These one-shots are really starting to get longer, aren't they? Well, if you're enjoying them, I'm really glad you are, because this is another great one. In fact, it's actually a continuation of another chapter. That chapter is Chapter 31: One Winged Angel. If you want a bit of context, you should go check that one out first. If you already have or don't have time, then please enjoy, "Round 2", by Walter Hitchcock. Have fun!
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A glare of afternoon light flickered off the Buster Sword, casting some light on its owner, who sat on his bed, shoes off, legs crossed up, and perched on his elbows, hands behind his head.
Cloud laid lazily, glancing at the dwindling sunlight every so often. No matches today, no missions to attend to, no training to be done while the training room was under maintenance.
Today was just, well, quiet for Cloud.
Cloud was never the type of person to crave action, not after what had happened in his home-world; he much preferred quiet things, and quiet people.
This is precisely the reason why Cloud liked Marth.
Marth was also the quiet type, usually keeping to himself, reading a Japanese book or petting Pikachu. Cloud was supposed to have a match with him that day, but it got cancelled due to an assist trophy issue (take a wild guess who caused it).
'That's it, I'm bored', Cloud thought, reaching to his bedside table to pick up his phone. He turned it on, opened messages, and started texting Shulk.
Shulk may have been much more talkative than Marth could ever be, but Cloud liked him because of his optimistic attitude, contrasting greatly to his more cynical outlook on life
"Hey, you busy?" Cloud began, waiting for a response. A few minutes later, Cloud's phone dinged again, and a message popped up in the feed. "Nope. All done with matches for the day', it read, 'how was your day?"
"Fine. A little boring, but you know me. I like quiet', Cloud texted back, 'you wanna go pick up dinner? I hear a restaurant called Mother of Pearl opened recently. Wanna check it out?"
Cloud waited a moment for Shulk to respond, getting up from bed and putting his shoes back on. As if on cue, once Cloud finished tying his boots' laces, his phone dinged again.
"You bet! I hear they've got killer seafood!' Shulk wrote back, his enthusiasm ever-present in the way he texted, 'I'll grab Marth and we'll drop by your room to get ready. See ya soon, bud!"
"You too", Cloud sent the response and slipped his phone into one of the many, many pockets on his uniform.
Shulk, glad that Cloud finally wanted to get out for once, raced down the hall at lightning speed (the Speed Monado sure helped with that). Cloud may have the patience of a rock, but hunger can wear it down like gravel in a fast-flowing river.
'I hope I can find Marth soon', Shulk thought, patting his stomach, 'I'm starving'.
Marth, meanwhile, was sitting on a bench and talking with Meta Knight, the latter of whom was jabbering rapidly in his thick Spanish accent.
"I'm telling you, mi amigo', the orb stressed, glaring from left to right, 'there is evil in our midst, waiting to pounce at any moment. Why, it could be coming right around that corner."
Meta Knight jabbed his sword to the hallway to Marth's right hand side, and Shulk ran up that same hallway at that exact moment (coincidence, I think not!)
"Marth! I've been looking for you everywhere!' he excitedly announced, screeching to a halt, 'me and Cloud are going out to dinner. You wanna come?"
It took Marth a moment to process both the question, and Meta Knight's crazy coincidence, but eventually he found his mental footing, and replied, "I don't see why not. I have nothing else to do, after all. What about you, Meta Knight?"
"I suppose that wouldn't be a terrible way to spend an evening, given that the training rooms are being repaired. I'll come along." "By the way, where might we be going?" Marth asked abruptly, a nervous glance crossing his face.
"Mother of Pearl', Shulk replied as they started back to the 3rd party room, 'it's a seafood joint that opened, I think two weeks ago? Yeah, that's it, two weeks! I've heard nothing but great things about it too, Marth! I think you'll love it. You too, Meta Knight."
Meta Knight hopped off the bench and quickly followed the other two swordsmen, keeping a close eye out for any possible attackers. In fact, Meta Knight was so focused on keeping his comrades safe, he didn't see a brown cardboard box in his way and ran straight into it.
"I hear you all are headed for that new seafood place up SNES Street', a deep, gravelly voice emerged from the box, 'do you mind if I tag along?"
Shulk was confused for a moment on where the voice was coming from, then Marth pointed at the box Meta Knight ran into, and he realized the obvious. "Oh! Of course, you can come. Cloud invited me, and I don't think he would mind", Shulk smirked, lifting the box off the ground.
