Chapter 4

A glum atmosphere hung over the car as the men sped away from Carrollville.

After remembering the reason for being there in the first place, following the trial, Donald and Goofy asked Chester if he knew anything about their boss. Chester reported somewhat vaguely that he had seen him (as he was quick to become inebriated, and his intelligence melted away faster than chocolate in the sun), and said that he heard he had left for Olympa, Indiana, supposedly to catch a boxing match.

Advising them to skip town, or risk the wrath of Queenie's handbag, they fueled up the car, got some food from the grocery store, and were quickly on their way again. Chester spent the rest of the day on the steps of the courthouse, where he had been the previous day, laughing at the citizens of the town and waiting for another opportunity to turn the social hierarchy upside-down.

Sora lay on his back and held Simba in the air, hoping the best for Alice, as the trees of the surrounding landscape slowly disappeared and gave way to the rural areas of Illinois.

Olympa was a rather large city in Indiana, and it would only take a day or so to reach after crossing the border, so after stopping for the night by the side of the road, they entered Indiana and drove for another day. The steady increase of homes that were passed signaled that Olympa wasn't far ahead, and Sora's mood shifted quite dramatically as he realized what lay in store.

"Say, Olympa's a big city, right?" he asked.

"Biggest we've been't, yet," Goofy replied. "Why d'ye ask?"

"...can we see a boxing match? Plea-ase?" Sora whined, throwing his arms over the top of the seat. "I'll pay for my own ticket, I swear!"

"Sora, y'know that'd just take us off course," Donald said sourly.

"But we gotta check in w'thall the boxing arenas, Donald," Goofy noted, turning the wheel as they drove down a curve. "R'member what Chester told us? Said that Boss was here for boxing."

"We shouldn't listen to whatever a drunk tells us," Donald said, crossing his arms, "but it wouldn't help t'look, anyways."

"Can we still see a match?" Sora continued, sticking his neck a bit further down between them.

"No," Donald began, but was interrupted as Goofy said, "If we c'n find th'time, then I don't see why not."

"YAY!" Sora cheered, flopping back onto his seat and holding Simba close.

"Goofy, why'd y'go an'-" Donald began, but Goofy began to chuckle.

"C'mon, Donald, th'kid's gon' pay for his own ticket," he said. "B'sides, we should enjoy some real en'ertainm'nt while we're here."

"Hmph," said Donald. "How long till we get there? It's gonna get dark soon."

"Not fer another hour, Donald, 'ccordin' t'th'sign we passed not long ago," Goofy replied. "B'sides, the thing t'remember abou' cities is that when the sun sets, y'can see it glowin' there. It's kinda helpful. I think we'll arrive in time t'find a motel'r somethin'."

"We'd better," Donald replied.

As Goofy had predicted, by the time night fell, the glow of a city on the horizon heralded the approach of Olympa. The sight was positively heavenly for Donald, and no sooner had they entered were they snug inside a lovely hotel, Sora happily placed in his own bed for the first time in a good while (having slept on a couch during their stay in Carrollville).

-///-

The next morning, after a small breakfast at a local restaurant, the three began asking people about the local boxing scene.

They quickly discovered that the only boxing arena in town was the aptly named "Olympus Coliseum," for the head honcho of the place was a formidable boxer that went by the name of "Hercules." The information from the locals was strengthened by the mass of posters plastered on buildings, advertising a boxing match that was going to be held that evening; it appeared to be the final round of a competition that had been going on the previous month.

The prize was a match with Hercules himself, as well as a hefty prize of $300, donated by Zachariah "Zeus" Chronus, the politician father of Hercules (whose real name was Henry, but, like his father, his pseudonym was so popular that he was known everywhere by it.)

Should Hercules be bested, $500 would be added to the sum, which would be desirable by anyone in such times.

Zeus, as he was fondly known to the public, was running for mayor of Olympa against his brother, Hayland (not-so-fondly known as "Hades" by most people, due to his cold nature), and Sora could hardly turn his head without seeing an image of his bearded, grandfatherly face on a campaign poster somewhere. Only rarely did any of the three see the somber, no-nonsense posters of blue lettering that advertised Hades' campaign, most of them pasted over with Zeus propaganda.

