Disclaimer: I did not create Calvin and Hobbes, Ozy and Millie, Kingdom Hearts, or any Disney movie featured in Kingdom Hearts. Calvin and Hobbes were made by my favorite cartoonist, Bill Watterson. Ozy and Millie were made by David Craig Simpson (It's an online comic, so I doubt you've heard of it). Lastly, Kingdom Hearts was made by Squaresoft, now Square-Enix, and they had to ask Disney to use their characters. I have not played KH in a while, so I'm using a game script by Oliver Kong, however I've also started to play the game again. You can read it at Game FAQs, or you can e-mail

Chapter 14: To Hades and Back

The first breaths. The two store each other down, but neither seemed serious yet still angry as their eyes met. The small one shoved a barrel down, and rolled it at the larger one. The larger one almost let him be hit by the barrel. The small one took advantage of this situation by striking the tall one with his blade. The large one countered with a haymaker punch that knocked the boy flat on his back. The boy got back up, and attacked the legs of the large one. Afterwards, the small one lifted a second barrel and chucked it at the tall one, and repeated this strategy until the tall one lost his strength. The small one took one last blow before smashing his weapon into the tall one's skullcap, incapacitating his opponent and winning the fight.

Calvin, AKA the small one, had finished off Hercules, the large one, in the Hercules Cup after a long match. He had to defeat Heartless from many worlds and he also had to face Cloud Strife yet again. But he had one, just barely, and could now enter the newly opened Hades Cup. This 49-round tournament holds deadly Heartless from all over the universe, along with strong warriors such as Yuffie Kisaragi, a kunoichi (female ninja), Squall Lionheart, a private military soldier with a custom gun, and many others. And Calvin will have to fight… without his best friend, Hobbes. To win the prize that shall resurrect Hobbes, the down of a phoenix, Calvin will need to band together with his newfound remaining friends. His roster consisted of Ozymandias J Llewellyn, armed with powerful magic and the heavy Grand Mallet, Millicent Mudd, armed with many tactical attacks and a long sword from the one called Adelbert Steiner, and Mr. Bun, who used his own strange powers. If you were to consider Simba, Genie, Tinkerbell and the unknown summon spirit of the Watergleam as warriors; Calvin had an entire army to destroy the competition! The boy, at least, hoped it was enough.

"Okay. We have to win if we ever want to see Hobbes again", said Calvin grimly, a tone of voice that he usually saved for horror stories in the dark. Ozy nodded. "I'm certain that we are strong enough. We have been handed a free lunch by fate, and now we have to show fate that we can fight by ourselves", the fox said dubiously. Millie, for once, took a serious tone as she rubbed her shiny barrowed sword. "As long as you guys can protect me if I get into trouble, I'll be just fine", she said with a smirk. Mr. Bun shifted his heart-shaped buckler shield on his arm. "If we do this, can we get to Susie?" Calvin nodded. "Yeah, we can get her. But first, we have my best friend to worry about. We've been friends as long as I can remember. And I'm not gonna let some stupid Heartless end it before we're finished". Calvin gripped his Fairy Harp, Ozy lifted (with difficulty) his Grand Mallet, Millie hefted her knight sword, and Mr. Bun grabbed his "Bunny Face" club, and all four exited through the double doors onto the arena.

AND SO IT BEGINS…

Calvin and Millie ignored the pep rally, with featured tortured souls and ghoulish cheerleaders from Hades' underworld, and the more serious Ozy looked at their roster. As it turned out, the 44th Seed featured none other than Yuffie Kisaragi, and the winner received a Genji Shield, which would make an excellent welcome-back present for Hobbes. At the 40th Seed, the team would face the huge, bull-like Behemoth. At the 30th match, Mr. Bun requested a match with the rat-girl Dragoon, Freya Crescent, and the youthful White Mage, Eiko. Sadly, Mr. Bun requested to also have Millie fight with him, dooming Ozy and Calvin to have to battle a few Seeds without the duo. On the 20th Seed, the team would face Cloud and Squall. Lastly, the 1st Seed held the mighty Rock Titan as the champion.

The four blew through their first 5 fights like nothing, with Tinkerbell slowly regenerating the team's stamina after Calvin summoned her. But on the 44th Seed, Yuffie skipped onto the battlefield. Yuffie was surprised. "Calvin? What are you doing here?"

Millie yelled back, "Hey, booger brain! Give up, or we'll kick your butt!" Yuffie countered, "Is that a threat, little girl? That's no way to challenge a great ninja like MEEEEEEEEEE!" Ozy muttered, "If Cloud is Calvin's long-lost dad, then Yuffie is Millie's human alter ego". Calvin told Yuffie seriously, "Yuffie, we need Phoenix Down. I'll kill you if you knock us out of the tournament!" Yuffie pulled out her scrapped-looking, large shuriken, and finished "Well, I guess I could, MAYBE-"and unexpectedly threw a few regular shuriken towards the boy. The multiple throwing stars sunk into Calvin's chest, and the boy collapsed. Ozy called out "Cura", and the white magic revived Calvin. As he pulled the stars out of his chest, his wounds glowed in a bright green light and slowly began to disappear, creating a soft burning sensation as the boy's skin warmed. Once the wounds healed completely, Yuffie giggled nervously and offered, "Um… maybe we can talk about this?" But Calvin wouldn't be tricked again. He lifted his sword and yelled out, "CHAAAAAAAAAAARGE!"