Snake stood up, roughly took his box back, shoved it in his inventory, and picked up Meta Knight so he wouldn't get stepped on.
The four fighters continued their trek beck to Cloud's room, only for Bowser Jr to come barreling down the hallway at breakneck speed, clutching a group of swords in his pudgy, dirty hands.
"Get back here, or I swear to Yggdrasil, you will wish you were never born!" A very angry boy dressed in red screamed, racing after the Koopa kid.
"Andrew! You're going to hurt yourself! Let's just go get Bass!" A boy with angel wings and a halo flew after the boy in red, calling their name.
"Justin, *pant*, please! Wait for, *wheeze*, me!" A boy in green that looked like Toon Link but with black hair gasped for air, jogging slowly out of exhaustion.
He stopped to catch his breath, and Shulk bent down to talk to him as Meta Knight took off after Andrew, Justin, and Bowser Jr. "What in the bloody heck's going on?" he asked the boy.
"Bowser Jr. took our, *puff*, swords', he finally caught his breath and spoke up, 'and he won't give them back. We're handling it right now, don't worry, we don't need help."
"Alright', Marth agreed, 'and what might your names be? I can't say I've ever seen the likes of you before." "Oh! I'm Arus! This is Genus", the boy clarified, lifting his arm to Marth.
An iguana crawled out his shirt sleeve and began to sniff at Marth and Shulk, causing the Hero King to flinch slightly.
"Right', Snake nodded, 'and who were the two boys that just ran by us?"
"The guy with wings was Justin. He's a Celestrian; they're angel like, but they serve the Almighty', Arus explained, lightly poking Genus back into his shirt sleeve, 'and the other guy was Andrew. They're really brave, but they also get pretty angry when things go wrong."
"Problem solved", Meta Knight came back, followed by Justin, a scratched-up Andrew, and a ticked-off Bowser Jr, all of which were winded from the chase.
Justin and Andrew both had their swords, and the former exclaimed, "Arus, we've got yours, too!" Arus hopped up and power-walked toward his two friends to get his eighteen-inch sword from Meta Knight.
"Thanks, guys! You're the best. Sorry for leaving you all hanging; I got tired", he apologized sheepishly, sliding his sword into the sheath on his left hip. "That's fine. We're cool", Andrew nudged Arus with his elbow, chuckling.
"Now, I believe you have something to say to these gentlemen, Jr.?" Meta Knight coughed, shooting the Koopa kid a stern glare. Bowser Jr., arms crossed, huffed, "Fine, I'm sorry for taking your dinky metal sticks because you're not good enough at keeping track of them".
"Jr.! I mean it!" Meta Knight barked, flaring his wings like an angry dragon. That wasn't enough to douse the flame of the Koopa Prince's ego, but it was enough to give Genus time to scurry off for help.
"What? It wasn't my fault that feathers-for-brains over here had his sword in such an easy-to-grab spot', he whined in a snarky tone, 'and who keeps an iguana for a pet? Got anything to say, Link Clone #4?"
Andrew looked ready to explode. He quietly drew his sword and stepped forward, only for a tall, black-armored figure appeared behind him.
"Got a problem, my guys?' Bass snickered, 'because it seems like we have an issue here." Bowser Jr. went to throw another insult at Andrew, when Bass grabbed him by the collar, and hissed through gritted teeth, "Well if you really to die that badly, you could've just said so. No one, and I mean no one talks about my buddies like that, you hear me?! Now, BEAT IT!"
Now Bowser Jr. got the point; Bass dropped him, and the former ran off, wailing like a toddler.
The robot turned to the fighters, hand on the back of his neck, and chirped, "Sorry 'bout that. I'm kinda protective of the FS Heroes, so when I got the warning from Genus, I got mad. We'll head out. Bye."
Bass put Arus on his shoulders, Justin perched on his head, and Andrew hopped on the newly arrived Treble, and all four FS Cameos took off back to their room.
"What exactly did you do?" Marth glanced at Meta Knight and asked. "I stopped Andrew from beating the pulp out of Jr, then I took their swords back, and lead them all here so Jr. could apologize", Meta Knight explained, dusting off his cape.
Shulk's phone suddenly dinged, and he nearly dropped it from the realization that Cloud was still waiting for his friends to arrive. "We forgot about Cloud, you guys!' he panicked, which was quickly copied by everyone else, 'we've gotta move!" The fighters dashed like the wind, making every twist and turn like they were playing Mario Kart. There was no time to waste.
Of course, now was the perfect time for something to teleport right in front of Shulk, making everyone else crash into his back.
