comes the old man.

Roxas thinks about this, then says "Sir, where's this coliseum at?"

The man points towards his left and says "Just follow that street a few blocks, turn right and follow it till you reach the steps leading up to a high hill. The coliseum is at the top. So, you planning on competing then or watching?"

"We'll compete if we can" says Roxas, getting the others to look at him with surprised expressions. He looks at them and says "If we win, we can ask about the location of the keyhole."

"That's a good idea, son" says Jiminy.

"And it'll be good training for us too, A-Hyuk" adds Goofy.

"Oh boy, let's do it" says Donald.

"Then what are we doing standing around here for?" says Mushu, already running. "We better hurry or we'll be to late to sign up." The others nod and follow after him.

"A keyhole, huh?" says the old man. He chuckles before fading from sight like a ghost. "I'll be keeping my eyes on you" comes his voice from out of thin air.

Due to the number of people crowding the streets, it took Roxas and the others a bit of time to make their way to the uphill path that led up to the entrance of the coliseum. But the eventually made it, passing through the massive gate into the large opened waiting area which was filled with various other competitors.

Donald laughs nervously as he looks at the competition, then says "Maybe this isn't such a good idea." None of these guys looked weak to him. All were taller than them, buffer and/or bulkier than them, and armed with all manner of weapons. To be honest, from Donald's perspective, they would be slaughtered within moments of facing these guys. Did I mention none of them looked nice either? More like all these men were criminals in some form or fashion.

"I'm sure we'll be fine" says Roxas, leading them through the crowd as they head towards the large building; getting all manner of odd and dark looks from these guys. "We're plenty strong ourselves in case you've forgotten."

"Doesn't exactly fill me with confidence" admits Mushu.

Once they were inside, they begin to walk through the hallway, trying to find someone who could help them figure out where they could sign up for the games with. But the rooms were strangely empty and all the could find out on the arena grounds itself were men who were preparing the stands for the spectators, though one was nice enough to tell them where within the building they could go to sign up at though they were warned that this would likely become their funerals if they actually competed.

As they approach the room they were told to go to, they begin to hear a voice complaining about something coming from within. Arriving and peeking inside, they spot a small bodied man with short goat legs and a chubby build with his back to them. Roxas looks at the others who nod at him and he steps inside. "Um...excuse me..."

"Oh, you finally showed up, huh?" says the goat legged man. "Do me a favor and put that statue back into place, will ya? The crew who set everything up have no attention to detail." The goat legged man they points to a statue that was positioned in a lop sided fashion.

"...OK..." says Roxas, walking over to the statue. Looking, he sees spot markings on the ground, indicating where the statue was suppose to go at and he places his hands on the statue, giving it a push. It doesn't budge, making him try using his whole body and getting the same result. He then looks back at the others and motions for them to come help him. They do so yet still can't get the statue to move.

"Sorry sir. We can't move it" says Roxas. "It's way to heavy and..."

"WHAT?" cries the goat legged man, sounding shocked. "To heavy? Since when have you been a..." He turns around, finally looking at Roxas and his companions. "...oh, you're not him. Should have known as you don't sound anything like him."

"Who's him?" asked Donald.

"My student, the greatest hero in all the world and the odds on favorite to when this here tournament."

"And that would be?" asked Mushu.

"What, you really don't know? I'm talking about Hercules, of course. Where have you lot been living? Under a rock..." He stops and studies them, then says "Well, I guess I can forgive you as none of you look like you're from around here."

"You're right about that, A-Hyuk" says Goofy.

"Alright, I admit my bad. Now, what do you want and how did you three get here?"

"We heard about this tournament and about the prize and we decided to give it a try" says Roxas.

"What, seriously" comes the goat legged man before laughing hard. "You think you...oh, that's rich..."

"Hey, what's so funny?" yells Donald.

"Yeah, what he said" adds Mushu.

The goat legged man wipes the tears from his eyes. "You saw the guys out there at the entrance, correct?" This gets the group to nod. "Tough looking customers there, I say. Do any of you think you have a snowballs chance in Tartartus of winning here? Or even making it through the first round?"

