Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Reconnect

by monkeycyborgninja

"I've been having some weird thoughts lately... like, is any of this real, or not?" A year has passed since Madoka returned to Japan, and when she begins to question her own memories, she sets out on a journey to find the one person she believes has the answers, all with the help of a key shaped sword.

11. Let the Games Begin!

A/N: Hey there guys, MCN here, bringing you the second part of the Olympus Coliseum Arc! Well, I promised you guys a combat heavy chapter last time, and I like to believe that I delivered on that promise... if you only look at the second half of the chapter. Oh well, it is what it is, gotta do some exposition and character interactions before we can get to the rumblin' and tumblin'. Welp, without further ado, let's get to the chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or Puella Magi Madoka Magica

Beta Reader: Dragonexx

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Let the Games Begin!

Madoka huffed and puffed as she bolted down the coliseum corridor as fast as her legs could carry her. As soon as Mami had sauntered out of the arena, and Phil took the stage to officially close the first day of the qualifying rounds for the games, Madoka immediately rushed back to the lobby, where she had a sinking feeling that Mami would be waiting for her. On the way, she had to clumsily weave through the other combatants, apparently attempting to take their leave before the closing ceremonies were through. The whole time, the coliseum was filled with the sound of cheering fans, answering in kind as Phil hyped up the audience with promises of even more spectacular matches to be held as the games went on.

Eventually, Madoka made it back to the stone doors that led into the lobby, the pinkette taking a moment to catch her breath, as well as to calm her rapidly beating heart.

"Are ye alright there lass?" Mini-Scrooge asked as he hopped onto her shoulder. "Are ye sure ye want to be confrontin' yer friend like this? After all, if this is anything like the last time…"

"I know…" Madoka quickly cut the old duck off as she finally steadied her breathing. "I know, but… that's exactly why I can't run from her." Madoka said, a determined look appearing on her face.

"…Well alright then. Good luck, lass." Mini-Scrooge said, Madoka nodding in agreement before the mechanical bird retreated back into her hood.

Madoka took one last deep breath, steadying her nerves before she reached out and pushed the stone doors open. Within the torch-lit room, the benches now empty of wounded combatants, stood Tomoe Mami, standing by the entrance to the coliseum proper. She had switched out her frilly costume for her casual clothes, and hanging around her neck was a yellow towel that she used to dab the beads of sweat that had formed on her brow. One other thing that quickly caught Madoka's attention was the three Clara Dolls that were attending to the older girl. They were different from the ones that had accompanied Nagisa and Sayaka in Wonderland… though, to be fair, Madoka couldn't really tell them apart all that well, but they were there nonetheless. One handed Mami what appeared to be the ancient Greek equivalent of a water bottle, while another stood on the shoulders of the third to fan Mami with a piece of fabric.

"Phew, thank you very much." Mami said with a polite smile, accepting the support of her entourage.

'I see, so she really is…' Madoka solemnly thought, but quickly brushed that thought aside as she pushed the doors open the rest of the way and walked inside.

"Mami-san!" Madoka said, finally making her presence known.

"Kaname-san!" Mami said, her face lighting up at the sight of her friend. Shoving the water bottle back into the hands of the Clara Doll, Mami quickly closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around Madoka in a tight, joyous hug. Madoka gladly returned the embrace; enjoying the moment of sheer bliss she felt being reunited with her friend.

"I'm so happy to see you!" Mami said after releasing the pinkette. "Are you ok? You're not hurt anywhere, are you?" The older girl fussed, quickly looking Madoka over for any signs of injury, sickness, or any other harm to her wellbeing.

"What? Mami-san, shouldn't I be asking you that?" Madoka replied almost playfully. "You're the one that just got out of a really tough looking fight. Geez, I almost had a heart attack when that Heartless bit the head off your double!" She chided, only for Mami to let out an embarrassed chuckle.

"Oh, yes, I suppose that would have been rather… surprising." As she said this, Madoka was just barely able to notice a pool tears forming at the corner of her eyes, but the older girl subtly wiped them away, under the guise of wiping more sweat off of her face. "I'm sorry if I startled you, Kaname-san."

"Mami-san…"

It really was her, Tomoe Mami, the kind, mature, and responsible older girl that Madoka had always looked up to. The was no doubt in her mind that the relief she must have felt in finding her, the sheer joy that brought her tears, was genuine… and that just made the inhuman cheers of the Clara Dolls in the background that much more difficult to listen to.

"Um, by the way Mami-san, why exactly did you enter the games?" Madoka asked curiously. The older girl paused, looking just the slightest bit startled by the question.

"...Why, to try and find you, of course." Mami replied.

"Huh? Me?"

"I'll admit, I was skeptical at first, after all, I didn't think gladiatorial blood sport would be something you'd be drawn to, but then I saw the rankings from the previous games." Mami explained. "Winner: Sora. That's the boy whose memories you've been seeing, right?"

"Yeah."

"I figured you'd be using those memories to guide you, just like you did back in Mitakihara, so I took a chance and entered the games, hoping that those memories would bring you here. And as luck would have it, my gamble paid off." Mami said with a proud smile.

"So… you're here to bring me back home?" Madoka hesitantly inquired.

"Well, that's certainly the plan." Mami nonchalantly replied, seemingly oblivious to Madoka's apprehension. "But, I'm afraid that'll have to wait for a couple of days."

"Huh?" Madoka said, somewhat caught off guard.

"I know you want to go back home as soon as possible, but I made a commitment when I entered the games, and I have to see it through till the end." Mami regretfully declared.

"You're… going to keep competing in the games?" Madoka said, genuinely surprised by the development.

"I know, I'm sorry, but I promise, as soon as I win the final match, we'll head straight home!" Mami assured, clasping her hands together apologetically.

Madoka was conflicted. On one hand, Mami was certainly under Homura's control, being used by the devil girl to drag Madoka back to her World to be locked up again, but on the other hand, she recalled the hoops she had to jump through to get Nagisa to delay their return, and yet here was Mami, the most responsible member of her friend group, delaying their return of her own volition.

'Maybe… maybe Homura-chan's control over them isn't as absolute as I thought.' Madoka pondered hopefully.

"Hey now, that's a bold claim coming from a newcomer like yourself." Madoka and Mami turned their attention to the entrance of the coliseum proper, where they saw Phil, leaning against the threshold. "But, then again, after that show-stopping performance of yours, I think it's safe to say that you're more than just a… pretty face." He said, his eyes giving Mami a once over before he gave her, what Madoka assumed was meant to be, a saucy wink.

"Why, thank you, Phil-san." Mami replied, ignoring the abysmal attempt at flirting from the pudgy little satyr. "I assume that means I'll be back for an encore?"

"That's right, sweetcheeks." Phil said, pulling out his clipboard and flipping through some pages. "Those three beautifully executed rounds in the ring have earned you a nice little spot in the Hercules Cup." He sauntered over to the girls, pulling out what Madoka recognized as the pass that granted one entry into the games, and handed it to Mami with an exaggerated bow.

"Wonderful! I'll be sure to give the audience a good show." Mami promised with a polite bow, even as the Clara Dolls celebrated her entry into the bracket behind her.

"So, you uh, got any plans after this, doll face?" Phil inquired; slicking back what little hair he had on his balding head in an attempt to look presentable. "Cause I know this great little spot in Thebes that hasn't been crushed by a monster yet. Maybe you and me could swing by, get us a platter of cheese and olives, and just… see where the evening takes us, huh? What do ya say?"

The Clara Dolls all shivered in disgust at the Satyr's invitation, as if voicing Mami's own silent discomfort. To the older girl's credit, she maintained her polite smile as best she could, a nervous bead of sweat falling down her face as she struggled to reply.

"Oh, well… thank you for the invitation, but I…" Thankfully, Phil's attention was stolen as he finally noticed Madoka's presence.

"Hey! What did I just get through telling ya kid!? The Lobby's for heroes only!" Phil shouted, pointing a scolding finger at the pinkette.

"Oh, I-I'm sorry, I was just…"

"Go on, beat it! Vamoose! Amscray! " He said as he attempted to shoo Madoka out of the room.

"A-Actually, she's with me!" Mami quickly came to Madoka's defense.

"Huh? What, you know this kid, sweetheart?" Phil said quizzically.

"That's right, she's a friend of mine." Mami said, putting a friendly hand on Madoka's shoulder. "She just came back here to congratulate me for passing the qualifiers, and we were just about to go celebrate. Isn't that right, Kaname-san?" She turned to her with a subtle wink, already beginning to pull her towards the exit.

