Well, Bartz was in a deep situation. Here was Gilgamesh before him, with a chance of Exdeath waiting for his chance to attack Bartz. He was beginning to regret staying behind and fighting two Chaos Warriors. If he was Zidane, he wouldn't care how many there were. But he wasn't Zidane. He was Bartz, and Bartz didn't take things lightly so easily. He was sure he could beat Gilgamesh, but he wasn't sure how much stronger both him and Exdeath were. Could he stall Gilgamesh for a chance for his friends to come back to get him? He knew that he couldn't stall Gilgamesh forever. Once Gilgamesh had his mind set, there was no stopping him.

"Well? I'm waiting," Gilgamesh said.

"I was actually waiting for you," Bartz told him. He pointed the Buster Sword at his opponent. Sweat began to fall from his face and he swallowed. How much stronger was Gilgamesh? For a while, they both did nothing. Waiting for who would make the first move.

"Enough!" Gilgamesh said as he finally charged at Bartz. Bartz blocked Gilgamesh's sword from falling upon him. Then he pushed him away and tried to take a stab to Gilgamesh's shoulder. Gilgamesh saw his attempt, and blocked the Buster Sword away. Then he grabbed Bartz and sent him flying through the air. Bartz switched the Buster Sword to Firion's bow. He angled himself downward to Gilgamesh and pulled back a glowing arrow that seemed to appear out of nowhere, took aim, and pulled back on the arrow. He let the arrow fly. Gilgamesh smirked and spun around a few times, making a hurricane appear. The arrow bounced off and disappeared.

"What?" Bartz said. He managed to climb up a wall, but Gilgamesh was waiting and began stabbing Bartz multiple times before Bartz could react. Bartz landed hard on the ground below, which caused the ground to crack. He groaned and knew that a few of his ribs were broken. Gilgamesh laughed.

"HAHAHA! Come on, bartz! I thought you were better than this!" Bartz pushed himself up and managed a chuckle.

"Heh, I can hardly feel it," he said, "Thanks to you, I have had enough time to finally focus!" He dashed up the wall and pulled out Cecil's staff of Darkness. He stabbed the staff into Gilgamesh and dark-purplish smoke swarmed around them. Gilgamesh crashed into the wall, making a crack. He chuckled.

"That's a bit more like it!" he said, as he began to glow and a few more limbs appeared. He was in Trance!

"Get ready, Bartz! Because here I come!" he shouted as he slashed his swords forward, cutting Bartz twice. Swords spun around as Gilgamesh waited for the perfect sword to appear. Gilgamesh smirked as he picked a sword. Lucky for Bartz, however, the sword Gilgamesh picked wasn't that strong.

"Lucky..." Bartz breathed. Now it was his torn! He summoned Yuna's staff and flames instantly burned around Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh screamed as the flames burned him.

Bartz was about to give him another when Gilgamesh put his arms up in surrender.

"Okay, Bartz! Okay! I get it! Let me go!" he pleaded. Purple smoke appeared around Gilgamesh as he began to disappear.

"No! I never get to have a lot of fun!" Gilgamesh whined as he faded away. When he was completely gone, Bartz sighed a relief. He flinched as he felt the pain from his ribs returning.

"Well, that's the end of Gilgamesh," he turned and began to walk away.

"You thought that was the end? Did you really forget about me that easily, Bartz?" Exdeath said. Bartz turned around in time to see Exdeath appear.

"Exdeath!"

"You've had it easy, Bartz. But now you must face me!" Exdeath said. _

Bartz could feel that his strength was low, but he couldn't let Exdeath know that he was weak. Instead, he put on a smile.

"I was wondering when the fun would start," he said. Exdeath chuckled.

"Laugh while you can. By the time I'm finished with you, you won't have any strength left. I'll take you out with one blow!" he said as he transformed into Trance. Bartz gulped. If Exdeath attacked him while in Trance, it was possible that Bartz would die. His strength was low and he felt weak.

"I'll have to go into Trance too. It's the only chance I have of surviving this," he said to himself. He felt the power inside him growing and wind began to blow around him. There was a bright flash of light and his Trance was awakened.

"You think that will help you?" Exdeath said as a tornado began to surround him. Bartz ran in the opposite direction to avoid being swept into the tornado. Exdeath's tornado died down and Bartz grinned as he pulled out a sword. He swung it at Exdeath in an attempt to strike him in the air. Exdeath saw it coming and put up a barrier, causing Bartz to lose his balance. A mistake that gave Exdeath the advantage.

"Now I have you!" he said as a black hole engulfed both him and Bartz. But Bartz wasn't finished. He had regained his balance and stabbed Exdeath with Cecil's Dark lance. Bartz released the lance and

he summoned a sword. He stabbed him ten times before he made the finishing blow.

Exdeath collapsed to the ground, but glared at Bartz.

"This may be the end for me, Bartz. But just you wait. Shinryu will end you and all your pathetic friends. Everything will return to the void," Exdeath said. Then he began to laugh as he was consumed by purple smoke.

"Til we meet again, Bartz." Bartz sighed with relief, but he was disappointed. There had to be some way they could recharge the crystal's power.

"Bartz! You're okay!" came a voice. Bartz looked back and found Zidane running up. Zidane gave him a glump.

"I was beginning to think that we would come too late. But You're okay!" he said. Bartz smiled and gave his friend a hug back.

"Course I'm okay!"

"Thank goodness!" Kupo said. It was then that Bartz saw Lightning and Vann with them.

"What are you guys doing here?"

"Radiant summoned us. Apparently, you ten aren't the only warriors that were summoned," Lightning said.

"Huh, so are there more Warriors?" Bartz asked.

"We don't know yet," Vaan said, "But it's nice to know that the team is back together." Bartz noticed that the Warrior had a concerned look on his face.

"Is there something wrong, Warrior?" he asked him. Warrior smiled.

"No, I am glad to know that you are alright. How many enemies were there?"

"Two. But I fought them off. They were both Gilgamesh and Exdeath," he then hung his head, "I wish there was some way to restore the crystal's power, though. I had to use it to beat Exdeath."

"You had no choice, Bartz. You had to use it. I am not angry with you," Kupo said.

"But there has to be some way! Please, Kupo! You must know some way we can restore its powers!"

Kupo looked from one Warrior to another. They all wanted to know the same as Bartz.

"Well, maybe there IS one way. I don't know if it exists. It's only a myth. There is a large crystal that shines within Shinryu's mountain. It's powers are said to hold the strongest of all the land. It can bring those that have died return and can restore the power of the crystals," Kupo said.

"Then all we need to do to restore the crystal's power is to find that crystal, correct?" Cecil asked.

"Yes, but no one has been able to find it. It is only a myth."

"So we'll have to find it. I have faith that we can find where it is hidden," Firion said.

"Then let us look for this crystal," Warrior said.

"If it's in Shinryu's domain, do you suppose that the Chaos Warriors know of it as well?" Cloud said.

"Shinryu tells the Warriors many things. But I don't think that he would tell them about the crystal. Shinryu doesn't trust anyone with his deepest secrets. It's most likely that if it's hidden somewhere he'll try to find it and destroy it," Kupo said.

"We can't let that happen!" Tidus said.

"We must stop Shinryu!" Terra said, "Before he destroys all the hopes to save this world."

"Then we must be going. Who knows how much time we have until Shinryu discovers and destroy that crystal," Kupo said.