Lucario nearly fell over, catching himself with his aura right before he hit the floor. He stood up and turned around to look cautiously at the fallen fighters, each of which were trying to get up without hurting the other three or themselves.
"I am dreadfully sorry', Lucario apologized, 'here. I'll help you all up." He pulled Meta Knight out of the pile, followed by Marth, then Shulk, then Snake got up on his own.
"Once again, forgive me', Lucario dusted some lint off Marth's cape, 'I'm attempting to learn an aura ability that allows me to teleport short distances. I've been practicing for a while, and it hasn't gotten far, but at least I got outside my room".
"Yeah! Good for you', Shulk, ever the optimist, smiled, 'you've been practicing for a long time, huh? Why not take a break? We were heading to pick up Cloud for dinner. Wanna come too?"
Lucario thought on it momentarily, then nodded. Meta Knight smirked from under his mask and took flight after the four other fighters. 'Alright, no more distractions', Shulk thought, picking up the pace, 'we're gonna get to Cloud's room, and we're gonna go out to dinner.'
After around 8 minutes, Marth suddenly leaped over Shulk's head like an acrobat, landing in front of the door to the 3rd party room. The others clapped for a little as the Hero King rang the doorbell and called, "Sorry to keep you waiting, Cloud. We're here now."
Cloud opened the door and stepped out to greet a few people he trusted: Shulk, Marth, Meta Knight, Snake, and Lucario.
"Meta Knight, Snake, Lucario. Fancy seeing you all here', Cloud stuttered, adjusting a strap on his uniform, 'is this our party, Shulk?" "You bet, my friend!' Shulk cheered, 'Meta Knight was talking to Marth, and we came across Snake and Lucario, so I think we're all set for Mother of Pearl tonight!"
"Ooh, Mother of Pearl, you say?' Lucario asked, cocking his head to the left, 'I've heard many great things about that place. Let's get moving." Cloud mustered up a smirk, and followed his friends to the front door, not too far from the 3rd party room.
As Snake used all his strength to shove the massive red doors to the mansion open, a fresh evening breeze smacked Cloud upside the face.
It was a gorgeous evening; clouds rolled lazily across the sky, which was painted a beautiful shade of pinkish-orange, and you could just barely hear the children Smashers laughing in the backyard area.
"I know I'm stating the obvious here', Shulk smiled, 'but, dear gosh, it's beautiful out here!"
"Seconded, mi amigo!" Meta Knight cheered. "Alright, let's go", Cloud began to walk towards Console City, and his many friends followed behind him. They barely got twenty meters out the doors before a loud shout drew the attention of the group.
"What in Naga's name was that?!" Marth cried, left hand inching toward the Falchion. "Well, there's only one way to find out. Dinner's gonna have to wait", Cloud ordered, pointing toward the noise.
Around the left side of the massive mansion, infamous thief Ren Amamiya, also known as Joker, had gotten himself in a tight spot: a gaggle of Order of Rejection members demanded that he give them access to the Archives, where many powerful, important items were kept (The Godbird Scepter, the Master Crown, the Red and Blue Orbs, stuff like that).
Joker and the Phantom Thieves protected every other day, like how Will protected the Dream World on Fridays. When he refused to help them, the group decided to launch an assault on the Phantom Thief, trying to beat him into submission.
And they were winning.
Thanks to a sneaky cultist with a Swiss Army knife, Joker now suffered from a nasty cut to the leg, giving him a gash on his black school uniform and an unhelpful limp; now the Order of Rejection members were closing in.
"Alright, you little rat', one of them sneered, 'one last chance: break us into the vault, or we'll haul you to our Lord and Savior Waluigi's domain. He should straighten you out!"
"He won't be doing anything of the sort", the deep, commanding voice of Cloud roared. Meta Knight swooped from above, striking one of the cult members over the head.
Shulk used the Buster Monado to take out two other men, while Lucario use his new teleport ability to confuse some other members.
Meanwhile, Cloud jumped over to Joker, hoping the boy was alright. "Did they hurt you too bad, Ren?" he asked, hoisting Joker's arm over his shoulder. "Not really', the thief replied, wincing slightly, 'but my right knee's certainly seen better days. I can patch it up, though."
Smirking, Cloud jogged out of the fray at fast as he could, given Joker's aliment, of course.
But, unluckily for them, one of the Order of Rejection members noticed them leaving, and he leaped out of the fray as well, screaming, "In the name of our Lord and Savior, you shall be punished for your sinful actions! For Waluigi!"
