Kingdom Fairy Tail

by TheSavageMan100

Fairy Tail meets Kingdom Hearts in this re-imagning of the widely-popular game series! When the worlds are in threat of destruction by the Heartless, Wendy Marvell is chosen by a mysterious weapon known as the Keyblade. It's now up to Wendy, Donald, Goofy, and the heroes of Disney and Fairy Tail to make things right again!

34. Olympus Coliseum V: Hercules Cup

Author's Note:
Hey there, everybody! TheSavageMan100 is back again, wishing you a HAPPY NEW YEAR of 2021! In any new year, there's plenty of room for opportunities, and here's hoping that this year is a productive and healthier one, better than last year, which totally sucked. It really did. But on the bright side, we've made some greater strides as time went by. As for me, I've bought some new games, like Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory and Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time. And I've enjoyed them very much! But the downside is, the PS5 in my country won't be available in stores until sometime this year. I'm not worried, though. There's an old saying, "Good things come to those who wait."

Speaking of, for those wondering why it was another long wait for this next chapter of Kingdom Fairy Tail to come rolling down the express, allow me to break it down. In early October, I've got a serious wi-fi outage and it took us less than two weeks to have it fixed, but God was on our side. Then come November, a typhoon hit my house, and the damage was great. Again, God was with us. After that, I've spent most of my time thinking of bright ideas to make this next chapter have a lot of impact to make up for those awful events. I may be late again, but at least I'm fashionably late, and determined as ever. A long time doesn't stop me from doing the thing I love. Once again, thank you all for your understanding and your patience.

And so, I welcome you back to Kingdom Fairy Tail, where Wendy and her friends are about to compete in the Hercules Cup before the real drama begins. I hope you're all ready for this, and I hope you enjoy this next epic chapter!

---

The hidden memories resurfaced. In the past few days since Kaze allowed Wendy to partake in her secret nighttime training regimen rather than let her watch from the sidelines, just as long as they wouldn't enlighten Grandeeney of the secret they now shared, life in the nest was relatively normal from the morning up to the late afternoon. The same schedule of picking up ripe fruit, fetching fresh water, preserving cleanliness in patches of grass, practicing basic Sky Magic spells... which Kaze grew to detest in this waking life. She regretted being forced to sit through half the day spent on hearing Grandeeney's continual ramblings regarding harmony and balance, not to mention she still had the difficulty of conjuring a single blight of healing magic to rejuvenate a new field of withered flowers the Sky Dragon recently prepared. Kaze would have done so already with all the strength she attained from her nighttime training, but considering she hadn't grown accustomed to that trivial method, she left Wendy to perform the healing in her place. The younger girl was the only student to have matured in her ability to use Sky Magic to heal, and that pleased Grandeeney to a greater extent. At the same time, though, the dragon was concerned about Kaze, who left herself out of the lesson in favor of solitude. She claimed she wanted to ease her mind and meditate on her repeated failures, but Grandeeney suspected something behind that façade. She sensed a veil of self-doubt hanging over Kaze's mind. Although her offensive Sky Magic spells had improved outstandingly, Kaze couldn't help but feel a bit overshadowed by Wendy's advancing healing techniques. Next to defensive spells, her raw power was merely a stepping stone, or so she led herself to think otherwise. Plus, there was nothing she could do to compete with Wendy's increasing adaptability. Kaze was left with only one choice: to let her little friend stick to what she was good at, while the former stuck to what suited her the most. Grandeeney also detected a hint of envy on Kaze's face in the midst of her self-reflection; even as today's lesson rolled on, the Sky Dragon could see it plain as day. The fever, the rage, the feeling of powerlessness, providing a spark to set the heart of her eldest student aflame. A familiar black fire, shrouded in torment and cruel intention, was one way to mark the foreboding of a troubling scenario. More and more, Grandeeney got the feeling that things wouldn't be the same, come the day she selected either Wendy or Kaze for the grand plan.

As soon as the sun set and Grandeeney fell asleep, Kaze was free to savor the rest of the night. To her, the night was the happiest time of the day, a break from all the boredom she had the misfortune of enduring under Grandeeney's thumb. Of course, Wendy had to follow her best friend outside so she could watch her train, and without making much of a fuss, no less. Life in the wilderness was much more brutal than anything Kaze had ever endured; she always thought of the land beyond the nest rather than inside as the ideal training ground, as it showed greater potential in taking her aggressive fighting skills to heights that were never thought possible. In her case, the nest was like a prison, but when out in the wild, she felt like she could do anything and everything she wanted. Perhaps if Grandeeney had taken a different approach in training, if she gave Kaze permission to test her skills on a pack of wild beasts, she would have twice the joy in this secret life. Then again, it wouldn't be much of a secret, would it? Despite the consequences, Kaze continued this harsh yet tight-lipped regimen; her desire to be a Dragon Slayer above all others burned brightly than ever. Her efforts slowly but surely paid off— her skills improved dramatically, and she even developed new attacks of her own. But one other thing Kaze could not give up was her devotion to Wendy— her closest friend, the only spectator for the regimen, one she entrusted to keep this secret between them. Wendy watched her sister figure bounce from tree to tree, smashing boulders and beating every wild animal in her path to a bloody pulp. She watched her steadily grow into the Dragon Slayer she was destined to be, one Grandeeney would be immensely proud of. Even when appalled by the drastic moves Kaze resorted to take in order to complete a certain event in training, like spilling the blood of a herd of Hodras or breaking a tree that belonged to a family of goblins, Wendy couldn't deny Kaze's resolve. She believed in Kaze. She always had. And she also believed in the promise of Kaze's powers to be used as a force for good, to protect the things that mattered. At the end of tonight's training, Wendy and Kaze returned to the nest, and seeing that Grandeeney remained ignorant of the commotion outside amid her slumber pleased them. Together, the two drifted off, motivated by the promise of tomorrow, with yesterday swept under the moonlight.

Time marched on, and the seventh month was drawing near. Two of Grandeeney's pupils continued to nurture and refine their respective styles of Sky Magic, depending on the likeness and suitability of its caster; Wendy grew proficient in defensive and healing magic, and Kaze's sole preference was offensive magic. The younger girl had her time to shine during the day, but at night, the spotlight was the elder's. Both of them improved their favored utilizations of Sky Dragon Slayer Magic, taking pride in the strides they took to advance thus far, as well as each other in seeing how far they came, having faith they would succeed and one day become true Dragon Slayers. Of course, Wendy felt she wasn't strong enough to catch up with Kaze's raw strength, so she put most of her faith in her best friend. The temptation of growing in power was far too great for Kaze to resist, but she still hadn't given up on Wendy.

But as days bled into weeks, however, things changed. In the strangest case, Kaze stopped showing her admiration for Wendy's growing Sky Magic. Instead, she kept silent about it, looking rather... glum. Lately, Grandeeney had been spending quality time with Wendy more than she did Kaze— she seemed to favor the younger girl as the better Sky Magic caster, and gave her most of the attention she required. Giving her warmth when she had a bad dream, giving her a talon ride, reading her a bedtime story before tucking her in... while Kaze got stuck with all the chores. Not long after Wendy found out about Kaze's nighttime training regimen, the dark pink-haired girl received less attention from Grandeeney and more work around the nest, which only added to her timidity. Things changed, and the same could be said for the nighttime, in which Wendy watched Kaze train out in the wild less frequently. As it turned out, she was bathed in plenty of love and affection from Grandeeney to care about participating in Kaze's training sessions... or even pay attention to her when she sneaked out into the forest. From that point on, Wendy stopped following after her sister figure at night, as if she was no longer interested. She was absent for two days, then three, four, a whole week. Kaze assumed that Wendy was exhausted throughout the morning, so she decided to go on alone, not allowing her concern to dampen her conviction. Her desire to be the perfect Dragon Slayer still stood.

That desire blended with the inferno in Kaze's heart, and it grew into an impulse moments during tonight's practice. It was an instinct, an urge, a small whisper in the back of her mind that compelled her to cut loose, to show no restraint. Kaze heard it before, often talking about Wendy or her own self-doubt.

"Fault..." the voice would say. "This is Wendy's fault. All of hers. That little runt doesn't deserve it. She steals Grandeeney's love for you. If she loves you, why does she love Wendy more? Why is she Grandeeney's favorite? You should hurt her, wipe that smile off her stupid face..."

And every time, Kaze would shake her head. The voice would vanish. For how long, only time would tell. Sometimes it would take the rest of the night, sometimes the next day. But it would always come back. As it did, it wasn't a mere suggestion. Not anymore.

"Come on!" it was shrieking. "You want to become stronger, don't you? You're a Sky Dragon Slayer. Become THE Sky Dragon Slayer. Get rid of Wendy. Put her out of her misery. She's scum, every last part of her! She doesn't deserve to call herself a Dragon Slayer! She doesn't have the right! You think you could just let her have her way all the time in the sunshine? Yeah, just let the brat prance around like a magical pixie horse! THAT won't bite you in the back or anything!"

That repulsive conscience seemed to work in feeding the dark fire in Kaze's heart, blazing in the terrible emptiness. It enabled her to tear down an incoming stampede of Hodras in a single blast of wind. The voice came back again, louder than it was before.

"Look at you... Left in the dark, taken for granted. A helpless little girl, trying to find her place in the world... Least loved by a dragon, who favors a younger brat. Waiting in the shadow of that brat, who pretends to be your friend. No better than the animals whose blood you've stained your flithy hands with, like a mad dog turned loose..."

The voice suddenly grew into a distorted mixture between a rumble and a hiss.

"Wendy's happier without you. Grandeeney's happier without you. Who could look at YOU, compared to Wendy? What are YOU compared to Wendy? Grandeeney prefers Wendy as her only child! Better than you. Anyone but you. What mother would take you? What dragon would take you, either? YOU. ARE. NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING."

That growl evolved to a roar as Kaze began lashing out at anything that came her way— anything in her path.

"And it's all because of Wendy..."

"Wendy..." Kaze mumbled, hurling a wind-forged fist through a waterfall, creating a giant burst of water that rose into the night sky.

"Wendy's using you! She deceived you, hurt you, lied to you, tricked you into thinking she loved you! Grandeeney's no different! They're the SAME!"

As the voice continued to invoke her feelings of hate and jealousy, she gathered enough momentum for a single leap past the leaves of the trees. She was now soaring above the forest, gusts of wind unconsciously building up around her body, taking the form of a dragon with eyes glowing red...

"They're all to blame! They played you like a fiddle!"

Speaking of which, that voice wasn't just any voice.

"They don't love you!"

It was a dragon's.

"They HATE you!"

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!" Kaze exclaimed as she shot directly down below and slammed her open palms against the mud, generating a massive explosion of wind that leveled the entire area around her. When the dust cleared, a round ring of barren ground surrounded her where she stood. Devoid of green, save splinters and tiny rocks and cracked earth. One minute, her face was contorted with so much ire and self-loathing, and the next minute, it was wracked with plenty of mixed emotions as she thought about Wendy. Kaze had always adored her as the little sister she never had. She was a pure, gentle person who wouldn't do anything to drag her down. Above all else, Kaze would never do anything to harm Wendy or make her sad. As she snapped out of her mental struggle, she looked around at the carnage she created, a feeling of disgrace hanging over her head. "No..." her voice wavered a bit. "I wouldn't... I mustn't... I love her, and she loves me. I'd never... She'd never..." Something was erupting inside Kaze's head: a need to reaffirm herself, to keep calm and carry on. For Wendy's sake and hers. She felt her hand across her face, the other clenched tightly into a fist. "I don't want to believe it. I can't. I won't."

Kaze stood by the wasteland for a short while, pondering over her purpose to be strong not just for herself, but for Wendy, and whether or not it was the right thing to do. A quiet howl of wind interrupted her thoughts, beckoning her to turn for Grandeeney's nest just a short distance away. She chuckled. "Boy, am I in so much trouble when they see me like this." With that, she turned away and raced back home, hoping to forget she ever threw a temper tantrum that would have tempted her into becoming a mad destroyer, something that Wendy wouldn't want her to be. Fortunately, by the time Kaze returned, her adoptive sibling and parent were still asleep; the chaos outside seemed to have passed like sheep jumping fences. She slipped in beside Wendy and hugged her from behind, providing a bit of comfort during her slumber, before falling asleep herself. It was a hectic nighttime training session, but the secret remained a secret for now.

Or so Kaze thought. If she had stayed awake, she would've noticed Grandeeney was not snoring, but looking down at her with forlorn eyes. It was just as she feared and foresaw— she had been aware of this from the beginning, and thought of every detail in that possibility. Keeping that in mind, the Sky Dragon sank back onto the ground, resting her head beside Wendy and Kaze, and slept until the sun rose.

The next morning...

"I'll be right back with the hazelnuts! Don't you two start supper without me, alright? This won't take long." Kaze turned for the path leading out to the safest parts of the forest, another errand of gathering food for today's lunch weighing on her shoulders. Any other day, she would usually treat a mundane morning task with disdain, but this time around, she was yearning to complete that task at hand; anything to make Wendy and Grandeeney happy, and to distract herself from going insane last night.

Grandeeney cautioned, "Don't wander too far from the nest, Kaze! And try not to do anything reckless on the way out, if you don't mind? I want you both to be at your best health before we begin lunch."

Kaze chuckled playfully, "'Reckless'? You know as well as I do that I'm as careful and considerate as a caterpillar crawling on a tree. And the first thing I'd buy at the market is stuff fresh off the bark. Whatever you ask of me, I magically do it." She saluted and pointed a thumb to herself, "Kaze 'Delivery Girl' Viriniam at your service, here to fill up cousin and big mama's stomachs till they're full!" Wendy could barely stifle her laughter at the joke.

Grandeeney questioned, "Are you sure you want to go this alone, dear? I could always..."

Kaze shook her head, "No, I can manage. I'm a Dragon Slayer. I can handle anything."

Grandeeney reminded, "Dragon Slayer in-training. Don't forget, you and Wendy still have ways to go before you reach that level. The seventh month is close at hand, but there is much I have left to teach you."

Kaze quipped, "Ways to go means ways to improve, right? Lots of chances to make things better and lift our spirits, make our lives way more exciting. And I'm a big fan of exciting, aren't I?"

Grandeeney began, "Well, you're..."

Kaze cut her off, "How can I turn down any offer to help me grow into a real Dragon Slayer? To be the best there is, one who's got more heart than brains? Or brawns, in that order?"

Wendy blinked, "More heart... than brains? What do you mean by that, Kaze?"

Grandeeney answered, "She means a sound heart that allows the mind and the muscles to function as one. In other words, she means to balance both the brains and the brawn, in the hopes of reaching a certain level of perfection."

Wendy understood, "Oh, okay."

Kaze continued, "Refusing a kind offer such as this goes against my good nature and everything I believe in. What kind of girl would I be if I said no? Whether it's a good deed or a generous offer, I always say yes. And 'yes' is one in a thousand favorite words in my dictionary. Trust me, Grandeeney. I'll come around. I'm gonna try my hardest. I won't let you down."

Grandeeney advised, "Whatever the case, I trust that you know what you're doing, just so long as you don't push yourself too far."

Kaze laughed, "You kidding me? I'm a perfectly calm girl with a clear mind! What could test my limits more than that, huh? In times like these when I push too far, all I gotta do is keep calm, see the big picture, and then start all over again. So don't worry about me. I won't lose my mind to an inflated ego or a sour mood. I can take care of myself and be the best version of myself."

Wendy beamed, "I'll try my hardest, too. I'll be a real Dragon Slayer like Kaze. We both will!"

Kaze laughed again, "Try and keep up, Blueberry. While I'm number one, you're number two." She walked over to Wendy and ruffled her dark blue hair, causing her to giggle. "And yeah, we got this in the bag. I have no doubt we'll get there together."

Wendy agreed, "Yeah. Together."

Grandeeney let out a slight chuckle. "That certainly is an encouragement. And your confidence is just as strong as ever. Rest assured, my children, once your training is complete, before the seventh day of the seventh month approaches, we will see how far you've come. And don't forget, based on your performances and your attitudes, I will choose only one among you for the days to come. There will be no exceptions."

Wendy thought to herself, "Please let it be Kaze..."

Kaze mentally squealed, "Please let it be me..."

Grandeeney continued, "Regardless, you two will make great Dragon Slayers in your own right, and I'm honored to regard you as such. Oh, and Kaze, about what you told me earlier, the part about making life exciting..." She looked to her eldest student, "It's true that the path of the warrior can be exhilarating at times... but that path is not without a few bumps. Yes, it's often exciting, and risky at the same time. It's going to take more than pride or passion alone to see you through the times ahead. Even then, the odds of getting beyond a few scrapes are pretty high."

Kaze chimed, "Pride and passion! Genius! Just the thing I need to see me through the times ahead! And never mind the risks— I'll work them out in no time!"

Grandeeney yelped, "W-Wait! Are you listening to me? Do you even know what you're saying?!"

Kaze would've made a response, but she was too caught up in her enthusiasm to heed Grandeeney's words. "Thanks for the tip, Grandeeney. I can't wait to hear some more helpful advice about making myself a better Dragon Slayer. Until then, I'll be back with the hazelnuts before noon! See ya later!" She waved at Wendy and Grandeeney and raced off into the open woods.

Wendy waved back, "See you later, Kaze!"

Grandeeney protested, "No! Kaze, wait! That's not what I—" Her energetic pupil had already vanished into the forest before she had her say in the matter, and a depressed sigh came out of her mouth. "There is no way to predict what's been going on in her mind," she thought. "Just as I can no longer see through her heart... It has become empty, devoid of its sense of reason, wrapped in a cold, unfeeling light... It's exactly as I feared. At this rate, she will succumb to the dragon's lust for power. And if left unchecked, her eventual transformation could make matters worse." A twinge of worry ensnared her as she wrapped her claw around her chest, and her eyes never left where Kaze had gone. "My teachings could not separate the bloodthirsty beast from the unfortunate child, it seems. I fear it may be beyond my power to save her..."

As difficult as it was for Grandeeney to accept, the worst case scenario was already set in motion, and her sole candidate for vaccination against the inevitable dragonification had been chosen. It would surely break Wendy's heart if she made the selfish decision to sacrifice Kaze in order to save the other, but she was left with no other choice. If she had taken only one under her wing instead of two, this grim future could have been avoided. On the other hand, not matter how much she denied it,

Grandeeney had always loved Wendy and Kaze equally since the day she took them in. They were her children. Seeing the joy and cheer on their faces made her heart soar faster than her wings could ever take her across the skies. But with the destined time fast approaching, she was beginning to wonder how far she had to go to do the right thing, especially at the cost of her children's happiness... and her own. Must she put her duty first before her heart? Must she bear the sin of an unavoidable sacrifice? Must she tear apart her own adopted children for the sake of the greater good? Grandeeney's eyes started to moisten as the burden lay heavy on her chest. But before she shed a single tear, Wendy planted her soft, tiny hands and smoothed them along her feathery scales, catching her attention. "Grandeeney?"

"Yes, Wendy?" It seemed to help the Sky Dragon calm down when she was distressed, and she looked down at her youngest adopted daughter.

"Kaze sure is happy today, isn't she?" Wendy asked happily. "I wish she's like this all the time."

"All the time?" Grandeeney stiffened, then forced a smile to mask her hesitance. "Why, yes, of course! And I wish the same for you as well. More than anything, all I hope for is the best for my darling children." She inched her forehead downward and gently nuzzled it with Wendy's cheek, making her feel warm inside. "If you're both happy, I'm happy, and that's more than enough."

"Oh, Grandeeney, I love you!" Wendy giggled as she hugged the dragon's forehead, and the two stayed that way for a minute until they parted. "And Kaze does, too!"

"I love you, too," Grandeeney chuckled. "Heaven knows that I do. Say, Wendy..." An idea came into mind, "...why don't I read you a story to pass the time?"

"Okay!" Wendy nodded. "What are you going to read me?"

"Let's see... Oh, how about Sinclair and the Castle of Odin? It's your favorite!" Grandeeney beamed. "You couldn't resist hearing it over and over again. A majestic kingdom, daring battles between good and evil, magic spells, a plot twist being the prince playing the role of damsel in distress... What's not to like?"

"Sinclair again? Yay, Sinclair! Read it! Read it!" Wendy cheered.

"Alright, then," Grandeeney confirmed. "Sit down and make yourself comfortable while I go get the book; I'm about to fill your mind with wonder before you fill your belly with food." The little Dragon Slayer trainee wasted no time getting to the tree stump. She took a seat, perking up her ears for a late morning's worth of storytelling until Kaze returned with the hazelnuts. Satisfying Wendy's imaginative mind proved to be another distraction from Grandeeney's inner conflict... but the hard fact remained that a sacrifice had to be made in order to produce the perfect Dragon Slayer, one unfettered by the curse of transforming into a dragon like Acnologia. In the meantime, serenity continued to prosper throughout the nest, and nature beyond.

---

Gummi Ship Engine Lounge

The sink was filled with water, and Romeo's head was over the round ivory bowl as he washed his face with his hands. He raised his head, staring at his reflection in the mirror, and let out a soft sigh as he recalled the entourage's previous account. It had been several hours since they departed Halloween Town, with Jack Skellington and the townspeople expressing their best Halloween wishes and messages of good luck on the way out. As the party returned to the Gummi Ship, they were back in their regular clothing— all except for their latest addition, who had to borrow the closet for a quick change of clothes, considering he felt uncomfortable wearing that ridiculous jester outfit for a long time. While discarding his Halloween clothing for normal attire was a clear sign that Gray was moving forward, the acidic look on his face when he searched the closet for better clothing was rather humorous for Donald, Goofy, Sherria, and Lucy to see. However, as soon as the Ice-Make wizard was dressed in a black tank top under a light purple open shirt, along with a pair of green cargo pants, they filled him in with the details of the group's adventure and their struggles, exactly as they promised. Romeo was pleased that Gray became a part of the team as much as the others were. His resolve to rescue Natsu and the rest of the Fairy Tail guild remained firm. And yet, as much as he wanted to deny it, the slightest bit of unease he felt on account of the sudden flashes in his mind from catching the Insta-Brain Fixer aroma still persisted. It was like a spot, a blister that carried on after a mosquito bite, though it didn't itch him much. He had no clue as to why those visions occurred at random, but a gut instinct told him that they didn't come by chance. For now, his mind was focused on his friends and the journey ahead of him. Romeo turned off the faucet and allowed the water to go down the drain, before walking over to meet up with his friends gathered in the sofa for another team meeting.

"You doing okay, Romeo?" The Rainbow Fire wizard jumped at the sudden voice, only to find Wendy standing next to him. She held a saucer with a slice of chocolate cake and a fork on the side. "Don't worry! It's only me," she assured him.

Romeo gave off a sigh of relief, then spoke, "Sorry. Didn't notice you there. I guess our visit in Halloween Town must've rubbed off on me. You only expect the unexpected, as they say."

Wendy stated, "It's kinda weird that a bug sneaked into that empty bottle when you wanted to look at it, even after Gray drank the whole thing."

Romeo admitted, "It hit the glass right between my eyes. It made a move, and the glass slipped through my fingers. It's like a ghost is staring at me, like it wants to yank my soul." Of course, he knew this was a lie; he still kept to himself about the visions, and would only explain when the opportunity beckoned him so.

Wendy shrugged, "Well, I can't say that I blame you for getting a bit spooked out. I used to feel this way too, you know. And I mean most of the time. Then a lot of things happened in my life, and, well…" She paused, then looked Romeo in the eyes sincerely. "I just want to let you know that I'm here for you. If you need any help, you can always ask me. Maybe you don't feel like yourself lately back at the lab, not even a little bit…" She smiled warmly, "…but I'm not giving up on you. I never stopped believing in you. And I never will."

Romeo gave a small grin at that encouragement. He wouldn't admit it out loud, but he admired and respected Wendy a great deal, as she proved time and again to be a dependable friend and companion— perhaps even more— when things seemed to look bleak at the slightest. It would appear he had found someone he could completely trust, someone to confide in— at the right time, he may share with her what he learned from the visions. "And I never doubted you'd still believe in me."

Wendy handed him the dish. "Would you like some cake?"

Romeo complied, "Don't mind if I do." He took the fork and scooped a piece of the cake for a bite. He swallowed the confectionery treat, then he and Wendy moved to the sofa to sit with Donald, Goofy, Sherria, Lucy, and Carla, Cana sitting on a nearby table hugging a barrel of beer. Gray made himself comfortable in an armchair, crossing his arms and waiting expectantly as he let the events that transpired up until now sink in. Juvia stood next to him, obviously out of extreme devotion to her knight in shining armor, though he didn't seem to mind the goggling of her heart-filled eyes staring his side. Even as the drama with Gravy the Jester became nothing short of a mere memory, Juvia's passion for Gray never faded. "Our team's getting a lot bigger now, don't you think?" Romeo whispered to Wendy. "The way things look, it's only growing with every world we've checked out. Is it me, or are we just lucky like Goofy said?"

"I guess we are," Wendy admitted. "Who knew Gray would turn out to be a jester in disguise, dressed in a funny-looking Halloween costume with a busted mind we had to fix? Now that he's back to his old self again, I think he's starting to believe in what we're doing here."

"Well, I have a feeling he does now," Romeo pointed out, nodding over to the Ice-Make wizard in the lounge chair.

There was silence for a handful of moments before Gray spoke, "I see. A lot has happened while I was out. You guys were out fighting for the universe and saving our Fairy Tail friends from this Alliance of Evil and the Heartless— the people responsible for the hit on our guildhall. Kaze and her Sleepy Hollow goons didn't kidnap everybody, and you've found more than a few members in other worlds. Isn't that right?" Everyone nodded in response, and he scoffed. "Ha! For an exclusive club of hired dark guilds and otherworldly weirdos, they're not very good at their job. Letting some strays slip past their nets proves they aren't the sharpest knives in the drawer. Those punks caught me off guard back then." He pointed a thumb at himself, "But they haven't broken me. I'm still here when all is said and done."

Sherria pointed out, "Yeah, uh... Emphasis on 'broken'. Need we remind you again that you got hit on the head real hard and suffered a serious case of brain damage when half the ship crash-landed in Halloween Town?"

Lucy stated, "It led to you behaving erratically and being more or less the town's resident comic relief, hence the whole 'Gravy the Jester' shindig."

Donald teased, "How are you doing, Gray? You enjoy being Gravy very much?"

Goofy noted, "Oh, and when you take away 'V' between 'A' and 'Y'…"

Lucy cut him off, "Yeah, yeah. We know what it spells. For like, half a dozen times?"

Gray moaned, "Me, enjoying being an alternate personality called Gravy the Jester? Not really. When you told me that the ship crash busted my brains, and I ended up dancing around town like a monkey, it all made sense— why I was forced to wear that goofy chocolate-scented outfit. It made me look like some kooky clown in a birthday party! Dress up like clowns?" He swung his arms in refusal, "NOT my style! I hope I didn't do anything to embarrass myself when my mind wasn't my own."

Goofy assured, "Of course not! You did nothin' wrong. You were just a poor guy with a broken ol' brain who needed help from your good ol' buddies."

Donald shrugged, "Well, you did dance around like a monkey and juggled a lot of chocolate ice cream like balls." He could barely stifle a snicker.

Gray confirmed, "Okay, that is less embarrassing than I imagined it to be."

Wendy smiled, "Well, you're back with us now. It took us a little while to fix your brain, but it was worth it."

Romeo agreed, "Yeah, it's the least we could do after spending time hanging out with a skeleton in a black suit and his brain-cap science partner. You know you used to be a face in the Halloween crowd because of your brain damage, then we had to take you out of their hands."

Gray cringed, "Ooh. I must've hit my head harder than I thought. But you said my time with the Halloween crowd was short, so I think that's a good thing."

Romeo shrugged, "More or less."

Wendy nodded, "You could say that."

Sherria greeted, "How are you doing, Gray? It's been a while since last year's Grand Magic Games."

Gray replied, "How could I forget? Juvia and I put you and Lyon in cold water in the final stretch of the competition."

Sherria chuckled, "Of course you did. I just couldn't look away from that mass of water and ice you two conjured up together. It was so beautiful!" Wendy and Romeo laughed along with her.

Gray sighed, "And Juvia just couldn't let go of my hand after the match. It was so strange." At that moment, the energetic water wizard was holding his hand. A few beads of sweat trailed down his face as he noticed. "You see what I mean?" She suddenly wrapped her arms around the left side of his body, making him yelp. "And here's another thing that's strange!"

Juvia sobbed, "Gray, my darling! I'm so sorry! If I had been strong enough to repel Zeppelin's explosive volley, we would've gotten ourselves out of this predicament! We would've escaped with our lives, if the villains hadn't captured us. For a time, we were trapped together in the same vessel until that whale tore it apart and split us up! Do you have any idea how long I've searched for you since then? It's like a hole in my heart, and you were the only one who could fill it! And now…" She cuffed her arms around Gray's neck and pressed his face against her chest as tears comically sprayed out of her eyes. "Oh, what a delight for us to be together again, Gray! I miss you SO MUCH!"

Gray winced, "That badly, huh? You really miss me?" Wendy, Donald, Goofy, Romeo, Sherria, Lucy, Carla, and Cana smiled and even chortled over the affectionate scene. Soon, Gray broke away from Juvia, who stared at him through water-filled eyes. "Whoa, easy there! I've had a rough week or so, you know? I just need a short break from all the hoo haa and junk." He then grinned, "It's good to see you again, by the way. It was a miracle you survived in the belly of the whale that ripped our ship. Somehow, I made it out alive in space as well, before I crashed into that town. So let's call it even." He rubbed his forehead and sighed, "I really should've watched my head."

Juvia squealed excitedly and hugged Gray twice. "It's been a long time coming, sweetheart, but I'm thrilled to have you reunited with me! And back to your normal self, no less."

Gray nodded hesitantly, "Y-Yeah, sure. Now can you please let me go? It's making me feel uncomfortable."

Juvia exclaimed joyfully, "Let you go? Why would I? I haven't felt your touch in a long time! I can't resist the mere touch of your wondrous skin, your handsome physique, your beautiful visage... I just can't help it! I need to feel more of your touch! I need more! More, I say! More! MORE!"

Gray cried incredulously, "Are you even listening to me?!" That prompted a second round of playful laughter from the entourage.

Cana smirked, "Still trying to melt his ice, aren't you, Juvia?"

Juvia shrugged, "What else can I do? All is as it should be. I'm only doing what comes naturally."