Yuffie rushed forward as Calvin and company charged her. At the last moment, Yuffie jumped into the air and nailed Calvin yet again with the embodiment of 4-pointed, Japanese projectile wrath, expressed in the form of another shuriken blitz. Ozy cleverly used a Thundara spell as Yuffie jumped into the air, making her fly a few more feet upward before violently crashing down to earth. Calvin was ready to pick off the weakened Yuffie as he saw her fly upward, and as she fell ran in her direction and slammed her down to the dirt arena with a two-handed chop. The boy got a few hits with the Fairy Harp before Yuffie regained her senses and ran. She spun her 4-Pointed Shuriken weapon, and to our protagonists' amazement, was surrounded by a lucid light that made it look even larger. As Yuffie tossed the weapon, Calvin ducked, hoping it would pass him by. To the boy's horror, it spun around in mid-flight and chased him! It appeared as though Yuffie somehow bewitched it, but instead was an attack unleashed through her pain and anger; such moves are known as Limit Breaks or Overdrives, and it appeared as though the one Yuffie was using was called the "Greased Lightning" attack. Millie, inactive up to now, took the time to notice Yuffie enjoy herself watches Calvin get chased, ignoring the fact a fight was going on. She signaled for Mr. Bun and Ozy to fallow her. The sly fox girl crept behind Yuffie, and when the young ninja teen stopped laughing, attacked her from three sides with the long sword, the hammer, and the mace. The assault struck Yuffie with so much force that it knocked her down into a pratfall, leaving her lying on her front side in the dirt and harming her enough that she could not go on any longer. Calvin, meanwhile, was finally chased into a corner. The boy, realizing he was trapped, covered his face with his hands and yelled out. Luckily for him, however Just as the blade was about to chop him in half like a Miter saw, it instead fell at his feet, barely poking the toes of his pump-up basketball sneakers. Calvin just stood there, shell-shocked from the occurrence. "I am dead?" asked Calvin. "You might say that", replied Ozy. Calvin panted in relief and through exhaustion from his flight. "Ughhhhhhhhhh…." Yuffie groaned in the distance. For Team Calvin, this fight was over.

During the next parts of the tournament, Calvin was advised to watch future opponents fight, so he could study their actions and strategies. Calvin simply replied, "Studying is for nerds". Mr. Bun convinced Calvin finally by reminding him that any advantage that they had to save Hobbes can help, and from that moment, Calvin watched Cloud, Leon, and others as they fought during his rest periods. And his research helped him dearly during the 40th Seed…

At the 40th Seed, the gigantic, ox-like Behemoth stomped onto the arena. The creature was at least three times the size of Mr. Bun, the tallest of the group who stood at the height of an average teenage boy. When the fight started, Ozy immediately fired a few Gravira spells at the Behemoth's horn, but that was all that seemed to take effect, as the beast's purplish hide could not be pierced or damaged by a blade's edge. The overzealous Millie and Mr. Bun simply chopped at the beast's legs, but it didn't get them very far, for the Behemoth could send both the fox and the bean bag bunny flying with one kick. Calvin, however, did not lend his l33t Keyblade skills to the battle, as he was simply standing in the back row, observing the fight. "WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING!" screeched the hurting Millie, angry with the blonde for leaving his partners to be his body shield. But this was not so; he was merely looking the monster over for weaknesses. Once he was finished, Calvin ran over to Mr. Bun, and commanded, "Use that power smash thingy on it's hind legs". Mr. Bun complied, dashing behind the powerful Heartless. Calling out "Bunny Blast", his staff shone like a magenta star, and he slammed the hind legs with the cudgel with enough force to make Behemoth sit down. Calvin then took this opportunity to jump onto the Heartless's back while it was stunned. Not noticing the lightweight boy on his back, the Behemoth turned around to gore Mr. Bun. When he did, Calvin unleashed his new special attack, one he had learned by observing Captain Hook's swashbuckling. He jumped into the air and slammed down on the Behemoth's horn many times, each powerful blow creating a flash of light. Calvin then did a front flip in the air, and as he did one final smash attack, he cried the name of his newfound power: "ARS ARCANUM!" The bony horn splintered into many pieces on the Fairy Harp's impact, forcing the other fighters below to cover their heads in order to reduce the chances of a possible and dangerous stab from the falling shards. The Behemoth let out a horrible, muffled yell, and it fell to the dirt, making a strong tremor as it hit the ground. When the shadow flesh of the beast has all melted into a puddle moments later, Calvin was left standing. "Now, what was that about strategy, Mr. Bun?" asked the cocky boy. But he had every right to be cocky: He now knew a new power that could turn the tide of battle on his grand quest or revival.

Later, when the Preliminaries (1st 10 Seeds) were finished…

Calvin, Ozy, Mr. Bun, and Millie rested easy outside the Coliseum. They had cleared the Preliminary matches with flying colors. They stood at 3rd Place in total tournament standings, outplayed by only by the teams of Cloud and Leon and a Heartless Seed known as Final Battalion. The match with Final Fantasy 9 characters Freya and Eiko was still on, and sadly, the gang still had to fight Cloud and Leon at this rate. That, and there were still +20 chances to fail the tournament by being beaten by a Heartless team. This was going to be one long day…

Through seeds 39-30, Calvin, Ozy, Millie and Mr. Bun fought there way past groups containing the annoying spell-casting Heartless: the Red Nocturne, the Blue Rhapsody, the Green Requiem, and the Yellow Opera. The barrage of these pint-sized floating devils and their magic attacks deterred the team and caused them to lose concentration against more brutal opponents, such as the diving-helmet-wearing Search Ghost, a return appearance of the dreaded Guard Armor they defeated in Traverse Town, a mushroom-capped, robe-wearing Heartless with high endurance called the Black Fungus, another attack from the colossal chameleon Sneak Stealth, and the even stronger Wizards. There was even a type of Heartless Calvin had never seen before; it resembled an hourglass with angel wings that fired lasers and sparks of light energy. This creature was dubbed the "Angel Star", due to its characteristics. Though these challenges were rough, the team managed to pull through. By the 30th seed, the amount of items each person held amounted to 2 Potions, 4 Hi-Potions, and the one Mega-Potion Calvin received from the Pegasus Cup. Ozy and Mr. Bun had also used 2 Ethers and one Mega-Ether each, and there was only a single Ether left to restore spell-casting energy. And thankfully, the items they did have were able to heal most major injuries.

