Title: Sephiroth's
Challenge
Chapter 1: Training, day 25
Author: Akurei_GX
Source: Final Fantasy 7
Disclaimer: I don't own FF7 or it's characters, yada yada yada...
Author's notes: This is an alternate reality fic, it takes place after
Aeris's death. Sephiroth proposes a challenge to all the greatest fighters in
the world, the challenge is if anyone can defeat him in a tournament that the
Meteor will be stopped.
It had been 25 days. 25 days since Sephiroth declared his challenge to the world. It wasn't enough for him to destroy the Planet, he had to add insult to injury by defeating the world's fighter, thus spreading even more fear in the world's last days. Cloud stood solitary on top of the mountain he had been training on. He had spent the last 26 days training alone, in spite of the others who wanted to come with him, in spite of Tifa's plea to not go off alone in the state he was in. He was still disturbed from Aeris's death. The fact that Sephiroth almost made him do it, the fact that he killed her right in front of him and he couldn't do anything about it. It fueled him to keep going, he spent each day and night training hard, perfecting his attacks, and fighting whatever unlucky shmuck of a monster crossed his path.
For the past 25 days Tifa had been in Nibelheim training with Tao, a martial arts master who was a friend of her teacher. The young kickboxer went stride for stride with the master blocking each of his attacks. The past few days had been intense, she had pushed herself much father then she ever thought possible. Her endurance and stamina was getting greater with each day. As she went for a powerful attack against her sparing partner her surprisingly attacked with one of his own knocking her down in one hit. "You are not focused, you should have seen that coming" the old man said. He was right, she thought. She was too worried about Cloud. It was clear that Sephiroth had some kind of control over him and he should be alone at a time like this. She stood up and dusted herself off "Sorry, I guess I am a little distracted today." The elderly oriental man sat down for a moment and motioned Tifa to do the same. "I think we are done for today. If you don't focus and put your whole heart, mind and body into a fight then you can't expect to win." She knew this already, she felt so uneasy about this tournament The entire world was literally at stake.
Gunfire could be heard ringing throughout the Sector 4 slums of Midgar. Barret had chosen this abandoned section of the city to train himself. He first went to Midgar to check on Marlene and to give Aeris's foster mother the sad news. It was difficult but had once again had to leave his daughter in her care while he prepared for the tournament Since firearms would not be allowed he adapted his gundarm to use a ball and chain attachment with an emergency blade concealed in it. Finding the parts was rather easy in Wall Market. Once ready he wandered the sectors fighting off everything in his way until reaching Sector 4 where a powerful monster was rumored to be. As far as he was concerned it would be a good warm up.
Shouting could be heard all though Junon as a mob of soldiers and shop keepers chased Yuffie down the streets. "Materia! Materia! Materia!" She chanted to herself, grinning then whole time. Nothing gave her a bigger rush then taking so much Materia right out from under a whole city. They very thought of having done it made her so giddy she could hardly keep running. "With this much Materia I just can't lose" she said as she rushed down the main street all genki like.
Cid was just lounging around in Rocket town with Cait Sith, both didn't really take this tournament seriously. "Shouldn't you be training or something?" Shera asked. "Pheh, just get me some more @#$%& tea . . and be quick about it!" Cid sharply replied. "Well I'm sure not going to enter it, no money to be made in death" Cait Sith said. Cid scoffed "No point in it at all, either way we aren't going to be the ones that beat that SOLDIER, and if no one can then we are all dead anyway so we might as well enjoy the time we got left." Cait almost couldn't contain his laughter "So in other words. . . . your too scared so you'll just hide here." Cid jumped up to strangle him, but Cait dodged and ran like hell out of the room. "Come back here you little stuffed piece of. . ." Cid was cut off as he and Cait ran right into Shera spilling the tea all over them. "@#$%&" was all Cid could say.
Sephiroth stood above the Gold Saucer staring out into space. Soon the great tournament would begin, and he would see just what this world had to offer. In SOLDIER he had no equal but now he would know just if he was the most powerful warrior in the world. The prize of saving the world would definitely make them fight even harder. And he just knew that they would show up, and that made things even more interesting.
. . . . to be continued
~Akurei_GX