Cana chuckled, "Naturally, huh? If Gray still suffered that splitting headache and was put in a coma instead of acting clownish like you said he did, you would've kept him all to yourself."

Juvia looked away in embarrassment. "Yes, I would, but…" For her own sake, she dared not to enact a reprise of her romance with Gray's alternate Halloween persona, lest she suffer another temper tantrum from Sherria for defying her perspective on love.

Donald implied, "If I'm being honest, I like this version of Gray a lot better than Gravy Gray. Look at him!" He gestured to the Ice-Make wizard in the armchair, "He looks like a pretty swell guy! He's tough, serious, practical, and not afraid to speak his mind. Better to have a Fairy Tail friend with a straight mind instead of a broken one!"

Goofy agreed, "Yup, nothin' beats bein' yourself in mind and in attitude! Out with the old and in with the… well, old! You know, Gray back to bein' Gray and everythin'?"

Carla remarked, "Things are certainly on track now that he's restored to perfect mental health. On top of that, he's come over to our side, and he seems willing to contribute to our cause."

Donald grinned, "Works for me. Anyone wanting to help is always welcome to join our crew. A few extra hands don't hurt nobody."

"Hey, Gray?" Goofy asked him. "We just wanna thank ya again for decidin' to come along on our little interstellar trip."

Gray faced the two Disney explorers. "Donald and Goofy, right? You helped Wendy and the others in rescuing some of our friends stranded in other worlds. I appreciate what you've done for my friends. I really do. Why all the trouble, though? We would've gotten outta this mess on our own; us guys in Fairy Tail have been in tougher scrapes than Heartless or faraway worlds."

Goofy smiled, "We're just doin' our job. King Mickey instructed us to follow the key bearer, who happened to be a member of your guild. So here we are, rescuin' Fairy Tail members on a daily basis. An adventurer's work is never done!"

Donald added, "We're also looking for the King and locking away the Keyholes. Our work is long and hard, and sometimes the bad guys make it extra hard. But we do our best. We're a team of pros!"

Gray smirked, "Hard work, huh? That's fine with me. I could use a good challenge to help shake off some of my rust."

Juvia interjected, "And I could use a sweet remedy of timeless passion to shake off some of the pain and hardship I've had to endure over your absence!" She lovingly rubbed her cheeks against Gray's, stunning him at a single contact between their skins. "Ah, Gray… If today was my birthday, you would make the perfect gift! I feel so serene! So relieved! So alive! I was lost without you! Completely directionless! The last time we were together, we were prisoners in their ship, and they served us raw rations in the cargo area. Not ripe, but not hard to chew, either. Gray, honey, why don't we make up for all the time we missed each other? I've missed those times. And I'm sure you do, too."

Gray exclaimed, "Geez, get a room! Go eat a sandwich or something!"

Juvia cried happily, "I've been looking forward to this, you know! We haven't been together in forever…!" She kept massaging Gray's face with her own, which added to his agitation.

Sherria cooed passionately, "Awww! Now that's more like it! This is love at its finest, how love works, how love should be! It's probably gonna take some time for him to return her affections, since he's not getting used to her charms yet. But romance is not like a ticking clock. They have all the time they need! Someday, that simple relationship will blossom into true love. We'll have to wait and see what happens."

Romeo commented, "Gravy the Jester may have had his last time in the spotlight, but I guess some things don't change."

Sherria held her hands together and rocked back and forth with an eager smile on her face. "I get the feeling. Nothing beats the classic dynamic of budding love! I'm absolutely positive that love will see them through, and bring them together like peas and carrots."

Romeo grinned, "Hey, I told her that she'll win him over someday, didn't I?"

Sherria thought out loud, "It's a good thing we didn't mention him falling for Juvia while he was still Gravy. He'd have a heart attack if he knew they had a twisted love affair. It's hard to forget the awful part of that horrid, zany dynamic where they traded slob making out. Gross!" She cringed at recalling the horrid memory, "My head hurts just thinking about it!" She then relaxed herself, "Anyway, it's for the best. Everything's back to normal. Let's just forgive and forget…"

Lucy cleared her throat, "While it's great you two 'lovebirds' are back together and all…" Juvia turned her attention to the celestial wizard while retaining her hold on an unnerved Gray. "…I don't think we have room to give you enough space for private time right now."

Instinctively, Juvia dragged Gray out of sight and cast a deadly glare at Lucy. "Back off, bimbo! Gray is MINE!" She walked in front of Lucy with clouds erupting above her head, unknowingly letting go of the Ice-Make wizard. "I won't let you or anyone take him away from me after all the trouble of looking for him! Let's settle this once and for all with a duel! You and me!"

Lucy shook her head, "No, I'll pass. I've seen more than enough shenanigans in one world after another. I'd rather stick to where I want to be." Juvia ignored her and kept glaring at the blonde-haired girl.

Gray raised an eyebrow at Juvia. "Talk about a clingy, overprotective girl of a buddy."

Donald asked dryly, "Girl of a buddy? Really?"

Sherria smiled, "You know, I'm almost tempted to pair him with Lucy, but it's obvious he has a thing for Juvia. Classic will-they-or-won't-they dilemma at its finest."

Goofy agreed, "We're seein' it plain as day— he can't admit it, but he cares for her the way she cares for him. Those two are meant for each other. A-hyuck!"

Carla sighed, "Well, I can't say that possibility will come to pass one day. These things take a lot of time."

Lucy turned to face Gray, "Anyway, now that you understand what we've been up to while you were down but not out, let's cut to the chase. It's been some time since the Alliance of Evil were on the move. While they're out looking for the last Princess of Heart, Natsu and Erza are still held captive. We don't know if they've found the last princess or not, but my gut tells me we have to be extra cautious."

Donald chimed, "Extra cautious? Are you kidding? We've bashed a lot of their evil plans, so that should slow 'em down a peg. And even if they did find that last princess…"

Goofy added, "…we can still save everybody! We've all faced bigger stuff in our day, before and after, and we come back as fine as frog's hair, as our good pal Horace used to say."

Romeo concurred, "That's right. It's high time we pull the pin on this group of desperados for all the trouble they caused!"

Carla pointed out, "The chances of running into another one of Maleficent's associates in the next world are often high as we expect, and possibly more powerful than the last. We must be well prepared for everything that's still to come."

Gray retorted, "Heh, it doesn't matter how tough they are." His hand balled into a resolute fist, "I'm sending those idiots to the refrigerator. And if I'm going with you guys, I'm all for it."

Juvia reverted her attention towards Gray with hearts making up her pupils. "And I'll follow you to the ends of the universe, to see through all your struggles to the end, my love. You and I will survive the long road ahead, and no greater force will ever drive us apart. Never! Oh…" She added as a request, "…if and when we make it through this, shall we celebrate our victory with a big, long kiss under rays of glorious sunlight? What a way to picture a happy ending for myself and my beloved!"

Gray comically protested, "WHAT?! NO WAY!"

Sherria likewise reacted, "IT'S TOO SOON!"

Juvia shook with glee, "Oh, the idea excites me to such a degree, I could collapse!" And she did fall on the floor with an affectionate sigh bursting out of her mouth, much to Gray's dismay.

Wendy asked the Ice-Make wizard, "You agree to help us, then?"

Gray turned to Wendy and responded, "There's no way I'm gonna let you fight the Alliance of Evil or the Heartless on your own. Besides, if I weren't invited to this adventure of yours, it'd be pretty boring. Those two have been a great help to you, and I'm thankful for that." He pointed a thumb at Donald and Goofy, who nodded. "But if we all work together, saving Fairy Tail and the universe is gonna be a cinch. Seeing as how you took down villains and dark guilds, and the fact that you solved problems in a couple of worlds, I'm thinking you could use a bit of ice to cool things up, in case things get hot. And I'm not talking about a certain Flame-brain I know."

Wendy beamed, "Thank you so much, Gray! We're glad you're on our side now!"

Romeo smiled, "We knew you wouldn't turn us down. This is gonna be so cool!"

Lucy nodded, "It's good to have you back on the winning team, Gray. Ice and all."

Sherria quipped, "The more the merrier!"

Donald announced, "Welcome to the crew!"

Goofy promised, "Trust us, you won't regret it!"

Gray gave a confident smirk. "Let's go."

"Yeah!" Wendy, Donald, Goofy, Romeo, Sherria, and Lucy cheered in approval, while Carla and Cana simply smiled at the action.

"So about that new page of Ansem's report we found at Oogie's mansion…" Wendy changed the subject. "Is he talking about gummi blocks?"

"He has to be!" Donald suggested. "King Mickey was the one who discovered the blocks on a dig down in Grand Canyonscope over a decade ago. That was way before we became space explorers."

"The materials from the meteors that crashed here were made out of plastic, but they're solid as rock, too. Put 'em together, and they make somethin' real fast like buildin' blocks." Goofy explained. "The King, along with Chip and Dale, created the Gummi Ship from those blocks. And that's how the three of us— the King, Donald, and myself— started out on our super-fantastic space adventurin', flyin' together on this here smile-powered vessel." He gestured around himself, then faced Donald. "Does Pluto count as an adventurer, too?" The court magician only groaned.

"So Ansem didn't realize at first that gummi blocks were used to make spaceships," Sherria confirmed. "Kinda reminds me of Jasmine when she told us she felt trapped in her own palace…"

"He yearned to see worlds beyond his own," Carla mused. "To broaden his view of the universe, enlighten his people of its secrets if he could."

"I guess it was more than curiosity that inspired him to think big, huh?" Romeo remarked.

"Ansem… For a very wise ruler, he had such a very wide imagination," Lucy commented.

"Pretty much like us, when we dream about adventures and stuff…" Wendy uttered.

Before the discussion lingered on, the cockpit entrance flashed with a red alarm, followed by a beeping noise, which compelled Wendy and her friends to gaze upward. "Hey, what's with the light show?" Gray wondered.

"It's a call from Chip and Dale!" Goofy recognized.

"Looks like it's back to manual control," Donald confirmed.

"What news do they have for us this time?" Wendy asked.

"Let's go check it out," Romeo urged.

Gummi Ship Cockpit

Wendy, Donald, Goofy, Romeo, Sherria, Carla, Lucy, Gray, and Juvia gathered in the cockpit to see the amicable Chip and Dale giving another important update from their side of the monitor screen.

"Heya, fellas! We're here to inform ya that a new tournament's taking place in the Coliseum!" Chip announced. "Based on our latest scans, today's competition is called the 'Hercules Cup'."

"Hercules Cup?" Wendy, Donald, Goofy, and Romeo repeated the name curiously.

"Hercules… Cup…?" Sherria followed suit in a strangled whisper, her body tensing from the hope and anticipation she kept reserved for an opportunity long overdue. She could barely suppress the chill in her muscles, shut her widened eyes, or even twist the smile on her lips, as though an angel came from Heaven and whispered to her the best news she could ever receive in her whole life. If the new tournament was called the Hercules Cup, that could mean…

"You said it!" Dale nodded. "Speakin' of Hercules, isn't he the all-time undisputed, undefeated Coliseum champion you guys met and made friends with after the incident with the big three-headed dog that trashed the preliminaries? What a coincidence, knowin' the Cup was named after him!"

"Seems that way," Chip confirmed. "But do you know what's not a coincidence? Hercules will be enterin' the tournament as the defendin' champion! If you make your way to the finals, you get a chance to go head-to-head with Hercules himself."

That information made Sherria's body vibrate with even more jubilation. "Hercules…" It caught the attention of a few party members, especially Wendy, Donald, and Goofy, who expected her complete reaction at the news.

"I'm bettin' fifty acorns the prize you get for defeating the champion is somethin' really swell," Dale assumed. "Maybe it's even bigger than the ones you've won at past tournaments?"

"Whatever the case, if you feel like you're gonna sign up, kick butt, and take home the gold, there's no stoppin' you there," Chip beamed. "We thought we'd let you know before we send our good luck wishes."

"Startin' right now! Good luck winnin' the Hercules Cup!" Dale encouraged. "Let's see you keep up that streak in the Games and win yourself one more gold nugget! Go break some eggs!"

Sherria suddenly screamed in surprise and excitement. The rest of the group jumped at her outburst. The Gummi Ship engineers even recoiled at her abrupt mood change. "YEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSS! YES! YES! YES! YES! YEEEAAAAH!" She bounced up and down on the floor with her arms raised high, laughing joyfully. "FINALLY! HERCULES! I'M GONNA FIGHT HERCULES! WHOOOOOOOOOOO!" She kept cheering as she ran around the room, "WHOOOOO! YEAH, ALRIGHT! WHOOOOO!"

"WAK! IS SHE OUT OF HER MIND?!" Donald quacked.

"Whoa! I've never seen her go crazy before!" Gray exclaimed.

"Crazy? More like thrilled!" Lucy clarified. "Thrilled that she's about to have what appears to be the best day of her life."

"That's because Hercules is gonna fight in the tournament. And Sherria's been waiting for this!" Wendy pointed out. "She's a God Slayer, and she's always wanted to try it out on a god if there is one."

"And now it's really happenin'! Herc's fightin' in the Coliseum!" Goofy grinned. "She's finally getting' her wish! All this long waitin', and it paid off like clockwork!"

Sherria ran to the control panel and slammed her hands hard, glancing up at the screen to face the alarmed chipmunks. "THANK YOU, CHIP AND DALE! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! OH, HOW LONG I'VE BEEN WAITING TO HEAR THAT! THANK YOU, THANK YOU!"

Chip replied nervously, "Uh… You're welcome?"

Dale chuckled sheepishly, "You're so excited and you just can't hide it."

Sherria cried happily, "I know! In fact, I've never felt so excited since I can't remember when, I shouldn't even think about tomorrow! This is going to be the best day of my life!"

Lucy immediately spoke, "Called it!"

Sherria continued, "Today, my dream finally comes true! Today, I'm gonna make it happen! Thanks again, Chip and Dale! I love you both! I love you both SO much!" She cried tears of joy, "Oh, thank you! Thank you!" She banged her fists against the panel several times, "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!"

Chip and Dale exclaimed in unison, "AAAAHHHH! SHE'S GONE OFF THE DEEP TREE ROOT!"

Donald smacked Sherria at the back of her forehead, snapping her attention to the court wizard practically steaming over her wild behavior. "KNOCK IT OFF, YOU KLUTZ! YOU'RE BREAKING THE SYSTEM!" He angrily gestured to the panel, which barely suffered a dent from Sherria's outburst. "If anything happens to it, it's all over for us! We'll end up stuck in outer space forever! No system, no controls, NOWHERE to go! Do you have any idea how hard and tiring we've worked on this whole entire ship?! You should know better!"

At first, Sherria didn't answer beyond letting out an awkward giggle. "Sorry, Donald. I was so caught up in my excitement." Her embarrassment quickly transitioned to excitement, "But haven't you heard? There's a new tournament at the Coliseum! And it's called the Hercules Cup! When we reach the finals, we have a chance to fight Hercules himself!" She turned to face Chip and Dale, "Isn't that right?"

Chip answered, "Oh, we heard every word that rolled outta the announcement, alright!"

Dale nodded, "Yep! And we weren't lyin' when we said it ain't false advertising."

Sherria gushed as she held Donald by the shoulders and shook him vigorously. "They speak the truth! Hercules WILL be there in the tournament! DO YOU HEAR ME?! HERCULES! WILL! BE! THERE!"

Donald's body wobbled from Sherria shaking him repeatedly. "You're craaaazzzyyyyy!"

Sherria squealed joyfully, "This is it! Me, a God Slayer, fighting a real life god! This is what I've always wanted! It's a lifelong dream come true!" She grabbed hold of Donald's hands and spun him around in circles before releasing him into Goofy's arms.

Donald complained, "Geez, lady! Why don't you go drool at somebody's pillow and not cause a ruckus around here?! Some crazy, klutzy, god fighting-obsessed fanatic you are!"

Sherria proceeded to skip across the cockpit in celebration, singing to herself. "I'm gonna fight Hercules! I'm gonna fight Hercules! I'm gonna fight Hercules!"

Donald rubbed his temples in agitation. "That's what I thought."

Goofy shrugged, "Who can blame Sherria for bein' so happy? She's got herself a one-way ticket to playin' with the big boys hanging out in the clouds! Ain't that what she's always dreamed of doin'? Testin' her God Slayin' magic on real gods?"

Lucy agreed, "Yeah, there's nothing wrong about being gung-ho for doing something you like best. Though Donald does have a point about her almost breaking the system when she jumped for joy over the news."

Juvia remarked, "Goodness, and I thought I was the only person in the team going gaga for a certain individual!"

Gray rolled his eyes, "Oh, I don't know. Have you looked in the mirror lately?"

Juvia gasped in shock, "What? Are you implying there's something on my face, darling?" A slight touch across her face, and she immediately overreacted. "Oh, no! This is horrible! I fear that my beauty has lost its appeal! Where has the time gone?! I should've looked in the mirror more often, see for myself how pretty I still look! At least more so than that fat-filled trollop!" She cast a scowl at Lucy, then back at Gray before clapping both cheeks. "The happiness of my beloved depends on it! I must not fail him! For his sake, I shall maintain my beauty image! If it's not in good form, Gray may not want me the way I am anymore!"

Gray reasoned, "Hey, don't get the wrong idea. I'm not saying that you're ugly or anything. I'm just comparing you to Sherria. You know, personality-wise?"

Juvia squeaked, "U-U-Ugly?" That statement left her in a state of distress. "No… I can't be ugly… Sherria can't be more prettier than me…"

Gray's eyes widened in surprise. "T-That's not what I meant! Didn't you hear me?!"

Donald smoothed a hand over the panel where Sherria barely left a mark on the metal, then turned to face the others. "Well, at least she didn't do anything serious to the computer. Just a few bangs, so it's all good." He wiped sweat from his forehead as he let out a deep sigh from his beak. "Phew! If she went completely nuts, we would've lost the wheel!"

"I'm gonna fight Hercules! I'm gonna fight Hercules! I'm gonna fight Hercules!" Sherria kept on dancing around the cockpit as she chanted the same song repeatedly, much to the royal court magician's consternation. "I'm gonna fight Hercules! I'm gonna fight Hercu—" Her singing only lasted less than a minute when he slapped her across the cheek. "Hey! What gives?"

Donald demanded, "If we agree to go to Olympus Coliseum to fight in today's Games, will you PLEASE be on your best behavior?"

Sherria nodded, "Sure, no problem! I promise to do my best when we're out there in the ring. This is what I've prepared for, after all." She then paused to stare at Donald expectantly. "Well? Does that mean you agree we're going to Olympus Coliseum to fight in today's Games?"

Donald yelled in frustration, "YES! WE ALL KNOW THAT YOU WANT TO FIGHT HERCULES! JUST DON'T KEEP MENTIONING IT! HERCULES, HERCULES, HERCULES! IT'S ALWAYS HERCULES! ALL YOU TALK ABOUT IS THAT GOSH-DARN HERCULES! SHEESH, YOU'RE GIVING ME A HEADACHE!" He grabbed both sides of his head and raked out several feathers, distressed by the Sky God Slayer's repeated insistence.

Juvia sweated, "And here I thought I was the only person in the team nearly driven to insanity by an alternate jester personality of a certain someone I love…"

Gray blinked, "Huh? Driven to insanity? What do you mean, Juvia?"

Juvia shook her head and lied, "N-Nothing, dear. Nothing at all."

Carla sighed, "Oh, please. You only say that because you couldn't tolerate her enthusiasm over the fact that her vision of testing the limits of God Slayer Magic on actual gods is finally coming true. She has trained for this, and it seems her patience has been rewarded."

Romeo agreed, "Carla's right, Donald. Sherria's just getting hyped for today's Games. There's no harm done in doing something you've worked so hard for, and now that golden ticket's waiting outside."

Goofy grinned, "She's chasin' her dream like bears goin' after honey in a snow cabin. When she sets her mind on somethin' she's excited for, there's no stoppin' her. Nothin' we can't do about it, really. So it's best we let her chase her dream. Let her do what she's always wanted."

Sherria smiled as she gave Donald a big hug. "I knew you'd agree, Donald! You know how much this means to me! You all do!"

Donald grumbled, "You're just lucky that Chip and Dale bought you an all-expense paid ticket to fulfilling your bolt-brained fantasy and then rubbing it in everybody's faces soon after. And now the rest of the gang is in on it!"

Sherria released the hug and responded, "Rub it in? Me? I wasn't chasing my dream because I wanted all the glory and stuff. That's not what I'm in for."

Donald raised an eyebrow, "Huh? Then why were you singing and dancing about fighting Hercules?"

Sherria explained, "Why else other than gaining the golden opportunity to find out if my God Slayer Magic works on bona fide gods like Hercules? You see, I'm not interested in stealing glory and rubbing it on somebody's face— it's about pushing myself and discovering how strong I am. By finding the strength you're looking for, you use it to do something great, like helping lots of people, or putting out a single forest fire with a tiny whirlwind, or punching through an entire mountain— whatever works."

Wendy smiled, "I agree with you. By knowing how strong we are and seeing how far we've come, there's nothing we can't do." She joyfully took the Sky God Slayer's hands. "This is it, Sherria! It's your time to shine! You're gonna fight a god in real life!"

Sherria chuckled with a blush. "Yes, it is my time to shine. But it's not that I want to fight him all by myself or anything. I just want to see how strong I am against him. I don't mind if it's one-on-one or handicap. Whatever the conditions are, I'll follow them if it means facing him in the championship finals. If he asks me to fight him alone or with you guys, I'll say yes. Just as long as I get a good hit on him."

Wendy beamed, "Glad to hear it! It's not an interesting match if someone isn't there to watch your back or be at your corner, is it? We'll make our way to the finals together. We get there first, then you can have your match with Hercules. Whatever happens, if you need anything, you can always count on me."

Romeo smiled, "And me! What's a good God Slayer in the arena without her team? We'll be right beside you, supporting your dream through thick and thin. This is your chance to make it big, Sherria. Don't miss it."

Goofy cheered, "We're rootin' for ya, Sherria! Your dream's about to come true! And don't just follow it— live it!"

Carla nodded, "Yes, I believe it's time we see how well your training pays off."

Lucy smiled, "A God Slayer versus a real god. Never thought I'd see the day."

Donald interrupted, "Wait a minute! Back at the preliminaries, you said you wanted to go head-to-head with Hercules so you can go down in history as the best God Slayer ever. And what's that you said? You want to 'share' your experience to everybody in your world? Sounded like glory-hogging to me!"

Sherria joked, "Says the duck who keeps whining that he doesn't get the good stuff most of the time. Like all the gold in the Cave of Wonders you were almost tempted to bag?"

Donald argued, "Hey! That's not related!" Wendy, Sherria, Romeo, Goofy, and Lucy could barely stop themselves from laughing at the witty comment, which only added to his unease.

Gray asked Sherria, "Do you enjoy making jokes at this guy's expense?" He pointed a thumb at the royal court wizard, who folded his arms and pouted.

Sherria nodded, "Yeah. Because it's funny. Donald's a valuable member of this team, but he's so easily gullible. And that's one of the things we love about him best." She lowered her voice to a whisper so she could speak privately, "Just don't let him know that."

Chip chimed, "Well, with that out of our hairs, here's to another competition for you guys to ace at the Coliseum. Good luck, Wendy! You're not gonna need it, 'cause you're the key bearer!"

Wendy giggled, "Yes, I am. And we'll do our best."

Dale assured, "We'll be sure to bring popcorn with extra butter and acorns before we cheer our heads off when the Games start. Oh, did we mention our eye in the starry sky is the best seat in the house? Go get 'em, tigers!"

Romeo nodded, "You got it."

Chip advised, "And Sherria, could you do us a favor? Try to keep your head in the game when it's your time to duke it out with the champion. It's gonna take more than passion to win. I think…"

Dale stated, "You said you wanna fight a real god with the magic you practiced, right? Well, it's about time you show 'em what you can do! Prove that you've got what it takes!"

Sherria promised, "Don't worry, you two. I won't let you and everyone down!"

Wendy agreed, "That's right. She's got this!" She held Sherria's hand for added assurance.

Romeo elected, "And so do we!" He put a hand around the Sky God Slayer's shoulder.

Chip suggested, "Give us a call if you need some more helpful tips and stuff. Chip…"

Dale added, "…and Dale…"

"Over and out!" And with that, the monitor screen switched off.

"Today's your lucky day, Sherria!" Goofy chimed. "We make our way to the finals, you go face Hercules!"

"You've always wanted to test your God Slayer Magic on gods like him," Wendy smiled. "And it's happening right now! Your dream is coming true!"

"I know! I've heard every word!" Sherria said energetically. "And now I'm on my way to that pot of gold and sunshine at the end of the rainbow!"

"Attagirl, Sherria!" Goofy whooped.

"Now you're talking!" Romeo approved.

"Keep it up!" Lucy encouraged.

"Oh, sure. When we get to the finals, we square off with a hunky god who has the strength of eleventy billion hunky men," Donald said sarcastically. "And what better way to kick off the match than to have some scatterbrained windbag…" He motioned to Sherria, "…make the first draw! Oh, why didn't I see it before? The match of the century: 'Sherria the Klutz vs. Buffy-Buff Muscle Man Hercules'! It'll be a big, big hit! UGH!" He groaned, then crossed his hips and tapped his foot, visibly upset. "I bet this is going to be so much fun."

"I knew you'd be excited as I am, Donald," Sherria grinned. "This is going to be so much fun."

"Sure, whatever…" Donald mumbled.

"While we appreciate Sherria's motivation for this competition, there are other matters we need be concerned with," Carla interjected. "The Alliance of Evil may send another dark guild to fight us on their behalf. So far, we've defeated Tamer Coat in the Phil Cup, and Poker Face in the Pegasus Cup. There's a possibility we might face a third dark guild in this tournament."

"I bet those guys would just love to see us lose in front of hundreds of fans," Romeo scoffed. "I wouldn't be surprised if that's their agenda."

"Heh, nothing Team Wendy can't handle in the arena," Sherria assured. "We'll show them how far we've come since the preliminaries and the last two tournaments!"

"Plus, it'll be good training for all of us," Wendy added. "We gotta be ready if we're gonna fight more villains and dark guilds. And I wanna be ready for when I face Kaze again."

"Do you really think you can beat her at that rate?" Goofy wondered.

"I don't know. But it's worth a try," Wendy replied. "If we work and grow together as a team…"

"…we can accomplish anything," Lucy finished. "We can even beat Kaze three times over."

"A competition in a coliseum, huh?" Gray smirked. "Sounds like a good time and a good place to shake off my rust. Alright, then. Sign me up! Let me join you in this Hercules Cup!"

"You're going to participate?" Juvia gasped excitedly. "Can I join in, too?!"

"I've never been to these Coliseum Games before, but I'm in!" Lucy beamed. "You guys look like you need a Celestial Spirit wizard to light things up."

"Hey! I asked him first!" Juvia snapped at Lucy, though she didn't pay heed. "Attention grabber!"

"Well, we have lots of members to form a team of five, so this shouldn't be a problem," Goofy confirmed. "And we all know who wants to join in first, since this Cup's named after you-know-who, right?"

"Uh-huh, I've think you've already decided on the first member to represent Team Wendy!" Sherria nodded eagerly.

"Why am I not surprised? Of course it had to be you!" Donald pointed out in annoyance.

"Lucky guess," Romeo chuckled slightly.

"Pushing ourselves and then finding the strength we're looking for," Wendy thought with a smile. "Phil said something about a hero being measured by strength of heart. I think I've known the answer for a while now. But the pushing ourselves part is only half of it. Our real strength comes from…"

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's join that Cup!" Sherria cheered. "I can't wait to see him again before we duke it out, locked in combat, fighting to prove who'll be left standing!"

"Whoa, easy there, Sherria," Romeo urged. "You better save your energy for the Coliseum."

"Alright…" Sherria calmed down, with Wendy putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Settin' course for Olympus Coliseum," Goofy turned to the controls. "We've got a new Cup to catch!"

"Oh, what the heck? Beats doing nothing around here," Donald shrugged. "I could use an exercise myself. Setting course for Olympus Coliseum!" Even with his disdain for Sherria's 'fangirling' over fighting Hercules, he knew that the Games' recent installment was an opportunity he couldn't pass up. And so he tapped in the coordinates, presenting Olympus Coliseum on the radar. "Warp gummi activate!" With a press of the button, the Gummi Ship zipped away in a flash of light that drowned away the group's voices of rapture and anticipation for the fight to come.

---

Olympus Coliseum
An hour before the Hercules Cup

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, YOUR GUILD CAN'T COMPETE?!" As Hades's secret hangout in the hypogeum thundered in a fiery storm based on his own dismay and frustration, a small group of attendants representing the next dark guild to participate in the Games could only tremble with fear before they gave so much as a reply.

"I'm sorry, Lord Hades..." One dark wizard mustered up the boldness to confess. "We thought we were ready to fight, but the whole Rooster Metal dark guild was virtually annihilated. It occurred fifteen minutes after the goat man made the opening remarks!"

"All of our conjoined teams were wiped out shortly after they signed up," a second wizard reported. "Many were either knocked out or severely wounded all over the hypogeum. Even Master Beakteeth was in no condition to fight."

"Yeah, I heard Master Beakteeth lost his right leg and had to be wheeled off," a third wizard stated. "After that, the Thebans arrested every one of the injured. Which leaves us four the only ones left. In other words…" He cleared his throat before he made his next words come out, "We're all that remains of Rooster Metal."

"We didn't want to trouble you with this unfortunate news, Lord Hades, but it's true," the fourth and last wizard breathed. "And it happened so fast, we didn't know or see it coming. As of today, Rooster Metal is inactive… and officially dissolved."

"Great going, you guys! That's just great!" Hades snapped as he crossed his hips. "I've just lost the last dark guild I had left on my list before Hook gathered all the other dark guilds into being escorts for his little 'royalty search' operation! Now I'm all out! Empty! Sucked dry! No dark guilds, no hired muscles, NO NOTHIN'!" He repeatedly banged a fist into his open palm for emphasis, "And the only lackeys I have to send into the ring are these stupid Heartless, which I totally doubt would be enough to put a dent in Jerkules and his class of rookie Argonauts, while I watch from the sidelines for Fates know how long!" Letting out an exhausted groan, he slumped in his chair and rubbed his throbbing forehead. "Does anybody in the room know how much of a pain in the varéli this is? Aside from that, before I get another splitting headache just thinking about these kids…" He lowered his hand and turned his attention back to the Rooster Metal agents, "…who's the knucklehead who attacked your guild outta the blue, as blue as my skin? Let me guess, the sunspot? The Spartan cadets?"