"Vote Zeus!" the signs cheerfully proclaimed, as the three made their way down the street towards the arena (as it was only a walking distance from their hotel).

"This match mus' be awful good advertising for th'elections," Donald noted. "Givin' that prize away an' all."

"Yeah! If only we could-a come sooner," Sora said, cradling Simba a little closer in his arms (since none of them trusted the kitten to keep out of trouble alone in their hotel room). "I would-a blasted away th'competition!"

"Really, now," Donald said skeptically.

"Y'like boxin', Sora?" Goofy asked, and Sora nodded intently.

"Used t'duke it out with Tidus an' Ri-" he began, but stopped as soon as he was reminded of his former best friend, and his face fell. Donald sighed, not wanting to be a part of it, but Goofy placed a hand on Sora's shoulder and smiled.

"Cheer up, Sora," he said. "Why don't we catch th'match t'night?"
"Goofy, we don'-" Donald began, but Goofy interrupted.

"Who says we don't have the time'r not?" he said. "It's jus' one match. We c'n leave by t'morrah'f we need to."

Donald was silent for a while, before bursting out, "I'm not payin' for th'ticket!"

"Donald, th'match's free," Goofy said gently, and Sora erupted in a fit of giggles as Donald eyed one of the posters and found it was true.

"...achh!" he said, in a strange utterance that was somewhere in the middle of a cough, a scream, and a growl. Stomping off, Sora and Goofy couldn't help but laugh as they located the arena, and questioned the man in the box office about whether or not he had sighted their boss. However, it seemed that Chester was spouting nonsense, as nobody fitting the description that Donald and Goofy had provided had come to purchase a ticket to any of the matches being held.

Donald was quick to propose that they leave and try to find another lead in another town, but Sora's pouting expression and Goofy's defense persuaded him to rethink the decision and stay for the evening, so they all could have some fun. Simba greatly aided in keeping Donald placated, as he sat with the kitten in his lap, reading the newspaper in the hotel room while Goofy and Sora went sight-seeing.

At last, evening approached. The match was scheduled to begin at 6, so the three decided to get a bite of supper at 4, and grab their seats at 5, so they could beat the crowds. Sora tucked Simba carefully in his front pocket, and energetically marched towards the arena with Donald and Goofy close behind. The place was mercifully empty, and the trio took seats right at the front of the audience, and Sora jittered with excitement until a loud, broad voice filled the room.

" 'ey! What're you three doin' in here? This is special-invitation only."

A short, portly man with hairy arms and balding red hair stomped up to them, a cigar clenched between his teeth; surprisingly, he was around the same height as Donald, who was merely 5' 2".

"Uh, what?" Sora said.

"Special. Invitation," the man repeated, crossing his arms and chewing on his cigar. "D'I need t'rpeat it fer you numbskulls? Get outta here."

"I thought this was a free show!" Sora protested, waving his arms around. "Just who'n th'world are you?"

"Phil Titus, Herc's manager an' pers'nal trainer," the man replied gruffly. "Listen, kid, you an' the two fellas with y'd better get out, or I'll call the cops on ya."

"Well, why should w'leave?" Goofy asked.

"Two words: V-I-P," Phil said. "Y'gotta have a pass t'get in. Don't suppose you gents got any, eh?" The three stood around rather stupidly, not having any passes to show. "Then get out," Phil said, and begrudgingly, the three exited.

"This's unbelievable!" Sora complained, crossing his arms (careful to avoid where Simba was snuggled). "It said it was a free show!"

"I'm sorry, Sora, but we couldn't-a known," Goofy said. "We'll go to th'picture-show instead, how 'bout tha-?"

"Oh, so, so sad," a smooth voice from nearby said, and a well-dressed man in black, with a sharp nose and a sly expression, appeared from around the corner to the box office, a grin on his sallow face. "Not able to attend, due to a loophole? Tsk tsk, very unfortunate." Donald glared at the man, who began to approach them. "What if, say, you had some passes to get in?"

"Passes?" Sora said. "Y'mean those V.I.P. passes'r something?"