"We won't know till we try, sir" says Roxas. "So, will you at least let us compete?"

The goat legged man looks at Roxas, seeing the seriousness in his eyes. "Look kid..." He stops as he suddenly realizes this kid looked familiar to him somehow. "Say, have we met before?"

"No, I don't think we have" says Roxas.

The goat legged man looks at him closely, recalling the person this boy resembled and wondering if there could be some sort of relationship there between them. "What's your name, kid?"

"Roxas" was the reply. "And these are my friends; Donald; Goofy, Jiminy, and Mushu."

Roxas, huh? Yep, he's not Ventus though he does look exactly like him. Maybe his kid or younger brother... "I wasn't looking for an introduction for all of you. But since I know all your names, I'll tell you mine. Call me Phil."

Phil then walks forward and adds "Anyways, its impossible now for you all to compete."

"Why's that?" asked Jiminy.

Phil stops and holds up two fingers. "I'll tell ya in two words, rosters full."

"So, no more sign ups?" asked Goofy.

"Sorry, bud. But there was a limit on how many competitors could sign up for this thing and all the spots have been filled. Heck, the only room left is reserved for the special team that can be chosen to compete by the guy behind this while sha-bang and I doubt he'd waste it on your group."

"Seriously?" asked Mushu, getting a nod from Phil. "Man, ain't that a kick to the jewels."

"You all should be relieved" says Phil. "Things like this are way to dangerous for kids like you. But feel free to stick around and watch at least. Anyways, I need to get back to work." And with that, Phil exits the room to go make sure the workers out on the arena floor were doing their jobs right there.

"So now what do we do?" asked Donald.

"I guess we'll have to find that Keyhole the old fashioned way" says Roxas. "Come on guys. We better get to looking around."

As they begin to walk from the room, a blast of smoke explodes from the ground before them, making them jump back; bringing their weapons out, preparing to counter any attack that may come at them suddenly.

"He sure can be a stubborn old goat, wouldn't you say?" comes a voice from the smoke as it clears, revealing the owner. "Luckily for you I happened to come along when I did and heard it all."

"Who are you?" asked Donald.

"Who, me? Oh, right, where are my manners" says the man as he moves in closer. "Names Hades, lord of the dead. Nice to meet you, friends."

"Wait, you're Hades?" asked Mushu.

Goofy tilts his head to the side, asking "Say, ain't that the name of that there guy who's throwing this little tournament here?"

Hades beams with pride as he stands tall. "That be me, the one behind this little shindig we have going on now."

"And maybe you can tell us if it's true or not" comes Mushu, walking up to the lord of the dead. "Does the winning team really get any wish granted, flamie?"

Hades chuckles as he leans down and pinches Mushu's cheeks. "Aren't you the cheeky one, giving me such a nick name. You do know that I, being the god of the underworld, can add you to be collection of living impaired with just a snap of my fingers, right?"

Mushu quickly jumps back and hides behind Roxas, then peeks back out and says "I'll be good."

Hades then looks at Roxas, saying "But to answer the question. Yes, I will grant the desired wish of those who win. Why, are you interested in competing, friends?"

They all nod, then Goofy says "That was the idea, A-Hyuk, but mister Phil said..."

"He told us that it was already to late for us to sign up for the games" comes Jiminy. "That the only way anyone could get in now is if they're chosen to be the special participants by you."

"Although, he may simply think we're to weak to be allowed a chance to compete" adds Donald.

"I can't blame him as, no offense, you guys don't exactly look like contenders...but still" Hades then leans in close to Roxas and looks him over. "I see something in your eyes that makes me think your group may surprise us. Oh, what the heck..."

Hades then steps back and holds a hand out; a golden pass appearing in his palm which he then hands to Roxas. "Show this to the man on the arena floor and you'll be let in."

"Really? Are you sure about this?" asked Roxas.

"I wouldn't have given it to you if I wasn't sure" says Hades.

"But why us?" asked Donald.