The man drew a Beam Saber from his pocket and charged at Cloud, who couldn't grab his Buster Sword from the angle his arm was at; he couldn't just let go of Joker either.
So, Cloud did the only thing he thought he could do; he took a position, and aimed a kick at the man's head, only for a speeding red blur to send the cult member careening into the woods behind him.
In fact, the scarlet ball turned around and did the same to the other cult members too.
Confused at first, Cloud suddenly realized who had taken the time to help them, and shouted, "Dillon!" The armadillo screeched to a halt after taking care of the last purple-robed individual, tipping his cowboy hat at the group.
"You know it, Cloud!" Marth, Meta Knight, Snake, and Lucario all gathered with Cloud and Joker, checking to see if the latter was alright. "I'm fine, you guys', he snickered, 'and, I'll admit it, thanks for that. I would've been in hot water if you all hadn't shown up to take care of those goons".
Ren then gestured at his left pant leg, which clearly had blood on it, and was slightly ripped where he had been cut. "One of them got a cheap shot at my knee with a Swiss Army knife of all things', the thief explained, 'I would've been more helpful if he wasn't such a cheat."
"Don't worry your head about it, partner', Dillon reassured him, 'they shouldn't've messed with you in the first place."
"Yeah, what he said", Snake quietly added on.
"So, Cloud. Where were you and your friends headed when you heard me?" Joker asked as Dillon took out a first-aid kit to bandage the wound on his knee, and a tiny sewing kit to quickly stitch up his pant leg.
"Mother of Pearl!' Shulk enthusiastically announced, 'you wanna come? Cloud, do you mind?" Cloud thought on it for a moment, then replied, "You know what, why not? I need to talk with people more anyway. Joker, Dillon, let's go."
Joker excitedly tagged along at the thought of free food (because teenager), and Dillon held up the rear, his cowboy boots making indentations in the grass.
'Please, by any god that will listen, can nothing else go wrong tonight', Cloud thought, fixing his fingerless gloves, 'I just want to have a nice night with my friends. Please? Thank you'.
For some reason, the gods just don't like Cloud.
Cloud, Shulk, Marth, Lucario, Meta Knight, Snake, Joker, and Dillon all headed out on the town, excited for the experience they were about to have.
In the meantime, Shulk and Snake were talking quickly about a match between Ganondorf and Mario earlier that day, Meta Knight was admiring his sword, Lucario was keeping an eye out for their destination, Marth was trying to tune out the noise around him, Joker was hobbling slightly, but was overall in good shape thanks to Dillon's healing items, and Dillon himself was trying to start a conversation with Cloud.
"So, partner', he started, 'how've you been? It's certainly been a bit, hasn't it?" Cloud chuckled, shoving his right hand into his pocket.
"Fine, I guess', he answered, 'matches have been going well these days, Rock's dropped by every now and then to bring us cookies. I'm glad the kid still knows his roots. I've also seen Erdrick with him often, which is good. The poor guy really needs more friends. And, if it's important, Master Hand's thinking about buffing me. How's life in the quarters?"
"Could be better', Dillon sighed with a huff, 'Waluigi's gotten crazier by the day. Last night, he tried to sneak into the Archives to steal something called the Sword of Exor as I heard, but the Phantom Thieves caught him. I think that might be why he sent those creeps to attack Joker. Everyone down there is miserable, but I think the Red Twosome's gotten the worst of it".
"Red Twosome? Who's that?" Cloud asked, Mother of Pearl starting to appear over the horizon. "You know the mage girl, Ashley, right?" Dillon gestured outward with his right hand. "Yes. I've summoned her many times', the SOILDER recounted, 'what of her?"
"She found family in another assist trophy, Zero. You know, the guy that got possessed by Dharkon?" "Oh, that guy. That's sweet", Cloud wasted no time in getting the details across.
"Guys!' Marth suddenly shot, 'there it is!" Marth's hand was pointed at a sign on their right, "Mother Of Pearl" adorning the top of it. "Wow! What a sight, ain't it?" Shulk's eyes were shining almost as brightly as the sign, and it was reflected in the way he spoke.
"Well, let's get a move on!" Joker was already at the door, waving his arms to gesture everyone inside. Cloud began to head inside, only for a headache to stop him temporarily.
"Mi compadre are you alright?" Meta Knight asked, concern laced in every word. "I'm okay', Cloud brushed it off, 'just a headache. I get them all the time; it hasn't stopped me before, and it won't now. Let's go".