"Bingo, kid," the man said, reaching into his jacket and pulling out three large, white tickets. "You're a sharp one, aintcha? Here y'go."

He extended a bony hand towards Sora and the men, wiggling the tickets somewhat enticingly in the air. "C'mon, no strings attached. It's a gift. Y'wanna get in, doncha?" he said, after Sora eyed it suspiciously and shook his head.

"No strings, huh?" said Donald, taking them and looking at them; they appeared legitimate, indeed. "Who exactly're you?"

"Hayland Chronus," he said eloquently, tipping his cap and smiling again, jagged yellow teeth showing through his thick, curled lips, "president of Charon Industries, and candidate for mayor of this... lovely little town."

"Hey, you're that Hades guy!" Sora said, the name that seemed vaguely familiar now registering itself in his mind, and Hades grimaced.

"So it seems that even the tourists know that stupid nickname now, jeesh," he said to himself, before continuing. "Yes, that's a nickname o'mine. Consider those tickets there a gift from me. Seeing that you're tourists, y'won't be voting for me, but hey! Charity's charity."

"I s'ppose it is," Goofy said optimistically. "Will y'be attendin' the match, Mr. Chronus?"

"You kidding? Of course," Hades replied cheerily. "I hope t'see you three there. Ta-ta!"

Waving, he entered the building, and Donald hesitantly gave Sora and Goofy their passes.

"Don't suppose this is suspicious, is it?" he asked.

"I hope not," Goofy said. "If anythin', it's jus' charity, an' we sh'ld treat it as such."

Sora nodded eagerly in reply, and suddenly cheered. "C'mon!" he said. "We got a boxin' match to watch!"

-///-

Hades, sitting in his prime seat at the Coliseum as the crowd milled in around him, was very pleased indeed.

This was the night he had been waiting for for quite a while, and it was here that his political career would be either made or broken. He knew full well that the contest was sponsored by his dear younger brother, and hence, it was good advertising for his campaign. What Zeus didn't count on, though, was the fact that Hades had a trick up his sleeve, and a marvelous one at that.

Hades had a long-standing grudge against his brother, ever since their father's will had left him the family company, yet gave Zeus the majority of the money. Hades had to work to get to the level of wealth that his brother had come into, and the fact that he had enjoyed a rather lengthy political career thus far was positively maddening. He had tried to run once before, only to be mercilessly defeated; this time, though, Hades was convinced that what he had planned was going to work out very nicely.

Getting up, he passed into the back of the arena, where the boxers were warming up. Phil was giving Hercules a quick pep-talk, while Hades' own "warrior" was seated quietly in a chair, thinking to himself with his hands laced beneath his nose.

The man (of rather slight stature, with words slighter still) had been discovered during a scuffle that had happened during a lunchtime break, where Hades observed what was potentially a powerhouse of force, As quickly as possible, Hades sweet-talked him into a deal that included a bonus in his pay, should he participate in the tournament. As he was one of the desperate men that had arrived from Illinois a few months back, he was all too quick to agree, and had surged through the boxing tournament, not letting anyone get in his way. Hades had allowed for the prize money to go to the man, once he had qualified for the prize; the humiliation that Zeus was going to suffer at the hands of his son's defeat was worth more than all the money in the world.

"Hey, buddy, y'ready for th'big match?" he asked, and his employee looked up.

"Yes," he said. Hades twisted his eyebrows; okay, so he wasn't the most sociable person. At least he was a damn good boxer.

"Remember, it's all or nothin' on this match," he said. "Beat Hercules, or that bonus won't be yours. Y'got it?"

"Really," he replied, the question sounding like a statement. "I thought I was already gettin' a bonus for bein' in the tournament."

"Well, this is a second one," Hades said smoothly. "That $500 prize? Remember? That, there, is a bonus."

"Ah," came the reply. "Never really thought o'that."

Hades scowled a little. "You takin' this seriously, buddy?" he asked, and the man nodded. "Then why aren't you being a little, more, I dunno, critical of this situation here?"

"I am," the man replied. "I need to think for a while."

"Fine, have your thoughts," Hades said, and strolled away. "Jeesh, what a stiff." Exiting the arena, he smiled poisonously as he approached his car, where his beloved pet was waiting.