"Uh… yeah, that's right." Madoka replied. "I'm really sorry for breaking the rules again, I swear it won't happen again." She apologized to Phil, the two girls inching closer and closer to the door.

"Ugh… well, I'll let it slide just this once." Phil reluctantly obliged. "But if you wanna cheer for your friends, do it from the stands from now on, capiche?"

"Yes sir, will do." Madoka said as she heard the Clara Dolls open the door for them.

"Well, we should really get going then." Mami said, hastily urging Madoka out the door.

"Right, see you back here for the main even. I'll be waiting." Phil bid them farewell with a wink, Mami maintaining her polite composure until the moment the stone doors closed behind them.

Both girls let out an exasperated sigh, the Clara Dolls laughing at their misery as they walked down the corridor to the courtyard.

"Suddenly… I don't feel so bad about being mistaken for a child." Madoka said, only about half serious.

"It's like I've always told Miki-san, having a more… ahem, womanly figure has never been all its cracked up to be." Mami awkwardly asserted, those very womanly assets bouncing as she cleared her throat.

A moment of silence passed between them before both girls burst out into a fit of amused laughter, as it dawned on them just how awkward and ridiculous that previous encounter actually was. Their laughter echoed through the corridor until they finally found their way to the courtyard, the Clara Dolls scattering as soon as they crossed the threshold like a gaggle of children that have been cooped up inside all day.

"Well, that may have been just a ruse, but what do you way we actually go out and celebrate?" Mami suggested. "After all, it's not everyday you get to compete in a genuine ancient Greek tournament."

"Uh… yeah, sure, that sounds nice." Madoka replied, completely caught up in the moment. It almost felt like they were back home, back before Mami had graduated into high school. The older girl was sorely missed from the gang's after school detours, and a part of Madoka was really looking forward to reliving that time, exploring the town of Thebes with her.

"A bit to early to be celebratin', wouldn't ye say?" Mini-Scrooge said as he popped out of Madoka's hood.

"Oh my! Who is this, Kaname-san?" Mami said in surprise.

"Oh yeah! This is my friend, Mr. Scrooge." Madoka answered, moving the small mechanical duck from her shoulder to her hand to present to Mami.

"Aye, Scrooge McDuck is the name. A pleasure to make yer acquaintance." Mini-Scrooge introduced himself, offering a mechanical wing to shake.

"Likewise," Mami responded, graciously accepting the gesture. "My name is Tomoe Mami, I'm an old friend of Kaname-san's."

"Mr. Scrooge has been helping me find my way around the Worlds." Madoka explained further. "His advice has helped me out of a lot of tight spots."

"Really? Well, it seems I owe you quite the debt of gratitude for watching over my friend, Mr. Scrooge." Mami said with a gracious bow of her head.

"Bah, think nothin' of it lass, it was my pleasure." Mini-Scrooge insisted. "I must say though, ye gave us quite the show back there in the coliseum. Ye certainly have talent, lass, but it'll take more than just a few fancy tricks to get through the Hercules Cup in one piece. Why, if the competitors are even half as tough as they were back in my day, ye best be ready fer the fight of yer life!" He asserted as his little mechanical body began shadow boxing.

Mami let out an amused chuckle at the duck's antics.

"I appreciate your concern Mr. Scrooge, but… I'm well aware of the challenge that I'm about to face." Mami said, her eyes narrowing in determination. "It may not look like it, but I'm a seasoned combatant in my own right, and I have no intention of just fooling around out in the ring come the main tournament. I'll be fighting to win."

'Wow, she's so… determined.' Madoka thought as she watched the way that her poised upperclassman's whole demeanor changed. It certainly raised quite a few questions for Madoka, after all, she never expected Mami of all people to be so competitive, especially over a fighting tournament that she had apparently only entered to find her. 'And…seasoned combatant?'

"…Say, Mami-san, I've been meaning to ask you something." Madoka hesitantly spoke up. Upon gaining Mami's attention, the older girl softened her expression into a kind, knowing smile.

"Let me guess, you want to know how I got here all the way from Mitakihara, and how I'm able to fight and use magic, right?"

"Eh? Uh, well…" That wasn't exactly true; after all, Madoka already knew the answers to those questions. But still, hearing them come straight from Mami herself will help her decide how she should proceed. If possible, she would like to avoid a fight. "…Yes."

"I thought so. Honestly, I'm a bit surprised it took you this long to finally ask, but I suppose things must have been rather hectic for you, haven't they?" Mami said, Madoka awkwardly laughing in response to her implied absentmindedness.

"Now then, how should I explain this…?" Mami crossed her arms and stroked her chin, trying to think of the best way to relay the elaborate lie that Homura had planted into her head, just as she did with Nagisa. "Well, to put it in the simplest of terms… I, Tomoe Mami, first year student at Mitakihara High School… am a Magica Girl."

Madoka's heart skipped a beat at the proclamation, her thoughts returning to the dreams she had the night before.

My name is Tomoe Mami… I'm a third year student at Mitakihara Middle School, and… I became a Magical Girl…

"Magical… Girl…?" Madoka repeated apprehensively.

"That's right, and not just me either." Mami continued. "Sakura-san, Miki-san, Nagisa-chan, and of course, Akemi-san too. All five us were granted the power of magic by the Heavenly Saint, and were given the duty of protecting Mitakihara City from the forces of darkness." Mami then took the towel around her neck in her hand, the ring on her finger glowing as she transformed the fabric into the shape of one of her ivory muskets. "We were known as… the Puella Magi Holy Quintet!" Mami declared, twirling her musket around in her hands before posing dynamically with it.

Madoka and Scrooge gave her a blank stare, before trading a confused look that communicated a silent understanding between them. This was… different from what Nagisa had told them.

"Wait, Heavenly Saint?" Madoka said quizzically.

"Think of it as… a guardian angel of sorts." Mami explained as she relaxed her posture and dismissed her magically conjured weapon. "She was a being of great power and benevolence, whose duty it was to protect our World, and all that was good in it, from the forces of darkness and chaos. However, she couldn't do it alone, so she called upon us to fight on her behalf as Magical Girls."

"So… you all fought as allies of justice, just like in those Sunday morning hero shows?" Madoka posited.

"I know it sounds a bit strange saying it out loud, but yes, that's exactly it." Mami confirmed.

"Even… Homura-chan?" Madoka hesitantly inquired. It was then that there was a slight shift in the older girl's demeanor, the smile on her face becoming more solemn and regretful.

"Yes. In fact, she was probably the most selfless and heroic of all of us. " Mami declared. "You see Kaname-san, there's a reason that we never mentioned any of this to you. About a year ago, right before you returned to Japan, a particularly powerful enemy appeared before us. A champion of the forces of darkness, powerful enough to not only completely overpower us… but strike down the Heavenly Saint herself." There was noticeable guilt within her voice, the older girl ringing her hands together as she recalled the painful memory. "Without the guardian of our World, the forces of darkness could freely invade our world, spreading discord and chaos wherever they went… we couldn't let that happen."

"So, what did you do?" Madoka asked, finding herself strangely captivated by the story.

"…The Heavenly Saint once told us that she used to be human, that the Heavenly Saint had to be human, in order to truly empathize with those she was sworn to protect. And so we knew, one of us had to take her place."

"And the one to do it was…"

"That's right, it was Akemi-san." Mami said with a somber smile. "While the rest of us hesitated, unsure about taking on such a huge responsibility, Akemi-san stepped forward, unafraid, and took it upon herself. In order for her to ascend, the rest of us had to poor all of our own magical power into her, but as a result, we lost our ability to cast magic… along with all of our memories of our time fighting together as a team."

Mami looked down at the magical ring on her finger with the most heart-wrenching look on her face, but she quickly regained her composure to continue.

"…But, evidently, it worked. Akemi-san ascended, became the new Heavenly Saint, and pushed back the forces of darkness to protect the city, and the World." She said. "With the World at peace, and our role as Magical Girls no longer necessary, Akemi-san decided to keep her distance from us, allowing us to live our lives peacefully, as ordinary girls. It… must have been so lonely for her, to not only have her friends and trusted companions completely forget who she was, but to also almost immediately replace her with somebody else… I can't help but feel ashamed of myself for not reaching out to her sooner."

"Homura-chan…" Madoka whispered, her heart aching with sympathy for the fate of her classmate.

In the moment, Madoka was almost convinced that this whole elaborate story was in fact the truth, but she was soon brought back to reality as she noticed the Clara Dolls, sat around them in a circle, like children listening to a story, and crying their crocodile tears.