Meanwhile, two men were watching from an alleyway; one was skinny and rat-like, dressed in a dark purple cloak, completely covering his face.
The other was tall, muscular, and imposing, dressed in black, but his face was completely unhidden. A long katana laid sheathed at his left hip, and a single, long silver wing was protruding from his right shoulder blade:
That second man was none other than Sephiroth, Cloud's mortal enemy.
"You have one more chance, you hear me', the first man scowled, jabbing a quick finger at Sephiroth, 'fail this time, and it's back to the Realm of the Lost with your sorry emo fashion. Got it, Psaro rip-off?!"
Sephiroth growled low, trying to contain his anger; under normal circumstances, the man to his right would've been beheaded right then and there for speaking to him in such an abrasive way.
But, in case you couldn't already tell, these were not normal circumstances.
This oddly thin man freed him from the Realm of the Lost, a portion of Subspace that a vast majority of villains were sent to after their respective heroes had defeated/killed them.
It was horrible; the hierarchy there was completely crazy, and somehow, Sephiroth had been shoved to the bottom of that skewed social ladder, along with the likes of Masayoshi Shido, Prince Vorrken, and GLaDOS.
A large group of pathetic villains that had amounted to very little while "still alive" ran the show like a circus, and the lack of some sort of law and order was driving Sephiroth insane.
Then, that purple-hooded man and his purple-hooded followed arrived. They weren't like the members of Organization XIII that had been sent in in the early 2000's; these guys could get people out of the Realm of the Lost.
How was that possible, some might ask? See, ever since Tabuu vanished alongside Dharkon, Galeem, Count Bleck, Dimentio, Nastasia, and another boy with a Keyblade, these men, woman, and otherwise in purple hoods could come in and out of the Realm of the Lost, taking whoever they wanted with them.
Their leader jumped at the chance to recruit Sephiroth, and the One-Winged Angel wholeheartedly accepted the offer; this was not only another chance at beating Cloud, but also gaining back at least a quarter of his sanity.
Once Sephiroth was brought to the hooded man's base along with some other villains, they were immediately synced to power-siphoning trinkets and told, "You have no power here. We can chuck you all back into the Realm of the Lost if we want to, so you better learn to behave yourselves."
Many villains seemed to want to quit right then and there, but all of them, Sephiroth included, decided it was a good idea to just play along for now, and escape later.
Sephiroth's first task arrived about a week after he did: go kill Cloud and bring Mega Man to the base for soul extraction. He attempted to do as he was told, but that power-draining bracelet did something to his brain, causing him to screw up, big time.
That was a miserable loss, and it punctured the angel's pride like an arrow on a target. But now, after nearly a year and a half of doing chores for a man who didn't even appreciate him, he was going to get the second chance he hoped for.
And the time was now.
Cloud and his friends entered the restaurant quietly, contrasting the buzzing atmosphere. There were people of all shapes, sizes and species around the tables and booths, and you could almost hear Marth cringe at the vast sea of individuals in the distance.
"Good evening, gentlemen. Welcome to Mother of Pearl. How may I serve you tonight?" the hostess cheerfully greeted the party. Joker, Master of Communication, stepped forward, smirked at the hostess, and began to ask, "A table for-".
KABOOM!
An explosion rang off from outside, people screaming following short after, because Auntie forbid Cloud have a nice day for once.
"What in the world was that?!" Meta Knight cried, racing outside in his tiny, stubby boots. "There's only one way to find out', Shulk announced, 'dinner's gonna have to wait for the greater good. Let's move, people!"
He took off after Meta Knight. Cloud looked at Marth, the Hero King looked back, shrugged, and followed Shulk. Cloud followed him, and Lucario, Snake, Dillon, and Joker did the same.
On the street, cars were strewn around, people were screaming, and a single figure was standing amongst the chaos. "Who is that figure in the center?! I must find out!" Meta Knight shouted with vigor, taking to the skies on his bat-like wings.
He glared at the center of the madness, where a lone man stood in the center of a large crater that had been formed, most likely because of the explosion.
Meta Knight dove at the man in the crater like a hawk, determined to get a strike in; out of nowhere, a long, silver blade caught Meta Knight's wings and flung him back toward his friends. Joker barely caught him.
"Sorry for the fright, mi amigos', Meta Knight grumbled, jumping out of the teenager's arms, 'but the man in the center of that crater to the east, he has an incredibly long blade. It caught my wings at thirty feet away".