With a squeak, the first Rooster Metal wizard answered, "Just one, sir. We have confirmed the assailant to be a man with blonde spiky hair carrying a big sword."

Hades's face contorted with surprise at the description. "Wait. Did this guy also wear a red cape, his sword's all covered in bandages, and he had a look in his eyes that's dull beyond all reason?"

The second Rooster Metal wizard nodded, "Pretty much, yeah."

And just like that, Hades's thoughts drifted back to a certain mercenary he once hired to take out Wendy in the preliminaries, but failed to get the job done. "Strife!" he exclaimed, banging a fist on his throne, his flaming hair nearly rising to a boil. "I should've known he'd want to throw in his lot with Wendy and her crew! And my plan would've worked quickly if he actually did what I hired him to do, but unfortunately, he couldn't get the job done! Well, I've got a news flash for that turncoat when he picks an appropriate time to see me again— he just wished I dragged him to the Styx when I had the chance." He stood up, then cast a deadly glare towards the four frightened Rooster Metal wizards. "I hope you're happy with yourselves. No thanks to you incompetent interns, I have no dark guild to employ for my schemes of running Zeus's little gladiator arena into the ground. Except for the Heartless, which are also equally incompetent!"

The representatives were so intimidated by Hades's scorn that they groveled at his feet, their bodies shivering non-stop, their hearts beating rapidly. The first one pleaded, "We're begging you, Lord Hades! Please have mercy on us! We'll do whatever you ask! We'll do anything! We'll do whatever we can to make it up to you, we promise! Please, have mercy…"

The second assured, "We'll send a message to any dark guild out there that is able and willing to contribute to your plans, sir!"

The third stammered, "T-T-That's right! W-What happened to our g-g-guild was just a f-f-fluke! A s-s-setback! I-I-It won't h-h-happen again!"

The fourth proposed, "We'll contact the remaining dark guilds immediately!"

"Why, that's very nice of you. Splendid!" Hades grinned, his voice laced with sarcasm. "Except you're forgetting one teensy-weensy but ever-so-crucial little tiny detail." The smile vanished, and he erupted in red hot flames, scaring the dark wizards to death. "THEY ALL LEFT WITH HOOK!" He changed back to his original blue shade with an irritated sneer. "Better players, huh? And one other tiny detail— you poorly underestimated the twerps. Seriously, guys! I expected more from you! You said Rooster Metal's made up of fierce magicians that bend iron and metal like rubber bands, hence the name. And then you told me you quickly fell down like a house of cards. You said your guild can't be beat. Were you lying to me?" His glare intensified, and the wizards' fear increased by the second. "And now, because of this, I'm gonna have to clean up YOUR mess!" Hades cast a harsh finger at the hapless quartet, almost tempted to personally discipline them for their ineptitude to keep things under control before the start of the upcoming tournament. But then he soon realized that he couldn't tolerate their presence a minute longer, and instead turned and walked away.

"Um, sir?" a Rooster Metal wizard asked worriedly. "What are you…?"

"I'm going for a drink," Hades glanced at the group over his shoulder. "If anyone needs me, I'll be in my office, where I'm busy trying to figure out how to get rid of those dolts for good. And speaking of busy, I'd appreciate it if you bozos wouldn't disturb…" His hair briefly flared up at the word, "…me right now, thank you very much! But if you like, you can lodge your statements, complaints, and/or requests with Underworld Resources." He pointed a thumb over the other side of the room, which was shrouded in complete darkness. "It's a professional business branch. Trust me, you won't regret it." A crooked smile crept up his face, "Now, don't you be rude to the manager. He's pretty sensitive. And hungry. See ya after lunch, losers!" With that said, he disappeared in a cloud of fire and dust.

"After lunch?" one Rooster Metal underling blinked. "What does that even mean?"

"Who knows?" another responded. "He must be really exhausted."

Just then, a deep-throated growl came from the other side, which made the four minions grow stiff like wood. "Tell me that was your stomach."

"That sounded too hungry to sound like my stomach."

"Okay, then tell me that was an earthquake."

"That sounded too loud for an earthquake, either."

The growl soon turned into a roar, one that any decent human being could recognize and struck fear into their hearts. They peered deep into the dark to find three pairs of crimson eyes staring right at them.

Behind the door of his private quarters, Hades heard foul voices crying out inside, a symphony of terror and despair that sounded sweetly in his ears. Then the growls. And the ripping and tearing of flesh. The Lord of the Dead chuckled at their demises, and casually moved away. Though his list of dark guilds fighting at his behest recently ran thin, he still had in his disposal the Heartless and some of the worst the Underworld had to offer. If he had to, he could make do against Hercules, who always dealt a hand in every one of his failures. Of course, he still needed to take care of one thing. His mind rang with thoughts of Wendy's head being served on a silver platter, which was sure to make the Coliseum's undefeated champion come running. In the end, everything would fall into his hands. As he intoned once, it was like killing two birds with one stone.

On the other side of the door, Cerberus already finished his meal.

Meanwhile, at the Coliseum Gates…

"For violation of rules in the Coliseum and attempted takeover of the Hercules Cup, you are all under arrest!" As the captain made his declaration, the Theban soldiers cleared a path for the entire Rooster Metal guild, escorting the parade of handcuffed dark wizards in a straight line towards the exit. By a stroke of fortune, the dark guild's attempt to dominate the Hercules Cup was laid to waste in their disgrace. As one of the former sub-guilds under the Balam Alliance, Rooster Metal consisted of wizards with a masterful manipulation of the element of metal— any type ranging from iron to aluminum and even magnesium. Their master, Beakteeth, was overly confident that the guild would succeed where Tamer Coat and Poker Face failed, and then that hope was all but crushed by a single attacker. The distress and alarm on the members' faces was plain as day, as they wondered how it all fell apart so fast— but none was more furious than Beakteeth, the tall figure with long silver hair dressed in red and black robes, chained and strapped to a horse ride carriage. Though his right leg was long gone, it wouldn't stop him from throwing all manner of insults and curses at the enforcers who contributed to his guild's downfall.

"...NO ONE SILENCES ROOSTER METAL! YOU WILL NOT TAKE MY GUILD! YOU WILL NOT TAKE MY PRIDE! YOU WILL NOT TAKE ME! YOU WILL NOT TAKE AWAY OUR POWER! WE WILL RISE AGAIN! ROOSTER METAL WILL RISE AGAIN! DO YOU HEAR ME?! ROOSTER METAL IS THE STRONGEST DARK GUILD! WE ARE THE STRONGEST! WE ARE THE BEST! WE ARE THE BEST DARK GUILD! WE WILL RISE AGAIN! WE WILL RISE, AND YOU WILL FALL! WE WILL NOT ALLOW ANYONE TO TAKE THIS FROM US! THIS ISN'T OVER! THIS ISN'T THE END! WE'LL BE BACK! WE WILL BE BACK! SCREW YOU! SCREW YOU ALL! SCREW OLYMPUS…"

While the defiant guild master continued his ear-grating tirade, the two Thebans in charge of his arrest just ignored it and rode the carriage on like nothing happened. The first one muttered, "Gods, this one's a big talker. When's he ever gonna keep his mouth shut until we arrive at the Big Olive?"

The other Theban stated, "You know, arresting those offenders was easier than we thought it was gonna be. Or maybe a little too easier? Can't imagine why. It's like someone took 'em out first before we got to 'em."

As the Thebans marched down Mount Olympus with the captured Rooster Metal guild towards the surface below, a young man in a red cape emerged from the encroaching fog in a peak close by. Two figures dressed in cloaks stood by his side, one tall in size and the other rather miniscule below the waist. His gaze piercing through the shrouded haze, Cloud Strife watched as the third and final dark guild to ever participate in the Games was taken away, every member battered and bruised. He glanced over to the cloaked figures and said, "Thanks for tipping me off on the recent hitmen under Hades's payroll. They would've entered the Games causing trouble for Wendy if she ever participates."

The small figure replied in a low but mature voice, "We give it our best effort to turn the tide in our comrades' favor. They're going to need our help if Fairy Tail is going to win this war against the forces of darkness. However, if you pardon me for asking, don't you think that was a little extreme when you attacked them in the Coliseum?"

Cloud lowered his head and sighed in regret. "Sorry. That guy almost reminded me of the one I'm looking for. If I hadn't let the silver hair fool me, I would've lost it and sliced him to ribbons right then and there. Now I won't be sleeping well enough tonight."

The tall figure chuckled and gave the ex-SOLDIER a pat in the back. "Hey, no harm done in choppin' off somebody's leg. Beakteeth should be grateful he still has two arms and a leg. And I'm pretty sure the boys in bronze can handle all the heavy lifting."

Cloud crossed his arms thoughtfully. "Good point."

The tall figure pointed a thumb behind him, "We'd best be on our way now. Me and the rest of the gang have a whole armada of overgrown plastic gumballs to chew on. We don't wanna miss out." His chuckle increased, "Just wait till the pipsqueak gets a good look at our cool space jet. Even cooler when we save their hides in case they run into some random showboat cataclysm. It'll make the kiddie club wet their diapers!"

The small figure told Cloud, "This is where we part ways, Cloud. I hope we'll meet again. And we thank you for your assistance."

Cloud assured, "No thanks needed."

The tall figure ran a finger along his nose, though his face remained hidden by the hood in his cloak. "Time for the buffet before we give out the big surprise. This is the where the party starts to get pedal to the metal. Or in my case, pedal to the iron!" He turned to address his miniature counterpart, "Lily! Let's go!"

"Right!" The small figure complied, and the two quickly leapt into the foggy abyss, fading from view.

Cloud only stayed behind to see the last of the Rooster Metal wizards forced down the path to the surface by the Thebans. While he felt content that another potential crisis in the Coliseum had been resolved, a long darkness still lingered, casting its shadow over the world ruled by the Olympians. Above all else, until he found the one he sought, his quest would not be complete. And speaking of the dark grip on Olympus Coliseum, when it comes to overwhelming adversity, hope would eventually come around. Cloud thought back to Wendy, a pure-hearted and noble soul he encountered before Hades betrayed him. Just as he was still searching for his light of salvation, Wendy never gave up looking for hers. Perhaps the world may need someone like her to light the ever-persisting darkness. "She's lucky to have so many friends in high places," he thought. A smirk formed around his lips, and he turned towards the sunlight.

---

Back with Wendy and company…

"Whoa! This place is big!" Lucy exclaimed as she looked around the Coliseum's magnificent structure. "This definitely takes me back to Domus Flau and the Grand Magic Games. Last year was a long and winding road back to the top of the hill, and we also had to deal with dragons coming out of the Eclipse Gate. They almost ruined the capital. And this year's Grand Magic Games? Not so much as challenging as last year, but a major exercise through and through. I even got to compete alongside Natsu with my trusty new Star Dresses."

"It's great seeing you strut your stuff with the cool new powers you've learned after the Tartaros incident, but I always give my full props to Natsu. He's my bro," Romeo smiled. "The crowds went wild for his upgraded Dragon Slayer Magic! Remember that time in Day 4 when he literally melted half the arena? The fans were totally excited for him, though. Same as me."

"Yeah, it's hard to forget what happened during Day 4," Lucy recalled. "The heat he turned up in Domus Flau was beyond insane."

"Need I say Team Wendy was doing so hot, too? We won two tournaments in a row, right here in this Coliseum," Romeo continued. "And you should know, I'm a team member myself. We've fought and defeated two dark guilds, and learned a few things since then. One in a million steps on the road to go from junior hero to real hero."

"Junior hero?" Lucy raised an eyebrow. "Donald said that you and Team Wendy were heroes in the Coliseum. You still haven't been recognized as such?"

"At least that's what Phil still believes," Romeo admitted. "And I know we still have some ways to go, but we'll cross that bridge, no matter how long it gets."

"You know, I wouldn't mind crossing that bridge with you guys," Lucy smiled. "If this is my first time fighting in a tournament held in another world, I'm all for it."

"Try to keep up, Lucy. If you're proper hero material, that is," Romeo quipped.

"I'm gonna have to get in line," Lucy laughed and elbowed Romeo playfully in the side, making him chuckle. "By the way, why is your team named after Wendy?"

"Believe me, I've been thinking about it ever since," Romeo shrugged. "We haven't decided on a name for our team before we first fought in the Games. I suppose Phil picked her name to represent us. Why, though? Is it because she's the Keyblade master? Or is she just…" He cast a glance at Wendy before a red smidge formed on his cheeks, which he tried to hide.

"Not so fast!" Juvia suddenly zoomed in front of Lucy. "I'm not going to let some blonde vixen steal my spot as a member of Team Wendy! Only one of us will have the honor of fighting alongside Gray in the tournament! Do you hear me?! There will be only one!" Once again, the sky above her head was thundering.

"Great. Now you wanna cross the bridge, too?" Lucy moaned.

"Can't debate on team names now…" Romeo shrugged.

Goofy gazed up into the sun beaming its rays down upon the grand entrance. "Gawrsh, looks like a brave new mornin'."

Sherria agreed, "I'll say. And a brave new morning means a brave new opportunity. This is the moment I've been waiting for. The moment we've all been waiting for. For probably the first time in the history of the magic community, or all of history in general…" Her voice rose to an energetic note, "…a God Slayer is going to clash with—"

Donald cut her off, "Yeah, yeah, yeah. A god in real life." He added with a groan, "I still can't believe I have to put up with her repetitive statements. But since everybody agrees, there's no arguing with her. She's got her reasons, and I don't see any reason to stop her. But I swear, if we step into the ring and Sherria screams out loud, 'I'm the God Slayer! I'm here to fight gods! And I'll prove it by kicking Herc's butt!', I'm gonna cry."

Gray cracked his knuckles, "You know I'm in, right? I haven't fought anybody since I got hit in the head. There's no way you're leaving me out of the action. I wanna experience all of it."

Romeo grinned, "Oh, you're about to, Gray. You wouldn't miss it for the world."

Cana suggested, "Hey, if this team of yours has a free spot for someone like me, I'm ready for a royal rumble. I can add some spice to this big time competition if you want me to. But if I can't be in, at least save me the best seat in the house so I can watch you guys up close. Either way, there's plenty of room for everybody."

Carla informed, "We'd best be prepared. We never know if the dark guilds or the Heartless may have a role to play in this new tournament."

Wendy declared, "Okay, it's time we prove ourselves as heroes…"

Donald boasted, "…kick some major hiney…"

Romeo urged, "...get stronger..."

Sherria added, "…reach a bigger milestone…"

Goofy finished, "…and take home the gold!"

"Yeah!" Everyone else voiced their approval, and they all passed through the front doors.

Lobby

"Hey, the two-time junior champs!" Philoctetes smiled upon seeing the two-time winners of the Coliseum Games enter the vestibule, having finished dusting the Phil Cup trophy. "Comin' back to get your extra thirty minutes of fame, huh? You heard about the new Cup?"

"We have," Wendy nodded. "Hercules will be there, and whoever makes it to the finals gets to face him."

"Sherria was jumpin' for joy when we got word. She's never been so happy in her whole life!" Goofy motioned to the Sky God Slayer, who anxiously twiddled her thumbs behind her back. "She's always wanted to see how her God Slayer Magic works on livin' gods like Hercules. And it looks like she's about to get her wish waitin' out there." He pointed a thumb at the entrance to the arena.

"This is where my dream comes true, and what better way to make it come true than to fight in the tournament he's named after?" Sherria squealed excitedly. "I've waited a really long time for this, and I don't want to miss a thing! So sign me up!" She picked up Philoctetes and rapidly shook him up and down as a way of pressuring the trainer of heroes to let her become the first to enter the competition. "Sign me up, SIGN ME UP, SIGN ME UP!"

"Whoooooaaaaa!" Philoctetes exclaimed, his body wobbling under pressure from the Sky God Slayer's childlike vigor. "Y-Y-Y-You really w-w-w-wanna g-g-g-g-get out t-t-t-t-there?!"

"SIGN ME UP, SIGN ME UP, SIGN ME UP, SIGN ME UP, SIGN ME UP—" Sherria's outburst came to a screeching halt when an irritated Donald bonked her on the head with his staff, making her let go of Philoctetes. "Ouch!" She rubbed where the staff landed, but instead of snapping at the royal court wizard, she exhibited relief. "Phew, I needed that. Thanks, Donald. I almost lost my focus there. Romeo's right. I've got to save my energy for the tournament, be at the top of my game."

"Um... You're welcome?" Donald blinked. He was about to clarify that he bonked Sherria out of displeasure for her hyperactive attitude; it would have cost Philoctetes his patience with the entourage. But judging by the satyr's neutral expression, he didn't appear bothered at the very least.

"They show up one minute, and the girl who calls herself a god slayin' machine's gettin' gung ho over steppin' in the ring," Philoctetes thought out loud.

"Sorry, Phil. I didn't mean to get your goat," Sherria chuckled. "Which you are, no offense." He rolled his eyes at the comment, while Wendy, Romeo, and Goofy laughed to themselves a little. "I'm just so excited to be a part of this new tournament." Her cheerfulness slowly started to kick in, "And I'm super ready for it! I'm gonna prove how strong I am against a real god, should we make it to the finals! This is my dream, my moment, my time to shine! And I'm prepared to see it through, no matter what!"

"And don't forget, you're not alone," Romeo reminded.

"That's right. We're with you, Sherria," Wendy smiled.

"Just follow that dream at the end of that there rainbow!" Goofy encouraged.

"Aww... Your confidence and faith in me gives me twice the motivation I have now," Sherria cooed.

"Tell me about it..." Donald grumbled.

"Well, I don't see any reason to stop you junior heroes from wanting to put up your dukes with the all-time champ," Philoctetes shrugged. "That is, if you make the second seed." He then laughed, "But hey, this is the Hercules Cup, after all! You've come to the third stretch of the big leagues by beating the last two Cups, haven't ya? Your team's the reason everybody and their grannies' butts are on the seats as of late!"

"They can't wait to see us fight in the Games again," Wendy guessed.

"It's so obvious. We have so many fans," Romeo grinned.

"All of Greece is dyin' to know today— can Team Wendy, the Games' top underdogs, triumph over the mighty Hercules in his own Cup and remain undefeated?" Philoctetes pondered. "Ever since after the Pegasus Cup, sales have gone through the roof. This Coliseum hasn't had this much hype in years! Did I mention I'm no fan of statistics? But Rule #13: Things happen for reasons we can't think of or do about. The Hercules Cup is advertised to be the most expected tournament in the Games' long run. When news travels fast, expectations and bold predictions get ten miles long."

"You guys really are famous around here, huh?" Gray remarked.

"In this world, we're popular faces. We're stars of the arena!" Sherria stated.

"When you get out there, you feel that same level of awesome as the Grand Magic Games back home," Romeo smiled.

"I can see it now— the handsome Gray Fullbuster and his beloved Juvia…" He crept behind Gray and wrapped an arm around his shoulder, startling him. "…fighting as members of Team Wendy, the reigning two-time champions of this coliseum of the immortals!" Juvia fantasized.

"So… the hype's a little too much in the air?" Gray sweated.

"Where is Hercules now?" Wendy asked Philoctetes.

"On the other side of the hypogeum, preppin' for hot-shot gladiator action," Philoctetes answered. "When rumor got out that your team's gonna compete, he wasted no time getting himself into shape. He couldn't wait to go head-to-head with you, especially the pinkie pie…" He gestured to Sherria, "…should you beat the second seed. He's been talkin' about you non-stop." He stroked his goatee, "Night and day, all the time, like he's on a very important date."

"He's waiting for us?!" Sherria gasped excitedly.

"Absolutely!" Philoctetes nodded. "He said he wants to find out if your team's got more brains, guts, and even heart to be at his league, if not near his league."

"WHOO-HOO!" Sherria whooped, jumping and raising her hands with joy. "He wants to go against us, especially ME! ME, of all people! Now I'm EVEN MORE pumped up!" She laughed and began dancing around, "Who's going to fight Hercules?! It's me! It's me! Oh, yeah! Uh-huh! Oh, yeah! Whoop-whoop!"

"She's just so excited to face him," Wendy giggled.

"And she sounds just like Natsu," Romeo grinned.

"Hey, mind if I bonk this klutz on the head again before she hurts herself?" Donald asked dryly, pointing a thumb at the Sky God Slayer who was still dancing and singing to herself.

"Absolutely not!" Carla responded immediately. "She needs to be in better form if she is to help us win the upcoming tournament."

"Is it so wrong to let her express her feelings, Donald?" Wendy questioned. "I actually like it when she's excited. It lights up the mood."

"Yep, look at her bein' all cheery because she's chasin' her dream!" Goofy beamed. "And that's the thing we need to keep this team goin'!"

"Do you HAVE to bring that up?!" Donald turned to stare incredulously at the royal knight, who only responded with a shrug.

"Hey, if she's happy, we're happy, too," Romeo put an assuring hand on Donald's shoulder. "Let's leave her be."

"Oh, alright… I'll deal," Donald sighed reluctantly.

Sherria soon stopped dancing and took a few steady breaths, reminding herself of the trials that would await her in the forthcoming contest, and what she must do in order for her dream to be realized. "Okay, I'm ready. Ready for action! I can do it!"

Wendy encouraged, "Yes, you can. You can do it. I know you can!"

Romeo confirmed, "Well, I think it's time we make our entrance and give the crowd another good fight." He faced Philoctetes, "Sign us up, Phil! We're entering the Hercules Cup!"

Philoctetes answered, "Alright, but just to let you know that besides Herc, that ex-SOLDIER, Cloud Strife— the spiky-haired fella that Wendy fought in the preliminaries— will be competing as well. He recently signed up right after I've made the opening speech for the tournament."

Some party members who were all too familiar with the ex-SOLDIER were surprised over the news. Wendy exclaimed, "Cloud, too?!"

Sherria sweated, "Don't tell me we have to go through him to reach the finals!"

Lucy muttered, "Well, this just keeps getting better and better."

Gray interjected, "I've heard this place is the coliseum of heroes. I don't recall calling myself one of these heroes or anything else like that, but a great fight is something I can't turn down. I'm a lot stronger than I was since the Tartaros incident a year back." He crossed his hips with a confident look on his face, "First the defending champion's a living god who can lift the chunk of a mountain with his own bare hands, and now some ex-SOLDIER's joining in? Bring 'em on! I'll take 'em anytime, any place!"

Lucy pointed out, "Gray, you know that cockiness is gonna get you killed, right? Wendy told me all about this Cloud guy. Hades, the god of the Underworld, hired him to take her out in the preliminaries, and he's a very fierce combatant. He knows how to wield a sword better than she does. It's obvious that if we've gotten stronger after all this time, so has he."

Goofy agreed, "She's right."

Donald noted, "You're just acting so smug like she is!" He pointed a thumb at Sherria for emphasis.

Gray and Sherria turned to the royal court magician and asked in unison, "So smug? Who said anything about me acting so smug?" The two looked to one another, realizing what they just said, and everyone else laughed at the gag.

Philoctetes turned to examine Lucy and Gray, the recent new faces who accompanied Wendy and the gang to the vestibule. "So you've brought in some more extra teammates today. The dude with the black spiky hairdo looks a bit confident and ready to take on bloodthirsty lions and/or Heartless rarin' to rip out fresh, raw meat. Let's hope he doesn't get his bones grinded. And the blonde cutie over there?" A sly chuckle escaped his mouth, immediately hoping that charming Lucy would help redeem his past failed attempts with Juvia and Bisca. "You lookin' for a trainer of heroes, miss? This could be your lucky day."

Lucy gazed down on the satyr and asked in confusion, "L-Lucky?"

Philoctetes stated, "When Wendy first came to me, I took the idea of a little squirt participating in the Games as a sad joke to begin with. But she aced the preliminaries anyway. And Cerberus happened, and then the Phil Cup, the Pegasus Cup... That's when I knew for certain she's for real." Not taking his eyes off Lucy, he brushed the strands on his bald head and approached her. "And by the way, sweet cheeks…" He traced a finger along the smooth skin of her right leg, "…I'm real, too." Unfortunately for Philoctetes, his action inadvertently caused the blonde-haired girl to freak out, and everyone else was quick to see her reaction!

"BACK OFF, CREEP!" Lucy swiftly delivered a kick to the satyr's face, knocking him away.

Donald quacked, "Wak! What's going on?!"

Romeo sweated, "That was a close call!"

Goofy gasped, "You shouldn't touch where the sun don't shine!"

Philoctetes moaned, rubbing the bruise that swelled along his right cheek. "Wasn't trying to..."

Lucy frowned while a tick mark sprouted on her forehead. "Easy for you to say, perv-goat! You were about to touch my butt!"

Philoctetes cried innocently, "N-No, I'm not! I was just—"

Lucy warned, "Next time, why don't you grab something that's just the right fit for your hairy hands?" She added as an afterthought, "And to clear things up, I'm not your type."

Philoctetes pouted, feeling as though he had been slapped in the face for his saddest effort in winning the heart of a female Fairy Tail wizard going down the toilet. "Oy vey. To think my only preference was a shape-shifting cat that kicks real hard..."

Carla rolled her eyes, "Excuse me for giving you a kick for your prior disregard of Wendy in our first meeting…" That comment made the satyr flinch a bit.

Romeo muttered, "Of all your attempts to charm the ladies, Phil, I think this one was the worst."

Gray questioned, "Are you really a trainer of heroes like the others said you are? Or some sleaze ball trying to woo chicks over?"

Another shot to the heart, and this time Gray was to blame for adding to Philoctetes's bad luck with women. "Maybe I should take my chances with the nymphs next time around," he thought out loud. "Cross another hot babe off my list."

Wendy suggested, "We better get going now. We don't wanna miss the tournament."

Sherria agreed, "Yes, we shouldn't. Hercules is out there, and I can't wait to face him!"

Romeo confirmed, "As always, there won't be any problems with us participating."

Putting his misfortune aside, Philoctetes focused on Wendy and company. "Nope! Just head out into the arena when your team of five's all assembled and ready to go."

Wendy faced her friends and announced, "Okay, Sherria wants to fight Hercules, so she'll be on our team for the Cup." With that said, Sherria enthusiastically rushed over to Wendy's side, thus confirming her spot as the team's second member. "Who else is with me?"

Romeo volunteered to be the third member. "I'm with you, Wendy!"

Gray elected to follow suit. "I want my own piece of the action, so let me be a part of this team. Just leave it to me." He raised a fist surging with frost, "I'll put this whole competition on ice!"

Lucy would be the last to complete the team of five. "I'm going, too! Nothing like a competition to brush a lot of things off my chest from mermaid exploring to Halloween bashing. And for fun, maybe? So I'm coming with you! I want a piece of the action myself!"

Wendy laughed, "The gang's coming back together! It would be more amazing if Natsu and Erza were with us today."

Gray admitted, "Yeah, sorry the reunion didn't go the way we hoped..."

Lucy assured, "...but I have a feeling we'll all be together anytime soon, so no worries."

Wendy smiled, "Right. Thanks, Lucy."

Romeo thought to himself, "This time around, my teammates are not just Wendy, but Lucy and Gray, too. Three of the best in our guild and myself on the same page. How awesome can any of this get?"

Philoctetes asked, "So it's settled? You've formed up your team?"

The selected members of Team Wendy answered, "Yeah!"

Goofy confirmed, "Okay, so the rest of us guys will watch you fight."

Carla advised, "We don't have much else to say, except the best of luck for you five. Remember to always be on your guard."

Cana shrugged, "I would've volunteered for this team, but anything else, which includes rooting for you guys from the sidelines, is better than doing nothing."

Donald encouraged, "Go break a leg, Wendy! Show these palookas how you do it!"

Wendy asked, "And Sherria?"

Romeo reminded, "This may be the biggest day of her life…"

Goofy added, "…so there's no leavin' her out."

Donald grumbled under his breath before saying, "Yes. And Sherria."

Romeo nodded in approval, "Good call."

Goofy cheered, "Best of luck out there, fellas! Give 'em what for!"

Sherria smiled, "We will. We'll do our best!"

On the other hand, Juvia was none too pleased that Lucy became the fifth member instead of her. He grabbed Gray's arm as comic tears welled up in her eyes. "Oh, my darling! Please say it isn't so! You can't choose this bimbo over me!"

Lucy held her forehead and shook it in annoyance. "Oh, brother..."

Gray said innocently, "Sorry, but it looks like Lucy beat you to it. Better luck next time, maybe?"

The Rain Woman instantly dropped to her knees and started crying her eyes out, with Goofy and Cana trying to console her. "You should've insisted that I be a part of this team with you! But you let that blonde vixen seduce you to get you to refuse me! How could you fall for her seductive charms so easily?! Why?! Whhhyyyyy?!"

Goofy comforted, "Aww, don't be sad, Juvia."

Cana assured, "At least you can cheer for lover boy for as long as you want."

Sherria cooed, "She's right. A love boat doesn't run itself, you know!"

Gray tossed her a quick look of surprise. "W-What?!"

Sherria replied in a sing-song tone, "Just kidding!"

Cana smiled slyly, "Can't believe he almost fell for it."

Lucy noted sarcastically, "I bet he'd be delighted to go out with her."

Philoctetes announced, "Alright, junior heroes. The Cup's about to start in a few minutes, so get out there and give the crowd somethin' to remember!"

"Right!" The members of Team Wendy marched together towards the arena, ready and able to face the Coliseum Games' third gauntlet of challenges.

As soon as the team left, Carla spoke her thoughts about the upcoming competition. "As we all know, Wendy has faced tougher scrapes about more than twice her size and won, due to the power of the Keyblade protecting her. If it can make a dent on a living god such as Hercules…"

Donald smiled, "Isn't that why we came here to find out? Wendy's an amazing girl! I know she can pull it off! Let's go cheer our heads off for her!"

Cana remarked, "Huh, so you have high hopes for Wendy? I thought you don't have any for that Sherria girl. Or did you just agree to root for her?"

Donald moaned, "Did I? Oh, joy…"

Goofy encouraged, "Here's hopin' Wendy and Sherria will win. They can't give up now, not even on their dreams!"

Philoctetes chuckled lightly, "Don't you worry your heads, fellas. I have complete confidence in the cutie pie."