"And so, after our World was invaded by the Heartless, and you disappeared, Akemi-san granted our power as Magical Girls back to us, in order for us to help her look for you, and bring you home." Mami concluded her explanation.

'That's right… none of that story is true, it's just a lie that Homura-chan told Mami-san in order to get her to cooperate.' Madoka regretfully reminded herself. 'And yet… why? That story, even though I know it isn't true, somehow makes me feel so… sad.' Madoka clutched at her heart, a familiar sense of sadness and loneliness beginning to overcome her. Before she knew it, a single tear fell down her cheek, much to the older girl's surprise.

"Oh, uh… I'm sorry, I just…" Madoka mumbled an apology as she tried to pull herself together.

"Oh Kaname-san…" Mami said as she gently wrapped her arms around Madoka, stroking the back of her head in an attempt to comfort her. "I know this must all be so overwhelming for you, but I promise, once we get back home, everything will go back to normal." Madoka's eyes widened in panic, Mami's soothing words having the opposite effect on her as intended.

"…No." Madoka said, Mami pulling away and looking down at her in confusion.

"What?"

"Mami-san… we can't go back. Not while Homura-chan is still there." Madoka asserted, having heard enough to make her decision.

"Akemi-san?" Mami said, clearly confused, just as Nagisa was before her. "But, why…?"

"Mami-san, everything Homura-chan told you, everything you just got through telling me… none of it is true." Madoka declared, deciding not to beat around the bush this time around.

"…Well, I understand how hard it is to believe, but I promise I wouldn't lie to you about something like this." Mami defended. "When Akemi-san restored my powers, she also restored my memories, so I can assure you that…"

"Those memories are fake too!" Madoka quickly rebuked, much to Mami's surprise. "That's what Homura-chan does, she puts false memories in our heads in order to control us, she told me so herself!"

"What!? Kaname-san, do you hear yourself? That's absolutely absurd!"

"I know it is! This whole situation we've been put in is absurd, but it's the truth!" Madoka shouted, desperate to get through to her brainwashed friend. She then grabbed Mami by the hand, looking up at her with the most sincere and pleading look she could muster. "I know what I'm saying is going against everything you believe is true right now, but you have to believe me! Homura-chan isn't a Heavenly Saint or a guardian angel; she's a devil who has been controlling our World, and us, this whole time, and the only way to stop her is to find Sora. Mami-san… just trust me, please." She made her final plea, the older girl looking positively baffled.

A moment of silence passed, Mami's confused expression eventually softening into one of calm resolve as she reached her other hand up and clasped Madoka's with it.

"Of course I trust you, Kaname-san." Mami said with a soft, comforting smile that was probably the most beautiful thing Madoka could have ever hoped to see in that moment.

"Mami-san…!"

"But…" Suddenly, Mami's smile disappeared from her face, the warm sensation of her hands leaving Madoka's as she took a step back. She looked back up at Madoka with a determined look on her face, one that made Madoka's heart sink, as she knew exactly what was coming next. "…I trust my teammate even more." Mami declared as she raised her hand, the ring on her finger glowing with yellow light.

Madoka immediately leaped back, creating some distance between them, before summoning the Keyblade to her side. For a moment, a flash of sadness crossed Mami's eyes, but she quickly hardened her gaze once more.

"I don't know what's gotten into you Kaname-san, for you think such awful things of our Heavenly Saint, but… I promised her that I would bring you home, and that's exactly what I intend to do!" Mami said as the ring transformed into a glowing, yellow gem, the spitting image of the one Nagisa wielded, save for the color of the crystal itself.

Soul Gem

It floated over Mami's outstretched hand, glowing with power just waiting to be unleashed.

"Mami-san…" Madoka whimpered, her heart wrenching at the thought of having to fight yet another of her friends. However, there was no turning back now, as she watched as the Clara Dolls summoned forth their shadowy spears and surrounded her, leaving Madoka no opportunity to escape. She knew it had to be done, she couldn't let Mami, or anybody else, take her back home without finding Sora first. And so, with a heavy heart, Madoka lowered into a defensive stance, as Mami grasped at her Soul Gem and struck a dynamic pose, just as the magical light was reaching its apex.

"Mind if I cut in?"

SHWING

Suddenly, in a flash of silver, the Soul Gem was knocked out of Mami's hands, both girls gasping in surprise as their gazes were drawn to the dimming crystal as it tumbled in the air. Not a moment later, a shadow passed overhead, snatching the Soul Gem out of the air as the girls flinched from the gust of wind that accompanied it.

"My Soul Gem!" Mami cried, the Clara Dolls all frantically panicking alongside her. "What is that? A Heartless!?" She and Madoka looked up at the flying figure, its avian silhouette passing in front of the sun as it circled back around.

"No, it's not…" Madoka realized as a horse's whinny echoed through the courtyard.

The girls were finally able to get a better look at their aggressors as they began their descent. They were held aloft by wide, avian wings of the purest white, matching the rest of the mount's pristine coat of hair that covered its equine body, and contrasted brilliantly with its tuft blue mane. As the flying beast lowered itself into the courtyard, a long, muscular arm reached out and grabbed his flung sword out of the air as it returned to him, its blade bent at a perfect 90-degree angle before it was perfectly straightened out again by a flick of the wrist.

The girls looked on in absolute awe as the Pegasus finally touched down, its rider sitting tall and proud for the two of them to see. His tan, olive skin practically glowed in the sunlight, accentuating his rippling muscles that had been forged from years of intense training and deadly combat. His bright orange locks were held back by a brown headband, matching the rest of his leather armor that protected his broad chest, and ended in a metal plated skirt. He wore knee high leather sandals on his legs, a short, deep blue cape down his back that blustered in the wind of Pegasus' wing beats, and a dashing smile on his face as he held Mami's Soul Gem in one hand, and his sword down at his side in the other.

"Is… is that…"

"…Hercules." Madoka breathed, sharing in Mami's awe as they gazed at the magnificent sight of the mythic hero.

"Look, but don't touch, ladies." A sarcastic voice caught the duo's attention. Out from behind Hercules on his stead peaked out the head of a beautiful young woman, her face tastefully decorated with pink lipstick and magenta eyeshadow, her thick, violet tinted brown hair tied into a ponytail. "Wonderboy here is spoken for." She playfully warned as she caressed Hercules' arm.

Name's Megara. My friends call me Meg.

"And Megara-san, too." Madoka whispered in recognition.

With a nervous chuckle and a bashful smile, Hercules sheathed his sword, dismounted his stead, and offered Meg a hand to help her off as well, which she gladly accepted.

"Sorry to interrupt," Hercules said as he approached Madoka and Mami. "But I think Phil would appreciate it if you saved the fighting for the ring." He informed them before offering Mami her Soul Gem back. Madoka couldn't help but note how tiny the iridescent gem was in the palm of the hero's big, strong hand.

"Oh! Y-Yes, of course, how silly of me." Mami awkwardly replied as she reclaimed her Soul Gem.

"Hey, no worries, everyone gets a little overeager during their first time entering the games, I know I did." Hercules said reassuringly. "I'm Hercules by the way… though, I guess you both already knew that. And this lovely lady right here is Megara."

"Call me Meg." Meg added flippantly.

"Greetings, my name is Tomoe Mami. It's a great honor to meet you, Hercules-sama." Mami introduced herself with a formal bow, acting as proper and polite as possible before the legendary demigod hero.

"Uh, I-I'm Kaname Madoka." Madoka frantically added, attempting to emulate Mami's more composed bow.

"We are both very sorry for so carelessly violating the tournament's rules." Mami continued. "Rule Number 87: All expressions of strength, skill, magic, or other might that could potentially cause someone harm, must be restricted to the amphitheater of the coliseum during officially sanctioned matches. Isn't that right?" She recited the bylaw as she transformed the Soul Gem back into a ring and slid it back on her finger.

"Well, I was thinking more along the lines of saving the groundskeeper from having to deal with the clean up, but yeah, that works too." Hercules playfully agreed, the Clara Dolls giggling as Mami's face became red with embarrassment.

"Wait, have you actually memorized all of that old goat's rules and regulations?" Meg said with both genuine and sarcastic surprise.

"Of course." Mami replied. "This is my first time entering a tournament of this caliber; I should at least know the rules if I have any intention of winning. And I do." Madoka noticed how Mami's expression hardened as she spoke, not enough to be considered hostile, just enough so her determination shown through.