'Long blade? Oh, he had better not be-' Cloud thought, the migraine beginning to resurface. "Wait, where's Snake?" Dillon asked, glancing around him. Another explosion rang off, smaller, but still noticeable.
Snake, who was charred and miffed, army-crawled back toward his friends. "That guy is bonkers', he winced, standing up with some difficulty, 'he blew up my C4 as I was planting it. Set it off with a freaking meteor. A tiny one, but still."
'Meteors? Oh, please tell me no', Cloud thought again, his migraine really starting to take hold.
"I'll see if I can do something', Marth chimed in, 'give me a moment".
The Hero King took off like a shot, leaping, bounding over cars and civilians, making his way toward the enemy. The crater drew closer with each step he took, ending in Marth facing the left side of his opponent.
Two piercing eyes of ice glanced over and stared into the Hero King's soul, making the latter's blood run cold; he knew who he was dealing with now, glancing down the single silver wing on his opponent's back:
Cloud's mortal enemy, Sephiroth.
Marth took a deep breath, drew his sword, and charged at Sephiroth.
The others were still trying to get over and around cars to help Marth with whoever he was fighting now, and apart from Joker, they weren't having too much luck.
"How do you jump so darn high?!" Snake complained, his leg getting caught in multiple places. "Practice', he muttered, 'I'm a thief, remember?"
Snake growled a little, then went back to picking Meta Knight out of car windows he fell into.
As Marth's pained shouts grew ever louder, the others picked up the pace of their maneuvering, trying to get to the center of the maze of overturned cars as fast as possible.
"We're coming, Marth!' Shulk shouted, vaulting over a few vehicles, 'just you wait!" Shulk landed in an area with a clear shot of the center, and immediately made a bee line for it. Meta Knight and Snake were right behind him, followed by Joker, then Dillon, then a pain-hindered Cloud.
Dillon stopped momentarily, and Cloud almost ran into him. "Sorry, I-", Cloud began to say, but Dillon interrupted him. "Don't fret about it, partner. Look, are you alright? You look like you're in pain".
"I am!' Cloud yelled, much more harshly than he intended it to be, 'I know exactly who we're facing at the center of that pit, and whenever I think about him, I end up driving myself into a hole of anxiety and stress over someone that should very well be dead!"
Dillon put his hand on Cloud's knee in a lazy attempt to calm him, and told him, "Look, I'm no good at these consulting conversations; that's more of Lyn's thing. But I can tell you this: I know who you're talking about, and if you can beat him once, then you most certainly can do it again with the six of us by your side."
Cloud stood there in silence for a moment, then took a deep breath, drew his Buster Sword from his back, took a fighting stance, and confidently announced, "Let's do this, then".
Dillon curled into a ball and spin-dashed ahead, Cloud not far behind, motivated by the numbers advantage he had. He vaulted over some more cars, and finally touched the center of the car maze: a giant crater in the middle of the road, and all of Cloud's friends were fighting in it.
Meta Knight was keeping a distance using his Mach Tornado, Snake threw grenades at every opportunity he got, Shulk used a combination of his Monado powers to confuse Sephiroth, Joker had already summoned Arsene to gain some extra height and counter the angel's aerial attacks, and Dillon leaped over Joker, curled into a ball, and smashed into the back of Sephiroth's head.
"That's how you do it to 'em!" he cheered, uncurling his body in midair and skidding to a halt near Marth, who was crumpled in a heap on the ground.
Cloud soared over the final car in the wall barring the crater in, and landed softly on the cracked asphalt, looking his mortal enemy dead in the eye.
All fighting stopped for a moment, and all eyes were turned on Cloud, including Sephiroth's.
"It's about time you arrived, isn't it, Strife?' he sneered, 'I was starting to get worried that Smash made you grow soft." Cloud's face forced itself into a scowl, gripping his Buster Sword tightly. "I'm not here to play games with you, you monster!" he shot, muscles twitching with rage.
"Monster? A tad harsh, don't you think, Strife', the One-Winged Angel giggled, 'all I did was make a little hole in the road. No one was hurt, see? All these pathetic civilians are fine."
Joker did a "I'm watching you" hand gesture at Sephiroth's back, then went to sit on top of a nearby red car, making sure that the enemy didn't try anything funny.
Both men were still as statues for a few minutes, waiting for the other to make a move, not breaking eye contact once. There was no mistaking it; neither man was giving an inch.
Then, Sephiroth spoke once more, "I've said it once, I'll say it again, Strife… let me see you defeat me!"