Hades shrugs, saying "Who knows. Maybe I just like rooting for you underdog types. Besides, you could surprise us all out there and actually make it all the way to the end."

"Gawrsh, that's awfully nice of you" says Goofy.

"Are there any rules we should know about, good sir?" asked Jiminy.

"Rules?" says Hades. "Oh, that's right. I almost forgot." He then snaps his fingers, making a large scroll appear which floats over to Goofy. "All the rules for these games is written onto here. Read them and have them all memorized before stepping out into the arena. You'll also find an armory down the hall in case you want to get yourselves some better equipment before the games start."

"Thanks for telling us that" says Roxas as he joins Donald and the others at Goofy's side to also read up on the rules. "There sure are a lot of them" says Donald.

"Everyone competing will need to gather on the arena floor within ninety minutes so make sure you're there or else you'll suffer rule #24: Being late is an automatic disqualification" says Hades, getting them all to respond with an "OK."

He then turns and leaves the room, adding "Well, best of luck out there. I'll be rooting for ya, kiddies." Once he was back out in the hallway, alone, he cracks the most evil of smiles. With Hercules already competing and now the Keybearer and his friends as well, his plan had no chance of failing.

Back in the room, Mushu makes this comment about Hades. "Boy, now that was a shining example of what a nice guy should be."

After a bit of reading, the group decide to formulate strategies for their forth coming matches based on the rules from the scroll. Roxas though reads over it more, wanting to memorize the full set. He then ask them if they can stop by the armory before they head to the arena floor. When asked why, he responds saying he wants to borrow a sword from there in order to avoid using the Keyblade as it wasn't meant for use in things like this unless Heartless or other entities of the darkness got involved. As they would likely just be fighting other men, based on the gathered group back at the entrance, using the Keyblade against them just felt wrong. Understanding his feelings, the group head to the armory and quickly find a weapon for Roxas to use. Mushu does wonder if they should also borrow some armor to wear as well for defense, just in case some of their opponents got a little rough with them. By the time they arrive on the arena floor again, now seeing it packed with warriors, they were about as ready for this as anyone would be, though they quickly realized just how comical they must all look in the eyes of the others.

"Man, this sure is intimidating" says Goofy nervously as several tough looking warriors give them stone hard stares.

"We'll be fine...I think" says Donald as they make their wait through the crowd, doing there best to keep under the radar.

"Hey, what are you guys doing here?" comes the voice of Phil followed a few seconds later by the Satyr coming into view as he runs over to them. "I thought I told you guys that you couldn't compete."

"Yeah, you did..." says Roxas before handing Phil the pass given to them by Hades. Phil becomes wide eyed as he takes it from Roxas, looking it over carefully. "But then that Hades guy appeared before us and gave us the special pass you talked about."

"No way, no freaky way" says Phil, turning the pass over and over to look at both the back and front, hoping to find signs that it was a fake even though he knew it was real. "But why would he allow all of you into the tournament?"

"He said he's a sucker for the under dog or something like that" says Mushu.

Phil sighs, then says "Well, like it or not, it looks like you guys can compete. But are you sure this is what you guys want to do? I mean, look at the competition. These guys aren't exactly the friendly sort if you know what I mean. Are you sure this is what you want?"

"What we want doesn't matter. We have a mission to accomplish and winning this tournament offer us the best chance to complete our mission" says Roxas.

Phil was going to ask them to properly explain their mission to him, but another voice speaks up for him. "I'd like to hear about this mission if you don't mind."

Phil smiles as he looks back, saying "Herc, I was afraid you weren't gonna make it in time."

"Yeah, sorry about that, Phil. Pegasus hyper extended a wing this morning and I had to run here while Meg sees to him though I'm sure they'll both show up sooner or later."

Phil looks back at Roxas and the others, saying "Allow me to introduce the greatest hero who has ever lived. A God among men who happens to be the son of the king and queen of the gods; Hercules."

Hercules holds a hand out which Roxas takes and they shake, then Roxas and the others introduce themselves. Once they had finished, Hercules looks at Roxas and says "You look...familiar. Have we met before somewhere?"