Once Hades announced the 30th seed of the tournament, Mr. Bun and Millie sat in the lobby with Calvin and Ozy, preparing for their next fight. Millie, describing the previous fights, exclaimed, "And then WHAM! And a POW! And a SHINK! And then… I took down that ghost-thingy with my Foxbird attack! I must've jumped at least three feet in the air on that one". Calvin groaned, "Millie, be quiet. I'm supposed to be the talkative one!" Mr. Bun agreed. "Millie, I've heard of Eiko and Freya. Eiko may not be very tough to beat, being a healer of the team, but Freya is the best Dragon Knight in her homeland! Don't underestimate this fight. Save your strength". Millie rolled her eyes at this statement. "Bun, it doesn't take much energy to talk. Besides, what are these guys like, anyways", she asked. Ozy responded, "Eiko may be a healer, but she also dabbles in Time Magic like Stop. Not only that, she can also summon monsters. Freya, like any good Dragoon should, can perform a forceful jumping attack and fights with a spear". Ozy then nudged Calvin in the ribs, reminding the boy what he wanted him to do. Calvin made a soft "Oh!" sound, and reached into his pockets. He then drew the Earthshine gem, the Watergleam gem, and Genie's lamp from the pockets of his black shorts and handed them to Millie. "Here", said Calvin, "if that E-girl tries to get help from some huge monster, use these. For the green one, think of Simba from the Lion King. The blue one is Dumbo, and Genie's waiting in the lamp to help you out". Millie smiled at Calvin, shrugged and slipped the items into the front pocket of her overalls.

Meanwhile…

"Surely you jest!" The cry of a dignified-sounding woman escaped the alleyways on the side of the Olympus Coliseum. Standing far from the crowds of people waiting outside the packed lobby, the shaded arena behind the coliseum concealed three. The first was the exclaiming female, a white-haired woman with rat-like qualities wearing a large red jacket and a cap that resembled a dragon's head. The second was a small girl with a unicorn's horn, a red bow wrapped around her head wearing a purple-and-white-striped shirt and yellow overalls. And the third was one angry, blue-skinned, dark-cloaked form with blazing, blue-flamed hair. In short, Freya, Eiko and Hades respectively were having an argument in their privacy. "What're ya, crazy!" exclaimed the youthful Eiko. Freya's glare pierced Hades like a knight's lance as she spoke, "What makes you think I would do such a thing for a fool like you". Hades smooth-talked, "What? Come on, rodent, lighten up a bit. Didn't you read Rule Thirteen of my game? 'There are no rules'. Trust me on this one. That Calvin boy is a real pain in the neck. I think he's a little swindler. Come on, now. Someone his age being the champion of three tournaments?" Eiko butted in, "Yeah, well me and my friend Vivi beat up a bunch of-" Hades's anger flared up quickly, changing his flames and skin to a red, as he cut out Eiko saying, "HEY! Hey, hey there. Didn't your mommy every tell you it's impolite to interrupt the grown-ups?" At this threat towards the young one, Freya drew her weapon: a highly decorated spear with a pair of blades extending off the sides at the bottom of the spearhead. Taking this weapon into her hands, Freya threatened, "You may be a god, Hades, but you are nothing compared to the others of Olympus. Therefore, it would be unwise to anger me before the final fight of this tournament. Is that understood?" Hades slicked his "hair" back and commented, "Hey, it's your call". Eiko added in, "And we're not taking it!" She stuck out her tongue and began to walk away, escorted by the older rat-woman.

As Hades was left alone in the dark, he yelled out and threw multiple fireballs from his hand at the walls in rage. After throwing a few, he threw his palms forward and unleashed a tongue of flame at the wall, scorching the sun-dried brick further. Once he calmed down, Hades self-contemplated, "I can't let that short-stuff, spiky-haired little BRAT get his friend back. It's just me, and Maleficent left. And like it or not, that tiger is actually a decent gladiator, and so is that fox. This is my last chance. Even though those two chicks won't off the fox's girlfriend and that rabbit, if I can kill off Calvin's other friend, he'll be shook up like an earthquake. He'll chicken out on his little Key Bearer game, and then…" Hades began to laugh to himself, "and then we can give 'im the old one-two! I'll let Maleficent pick him off. But I gotta make this one. Okay, Hades, time to pull the big one. This is your tourney, and you call the shots. Let's finish off that annoying duo of Calvin and Hobbes for good!" With that, Hades exploded out of existence, off to the Underworld to prepare his next attack. As he vanished, he thought to himself, "But first… a little something to make the next battle more interesting…"

The 30th Seed and the fight of 4 comic stars vs. 4 Final Fantasy stars begins…

Seed number thirty. From the pair of double doors in front came the challengers Mr. Bun and Millie. The arena had been cleared for one-on-one and two-on-two matches requested for this battle. Some time after the first couple of fights, it was our heroes' turns. The rabbit and fox walked into the coliseum pit, walked up the staircase in the center and stood on the stone arena. "What's taking them so long", pondered Millie. Mr. Bun replied, "I don't think they'd back down. Both have fought through countless fights with deadly monst- What the HECK is THAT?" Around the sides of the coliseum, Mr. Bun spotted a small object standing right on the walls of the circular, citadel-like arena, standing high above the crowd's seats. The figure appeared to he holding another, but the plushie didn't have enough time to look, for the figure leapt high into the air and jumped with unbelievable distance, bounding past the audience and heading straight for the two! The figure landed perfectly on her feet, a decent distance away from Mr. Bun, and it appeared as though the figure was indeed carrying someone in her arms.