The One-Winged Angel lunged at Cloud with a rising vertical spin attack, and Cloud gracefully dodged it at the speed of light. Snake wasn't so lucky; he got flung back to a nearby convenience store.
Meta Knight began swooping again, but Sephiroth didn't plan on putting up with more annoyances than he had to. So, with a quick swipe of his sword, Meta Knight was launched through the window of a nearby ice-cream shop.
Shulk and Joker both went for a strike with their respective blades, but both met the same fate; they were both sent careening into each other, then into Lucario, and all three were sent flying back to the mansion.
Turning his attention back to Cloud, Sephiroth cast Firaga, only for it to get deflected back at him by Dillon. "You want to defeat Cloud? Get through us! Or, did you already know that?" Dillon confidently asked, beginning to charge another Spin-Dash.
Sephiroth countered it, making the armadillo soar over a few buildings and out of sight, but that gave Cloud all the time he needed to send his Buster Sword crashing into the ribcage of the One-Winged Angel.
Sephiroth staggered, catching his breath. 'Damn, this isn't looking good. This bracelet really does weaken me significantly', he thought, using his wing as a makeshift crutch in a sloppy, in vain attempt to push himself up, 'and those friends of Cloud's weren't doing me any favors. This could go in Strife's favor, and we can't have that, now can we?'
Cloud dove at Sephiroth again, sword raised high above his head, but the latter raised his feet and pushed him back. Unfortunately for him, that was exactly what Cloud wanted. The SOILDER unleashed a Cross Slash with his charged Limit Gauge, doing a significant amount of damage.
Sephiroth was sure that Cloud would go in for the killing blow now, but he didn't. Sephiroth took that opportunity and lunged at Cloud again, thrusting his sword forward like a volleyball. Cloud parried it, but his opponent continued to push on his sword, driving Cloud back inch by inch.
Nerves began to build the farther Cloud was pushed toward the edge of the makeshift arena, and with them, the thought of Sephiroth killing his friends began to bubble to the surface.
However, Marth, who had been crumpled in a heap for a while, finally found the strength to stand up. He quickly assessed the situation from his position beside a blue car and came to one conclusion: knock Sephiroth down.
As Cloud's exhausted forearms were about to give out, Marth came up behind Sephiroth and pierced the One-Winged Angel's left knee with his Tipper. Sephiroth's pupils dilated rapidly as he cried out in pain and crumpled to the ground, clutching it in utter agony.
Cloud's face contorted in confusion. Sephiroth, his mortal enemy, went down (more or less) to Marth's Tipper? Marth didn't even strike a spot that could kill, like his heart or his brain. Sephiroth shouldn't have even been phased, but here he was, unable to stand.
"Well, that worked better than I thought it would', Marth muttered, turning to Cloud, and speaking up, 'was he always this easy to defeat? I think not." "My thoughts exact-', Cloud stopped suddenly, noticing the bracelet on Sephiroth's left wrist, '-the heck is that?"
"The heck is- oh. What is that?" Marth noticed the bracelet too. Sephiroth, still half-paralyzed from the pain in his left knee and the drainage from his power-siphoning bracelet, winced back at them, "That's none of your business, fools. Finish me already!"
"Not yet', Marth intervened, 'what's that thing on your wrist? Is it a weakening agent of some sort?" Sephiroth, exhausted and sure he wasn't going to win, finally decided to explain, "Yes, indeed it is. And I would've won if it wasn't for this accursed bracelet." "If you don't mind explaining, what does it do?" Marth asked, sheathing his sword and gesturing for Cloud to do the same.
"This makes sure my attacks are weaker, so the man who sent me here would have an easier time controlling me", Sephiroth grunted, failing to stand once again. "And might I ask who this man is?' Marth pointed out, 'we could free you from his clutches if we knew who we were dealing with. Right, Cloud?"
Cloud nodded and turned his attention back to Sephiroth, a large smirk cracking upon the latter's face. "My faith to him isn't absolute. No one's is', Sephiroth snickered, finally managing to stand on his bum knee, 'that disgusting, heartless man, his name is- AGH!"
A violently purple light erupted from the bracelet; a discreet needle emerged from the inside of it and injected something into Sephiroth's bloodstream.
Marth and Cloud gasped as Sephiroth began to disintegrate right before their eyes, not able to tell them the name of the man behind the slaughter. "Sephiroth!" Marth cried, grabbing at the ashes, trying to do something about their current situation in vain.