"I've been thinking the same thing myself" says Phil. "I'm thinking he looks like that one kid from around ten years ago, but he obviously can't be that kid himself."

"Well, we'll put that off to the side for later. So, can you tell me about this mission of yours?" asked Hercules.

"I don't mind. You see, we're..." Roxas explanations gets interrupted as the sky suddenly goes dark followed by the face of Hades appearing from within the clouds.

"LADIES and GENTLEMEN, and let's not forget the kiddies as well. I welcome you all to THE GREATEST tournament you shall ever see in your short lives. I welcome you to the first ever Under Thunderdome Tournament."

This gets the crowd sitting in the stands to cheer wildly.

"And lets get a round of applause for all of are participants and their willingness to risk both life and limb for your entertainment and, of course, to get the ultimate prize; to have any one desire granted by yours truly." More cheers come from crowd.

"Now, before we begin, a few quick details. This tournament will be broken up into four cups with the first two cups having an A-stage and a B-stage. The first cup, which we'll call the Phil Cup in honor of Philoctetes, the trainer of heroes, is where all of you shall compete. The winners will move to the second cup, the Pegasus Cup where you'll have to face a series of monsters in order to advance. If both teams can survive this, they'll go on to the Spartan Cup which will have a single match where the winners of the first two cups will face off. And the winner here will go on to our final cup and face the champion of the Underworld. Winning here will win you the whole tournament. Now then..."

A blast of smoke comes from the center of the arena, making several warriors jump in surprise. When the smoke clears, the is a large box with a hole cut into its top. "Now then, form your teams up to a maximum of six members or go solo, which ever you wish, then step forward and reach into the box and pull out one ball. It its red, you'll be in the A-stage and blue the B-stage. Once everyone has their placement, we'll begin the first round."

Hades image in the sky shimmers and fades from sight. Seconds later, another figure rises from the ground. Most realize that it must be Charon, oarsman of the River Styx who must be here to act as a referee of a sort for this tournament. Some even wonder if this was his first time outside the Underworld.

"Well, I guess we better get in line then" says Hercules. He then gives Roxas the thumbs up and adds "Good luck out there, guys. Here's hoping I'll see you in the finals." Hercules then goes to join the others.

"Wow, now that's a REAL hero for you. So manly and cool too" says Mushu.

Phil grins, saying "Ain't that the truth, little gecko guy. Anyways, you better go and get signed up before its to late."

"Gawrsh, you ain't gonna stop us?" asked Goofy.

"Of course I want to stop you. Not because I don't think you guys are no good, but because of who else is competing in this. Plus, given who's throwing this tournament, I'm worried you lot could be getting yourselves in over your heads. But I know I can't stop your entering..." says Phil.

Jiminy suddenly hops over from Goofy to Phil, making the Satyr jump in surprise. "You guys go ahead and I'll stick back and stay beside mister Phil here. I can explain to him why we're willing to put ourselves into the dangers he speaks of." Jiminy doesn't say how he was a little nervous about this and was afraid of getting in the way if he stayed by them. "You don't mind, do you?" he asked Phil.

"It's fine, so long as you don't hog the view" says Phil. He then turns and heads off to take his seat within the crowd while Jiminy begins to explain about them and their mission.

"Now we better get signed in" says Donald, getting a nod from the others and they head to the back of the line. As they walk, Roxas senses someone was watching them. Looking around, he quickly finds the person in question already in line.

The person was a young, blond haired man of twenty or so with a super large sword hanging from his back. His eyes were on them, on Roxas to be more specific. Roxas could tell this guy was studying him intently and that this guy, though didn't look it, was strong. Stronger than most of these other guys despite them having a far better muscular build to them.

"Who are you?" wondered Roxas quietly to himself.

(Twilight Town)

The ratty old curtain that acted as a door into the Usual Spot is brushed aside as Seifer enters followed by Rai and Fu. Inside, they find Hayner and Pence waiting for them. "OK, I got your message. So what is it we came here for?" asked Seifer, finding a spot along the wall to lean against.