"As expected. Freya. Eiko. How are you?" Freya lowered Eiko onto the floor and responded, "Greetings. My apologizes for being late". The little girl walked towards Millie, holding a small flute in her hands. "Don't worry, we saved our strength to beat you two up!" Millie challenged, "If you can catch me! And how can that dumb thing block my big, strong sword?" Freya said back to Millie, "You would be surprised. It's best you bite your tongue; my comrade Adelbert lent you that weapon, remember?" Mr. Bun continued, "Anyway, let's just do this thing, okay?" "If you insist", challenged Freya, who drew her polearm and readied it in her hands. When a large bell tolled in the background, Millie rushed towards the competition blindly, with Mr. Bun following carefully, as Freya and Eiko stood their ground.

Back in the stands, amongst the spectators, Ozy cheered on his friends as Calvin sat back and ate a few chilidogs he bought from Hades' concession stands. After a single bite, the chili sauce sent a powerful shock of heat through the boy's tongue and lips, causing him to yell in pain. "Now I know why he called it 'eternal flame sauce'!" commented Calvin as he took a big drink of some soda pop. At this, Ozy retorted, "There's no time to be worrying about your snacks, Calvin! Pay attention!" Calvin stuck out his tongue, still stinging from the hot sauce, at Ozy. "You aren't my dad, Ozy. I'll pay attention if I need to!"

As expected, Millie's attempt at a frontal assault proved to be foolish as Freya immediately counterattacked with a slash of her lance. The blades chopped into Millie, causing her to yelp and step back a few paces on impact. Mr. Bun, however, was immediately there for the hurt Millie, batting off another of Freya's chops with his raised shield-arm. After deflecting the shot, the bunny jumped into the air and smashed Freya in the head. Readjusting her hat after the brutal strike, Freya growled, "Is that all?" and backed off. "Why are you running, rat-face?" Millie called out and dashed forward in an attempt to hit the dragon knight with her sword. At the last minute, Freya jumped high into the air, completely dodging Millie's horizontal swipe. Eiko, who was standing back since the start, skipped over to Millie as she swung and bopped her in the head with her flute. "OUCH!" cried out the fox, but as she turned to counter, she learned this was just a distraction as she felt something sharp shoot into her side. She took a quick glance to her side, and found that her opponent's spear was sticking out of her side! And it wasn't long before she came down to retrieve it; Freya fell onto Millie in a swan dive, knocking her down and pulling her weapon out. Millie cried out in serious pain, as she lied on the floor, unable to move from her abuse from the dragoon. "Is this earnestly a fighter who lasted this long in the tournament", stated Freya. "Pathetic. Don't fear; you'll wake in the clinic soon". The vicious femme fatale twirled her spear, and raised it in high in the air, planning to finish the young vixen off.

Mr. Bun, however, wasn't finished. He eagerly threw his body into Freya before she could deal the final blow, growling, "What kind of warrior do you think you are! You really think you're tough, hurting a girl like that? Take this!" Mr. Bun held his club with two hands, twirled it above his head, and called out, "Princess Guard!" With that, he swung his arms at Freya with brutal force, smashing his shield and club into her with quick repetition. With her enemy being beaten up, Millie slowly rose up on her hind paws and looked on at Eiko.

The girl asked Millie, "What kinda princess 'guard' involves beating someone up?" Millie shrugged. "I guess we gotta fight now", she said. Eiko quickly called out, "Okay!" and dashed towards Millie, kicking her in the shins before she could move. "Ow!" cried out Millie, bouncing on one leg at she gripped her other. Eiko defended, "Well, you did say we gotta fight". Millie grinned, lifting her broadsword with her opposite paw. "Oh, right", she sneered. Eiko began to back up, but Millie slowly approached, a sinister look on her face. Millie hefted the broadsword high above her head, and in Eiko's eyes, the last thing she saw before blacking out was a flash of steel coming at her face.

Along the sidelines, Calvin made a nice, low "Oooohh" noise as the sword attack connected with Eiko, and then added the comment of, "You won't see that on WWE RAW". Ozy just sat in his seat, repulsed by the brutal slashing from Millie. The crowd, thirsty for blood and longing for violence, let out their cheers of delight from the spectacle.

It is common knowledge that it's difficult for one to pay attention to what's going on around one's self when caught up something else. This especially goes double when a vicious beanbag bunny and his club are slamming you around like a punching bag. Even so, Freya couldn't help but notice that Eiko, somehow, had been hurt after hearing the snicker-snatch of a sword followed by the applause of the barbaric crowd. With a quick burst of energy, she used both of her legs to kick Mr. Bun off of her, then quickly stood up to see the sad realization of what had happened; Eiko was laying on her back on the arena floor, eyes shut gently and moaning, whilst Millie was over her with her sword in hand. In a burst of pure rage, Freya let out a hell-bent war cry and dashed upon savage feet, her spear being held in a shaking hand clenched white-knuckle-tight. When Millie turned around to face the remainder of her competition, she gasped.

And then… she wished she hadn't turned around at all.

Calvin leapt out of his seat, spilling soda, soft pretzel and nacho chips alike onto the floors. Ozy, distraught, called out in a quick and pained voice that, if slower, could have sounded like the name of his friend. But it was pointless for him to call out; she wouldn't have heard it anyway. For, indeed, it is very difficult for one to do much of anything upon fainting from a direct stab from a spear. The force of the thrust was enough to not only pierce Millie but packed enough punch to feel like she'd been hit with a hammer, as well. On contact, Millie didn't say a word or make a sound; she fell to the ground, breathing heavily in a comatose state. Not even bothering to remove her spear, Freya also dashed to the other wounded girl; kneeling down on one knee, Freya gripped Eiko tenderly and held her close to her body. Then something unexpected occurred.