---

Coliseum

"Place your bets, folks! Place your bets!" At that moment, the hero trainer set up a stand with a giant stone slab counting all bets placed on Team Wendy and Hercules, receiving countless sacks of gold coins as payment. So far, the Coliseum's current undefeated champion garnered the highest number of bets, which pleased him to a greater degree. "Put it all on Hercules, the undefeated Coliseum champion and Greece's most famous hero!" He laughed mischievously, "I'm makin' a killin' here! I can see it now— the ultra-buff all-time champ beats the sugar muffin two-time chump! I almost feel bad for the kid, since she's about to lose quickly to my man. Herc's never lost a match in his whole career. And he never will. I know it, everybody knows it, heck, even his old man Zeus knows it! She's gonna need lotsa luck if she's gonna win. Which I doubt she has!" Another laugh, and he started counting the gold one by one, all the while another stash landed on the table. Sadly for Philoctetes, his outrageous gamble was not lost on Donald, Goofy, Carla, Juvia, and Cana, who stared from the audience in a blend of disdain and confusion.

Donald quacked in comical fury, his face steaming red, "HE BET ON HERCULES?!"

Cana shrugged, "So much for complete confidence in the cutie pie. It's no surprise that Hercules is Phil's favorite guy. There's no stopping him from boasting about his undisputed, undefeated record."

Carla groaned, "And unfortunately, he wants to ensure he stays that way. The teacher favors the star pupil over the junior hero." He held a paw to her forehead and shook it, "That is just sad."

Donald's hands shook with so much anger over the fact that Philoctetes was putting all money on what may be Wendy's inevitable loss to Hercules, that he pointed to the arena and shouted with the noises of the crowd. "WIPE THAT SMUG LOOK OFF THAT STUPID GOAT MAN'S FACE, WENDY!"

Goofy also let his voice be heard out of the hundreds in attendance, enthusiastically cheering the members of Team Wendy on. "Go, Wendy! Go, Sherria! Yah-hoo-hoo-hoooey!"

"Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen, to the Olympus Coliseum Games!" the Greek announcer spoke to the jubilant audience, their hunger for entertainment and non-stop action urging them on. "We now commence the summa cum laude of this superb showcase of gladiator combat— the third tournament of the Games, the Hercules Cup! Named after the most famous hero in all of Greece, the mighty warriors who overcame all challenges in the previous two Cups are about to collide, hoping to realize their dreams of having their names engraved in the pantheon of great heroes! The first team to advance their rank to the second seed receives an opportunity to face the reigning, defending champion of the Coliseum— Hercules himself— in a climactic match to decide once and for all who is the one true champion!" The thunderous cheers never died down, and it seemed Donald and Goofy were the loudest in the close up section. "Who will dominate the upper echelon of decorated fighters for a shot at elevating their careers to the ultimate level, and who will challenge the undefeated Hercules for the title of True Hero? Let their fists and swords do the talking! Introducing first to my left, one of the Coliseum's most popular teams in recent memory and two-time tournament champions, Team Wendy: Wendy Marvell, Romeo Conbolt, Sherria Blendy, Lucy Heartfilla, and Gray Fullbuster!"

As the members of Team Wendy made their presence felt in the arena, the excitement in the audience was clearly palpable. Some fans were holding up posters that read 'Go Team Wendy!', 'Go Wendy Go!' or 'Wendy is Next Champ!', others with squeaky toys and different other kinds of merchandise apparently based on the Sky Maiden's image. While one half of the crowd gave their praises to Team Wendy, the other half cried out for Hercules, obviously out of respect and worship for the great hero, who was also the champion of the Coliseum who never lost a match in his lifetime.

"Wow… You guys sure are popular around here," Lucy remarked, noticing the posters raised among the tide of attendees. "Team Wendy has a lot of fans. They even cheered for me!" She then waved to the audience; she couldn't resist the temptation of being adored by hundreds of fans. "Hi, everybody! Hi there! Hi!" She struck a pose and winked, "Hiiiiiiiiii!"

"Hey, check out the blondie! She's so hot!" a fan exclaimed energetically.

"I wanna see what she does!" another fan cried eagerly.

"Hey, babe! Give us a show, will ya?" a third fan urged.

"As I make my debut in this otherworldly competition, my beauty once again precedes me…" Lucy's superficial vanity already kicked in at hearing these comments, and she showed off some more.

Romeo saw the celestial wizard waving and posing to the crowd, each gesture rewarded with a round of cheers, mostly from young men immediately going wild over her at first sight. "This is her first time competing in the Games, and they like her already," he thought out loud.

"Can't say I blame 'em for liking us, even if we're just newbies in this team," Gray shrugged with a light chuckle.

"GO, GRAY! WIN, MY LOVE! FIGHT! WIN! GOOOOOOOOO GRAY!" In the front row seats, Juvia was wearing a cheerleader's outfit, jumping and waving pom-poms.

"Oh, and let's not forget the fangirls," Gray commented exasperatedly.

"Get a grip, lady! You're embarrassing yourself!" Donald scolded her. Beside him, Goofy, Carla, and Cana went silent, concentrating on Team Wendy intently.

A minute before the announcer introduced the opposing team, Wendy turned to look at Sherria. "This is it. You ready?" She did not reply, causing the young Keyblade wielder to regard her with concern. "What's wrong?"

Sherria thought for a moment, chewing her bottom lip pensively. "This may be the biggest day of my life today. I gotta make it worth it. I have to." She paused and took a deep breath, not wanting to let her emotions get the better of her. "I will test the limits of my God Slayer Magic on a living god. And if I could…" She shuddered a bit before steeling her resolve, "…I'll try to defeat one. Beating a god will make it all the more satisfying. But if I can't do it…" A content smile crept up her lips, "…at least I tried."

Wendy placed a hand on Sherria's shoulder, giving her an encouraging smile. "You can do it, Sherria," she assured. "I know you have it in you. You can win." She paused to let it sink in, "I believe in you. I always have and I always will."

"Y-Yeah. I can do it. Of course I can," Sherria smiled back, feeling more determined than ever. Those were the exact words she needed to hear from her best friend. "Thanks, Wendy."

"And their opponents to my right, Dusk Vanguard!" A battalion of Heartless made up of fifteen Gargoyles and thirty Shadows entered the arena, ready to crush the competition in spite of the absence of dark guilds to devise collaborative strategies against Wendy and company. Although the Rooster Metal dark guild couldn't compete because they were arrested, the Heartless still posed a threat; they remained adamant in taking over the Cup in the name of Hades, the Lord of the Dead who fumed over the fact that his list of pawns was quickly running thin. All due to an unfair request by Captain Hook to flex the full might of the Alliance of Evil's dark guild army during the expedition in Neverland.

"Heartless! Who would've guessed they'd come to mess things up?" Lucy glared. "The dark guilds' work, no doubt. They're obviously up to no good again."

"Why it's just the Heartless we're facing, though?" Wendy wondered. "I don't see a dark guild with them. What happened?"

"Not a single dark wizard. Not one," Romeo indicated. "All we see are plain old Heartless. Where are the dark guilds? Why aren't they showing up?"

"They probably just got held up," Gray assumed. "Or they're running out of members, or maybe they just forgot."

"Or maybe we just got lucky," Sherria added. "I was expecting dark guilds like Rooster Metal or Red-Blue Epsilon to take center stage, but a dark guild not competing today? I can describe this as either a coincidence or nothing short of a miracle." She then grew ecstatic, "But who cares? Let's just go for it while the getting's good!" She lifted her arms, and currents of black wind swirled around them. "There's only one path to the top of the hill, and it's straight ahead! I'm gonna go climb up that hill, no matter what it takes!"

"Oh, well. Can't be helped," Romeo shrugged. "At least we have lots of heads to bash right here." He threw a flaming fist into his open palm, "I'm all fired up now!"

"Heh, you are taking after Natsu, Romeo," Gray smirked as he put his frosting hands together. "You're his number one fan. But do you have the guts to go all the way like he did? Like your old man did?"

"Why don't we find out?" Romeo smirked back at the Ice-Make wizard.

"So we don't see a dark guild competing in this tournament… One less dark guild means less in the arena to square. Seems fair enough for me." Having already changed into her Capricorn Star Dress, Lucy lowered her dark-colored shades to get a clearer look at the Heartless. "It's a shame I can't call on my Celestial Spirits, since summoning isn't allowed in the Games... But I can still draw on their magic for Star Dresses. So in a way, my spirits are here with me." She assumed a fighting stance, "They don't look so tough. I can knock 'em down a peg, no sweat!"

"Okay…" Wendy was the last to prepare for combat as she summoned the Pumpkinhead Keyblade. "Let's show 'em what we've got!" She ran forward with Romeo and Sherria on either side, Lucy and Gray behind them, straight towards Dusk Vanguard at the beginning of the first round. The Hercules Cup had begun!

Cue Music: Infinite Blue (Big Blue) – F-Zero GX

9th Seed: Dusk Vanguard (Gargoyle x15, Shadow x30)

Since there was no other dark guild available for Hades to employ in his nefarious schemes to dominate the Coliseum, he resorted to multiplying the number of Heartless to make up for the recent joint operation that didn't come to pass. With a total amount of forty-five Heartless, Dusk Vanguard was expected to have the upper hand. But even strength in numbers couldn't compare to the incredible teamwork that Wendy and her friends possessed. The Sky Maiden in question fended off the onslaught for a time before destroying five Shadows with Sonic Blade, five more with Sky Dragon's Roar and Blizzara, three Gargoyles with Strike Raid and Thundara, and four more with Sky Dragon's Wing Attack and Sky Dragon's Claw. Meanwhile, Romeo scorched five Shadows and three Gargoyles using random colors of Rainbow Fire, Sherria blew away five Shadows and two Gargoyles by casting Sky God's Boreas, Gray skewered six Shadows and two Gargoyles with Ice-Make: Super Freeze Arrow and Ice-Make: Death Scythe, and Lucy pummeled the rest of the horde with swift punches and kicks enhanced by Capricorn's magic.

8th Seed: Minions of Horror (Wight Knight x15, Air Pirate x8, Barrel Spider x12)

At any moment, Team Wendy would expect more familiar categories of Heartless in the next round, and a relatively easy fight. But as the Minions of Horror stalked the arena, a new type separate from the Wight Knights and Barrel Spiders soared above the junior heroes on wicked wings.

"New flying Heartless?" Wendy examined.

"They look like… pirates on wings?" Sherria blinked.

"Huh, never saw anything like that before," Romeo commented.

"Doesn't matter what they look like. We gotta keep moving!" Gray urged.

"Yeah!" Lucy agreed.

The new Heartless called Air Pirates were obviously dressed very much in a pirate-like fashion, wearing blue-and-white striped head scarves, light blue neck wraps, skull-shaped shoulder pads, golden bracelets, bright blue baggy pants tied with a yellow sash, a brown knee-pad on their left legs, and narrow black shoes with brown straps. On close inspection, they appeared to be cousins of the Soldier-type Heartless, featuring the same yellow eyes and jagged blue jaw. The finish touch was their bright purple wings, enabling them to swoop around in the air with ease. Extremely combative and rarely ever caught off guard, Air Pirates attacked their enemies with fierce martial arts techniques, ranging from an uppercut to a flashing punch to a rushing kick. Fortunately, in a fashion similar to other airborne Heartless, they weren't difficult unless dealt with quickly, and they had poor resistance to magic.

"Gravira!" Following a brief defensive from the Air Pirates' chaotic close-range strikes, Wendy retaliated by casting an event-horizon significantly larger than the old version of her Gravity spell. Four Air Pirates were literally compressed to the ground, allowing her to finish them off. Gray eliminated the other four Air Pirates with Ice-Make: Freeze Lancer and Ice-Make: Saucer, before joining up with Sherria and Lucy to assault the Wight Knights. Wendy and Romeo lit up the Barrel Spiders with their respective fire spells, blowing them all up while dragging several unlucky Wight Knights into the line of explosions. In a matter of two minutes, the eighth seed was cleared.

7th Seed: Buccaneers (Battleship x1, Pirates x12)

The Air Pirates weren't the only new Heartless to grace the Coliseum— there came the Pirates, a worthy cousin to the Bandits in Agrabah. At first glance, they were made to fit in with the crew members aboard Captain Hook's ship, the Jolly Roger, though the costumes didn't quite cover up the traditional dark skin and toothy jaw. Pirates were clad in black turtleneck shirts stitched into their chests with the Heartless emblem between their upper torsos, brown and tan-patched pants, matching shoes, a red sash, bright yellow wristbands, and skull-shaped shoulder pads. They wore bright red bandanas on their heads covering their eyes; in place of one eye was a black eyepatch with a white cross, the other an angular black spiral. Their weapon of choice was a wide curved blade, etched with a bright red crack and an angular yellow spiral to make it look like a frowning face.

Leading the Buccaneers was a Battleship, a Heartless fused together with a galleon flying in the air via propeller. At the wheel of the ship was a Heartless captain, blue in color and wearing an eyepatch, a black pirate hat with a skull on the headband, white gloves, and a blue admiral's jacket with a red and gold trim. The ship itself was a bit more ornate; while made of wood, it was decorated in bright pink and purple. The galleon also featured a prow covered in horns, a spiky anchor, a skull figurehead, a cannon with a sharp spike at the very front, two smaller cannons on either side, a giant propeller on the mast with the Heartless emblem, two smaller propellers on the stern, and two oars jutting below the sides.

Compared to the Bandits, Pirates were more experienced in swordplay and could easily match Wendy's reaction time, but they hardly relied on strategy, preferring to focus on the enemies in front. This flaw made them vulnerable to attacks from behind. Plus, if their attacks were deflected or blocked, they would stumble and fall over, leaving them open for a longer period of time. Despite this, their endurance was incredibly high, as was their attack power, so Wendy and company had to stay alert and block with precision, especially a glowing sword swipe that could knock out a lesser foe in one hit. Battleships, on the other hand, weren't that tough of a nut to crack; certain parts of the ship could be destroyed, crippling it. For example, taking out the cannons could halt its fire, or removing the sails could decrease its maneuverability. Battleships attacked by firing homing missiles from the cannons, dropping bombs, or charging up with purple energy to perform a dash attack. The key to disarming them was to take out the cannons, the sails, even the mast, and the rest was history.

It didn't take long for the young heroes to analyze and figure out how to outwit and eventually defeat the Buccaneers— Wendy engaged seven Pirates in a heated sword clash, parrying their vicious attacks with Sky Magic granting an additional boost to her accuracy, until she caught them off guard and slew them in a series of combos. Gray made three Pirates slip and fall by casting Ice-Make: Floor, before squashing them under Ice-Make: Hammer. Lucy, who donned her Taurus Star Dress, sent the last two Pirates flying in the air with an Earth Wave, and then Sherria cast Sky God's Bellow to wipe them out. Less than a minute after Team Wendy eluded some of the Battleship's explosive gunfire, Romeo counterattacked by throwing Yellow Fire into the cannons' barrels, blowing them up from the inside. Sherria tore down the mast with Sky God's Dance, while Lucy ripped apart the sails with her whip. Lastly, when the Battleship had to perform a charge attack out of desperation, Wendy executed Stun Impact to cushion the blow, and Gray finished it off with Ice-Make: Ice Cannon.

6th Seed: Stray Phantom (Gargoyle x14, Wight Knight x20)

The sixth seed may be as tough as the last, but not tough enough for Team Wendy to lose to in the slightest. The magic of teamwork and the bonds of friendship preserved time and again, not to mention their skills and powers were even greater the last time they were in the arena. Well, at least to those who had been in the Games long before Lucy and Gray.

5th Seed: Mad Truffle (Rare Truffle x1)

The fifth seed featured a solitary Rare Truffle, one among the rarest in the Heartless variety and similar to a Black Fungus, except its head was yellow and its smock was bright blue. They loved nothing more than being in the air, hence the reason why they constantly jumped around, and would richly reward anyone who satisfied them. Wendy, Romeo, Sherria, Lucy, and Gray ended up working together to juggle the Rare Truffle back and forth, preventing it from hitting the floor. It stayed in the air for about seven and a half minutes, before Wendy accidentally tripped on one foot, allowing the Heartless to land by her. However, it applauded the team for giving it their best effort, before vanishing from sight.

Wendy mused, "I didn't know Heartless can be nice once in a while."

Romeo quipped, "I guess there's a black sheep in every family, huh?"

Gray pondered, "Some good, some bad… What's the big deal?"

Lucy confirmed, "Well, we've come a long way."

Sherria wondered, "Are we close to the finals yet?"

"And now, making his return to the Games and representing the fourth seed… the ex-SOLDIER, Cloud Strife!" Upon hearing the announcement, Cloud stepped into the ring for the fourth-to-last match of the Hercules Cup, the Buster Sword resting on his shoulder.

Wendy greeted, "Cloud! It's been a while!"

Sherria cheered, "Long time no see!"

Cloud remarked, "So, Wendy, you've come back after all. And with new players on your team, no less."

Romeo beamed, "Wow... You're Cloud Strife! She told me all about you, and now I'm so glad to finally meet you in person. I'm—"

Cloud guessed, "Romeo Conbolt, the young dynamo who shoots fire painted with colors of the rainbow. At least that's what they say. I heard you and Wendy worked together to beat the last two Cups. I can already tell that you two are close."

Wendy giggled with a small blush. "Well, we've made a great team, so we are close…"

Romeo had the same reaction and smiled. "Man, am I stoked that this is my first time in the ring with you. You should've seen me in action out there with the others. We've beaten lots of guys and won two tournaments in a row. Or maybe you and I should've met sooner..."

Cloud shrugged, "Given time in my hands, you and I would've had a conversation sooner."

Gray whistled, "Check out the guy's sword. It looks like a rusty old piece of junk, but it's got more grit than a weapon as hard as Gajeel's iron."

Lucy implied, "And his hair looks a lot like Natsu's, but blonde like mine. And even spiker! Just one look, and I'm already picturing him as the opposite of Natsu's rowdy attitude. Less loud and reckless, more serious and calm. And…" She swallowed a breath as a blush formed on her cheeks. "…kinda hot. If Natsu had a look and an attitude like that, I'd be asking him out. But… I don't think I'd want to. He's so…" She inspected the cool, collected gleam in the ex-SOLDIER's eyes, then looked away. "…broody."

Wendy asked Cloud, "So what made you decide to enter the Games? Weren't you interested in fighting anymore?"

Cloud replied, "I wasn't, but I'm participating in the Games just to warm myself up. Especially if get to go against Hercules. Or have you already heard?"

Wendy nodded, "Yeah. Phil told us."

Sherria asked, "You're going after him too, huh? It looks to me that we have one thing in common. Well, not if I get to him first!" She assumed a fighting pose with strips of black wind surrounding her hands. "I've dreamt of this day for so long, and I'm not letting it go to waste! I'm willing to see my dream through!"

Cloud questioned, "Is that so? All the effort just to face him?"

Sherria grinned, "A girl's gotta have dreams. I follow where they take me."

Romeo smiled at the Sky God Slayer's optimism. "Keep it up and going, dreamer."

Cloud commented, "Hmm… You sound pretty confident for a dreamer."

Sherria chuckled, "Thanks. I've come prepared for this."

Cloud wondered, "What kind of dream, anyway?"

Sherria explained, "To test my God Slayer Magic on gods like Hercules. He'll be in the finals, and that's where I'm going. You see, I want to face him as much as you do."

Wendy agreed, "And we're helping her get there."

Cloud blinked, "I want to face Hercules? Not that much. I'm only here for the exercise. That's all there is to it." He paused to stare at the members of Team Wendy, with most of his attention focused on the team's namesake. "You still hold onto your light. And you've gotten stronger since we last met." The Buster Sword held firmly in both hands, he prepared for combat. "But I won't hold anything back this time."

Wendy took a defensive stance and declared, "That's just fine with me!"

4th Seed: Cloud Strife

At the start of the match, Wendy launched forward in a Sonic Blade, and Cloud collided with her in a Sonic Rave, commencing a ferocious duel of scratching metal that left the spectators on the edge of their seats. The Keyblade wielder and the Buster Swordsman more often dealt certain amounts of damage to each other whenever the more advantageous fighter spotted an opening, while the rest of the duel was spent on parrying or dodging one swipe after another. For instance, Wendy cast Stun Impact as a temporary barrier to push away Cloud unleashing a Climhazzard, and he performed a Cross-Slash to defend himself from a volley of Raids. Three minutes later, Wendy hurled a Sky Dragon's Claw against the brunt of Cloud's blade, the force of impact shoving him back a meter, only for him to change position and take a swing at the Sky Dragon Slayer's exposed chest. She hastily reacted by leaping over to one side, before grazing his chest with Sky Dragon's Crushing Fang, and kicking him upward to the jaw with Sky Dragon's Claw.

Just when Wendy thought she could keep up the pace, Cloud quickly recovered and zoomed past her in a Sonic Rave, deciding to concentrate on her teammates in an effort to catch her off guard. He delivered a Cross-Slash at Romeo and Sherria, who swayed left and right to evade the sharp ends of his blade. As the ex-SOLDIER missed a downward strike, Romeo slugged him in a 15-hit Purple Fire Fist combo, before Sherria delivered a fist of black wind to the face that sent him flying five meters away. After an aerial recovery, Cloud slashed at the ground, unleashing a Blade Beam of non-elemental energy in a straight line. Lucy and Gray swiftly scattered from the incoming beam and came around on either side to strike him with a 20-hit whip combo and an Ice-Make: Cold Excalibur. Cloud unleashed a Climhazzard to push away any surrounding party member in a shockwave, then Sonic Raved at Wendy again, only for her to leap over the spike of supersonic energy and hammer him down to the floor using Sky Dragon's Wing Attack. The ex-SOLDIER got back up and engaged Wendy in a second duel, moving spot after spot in a level of speed no ordinary swordsman could match. The brief struggle ended with Cloud casting a wide range Blade Burst shockwave sending Wendy flying towards the invisible walls enforcing the arena. The Sky Maiden kicked back with her wind-powered legs, and the Buster Swordsman flew towards her with blade in hand. They ran through each other in a barrier-shattering slash that sent a trail of wind blowing through the ring itself.

As soon as the party survived a deadly dance of Sonic Raves, Blade Beams, and Climhazzards, Romeo lunged at Cloud and blasted him with a Rainbow Fireball, while Sherria attacked from the right with Sky God's Boreas. The ex-SOLDIER recuperated for a short while before zooming forward for a Cross-Slash. Wendy and Romeo jumped back an inch as Cloud swung the Buster Sword around, followed by a mighty Blade Burst. Wendy dropped down, slid between Cloud's legs, and cast Gravira to stun him temporarily, prompting Gray to cast Ice-Make: Hammer on him. Cloud destroyed the massive ice bludgeon in a single slash, but left himself vulnerable to a Regulus Lucy Kick, courtesy of the celestial wizard who changed to her Leo Star Dress. Another Blade Burst, and the heroes were forced to reel back. Wendy, Romeo, and Sherria immediately spun in and threw the ex-SOLDIER in a handicap trade of blows; upon seeing an opening, Cloud swung the Buster Sword in a wide circle, which made contact with Sherria's chest. The Sky God Slayer staggered for a moment, the Buster Sword's raw strength zapping her healing power for a short while, as Cloud set himself up for a different tactic.

Wendy cast Cure to restore a portion of Sherria's vitality, while Gray and Romeo assaulted Cloud in a flurry of punches and kicks, fire and ice mingled. During the brawl, Gray deflected almost every Sonic Rave thrown at him by casting Ice-Make: Shield, and even slipped Cloud off his feet by casting Ice-Make: Floor. Once Cloud missed a Blade Beam, Romeo shot straight up with Yellow Fire around his fists, slamming into the blonde warrior's chin in a flying uppercut. Cloud grabbed his mouth as a hint of blood started to slip between his fingers, but even that did little to distress him. He released a barrage of Blade Beams and Sonic Raves at Wendy and Sherria, who ran across the arena to elude the crossfire, before catching him off guard in a surprise team combo. Soon, when Cloud almost caught Romeo under a Climhazzard, he was on the receiving end of Lucy's Regulus Lucy Kick, Sherria's Sky God's Dance, and Gray's Ice Blade: Seven Slice Dance. As the ex-SOLDIER stood on his legs, he clashed with Wendy again, and the two were locking blades.

"I'm getting some serious déjà vu…" Cloud grunted. "You really are stronger than when I fought you. I give you full marks for that."

"We promised ourselves to get to the finals so that Sherria can face Hercules," Wendy declared. "It's her dream! And we're gonna help her make that happen!"

"That aside, have you gotten any better?" Cloud smirked.

"You tell me!" Wendy huffed.

Cloud broke the lock by taking a left swing at Wendy, who ducked down and rebounded with a 9-hit slash, Fira, and Blizzara. Though damaged by the fire spell, he lifted the Buster Sword to block the flurry of crystals homing on him. He retaliated with a Cross-Slash and a Blade Burst, but the Sky Dragon Slayer already jumped back and cast Thundara to stun him in place. As he snapped out of his electric shock, he and Wendy grappled in another fierce rush of supersonic thrusts every ten seconds, the same time as trading or countering blow for blow in different directions. Following the last collision of Sonic Blade and Sonic Rave, Wendy cast Gravira to cut a portion of Cloud's vitality, Stun Impact to bounce back a Climhazzard, a Strike Raid to pierce through a Blade Beam, and a string of more Raids plus Judgment to knock him down. The ex-SOLDIER flipped back up and dished out a blend of Sonic Raves, Blade Beams, Blade Bursts, and Climhazzards to try and overpower the opposing team— just about everything he had at his disposal. However, the resonating amount of magic seemed to put a strain on his body, as evidenced by the blood trickling down his mouth, and the static energy coursing through his muscles. On the other hand, Wendy and the others looked more focused than concerned; Gray dispatched several Blade Beams with Ice-Make: Geyser and Ice-Make: Lance, Sherria disarmed a few Climhazzards with Sky God's Dance, Romeo broke past a Blade Burst with his Blue Fire, and Lucy tripped Cloud over a Sonic Rave with her whip. By the time Cloud dropped his guard, Wendy executed a 12-hit Keyblade combination, together with Sky Dragon's Wing Attack and Sky Dragon's Claw. Romeo threw in a Rainbow Fireball, Sherria cast Sky God's Bellow, Gray shot an Ice-Make: Ice Cannon, and Lucy unleashed Aqua Metria following a quick change into her Aquarius Star Dress.

The match was nearing its final moments, and Cloud was almost pushed to exhaustion. "You're tough…!" he panted heavily, looking at Wendy with disbelief. "You're not the same kid I used to have the displeasure of fighting against when I worked for Hades. You have got to be one of the most challenging foes I've ever faced, besides him. But…" He closed his eyes and concentrated, gathering a lot of energy around his being, and a black wing sprouted from his back. "…don't think I'm about to fold for a second!"

Lucy breathed, "This guy's no pushover…"

Gray noted, "He's very desperate, that's for sure!"

Wendy cried, "Here he comes!"

"Get ready!" Cloud shouted, and he flew around the stage at incredible speed, kicking off the first stage of his desperation attack, Omnislash. He began slashing away at Lucy and Gray with lightning fast swings. Even with their bold attempts to guard the Buster Sword's scorching cuts, the two were easily outmatched by the ex-SOLDIER's enhanced velocity. After five sets of aerial assaults, he knocked Lucy and Gray out, then made a beeline for Wendy, Romeo, and Sherria.

Sherria exclaimed, "He's heading right for us!"

Romeo tensed, "He's too fast! We can't move out!"

Wendy looked to the Pumpkinhead Keyblade before facing the speeding blonde fighter in determination. "Alright… Now or never! Pumpkinhead Command Style: Pumpkinator!" As she chanted those words, a tower of bright flame marked with terrifying jack o'lantern faces burst out of the ground from where she stood, forcing Cloud to stop mid-flight and back away. The audience observed the transformation in shock, as did all the other contestants who weren't knocked out by Cloud's Omnislash. Gone was the inferno, revealing the Keyblade wielder gliding in the air, her feet over an orange magic circle with Jack Skellington's face written on it. The finishing touch was a pack of jack o'lanterns floating around her side to side, and they were set ablaze to make the faces more scary.

"Is that your new Command Style?" Sherria assumed.

"Talk about turning up the heat!" Romeo quipped.

"And I can fly, too!" Wendy remarked, as she immediately became accustomed to the functions of her most recent addition of trump cards. She turned back to Cloud, who only floated in place to patiently examine her before he lifted a finger. "Maybe I can use this to beat him!"

"Nice new trick," Cloud commented. "If experience has taught us one thing, it's learning how to adapt. Well, then…" He tightly gripped the Buster Sword, "…let's see what you've got!" He then dashed forward to resume his Omnislash pattern.

"Wendy! Fly away from him!" Romeo called out.

"Okay!" Wendy complied, soaring upward as she avoided a swing from Cloud, and the two took their next bout a hundred feet above the arena. Since the Pumpkinator granted the Sky Maiden tremendous speed and aerial maneuverability almost comparable to Skyward Wing, but equal to Omnislash, she was evenly matched with the ex-SOLDIER as she clashed her Keyblade with his Buster Sword. And because the bout took place high above the ring, a trail of fire and metal blazed onward with each swish and clang, scattering rust and ashes everywhere. "Let's go! Trick 'r Treats: Bone-Chilling Barrage!" Moments after the aerial brawl, Wendy shot the magical jack o'lanterns like a barrage of homing missiles. Cloud had to fly away from the Trick 'r Treats chasing after him like bees, or at least destroy as many as he could in a valiant effort to defend himself. However, as the pumpkins detonated, the incessant puffs of fire seemed to take on a life of their own, like creepy ghosts coming out to socialize. The explosions sneaked around the Buster Swordsman's figure, setting some of his clothing on fire, leaving only first-degree burns on his skin. "Creepy Crawly Cannon!" Wendy's next move was to fuse a fair amount of Trick 'r Treats into a 10-feet tall jack o'lantern from the tip of her Keyblade, resulting in an incredibly destructive linear blast that wrapped the vulnerable Buster Swordsman in a smog of hellfire. The flames charred him relentlessly, reducing the black wing on his back to ashes, costing him his power of light. "Haunted Hammer!" Wendy pointed the Pumpkinhead downward, summoning an astral jack o'lantern and smashing it towards Cloud, sending him back down to the arena as it enlarged. "Spooky Satellite!" Upon landing, she conjured up a ring of Trick 'r Treats around herself as a temporary shield; every time Cloud attempted a direct strike, the protective pumpkins would end up exploding and knock him back. "Screaming Spiral!" Next, Wendy dashed forward and drove a makeshift drill of Trick 'r Treats through a Sonic Rave, damaging Cloud at the same capacity. "Bizarre Balloon!" Her next technique was an anti-air move, and a good one at that, as it involved her flying at a good angle and pointing the Pumpkinhead at his chest, blasting him away with a magic balloon-inflated pumpkin all the while disarming a Climhazzard. "Scary Spikes!" Wendy motioned five Trick 'r Treats to plant themselves like seeds next to the battered ex-SOLDIER, before they erupted into solid spikes of magma when he was about to perform a Blade Burst. "Rattling Roll!" Lastly, she caught a Blade Beam under a revolving ring of Trick 'r Treats, and made it disappear in a flash of orange light.