"Wow, impressive!" Hercules praised as he crossed his arms, clearly recognizing Mami's competitive spirit and matching it with his own. "If that diligence of yours extends to your training, then I'd say your friend and I have our work cut out for us." He said, nodding towards Madoka.

"Huh? Me?" Madoka quizzically spoke, the hero fully turning his attention to her.

"You're entering the games too, aren't you?"

"Uh…"

"Oh, no no no, she isn't." Mami quickly interrupted before Madoka had a chance to deny it herself. "She's just here to cheer me on." Madoka couldn't help but notice how Mami stood protectively between her and Hercules, the pinkette immediately reminded of how Nagisa had practically escorted her by the hand across Wonderland. Madoka's face fell into an irritated glare, one that Mami failed to notice as she kept eye contact with Hercules.

"Cheer you on? By bashing you over the head in the middle of the courtyard?" Meg teased, breaking Mami's protective composure.

"Yeah, after seeing that, I figured she was here to take a crack at Sora's title." Hercules added, Madoka immediately perking up at the mention of Sora.

"Oh yeah, Sora!" Madoka exclaimed before practically shoving her way passed Mami to address Hercules. "Um, Hercules-san, have you seen Sora around at all recently?" She asked the demigod, completely ignoring the surprised look on Mami's face.

"…You mean he didn't come here with you?" Hercules said with genuine surprise, immediately crushing Madoka's hope for the second time that day. She lowered her head in disappointment, giving a limp shake of her head as a response. "Huh, well that's strange. I thought for sure that he would be here to cheer on his protégé in her first time entering the games." Hercules pondered with a stroke of his chiseled chin.

"…Huh? Wait, protégé?"

"No need to be shy about it." Meg reassured. "We'd recognize that oversized key of his anywhere."

"Yeah, I was pretty surprised to see it actually." Hercules chimed in. "I never pegged Sora to be the type to take on an apprentice, but he's always been full of surprises."

'They… think I'm Sora's apprentice?' In a way, it certainly made sense. In a World where the deeds of heroes are passed down from generation to generation, becoming the stuff of legends and myth, it probably wasn't uncommon for a true hero, recognized by the gods, to take on an apprentice and pass down their prized weapons to them. It certainly would make a lot more sense than how Madoka actually came into possession of Sora's Keyblade.

"It's too bad you're not entering the games." Hercules continued. "I was kind of looking forward to seeing what Sora had taught you!" He admitted with a competitive smile on his face, as well as a nostalgic look in his eye. "Is there any chance I could get you to reconsider?"

"Well…" Madoka was about to refuse; after all, she really didn't have any interesting in entering a fighting tournament. As competent of a fighter she believed herself to have become, she didn't enjoy fighting, not in the same way that Sora and Hercules did. The words were on the tip of her tongue, until she noticed Mami, her arms crossed and foot tapping, watching her expectantly, along with the Clara Dolls crowded around her.

At that moment, a light bulb went off in Madoka's head.

"I'll do it!" Madoka finally answered.

"What!?" Mami exclaimed in shock.

"If Sora really isn't going to enter the games this time… then I'll protect his title for him!" Madoka declared with a look of determination. Hercules smiled in response.

"Alright! That's the spirit!" He said as he gave Madoka a hardy smack on the back that nearly made her fall over. "So I'll see you back here for the second day of qualifiers?"

"Y-Yes, I'll be here." Madoka replied as she steadied herself.

"Wait, now hold on just a second…!" Mami attempted to interject, only to get interrupted herself by a familiar voice.

"Herc! What are you doing standing around out here for?" Phil called out to Hercules from the front entrance of the coliseum. "Just 'cause the tournament's named after you, doesn't mean you can slack off on your training! Now get your keister in here, we're running drills!"

"Be right there Phil!" Hercules responded as the satyr turned tail and walked back inside, fully expecting his demigod protégé to follow suit.

"Phil-san still trains you? Even though you're a full-fledged, true hero now?" Madoka asked curiously.

"Of course! A hero's gotta stay in top form at all times after all." Hercules asserted, flexing his arms to showcase the fruits of Phil's teachings.

"Alright mister, just make sure he doesn't run you too ragged in there… though I can't say that I don't enjoy watching you… work up a sweat." Meg said in a sultry voice, lightly caressing Hercules' shoulder blades as she strutted passed and made her way to the exit of the courtyard. Mami and Madoka's faces heated up at the suggestive line, but whatever tension they felt was instantly defused as Hercules stuttered in response.

"Oh, uh, w-well… ahem, I'll be sure to keep the heavy lifting in moderation." He awkwardly reassured her.

"You better." She playfully warned him, before her sarcastic smile softened and became more genuine. "Have a good night, Wonderboy." She said before taking her leave, Hercules waving goodbye with a big, dumb, smile on his face.

That is, until he noticed Mami and Madoka were still present, smiling knowingly at him.

"Ahem, w-well, I better get started on those drills, before Phil blows his top… again." Hercules said, regaining his composure. "Have a good rest of your night, Madoka, Mami, and remember, if we meet in the ring, don't expect me to go easy on you." He warned them both with a competitive smile and a flex of his big, muscular arms.

With that, the hero took his leave, both girls watching him until he disappeared behind the stone door into the coliseum. The tension in the air was thick, as an awkward silence fell between Madoka and Mami, the Clara Dolls anxiously looking between them.

"Kaname-san, what exactly are you trying to do here?" Mami asked, sounding almost like a parent scolding a child for some reckless behavior.

"Mami-san, I can't let you take me back home, but… I also don't want to risk hurting you if we fight." Madoka said, recalling the grueling battle she had with Nagisa. The last she saw of the younger girl, she was out cold, slung over the shoulder of a mindless Sayaka, and taken through a dark portal. She never stopped worrying about Nagisa since, and she didn't want Mami to share that same fate. "So, let's settle it in the games!" Madoka declared, shooting a challenging look towards Mami that caught her off guard. "If I win, then you give up on taking me back home, and come with us to help find Sora."

"…And if I win?" Mami inquired, meeting Madoka's defiant glare with one of her own.

"If you win, then…" Madoka hesitated, breaking eye contact for just a moment, but she quickly reaffixed her gaze and continued. "…Then I'll go with you without a fight."

"…I see." Mami spoke, crossing her arms and lowering her head in contemplation. "It certainly would benefit you, as a far less experienced fighter, to gamble your freedom on an officially sanctioned tournament match with rules and regulations. And, seeing as I intend to participate regardless, agreeing to this wager would actually save me some extra trouble… that is, if you truly intend to hold up your end of the bargain." Mami looked back to Madoka, her eyes filled with suspicion, and the Clara Dolls reacting in turn as they readied their weapons.

"Of course I will!" Madoka insisted, rather hurt to be so mistrusted by her friend. "Didn't… didn't you say that you trusted me." She reminded, Mami's expression softening into a solemn smile.

"Yes, I suppose I did." She conceded before uncrossing her arms and turning to face Madoka head on. "Very well, we'll settle this in the games, fair and square." Mami declared, holding out her hand for Madoka to shake and make their wager official.

"I hope ye know what yer doin' lass." Mini-Scrooge whispered in the pinkette's ear as she hesitantly reached out her own hand.

'Me too.' Madoka thought to herself as she finally took the older girl's hand in a firm, solidary handshake.

---

What's wrong?

There's… something over there.

The familiar sight of Mitakihara General Hospital filled Madoka's vision, she and Sayaka crowding around a single pillar near the front gate, their gazes narrowing onto a single, glowing object imbedded into the concrete.

A Grief Seed! And it's about to hatch!

The fuzzy white creature in her arms, Kyubey if she recalled correctly, exclaimed, his voice filled with urgency that, for some reason, Madoka just couldn't take as genuine.

Madoka, find Mami-san and bring her here. I'll stay here and keep an eye on that thing.

…

Then, I'll find Mami-san and bring her here as fast as I can!

'No… don't… it's dangerous…' Madoka internally protested as she watched herself run off and leave Sayaka and Kyubey behind, a sense unbearable dread falling over her.

The scene changed to later that afternoon, the sun beginning to set behind the buildings in the distance as Madoka and Mami walked through some kind of magical portal into the Labyrinth. The twisted hellscape within was filled with whimsical candy shapes mixed in with hospital iconography, strange little creatures, the Witch's familiars, prancing about as they awaited their master's full awakening. Madoka and Mami stepped forward cautiously, but they didn't make it very far in before they noticed a third presence bringing up the rear.

I thought I told you I didn't want to see you again.

I…*static*… this pre…*static*… eave here…

You think we could trust you?