Mr. Bun dropped his mace and his buckler down to the ground. He then walked over, removed Freya's spear, and then collected Millie's borrowed sword. After picking up both weapons, he then tossed them next to his own, and kicked them off the side of the arena. Looking down at Freya, Mr. Bun could tell how she felt in an instant; anguish for the one she had tried to protect, defiance for her sympathy regardless of her strong warrior title. Mustering his courage, he finally told her, "Ms. Crescent, I forfeit. I cannot hope to defeat you. And right now, these two young girls are wounded. They need help quickly, and that's all that matters right now". The crowd booed, throwing their concessions and even throwing weapons in an attempt to hit Mr. Bun, but that didn't matter to the bunny or the rat. "It takes courage to admit one's failure", commented Freya as she walked off the stage, "But it seems such words are shallow this moment". Mr. Bun nodded, lifted up Millie in his hands, and standing alongside his opponent, the two took their miserable walk together and left the coliseum.

Later…

It had seemed that both incidents would leave both girls in terrible condition. Though they both would recover from their terrible wounds, so saying the Coliseum doctors, both Millie and Eiko would not be conscious for at least the rest of the day. It is difficult to say who took the worst of the wounds; Eiko's facial injury took more of a toll on her because of her young age, but Millie would face peril from her deep impaling. Needless to say, neither would be in any condition to help their partners, but that was the least of their worries.

Sitting in the lobby, Ozy came upon Calvin, who was at the moment throwing punches through the air in anger. Mr. Bun had confiscated his weapon so he could not try to seek retribution for the Dragoon's actions during the fight, and as a result the boy needed to let off some steam by hitting something. Thankfully, that something was a something that cannot be affected or damaged in any way when struck physically. Ozy cautiously approached, not wanting to become the next target. He knew that if he said the wrong things, Calvin could blow a fuse, so he thought out his words carefully, and eventually called out, "Calvin, I need to talk to you". Acting in the way Ozy hoped he would, the boy stopped his assault on his invisible victims, turned on a heel, and faced the fox. Nodding, Ozy continued, "Was it just me, or did everyone in the arena act a little more… aggressive?" Calvin cracked, "Ozy, fighting isn't flowers and cupcakes", but the fox was in no mood for jokes. "I'm sorry… I don't have much time to explain. I have to get outside and clear my thoughts", murmured Ozy as he walked outside. As the fox left, Calvin simply shrugged and returned to his business, now simply practicing his skills in fisticuffs rather than relieving anger.

Ozy sat down on the steps outside the arena, puzzled and lost in a freight train stuck on a never-ending railway… better known as his own thoughts. "I just have such a weird feeling… I know I'm right, but I just need to prove why! I have the strongest premonition that something went wrong in the arena… like some unexplainable force sabotaged the fight. I don't Millie would have tried THAT kind of attack, at least not on someone of Eiko's stature. Not only that, but Mr. Bun completely lost his sanity and didn't show any signs of relent when attacking Freya. As for the lady's actions…OH! Everything seems so called-for. I just don't understand this. I… AM… CERTAIN… THAT SOMEONE WAS MAKING THEM ACT ANGRIER THAN USUAL DURING THE LAST LEG OF THAT BATTLE. AND I WILL FIGURE IT OUT, LEST MY NAME IS NOT OZYMANDIUS J. LLEWEL-"

…By the time Calvin's team was called, Ozy was absent; he wasn't even outside the arena! Suggesting foul play, Mr. Bun tried to negotiate with the supervisors (well, mainly Phil), but the fights were still on, even if "One single champion goes AWOL, the tourney still ain't over". Irritated by this sudden disappearance, Calvin had to fight without the powerful Red Mage, as he played two-man-down with Mr. Bun through Seeds 29-21. Without Ozy's magic from the back, Millie's unorthodox swordplay in front, and a weakened Mr. Bun at his side, Calvin relied heavily on his summons for help. Simba's shockwaves stunned and harmed any Heartless in the area, making them easy pickings for Mr. Bun's assaults. When stronger Heartless such as the Guard Armor's body parts or monsters the team had never fought before, Calvin called for Genie in order to vaporize them with magic orbs and either Gravity, Thunder or Stop spells. And, of course, Tinkerbelle was there to use her regenerative powers and keep Calvin and Mr. Bun from getting injured too badly.

Upon defeating the team referred to as the "Air Corsairs", consisting of a Pirate in a giant, floating battleship, a few dragon-like Heartless and four ink-black sphere Heartless called Darkballs, Calvin's trickiest fight so far was announced: He and Mr. Bun would face off against Cloud Strife and Leon. And while Cloud had allowed himself to be considered "beaten" in his first fight against Calvin, Leon was much tougher, managing to defeat Calvin in their first fight. Calvin had defeated Leon once, but that was when Ozy and Hobbes were fighting at his side.

These thoughts plagued Calvin's mind as he walked down the dark corridors into the arena, his Keyblade resting against on his shoulders. "At least I've got Mr. Bun", he thought, and was grateful that the beanbag bunny had more skill than his first sight led most to believe. Partially with courage and partially with the improved power the Keyblade offered his muscles, he shoved open one of the two double-doors leading into the coliseum with one arm. On the other side, the yellow-haired mercenary and the dark-clothed SeeD soldier also approached, getting into the arena around the same time. All four entered into the arena silently, knowing it was best not to waste any time or make any comment on what had recently come up for Team Calvin. They stood tense, hands gripped tightly on their weapons and stood impatiently, awaiting the start of the fight.