In a span of three minutes, Wendy continued to overpower Cloud with her new Command Style until at last, he barely had the strength to lift a leg. "T-That…" he wheezed. "That was…"

"Fiery and fabulous? Boiling hot? Terrifyingly terrific?" Sherria beamed.

"Awesome pyrotechnics, Wendy!" Romeo cheered.

"No… l can't… lose here…" Cloud gritted his teeth, his instincts urging him onward in spite of his poor state. With as much willpower as he could emulate, he twirled the Buster Sword around, a powerful surge of light blue magic forming around his body. "Stars…" He swung his weapon forward, pointing at the group. "…rain down!" Before anyone reacted, the sky above turned black, and a hail of meteorites descended upon the arena, set on reigning total destruction— literally! Having realized how severe the situation was for him, Cloud knew he had no choice but to resort to extremes. Meteorain was the only option left— whatever it took to secure a quick win.

"Whoa. Never thought he could do that," Romeo sweated nervously.

"METEORS!" Sherria shrieked frantically, motioning to the shower approaching from the sky.

The audience, especially Donald and the others, shook in fear as they expected the Meteorain to devastate the entire arena and Team Wendy with it. "Hang on, everybody!" Wendy, who anticipated the ex-SOLDIER's final attack, had already decided on what to do to avert the chaos. "Command Style Critical Art: Hail-o-Ween!" She hoisted the Pumpkinhead Keyblade high, and a volley of Trick 'r Treats flew up to meet with the meteorites. Moments before collision, the magical jack o'lanterns suddenly evolved into boulder-sized flaming pumpkins with even scarier faces, just about the same size as the meteorites. The Hail-o-Ween and the Meteorain soon ran into each other, and an orchestra of fiery explosions shook the sky! BOOM! BOOM BOOM! As the fire, dust, and ashes subsided, Wendy's Pumpkinator deactivated, and Cloud lay flat on his chest, too worn out to even carry on. The arena was spared, and not a single casualty.

"And the winner is… Team Wendy!" the Greek announcer declared.

The audience cheered in celebration and approval of yet another triumph for Team Wendy, as they were only two matches away from the much anticipated championship match. Some fans even chanted the name of the Sky Dragon Slayer, who got into a group hug with Romeo and Sherria, the three cheering and laughing together as they relished in their most recent victory. Lucy and Gray, who had just recovered, gave weak cheers from their side of the arena as well. Wendy would occasionally wave to the audience, especially Donald, Goofy, Carla, and Cana, who were all proud of her and her team. As for Juvia, she shed an ocean of tears out of relief and sorrow for what could have been the unfortunate loss of her beloved Gray, and hilariously washed away an unlucky few among the crowd in a tidal wave.

Later, Wendy used an Elixir to restore Cloud's health completely. He slowly got back to his feet as she and the others gathered round. She asked, "Are you alright?"

Cloud commented, "Hmm. It's ironic that you're the one sparing me this time, just as I spared you back then." He paused to let this sink in, then gave Wendy a genuine smile. "Nice work, kid. For once, I actually had a good time fighting you." He gazed up to the sun, "And to think I'm not cut out for this because I've lost to a girl two times in a row."

Wendy smiled back, "Don't doubt yourself, Cloud. You're really strong yourself. Even now, you still look for your light. I haven't given up looking for mine, and I'm not giving up now."

Romeo grinned, "You're a swell guy, Cloud. To be fair, your sword packs more punches than a hundred Vulcans put together. All in all, it was a blast getting to know you, and to have a match with you."

Sherria beamed, "And no dark powers involved, just as Wendy hoped they wouldn't be. You've fought us fair and square, no strings attached whatsoever. I can tell. From the look in your eyes to the rhythm in your swings. You've come clean!"

Cloud shrugged, "You could say that. I've learned a lot since our last match. It might be of some help in the future…" He lowered his voice, "…when the time comes that I finally face him."

Wendy echoed, "'Him?' You don't mean the person that you're looking for, are you?" The ex-SOLDIER looked downcast at recalling their last conversation. "Before we left, you said Hades promised to help you find that someone if you agreed to work for him."

Sherria nodded, "Yeah. Isn't that why you've tried exploiting dark powers lately? Just to look for that person?" Cloud couldn't bring himself to answer, unable to shake that dark deed out of his mind.

Romeo wondered, "Who is this person, anyway? A friend of yours? Or a foe?"

Cloud remained silent for a few seconds before answering, "A story for another time. Until then..." He handed Wendy a brand new Keychain with a yellow bird serving as its token. "…take this Metal Chocobo Keychain. It has great power. It may give your Keyblade an edge."

Wendy accepted, "Thanks, Cloud. I promise I'll make good use of it." As she swapped the Pumpkinhead Keychain, the Keyblade took on a form that resembled Cloud's Buster Sword, except there were no layers of sheet concealing the black metal. It possessed a red handle and guard, two holes at the base of the blade, and three holes adjacent to the teeth.

"You have gained the Metal Chocobo Keychain. Attaching this to your Keyblade will grant incredible power and reach, but will reduce your Keyblade Magic by one point. It rarely deals critical blows. Activate its Command Style, and you call on the wrath of a mighty bird to crush your foes."

Wendy looked into the Keyblade's new form for a moment, and her mind instantly buzzed with an important favor that was made to her long before. "Oh! Cloud, do you know someone named Aerith? Leon told me you come from the same world as him, her, and Yuffie."

Cloud suddenly dropped his cool demeanor and gasped in total shock. "A-Aerith! She... She's alive?!" He quickly pulled himself together, "N-Never mind. What did she say?"

Wendy explained, "She asked me to let you know that she's worried about you, and she wants you to be careful."

Cloud asked, "Where is she now?"

Wendy answered, "In Traverse Town with Leon and the others. She's safe there." A pause, and she changed the topic, "You know her, too?"

Cloud nodded, "Yeah. I've known her a long time. We used to live in the same world." He took a deep breath, then smiled a little, "Thanks for telling me. If you see Aerith again, tell her I'm fine, and that I know what I'm doing."

Wendy assured, "No worries. I'll tell her you said hi." With that settled, the ex-SOLDIER walked out of the arena, satisfied and relieved over the news that someone he knew very well was safe and sound in another world. Amidst all the tragedy and heartache he ever had to endure in his life, he thought he had lost it all… until Wendy informed him of Aerith taking refuge in Traverse Town. Somewhere along the way on his quest for redemption, he found a glimmer of hope. He was almost tempted to depart for Traverse Town and reunite with Aerith, but it would have to wait. His journey had to come first, and he would most likely remain on that journey, until every sin of the past was exorcised.

"So the new Keychain's called Metal Chocobo?" Sherria asked, as she and the others gathered around Wendy in examining the Keyblade's present shape. "That's some fine metal right there; it accents the name nicely. And speaking of names…" She tapped her chin curiously, "…what's a chocobo? Some kind of big bird?"

"'Chocobo' sounds weird for a name you give to a weapon," Gray commented.

"Oh, I can think of only one big bird among us," Lucy grinned mischievously. "Does he count as a chocobo?" She gestured to Donald standing from his seat and waving at Team Wendy, who only laughed at this irony.

"Come on, guys. We still have a few more matches," Romeo beckoned.

"My dream is close to becoming true… I can feel it in the air!" Sherria smiled.

"Right... Let's move on!" Wendy urged.

3rd Seed: Dark Squadron (Wight Knight x12, Gargoyle x10, Pirate x12, Air Pirate x10)

2nd Seed: Flying Pirates (Battleship x2, Pirate x20, Air Pirate x15)

And so the Hercules Cup continued, with two more rounds of Heartless awaiting the advancing team. The Wight Knights, Gargoyles, Pirates, and Air Pirates came swarming the ring by the numbers; even the Battleships added to the tension with their seemingly ruinous firepower. But they plainly misjudged Wendy and her teammates, who were all too familiar with the baddies' attack patterns and flaws. Two matches of action less fierce than the battle with Cloud, and the young heroes already made it to the finals. The main event championship match would soon be at hand.

Wendy twirled her Keyblade around, "Nothing to it!"

Romeo pumped a fist in the air, "How's that?"

Sherria gave the thumbs up, "That's what I call an ending!"

Lucy crossed her hips, "I guess that's pretty much it."

Gray folded his arms and smirked, "Don't try to get on our bad side!"

The announcer returned to the arena and addressed the hungry audience, "And now, ladies and gentlemen, the moment you've all been waiting for! It is time for our main event! The top dogs of the Coliseum Games, Team Wendy, are finally about to face off against the current Coliseum champion, Hercules!" The cheers roared louder than ever; the most anticipated dream match in recent memory was happening right now, and rabid fans of Hercules couldn't wait any longer for their icon to make his appearance. "Will Team Wendy's spectacular strength, tenacity, and teamwork win the day? Will they at last go from junior heroes to true heroes? Or will our champion's prestigious reign continue? Introducing to my right:" He thrust his arm to the hypogeum on the other side, "The all-time, undisputed, undefeated Olympus Coliseum champion… The greatest hero in all of Greece… The ONE and ONLY…" He finished in a dramatic flair, "...THE MIGHTY HERCULES!"

"ALRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT! THIS IS WHAT I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR!" Sherria screamed joyfully.

"We're in the finals now, Sherria! This is it!" Wendy went along with her friend's enthusiasm.

"H-Hey! Simmer down!" Gray exclaimed.

"What's wrong with that? She's so hyped for this!" Romeo reasoned.

"Honestly, can you blame her for being hyped?" Lucy questioned.

In the front row, Donald grinned, "Well, it's about time!"

Goofy cheered, "The final match! I hope they're ready!"

Carla encouraged, "Stay focused, Wendy! Take extra care!"

Cana requested, "Hey, God Slayer! Give that hunk of a god a good sock for me, will ya?"

Juvia wailed, "My beloved Gray! Only you and your valiant charisma shall prevail!"

The ongoing applause and shouts of exhilaration broke the sound barrier as Hercules finally emerged from the hypogeum gates and made his way to the square court. Even before he had his presence felt in the Coliseum, even before taking a single step out into the sunlight, he was already showered by repeated chants of his name. And as he basked in the praise from an ocean of his adoring fans, he would often wave at the crowd from left to right. Philoctetes appeared to be cheering the loudest at the corner, as he was extremely confident that his star pupil would maintain his undefeated streak. "YEAH, BABY! SHOW 'EM HOW'S IT DONE, CHAMP! YOU'RE THE MAN! YOU'RE NUMBER ONE! YOU'RE ON TOP OF THE WO—" He didn't finish when a empty bottle of Herculade bonked his head. "Owie!" He rubbed the spot where it hit, "Can't a guy watch where he throws his trash?"

"SHUT UP, YOU GOATY-GOAT CHEAPSKATE!" The satyr failed to notice that Donald was the one who threw the empty beverage; he was seen jumping out of his seat and quacking furiously at the former. "WENDY WILL BEAT HERCULES! YOU HEAR ME?! SHE'LL BEAT HERCULES!"

"Sit down, you bumbling idiot!" Carla snapped, as she and Cana grabbed the raving duck by the buttocks and dragged him back to his seat.

"Save the squawking for the victory party!" Cana insisted.

"WENDY WILL WIN! SHE WILL WIN! SHE ALWAYS WINS!" Donald was being forcefully pulled down to the crowd, but he didn't care, so long as he continued to gloat of Wendy's victory over Hercules.

Philoctetes perked up at Donald's voice, and looked around himself. "Huh? Someone callin' me?" He then shrugged, "Eh, probably some fanboy goin' gaga over the giddy girl." He resumed rooting for Hercules, "GO GET 'EM, CHAMP! GIVE IT ALL YOU'VE GOT!"

Hercules soon stopped several yards from Wendy and her teammates. The stage had been set, and the players only had moments of their time before commencing this final round of epic gladiator combat. "So you finally made it. I've been looking forward to this for quite some time. A chance to go against you guys in this very arena!" His grin widened, and he shared a glance with all the members of Team Wendy. "Wendy, you've been the Games' fastest rising star. They all saw the headlines— 'Cute Contestant Crushes Cerberus in Competition Chaos!' And need I remind everyone of the last two Cups? All the sunshine and adorable looks, they can't compare to the passion and will you carry deep inside. I've got to know the secret of your success. It's that Keyblade you've been carrying around, isn't it?" Wendy giggled a little. "And Sherria…" The amaranth-haired girl blushed madly as she held her breath. She struggled not to scream, but answered him with a nod. "You said you're a God Slayer, someone who uses a special magic designed to let you fight gods. Well, you've come all the way here, so I'll see for myself if you have the power to back up the title." A short inspection of the young heroes, then he confirmed, "Donald and Goofy aren't in your team, so it's safe to say they're cheering you on in the seats."

Romeo nodded, "Yep, they're right here." He gestured to Donald, Goofy, Carla, Juvia, and Cana sitting on the front row.

Wendy pointed out, "They're counting on us to win. We're not letting them down."

Hercules began stretching his muscles to warm himself up before the start of the match. "Okay, guys, this is it. I hope you've been training hard." He made a 'come here' gesture, "Time to see what you're made of! Show me what you've got!"

"I thought you'd never ask!" Sherria smiled energetically as she, Wendy, Romeo, Lucy, and Gray all assumed fighting stances. Just then one out of two opposing side was about to make the first draw, the Sky God Slayer thought to herself, "So it's settled. A five-on-one match isn't so bad."

"I never thought I'd see the day I get to square off with a living god," Lucy breathed. "Here's hoping I don't get my bones crushed by his godly strength!"

"We just gotta watch each other's backs," Gray suggested. "And yeah, I do not want to take my chances with his godly strength."

"Hold on a second," Hercules raised a hand, borrowing an extra few seconds of his opponents' time. "Before we get started, I'd like to make a request. What do you say we make this match a lot more interesting? I want it to be something that's going to make the crowds go wild. Something that they never want to forget, something that'll be an invigorating experience for the both of us. As a matter of fact, I want this match between us to be something I want to sink my teeth into." He paused as he thought of a better stipulation for the match, and then smiled in confirmation. "I'll take you on, but only if it's…" He pointed at Wendy, "…you…" then Sherria, "…and you…" then to himself, "…against me! Two-on-one! How about that?"

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!" The announcement was made clear throughout the entire Coliseum that everyone in and out their seats exclaimed in absolute shock.

"You're kidding me! Hercules wants to fight Wendy and Sherria two-on-one?!" Lucy shouted.

"I don't think he's joking around. He sounds serious about facing them two-on-one!" Gray implied.

"Mind. Blown. Two cute faces versus one muscled dude. A surreal matchup!" Cana sweated.

"A living god against a God Slayer and the Keyblade's chosen wielder... Who would've imagined it?" Carla breathed.

"On the bright side, my darling Gray fought valiantly throughout most of the tournament," Juvia grinned. "I say he did a marvelous job. He dominated the Cup with style and tenacity! A brilliant performance worthy of a handsome prince!"

"Well, your 'handsome prince' survived plenty of big cuts from that blonde guy's sword," Cana pointed out. "He's got more steel than ice, which is expected from him. Be thankful he's made it till the finals."

"Seeing the love of my life alive and well is all that matters!" Juvia cooed delightfully.

"Heh, sure it does," Cana chuckled a bit.

"Is he jokin'?" Philoctetes blinked. "Sure, Wendy's team might stand a ghost of a chance if it's all five members, but…" His overconfidence came back in full force, "Too bad for them! Two-on-one or not, they ain't doin' jack squat against the champ!"

"Two-on-one… Just me… and Wendy…" Sherria was overwhelmed by Hercules's offer.

"Why two-on-one?" Wendy, on the other hand, was curious.

"I figured your team would compete in this Cup and beat the second seed to earn a match with yours truly," Hercules explained. "You see, I'm excited for this as much as you. The Keyblade's chosen wielder and a God Slayer— I'm itching to find out if I can handle both of you combined. And what better way to do it than right here in the Coliseum! You two just made the top of my list of people I've always wanted to face! Wendy, the most adorable face in the world with the heart of a hero and the ferocity of a dragon. Sherria, the big bundle of energy who wants to prove she truly lives up to the title of 'God Slayer'. What do you say, ladies?" He offered a hand, "I'm giving you this one chance. Today, you prove to everyone here that you deserve to be heroes. Today, you prove to everyone that you have the makings of real heroes. Are you ready to take that chance? To put it all on the line, just for this one shot?"

There was a lot weighing on their minds at first, but Wendy and Sherria could tell that Hercules was genuine in his proposal, and that alone was motivation enough. The two girls looked to their three teammates, the other party members on the front row, then at one another. They smiled and nodded to each other in agreement, before looking back at the Coliseum champion. "We're ready!" Wendy announced. "We'll take you on!"

Sherria nodded, "That's right. Wendy and I are two of a kind. We're best friends." She wrapped an arm around the Sky Dragon Slayer, "There's nothing in any world that we can't accomplish together! So let's do it! Let's go two-on-one!" They shook hands together with Hercules, solidifying the terms of their match. "Romeo, Lucy, and Gray can watch us from the seats, while Wendy and I try to knock you off your throne. And I have to agree with what you said; this is going to make the crowds go wild."

Gray protested, "Are you two crazy? Do you have any idea what you're up against?"

Wendy nodded, "We know. Which is why we agreed to it. And personally, I kinda want to see if I'm strong enough to handle him myself."

Sherria smiled, "But it's not like one of us can plunge in on the action alone. I get my piece, she gets hers. I scratch her back, she scratches mine. I'm already picturing Keyblade + God Slayer as a great combination. Don't you agree what I'm getting at? Which is why two-on-one is a proposal I can get behind."

Donald rolled his eyes, "Oh, brother. What a show-off."

Goofy questioned, "You referrin' to Wendy, Sherria, or both?"

Donald answered, "Sherria."

Wendy implied, "He wants to have a match with Sherria and I ever since we first fought in the Games, and now that it's happening, we can't turn him down. This is our chance to see how far we've come, to see if we really have what it takes." She added with a confident grin, "If a God Slayer is meant to defeat a god, who's to say a Keyblade wielder can do the same? That's what we're here for— to find out for ourselves!"

Sherria quipped, "The rainbow's often big enough for two or three dreamers, so you could say we're both vying for that same pot of gold."

Romeo stared at Wendy and Sherria for a moment, then turned to Lucy and Gray. "Guys, let's leave them to Hercules."

Lucy asked, "Are you sure about this? Those two facing him all on their own?"

Romeo replied, "They're gonna win. I know they will…" Wendy and Sherria looked over to see him brimming with confidence, and were already touched by his demonstration of utmost faith in them. "Because that's what Fairy Tail wizards do!"

Sherria joked, "Does a wizard from Lamia Scale count?"

Romeo shrugged, "Well, sorta." While the rest of the team chuckled at Sherria's witty remark, he approached Wendy and embraced her in a warm hug. He drew away first, anxiously biting his lip. "Are you gonna pull through? You've fought a bunch of monsters and giants, but a god? That's a different story."

Wendy saw through Romeo's concern and gave him a reassuring smile. "I'll be alright, Romeo. I promise I'll do my best. For you and for everyone. And I'm not alone. Sherria's with me." She didn't hesitate to return his embrace. "It's gonna be okay. We can do this."

Despite himself, Romeo took comfort in Wendy's guarantee. "Yeah. No doubt about it."

Sherria abruptly caught the two in a hug of her own. "Don't worry, Romeo. Wendy and I are gonna win this one for the team!" The three burst into a fit of playful laughter before they broke away.

Hercules interjected, "You girls ready? Just say the word and it's official!"

Wendy and Sherria turned to him and answered loud and clear in unison for the crowd to hear, "We'll fight you, Hercules!" And they all went ballistic at their decision.

Hercules smirked, "Exactly what me and everybody in their seats wanted to hear! Until then, why don't you take a short break? Come see me in the arena when you're ready."

Wendy and Sherria complied, "Okay!"

In the front row, Goofy asked Donald, "What're we gonna do? Why not just let the whole team take him on instead of two-on-one? That's a pretty good advantage, if ya ask me."

Carla implied, "Hercules wants to witness both the power of a Keyblade bearer and a God Slayer firsthand. Wendy and Sherria couldn't refuse when he asked them to fight him two-on-one. He is giving them the opportunity to test their strengths against his, and it appears they've already decided. So the only thing we can do right now…" A confident smile crept up her lips, "…is to believe in them. To have faith they can prevail."

Cana smirked, "Gotta love those girls and their spunk. They're cute and young, but they're also badass. Proud members of their own guilds through and through. Ours included."

Juvia affirmed, "If Wendy and Sherria can somehow defeat Hercules and win the championship on behalf of the team, then there's no doubt they're up for the task."

Donald sighed, "I guess we have no choice but to let them go alone. There's no changing their minds." He then smiled, "But you're right. We gotta have faith Wendy's gonna win!"

Juvia added, "And Sherria, too?"

Donald mumbled, "Yes. Sherria, too."

In the arena, Lucy spoke to Wendy and Sherria, "If Romeo's putting his faith in you, then so am I. You two have gotten out of more than your fair share of situations; I bet this one will be no different." She gave them a hug, "Good luck, girls. We're counting on you. We know you can do it!"

Gray commented, "Took a lot of guts standing up to a guy like Hercules… Spoken like true guild members." He smirked and gave them the thumbs up.

Romeo tightly held Wendy's hands. "You're definitely gonna win. I just know that you will."

Wendy smiled as she squeezed back Romeo's hands for reassurance. "Right. And I know you're gonna be there to support me, even though you're actually not with me."

Romeo chuckled lightly, "That's true."

Sherria thought out loud, "Finally, this is it. My one chance to prove that a God Slayer can defeat a god— with a little help from my best friend, of course." She brimmed with excitement, "It's time to steal the show! Time to test my limits! Time to SHINE!"

Ten minutes of preparation later…

Before the match was scheduled to start, Wendy and Sherria were the first to return to the ring following their short break, and the fans were already cheering wildly for two of the Coliseum's brightest stars in recent memory. Romeo, Lucy, and Gray had already joined Donald, Goofy, Carla, Juvia, and Cana in the bleachers, and were now focused on showering their support for the two Sky Slayers who volunteered to challenge the defending champion.

There were still a few minutes before Hercules came back, and Sherria took this moment to speak to Wendy in private. "Hey, do you remember that musical play we starred in at the Lamia Scale Thanksgiving Festival?"

Wendy recalled, "Oh, you mean The Sky Sisters? It's based on the best-selling novel of the same name. I have a copy of it back home. I'm a huge fan of The Sky Sisters. I liked the story very much, especially the main characters, Amelia and Francesca."

Sherria nodded, "Same here. I have my own copy back home. Back to that, Lamia Scale and the Mr. and Mrs. Yankee Theatre Foundation were working together to produce Sky Sisters: The Musical in Margaret Town. They picked me to play the role of Amelia, and you Francesca. Master Ooba and the director felt that we fit the roles perfectly because we're both Sky Magic users. Ironic, isn't it? It's not just that we follow the adventures written on the book— we also live these adventures, figuratively and literally."

Wendy giggled, "No wonder your guild invited me to the festival. I had to request my removal from the Grand Magic Games so I could join you on the musical. And it was so exciting that I got to play Francesca, with you playing Amelia!" She brimmed with enthusiasm, "The musical was a big hit. They loved us! They even loved our singing!"

Sherria smiled, "Who knew that you had such wonderful singing talent, Wendy? You were the cutest face on stage, and it's half the reason the musical had twice the charm." That caused Wendy to blush. "And if somebody asks what's my personal favorite scene, it's METs Love Angelican. So, speaking of Sky Sisters…" Clearing her throat, she looked at Wendy expectantly. "…since it's down to the two of us, I was wondering if we can use 'Sky Sisters' as our tag team name for the match."

Wendy raised an eyebrow, "Sky Sisters? Our tag team name?"

Sherria stated, "Our team of two's gotta have a name, doesn't it? That, and we consider ourselves Sky Sisters in real life. What do you think?"

Wendy rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Hmm…" She then accepted with a cheerful grin. "Sounds pretty good. Yeah… We're the 'Sky Sisters'. I like it!"

Sherria chuckled, glad that Wendy approved of her idea for the name of their two-person team. "Now what do you say we show everybody how the Sky Sisters do their thing?"

Wendy nodded, "Yeah, let's do it!"

Soon, Hercules made his way back to the arena, swaying his arms back and forth to get himself pumped up, the cheers and applause refusing to quiet down. He grinned at his two opponents. "Alright, just you two and me. You better not be holding back, 'cause I'm not gonna go easy on you."

Sherria chuckled, "Funny, we were just going to say the same thing."

Wendy encouraged, "Let's give it all we've got."

The Greek announcer stood between the two opposing teams as he projected his voice to the fans in attendance, "It's official, ladies and gentlemen! Our main event championship match will be…" Before he continued, Wendy walked over to him and whispered a request in his ear. Complying with a nod, the announcer resumed his message, "…the challengers, Wendy Marvell and Sherria Blendy of Team Wendy, the Sky Sisters…" That prompted a collective of intrigued reactions and gasps from the audience, especially the other party members. "…versus the defending champion, Hercules! The winner of this match will take home the Hercules Cup and the glory!" The hype and exhilaration from the crowd kept filling the air.

In the front row seats, Donald asked incredulously, "The… Sky Sisters?"

Cana questioned, "Aren't they the titular main characters of that bestseller fantasy novel everybody's been going nuts over? They even made a sensational musical out of it, like the one in Margaret Town."

Carla nodded, "Yes, Wendy and Sherria were the stars in that musical— a joint collaboration between the Mr. and Mrs. Yankee Theatre Foundation and Lamia Scale. I was there watching the show during the Thanksgiving Festival." She smiled in amusement as she looked over the two Sky wizards, "You have to admit, the name of their team for the match does have merit. You may consider those two to be splitting images of the Sky Sisters, Amelia and Francesca."

Cana chuckled, "I couldn't have said it better myself. They're both Sky Magic users, so who am I to argue?"

Goofy seemed to be going along with this recent development as he began cheering for Wendy and Sherria. "GO, SKY SISTERS, GO! GO, SKY SISTERS! GO GET 'EM!"

It wasn't long before Juvia joined in, "GO, SKY SISTERS! GO, SKY SISTERS! WIN IT FOR US!"

Donald shrugged his shoulders, seeing no reason to disparage the team name Wendy and Sherria came up with. "Oh, well. As long as they think they can beat Hercules, I'm okay with it." He then lifted up his voice, "GO, SKY SISTERS! GO, SKY SISTERS! YOU CAN DO IT, SKY SISTERS!"

"Sky Sisters! Sky Sisters! Sky Sisters!" The audience started to chant for the two-person team, who felt a sense of confidence, comfort, and pride from their overwhelming support.

"I told you it was a good idea," Sherria whispered to Wendy.

"And I agreed with you," Wendy whispered back.

"The Sky Sisters, huh?" Hercules spoke up, and the two turned to face him. "Not a bad name for a team of two." He adopted a fighting stance, "Moment of truth, girls! You beat me, you'll be officially recognized as heroes!"

"Is that so?" Sherria smirked, as clusters of black wind swirled around her arms.

"Let's find out!" Wendy declared, and she took out the Metal Chocobo Keyblade.

The opposing sides had a brief staredown before one made a move over the other, their hopes and aspirations leading up to this very moment. The stage was set. The players were ready. Let the final match of the Hercules Cup begin!

1st Seed: Hercules

The Sky Sisters and Hercules jumped at the first second, the former respectively going for a Keyblade swing and a wind-induced palm strike, while the latter threw a straight punch, his left bicep enlarging in shape with a clench of his fist. The attacks connected, generating an immense shockwave that washed over the Coliseum and nearly blew the spectators off the stands. Then suddenly, Wendy and Sherria were pushed back by the godly force that augmented Hercules's punch. It nearly knocked them out of the arena, if not for its protective invisible barricades.

"Wak! This is nuts! How tough is this guy?" Donald quacked.

"This must be a fraction of his godlike strength," Carla implied.

"And I thought Natsu or Erza could punch that hard," Gray thought out loud.

"What do you expect? He's a god," Cana pointed out.

"You're kidding… Is he holding back, or he is fighting for real?" Lucy sweated.

"Gawrsh, I don't think he's holdin' back..." Goofy mused.

Back in the arena, Wendy and Sherria looked to each other's current conditions. Wendy asked her partner, "Are you okay?"

Sherria nodded, "I'm fine." He turned to stare at Hercules, "He's got the buff to back his biceps."

"Don't assume that my muscles aren't just for show, ladies," Hercules quipped. "I've lifted things about a thousand times my size. So fighting you will be no problem for me!" He sprinted towards Wendy and Sherria, who quickly braced themselves.

"Get ready!" Wendy alerted.

"Got it!" Sherria complied.

Hercules started to unload on the girls with a series of tank-like punches; empowered by the godly strength he inherited at birth from his father Zeus, they would cause some severe damage to any regular human being if they landed. Fortunately, Wendy and Sherria were far more nimble, able to quickly and precisely dodge every blow, scampering from side to side as Hercules either socked the air or slammed the floor, causing cracks where they landed. Surprisingly, the son of Zeus was graceful in his attacks, allowing him to keep up with the Sky Sisters. Every time he missed, Wendy and Sherria would land spare blows in some sections of his body wherever they could in an attempt to wear him down. Sometimes when dodging was not the best popular option, they would block the great hero's flurry of hard-hitting fists. As the Sky Sisters' acrobatic counterattacks inflicted damage to an extent during the struggle, Hercules kept up his relentless assault, never to rest until he brought down his opponents. Less than four minutes after, he charged a fist at Sherria.

"Sky Dragon's Claw!" Wendy retaliated with a cyclone-fueled backflip, deflecting the fist before it hit the Sky God Slayer.

"Sky God's Dance!" Sherria twirled herself around in a black spiral of wind, bonking Hercules by the noggin.

"Raaagh!" Hercules quickly snapped out of his sore to trade rapid fire punches, in which Wendy and Sherria shot around the arena to avoid getting slugged.

"Sky God's Boreas!" Sherria slid between his legs to duck over a right hand before executing a 7-hit punching and kicking combo, ending with a horizontal black tornado that blasted him into the air.

