Our One Last Hope
"Ugh, My head hurts." Sora muttered as his eyes began to open. The sun was still beaming in his eyes and the dark aura had completely gone.
His body was in pain, every inch of him ache or felt sprained. Trying to move was a bit difficult for he could feel his muscles twist and curl up. Thankfully he didn't think that anything was broken and thus was able to get back up with some ease.
"Tell me about it," Star muttered, letting out a loud and annoyed grunt.
"Yeah, well is going to be hurting by the time I'm through with you!"
Sora quickly got up seeing Phil looked down at him with a stern expression. Beside him, Donald and Goofy lied on their backs looking unconscious. Slowly they all got up, feeling battered and bruised. A bitter sense of defeat rushed over him realizing just what he had gotten himself into once again. Star and Marco were gone, captured by Hades now.
They were back at the Coliseum made stadium, it seemed like no time had passed since they had arrived. The place was still completely empty except for himself, Star, Marco, Tom, Jahnna, Donald, Goofy and Phil. All of them standing (Or in Sora's case laying) in the center of it, stands completely empty, not a single spectator in sight.
"What happened?" Phil asked walking up towards them looking annoyed. "One minute I'm off to go get some supplies the next thing I see you getting shoved out a portal."
"Wha ...wha…." Then all of a sudden it came back to him, Sora got up and gasped. "Oh no...We gotta go back!"
"What happened?!" Phil asked, a bit louder.
Phil walked off leaving a disappointed Sora, Donald and Goofy standing there, unsure what to do now. He looked confused as he saw the portal to the Underworld start to close on them. Slowly he began to put two and two together.
"No!" Star cried, "Dang it!"
She got to her knees and sighed, hanging her head down in shame, Sora kneels down next to her, looking to make sure that she'd be okay.
Phil sighed, "Keyblade Masters...Like I said never trust them" he just walked off in disgust.
Sora sighed, feeling that he blew it big time.
"I'm sorry star," Sora sighed
Star shook his head, "No it's my fault"
"No it's mine for getting captured" Marco interjected
"Well it doesn't matter now" Sora snapped, "We're stuck in this mess, might as well at least try out best"
-000-
Sora sat in the Gummi Ship main captains chair, just needing some alone time and hopefully one were the evil god of the underworld wouldn't come and harass him this time.
His mind was racing on how he was going to be able to defeat Cloud and get Star's wand back. If he could barely summon his Keyblade then he wouldn't be able to fight a fully seasoned warrior.
BLINK BLINK BLINK.
Sora looked down to see the comm's screen activated. Pushing the button the screen activated to see Leon pop up.
"Leon?" Sora said looking surprised, "What's up"
"Just wanted to see how training is going," He said seeming relaxed, "Merlin wanted to check up on your progress too"
Sora sighed, "Well um…...It's uh...Going"
"Sora" Leon said sternly, "What's going on"
Sora groaned sitting back in his chair, "It's terrible, Phil doesn't even like me, he think Keyblade Master's are all bad"
"Oh dear," Sora heard Merlin say as he appeared on screen, "I was afraid this might be the case, I had hoped the sting of the last few years had healed those old wounds, but apparently he still feels bitter about the demise of that order".
"Apparently" Sora muttered, "And worse I have to fight this guy named Cloud because I got tricked into these games and….
"Woah, woah, woah...Did you say Cloud" Leon interrupted.
"Yes"
"Oh no, Cloud, what did you get yourself into this time"
Sora looked surprised, "Yeah know him"
Leon nodded "Yeah, I know him, he and I go way back, though Aerith knew him the best out of the rest of us".
"Why is he working with Hades?"
"Who knows," Leon said, "All I know is that this probably has something to do with his past, it always has something to do with his past".
"Whose past" Sora heard Aerith say in the background now.
"Cloud's past"
"Cloud" Aeirth appeared on screen her expression shocked, "Cloud's there"
"Yeah" Sora sighed, "And I have to fight him because of a stupid God of the Underowrld".
Aerith shook her head, "Oh Cloud what did you get yourself into"
"Look do I have a chance of defeating this guy or no"
Everyone went silent.
Sora frowned, "That's what I thought". With that he turned off the screen and sat back down. It was really looking like he was really doomed.
-000-
As the night dawned on them and Sora realized what he had to do, he trained double hard to prepare himself for the games. He was going to train doubly hard just to make sure that he had a small slim of a chance of being able to beat Cloud. Fighting, running, anything that could get him in better shape. Even Donald and Goofy decided to help out to the best of their abilities. Each of them working on fighting the other, trying to gauge their strengths and weaknesses in the art of combat. Giving it their all trying to defeat the other. Sora in particular was working twice as hard now, using his wooden sword as if he had the Keyblade in his hands himself.
"Come on guys, keep up the pace!" Sora yelled jumping up trying to knock Donald from the sky.
Donald managed to dodge and swing a ice attack back at him. "We are Sora, just calm down."
Sora turned back and tried striking Goofy's shield but missed. "Dang it!"
"Just concentrate Sora you almost had me." Goofy said.
"You guys are holding back, I can tell come on!"
"Take five, boys! But not you Sora, you stay."
Phil walked up to them, he looked exhaust, thought that was nothing compared to Sora, Donald and Goofy. Carefully, Phil picks up a wooden sword and points it to Sora.
"You want to fight me again?"
"Yea, 'less you're scared." PHil snickered.
Sora snickered. "You are on."
Phil charged forward causing Sora to go into retreat. He kept up his assault pushing him back farther against the arena, stopping as he reached the edge.
"You gotta keep an eye out kid, you're enemies are gonna come at you hard and fast."