As a whistle was blown moments later as a signal, the tense four all sprung into action, dashing a few paces forward to meet their oppositions. Steel clashed against unknown alloy as Cloud's obvious downward chop with the Buster Sword slammed down into Calvin's Fairy Harp, making a cute whistling sound as it miraculously took the impact without buckling. On the other side, a nasty cracking noise burst from Mr. Bun's mace as it made contact with Leon's legs, knocking the tough man onto his back. This low-aimed attack, however, left Mr. Bun open for Leon's counterattack; a blast from his weapon's gun barrel. The bullet shot into Mr. Bun with a hammer-blow force, propelling him too off of his feet.

While Cloud's zweihander-sized sword could do massive damage from it's sheer weight, the only problem is that most cannot wield it for the same reason, and even Cloud himself must take a moment to lift it. The Keyblade, however, was designed so any worthy of its might can use it easily due to its light weight, regardless of form. Therefore, every time Cloud lifted the blade over his shoulders, Calvin would run out of the way and plaster Cloud's sides with a few quick strikes and jabs. After a few rounds of this and one aching torso later, Cloud decided it was time to stop holding back. He lifted up the Buster Sword one last time, and as Calvin stuck to his usual strategy, Cloud brought the massive blade down in an arc, curving his swing in order to chop into his opponent horizontally. The unexpected slice smashed into the feather-weighted boy, causing him to stumble.

Cloud took this reeling to his advantage as he backed away, then rushed towards the boy, looking as if he intended to ram him. Calvin threw his Keyblade up in a blocking stance, but this epic maneuver was useless; what really happened was that Cloud leapt disproportionably high into the air (but not as high as the Dragoons could achieve), throwing his sword backwards behind his head. As he fell, Cloud's sword shimmered with a mauve spark of light, as he called out, "BRAVER!" and sliced downward. Calvin attempted to block this, but it had seemed to him as thought gravity was working against him. It was as if Cloud's sword had just gained a few thousand pounds as he fell. As Cloud's boots touched the floor, Calvin was flat on his back, crushed underneath the Buster Sword yet protected by the unbreakable Keyblade. Still, the impact had managed to knock the wind out of Calvin's lungs, and he barely was able to move as he wheezed and gasped for air.

At the same time, Mr. Bun was faring his best against his own opponent. Having just blown away his opponent, Leon took no time to jump upon the downed rabbit, thrusting his Gunblade's large bayonet forward. His eyes bursting as wide as dinner plates, Mr. Bun rolled onto his side, his back just barely touching the blade as it sunk into the dirt floors like a warm knife through butter. As Leon drew his weapon out of the ground, he lunged his foot forward in a kick, once again avoided as Mr. Bun rolled a good distance away and did a push-up to get back on his feet. With his blade free and his irritation rising, Leon bull rushed Mr. Bun, shoulder-first. Because he had just gotten up, Bun had no choice but to take a defensive stance, and lifted his buckler upward. Leon's weight was thrown into his lunge, but somehow Mr. Bun had enough strength in his lanky legs to stand his ground. With his off-arm, he quickly raised his weapon and took a swing at Leon's head; striking him hard enough to make the man back away as his ears rung and his eyes saw stars.

With his opponent barely catching his breath, Cloud raised his massive blade yet again to chop at Calvin. The weapon fell down like a guillotine, and Calvin hardly had enough strength left to handle such an attack. He grunted loudly as Cloud's blade hit his own, sending a shock into his hands and making his arms buckle, forcing the Keyblade to strike his chest. Calvin gasped and heaved, completely weakened, and was sure he couldn't take much more abuse. But, as it appeared, he was given a reprieve. Cloud laid his Buster Sword against his shoulders and stepped back, staring down at the boy. "Catch your breath", he mumbled, "It's not my style to hit someone when they're down". Calvin could hardly trust Cloud, but he obeyed, lying on the floor to get his strength back. After a few breaths, Calvin hoisted himself up… and barely had time to duck under a horizontal swipe from Cloud. Staying crouched, Calvin lunged and with a thrust, managed to pound into Cloud's thigh with the blunted tip of the Fairy Harp.

As Leon stepped back, Mr. Bun wasn't about to show any quarter to one who didn't offer him any. He bounced into the air, and upon landing did a split and swung his nameless, bunny-headed mace at Leon's ankles. Surprisingly, however, his attack wasn't strong enough to knock Squall Leonheart over, even in his dazed state. Leon shook his head briefly, lowered his gun at Mr. Bun's level, and murmured, "Blizzard". The inside of the barrel shined with a deep blue light as Leon pulled the trigger, and Mr. Bun wasn't quick enough to avoid the cone of cold wind blowing at him. The chilling gust managed to freeze the water vapor in the air around its target, and spontaneously a sheet of ice formed over Mr. Bun's head as he was frozen solid and dropped to the floor. And even though the ice had shattered and vanished as his head hit the earth, Mr. Bun was still worse; he was literally out cold.

Cloud and Calvin fought with much intensity beside the duo, neither paying any attention to anything else but their own swords. Despite the shortened range of his weapon, Calvin did a fine job defending against Cloud's slashes. Likewise, Calvin's lowered range gave Cloud a defensive advantage; every time Calvin tried to get close enough to attack, Cloud would batter him away with an attack, forcing him to block or dodge, or Cloud would simply backstep. "This is getting old", commented Calvin, who had just sidestepped a vertical chop. "Yeah", replied Cloud as he dropped his weapon and strafed to the side to dodge a thrust. "What would you say we show each other a few tricks?" Calvin grinned evilly and responded, "You asked for it". Reclaiming his blade, Cloud hefted the Buster Sword back up in a fighting stance and awaited Calvin's attack. Calvin made a few karate noises as he weaved his sword around in the air. But any moves he would've attempted were nullified as a gunshot pierced through the arena and Calvin was blown back, the Keyblade flying out of his hands.