With a wave her hand, Mami summoned four magical red ribbons that ensnared the new arrival, yellow chain decals running across them and tied together in a bow and a flower shaped lock.

You foo…*static*…This Wi… *static*… the others…

'What? What is she…' Madoka desperately tried to pick out the warning the prisoner was trying to give through the static, a pit opening up in her stomach as Mami ignored her captive and continued guiding them through the Labyrinth.

But, you're not alone anymore, Mami-san.

You're right… I'm not alone anymore, am I?

Deeper inside, Mami took Madoka by the hands, tears streaming down her face as she looked at her with a desperate, pleading expression.

Will you really fight with me from now on? Will you really stay by my side?

'Mami-san…' Madoka was taken aback, witnessing Mami display such vulnerability that she had never really shown to her ever before. And yet, it somehow didn't feel out of place, especially considering the lonely, painful life she had apparently been living.

Yes, if someone like me will do.

With that small bit of reassurance, Mami tore through the rest of the Labyrinth with a spring in her step, her joy and renewed hope showing in the way she gallantly slayed each and every familiar in their path as they were guided by Kyubey to the center. The cavern was filled with massive pieces of candy and sweets, and at the center was a ridiculously tall table and chair set, tea and snacks served upon it. Sitting at the table was a small, almost stuffed animal like creature, a polka-dotted scarf wrapped around its pink, candy-shaped head.

'…Charlotte.' Madoka recited the familiar sounding name as it came to her.

Madoka and Sayaka watched in awe as Mami effortlessly beat the Witch into submission, finishing it off with her trademark Tiro Finale finishing attack. However, just when everyone believed the fight to be over, out from the Witch's mouth came a long, serpentine creature with red polka dots running down its pitch-black body.

'Wait, that's… the same as Nagisa-chan's…'

Just as Mami realized her blunder, the horrid creature was already up in her face, its white face and crazed ringed eyes staring down at her before opening its mouth to reveal its cartoonishly sharp teeth.

'No… please… don't…' Madoka pleaded, trying desperately to look away, but she could not escape her own memory. She watched herself watch helplessly as the all too familiar gaping maw crept forward, a look of horrified realization crossing Mami's face… just moments before the jaws came clamping down on her.

---

"MAMI-SAAAANN!" Madoka shrieked as she shot up from her bed, her hair a mess from tossing and turning and face covered in sweat.

At first, she failed to recognize where she was, fully expecting to wake up in the comfort of her own room, hugging her stuffed rabbit as she did every night. It took a moment of looking around the small, dark room, but as her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she eventually recognized it as the sleeping quarters aboard Scrooge's Gummi Ship. Much like the bunks of a military vessel, the room was a plain square room whose only defining features were the beds that folded out from the walls, a red alarm light affixed above the starboard bed to warn crewmates of danger, and a strange looking clock affixed to the front wall over the entrance. Rather than digital numbers or a traditional clock face, the clock instead showed a rotating illustration of what the sky of the world they had last visited looked like at the time, the clock currently displaying a pitch black sky, filled with countless stars, and a half moon.

Madoka looked over to the bed on the opposite wall, her gaze falling upon Scrooge McDuck, dressed in a silk nightgown and sleeping cap, peacefully sleeping under the covers of his bunk, a cartoonish snore escaping his bill every so often. Madoka sighed, realizing that it was in fact still the middle of the night, and here she was, wide awake and far too frazzled to even attempt to return to sleep.

"These dreams… just what are they?" Madoka whispered in contemplation as she sat up and hugged her legs for comfort. She had been having these dreams ever since she left Mitakihara, and while by now she was no stranger to having mysterious dreams, between Sora's memories, and the knowledge that Homura had been implanting fake memories within her Heart, she just couldn't make heads or tails of these new memoires that were coming to the surface.

"…Protecting the city… as a Magical Girl." Madoka recalled Mami's explanation of her magic's origin. These dreams have certainly been in line with that backstory; only… it was a far cry from the Sunday morning anime plot that Mami had regaled her. "Still, Mami-san really is a strong fighter, the only reason she lost in the end… was because I made her let her guard down." Madoka hugged her legs tighter as she recalled the horrid ending to the dream. "Will I really… be able to beat her?"

We're the champs!

Wow! And I didn't even hold back!

Madoka reached out her hand and summoned the Keyblade, the comforting warmth she felt as she grasped the handle instantly soothed her wavering Heart.

"That's right, I'm not the weak and useless little girl who can only sit on the sidelines anymore. I have Sora's power now, the power that he used to win these games three times over. With this… I'll definitely win! I have to!" With that declaration, Madoka dismissed the Keyblade, retreated back under her sheets, and closed her eyes. She needed all the rest she could get for the qualifiers in the morning.

---

With one last swing of the Keyblade, Madoka cleaved the last of the Shadows in two, releasing its captured Heart that vanished in a flash of light soon after. Madoka took a moment to catch her breath, the waves upon waves of Heartless leaving her with little time to rest. The key-slinging pinkette was being pushed to her limits… and they hadn't even gotten to the coliseum yet.

"Help!" Cried another civilian, Madoka craning her neck to find another group of bystanders being surrounded by three Armored Knights.

"Oh come on!" Madoka whined as she used a Potion to give her a much-needed boost of energy. With a renewed spring in her step, Madoka dashed towards the crowd, casting three blasts of Blizzard magic as she ran that froze the Armored Knights where they stood, giving her the chance to close the distance.

She made quick work of the first one, hacking and slashing at its exposed back as it tried to cut itself out of the ice. With the first dispatched, she turned to the next, her first swing of the Keyblade clashing with the Heartless' sword, both weapons bouncing off of each other. Madoka used the momentum of the recoil to land a spinning slash across the Armored Knight's chest, staggering it enough to finish it off with a single thrust. She then turned to face the final Knight, only to be sent flying back by a thrusting strike by the freed Heartless. She tumbled onto the ground a few paces away, and just as she was regaining her composure, the Armored Knight closed the distance in a single leap and brought its sword arm down onto the prone Keybearer.

Madoka managed to narrowly roll out of the way of the strike, sparks arcing off the blade as it collided with the stone walkway where Madoka's face once was. The girl stood back onto her feet, lowering into a defensive stance as she locked eyes with the Heartless. A moment later, three Red Nocturnes materialized overhead, Madoka letting out an exasperated groan in response.

"The beasties just keep comin', don't they?" Mini-Scrooge commented.

"I don't have time for this!" Madoka said, even as she rooted her stance. "If I don't get to the Coliseum soon…" She didn't dare finish that thought, resolving just to fight her way through the Heartless and get to the coliseum as fast as she could.

However, just as the two sides were about to jump into the fray, Madoka heard the familiar cry of Pegasus overhead. As the Armored Knight took the chance to lunge forward at Madoka while she was distracted, Hercules leaped off of his trusty stead's back and plunged his sword straight through the Heartless' back, instantly ending its life. The remaining Red Nocturnes all focused their attention on the demigod, each one firing a ball of fire at him that Hercules effortlessly knocked aside one after another with a skillful flourish of his sword. The Heartless coated themselves in flames in preparation to charge at the hero, only for Hercules to summon Pegasus back with a sharp whistle, the avian horse knocking the Heartless out of the air with a single powerful beat of its wings.

Hercules wasted no time dispatching them, cleaving his sword through them like a hot knife through butter, the hero calmly sheathing his sword afterwards as the onlookers all cheered upon his victory.

"Hercules-san?" Madoka said quizzically, stealing the hero's attention from the adoring crowd.

"Madoka! There you are!" Hercules said as he approached. "I was getting a little worried when you didn't show up at the Coliseum. Once I heard there was some Heartless causing a ruckus here in town, I knew this was where I'd find you. Like master, like student." He explained, Madoka chuckling nervously in response to the assumption she never corrected.

Suddenly, a heavy crash sounded behind them, shaking the ground and nearly making them lose their balance. Madoka and Hercules turned around to see what seemed to be a massive set of pinkish red armor sprawled across the ground. However, a moment later, the armor parts sprang to life, the clawed gauntlets floating next to an aloft, hourglass shaped torso, the Heartless emblem emblazoned on the chest. A magenta helmet with a silver faceplate acted as the creature's head, and the whole thing mysteriously balanced on a pair of hammer like boots. The Red Armor.

Madoka immediately fell into a defensive stance upon seeing the Heartless, only for Hercules to hold his hand out between her and their adversary.

"Madoka, you head over to the Coliseum!" He said before falling into a combat stance of his own.

"What!?"

"Registration for the preliminaries is almost over, you've gotta hurry!" Hercules elaborated from over his shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll handle this guy!"