"Sky Dragon's Wing Attack!" Wendy smacked the flying hero in a 6-hit aerial Keyblade combo, then knocked him to the ground casting the tornados surrounding her arms.

"Hah!" Hercules performed a second string of punches on Wendy, who wasted no time parrying each blow with the Metal Chocobo.

"Sonic Blade!" Wendy swerved around a left hand that almost reached her face, then countered with five consecutive lightspeed thrusts. "Sky Dragon's Crushing Fang!" She proceeded to assault Hercules in a blend of wind-shaped claws and Keyblade swing, forcing him to reel back at the last hit.

"Sky God's Bellow!" Sherria breathed a black cyclone at the son of Zeus, who stood on terra firma and focused enough energy onto his knuckle to pierce it through, tearing the cyclone to pieces until it vanished from sight.

"Hyah!" Hercules was on the move again, and Sherria had to deflect a barrage of fists with her God Slayer Magic-induced hands. Upon missing a jab to the face, she was on the receiving end of a kick that knocked her down. "Hurgh!" He jumped in the air and slammed his hands against the ground, only for her to scurry away before he dived in, creating a shockwave that left a dent in the arena. "Rarggh!" Hercules took off like a speeding bullet, lowered his head, and charged at full speed like a battering ram towards Sherria by the time she stood back up.

"Stun Impact!" Wendy blocked the hero's path and produced an electrical sphere that collided with the headbutt, which proved strong enough to break through the ethereal particles making up the sphere. Hercules rammed her in the stomach, causing her to slide backwards, and then jumped for a ground smash attack. "Whoa... He's really strong!" she thought as she saw the hero approaching from the air. "Strike Raid!" Wendy repeatedly tossed her Keyblade as a spinning disc to strike Hercules before he touched the ground. "Judgment!" The finishing strike shoved him a few meters away, although he didn't appear worse for wear.

"Over here!" Sherria swung a Sky God Slayer-powered leg across the floor to trip Hercules, but the veteran was wise not to fall for such a trick. He flipped backwards to land on his feet just when she was about to cast another spell. At that moment, he executed another charging head ram. "Sky God's Boreas!" Sherria hastily shot a black tornado from her hands, which blew up at the last second when he surged through with his battering ram attack. Fortunately, the Sky God Slayer anticipated the move and jumped over him, before slugging him in an 8-hit combo. "Sky God's Bellow!" She breathed a second black tornado, and this time it struck Hercules by the waist, skidding him along the ring.

Hercules snapped out of his trance to attack the girls with three battering ram attacks and four ground smashes, but they all missed the same mark as his machine gun punches; Wendy dished out a 9-hit slash, then sent him in the air with an upper swing. "Sky Dragon's Wing Attack! Fira! Blizzara! Sonic Blade! Sky Dragon's Roar!" A blend of five powerful spells, and the defending champion was knocked to the side of the battlefield.

"Not bad for junior heroes," Hercules complimented, wearing a grin that helped him ignore his wounds.

"You're not bad yourself!" Sherria smiled.

"We learned from the best," Wendy stated.

"Okay, time to take this up a notch!" Hercules pumped up his arms, and by channeling his inner strength, produced a golden aura around his body— a pure manifestation of his godly essence. This action prompted another round of applause from the fans, while Romeo and the others felt a foreboding sense of anxiety.

"Look at him glow!" Cana commented.

"Is he unleashing his godly powers?" Juvia assumed.

"Come on, Wendy…" Romeo whispered.

Wendy zoomed forward and swung the Metal Chocobo at Hercules. However, the attack had no effect on him, and the Keyblade only bounced back. "What?!"

"No effect?!" Donald and Goofy exclaimed in unison.

"I guess whatever magic he's using makes him invincible!" Lucy implied.

"Man, if only Natsu, Erza, or Laxus can see this now!" Gray remarked.

"Gotcha!" Hercules shouted, and he pulled his fist back to deliver a mighty punch empowered by the might and magic of Olympus. Wendy had to cross her arms in defense, and she was sent flying across the field before crashing into a pillar, destroying it on impact. She gasped in agony from the damage, and crumbled to the ground in one leg.

"Wendy!" Sherria raced over to her partner, pulling out a Hi-Potion and handing it to her so she could drink it. The Dragon Slayer was rejuvenated, yet still shaken by the intense blow.

"He wasn't kidding when he said he's not gonna go easy on us…" Wendy shuddered.

"You're telling me," Sherria agreed, and she helped Wendy stand to her own two feet again.

"Hey, give up yet?" Hercules taunted as he flexed his muscles, the fangirls going wild over each pose.

"If he could deal that much damage with his godlike strength, we need to come up with a plan, and fast," Sherria tensed.

"My Keyblade didn't work on him," Wendy pointed out. "Thundara!" A lightning bolt rained from the sky and struck Hercules, only to meet the same result as the Keyblade. "Blizzara! Gravira! Sky Dragon's Roar!" She tried different spells, and still no effect. "Not even my magic helps. I think it has something to do with that magic aura around him." She analyzed the aura around Hercules, "Is there a limit to it?"

"Magic aura? Hmm…" Sherria tapped her chin curiously, then spotted Hercules leaping at them. "Watch out!" She and Wendy dove out of the way as the Coliseum champion hammered the ground with both fists, creating a shockwave that nearly caused the two to fall over.

"Do you have an idea, Sherria?" Wendy asked.

"I think I have. And it's worth a try!" Sherria replied.

"Did I forget to mention that I'm a literal god among mortals? Or have you already realized how incredibly strong I am?" Hercules taunted, placing his fists on his hips. "You should know that I don't go down easily."

"Maybe so…" Sherria admitted. "But that doesn't stop me from trying to step up to your plate." Her eyes never left the golden aura surrounding Hercules, "They say that a Dragon Slayer has the power to penetrate the scales of dragons." She smirked, and a cluster of black wind surged around her left hand. "Can a God Slayer do the same to gods? Does a God Slayer have the power to bypass a god's magic? Like YOURS?"

"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Let's find out, shall we?" Hercules smirked back, and he charged his fist with his golden magic. The two stared each other down for a moment as Wendy stepped back to observe. A small wind blew between the god and the God Slayer, and neither of them dared to speak, lest they ruin the moment.

Fifteen seconds later, the two began charging at each other. "Sky God's…" Sherria clenched her left hand into a fist, intensifying the pitch black currents around it.

"Here I go!" Hercules mirrored his opponent's actions, rearing back his own arm.

"…Cloud Fist!" As the two blows collided, the winds and specks of yellow shrouding Sherria and Hercules skyrocketed. One fighter struggled against the other as they pushed their fists, engaging in a brief tug-of-war that left the audience screaming for more. Just then, the shining aura enveloping the Coliseum champion slowly began to ebb and wobble. That sudden transition worked its way up to his arm and all over his body. Hercules's eyes went wide in surprise. For the first time, his magic was actually waning against the force of another's! The black currents covering Sherria's body became more intense as her eyes glimmered with vigor. With a mighty shout, she shoved her Cloud Fist, and the golden aura ultimately dissipated in a blast of wind!

"It worked!" Wendy cheered.

"SHE BROKE THROUGH!" Donald, Goofy, Romeo, and Carla exclaimed.

"HOLY CRAP!" Lucy, Gray, Juvia, and Cana yelled.

"HOLY HERA! HERC!" Philoctetes screamed out in horror.

"Her God Slayer Magic dispelled the magic around him!" Carla gasped.

"Just like that?! With one punch?!" Donald shouted.

"Gawrsh, did ya see Sherria go? She's incredible!" Goofy breathed.

"I can't believe what I'm seeing!" Lucy cried.

"Well, do you believe now? That's a God Slayer we have right there!" Juvia beamed.

"You know, I'm starting to root for the girl next door," Cana smirked.

"Who better than to fight a living god than someone who's trained to defeat them?" Gray grinned. "As far as I can tell, she might stand a chance against him."

"Let's hope so. Sherria may be our best bet!" Romeo insisted.

"Whooooooa…!" Hercules staggered away from the impact he received from Sherria's Sky God Cloud Fist, astonished and dismayed. "I did NOT see that coming!"

"Me neither…" Wendy muttered.

"Well, I'll be darned…" Sherria smiled in satisfaction from nullifying Hercules's aura. "Looks like it worked after all." She turned to face the vulnerable Coliseum champion, "Sorry, Herc, but it looks like I have the upper hand!" Torrents of black wind encircled her hands, and she proceeded to thrash him in a barrage of magic-enhanced punches and kicks that struck as hard as the son of Zeus could dish out. The blows landed in various places, leaving massive pops of air in their wake, amplifying the damage he was already receiving. "Sky God's Ascension!" As the combo neared its end, Sherria performed a black cyclone backflip that knocked a stunned Hercules in the jaw and sent him flying. She held out her arms in impressive fashion as they surged with black whirlwinds. "Sky God's Tempest!" She smashed the hero with a hurricane uppercut while he was airborne, followed by a downward screw hook that knocked him to the ground. "Sky God's Maelstrom!" Powering up, she delivered a flurry of multiple wind punches in rapid succession. The last punch was so powerful that it crashed him through a pillar next to the one that was destroyed earlier. It was only a short moment before he stood back up, dazed from the onslaught and coughing out dust. "How's THAT for an impact?" Sherria boasted.

"That was amazing, Sherria!" Wendy praised.

"Wendy, I know how we can beat him!" Sherria informed her. "Hercules is invincible when he uses his magic to power himself up. If I disable his magic with my own, he's vulnerable!"

"Yes… That could work!" Wendy confirmed. "Now we know how to turn this all around. But I'd rather not get punched again. It really stings."

"We'll just have to watch each other's backs," Sherria suggested. "When he makes an aura and I break it, we hit him together. In the meantime, we keep an eye out for whatever he's got."

"Okay!" Wendy nodded in agreement.

"Well, I didn't think you could actually beat that one," Hercules remarked, rubbing the back of his head before stancing again. "But as long as I still have a lot of fight left in me, I won't be going down just yet!" He regained his golden aura, then performed a ground smash attack that nearly smashed the two above their heads, had they not moved away from the spot.

"Sky God's Wave Attack!" In a style similar to Wendy's Sky Dragon's Wing Attack, Sherria lifted up her arms pulsating with black tornados and hammered them against Hercules, dispelling his aura yet again.

"Argh! You got me…!" Hercules grunted.

"Stop!" Wendy activated her time spell, freezing him on the spot. "Sonic Blade!" She zoomed past Sherria and unleashed a barrage of supersonic slashes against their unprotected adversary. "Strike Raid!" She kept up the pace with a volley of spinning disc strikes, ending with Judgment and a fast 10-hit slash.

"Sky God's Maelstrom! Sky God's Boreas! Sky God's Tempest!" Sherria followed with various God Slayer Magic spells, "Sky God's Bellow!" then finished her assault with a tornado breath. The effects of Stop wore off, and Hercules felt the full sting of the Sky Sisters' attacks. In spite of the heavy damage, he was able to pull himself together rather quickly.

"Come on!" Hercules yelled as he switched between machine gun punches and battering rams to try and wear out Wendy and Sherria; they skillfully dodged them all before dealing spare hits whenever he missed an attack, so long as his golden aura remained inactive. The tussle went on for about a minute when the defending champion wound up a hook and went for Wendy, who swatted the blow away with a Keyblade swing.

"Sky Dragon's Wing Attack!" Wendy smacked the hero with her cyclone-empowered arms, "Blizzara!" cast a flurry of crystals to graze his chest, "Thundara!" zapped him with a lightning bolt, "Sky Dragon's Crushing Fang!" scraped a wind claw along the sides of his body, "Gravira!" smothered him in a gravitational field, "Stun Impact!" and lastly, emitted an energy sphere to blast him a few meters.

"Sky God's Cloud Fist!" Sherria exploited this opportunity to come rushing at Hercules with a fist enveloped in a gust of black wind, never noticing at first that the champion was expecting her. "Sky God's Windmill!" He was about to move away when the Sky God Slayer propelled herself in midair and twirled her cyclone-powered legs like helicopter blades, repeatedly hitting him in either the stomach or the face until she landed. She then slugged Hercules in a 6-hit Sky God's Cloud Fist combination, "Sky God's Ascension!" hoisted him upward in a cyclone-fueled somersault, "Sky God's Wave Attack!" and sent him crashing to the ground by flexing her arms shrouded in black gusts.

"Sonic Blade!" Wendy executed a lightning fast Keyblade thrust from behind. Hercules turned around by the time his aura regenerated, and countered with a left hook that struck the Metal Chocobo by the tip. The two engaged in a brief duel between Sonic Blade and glowing fists, sending waves of energy all over the arena with each collision. And then, Hercules threw a left uppercut that sent the Keyblade and the wielder holding onto it flying away. Wendy gracefully planted her feet on solid earth, grimacing at the sheer force the son of Zeus possessed. "That wasn't pleasant…"

"Raaarrgh!" Hercules implemented a blend of ground pounds and battering rams which Wendy managed to avoid. As soon as the Coliseum champion exhausted these options of brute force, he pulled out a sword in favor of close-range maneuvers. "Did you know I'm good with swords, too?" Wendy wasted no time preparing her own weapon, and the two clashed. The sounds of screeching metal and excited cries from the audience filled the Coliseum, imbued with an unending motion and a stillness in the air. The duel went on for about two minutes when Sherria cast Sky God's Ascension to break his aura, leaving him exposed to a 12-hit Keyblade combination, a Sky Dragon's Wave Wind, and a Sky Dragon's Roar.

"Stop! Gravira!" Once again, Hercules was frozen in time, and a part of his vitality was stripped away by a gravitational field. "Strike Raid! Fira!" Wendy added a string of Keyblade disc strikes to the mix, with a fireball serving as the finishing touch. Hercules had already been released from the effects of Stop before Fira detonated. He emerged from the ash and dust, injured but still able, and performed a hammer strike around the same time his divine aura was restored. The Sky Maiden defended herself from Hercules's impressive swordplay, then retreated when he performed a tornado slash, spinning across the arena after her. She ran as fast as her legs could take her, trying not to get sliced to ribbons. In the meantime, Sherria was biding her time for an opening, waiting for Hercules to get close.

"HERC! WATCH IT!" Philoctetes hollered.

"SHERRIA! TAKE A SHOT AT HIM!" Goofy shouted, waving flags with a 'W' on the light blue left and an 'S' on the pink right.

"Not yet... Wait for it..." Sherria whispered, paying mind to Goofy's advice while patiently expecting an opportunity to present itself. She soon noticed that Hercules stopped spinning his blade, and had since become dizzy. "NOW! Sky God's Spiral Saber!" Engulfing herself in black wind, she shot herself forward into Hercules's chest, both ramming him with extreme force and cancelling out his divine aura.

"Now that's something Natsu could be proud of!" Romeo whistled.

"Yeah! Go, Sherria! Stick it to 'im!" Goofy cried happily.

"Sky God's Boreas!" She launched three black tornados to propel him high in the air. "Wendy!"

"Thundara! Blizzara! Sky Dragon's Wing Attack!" Wendy implemented spell after spell to keep the champion afloat. "Sherria!"

"Sky God's Hammer Stomp!" Sherria hopped and planted a brutal wind-powered stomp to Hercules's midsection, breaking the very earth beneath them as they landed. She jumped off him, regrouping with Wendy.

"We got him!" Wendy shouted as she charged towards the battered and bruised Hercules, and Sherria channeled magic into her right fist before following suit. The two Sky Sisters leapt at the defending champion…

…who quickly kicked up to his feet and gathered huge amounts of golden energy onto himself for a surprise attack! "TRY THIS ON FOR SIZE!" he roared, and as he spread out his arms, a great barrier of heavenly magic was released, shooting particles of light in random directions. Fortunately for the Sky Sisters, Sherria was the first to approach Hercules; she penetrated the force field with a Sky God's Cloud Fist, causing it to shatter and explode! The champion's eyes went wide at this unexpected turnaround. "What?!"

"Try THIS one for size!" Sherria threw another Sky God's Cloud Fist to the gut, making Hercules cough up a little blood.

"My turn!" Wendy proceeded to decimate the paralyzed hero in a 15-hit Keyblade combo. "Sky Dragon's Wing Attack!" She then flexed her wind-induced arms to damage him further.

"Sky God's Maelstrom!" Sherria slugged Hercules with a 100-hit wind punching technique.

"Stun Impact!" Wendy let loose an electrical sphere out of the Metal Chocobo.

"Sky God's Windmill!" Sherria performed a 50-hit cyclone kick.

"Sky Dragon's Crushing Fang!" Wendy flexed a 15-hit a razor-sharp claw of wind.

"Sky God's Tempest!" Sherria delivered a hurricane uppercut.

"Thundara!" Wendy summoned a miniature lightning storm.

"Sky God's Rising Storm!" Sherria thrust her palms outwards towards the ground, unleashing a massive black whirlwind that engulfed Hercules, his face contorting from the searing pain of currents ripping away at his very being. "Sky God's Wind Slice!" As soon as he was hoisted from the whirlwind, Sherria jumped in the air and swung her arms to produce crescent-shaped wind blades, slicing him four times.

"Sky Dragon's Roar!" Lastly, Wendy breathed an immense gust of wind that sent Hercules crashing against a third pillar, burying him under the rubble as it collapsed above his head.

Once again, the anticipation and excitement from the crowd was at an all-time high. For the first time in the Coliseum's long history, the challenger actually gained the upper hand against the reigning champion, worshipped and beloved by all, who never lost a match in his entire career. They may be witnessing the greatest gladiator match to have ever existed in that arena! As Donald, Goofy, Romeo, Carla, Lucy, Gray, Juvia, and Cana cheered and praised the Sky Sisters for their spectacular teamwork and abilities, they also exuded concern over whether or not they could succeed. Regardless, the final match of the Cup continued to intensify, and the fans never stopped chanting the Sky Sisters' names.

"They've got him on the ropes!" Romeo exclaimed.

"Alright, Wendy! You go, girl!" Donald cheered.

"Go, Sherria, go! You're the bomb!" Goofy chimed.

"And just like that, the tables have turned," Gray smirked.

"Yeah! You show him, girls! Keep it up!" Lucy beamed.

"Now this is a dream battle!" Cana approved.

"I agree!" Juvia nodded.

"It's not over yet…" Carla narrowed her eyes. She knew the Sky Sisters and Hercules very well, and could ascertain that both sides were unwilling to yield just yet.

"Come on, champ! This ain't nothin' compared to all the monsters you've made knots out of!" Philoctetes shouted frantically, expressing his concern like the trainer he was. "You can't lose to a bunch of girls! You're the all-time champ! Get up! Concentrate! Use your head!"

"Ugggh…" Hercules struggled to pull himself up from the dirt and smoke in spite of the injuries he sustained. As he slowly got to his feet, he stared at Wendy and Sherria through weary eyes, panting heavily. He chuckled weakly, "Never thought… you two had it in ya…"

Wendy smiled, "Like I said, we learned from the best."

Sherria quipped, "We've had plenty of experiences with guys that are as tough as you, so if you feel like throwing in the towel right now…"

However, the Sky Sisters were caught off guard by Hercules's chuckle growing louder by the second. It then erupted into a full-blown laugh, one that surprised many in the audience. "Well, what do you know? I can't remember the last time somebody gave me a hard time! FINALLY, a REAL challenge! And it gets my blood pumping!" His body began to surge with even greater energy than before. "C'mon, Sky Sisters! Give me some more! Show me how strong you really are!"

"You asked for it, Mr. Muscles!" Sherria stanced with her Sky God Slayer Magic intact. "Let's wrap this up!"

"Here goes! Metal Chocobo Command Style: Chocobo Stomp!" Wendy initiated the Command Style of her Keyblade's present form, a better way to make ready for what may be the match's final hours. Unlike most Command Styles, there was no transparent spectral weapon or magic circle to back her up, except that her body was glowing light purple. Nevertheless, Wendy had every intention of using this new Command Style to bring this battle to a climax.

"RAAAAAARRGGHH!" Hercules gave out a ferocious yell as he pounded the floor with both of his fists, releasing a wide-range energy blast that swept the arena, while at the same time lifting a massive chunk of rock off the floor to use as a projectile. Wendy and Sherria jumped over the shockwave, and when Hercules threw the chunk at the two, the Sky Dragon Slayer instinctively directed the Metal Chocobo at it. Out of the blue, a magic circle popped up beside Wendy, and what appeared to be the giant foot of a bird sprung forth, destroying the rock. BOOM! That exposed Hercules to a Sky God's Tempest and Sky God's Windmill from Sherria, the properties of her magic neutralizing his golden aura once more, and damaging him at the same capacity.

"Time to stomp it out!" Wendy declared, and she launched a flurry of enormous bird feet out of multiple magic circles from side to side. Otherwise known as Chocobo Stomps, they thrust faster than the eye could see, projecting an afterimage of the user armed with a thousand giant appendages. The Chocobo Stomps met Hercules's punches, the massive force of brawn making his knuckles throbbing a bit. They both swung with speed and power, countering blow for blow as they stalemated in a heated clash. Impressively, Wendy held her own against Hercules, and considering that the power of the Chocobo Stomps proved ten times stronger than steel and harder than diamonds, the hero's knuckles were gradually losing their momentum. Indeed, the cannonade of magically oversized bird feet lived up to the name of the Keyblade. A minute passed, and Hercules's fists ended up bursting into open palms. Seizing her moment, Wendy unleashed a 100-hit Chocobo Stomp against the helpless defending champion, finishing off with an equally devastating afterimage-based barrage adding 200 hits in total.

"Is that chicken's feet I see?" Donald raised an eyebrow at Wendy's latest Command Style.

"They sure moved faster than a rooster on a sunny hill!" Goofy noted.

"Heh, so even though we haven't see one, this proves that a chocobo is a big bird of some kind, unlike Donald," Lucy grinned.

"Big bird? Does that include me?" Donald asked confused.

"Says the big bird," Romeo joked, as he, Lucy, and Goofy chuckled to themselves.

"Sky God's Wind Slice!" Sherria conjured a series of black wind crescents against the wounded son of Zeus; he over-dramatically dodged them all with somersaults and barrel rolls before lifting a nearby pillar with his godly strength and chucking it at the Sky God Slayer, compelling her to move out of the way. Hercules utilized another spinning tornado sword attack, going for a distracted Sherria, only to get pushed away by a Chocobo Stomp from Wendy, his sword nearly grazing the side of Sherria's amaranth hair. As he spun around for a third time, Wendy moved to one side and swept a Chocobo Stomp, sending the champion toppling to the dirt, his blade flying off his hand. She thrust another Stomp to shatter the sword into a million pieces, leaving him without a weapon. "Nice!" Sherria approved, as she saw Hercules rising from the ground. The two Sky Sisters rejoined, expecting the hero's divine magic to regenerate.

"Man, that was smart," Romeo breathed.

"You read my mind, kid," Cana agreed.

"I know Hercules is a superior fighter in his own right, but Wendy and Sherria? They're one step ahead of him!" Juvia remarked.

"I shouldn't be surprised, yet I am. Those two really are tenacious," Carla implied.

"Give it to him, Wendy!" Donald shouted.

"You can do it, Sherria!" Goofy encouraged.

"It's about time they end this," Gray huffed.

By the time Hercules stood back up, the Sky Sisters' had already readied their next batch of Chocobo Stomps and God Slayer spells. The two teams rushed at each other, setting the stage for one decisive handicap duel. As per the strategy, whenever Hercules glowed with divine energy, he was invincible to all forms of attack with the exception of God Slayer Magic, the one magic that could disable his magic for brief periods of time. Sherria would have to get rid of his defensive aura first so that she and Wendy could unleash a combo of attacks on him directly afterwards. At the same time, though, they had to evade his brutal strikes, from jumping to safety when he punched the ground or keeping distance from his head rams. Two and a half minutes later, the great hero, close to his breaking point, harnessed what remained of his godly magic to emit a force field around himself…

"Sky God's Spiral Saber!" …only to have Sherria bypass it and fly straight into his stomach with a magic-powered battering ram of her own!

"Chocobo Stomp: Dynamic Fury!" Wendy delivered a furious trade of three hundred Chocobo Stomps that smacked Hercules all over the place as fast as lightning, before knocking him up in the air for an extra three hundred. The last Stomp blasted him higher, just about a mile away from the arena. With that done, Wendy called out to her fellow Sky Sister, "Do it, Sherria!"

"Alright! Hercules, get ready to EAT MY DUST!" Sherria assumed her position and gathered extensive amounts of black wind around her arms, which formed into large feathery wings. Determination burned fiercely in her eyes; the final step on the pursuit of a lifelong dream was right in front of her. Her Lost Magic granted her the power of a god, and in turn, the power to defeat one. She dreamed of one day testing her magic against a real god, and now that it came full circle, she was ecstatic; that long-awaited moment of truth would finally be hers… All it took was one more spell, one that would help make a difference in her life, to make a name for herself, to solidify her name and title. Today, she would truly call herself a God Slayer. Today, she would defeat a god! "God Slayer Secret Art: Gathering Clouds of Heaven!" She raised her hands aloft, sending her wings of wind at her airborne target, immersing Hercules in a storm of pitch black as it made contact. WHOOOOOOSH! Just as the son of Zeus burst out of the clouds, gravely wounded and drained of his divine energy, Sherria immediately gave Wendy the go-ahead. "Now, Wendy!"

"Command Style Critical Art: Chocobo Comet Kick!" Empowered by the Metal Chocobo's magic, she leapt high into the air past the devastated Hercules and descended with a larger than life Chocobo Stomp, summoned from a magic circle ten times in size than the smaller ones. Around the same time, she performed a kick bursting with a surge of purple light. The stomp and the kick combined stuck onto Hercules, who let out a tortured scream as they flattened him against the center of the arena! BAAAAAAAAANG! The Chocobo Comet Kick demolished the entire ring, sending waves rolling along the entire Coliseum and creating a huge crater where the once undefeated champion lay. He sprawled on the cracked earth, barely able to move a muscle, an exhausted groan escaping his mouth. He used the last of his strength to lift up his bruised face and get a glimpse of the Sky Sisters, who stood fatigued from battle but valiant. With a rapsy chuckle that showed how much he respected the two who were the first to end his undefeated streak, Hercules lowered his head down, finally accepting defeat.

The audience was absolutely stunned of the battle's conclusion. For a time, there was nothing but silence until the Greek announcer entered the ring and declared, "Ladies and gentlemen, we have just witnessed history! Technique versus technique! Raw power versus raw power! A clash between gods and mortals! For the first time, the undefeated streak of Greece's greatest hero came to a crashing halt! This was truly, honestly, without question, without a doubt, absolutely… the most legendary, amazing, improbable BOUT OF ALL TIME! And the victors in this match for the ages, representing Team Wendy… THE SKY SISTERS!" With that said, all the fans in attendance exploded into cheers and applause. "So here are the winners of the Hercules Cup, your three-time champions, the most dynamic fighters this Coliseum has ever known today… TEAM WENDY!" The cheers grew louder than ever, and the sky rained confetti in honor of the two representing the team who won the Cup. It was over! They were victorious!

"HOORAY! THEY DID IT! THEY DID IIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!" Donald, Goofy, Romeo, Carla, Lucy, Gray, Juvia, and Cana rejoiced in Wendy and Sherria's win over Hercules; some cried tears of joy and others laughed and hugged one another for comfort and relief. Even Donald, who used to be skeptical of Sherria, couldn't help but express his admiration for the God Slayer who fought bravely in the final match.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Philoctetes, on the other hand, was severely anguished that his star pupil, his number one guy, lost his title to the Sky Sisters— two little girls, of all people! The loss was so unbearable for the satyr that he almost ripped the strands off his head.

Of course, no one was more emotional about it than Sherria, who sunk to her knees with her eyes quivering in a blend of elation and disbelief. The moment the battle was won, it almost felt as if she died and was sent to heaven. Before she knew it, tears were already flowing down her cheeks. She had just bested a bona fide god with the help of Wendy, and she would bask in that moment for the rest of her life.

Wendy knelt before her weeping friend and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?"

It was only a moment before Sherria choked out words between sobs. "I… I did it… I did it… I've won… I can't believe it… I've won… I did it…!"

Wendy clarified, "No, we did it. Together." She, too, was caught up in her own emotions. "We've won! Both of us!"

That reminder was all it took for the dam to burst. Sherria sniffled, "Wendy…"

Wendy smiled widely, "Sherria...!"

"WE DID IIIIIIIIIIIIT!" They immediately stood up and wrapped their arms around each other, dancing and laughing to themselves. They celebrated under the shining sun, the raining confetti adding to this festival of feelings between the two. It only lasted until Wendy and Sherria's friends, together with a great sea of fans, came rushing down from their seats to lift them off the ground and carry them on their shoulders. Still, they wouldn't stop hugging it out, especially with Romeo and the others.

Romeo exclaimed happily, "You did it! You've won the Cup!"

Goofy sobbed joyfully, "You girls are the best ever! We love you!"

Donald laughed, "You definitely killed it out there, Sherria!"

Carla beamed, "I'm so proud of you, Wendy!"

Lucy cheered, "Way to go, Sky Sisters!"

Gray smiled, "You've won this one for the team!"

Juvia praised, "You two were magnificent!"

Cana laughed, "It's official, my money's on you kids!"

Meanwhile, the ex-Coliseum champion sat up with his legs crossed and saw Wendy and Sherria carried away by the crowd. He chuckled with a proud grin, "Well, I gotta admit, Sky Sisters… That was pretty heroic!"

Somewhere in the hypogeum, Cloud witnessed all the events that played out, and was simply impressed by Wendy's success. "Good job out there, kid," he complimented, before vanishing into the shadows.

---

"Even the pipsqueak can beat the SUNSPOT?!" A frustrated Hades, who already watched the aftermath of the Hercules Cup, chucked a huge ball of fire at an airborne vase with Hercules's face painted on it, blowing it up. At any moment, he would have celebrated his archenemy's first ever loss in the Coliseum, but in this case, the loss of one monkey wrench in the operation only led to another taking its place. Wendy Marvell, the Keyblade wielder who outclassed Hercules in strength and power in the tournament finals, may pose a threat even worse than the man himself. "Pull!" Hades yelled out. His lackeys, two demonic imps from the Underworld known as Pain and Panic, grabbed and tossed up a nearby vase, which their boss blasted into smithereens. "Ugh, I can't believe this small fry!" He groaned in irritation as he glared out to the arena, where the after-Cup festivities were still ongoing. "I've thrown Heartless, dark guilds, hitmen with giant swords— just about everything I've got in my disposal! And I expected the kid to lose so I could use her as leverage to try and get to him! But it doesn't even—"

Hades stopped mid-rant when he heard an odd squeaking sound. He looked down to see Pain, the short and obese imp in pink, wearing a wig that almost resembled Wendy's hair, along with a pair of Hercules-endorsed shoes called Air-Hercs. "What. Are. Those?" he asked menacingly.