Rai and Fuu sit down on the couch and Fu quickly ask the obvious question. "Olette?"

"Yeah, she isn't here with us" says Pence. "That's actually the reason we called you all here today, now. By the way, thanks for coming any ways."

"It's no problem, ya know" says Rai.

Seifer looks at Hayner and ask "So, wanna tell us what's up?"

"I'll let Vivi do the talking, if you don't mind?" was Hayner's reply.

"Vivi?" says Seifer, looking around. Vivi finally pops out from behind Pence, looking nervous as always.

"As you guys know, Olette hasn't been herself as of late, not since that day Roxas went missing" says Pence.

"Yeah, we noticed, ya know" says Rai.

Since the day Roxas had left, her attention had been off in the distance as had her gaze. Her grades in school, which had at one time been the best out of everyone's, had gradually gone down. Currently, she was in the middle ranking and was only getting worse. At this rate, Hayner would have better grades than her by the years end which was beyond sad.

"She hasn't even been hanging out with us after school as of late to do homework or whatnot. She only ever comes by here on the weekends and even then only long enough to spend a few minutes before taking off to do what ever it is she does. I think she only does this just to keep us from completely worrying about her, though we do anyways" says Hayner.

"Her mother worries too" says Fu, having already gone to her with her own concerns.

"Anyways, Vivi came to us just the other day and said he saw Olette doing something odd" comes Pence.

"Well, out with it then" says Seifer.

"Well, it was a few days ago, after school..." says the nervous little kid. "I decided to take a short cut home which ended up being not so short. As I walked, I passed by Mr. Torian's Material Shop and I saw Olette coming outside with Mr. Torian following her. She was still in her school clothes so I guess she came right over at classes let out. They talked about something written on a sheet of paper Mr. Torian was holding and then she took off. I tried to follow but I lost quickly lost sight of her. I was worried so I told Pence about it."

"So, any ideas what she was doing with Torian?" asked Seifer.

Pence scratches his chin "Well, he does sell lumber and nails..."

"Maybe she was having him nail her with his wood" says Hayner, trying to make a joke but Fu was in front of him before anyone could blink, smacking him hard with her hand.

"IDIOT" she says, sounding angry.

"Hayner, that was uncalled for" says Pence.

"Yeah, I know. That was a thought that just came out before I could stop it" he says, feeling angry with himself. "Call it a resurgence of the old me. Anyways, that's the reason we ask you three to come here."

"We think Olette may be working on some sort of secret project; maybe has been for a while. Since Roxas went missing. We were hoping you three could help us" says Pence.

"With what?" asked Rai.

"Keeping a look out for her after school each day, seeing if she's going somewhere or doing something that could connect with her visiting Mr Torian's. It could end up being her simply doing something for her mom or dad. But still..." Pence goes quiet.

"We'll help" says Seifer. "While I may not show it, I do see her as a friend too."

"Thanks, really" says Hayner.

"We'll start today and we'll keep this up for the next few days. We'll meet up back here Saturday around noon to talk about what we saw and discovered, if anything" says Pence.

Seifer nods, saying "Sounds good." He then holds out a hand which Hayner takes and they shake, sealing the deal on this unlikely partnership.

(Coliseum)

"Please tell me that its over" whines Donald as he collapse onto their teams privacy quarters.

"I second that one, feather duster" says Mushu who was using Donald's cap as a cushion to rest on while it was still on Donald's head. While Donald wasn't happy about that, he didn't have the energy to pull him off.

"Boy, that last fight sure was hard" says Goofy, falling back onto his butt while Roxas took a moment to sit down on the bench.

"Toughen up, rookies. It's not over yet" comes the voice of Phil as he enters the room with Jiminy resting on his shoulders. "You lot still have one final match to win before you clear the first cup."

"Yeah..." says Roxas, knowing who else had managed to make it this far within their half of the cup. "So, how'd Hercules do?"