Cloud twirled around with an angry scowl on his face. As expected, Squall was standing in the distance, his Gunblade still smoking after his shot was fired off. "The point was", Cloud hollered back, "for a one-on-one fight". Squall simply propped himself against the wall, muttering a quick "Whatever" as he threw his Gunblade into the dirt before him, the blade sticking into it. In response, Cloud turned back towards Calvin's direction. His adversary was just getting up, rubbing his chest and groaning an "Oooowwwwwww…" noise. His chest aching from the blast, Calvin leaned over wincing and picked his sword back up as Cloud started to approach him.

The boy, however, didn't want to do things the easy way and instead rushed in a quick hobble towards Cloud, one hand on his Fairy Harp and the other on his ribcage. Cloud returned the pace by running. "Alright, stormy, here's that attack!" Calvin skipped a step and leapt into the air, bringing his sword down with all his might. Cloud, however, was prepared and back stepped the attack. Calvin wasn't finished, however, and just as Cloud avoided his chop did he hop back into the air, bringing his short sword up in a crazed arc and smacking the surprised Cloud in the chin.

Calvin fell again, but this time he didn't hit the floor; he appeared to be floating a foot or two off the surface. He was also gripping his weapon in both hands, leaning back as if to anticipate a strong force about to blow him back. Around the tip of his Keyblade, white light that was stretched like ribbons twirled around his weapon for a brief moment, a spark of light growing stronger and stronger. Cloud shook his head to shake away his dizziness, but when everything came to, it was too late. At the command of Calvin's yell, the ribbon-like beams shot from Calvin's sword and ran straight through Mr. Strife. A pair of shouts from both blondes rang through the arena, white light erupting from the arena as their voices did…

…And as the light faded, Calvin was sitting on his rear in the dirt, smoke pouring from the Fairy Harp and it's reedy blade sizzling from the heat. Not unlike the Fairy Harp, Cloud's upper torso was also steaming and burning as he had fallen where he stood. The walls behind Cloud were also scorched. It took him much of his strength to get up into a sitting position, but he had just enough energy to say, "Not bad. All right. We'll just say you won this match…"

Squall wasn't pleased, but unbeknownst to him, Cloud, or Calvin he wouldn't be the only one upset a 6-year-old was able to defeat the great swordsman. Only seconds after his victory, the ground of the arena exploded under the warriors' feet. The violent, fiery eruption blew Calvin, Mr. Bun's collapsed body, and Cloud sky-high, Squall's eyebrows just getting singed by the blaze before him. From standing on the sidelines, it had appeared Leon had just prevented himself from suffering a similar fate. He simply stood, his face showing no emotion, and commented, "This ain't gonna end well…"

Hours later…

The night sky was a deep blue, the waxing gibbous moon wide and sending it's white glow onto the coliseum grounds. A scorched figure stood out in the lobby, before him a large, half-pyramid-shaped platform. Atop this platform sat proudly a large golden trophy, the glowing light of the torches at it's side reflecting beautiful reds and molten oranges of it's flames.

Calvin came to poorly. His back was ablaze, burnt terribly in the sudden blaze that had exploded around him. He tried to breath in, but there was a strong haze in the air. In fact, intense waves of heat were pouring onto him as he struggled to become conscious. A loud and familiar voice boomed before him, "Hey, shorty, it's about time you got up". Calvin's eyes shot wide open. A wicked grinning red face with a wide chin and blazing was before him, covered in a dark black shroud. "Hades", he choked. "Heeeeeeeeeeey, guess what", answered the god of the underworld in a cruel yet slick voice, "I've got a place for you… DOWN UNDER!" With no hesitation, Hades' hands flung forward, slinging a pair of fiery sphere down in Calvin's direction. Agonizingly, Calvin performed a backwards Dodge Roll, trying to ignore the pain of his burnt back, and just managed to avoid the fireballs as they crashed and set the floor they struck alight. It was then did Calvin realize where he was.

The person's face glowed brilliantly with light from his prize. Phil walked to his side, and patted him on the shoulder. "Go on", said the satyr calmly, "Go and pick your prize up… champ". The male nodded his head, and began his ascension up the stairs of the platform…

With no moment to spare, Calvin drizzled his last Hi-Potion onto his back. It began to tingle and become warm as he regained his strength. He was standing on the stone platform of the coliseum arena, but there were two details that caught his attention; A) the platform suspended high in the air, and B) he was surrounded by a firewall that covered it's borders. Calvin lifted his right arm high and mightily… and realized his Keyblade was missing! "You know how much of a pain it was", began Hades as a plume of fire flew from his hands, "setting up an entire tournament…" Calvin danced around the blaze, strength gained purely from his new adrenaline rush. "…Trying to hire that rat and that little girl to try and take you out", continued Hades, stopping his flamethrower-like attack from his hands and instead placing them into his fiery hair. "…Offing that rabbit AND capturing your fox friend…" Calvin's guile couldn't have been stronger as he gritted his teeth from the lasting pain of his burns and his rage against Hades.

Calvin's blonde little head looked on impatiently as the figure walked slowly up the platform. Part of him was angry he did not get to win the tournament, but another was glad it was all over. The champion had agreed to offer the only prize the boy did seek to him, and Calvin could tell he could trust the winner's word.