Soon, all that was left was a single gray feather, Sephiroth's sword, the wristlet, a note with scribbles in an unknown language, and a pile of ashes where the One-Winged Angel once stood.
Both men were silent for a few seconds, shocked into it by what they had just witnessed. Cloud was surprised. Marth was miffed.
"That should've ended differently', he grimaced, much to Cloud's surprise. Marth then turned to face his friend and continued, 'I was hoping we could have reformed him. You know, like what Mega Man did with Robin".
Cloud was happy that the encounter was over, but he couldn't help but feel the same way as he picked up the items that Sephiroth had left behind.
"Cloud!" an Australian voice cried, racing toward him.
It was Shulk, and behind him was Dillon, Snake, Lucario, Meta Knight, and Joker, all of whom were scratched up, but nothing too bad.
"What happened? Where's the angel guy?" Joker gawked at the mess around him and ran up to Cloud to ask. "Sephiroth… disintegrated", Marth faltered, still in shock at what happened.
The other members stood there in silent shock, not believing a word coming out of Marth's mouth. "It's true. It's all true', Cloud muttered, sourness laced in his voice, 'And Sephiroth was about to tell us who was behind it too".
Snake stepped forward and picked up the bracelet atop the pile of ashes, observing, "You don't think this doohickey could've been what caused that angel guy to turn to cinders, could you?" "I bet you're right, mi amigo', Meta Knight piped up, 'this odd bracelet must've done something to ese ángel malvado".
Cloud went to add on when Master Hand showed up with Ness, Dr. Mario, and Isabelle to assess the carnage. "I saw the battle from the mansion. I must say, good work, Cloud", Master Hand complimented him, using his magic to fix the road as Ness put some cars back into place.
"Yeah! That was cool!" he pointed out cheerily, adjusting his cap before going back to work, moving debris out of the way. "You should get going, you guys', Isabelle pointed out, seeing how tired Cloud was, 'it's already 8:30. have you even had dinner yet?" Shulk cringed, and Cloud physically felt his stomach growl.
"No, no we have not", Marth sulked, patting his tummy. "Well, what are we waiting for then?' Joker shouted, jabbing a sharp, ungloved finger at the Mother of Pearl, 'if I'm not mistaken, that joint's open till midnight. Shall we?" "Yeah, what he said", Snake nodded sincerely, following the thief to the restaurant.
"That's the spirit, you guys!' Shulk cheered, picking up Meta Knight, 'let's get something in our stomachs before they eat us from the inside out!" Lucario stifled a chuckle and followed the two, a sly smile on his muzzle.
Marth was about to go after everyone, but beforehand, he turned to Cloud and warmly stated, "What a battle, ay? I'll meet you inside, my friend." He took off after the others, leaving only Dillon and Cloud in the area under renovation.
'Marth was right', Cloud thought, placing Sephiroth's sword on his back, then placing his hands on his hips, 'that should've gone differently. We could've-'
"Cloud?" Dillon questioned, a concerned look on his face.
The SOILDER, now snapped out of his thoughts, looked at his friend with tired eyes, weary from battle, and grunted, "Yeah? Don't worry, I'm coming."
Cloud took two steps forward, and Dillon stopped him. "Wait. That's not what I was going to ask', he coughed into a closed fist, 'what I was going to ask was, are you okay?" Cloud was taken aback for a bit, then nodded.
"I am now. Thank you for helping me with that', he smirked, finally sheathing his enormous Buster Sword, 'I legitimately could not have done that without you or the others. Thank you".
"It's no problem, partner', Dillon smiled brightly, tipping his cowboy hat toward his comrade, 'now, let's go get something to eat, yeah?"
"You bet', Cloud tipped an imaginary hat back to Dillon in a silly gesture, 'partner. Or should I say, best friend?"
Dillon's eyes shone for a moment, then he patted his tall friend's leg and muttered, "By golly, that might be the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me, Cloud. Let's get going. We'll talk more indoors, best bud."
Best friend at his side, Cloud strode into Mother of Pearl to join his other friends, all of whom were more than happy to have him there.
(-)
Thank you so much for reading it all. I know it's long, but I worked very hard on it, and I really do hope you enjoyed it. Be sure to favorite and follow this if you enjoy it (and you haven't followed it already), follow me as a whole for more stories like this one, comment with your story ideas (make sure to check the guidelines for more information), check my profile for headcanons, facts on me, and more, and if you have any questions about canon or my life in Skyworld, please PM me, I'll be happy to answer them. As always, be safe, everyone! Angel is out!