"Hey, Cerberus!" he said, peering in the car. "Are you ready to watch a boxing match, fella?"

-///-

"Go-od evening, folks, and welcome to the final match of the Chronus Tornament!" the cheerful radio announcer spoke into the microphone, delivering his message to homes all across the states. "This is Gabriel Hermez, here, announcing for you at home to hear!"

Adjusting his glasses a little, he spoke again. "We've got to thank ol' Zeus Chronus for lettin' us all have a splendid time of this. Remember, folks! November's just around the corner, so know who you're gonna vote for!" A quintet of young black women, renowned singers from the local church, began to sing a bouncy jingle as a part of their advertisement, and Gabriel continued on. "So, folks, as some of you may remember, we had ourselves a winner just last week, didn't we? Yes, we sure did. Ladies and gentlemen, Cloud Strife has shown up out of nowhere and completely lashed the competition! Did you expect that, because I sure didn't!"

In the ring, the slight blond man entered the ring, dressed in a dark sleeveless shirt and red boxing pants; cheers were heard everywhere, Sora keen on being one of the loudest. He raised his glove in recognition, and proceeded to stand in his corner of the ring.

"And, of course, our reigning champion... HER-RCU-ULE-ES!!"

The carrot-haired youth entered the arena, and the crowd exploded in cheers. Hercules drank up the attention, waving his gloved hand at them several times and bowing, before taking his place in his corner of the ring. Justice Minerva Athene, a local judge and boxing enthusiast, was volunteering to be referee in the match, and she stared the two men down.

"I want a nice, clean match, you two," she said sternly, as the men approached the center of the ring. "The rules are plain and simple; first to win three rounds is the victor, knocked-down for ten seconds determines the loser of each round. First to be knocked-out loses all rounds. Ready?"

The two nodded, and readied their fists as Minerva raised a hand, then quickly swiped it down as a bell rang out. Cloud and Hercules began to prance around the ring, jabbing at each other and dodging lithely, as Gabriel provided the commentary. Finally a blow was struck; Hercules had hit Cloud squarely in the cheek, and the blond fell to the floor, quick to rise back with a jab to the shoulder. The two men seemed to be equally matched, which pleased Hades after Cloud had been hit; it had slightly worried him, but he was confident Cloud would be the victor.

Another blow to the face knocked Cloud to the ground, making Hercules the victor of that round, and the crowd cheered. As Cloud got back up, wiping the blood off his mouth, Hades rushed forward and whispered a few harsh words of warning, but Cloud didn't hear. The injury was enough to incite his rage, and no sooner had the second round begun that he already had hit Hercules in the eye, causing many a gasp to be heard in the audience. Reeling slightly, Hercules charged forward to retaliate, but Cloud landed a quick punch to the ribs and gut, and sent Hercules to the ground, where he stayed for a good many seconds. The second round, then, belonged to Cloud.

"I don't believe this, folks!" Gabriel said, adjusting his small round glasses and grinning in unexpected excitement. "Hercules has been knocked down for the first time by a contender! I don't believe this!"

Phil gave Hercules some surprisingly gentle words of encouragement, before yelling at him to "get off your back an' fight like a man, dammit!"

The third round of the fight was absolutely riveting, as both men had taken blows and were unwilling to fight; Hercules, to preserve his status, and Cloud, for the money. They dodged and pranced around for several minutes, before Cloud was the first, again, to receive damage. It brought him to one knee, and he quickly stood up again, but he knew by then that he was fighting a losing battle, panting heavily and sweating. Hades could see it as well, and nervously glanced around as he fingered a small whistle in his pocket.

Cloud took another punch, and another, when suddenly there came a ravenous growling noise, and a black pit bull came bounding into the ring. Cerberus, Hades' faithful hound, wiggled his way through the ropes of the ring, and Hercules and Cloud both stopped to step aside and stare in horror at the thing. Cerberus licked his chops expectantly and growled; he had been called by his master, and awaited further orders.

Two short blasts: attack. And the dog did. Unfortunately, he latched on to the wrong target.