Phil looks at him in surprise. "What? You really have to ask that? He cleared his side of the cup in record time, just like he always does." It was obvious in the tone of his voice he was proud of the guy. "Besides, you need to worry about the last fight before you."

"About that..." says Roxas, getting the others to look at him. "I'd like to take Cloud on by myself if you guys don't mind."

"What?" yells Donald.

"That's suicide" adds Mushu.

"Kid, I have two words to say to you. ARE YOU CRAZY" says Phil, running up to Roxas so fast that it causes Jiminy to fall off. He grabs Roxas by his shirt collar and pulls him down so they can be eye to eye. "I've seen that guy fight and he ain't no slouch. As much as I hate to admit it, I'm sure even Herc would have a hard time bringing him down without calling upon his true Godly powers."

"Why are you wanting to face him one on one anyways, son?" asked Jiminy.

"I...I'm not really sure, to be honest. I just have this feeling in my gut that I need to, that's all" says Roxas. "Besides, Donald, Goofy, and Mushu are to tired to go through another fight today while I still have a bit more energy to carry on with."

"Wait, I can still heal us using Cure" says Donald, getting back onto his feet though he was rather wobbly in his stance.

"That's won't cure you of fatigue though. All spells like Cure can do is heal your cuts and bruises" says Roxas.

"He has a point" says Jiminy.

The sound of a bell rings out, alerting everyone in the room that Hades was calling for them to return to the arena floor for their final match of the day and of the cup. "Man, flame head sure is inpatient, not even giving us a chance to catch a breather" says Mushu.

"Guys, please let me do this" asked Roxas before bowing. "Trust me."

Donald and Goofy look at each other for a moment, then nod. "If you're so sure, then we'll trust ya."

"Just be careful out there" adds Donald.

"Well kid, I don't like this. But if you're sure and your team believes in you, I won't interfere" says Phil. "Go get 'em, kid." Roxas nods before walking towards the door; the others following him a few steps behind.

As they pass through the hall, Mushu realizes something. "By the way, how can the first Cup even be over with? With all the teams involved between the two stages, I'd figured this would take us two days to get through, assuming we weren't expected to battle through the night."

"Yeah, and I think it was just our stages battles that were going on too" adds Donald.

"Oh, so you noticed that huh?" comes Phil. "Well, the answer to that is simple. You see, my boy Herc asked to have all the other teams in his stage battle him at once. A kind of royal rumble sort of thing as it would drive the crowds crazy with excitement."

"And he actually beat them all?" asked Goofy.

"Are you kidding me? Of course he beat them all. Nine teams with around forty four guys split between them and he did it all in under five minutes."

"WHAT?" cry Donald and Mushu.

"Is he really that strong?" asked Goofy.

Phil laughs and says "Boy, you guys sure have no idea. Heck, he was even taking it easy on them too. If he hadn't, he would have won before even a minute had passed. He's my best student and he has done nothing but make me proud."

This makes everyone but Roxas gulp nervously, knowing they may have to face Hercules in the end. Roxas, on the other hand, simply says "Sounds like facing him will be an amazing experience."

None of the others had a chance to ask him if he was crazy or not or if he was feeling OK as they finally reached the arena floor. Looking to the side, Roxas sees Cloud who glances his way before he steps forward onto the stage with Roxas following behind.

Hades then appears at the center of the arena, motioning for them to come to him. As Roxas draws closer, he realizes that the boys team wasn't following him as they were standing to the side alongside Phil.

"Say kid, what's up with your teammates?" he asked.

"I asked them to sit this one out so I could challenge Cloud alone. Is that OK?" Cloud gives Roxas a curious look while Hades ask "What, you have a death wish or something? Well, whatever floats your boat, kid."

Hades then turns to crowd and says aloud "OK, we will now begin our final match for the day and the final match of the Phil Cup; Roxas vs Cloud. Like with all fights, we'll have a ten minute time limit with a sudden death overtime event happening should the fight pass the time limit. Now, I wish you both luck and hope you put on for us all a good show." With that, Hades burst in a puff of smoke, reappearing from his personal spectator box to watch the battle unfold.