"But, I can't just leave you to…"

In the middle of Madoka's protest, the Red Armor reared back its armored fist and threw a punch at the two of them. Madoka brought the Keyblade up to block, but Hercules beat her to it, catching the massive fist with his bare hands and completely tanking the force behind it. Hercules grunted as the Heartless' fist pushed against him, but his grip remained steady, neither willing to give an inch. Eventually, Hercules took a step back, turned at his waist, and pulled the fist off to the side, the Red Armor rearing back as the invisible connection between its arm and torso was severed. If that weren't a tremendous enough feat of strength, Hercules turned the now lifeless gauntlet around, its hand still balled into a tight fist, held it over his shoulder, and with two powerful strides, threw the fist forward, a loud metal CLANG resounding across town as it collided with its own metallic body.

The crowd cheered once again as the Heartless was floored by its own fist, Hercules dusting his hands and turning to face Madoka with his arms placed heroically on his hips.

"You were saying?"

"Uh…" Madoka breathed, her jaw hanging wide open along with the mechanical bill of Mini-Scrooge. "Th-Thank you very much, I'll leave it to you then!" She eventually replied with a grateful bow.

With that, Hercules let out another sharp whistle, summoning Pegasus to his side. The much taller, stronger man then effortlessly lifted Madoka up from under her arms like a child, and hefted her up onto the flying horse's back.

"Huh?"

"Pegasus, make sure she gets to the Coliseum safe and sound, alright?" Hercules commanded, his stead letting out a whinny in response.

"W-Wait, hold a second, I…."

"HYAH!" Hercules cried as he smacked Pegasus on the rear, sending him flying up into the air at top speed. Madoka let out a terrified scream as she grabbed onto the horse's back for dear life.

Hercules watched them leave with a smile on his face, until his attention was grabbed by the sound of rustling metal. He turned back around to see the Red Armor get back onto its feet, a spark of energy passing between the torso and the arm he had flung back at it as their connection was reestablished.

"Alright, big guy, ready for round two?" Hercules taunted as he unsheathed his sword and lowered into a defensive stance.

---

"I'm… here!" Madoka announced her arrival as she pushed the stone doors to the Coliseum lobby wide open. Just like the day before, the room was filled with other competitors, some fresh off of the battlefield, with dented armor and dressed wounds, others still awaiting their turn in the ring, rested and ready for a fight. Each and every one of them turned to see the little pinkette stumble her way through the door, panting heavily, with her hair an absolute mess from the Pegasus ride over.

"Am I… too late to enter?" Madoka said between pants, the rest of the competitors passing around hushed whispers at the implication that such a small, delicate looking child was going to be entering the games.

"On the contrary, kid, you're just in time." Phil said from across the room, Madoka letting out a sigh of relief. "Herc filled me in on what your deal is." The satyr continued as he hopped off his pedestal and approached her. "I gotta say though, I'm not too happy about it."

"Huh? W-What do you…"

"Sora, that knucklehead! He gets his portrait done up in the stars one time, and he thinks he's ready to do my job!" Phil said, crossing his arms indignantly. "If you ask me, it's a couple hundred years too early for him to be taking on an apprentice, but it is what it is." He said with a dismissive shrug. "So here's how the qualifiers work, you'll be in there for three rounds, each one tougher then the last. If you make it through the first round, you qualify for the Phil Cup, you pass the second round, you qualify for the Pegasus Cup, and if you manage to get passed all three rounds, then you earn yourself a one-way ticket to the main event: the Hercules Cup." He explained as he flipped through the paperwork on his clipboard. He then handed Madoka a small, pamphlet sized sheet of paper, along with the ancient Greek equivalent of a pencil.

"Here, fill this out, hand it back to me when you're done, and I'll call you up when it's your turn."

"Ok, thank you very much." Madoka said with a polite bow.

"Yeah, yeah, sure, just be quick about it. Registration ends at high noon, and I ain't bending the rules for you just cause you're a legacy entry." Phil warned as he walked back over to his pedestal.

With that, Madoka took a seat at one of the stone benches that lined either side of the room, looking over the registration form she had been given. Surprisingly, it asked for rather simple information about her: her name, height and weight, weapon of choice, place of origin, and so on. As Madoka raised her pencil in hand, bringing it to the paper to begin writing, she noticed her hand was beginning to shake, her heart hammering in her chest as a sudden wave of anxiety washed over her. She took a deep breath to steady her nerves, her hand over her heart as she waited for her pulse to settle.

"Nervous already?"

Madoka gasped as the familiar sounding voice called out to her. She looked up from her entry form, and sitting there across from her on the other bench was none other than the mysterious swordswoman from the day before, her sword in her lap as she grinded a whetstone across its shiny blade.

"You should be, if you're really planning on entering the games." Lightning added, her gaze fixed on her weapon.

"You're… Lightning-san, from yesterday!" Madoka exclaimed in recognition. "Are you entering the games too?"

"That's right, and so are you apparently." Lightning replied.

"Uh, yeah, my… hero coach actually won the last games, so I'm here to defend his title for him… or something." Madoka claimed, just rolling with the ruse.

"…I heard those monsters were causing trouble in town again. I'm assuming that's why you were late to enter?" Lightning deduced.

"Yeah, that's right." Madoka confirmed. "I was really worried I was going to miss the deadline. If Hercules-san hadn't come to help, I probably would have."

"Do you always need somebody to bail you out of a tough fight?"

"Huh?" Madoka gasped, caught a little bit off guard by the question. Lightning's gaze never left her sword, holding the weapon up to the torchlight to more closely examine the sharpened edge, and yet Madoka could still feel like she was awaiting a response. "N-No! It's not like that!" Madoka denied. "If I hadn't been in such a hurry, I definitely could've handled it on my own!"

"…Excuses are for children." Lightning shot back, sliding her sword back into its sheath with a sharp click. "And this tournament is no place for children." The older woman's gaze finally met with Madoka's, her slightly furled eyebrows betraying the irritation she felt behind her otherwise stoic face.

However, rather than buckle under Lightning's critical gaze, Madoka instead narrowed her own bright pink eyes at her, in a rather irritated look of her own.

"W-Well… you know what? My coach, Sora, was younger than I am now when he beat Hercules in the last games, and he fought a whole bunch of strong opponents before that too, so… so there!" Madoka clumsily rebuked, crossing her arms and turning away from Lightning in a huff. She was getting really tired of people treating her like a defenseless little girl, and with renewed determination, she returned to filling out her entry form.

Lightning sighed.

"Fine, suit yourself, kid." She said, setting her sheathed sword aside and leaning back against the stone wall. "Just don't say I didn't warn you."

---

The wait was agonizing.

In and out the competitors went, each one striding out of the lobby with all of the confidence in the world, only to return battered, bruised, and hanging their heads in shame. Madoka often knew the result of a match just by the crowd's reaction, as it echoed for her to hear in the lobby. Those that failed to pass the first round were often booed out of the ring, while those that only lasted a round or two were met with a relatively tepid response, especially compared to the roaring applause Mami had been given during her stint in the ring. Of the day's competitors, only three managed to actually advance to the tournament proper so far, two to the Phil Cup, and one to the Pegasus Cup.

And then, it was Lightning's turn.

"Alright hot stuff, you're up." Phil called her up, her only response to his condescending nickname being a roll of her eyes. Regardless, she stood up from the bench and strapped her sword onto her hip, as well as tightened the straps that held her shield onto her arm.

"Um, good luck." Madoka said, Lightning sparing the smaller girl a glance.

"…Thanks." She responded before marching out of the lobby. Her stone cold expression and militaristic strides were in stark contrast to the empty bravado of the other competitors. Madoka understood why, she had seen Lightning in action, and if anybody was going to have a chance at advancing to the Hercules Cup, it was going to be her.

'Which means… I'm probably gonna have to fight her too.'

As she ruminated on this thought, the sounds of combat began. The clashing of metallic weapons rang in her ears, followed by the blasts of magical explosions, the spectacle met with enthusiastic cheers from the audience.

Madoka shook her head, slapping her face as she realized she was psyching herself out.

"No! I knew what I was getting into when I said I would enter. I just have to fight like I usually do with the power Sora gave me, and hope for the best… I have to win."

"Aye! That's the spirit lass!" Mini-Scrooge cheered from her hood. "Just ye wait, once ye get in the ring and show everyone what ye can do, that nay-sayer will be eatin' her words, I guarantee it!"

"Hihi, thanks Mr. Scrooge." Madoka thanked, feeling just a little bit more confident.