Taking hold of Cloud's left arm and biting hard, the crowd gasped as Gabriel relayed the situation to horrified listeners. A few women screamed as blood ran down Cloud's arm, and Hercules bounded forth to try and get the dog away. A swift blow to the head detached dog from man, but Cerberus was quick to rebound, and snapped at Hercules in retaliation. Athena made a few swipes at the dog, but found that her attempts were as unsuccessful as the rest. Donald and Goofy began to flee with a few other members of the crowd, but Sora found he was frozen, watching the spectacle, Simba observing, wide-eyed, from his pocket.

"Sora, get outta here! That dog's dang'rous!" Donald yelled, grabbing Sora by the arm, but something happened that caused Sora to jerk away: Simba had wiggled and leaped out of his pocket, and into the ring.

"SIMBA!" Sora cried, running towards the kitten, who had leaped through the ropes and was approaching the dog. Cerberus seemed to notice, and stopped to stare at the tiny thing, while Hercules quickly ushered Cloud out of the ring. People peered over chairs and their seats, watching as the adorable kitten and the beastly dog confronted each other.

Simba mewed.

And Cerberus ran, scared out of his wits by the tiny cat.

"Simba!" said Sora, running up and gathering Simba in his arms. "Don't ever do that again, don't ever!"

The boy stood in the center of the ring in silence for a brief moment, before unexpected cheers filled the air. Whether they were cheering for the cat or the owner of the cat, nobody knew, but Gabriel was quick to report the miraculous event.

"A cat! A cat an' a boy saved Hercules!" he cheered, and the quintet began to sing a chorus of "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow," for good measure.

As Hercules was led off by Phil, Cloud clutching his arm and hanging off his shoulder, he couldn't help but smile. "Who's that kid, Phil? Do y'know?" he asked.

Phil took a moment to peer over and look at the boy standing there, and realized that it was the kid that didn't have a V.I.P. pass, last he checked. How'd he get in? "Your guess's as good as mine, kid," he replied, then addressing Cloud. "Y'all right, kid? Got bit up pretty bad."

Cloud didn't say a word, but nodded as they took him back and called for a doctor to treat his wound.

Later that evening, Hercules and Minerva announced that Cloud was the victor, and was to be the recipient of the $500 prize. Hades couldn't have been unhappier, humiliated that even though his man had won, Hercules' (and consequently, Zeus') image had been all but improved.

-///-

Needless to say, Sora was very perplexed to find he and Simba had been invited to a party in his honor following the match.

Zeus, hearing word of the match through his radio, quickly arranged for a get-together at his house to celebrate the deed, and have an excuse to let everyone get happily drunk on champagne (generously provided by Charles Bacchus, owner of a local brewery and several vineyards in California).

Simba as arguably the center of attention, being fawned-over by several women (protectively being held by Diana, a local policewoman). Sora managed to bring himself away from the action, and found himself speaking rather warmly with Hercules about boxing in general, and having a wonderful time of it (as well as receiving warm hugs from Hercules' mother, Hera, and his aunt, aptly named Aphrodite).

"M'boy, I'm certainly in your debt," Zeus said, striding up to the two after sharing a conversation with Gabriel. "Thanks t'you, my son's quite safe."

"I think y'should thank m'cat, Mr. Chronus," Sora said sheepishly, smiling. Zeus chuckled.

"Humility, what an honorable trait," he said. "Diana! Bring th'boy his cat."

The policewoman broke away from the crowd, cradling the kitten in his arms. "If you honestly ask me, you really are the reason that monstrous dog didn't hurt anyone else," she said. "God knows how it got in the arena in the first place, but it's true."

Sora took Simba back from her, and fondly stroked his ears. "Simba did all th'work, y'know," he said.

"Yes, but you brought him in the first place," Diana beamed. "Really, I love seeing people so devoted to their pets, so as to bring the to boxing matches with them!"

"T'tell the truth," Sora said, "I can't really trust him to be alone yet! He'd cause too much trouble!"

He and Diana laughed, as Zeus clasped him firmly by the shoulder. "Boy, if there's anything I can possibly do for you, don't hesitate to ask."

"Well..." Sora said, thinking over his options, Diana leaving to chat with Minerva, then realizing something. "...wait, do you think you could help me with something?"