"I know!"
Sora jumped and try to attack Phil from up high but the old goat managed to dodge with a barrel roll. He moaned a little bit as his back started to ache.
The two continued to spar both managing to dodge the other's attack. Finally Phil knocked Sora's sword out of his hand and pressed the attack.
"Hey what are you doing?" Sora yelled as he kept away from Phil's sword.
"Still attacking."
"But you won."
"Doesn't mean you're done, far as I'm concerned I gotta finish you off."
"Why?"
"Because you're the Keyblade Master that's why. That's a big prize, I want to take you down."
"I don't even wanna be the Keyblade Master. All I ever wanted to do was just travel with my friends that's it. I don't want fame, glory….."
"Do you? Do you really?"
"Okay, I wanted to be a fighter maybe. Do some cool stuff. But I never thought I'd do this….I just want my friends but because of the stupid Maleficent and darkness, I can't even have that!"
Phil struck Sora at the stomach knocking him back, "Yeah well too bad. Life ain't always fair...Believe me. That's your lot in life now, kid. Heck, why did you rescue that girl Star in the first place? And don't me because you wanted to be chivalrous, this ain't the 8th century….It's the 9th. "
As Sora lied on the ground he thought about it. Yes, at first it was about getting her out of the tournament so he didn't have to fight her. Heck, she was tough that he knew she wouldn't be beat, but even in the brief time they knew one another she learned she was funny and kind. Perhaps, perhaps now there was more than just getting out a simple tournament.
"I wanted to help...because….Because it was the right thing to do! Yeah I didn't think it through I'm sorry but….I don't know."
"No, no, no! Come on, did you do it for yourself, or for something more?"
Sora looked up at Phil and thought harder. "I….I wanted to help her, help them. They were friends. I didn't want them to be apart. It was...It was the right thing to do"
Suddenly a bright light came into Sora's hand. Lifting it up he saw the Keyblade standing there. He looked at it carefully. Phil started to give a faint smile.
"That's more like it. Remember what I said about passion. Yeah finding your friends and family is a good goal and important but when it comes to the Keyblade, it ain't enough."
"What do you men?" Sora asked.
"Kid" Phil let out a deep sigh, nostalgia in his eyes as he spoke, "...A Keyblade is a old weapon, but it also has meaning. To a lot of people, it used to be a symbol of hope. Meaning someone was going look after them and get there back when the bad stuff came. Sadly, the Keyblade Masters forgot about that. That's why we don't have them no more. I know this may sound harsh but sometimes the big thing may be more important than the little things even if the little things are the things we love most."
Sora grimaced, and thought about what Phil had said about the Keyblade Masters being guardians of the worlds. Suddenly the weight of the Keyblade felt heavier now. Not only did he have his friends and family to look for but now with the Key, an even greater responsibility loomed over him. As he held the Keyblade in his hand this knowledge was clearer to him than it ever was before.
His stomach started to churn. "I uh…...Um….."
"Nervous?" Phil asked.
"Yes."
"Good…..Now come on kid….I think maybe….Maybe I can teach you a thing or two...For real."
"Wait…" Sora looked shocked. "Really, you'll help for real, not just because you have to."
"Well…" Phil shrugged.
So you wanna be a master kid well.
Whoop De Doo.
I been around the blocks with Keyblade Masters just like you.
Each and every one a disappointment and...Pain.
And there ain't no ointment, that always leads to disasters.
With these so called ...Keyblade Masters.
Asking me to jump into the frey.
My answer is two words.
Phil looked at Sora and gave him a smirk. "Okay."
Sora beamed, for once he didn't feel like things were going downhill. Right now he felt more energized than ever before. With Donald and Goofy by his side, he couldn't lose!
"Alright, let's get this training started."
I'd given up hope that you'd people would come along
A fellow who'd ring the bell for once
Not the gong
The kind who helps people
Not settles for ego.
At least maybe pack and go
But no, I get the greenhorn
Once out to pasture all ambition gon.
Till a hero came and got me off my lawn.
But you need an advisor
A satyr, but wiser
Not a merchandiser
And oh!
There goes my ulcer!
We're down to one last hope
And I hope it's you
Though, kid, you're not exactly
A dream come true
I've seen enough turkeys
Who never came through
You're our one last hope
So you'll have to do
"Remember kid, always help your teammates out in battle!" Phil shouted.
Sora, Donald, and Goofy were in the middle of a obstacle course together. Sora trying to hang onto both of them as they dangled against the large wall, hardly able to hold on for dear life.
"You're so heavy." Sora muttered.
"Sorry I had a big breakfast." Goofy apologized
Some of the training involved help from Star and Marco. Star wars particularly helpful with helping Sora dodge magic attacks. Using the move's Phil had taught him like Dodge Roll and Slapshot, Sora's mastery in combat was starting to increase tenfold as he learned the basic techniques he would use in combat.
"Nice one," Star shouted.
"Rule number 44: Always look both ways."
"Wait why?" Sora looked around as a small log came his way smacking him right in the face. "Okay, I see why."
Demigods have faced the odds
And ended up a mockery
Don't believe the stories
That you read on all the crockery
To be a true hero, kid, is a dying art
Like painting a masterpiece, it's a work of heart
It takes more than sinew
Comes down to what's in you
You have to continue to grow
Now that's more like it!
We're down to one last shoot
And oury last high note
Before that blasted dark realm
Gets our goat
My dreams are on you, kid
Go make 'em come true
Climb that uphill slope
Keep pushing that envelope
You're my one last hope
And, kid, it's up to you
"Alright kid, you are ready"