And, after a few more rounds of cheers, it was finally time.

"Alright, pipsqueak, you're up!" Phil said after a particularly loud cheer.

"Y-Yes!" Madoka shouted her reply, shooting straight up from her seat.

As she made her way to the archway, the other competitors all gave her strange looks, as if they were only now realizing that yes, she was here to compete. Some snickered at the very thought of stepping into the ring with such a small, frail looking little girl, while others seemed almost offended by her presence, as if she was making a mockery of them just by attempting to succeed where they had failed.

"Alright, baby-cakes' last round should be getting underway right about now. So long as you stay outta sight, you can watch from the corridor, get a little taste of what's coming your way." Phil explained.

"Right, thank you very much." Madoka said with a bow, and with that she made her way through the archway and down the dimly lit corridor, Phil watching her leave until she was out of sight.

"Good luck kid, I'm pulling for ya." He whispered to himself as he returned his attention to his clipboard.

The corridor, much like the rest of the coliseum, was lit with torches hanging off of sconces on the walls, running the length of both sides of the stone walls until the very last stretch, where they suddenly ceased appearing. That last bit was illuminated only by the light pouring in from the exit; this was most likely to cast the shadow that would keep on deck competitors hidden until they stepped out into the amphitheater. Madoka hugged the wall of the corridor in order to keep herself hidden as promised, and once her eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight of the coliseum proper, she marveled at what she saw.

Lightning stood at the center of the ring, her shield arm up as a pair of familiar molten blades bared down on her.

"Hey, that's… the same type of Heartless from Radiant Garden!" Madoka recognized the Heart Saber, practically able to feel the blistering heat emanating off of its arm blades as they pushed against Lightning's shield.

Despite the Heartless putting its entire weight onto the small piece of protective metal, Lightning refused to budge, her other arm coming up to brace her shield arm just as her legs began to buckle. Eventually, Lightning managed to push the Heartless off of her, the Heat Saber stumbling back and allowing Lightning the chance to hop back and create some distance between them. With a wave of her sword, she casted a Water spell, summoning a ball of water above her that shot out as three separate streams towards the Heartless. The Heat Saber ducked under the first stream, vaulted over the second, but once it landed, the third was coming straight for it, forcing it to bring its blades up in a cross guard to block. A plume of steam emanated from the blades as they were extinguished by the Water spell, the Heat Saber recoiling in pain as its bladed hands were left as charred, sharpened chunks of rock at the end of its arms.

Lightning took this opportunity to strike, immediately closing the distance between them and landing a slash on the Heat Saber's legs, making it stagger back. She followed up with an upward slash to the abdomen, only for the Heartless to just barely bring its extinguished blades up to block and retaliate. Despite being nearly half its size, Lightning was able to deftly parry nearly all of the Heat Saber's powerful swings, any strike that did not meet the edge of her blade was instead met with the flat of her shield, preventing it from getting any further into her guard. Eventually, the Heartless vaulted over a sweeping slash, its dampened blades drying as they flew through the air, and finally reigniting upon landing.

Lightning attempted to keep the pressure up by closing the distance with a thrust of her sword, only for the Heat Saber to parry the strike with a spinning slash, and following up with a double thrust of its fiery blades. Fortunately, Lightning managed to leap out of the way of the attack, spinning the in the air and kicking off of a nearby pillar, electricity arcing off of her blade as she retaliated with a spinning slash that sent the Heartless tumbling to the ground.

"Wow…" Madoka said, once again bewildered by Lightning's strength. Madoka recalled her own battle with the Heat Saber at the Great Maw, the constant give and take between the two of them that always kept Madoka on her toes, lest she be burnt to cinders. In stark contrast, the impressive strength and skill Lightning displayed as she dueled with the Heartless, sparks and cinders dancing across the battlefield as their elemental blades clashed, served to remind Madoka just how out of her depth she truly was.

"Scoping out the competition?"

"Huh?" Madoka's attention was pulled away from the fight at the sound of the familiar voice. She heard the accompanying sound of footsteps approaching, and turned around to see none other than Hercules, hugging the opposite wall of the corridor in order to remain hidden. "Hercules-san!"

"I'm glad you managed to sign up in time." Hercules said.

"Oh, y-yes, I was just barely able to make the deadline, all thanks to you and Pegasus. Thank you very much for your help." Madoka replied with an appreciative bow.

"Don't mention it, all in a days work for a hero!" Hercules stated posing heroically with his fists rested on his hips. "Just give it your all in the qualifiers, and we'll call it even."

"Right, I'll try my best!" Madoka said, pumping her fist in determination, but it quickly fell flat. "Though… I doubt my best is going to look anything like that." She lamented, directing Hercules' attention to Lightning's fight.

"Feeling a little intimidated?" Madoka nodded in confirmation. "Well, no one can really blame you, this is your first games after all, and in my personal opinion, Lightning here is the favorite to win the whole thing." Hercules informed.

"Huh? Hercules-san, you know Lightning-san?" Madoka asked in surprise.

"In a sense." Hercules replied, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall. "I met her while I was out scouting for new talent for the games. She's a soldier from a neighboring city, one of the best and brightest they have out there, so I invited her to enter." He explained.

"I see, so she's so good that she was invited to participate." Madoka sighed, lamenting the ever-increasing gap in their levels of prestige.

"That's right… funny thing is, she actually turned me down."

"Huh?" Madoka gasped in confusion. "Turned you down? But, then why is she here now?"

"Good question." Hercules said. "Last I saw of her, she had absolutely no interest in entering… I can only imagine what made her change her mind."

"Yeah, I wonder…" Madoka mused as she turned her attention back to the fight. In the little time she had known Lightning, she certainly came off as someone who did not change their mind lightly. She couldn't help but wonder what made her go from turning down an invitation from the most famous hero in all of Greece, to entering the tournament unannounced. As she pondered, the crowd cheered once again as Lightning landed another hit; the spectators really couldn't care less as to the motivations of the soldier that they were cheering for.

"Well, I do know one thing, the two have something in common." Hercules spoke up again.

"Huh? Something in common?" Madoka said quizzically, looking back at the swordswoman in question as she clashed against the Heat Saber. "You mean… like our hair color?" Hercules chuckled at her awkward deduction.

"Haha, well, you're not wrong, but that wasn't exactly what I was going for." Hercules rebuked.

"But, what else could there be?"

"See for yourself. Take a good look at her." Hercules insisted, directing the girl's attention to the older pinkette in the ring. She was knocked back by a wave of heat, only to deftly land on her feet a few meters away, her gaze narrowing on the Heartless as she lowered back into a defensive stance. "Do you see that? That look in her eyes. It's the same as the one you had when you told me you were entering the games."

"Huh? Really?" Madoka said in disbelief, looking back at the determined gaze Lighting had before she jumped back into the fray.

"Yep, it's exactly the same." Hercules asserted as he uncrossed his arms and stood before Madoka. "I've seen that look on plenty of other heroes before, including Sora. I may not know the whole story with you, or Lightning, but I do know one thing; there's a lot more at stake here for the both of you than just a title and a trophy." He said knowingly.

Madoka looked away, her hands clenching into fists as she was reminded of what was truly at stake here, what fate would await her and her World should she loose this wager.

"…You have no idea." She whispered in response, Hercules respectfully deciding not to pry any further.

Suddenly, a loud thunderclap echoed throughout the arena, Madoka and Hercules turning their attention back to the battle to see that it was not a thunderclap at all, but rather the sound of Lightning's electrified blade slicing clean through the Heat Saber. A moment passed, sparks arcing off of the wound left by Lightning's sword, and then the Heat Saber fell to the ground with a hard clang, before vanishing in a cloud of dark mist. The coliseum erupted with thunderous applause, the trumpeters in the background playing a victorious melody as Lightning calmly sheathed her sword and made her way out of the arena.

"Alright, you're up Madoka." Hercules said as he nudged the pinkette forward.

"Eh? S-So I just… walk out?" Madoka nervously inquired.

"Yep, that was Lightning's last round, so now it's your turn." Hercules asserted. "Go on, show them what the champion's protégé is made of." He encouraged with a pumped fist and determined smile.

Madoka took a deep breath to settle her nerves, gave Hercules a determined nod, and then stepped forward out into the amphitheater of the coliseum. The moment she stepped out into the bright glow of the afternoon sun, she was met with a round of applause from the crowd, startling the unsuspecting girl enough to make her jump a little.

"Huh? W-What…?"

"They remember you from yesterday." Lightning said as she walked passed her.