"If it's possible, boy, I'll try my best," Zeus said, smiling. "What is it?"

"See, I have a friend... she's an orphan, y'see, an' her parents couldn't take care of her anymore, so she got sent away to a factory," Sora said. "D'you know anybody 'round here that took in new workers recently?"

"Hm, she around your age?" Zeus asked, and Sora nodded eagerly, hopeful. "Sorry, son, but the only business that took in some new workers is my brother's, and they were all grown men." Sora's face fell, and Zeus's heart practically melted. "Don't be down, son; if I knew anyone, I'd do anything in my power to help."

"Well... then, maybe y'can help m'friends," Sora said, craning his neck and searching for Donald's mop of white hair (as Goofy was outside, getting a breath of fresh air). "They're lookin' for their boss, and we got a tip tha' he was here not long ago. Why doncha talk with them?"

"I don't see why not, if it would mean something to you," Zeus said. "Take care, son."

-///-

Goofy felt rather overwhelmed at the party, seeking a bit of breathing space by walking outside and looking at the stars, thinking about his family, and how much he wanted to see them. However, he suddenly realized he wasn't alone.

"Y'don't like parties either?" he asked the blond-haired man sitting on the porch swing, and Cloud laughed a little.

"Noticed I was here, huh?" he said, and Goofy nodded.

"How's yer arm?" he asked, and Cloud shrugged.

"Could-a been worse," he replied, fingering the bandages a little. "When it heals, I'm gonna go home. That money an' the pay I've been savin' is more than enough to help."

"Illinois, right?" Goofy said, and Cloud looked at him, somewhat astonished.

"How did you-" he began, and Goofy smiled.

"I'm a good lis'ner," he replied. "That Gabriel guy said you was from Illinois. Traversa, right? I think tha's what he said."

Cloud nodded. "Yeah, but I've been gone five months'lready, an' I can barely remember the place," he said.

"...you're Aerith's fiancee, aren't you?" Goofy said, noticing a small band of gold on his left hand.

"You met her?" said Cloud, being silent for a long time; his face turned pink in the dark. "How's she doing?"

"Good, 'sfar 's I c'ld see," Goofy said. "She misses'ye a great deal. Y'miss 'er too, I expect."

"...more'n anything," Cloud said softly. "Can't wait t'see her again."

"When y'do get back, I hope that y'don' have t'be sep'rated again," said Goofy. "Tha's th'worst kinda pain."

Cloud looked at him with thoughtful blue eyes, wondering what the man could mean, when Donald and Sora came rushing through the door.

"Zeus knows your boss, Goofy!" Sora cried. "He said that he was goin' to Michigan t'check up on a friend!"

"Well, tha's certainly good news," said Goofy. "Cloud, take care o' yourself, okay?"

"...yeah, thanks," Cloud replied, and Goofy rejoined the two in the room, and began to discuss their plan for the next day.

-///-

Meanwhile, Hades was having a positively abysmal evening.

Losing the boxing match was bad enough, but to have Cerberus (his ace in the hole) fail was even worse.

He sat in his office, kneading his forehead while his two lackeys rushed around, trying to placate him with cigars and coffee.

"Hayland? You certainly don't look well."

A black-haired woman had entered his office, a smug look on her face.

"Oy, what're you doin' here?" Hades said, groaning. "Really, you're the last thing I need."

"Just dropping in for a short hello," Maleficent said smoothly. "I heard that boxing fiasco didn't work out as you had planned, and your political career doesn't seem to be faring as well."

"Would you shut up?" said Hades. "Really, why the hell are you here?"

"Oh, Hayland, my dear," she replied, "you know I adore seeing you suffer."

Hades groaned; his business associate really was a sadistic wench. "Get outta here," he said. "Don't you have anything better to do?"

"While traveling, it's nice to speak with friends," she replied, smirking. "I have a rather interesting proposition for you, if you're in the mood."

"Bother me later," said Hades.

"Suit yourself," said Maleficent. "Expect a telephone call from me soon, then. I should leave; my nephew's waiting in my car. Have a good evening."

"Jeesh, I pity the kid," Hades said softly, once she had left, meaning every word.