Roxas, on instinct, jumps back while drawing his spatha sword while Cloud simply takes a few calm steps back, drawing his own massive sword which, seeing it up close now, makes Roxas sweat a little. "Why are you wanting to fight me alone and not with your friends?" asked Cloud, his voice calm.

The question catches Roxas off guard as does Cloud's tone. He realizes then that Cloud has a certain air about him, such a distant and detached lonely feeling to him. It was like his eyes, his heart, were somewhere else, searching for something off beyond even the distance.

"Call it a bad habit of mine" says Roxas. "Anyways, aren't we suppose to be fighting right now?"

"Very well" says Cloud, his grip on the Buster Sword becoming tighter as he suddenly comes at Roxas with blinding speed. Roxas prepares to dodge, knowing he wouldn't be able to defend against such a big weapon, but Cloud leaps into the air at the last moment, bringing his weapon slicing downward hard.

His natural reflects kick in as Roxas brings the spatha up to try to block the incoming attack but the force of it is so strong it knocks the weapon out of his hands. It was only be sheer chance that he himself was slashed by the blade as Cloud had intentionally kept it pulled back enough to avoiding slicing Roxas open; a blow that could very well have been fatal.

Cloud then jumps back, leaving Roxas standing there stunned; his mind trying to comprehend all that had just happened. Sure, he knew Cloud had to be tough to make it all the way to this final round by himself and his weapon a powerful piece of work. But for him to have been disarmed with just one simple slash and nearly being taken out as well was just more than he had expected. There was no way he could win this fight.

"Why do you use that weak weapon?" asked Cloud suddenly, bringing Roxas out of his stunned state. "Bring out the real one you have hidden within yourself."

"How...?" asked Roxas.

"When two opponents cross blades, they can sense the true abilities of each other. Though it was just for a moment, I saw your true power. If you want to have any chance of beating me, then don't hold back."

"I understand..." says Roxas, knowing what Cloud said was right. He then holds his right hand out before himself, making the Kingdom Key appear. "Now then, lets do this."

Cloud nods before his body begins to levitate in the air, followed by his zooming at and around Roxas, swinging his sword fast and hard while Roxas would counter using his Keyblade and Dodge Rolling clear of the attacks he couldn't properly defend against. As they continued, the crowd would cheer and Roxas would hear his friends call out to him, cheering for him as well while shouting out where he needed to be putting his attention at.

And every time Keyblade and Buster Sword collided with one another, thoughts and feelings would be felt by Roxas. He found his earlier assumptions right about Cloud along with other things, like getting a vision of Cloud and Hades talking, making a deal where Hades would give Cloud something in return for winning the tournament.

"Your better than I thought" says Cloud suddenly as he touches the ground again. "But this is gonna end now. For the sake of my promise, I can't lose here or anywhere."

"Promise?" says Roxas, wondering if that was referring to the deal he made with Hades. This also makes him recall his promise to return to Twilight Town one day but also makes him feel he had made another promise a long time ago but he couldn't remember when or to who.

"Hey kid, wake up" comes Phil, making Roxas return to the moment as Cloud shoots at him with a piercing attack. He barely manages to dodge it but before he can get back on his feet, Cloud had already stopped and was coming at him with another which he also dodges though a few strands of hair are cut off. Cloud repeats this again and this time is poised to make contact.

Then a bell sounds out. The time limit had been reached.

"And now my favorite part of any game" proclaims Hades aloud, making both Roxas and Cloud stop and look up at him as one end of the arena erupts with smoke, revealing beyond it two massive looking gates with chains that come undone and the gate opens. The ground then begins to shake as something begins to emerge.

"Oh no, this isn't good" says Phil. "Please don't tell me it's..."

The source of the shaking ground is finally revealed. Emerging from the gate and smoke was a massive black furred dog with three heads, all of which looked hungry. Cerberus barks loudly as it looks down at the two warriors hungrily.

"Sudden death" says Hades evilly.

To be continued...