By the time Hades was ending his yell, Calvin was literally hanging onto his cloak with one hand the bashing his face in with the Fairy Harp using the other. Hades' cool and laid-back voice was gone, he now finished, ignoring Calvin's vicious assault, "…JUST TO GET RID OF YOU, ALL OF THIS WORK, JUST FOR THAT WITCH MALECIFENT!" Calvin voice was equally as strong. "CRY ME A RIVER, WON'T YOU? I'm gonna beat the Tabasco sauce out of you until you give me that Phoenix stuff, ALRIGHT? And you aren't gonna stop me! I want my FRIEND BACK!" Calvin hammered Hades with all his might, but the being didn't show any signs of fatigue. Even as Hades tore Calvin off his face and sent him flying with a fireball, the blazing child call out, "I WANT HOBBES BACK!" Even as his body burned, Calvin mustered the might to point his Keyblade at Hades. He rasped, losing his strength quickly, "…deep… free-"

The champion had reached the top of the stairs. He hefted the trophy, the marvelous prize of the Hades Cup, and raised it above his head for all to see. A grand cheer arose from all corners of the Olympus Coliseum as all, viewers and contenders, shouted in praise for the winner. He smiled calmly. "Now, Calvin", he spoke to the boy, "It's time I fulfilled my end of the bargain. After all, I couldn't possibly take the credit for defeating Hades. You yourself did much of the work, and I must admit… all I did was deal the finishing blow". The victor lowered his prize, took his hand, and reached into one of the torches as his side.

Calvin's body plopped to the ground with flames still stagnant on his body. He didn't know how long he was going to last, but he knew we wouldn't give up. He had to save his best friend. The Keyblade had fallen out of his hands, but he ignored his loss and raised his hands in front of him. The chill of the spell he was trying to attempt cooled his pain momentarily as he tried again, "Deep…" A voice caught him off-guard, sounding as if it came from below himself and Hades. And even as a fireball the size of a beach ball burnt brightly over Hades' head in an attempt to burn the boy to ashes, the voice did not catch the sinister god off-guard. It was only the result of the voice's actions that made him groan in agonizing pain. The voice had said, "Hades, it is time to cool off! Bone-chilling deep freeze! BLIZZAGA!"

The hand was whole when it appeared back from within the torch. As it had appeared, the source of the illumination had happened to be a mess of soft down feathers. The feathers were a beautiful red and orange, just like fire. It was the down of a phoenix. Leaving his trophy back on the platform, he took some of the torch's Phoenix Down and approached Calvin. The boy sat his friend in front of him; a mess that was now only broken seams, orangey and white clothe and some cute plastic eyes. "What if…" Calvin asked with a weak voice. The champion said to Calvin, "…if it's too late? Not a chance." With that, he delicately sprinkled the down onto the destroyed stuffed animal.

Hades had lost his red skin and flames as a gigantic ice crystal formed around him from out of nowhere. Only a look of pure agony was upon his face as the flames around the coliseum platform died down and the platform itself dropped from the sky. Calvin braced himself for impact as he felt the intense feeling of falling. Before the platform hit the ground, however, the voice had called out again, "Float, child, Float like a cloud!" At that moment, Calvin felt like he was light as a feather, and upon rolling in mid-air realized he was indeed falling like one. At the platform slammed into the charred dirt, Calvin was snugly nestled in his now-inverted force of gravity as he levitated about two feet off the ground. Hades, however, did not get off so lucky. As his frozen form struck the ground, the ice around him shattered, leaving the once-powerful god of the underworld weak like a mortal. His skin had turned a pale white, and his flaming hair was now just a baldhead. Things only got from bad to worse as he whirled and saw the boy swimming through the air, his Keyblade glowing in a strong golden light. "'God of the underworld', indeed", spoke the voice that had summoned the terrible ice wave. Hades had only moments to whirl around and see a terrible blizzard erupt from a magical staff as he heard behind him a foreign word: "Zantetsuken".

The doll glowed warmly as it's threads and cotton stuffing began to move all by itself and it's shape began to float. The stuffing flew into the toy's original shape, the cloth falling right off it. The torn cloth came back together, the parts where it was torn glowing brightly as it magically reattached to itself. The cloth then flew around the doll's shaped cotton, fitting it like a glove. The seams, now glistening even in the dark, spun around and stitched itself back into the stuffed animal, as if a sewing needle was manipulating it. The air around the doll whistled in a distinctive sound as red light burned so bright it completely enveloped the doll. The tiger grew in size as it drifted back to the earth. When the light faded, a familiar shape was on the floor. The lanky tiger Hobbes was back to his tiger form. His eyes fluttered weakly, yet he had enough strength to ask his friend, "Hey… is it just me, or does anyone else feel like a tuna sandwich?"

It had all happened so quick, but by the time it was all over, Hades was sucked back below the surface of the world, drawn back by the very tortured souls he was in charge of. His body was pale, frozen in a fine layer of ice, and his worldly form was handled in two halves as he was pulled back into the earth. Calvin raised his head up. He wasn't sure who helped him defeat Hades and who had saved him from a terrible fall, but he had a good idea who. And once Hades' body no longer blocked his vision, he was removed of all doubt that it was who he thought it was. Though he was attached to brazen chains sticking out of the ground, he was grinning widely, a rare sight indeed for him. Calvin flowed through the air like a bird, and offered to his friend, "Need help with those chains, Ozy?"

Calvin was speechless. Hobbes was really back to life. "Ozy…thanks…" The fox held a warm smile. "It's no problem. And, perhaps with those new spells I taught you, we can make sure this doesn't happen again". He walked back up the stage, "Now, I only have one favor to ask you…perhaps you two can help me carry my trophy? My father would be very proud to see it, that is… after we save my world". Hobbes got up groggily. "Uhhhhhhh… sure, why not", he replied. "Come on, Calvin, you'll have to tell me what went on after my… uh… absence". Calvin stood there for a moment. After which, he replied, "Sure thing, buddy, sure thing…"

End Chapter 14 (At long last).

I have GOT to stop these long absences from writing. That's all I have to say. But now, Chapter 14 is finally over and done with, so I hope whoever if left reading can enjoy it.