"Uh, I dunno…" Pain shrugged innocently. "I thought they looked kinda dashin'."

Hades rubbed his head in annoyance. "I've got the last upcoming tournament to stage my ultimate takeover of Zeus's little coliseum, and the last people I need are a bozo…" On 'bozo', he briefly flared up. "…and a little girl with a key, or this entire scheme goes up in smoke…" He turned a dangerous shade of red as he grew angrier and angrier. "…and you… are WEARING…" His voice rose to a murderous roar, "…THEIR MERCHANDISE?!"

The enraged Lord of the Dead was about to incinerate his cowardly minion when they both heard a slurp, and the inferno quickly died out. They glanced over at Panic, the blue thin imp, who wore his own Wendy hair wig and drank from a bottle of Herculade, another Hercules-endorsed product. Noticing the furious look on Hades's face, Panic chuckled nervously and held the bottle to him. "Thirsty?"

Hades screamed at the top of his lungs, and the fire raged hotter than ever. The consequences of Pain and Panic's usage of items based on his hated enemies would be very EXTREME!

---

"WE'RE THE CHAMPS!" In a reprisal of the Phil Cup awarding ceremony, Romeo raised the Hercules Cup trophy— painted gold and engraved with the emblem of the gods of Olympus— high above his head with some of his friends supporting his weight. Normally, the ceremony would have taken place in the arena, but seeing as how Wendy, Sherria, and Hercules tore it down during their match, the committee had to make the decision to move the event somewhere next to the hypogeum gates. Despite the change of venue, the ceremony went off without a hitch, and the audience kept cheering for the team who defeated the champion Hercules and won the tournament he was named after. Most of the recognition was given to the Sky Sisters, whose valorous actions befitted the cutest but most dynamic duo in the ring. Wendy and Sherria were not only grateful for the support of the fans, but also that of their friends. The celebration rolled on until a loud explosion rocked the Coliseum. It nearly startled everyone present, though they didn't take the time to notice the enormous mushroom cloud hanging above their heads.

Goofy wondered, "Hey, did ya hear somethin'?"

Carla shook her head, "No, I don't think so."

Cana shrugged, "Eh, not that big a deal."

Still emotional from the aftermath of the Cup, Sherria's eyes were leaking tears and she wiped most of them away with a tissue. She turned to Wendy and said, "Well, this has been the most exciting time I've ever had. I did what I said I was going to do. And at last, my lifelong dream came true. I didn't know if I was worthy of the title of 'God Slayer' back then. Well… I do now. I… I…" She struggled to make her words come out, and a relieved sob burst out her mouth. "Oooooh, I'm just so happy! No, scratch that— I've never been more happier my whole life! I feel complete!" She pulled Wendy into a hug and shook her from side to side, "Oh, thank you, Wendy! Thank you so much! My dream wouldn't have come true without you and the others supporting me! You believed in me, had faith in me… I'll remember this moment for the rest of my life!"

Wendy giggled as she returned the embrace. "I'm so happy for you, Sherria. We all are. And it's not just a God Slayer that defeated a god."

Sherria chuckled as she ruffled Wendy's hair, forcing out another giggle. "Of course, how could I forget? It's the Keyblade master who also defeated a god! So it's only fair to say that we both did a fantastic job. Team Wendy wins the Hercules Cup, and are now three-time champions, all thanks to the charm, the wit, the power of the amazing, the wonderful, and the incomparable Sky Sisters." She gestured to herself and Wendy, "That's us."

Wendy smiled in agreement, "Yeah, that's us. We're the Sky Sisters of Team Wendy!" The two shared a high five, laughing as they did so. It seemed everything was just as meant to be, even with the last match of the tournament revolving around two Sky wizards and a god raised on earth. It was a remarkable moment, and they would cherish it always. Sherria soon dried the last of her tears, that merry moment she shared with Wendy being the remedy she needed to alleviate herself from crying too much. Wendy asked, "You doing alright?"

It was only a short while before Sherria breathed normally again, and she replied with a cheery grin, "Never better." Just then, she heard someone crying, not out of joy, but of despair. She looked around and saw Philoctetes slumped to the ground, weeping bitterly over Hercules's loss. She said sympathetically, "I know, Phil. This must be a lot to take in for you than it has for me."

Goofy adored, "Aww, look! He's cryin' tears of joy for Wendy and Sherria winnin' the Cup!" He failed to see past the satyr's misery, unfortunately.

Philoctetes blubbered, "Joy nothin'! H-H-Herc lost the-the-the match… Then he l-l-lost his t-t-t-title… I… I… I… I LOST MY BET!" He broke down as he collapsed, banging his fists on the dirt like a child throwing a temper tantrum; three bettors were seen in the background leaving the Coliseum with bags of money in tow.

Romeo looked at Philoctetes, the trophy resting on his left shoulder. "He's taking Herc's loss pretty bad, isn't he?"

Carla mused, "Well, not everyone was pleased that Wendy and Sherria ended his undefeated reign in the Coliseum."

"HA!" Donald pointed a finger at Philoctetes, surprising him in the midst of his sorrow. "In your face, goat man!" He laughed so hard at the satyr's expense that he fell on his backside and juggled his webbed feet in the air. "I told you Wendy would beat Hercules! I just told you so!"

Goofy interjected, "And Sherria?"

Donald tried to hold back his laughter because of his imagination running wild, but mustered up as much strength as he could to utter a reply. "Yes… And… And… SHERRIA!" He burst out laughing again, clutching his sides and rolling on the ground. It added to Philoctetes's grief as he sobbed even harder, tears falling from his eyes like waterfalls.

Lucy rolled her eyes, "Gee, somebody here's been having a bad case of hero worship."

Gray groaned, "Oh, that's just sad."

Juvia popped up beside him with hearts in her eyes. "There is no one in the universe I worship more than you, my love!"

Gray exclaimed comically, "What's the matter with you, lady?!"

---

Lobby

After the ceremony, Wendy and her friends returned to the vestibule, where Philoctetes and a bandaged Hercules awaited them. The trophy was placed opposite of where the Phil and Pegasus Cup trophies were positioned, standing alongside the stone pedestal.

"WOW!" Hercules couldn't contain his astonishment of how strong Wendy and Sherria were during their match. "I can't believe you two actually beat me! And I didn't even hold back! It just goes to show that mortals, including the younger generation, can do extraordinary things. Even topple their gods! I promised I'd give the crowd something to remember, and guess what? It delivered!" He smiled widely at the Sky Sisters, "I wanna thank you, Wendy and Sherria, for giving me the biggest fight I've ever had in a very long time, and for helping me in delivering the best moment the Coliseum's ever had in a while. I'll never forget that."

Sherria giggled as an intense blush took over her face. "Aww, it was nothing! We also have you to thank for giving us the honor of facing you, Hercules. It's been a great delight having to fight in the ring. After learning from this experience, I'm absolutely, positively proud to call myself a God Slayer."

Hercules chuckled, "For a sweet little girl, you really do pack a punch. And with that kind of strength, you'd truly live up to the title. Perhaps someday you and I can have a little one-on-one match of our own. Just you and me. God versus God Slayer."

Sherria beamed, "Gee, that's a very tempting offer. But as much as I'd love to go one-on-one with you, I'll have to pass. I already got what I wanted from that match. It was a tough battle, but we won because Wendy and I were working together. And it's the magic of teamwork that made it all worthwhile." She shared a glance at Wendy, who smiled. "You see, the point of this whole journey was to push my limits and reach my potential as a God Slayer. When all is said and done, the journey itself was reward enough for me."

Wendy stated, "Speaking of, there's something I've been meaning to tell you. I've been giving a lot of thought about what Phil said about a hero being measured by strength of heart." She held a hand close to her chest, "Strength of heart means something to fight for, something you dedicate your whole life to. My strength comes from my friends." She motioned to herself and her companions.

Philoctetes couldn't believe his ears. "Come again?"

Wendy continued, "As long as we have something to fight for, we will truly become strong. On our own, we may be weak to stand up to someone who's even stronger, but there's no reason to feel weak, because we have friends by our side. I feel stronger because my friends are all here with me. I would never have made it this far without them. They're the reason I'm here today. They've given me hope and all the strength I needed. Donald, Goofy, Carla, Sherria, Natsu, Lucy, Gray, Erza... Romeo." She spoke his name with such sincerity, she made no effort to hide the blush in her cheeks, and Romeo himself chuckled shyly at his mention. Wendy's smile widened, "When we're together, we can handle anything that comes our way! Not even Hercules can stop us!" Some of her friends applauded her inspirational speech.

Carla thought to herself with a smile, "I didn't think she could grasp that concept so quickly. She truly is extraordinary."

Gray approved, "Words of a Fairy Tail wizard!"

Lucy grinned, "I couldn't agree more. With friends by our side, we're unbeatable."

Cana nodded, "We fight as one, 'cause that's what makes Fairy Tail so great."

Donald remarked, "Wow! What an impressive speech, Wendy!"

Goofy sniffled, "It's so heartwarmin'. And it's also true!"

Philoctetes began, "But that's not exactly what I—" He was cut short when Hercules picked him up in his arms.

Hercules responded, "Of course. Your friends give your strength. Isn't that right, Phil? All of you together make great heroes." He put Philoctetes back down, "And as a team, I'm sure you can overcome anything." He raised a hand to Wendy, who eagerly shook it with both hers, and the group started cheering. As soon as the merriment calmed down, Hercules glanced at a treasure chest on a small stone pillar between the Phil and Pegasus Cup trophies. "This chest holds the grand prize for winning the tournament. It comes with a big package this time around, so you get plenty of goodies. Congratulations, Team Wendy! You earned it!"

Donald cried excitedly, "Plenty of goodies?! Oh, boy!"

Goofy asked curiously, "What's in the chest?"

Wendy suggested, "Let's open it!" She tapped the chest with her Keyblade, and the items burst out of it like a party popper. As it turned out, the promised 'big package' housed more valuables than expected!

Found Dalmatians. Numbers 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, and 99 returned home!

Sherria indicated, "More Dalmatian puppies! And lots of them!"

Juvia remarked, "It's the biggest amount we'd ever find: eighteen in one. A new record!"

Found Torn Page. Page 5 of Merlin's book is in your possession!

Carla recognized, "The last torn page of the book in Merlin's house!"

Goofy chimed, "And lookie here, fellas! A new Ability Orb!" He held out the object in question, which bore the symbol of a blade veiled in radiant light. "It's got the rare Ars Arcanum ability!" He turned to Wendy and explained how this new technique worked, "It lets you attack your enemies in a flurry of close-range, magic-powered Keyblade swings. Much like Strike Raid, the effect gets more powerful every time you attack. I recommend using it if you wanna get up close and personal to some enemies." She nodded in confirmation, and the Ability Orb popped into a stream of light before merging with her body.

Donald smiled, "And what do we have here? An Aero Magic Orb! Aero will be upgraded to Aerora." The grey Magic Orb in his hand immediately became one with his staff and Wendy's Keyblade.

Romeo added, "Hey, check it out! A new Keychain!" The item was made up of several silver links, save for the first which was solid gold, and the token was a coin with the mark of Olympus etched onto it.

Hercules described, "That's Olympia, a Keychain that grants the weapon it's equipped with incredible strength. Figured it would mix well with your Keyblade." Wendy didn't need to be told twice, and she equipped her new Keychain. The Keyblade's latest design had grey columns for the handle and sides of its guard. The base of the guard was white, and the top resembled two white arms flexing their muscles. The shaft was white with grey edges, and Hercules's name was engraved in the white section. Lastly, the cloud-like teeth were attached to the tip. Since the weapon appeared to be carved from marble, the Olympia as a whole was made to be inspired by Greek architecture.

"You have gained the Olympia Keychain. Your Keyblade turns into a powerful weapon with higher resistance to magic and deflecting attacks. It is capable of inflicting mighty critical blows. Use its Command Style to bludgeon your foes with solid rock."

Wendy examined the blade as she remarked, "I can already feel how strong it is."

Hercules chuckled, "I'll say! That might even make you a bit stronger than— Whoa!" Philoctetes dragged him down to his level before he said more.

Philoctetes exclaimed, "I still can't believe you lost the match! Not to one, not to three, but TWO little girls!" He motioned to Wendy and Sherria, "That's what ya get when ya go easy on 'em just because they're girls! I told you to USE YOUR HEAD, ya bum!" He knocked the side of Hercules's head for emphasis, "You better not let it happen again, ya hear me?! You're gonna stay up all night in the stadium, and you're gonna be put through the workout of your life! You're gonna be put back into proper form before you win back your title!"

Hercules shrugged innocently, "Phil wasn't happy that I lost to you. Said I was getting soft."

Wendy apologized, "Sorry about that."

Hercules grinned, "Ah, he'll get over it. It was all in good fun. You beat me this time, but next time won't be so easy."

Sherria smiled, "Oh, I wouldn't worry about it. Anytime you ask the Sky Sisters for a rematch…"

Wendy promised, "…we'll be ready. And we'll give it our very best!"

Hercules gave a thumbs up to the Sky Sisters. "I'm counting on it, girls."

Donald told Sherria, "Well, Sherria, it looks like I was wrong about you. After what we've just seen, you've proven to me that you're NOT a klutz after all!" He threw his arm around her neck as he sported a wide grin. "What you did was incredible! I admit I had my doubts about you in the past, but with what you did back there with Wendy… I'm telling you right now, I don't care what kind of person you are. Heck, I don't care if you're a couple of klutzes sharing one brain. You really are a God Slayer! A God Slayer who can defeat a god like Hercules! And for that, from here on in, I'm sticking with you all the way!"

Sherria smiled, "Wow, Donald. I never thought I'd see the day you'd break out of your sour shell and open up completely to me."

Goofy beamed, "All the jabs and insults, and now you're bein' nice to her. You don't feel upset around her anymore!"

Carla chuckled, "So you're finally softening up on Sherria. For once, you actually give her the proper respect."

Donald admitted, "Yeah, maybe I was kinda hard on her because she's, uh..." He cast a glance at the God Slayer, "...Sherria... but things change. Her God Slayer Magic worked on Hercules, so all my doubts are gone. I— WAK!" He yelped when she lifted him off the ground by the torso.

Sherria laughed, "And to think you called me a klutz! Have I ever been on the wrong end of the trail? Have I ever been dishonest?"

Donald shook his head, "N-No, of course not! You just proved to everybody, including me, that your magic is no joke! Is that reason enough to believe you in now?"

Sherria nodded, "No doubt. And I'm glad you saw it that way." She ruffled Donald's head before putting him down, "For the first time, you truly appreciate me for what I am and what I do. I don't expect any less. I'm grateful for your change of heart. I really am."

Donald chortled as he nudged her arm, prompting her to laugh along. "That's actually the nicest thing you'd ever say to me! I'm feeling a lot comfortable around you already!"

Sherria grinned, "Like I said, I don't expect any less…" She paused to change the mood, "…from a loveable duck who blows a fuse at even the tiniest thing that ticks you off a cliff. It's what you always do. Everybody knows you have a short fuse, but on the bright side, you're so cute when your mad." She playfully flicked Donald's beak, which garnered from him an irritated scowl. "In a moment, when the stress gets into your head, you're going to scream."

A tick mark appeared on Donald's forehead as he yelled, "I'M NOT GONNA SCREAM, SO YOU CAN JUST—" He quickly covered his mouth, realizing that Sherria had him fooled yet again.

Sherria snickered at his reaction. "See what I mean?"

Carla teased, "Oh, yes. You may have changed your opinion about Sherria, but your attitude certainly hasn't."

The rest of the group laughed before Donald crossed his arms and mumbled under his breath. "Why do I still have to put up with those awful jokes at MY expense? Why does it always have to be me…?"

Goofy vigorously shook hands with Sherria. "Congratulations, Sherria! You got your chance to fight a god, and you passed with flyin' colors!"

Lucy smiled, "And it's not just you that deserves the credit; it's Wendy as well. You Sky Sisters ruled the match!"

Gray smirked, "Basically, you were the muscle and Wendy was the heavy hitter."

Juvia blinked, "Wait, aren't 'muscle' and 'heavy hitter' the same definition?"

Cana shrugged, "We'd probably say it over and over even after the ceremony, but…"

Romeo beamed, "You're the best, Sky Sisters! You rocked the finals!"

Carla agreed, "Your teamwork and combined powers ultimately prevailed."

Wendy smiled bashfully, "Nothing to it, guys. You've been supporting us the whole time, and it helped a lot…"

Sherria stated, "Hercules had us pinned for a while, and Wendy was all, 'Do you have an idea?' I said I had one, and it was to use my magic to cancel out his. So I made a fist like this…" She imitated the action, "…and POW!" She flung her fist around without noticing that she inadvertently channeled her magic into it, before it struck the pedestal in front of her! With a loud bang, the pedestal cracked up and then crumbled into a pile of rubble. "Oops…" Sherria sweated nervously as everyone looked towards her in surprise.

Philoctetes smacked a palm into his forehead. "Oh, gods! I was so busy plannin' for the Games that I forgot to move that pedestal!" He then smiled at Sherria, "Thanks for getting rid of it for me, though. Now I won't have any problems tidin' up the place with that hunk of rock in the way." All of a sudden, a bright light shone from where the pedestal used to be, scaring him out of his wits. "Aaaahh! Now what?!" The light cleared away the debris to reveal a Keyhole embedded on the floor, drawing the expected looks of amazement from Wendy and her friends.

"Well, what do you know…" Romeo commented.

"Another Keyhole! It's under the big rock Wendy tried to move before!" Donald identified.

"I guess Sherria tearing down that stone block revealed it to us!" Goofy confirmed.

"Who knew it would be literally right beneath our feet?" Lucy remarked.

"I must say, Sherria, whether by accident or not, you actually found it for us," Carla smiled.

"Really? Oh, I guess I have!" Sherria grinned.

Wendy stood in front of the Keyhole, and held her Keyblade up. The tip shined and sparkled, and with a familiar locking sound, the Keyhole vanished from existence, the heart of Olympus Coliseum forever out of reach from the Heartless.

"What was that?" Hercules asked.

"I locked away the Keyhole with my Keyblade," Wendy explained. "That way, the Heartless will never invade the heart of this world."

"Junior heroes, always on the job!" Hercules quipped. "If you hadn't done your part right there, the Heartless would've put more than just the Coliseum out of business. Another job well done, Wendy."

"All in a day's work," Wendy giggled.

"Well, you're better than ever, kid. I'll give you that," Philoctetes admitted. "You and your team won all three major Cups, challenged Herc for his title, and even…" He swallowed a breath before continuing, "…beat him. Looks like the proof's in the pudding."

"The proof's in the pudding?" Donald gasped excitedly. "Are you saying… you now recognize us as true heroes? Finally?!"

"We've waited so long to hear that!" Sherria cheered. "We knew all these soul-crushing world treks leading up to three major leagues would pay off one day!"

"Hey, don't get the wrong idea!" Philoctetes retorted. "You're still junior heroes! I didn't say winning three Cups automatically makes you real heroes! The road's still long and winding for you rookies! What I meant about proof in the pudding is that you've turned from junior heroes to junior champs who aced the junior leagues—"

"He's in denial," Hercules rolled his eyes with a teasing grin.

"I ain't in denial!" Philoctetes argued.

"You're kidding me!" Donald complained. "He still thinks we're junior heroes after all the hard work we've done?!"

"Take it from someone who sticks to his own opinion like glue," Sherria joked.

"Couldn't have said it better myself!" Romeo quipped. He and everyone else burst out laughing, except for Philoctetes, who remained adamant about his thoughts on the 'junior heroes' who dominated the Games, and Donald, who angrily stomped the floor with his webbed foot, folded his arms, and turned away saying 'Hmph!'

"I guess that's pretty much everything," Wendy confirmed.

"Yeah, we should get going while the trunk still has space for all the goods we've got," Romeo agreed, referring to the large number of Dalmatian puppies and the fifth missing page of Merlin's book. "It's like making a lot of food before we go out for a big picnic. The sky's blue, the grass is green, and Sis is waiting for me to play see-saw. She— Huh?!" His eyes widened at what he just uttered. "W-What did I just say? When did I ever say Sis? As in…"

"Sister?" Sherria interjected.

"Yeah, sister," Romeo nodded. "But… how did it just roll out of my mouth like that? And why? Do I even have a sister? All I have is… my... Dad…" His voice became strained to the point that he couldn't speak any longer. Static noises immediately ran through his brain— a familiar sensation he hadn't felt since whiffing the empty scented Insta-Brain Fixer Juice potion. "Ahh… Aaaaahhhh…" That rush of hidden information started to bite back, even more so than before. "AAAAAAAGGGGGH!" He grabbed the sides of his aching head and screamed out loud, baffling everyone around him, including Wendy.

"Romeo, what's going on?" Wendy gasped. "Romeo!"

"What's wrong?" Donald asked. "Are you having a headache?"

"Come on, Romeo!" Goofy urged. "What's the matter? Talk to us!"

Unfortunately, he couldn't make out their voices of concern. Even the vestibule itself drowned out around him. All he heard in his mind was lots of laughter, and cries of joy, and countless voices... including his own. "W-What… What's going… on?" The headache squeezed his brain like a sponge, and his vision started to blur. "So… many… voices… So much… rushing into… my head…!" He fell on his knees, unable to stop himself his screaming as he shook his head around. "S-Stop… Stop it! Make it stop! Get… out of… my… HEAD!"

"Romeo!" Wendy knelt down and hugged him to try and calm him down. "Stay with me, please! Stay with me!" No matter her efforts, nothing could stop the rush of hidden information from building up so badly, his skull could burst. The screaming grew louder and more anguished, forcing Donald, Goofy, and Sherria to cover their ears. The voices kept buzzing in his head— the laughter, the cheer, the sorrow, the fury, the agony, the horror… the flashing images of the past overtaking his sight.

Eventually, the mental throbbing subsided, as did the screams. However, it proved too strenuous that it lulled Romeo into a state of fatigue. He fell in Wendy's arms, unconscious. "Wake up… Wake up! You gotta wake up! Romeo!" She shook him repeatedly, but he didn't respond. The others grew fearful of their friend's current predicament.

"What… just happened?" Hercules asked puzzled.

"Kid must be trippin' on the Herculade. Herculade! Get it?" Philoctetes laughed at the crack he just made, but got no reaction from Hercules. "What? I'm makin' a joke here!"

Romeo's voice muffled in his sleep, struggling to shake away the cerebral pressure numbing his mental fortitude. "Mama… Sis…"

---

"Ugh…" Romeo groaned, rubbing his throbbing head. He opened his eyes to find himself in a world constructed out of his subconscious. Standing up, he looked around to discover that he wasn't in Olympus Coliseum anymore. He was stuck in some kind of city or town, one he never knew existed. "Where am I? What is this place?" So many questions flowed through Romeo's mind. How did he come to be here? Was this city a part of his imagination, or just an illusion? Although he was compelled to find a way to escape this dream and return to the real world, he couldn't help but admire the city's beauty and radiance. It was so wonderful, so peaceful, so… nostalgic. At the moment, his only option was to investigate this mysterious, majestic land.

"Huh… It's really weird," Romeo thought out loud. "Even though I've just woken up in some town I don't know, I feel… strangely warm inside." His hand wandered to where his heart was as he caressed it. "It's like I've been here before. But how? I've lived in Magnolia my whole life…"

He continued searching the city until he stopped at what appeared to be the town square. Not a single soul to be found. "Where is everybody?" He crossed his arms and started to ponder why the place was deserted, or perhaps abandoned.

"Hey, Sis! Slow down!" The voice of a young boy interrupted his thoughts. And to his surprise, it sounded exactly the same as his voice— when he was about five years old or less!

"Not a chance! You have to try and keep up!" A second voice mingled with the panting, and it belonged to a girl. Romeo looked to see a four-year old boy and a seven-year old girl running past him. "H-Hey!" They didn't pay any attention at all due to the fact that they were having a race around the square, or they just didn't hear him. Suspecting there was more to these two children that meets the eye, he decided to follow them.

Soon, he was out of the square and into a massive garden in front of a huge set of gates leading into the castle, which soared high above all the buildings of the city. The garden was filled with all kinds of flowers, nurtured with the same radiance as the city itself. "Look at this place… This all seems very familiar to me. It feels like… like I've actually been there. It's just a coincidence, isn't it? Or maybe…"

At that moment, there was laughter. The boy and the girl were picking flowers from one bed of the garden after another. Romeo crouched in one of the beds, taking a closer look at the children. First of all, the girl had shoulder-length light purple hair and indigo blue eyes. She wore a pair of round frame glasses, a dark red frill dress with drawings of musical notes knitted on the chest, and dark pink shoes. "Wait… I think I know this girl... She looks just like…" Romeo was dismayed to find that the girl in front of him looked somewhat identical to the one he saw in the visions he received from the Insta-Brain Fixer formula. But not more so than what the boy looked like— a younger version of Romeo himself! At first, he refused to believe that this boy was his younger self. Upon closer inspection, however, there was no mistaking it. And that wasn't the only thing that unsettled him— Young Romeo was playing with the girl.

More questions flooded Romeo's mind— if his younger self was acquainted with the girl he saw in his visions, that meant he was probably either a guest or a resident in this world. But how was that even possible? All his life, Romeo lived in Magnolia with his father, Macao. He never knew his mother— Macao's wife— who divorced him sometime after he was born. He couldn't figure out how he came to be in this city. He couldn't even tell if it was real or not.

Romeo heard laughter, and turned to face the children once more. "How's it coming along?" the girl asked.

"It's almost done… Wait for it…" Young Romeo replied.

"You think Mama and Papa will like your surprise?"

"Oh, yeah, definitely! Mama always loves it when we bring her flowers."

"Well, that's my little brother for you. He's so very creative!"

"L-L-L-LITTLE B-B-B-BROTHER?!" Romeo's jaw completely dropped at what the girl referred his younger self as. "N-No way! This is not real… It can't be real! She can't possibly be my… my…!"

"And… done!" Young Romeo presented the girl his makeshift bouquet of flowers. "What do you think, Sis?"

"S-S-S-S-S-S…" Romeo was unable to stop himself from stuttering the word over and over. "S-Si-Si… Si-Si…"

"Just like all the arts and crafts back home, Romeo. A work of art!" the girl smiled in approval. "Mama will love them very much!"

Young Romeo chuckled and asked, "You really think so, Sis?"

"Si-Si-Si…" Romeo stood frozen in shock and awe. The stuttering went on. "S-Si… Si-Si-Si… Si-Si-Si…"

The girl assured, "Oh, I know so. I bet she'll give us lots of hugs and kisses. But most of it's gonna be for you, since you're the one making the flowers, after all."

Young Romeo cheered, "Yeah! Mama will absolutely love these flowers!"

The girl asked, "Ready to go home and give them to her?"

Young Romeo nodded, "I'm ready. You coming with me?"

The girl laughed, "Of course I am! Papa and Uncle Merc want me to stick by you at all times. You know you're not old enough to go out to town on your own. At least until you're five or six." She held a hand to her chest, "As Princess of Radiant Garden and firstborn of Ansem the Wise, I promise I will protect my people and my family no matter what… to stand by them in their hour of need and become their shield! And that includes you, little brother. Boop!" With a wide smile, she tapped Young Romeo's nose, making him giggle. "We'll always be together, no matter what."

"Together forever… Juliet!" Young Romeo smiled and hugged his sister, who didn't hesitate to hug back.

"SIIIIIIISSSSSTTEEEEERRRR?!" Romeo screamed in absolute shock at the revelation. It would have echoed all over the place, but he didn't care. "I… I HAVE A SISTER?! N-NO, IT CAN'T BE! THERE'S NO WAY! I HAVE A SISTER?! ME, A BROTHER?! HOW COULD I NOT KNOW THAT I HAVE A SISTER?! THIS IS CRAZY!" He pulled his hair with both hands, as though he nearly lost his mind.

He couldn't believe what he just saw and heard. Romeo had a sister named Juliet, and they resided in the same world, one completely different from the world he knew. If she was supposed to be his sister, then that meant his unknown mother got pregnant again. But who was the father? Had the mother given birth to Juliet before he left Macao? Wait a second… The light purple hair and indigo eyes… She couldn't possibly be Macao's exact look-alike! But… if Juliet was indeed his sister, then how come he didn't remember ever meeting her or living in that world? Was it all tied to a hidden past of some sort? An old life he never thought he lived?

Another round of laughter from Romeo and Juliet's younger selves derailed his train of thought. "Come on, Romeo! Let's give those flowers to Mama!" Juliet urged her brother.

"Yeah!" Young Romeo complied. And with that, the two siblings raced for the castle entrance.

Romeo was about to chase after them, desperate to learn more of the connection between himself and Juliet, but a bright light from above blinded him before he even lifted a foot. And then he heard a familiar voice. "Wake up… Wake up! You gotta wake up!" It was Wendy's! The light overtook him, and he soon vanished from the garden.

---

Lobby

"Romeo!" With one last shake from Wendy, the Rainbow Fire wizard's eyes shot open. He sat up to his legs to the surprise and relief of everyone present, his breaths coming in pants. "Thank goodness…" Wendy breathed. "You're okay!"

"Ugh… Wh-What happened?" Romeo placed a hand over his forehead and shook it slightly.

"Well, we don't know how and why…" Goofy began.

"…but you were grabbing your head and screaming real loud!" Donald pointed out.

"We're asking YOU the same question, Romeo!" Sherria worried. "What happened? What's the matter with you? Were you having a splitting headache?"

"It's a good thing no one outside paid attention to the screaming," Hercules implied. "Otherwise, it would've drawn a crowd."

"Loud screaming… Oh, right…" Romeo remembered it clear as day— the moment the effects of Insta-Brain Fixer Juice seeped deeply into his mind, the visions and whispers in his head warped him from the inside so badly, it made him pass out. The next minute, he was having a dream until Wendy woke him up. "Man, that was awful." He felt guilty for making his friends anxious when he didn't intend to. "I'm sorry you guys had to see me like that."

"It's alright. You look fit as a fiddle to us," Hercules stated.

"That was one quick nap from havin' a quick headache," Goofy remarked.

"Or a brain freeze! Maybe too much ice cream?" Donald wondered.

"No, I don't think it's a brain freeze," Sherria denied.

"Whatever happens, you have our condolences," Juvia assured.

"Thanks," Romeo confirmed. "Anything strange happened while I was out?"

"Nothing. You were just sleeping," Gray replied.

"For like, a minute ago," Lucy added.

"That's good to hear," Romeo groaned. "All the voices and noises ringing through my head, and here I was, snoozing off and dreaming about me as a kid playing with my sister in some big city."

"YOU HAVE A SISTER?!" Donald, Goofy, Sherria, and Juvia exclaimed at once, shocking Romeo.

"You dreamt of having a sister?!" Sherria shouted.

"We have no idea you have one!" Juvia gasped.

"Why didn't you tell us?!" Donald quacked.

"There's another one in your family, besides your dad?" Goofy asked.

"I-I don't know! It… It just randomly came to me!" Romeo stammered. "I just dreamt about having a sister and living in a city unlike anything I've seen or been to. That's all I saw, honest!"

"So… this sister thing's all in your head?" Sherria raised an eyebrow.

"I guess..." Romeo shrugged, rubbing the back of his hair. "Then again, I think not. Dreams get a little weird sometimes."

"Weird?" Goofy echoed. "You mean to say you don't have a sister at all?"

"My dad is the only family I have, besides the Fairy Tail guild," Romeo implied. "It's not that I know I have a sister. My dad didn't even tell me that I have one. I only had a dream about it, that's all."

"Aww, I wish it wasn't a dream," Donald pouted. "It would've been so nice if you have a sister in real life. If she made it out of your world okay, we would've met her, even talked to her."

"Yeah… If I do have a sister, it… it would've been…" Romeo muttered, but stopped himself from going on, looking rather crestfallen.

"Voices and noises in your head? You were dreaming… about your sister?" Romeo's words struck a chord in Wendy. She recognized the signs all too well. It wasn't too long ago that in the midst of this whole adventure, she gradually recalled her lost memories of Kaze; the childhood they spent together, and Grandeeney's teachings. Judging by the screaming, the flailing, the mental stress gnawing away at Romeo's head before he collapsed, she could tell he was living through the same kind of experience as her. In an instant, the way he behaved at Doctor Finkelstein's lab started to make sense. She didn't know how or why, but she did know this— she and Romeo had much in common than they realized. She felt that he needed someone to comfort him, someone he could share his worries with, someone... in the same boat as she was.

"Maybe all the action and excitement in the arena was too much for you," Gray told Romeo.

"Why don't you get some rest when we get back to the ship?" Lucy suggested.

"Yes, it's best that you save up your energy for the next world," Carla agreed.

"Yeah, you're right," Romeo smiled half-heartedly. "It's time we hit the road."

"We'll be on our way now," Sherria informed Hercules. "We've got more hero stuff to take care of."

"Like I said, all of you together make great heroes," Hercules smiled. "The power of teamwork always wins the day. And that makes you real heroes in my book!" He waved at them as they headed for the exit, "See you next time, everybody!"

"Back at you, Herc! See you later!" Sherria smiled as she and her friends waved back. And thus, the entourage left the crowded Coliseum gates with a roar of cheers gracing their departure, fans numbering in the hundreds showering their praises to the team who fought in the Games and won the three Cups.

"You're jokin', right?" Philoctetes turned to face Hercules by the time Wendy and company were gone. "You said you didn't hold back! You were way better than that, champ. I know you are!"

"Believe me, I meant every word," Hercules smiled. "I have a feeling that one day, these 'junior heroes' will take it even higher than I can."

---

Gummi Ship Engine Lounge

As the heroes gathered for another group meeting not long after the Gummi Ship took off, Goofy was happily overseeing the biggest amount of Dalmatian puppies ever found; they were seen scampering around the engine lounge, yipping happily. Meanwhile, Carla examined the torn page, and everyone else was discussing their next move. Carla announced, "It looks like we've found the last of ninety-nine of Pongo and Perdita's lost puppies. There's also the three missing pages for Merlin's book: one in Atlantica, one in Halloween Town, and one for winning the Cup." She handed the page to Goofy, who put it in his pocket with the other torn pages. "Merlin has already stitched two into the book, so add the other three we've collected, and that makes all five in total."

Juvia asked, "What do you suppose we should do first? With this load of valuables, it would be no less than luggage we have to carry around the entire trip."

Donald suggested, "Let's head back to Traverse Town. We need to sort out all the goodies we have before we fly to the next world. We never know what to expect next, so we better be fully prepared and make sure our stuff isn't out of place." He added with a wide grin, "Hope we'll get more and more goodies when our work there is done!"

Sherria smiled, "On a even positive note, we get to visit our other Fairy Tail friends in town! I'm sure Levy, Lisanna, Elfman, and the Connells are doing just fine with Leon and the others keeping them company."

Lucy beamed, "I haven't seen Levy since the Hargeon mission, but hearing that she's okay in a world called Traverse Town eased my conscience." She brimmed with enthusiasm, "How could I pass this up? It's been a long time, and it's gonna be great! I can't wait to see my first reader for my upcoming book!"

Goofy interjected, "Let's not forget Alzack and Bisca! They're probably out in the local store buyin' loads of toys for Asuka right about now. I wonder how the little muffin's doin'."

Gray shrugged, "I wouldn't have to guess what Elfman's been doing these days. He must be out in the streets, bragging about his manliness like always. And Lisanna, well… Either way, it's good to hear that a lucky few in Fairy Tail are still alive and kicking." He finished with a smirk, "This calls for a reunion party when we pay a visit to Traverse Town!" The others chattered positively in agreement. "Would've been a lot awesome if the entire guild's here, though."

Donald declared, "Okay, then! Back to Traverse Town we go!"

Goofy quipped, "One puppy package delivery + torn page fixin' + Fairy Tail reunion, comin' right up!"

Sherria confirmed, "Looks like we're going to use the warp gummi to kick off the reunion party early."

Donald retorted, "And miss out a few hours of relaxation after a hectic day in the arena? No way! Our teammates need rest from all the fighting, so we're taking the trip back nice and slow."

Lucy stretched her arms and yawned. "I thought you'd never ask. All this action in the Coliseum makes me want to have a nice, warm nap."

Goofy grinned, "Yup, you all deserve it, especially our very own Sky Sisters, Wendy and Sherria. The cutest fightin' duo in the Coliseum, representin' Team Wendy!" The two girls smiled widely at their mention. "We'll be in the cockpit if you need us. Go ahead and unwind while we get to Traverse Town. The lounge is yours again, gang!"

With that settled, Donald and Goofy resumed their duties as co-pilots, and the Fairy Tail wizards (plus God Slayer from Lamia Scale) were left to indulge themselves in the comfort of the engine lounge's hospitable environment. However, Romeo was absent from the gathering; he was still distressed from what he experienced and what was revealed in the dream. He lied on a bed, placing a hand over his face. There was so much going through his head right now. The visions of the hidden past were coming to light, though a part of him wished they hadn't. Yet the questions continued to swirl in his head like a whirlpool, like how apparently, he had an elder sibling and a life in another world. He didn't know whether or not he was Macao's only child. And the worst part, he lacked memories of any of this. For once, he didn't know what to think.

"Romeo?" A soft voice called out to him. He looked over his shoulder to find Wendy standing by his bedside, obviously worried for his current state of mind. She decided that now would be the best time to talk things out, to comfort him in any way she could. "Sorry to disturb you like that, since you needed some time alone after we left, but…"

"Oh, it's you…" Romeo sat up on the edge of the bed, the sight of Wendy taking his mind off the visions for the time being. "Something I can help you with?"

"Yeah… Romeo, can we talk?" Wendy requested. "Just you and me, if you don't mind?"

Romeo was a bit surprised, but saw nothing wrong with it. "Okay." He saved a space in the bedside for Wendy to sit right next to him, which she did. He, too, felt that he needed to get a lot of things off his chest. Also, he had a hunch that she saw through his predicament, and knew what she was getting at. For her sake, he had to let the truth out, one way or another. "I'm sorry if what happened back then was awkward or anything, but…"

"It's that dream you had, isn't it?" Wendy guessed. "Before you passed out, you were holding your head in pain, screaming real loud. It looked like something hurt you from the inside. And then you woke up as if nothing happened. But when I looked at you, you were… lost and confused. Completely unsure of what to do." Romeo was usually pretty good at concealing his insecurities; this he learned from the past eight years of Natsu's absence. But even he couldn't hide the shock in his face as he stared at Wendy. "It wasn't just any dream you were having, was it? Excuse me for bringing that up, but I couldn't just sit back and watch you like this after what happened to you lately. Everyone was worried about you. I'm worried about you."

"I get that. You want to help me, and that's very sweet of you," Romeo confirmed. "To be honest, if someone told me I'd call you 'sweet' a year ago, I'd say they were crazy."

Wendy smiled a little at his joke. "Well, most people call me sweet for the way I look, not that I blame them."

Romeo continued, "But… I kinda always liked that about you. You haven't given up on me, and you never stopped believing in me. You said so, remember?" She nodded as he gave a small chuckle, thinking back at the adventures they had in other worlds. "Back when I was lost in that dark space, I thought no one would come for me… until somebody from the other side had to. I followed the light. It led me out of the darkness. I never looked back."

Slowly, Wendy said, "Somehow, I knew you would—" She cut off with a small gasp of surprise. Looking down to her side, she noticed Romeo's hand on top of hers on the mattress.

Romeo confessed, "I guess… when I'm with you, it felt like… you've always been there for me when I need it most, even if the time you and I had together wasn't that long. And I can tell that... you can tell... there's..." His voice turned a bit ragged as he went on, "…something on my mind right now. If you're here to help me out, well…" His face melted into a genuine smile as he slowly leaned over and placed his head on Wendy's shoulder, his eyes closed in contentment. "…you're already doing it."

Wendy smiled at cheering him up, and closed her hand around Romeo's. For a long moment, the two friends just sat there, happy to be together. The air conditioning picked up, and two petals from a flower in a vase blew by before planting on the floor, the small scraping rousing Romeo from his happy position as he was reminded of that haunting vision. "Wendy…" he began, his face frowning, albeit with less anxiety.

Wendy asked, "Hmm?"

Romeo explained, "I know this sounds crazy, but I really need to tell you something. I wanted to tell you sooner, but I just wasn't ready. I was waiting for the right time. And I guess this is it. You see... I..." He tried to hide his blush as his arms fidgeted slightly. "The truth is, what happened to me lately, it was..."

"Memories of the past that you couldn't remember?" Wendy finished for him, causing him to look at her with circular eyes. "That would be my guess. From when your head ached, to the part where you dreamt about having a sister and living in a world you don't know anything about. You told us after you woke up."

"Y-You figured it out?" Romeo questioned, still not over his surprise.

"Sort of. It's just a feeling I've got," Wendy admitted. "Romeo, listen… I understand you don't feel like telling the others about what you went through. The headache, the dream, everything… But you can always tell me." She took a deep breath before she went on, "I know what that's like. To have a past you can't remember, and how hard it is to take it in as you start to remember. I'm starting to think that… you're going through the same thing as I do."

"The same thing…?" Romeo muttered.

"That's why I know I can trust you," Wendy assured, and she gently caressed her hand around Romeo's cheek. "I want to help you with whatever problem you have. If you need me, even if it's some secret you're bottling up… I'm here for you. I'll trust you. All I ask…" Her voice turned soft and sincere, "…is that you trust me. If you don't feel like letting the others know, you can let me know. It's okay to tell me. You don't have to hold it in. You can tell me everything. Romeo… please. Let me help you. If I'm going to trust you, I need you to trust me. So please, trust me." She repeated with a whisper, "Trust me."

Romeo saw in her eyes that she meant every word, and was empathizing with him over a past they both struggled to recall; one picking up the pieces, and the other a blank slate. To hear Wendy putting her trust in him despite his troubles, it caused his own feelings of comfort to bubble up. The emotional weight was still prevalent, but it also relieved his sadness, even as he took hold of the hand around his cheek and squeezed it tenderly. Wendy wasted no time intertwining her fingers with his, providing an extra push in the solace he needed.

One more compassionate moment later, Romeo finally had the courage to enlighten Wendy of the Insta-Brain Fixer-induced visions he received, starting from the beginning. He took a steady breath, then spoke, "The truth is, there wasn't a bug in that empty brain-fixing potion in my hand. There never was. It was a bluff, just so I could keep it to myself. I only took a whiff of what's inside after it was used up. It smelled like grapes, just as I figured. And when I did catch the scent, a lot of things flashed into my head. Like visions of the past or something. Just like the dream I had at the Coliseum."

Wendy perked up her ears, listening intently. At the same time, she took comfort in knowing that her suspicions were confirmed. "Really? What did they show you?"

Romeo replied, "They showed me things, things I don't know or even remember. As far I as can tell, I was living a happy life in a totally different world. It's a big city full of many tall houses and buildings, with a huge castle at the middle. The more I see it, it made me feel… that I had another life, one that's way beyond Magnolia. Or any other place in Earth-land, for that matter. And do you know what's even more strange?" He paused, a tone of hesitation lacing his voice. "Me having a sister. All this time, I have no idea that I have a sister. But…" He lowered his head, "…why show me this now? How come I don't know? Why can't I even think back to any of it… all of it? It doesn't make any sense."

Wendy questioned, "What else did you see?"

Romeo stated, "Suddenly, the city was on fire. Everything was burning. All I saw were shapes and shadows within the flames lighting up the place. I heard voices and noises, but I didn't get what they meant. I couldn't even hear myself scream or cry out. And then… my world went white. There was nothing." He sighed sadly, "That's the gist of it so far. I'm sorry." He felt disappointed for his lack of important bits on his forgotten past, save for his elder sister and the world they resided in, but for Wendy's sake, he had to get it out in the open.

Wendy realized, "So what happened at the lab was…"

Romeo nodded, "That's right. I picked up the scent from the empty bottle, and whatever stuff it's got affected my brain, showing me these memories I never knew I had. I dropped the bottle after I snapped out of it. I freaked out at that time."

Wendy wondered, "Then… why did you lie to everyone about the bug in the bottle?"

Romeo professed, "I didn't want them to worry, especially you. But since you kinda figured it out for yourself, I guess there's no reason for me to hide it from you."

Wendy pointed out, "You said you have a sister in those memories. Does she have a name?"

Romeo answered, "Her name is Juliet. She's got these eyes that reflect the sky, and purple hair, and she wears glasses and a pretty red dress. She's cheerful and very kind, much like you."

Wendy blushed, "Much like... me...? Oh..."

Romeo continued, "Juliet looks out for me and supports me, like any sister should. We shared a very strong bond."

Wendy mused, "Juliet... That's the name of your sister... Is that all?"

Romeo admitted, "Afraid so. I don't see the point of it if I don't have the memories to back it up. Her name, what she looked like, and our sibling relationship; they're the only things I know about Juliet. It's not much, but I just thought you should know."

Wendy assured, "It's alright. Honestly, there's a small part of me that knew that was the case. Now I know for certain. You had a life you didn't know you lived, and someone you didn't know you were close to, even family." She paused to let this sink in, before taking Romeo's hand in hers. "Just like me. Back when I first set off to other worlds, my memories of Kaze came back to me, little by little. I wanted to get to know her, to figure out the connection between us, and it looks like I'm getting a bit closer. I can feel it." She paused again, "I guess you and I have something in common than we thought. We both want to remember something we can't. But even if it all comes back to me, I haven't given up. And I know you don't, either." She smiled as she looked into his eyes, "I'm glad I get to know you more through the things you've seen; whether it's memories or dreams, I'm thankful that I get to be a part of your world."

Romeo stuttered, "My world's… a very strange place…" He didn't appear to be quite over what she just told him.

Wendy nodded, "I know. And I don't care. I still want to be a part of it. That's what I've decided. Romeo, no matter what happens, I'm always on your side." The warmth in her smile blossomed, "Even if by some chance that you remember everything, I'm sticking with you. You have nothing to worry about. I'm not giving up on you. Not now, not ever."

Romeo couldn't stop his own smile from forming, or even tears from welling up in his eyes, though he made no effort in wiping them. He was truly grateful to have such a great friend in Wendy— a friend who believed in him, trusted him, and recognized that they both harbored a past that was unknown even to them. He grasped Wendy's hands and gently smoothed them, more motivated than ever. "Thank you, Wendy. And if by some chance that you remember everything, I'm not giving up on you, too. I promise I'll do my best… to be the best person you can count on."

Wendy whispered, "Romeo…" She grabbed him in a hug, and he returned it, both invigorated by the vow they made to see through each other's troubles to the end. The secrets of the lost past may one day unveil themselves, but that only strengthened their resolve to move forward.

As they stayed in their embrace, Romeo spoke up, "Did I mention that I happened to notice some of the happier times I've had with Juliet in that big city? I saw it in my dream. I'll tell you, if you like."

They pulled away, and Wendy looked at him excitedly. "There's more?" He replied with a nod. "Yes, please tell me!" She climbed on the bed and sat with her legs crossed, anxious to hear more of what Romeo ascertained from his hidden memories thus far.

Romeo cleared his throat before beginning his story. "Alright, it goes like this. I don't know how old I was at the time, but I can assume I was four or five. Juliet and I were having some fun, racing in the streets…"

---

The hidden memories resurfaced. Kaze was still training in secret, enhancing her Dragon Slayer techniques under cover of night. Once again, the world outside Grandeeney's nest rumbled with roaring winds and exploding earth as she kept pushing herself, getting her hands on anything within her reach, from a singular of squealing wild boars to a herd of rummaging Wyverns. Every passing moment, as her strength and magic grew to insurmountable levels, so did the infallible darkness in her heart. As did the process of dragonification, which was already beginning to hasten whenever she overtaxed her magic. Regardless of the impending changes, Kaze pushed onward. For the sake of the future she desired, she had to grow past the insecure, helpless weakling she used to be. She had to train harder, more than she ever had before, until she became the ultimate Dragon Slayer.

"I could not have asked for a more wonderful and amazing daughter… You deserve nothing but the best."

"Aww, Grandeeney! I love you so much! We'll always be together… forever and ever!"

Wendy and Grandeeney's voices echoed in Kaze's mind. At the same time, the dragon's decease kept on festering, eating away at her mental health. As her mind wandered elsewhere, she left a path of destruction and carnage behind, chasing down one target after another. Suddenly, she lost sight of the animals and plants, and found herself back in the nest. One refreshing morning, Wendy was climbing Grandeeney's feathery scales up to her back, until she slipped and ended up landing onto the dragon's talon. She was given a talon ride, and the air was filled with cheer and laughter. A touching mother and daughter activity… without Kaze involved.

There they were, venturing out for a lovely stroll in the sunlight. Sharing snacks. Catching birds. Reading various fairy tales. Training in their spare time. The bewildered Kaze was unfavorably and regrettably left out.

Wendy and Grandeeney laughed. Played. Trained. Hugged. Loved. Kaze received no treatment from either of them. They didn't even spare so much as a single glance. She was all alone. She circled around at the many illusions of Wendy and Grandeeney blissfully ignorant of the dark pink-haired youth who wasted her breath calling them out, trying to get their attention. Their chorusing joy jumbled in Kaze's ears like a cacophony. The ground teetered under her feet, and the world seemed to swirl around her. Before she knew it, the astral projections smothered her in a bright mass.

The nest turned to nothingness, yet the dissonance still persisted. Then suddenly, in place of the laughter and hope, there was bitterness and despair. It was of Kaze speaking with Grandeeney. Although their presence was veiled in the white void, their conversation was sound and clear. As expected, not every bit of it was pleasant.

"Grandeeney! How could you… How could you choose her over me?! It's not fair! It's not FAIR! I should be the one! I'M supposed to be the one! I'm the REAL Dragon Slayer! I'm the real thing, you hear me?!"

"I'm sorry, Kaze… I've made my decision, and it was final. Wendy is one of the seven."

"You're joking, right?! This HAS to be a joke! You actually believe she'd make a better Dragon Slayer than me when all she does is use dumb healing powers to bring dead flowers and sick squirrels back to life? Did you honestly think she has what it takes more than I do? Look at her! She's pathetic! Look at her with the goodie two-shoes attitude, her stupid crybaby mug, and her ear-grating chipmunk voice! And don't even get me started on support magic! What's she gonna do, bore the bad guys to death with a 'go away fever' massage? That's not gonna do any good! What makes you think corny support magic is better than hitting stuff? It's more of a baloney routine to me!"

"You once told me that you were going to be the best version of yourself. I honestly expected you to balance both your offensive and support spells in a dignified manner. But you didn't. Instead, you chose to fed the fires of your aggression. You disregarded the proper specifications of Sky Magic. You took the easy way out. You claimed to have a clear mind, yet you get on a rush and lose control anyway!"

"Does it look like I've lost control? Does it look like I've done anything wrong? I know exactly what I'm doing, and I knew all along what I've been doing!"

"And what have you been doing over the past weeks? Slaughtering woodland creatures in the middle of the night? Ruthlessly tearing down the natural habitat while Wendy and I slept? Wandering off every evening, risking the exposure of our home to outside forces? And for what? To train without my supervision? To fashion yourself into a harbinger of chaos?!"

"W-What… H-How did you know…?"

"As a dragon, I smell your thoughts and emotions from miles away. And my eye extends beyond this nest. You thought you could just waltz out there and do as you please without my consent? You thought you could deceive me?"

"Did Wendy tell you…?!"

"She didn't. I only kept my eye on you, from the moment you first set out at night. I knew what you've been up to all along. If you must know, I never strayed from my oath to watch over my children, including you!"

"So what if I did sneak out the nest more than once, huh? It's your problem, not mine! You haven't given me any offensive training ever since you started on the dumb healing magic thing! I never would've done it, but what I was supposed to do? You couldn't train me to fight, so I had to train myself! Better to train out there in the wild than here in some birdbrain kiddie playground! The nest wasn't enough! You were not enough!"

"Don't you realize what you're doing, Kaze? You're twisting the magic I bestowed upon you into a tool for destruction! This isn't the kind of magic I've been meaning to teach! My purpose was to instruct you and Wendy in the best and most balanced form of Sky Magic. You, on the other hand, made the choice to pervert it just so it suits your own selfish need! Magic at the expense of equity is NOT magic at all!"

"Magic is magic! I can do whatever I want with it! Isn't it about time you stopped lecturing me with your lang bump-bump lowly speeches?"

"Watch your tongue, Kaze… You've become arrogant and more conceited! I asked you to follow my instructions, and you disobeyed! You just didn't know when to stop!"

"I did what I had to do, Grandeeney! You wouldn't understand! I've grown to be so much more than what you've taught me! I've grown better, more stronger, all by myself! I've trained myself to be the best Dragon Slayer you should've made me! But what did you teach? Nothing but support magic! Support magic?! Healing magic?! SERIOUSLY?! What use is a dumb practice called healing magic?! I only let you train me so that I could fight! To protect myself! To HURT somebody! I want magic with edge! Magic with attitude! One that's less talk and more action! Is that so hard to ask?! I've worked really hard to get there— alone, on my own— without you and your cheesy lectures weighing me down! As far as I know, you didn't give me what I asked for, the kind of magic I wanted! Instead, you wasted your time preaching nonsense about harmony and telling us to practice stupid healing magic! No wonder you favored that dead weight Wendy over me, because she does better at healing magic while I'M awfully bad at it! You say Wendy's the better student although she's weak, while I'm not because I'm strong?! Your absurd backwards view on things absolutely DISGUSTS me! You should've done better! You should've given me a chance! As a matter of fact, you should've picked ME! I'm the REAL star student here! I'm the REAL Dragon Slayer! I'm where the money is!"

"You know why I selected Wendy as one of the seven. She understands more than you. I cannot risk intertwining a spoiled, volatile child such as yourself with the prophecy. I made the choice not just for her, but for you as well. What I do, I do to protect you both. Everything I've done is always for the good of all! Why can't you understand that?"

"Oh, and do you know something else, 'Mom'? Lately, you've been spending more time with Wendy than me! You ignored me! Paid less attention to me! Couldn't lift a finger at me! Does that mean you love HER more than ME?! A wimp like her doesn't deserve the love you gave her! I'm better at magic than her! I'm better at EVERYTHING than her! I'm older than her, I'm smarter than her, I'm tougher than her— so I should be the one getting the most love!"

"That's absurd! I've always loved you and Wendy equally! I—"

"YOU DON'T FOOL ME, YOU STUPID DRAGON! You say you love me, but you don't! The only thing you've been doing is hold me back! You were lying to me all along! Wendy was also lying to me! I was an idiot for not seeing it until now! You both tricked me into thinking you loved me, just to shower more love for that loser! I've tried so hard to be what you wanted me to be, to get you to make me what I've wanted to be, and you didn't even bat an eye! You're just like her, Grandeeney! YOU'RE JUST A LOSER LIKE SHE IS!"

"Kaze, please! Listen to me!"

"IF YOU DON'T LOVE ME… IF YOU DON'T DO ANYTHING TO HELP ME… THEN NOBODY WILL! I'LL SHOW YOU! I'LL SHOW HER! I'LL SHOW YOU ALL!"

"KAZE, STOP!"

But it was too late. The next thing that occurred after the argument, color spread all over the white space. The forest returned to life, but the atmosphere was drastically changed. Trees were burnt to ash. The sweet springs ran dry. Rivers of blood stained the earth. Animals scampered for their lives. The landscape stood bleak against the blackened skies bursting with thunder and lightning. And the sunken, despaired faces of a once happy, but now broken little family.

Wendy and Grandeeney stood helplessly before the person who caused the destruction— an anguished, tormented girl whose innocence was shattered, a victim of her own hatred and revenge. The dark purple aura surrounding her body confirmed her horrifying presence, the energy extending high into the air to form the shape of a dragon with demonic red eyes. The youth let out an animalistic howl as she pounced at Wendy and Grandeeney, her hand transforming into a massive claw. She took a ferocious swipe at the two, who braced themselves...

---

Kaze remained strapped to her medical bed, the gas from her oxygen mask keeping her sedated. Over the course of her detainment, her mind was trapped in a prison of dreams based on her forgotten memories; they flooded her brain like a tidal wave. The Sleepy Hollow medical staff continued to monitor the comatose guild master, and so far, her vital signs and condition seemed to stay normal. Just then, the heart rate monitor beeped faster than usual. But the doctors took it as a sign that Kaze's health was somewhat improving. Perhaps if they had been more attentive, they would have noticed her arms and legs wobbling unconsciously, or the soft groaning escaping her mouth. Or the large strands of dark energy steaming out of her muscles.

"Wendy…" Kaze was still asleep, but she began to mutter something under her breath. It was severe and menacing, and her frown equally so. "You… little brat…" The darkness around her grew as it reached the ceiling, unseen by the personnel. "You have… no idea… what you're… in for…"

A deep-seated grudge from fifteen years ago… was about to come back with a vengeance.

---

Author's Note:
Hoo! That's the end of the Hercules Cup chapter— it's one of the longest chapters I've ever written for this story. God, no wonder it took the rest of last year to the first quarter of 2021 to finish it! Regardless, I wanted to fill it with many wonderful ideas and twists to make this chapter as exciting and captivating as it can be. The road is often long and harrowing for me as it needs to be, but I haven't given up.

It was very interesting to write the Hercules Cup in its entirety, especially the two new Command Styles, the slapstick comedy and drama, the rematch with Cloud, and most exciting of all— the battle with Hercules! I originally planned to have Sherria face Hercules one-on-one, but I've decided to add Wendy, since he himself wanted to have a match with her, too. And so here it is, the Sky Sisters versus the son of Zeus. I thought it would benefit both parties if this cute duo united against him. So what do you think of the epic handicap tag team match? Is the dynamic and setting heavenly for your tastes? Go ahead and leave your thoughts! Oh, and I hope you enjoyed Pain and Panic's appearances in this chapter. Classic Disney hilarity at its finest. And rest assured, if you thought the Hercules Cup was cool, just wait until the Hades Cup before the story reaches its ultimate conclusion.

For those expecting a rumble in the Coliseum with the next dark guild, let me explain why I had to leave them out of this chapter. Cloud eliminated the Rooster Metal dark guild moments before the Cup started, and left them to be arrested by the authorities, thus squandering their participation in the Cup. All thanks to a slip of info given to our ex-SOLDIER by an anonymous group. And who are those two cloaked crusaders? Gajeel Redfox and Panther Lily of Fairy Tail, of course! They make a cameo in this chapter, lending a little hand to Wendy and company in their battle against the Alliance of Evil. This confirms that they're the ones in the Raijin gummi ship, but you can bet they're not the only crew members. I'll leave it up to you to figure out who's with the Iron Dragon Slayer and his Exceed partner, because the long-expected backup for our heroes will be coming sooner rather than later. If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise.

And as for the Neverland arc... Actually, about that... I think it's about time for a change of pace. I've decided that Neverland is a totally emotional thrill ride and it's too soon for Wendy and the gang to go through with it, so I'm moving the next chapter to the 100 Acre Wood arc instead. Our heroes return to Traverse Town, where they deliver the last of Pongo and Perdita's missing puppies, and reunite with the other Fairy Tail wizards who stayed with Leon's crew. Most of all, Wendy embarks on a magical journey through the storybook world of Winnie the Pooh, one of the most adorable characters in Disney history, and one of my personal favorites.

One more note before I end this note on a high note: In Romeo's latest memory recall of his forgotten past in Radiant Garden, the name of his sister is revealed to be Juliet. I named her after the titular female character of William Shakespeare's classical work. First Romeo, then Mercutio, and now Juliet... See the Shakespeare references? Not only does Romeo learn (though he doesn't remember any of it at first) that he's not an only child, but Wendy has given him her absolute trust and support; she recognizes that they both share the same experience of recalling what they've lost. We now see just how much their relationship has grown— this one's for the RoWen shippers out there; you can expect them sharing paopu fruits sometime in the future.

Speaking of memories, we get more juicy bits of Wendy and Kaze's mysterious past, one from Wendy's perspective and one from Kaze's. What could possibly be the reason behind the wedge that drove them apart? And how did she turn into the villain we see today? Find out next time as the plot thickens like oil...

Up next, the 100 Acre Wood arc. It's the calm before the storm that is Neverland. Will our heroes be ready for the storm to come? Until then, it's about time I take my leave. This is TheSavageMan100, signing out. Don't forget to fav, follow, and review, and stay tuned for more Kingdom Fairy Tail epicness. See you next time!