"Eh? R-Really?" She said quizzically.

"Of course, news travels fast in disaster magnet towns like this." Lightning asserted, stopping before passing through the threshold of the exit. "…They have high hopes for you, try not to disappoint them." She said over her shoulder.

Madoka wasn't sure whether that was supposed to be a sarcastic jab, or words of encouragement, but regardless, Madoka nodded back in response before continuing her trek out to the arena. Meanwhile, Lightning retreated back into the corridor, making it a few paces inside before Hercules called out to her.

"You're not gonna stay and watch?"

"…I've already seen when she can do." Lighting replied. "She'll probably make it passed the qualifiers, but she won't be any real threat in the tournament."

"Is that so." Hercules said. "Funny, I thought a soldier like you would know to be a little bit more cautious."

"I've seen her type on the battlefield before… they never last." Lightning said, a hint of solemnness in her voice, before she continued marching back to the lobby.

Hercules sighed, lamenting his inability to connect with the lone soldier, but he quickly set that worry aside, turning his attention back to the arena, and the match he had been looking forward to seeing all day.

Meanwhile, Madoka waved awkwardly at the crowd as they cheered for her, the embarrassment from all of the attention drowning out the anxiety she had been feeling moments before. She then stepped onto the arena itself, the subtle crunch of the sandy floor turning to solid stone as she stepped passed the pillars that surrounded it. The crowd gave her one last round of encouraging applause, Madoka trying her best to show her appreciation to the adoring crowd, until her gaze fell on a familiar head of blond hair among the stands.

Sitting in the very front row, back straight, legs crossed, and hands neatly folded on her lap, was Tomoe Mami, the older girl affixing Madoka with a scrutinizing gaze. A solemn look crossed Madoka's face as their eyes met, the girl saddened by the fact that she had no idea whether her close friend would be cheering for or against her in the coming rounds.

"Madoka~!"

The pinkette's attention was stolen by the enthusiastic cry, Madoka looking out over the opposite side of the stands in order to find its source. Eventually, her eyes would fall on Calliope, the little girl she had rescued the day before, waving to her enthusiastically as she was perched on the shoulders of an older man that resembled her, her father no doubt.

"Good Lu~ck! I'm rooting for you~!" She cried out, her little voice somehow managing to reach her as the cheering began to settle. Madoka returned the girl's excited smile with one of her own, waving back to her in silent appreciation for the much-needed encouragement.

At that moment, the transparent barrier that would protect the spectators from the carnage in the ring flashed to life, walls of transparent hexagonal panels appearing between the pillars before vanishing from sight, but Madoka could tell that they were still there. A moment later, her opponents appeared in a puff of dark mist, a Large Body and two Lance Soldiers standing before her in the ring. Madoka then summoned the Keyblade and lowered into a defensive stance, the trumpets blaring in the background signaling the start of the round.

The first to act were the Lance Soldiers, grabbing hold of their sentient lances as they began spinning on their armored heels. The one on the right came spinning towards her first, Madoka rolling out of the way to evade, and once she was back on her feet the second came for her as well. This time, Madoka stood her ground and guarded against the spinning Heartless, instantly stopping its momentum and allowing her to retaliate with a turning slash that sent the Lance Soldier flying back. She then turned her attention to the Large Body, which had begun stomping towards her.

"Fire!" Madoka cried as she pointed the Keyblade forward and shot a Fire spell at the Heartless' round head. The Large Body recoiled back, its face set ablaze and halting its advance just in time for Madoka to duck under the swing of the first Lance Soldier's weapon.

It swung its lance back around in another swing, but Madoka countered with one of her own, knocking the weapon arm away and allowing Madoka to follow up with a thrust to the creature's exposed chest. The Lance Soldier staggered back from the strike, and before it could recover, Madoka sent it flying into the nearest pillar with a turning slash. Madoka attempted to approach the prone Heartless to finish it off, only to be interrupted by the second Lance Soldier tripping and throwing its lance at her. Madoka ducked under the projectile, the lance imbedding its jagged point into the ground behind her, earning the Heartless Madoka's full attention as it attempted to stagger back to its feet.

"Freeze!" Madoka casted a Blizzard spell, encasing the Lance Soldier's hands in a thick coat of ice that stuck them to the ground.

Madoka watched as the Heartless desperately tried to pull its hands out of the frozen ground, satisfied with her handy work, but she knew from experience that it wouldn't last. As if on cue, Madoka narrowly avoided the snapping jaws of the Heartless' lance with a side roll, the sentient weapon returning to its wielder's side before picking at the ice that trapped it.

By now, the Large Body had extinguished the flames on its face, and with a hardy smack of its belly, began charging forward. Unfortunately, Madoka was unable to react in time, the Large Body slamming its rotund belly against her and sending her flying back into the transparent barrier. However, she quickly got back on her feet, eyeing the Large Body challengingly as she charged back into the fray. The Large Body seemed to notice her approach, as it smacked its belly once again, leapt up into the air, and came crashing back down to make the ground shake.

But Madoka was prepared for this, timing her approach so that she was able to easily jump over the deadly shockwave, landing a hit on the Heartless' head as she vaulted over it. Once she landed behind it, the Large Body dazed by the hit, Madoka pointed the Keyblade at its exposed back and let loose a trio of Fire spells one after another. The flames ate at the Large Body's back with each spell that collided with it, until the last ball of flame hit its mark, the Heartless bursting like a bubble in a cloud of smoke and shadows.

Madoka began panting heavily, staggering a bit as she was beginning to feel the tell tale signs of casting fatigue. However, Madoka was prepared for this as well, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a transparent blue cube that pulsed with magical energy; an Ether. She threw it into the air where it shattered above her, raining down blue light over her that filled her with an extra boost of energy. At the same time, both Lance Soldiers regained their composure as well, Madoka lowering into a defensive stance as they brandished their weapons at her.

Their lances then sprang to life, carrying their wielders up into the air before charging all around the battlefield in a frenzy. Madoka stood her ground, bringing up the Keyblade to defend every time the duo came flying back to try and skewer her. Each hit was solid enough to make her stagger a bit, until eventually one managed to make it passed her defensives, nicking her in the shoulder and leaving her open for the other to jab her in the back, sending her falling to the ground. With their prey cornered, the Lance Soldiers were carried straight up above Madoka by their lances, the girl rolling onto her back to watch them ascend, and once they reached the top of the barrier, they pointed their jagged tips downward and fell.

However, Madoka was not out of the game yet, and at the very last minute, rolled out of the way of the falling Heartless, their lances impaling the stone ground where she once laid. With the Heartless momentarily stunned by the impact, Madoka returned to her feet, brandished the Keyblade, and dashed forward, slashing through both Lance Soldiers with a single horizontal swing of her weapon. A moment later, both Heartless disappeared in a mist of darkness, their captive Hearts vanishing along with them. The crowd proceeded to cheer as the trumpets played a victorious tune, Madoka letting out a sigh of relief as the first round came to a close.

"Good on ye, lass!" Mini-Scrooge said as he hopped onto her shoulder. "That's one round down, two more to go, keep it up!" He encouraged, Madoka nodding in agreement before returning to her starting position.

Once the cheering died down, her opponents for the second round appeared before her. One after another, three identical looking Heartless appeared in the arena, each one about the same height as her with the trademark round, black head with beady yellow eyes. They wore what appeared to be a navy blue smock, with thin fingerless arms and the Heartless Emblem on the chest. On its head was a round purple cap, sporting two angular spirals on the front, that made the Heartless look like a mushroom; the Black Fungus. Madoka fell back into her fighting stance, the trumpets blaring again to signal the start of the round.

The Black Fungus began hopping forward, their approach slow and not at all threatening; in fact, it was almost amusing to the young pinkette. Regardless, Madoka sprang into action, dashing passed the two Heartless that attempted to flank her, and going for the one at the center. She landed a simple diagonal slash on the Black Fungus, feeling almost no resistance as the strike made it stagger, allowing her to follow up with a turning slash that sent it flying back, creating even more distance between the three targets for her to make use of.

"Got you now!" Madoka declared as she charged forward, lifting up the Keyblade in order to bring it down on the dazed Heartless in a heavy downward slash.

"Hold on there, lass, this Heartless is…"

Mini-Scrooge's warning came too late. Just before the weapon was about to come down on the Heartless, it squatted down, compressing its cylindrical body and expelling a purple haze in a small radius around it.

"Wha… GAH!" Madoka staggered back as she inhaled the haze, coughing furiously as her lungs attempted to expel the foreign substance.

"Are ye alright?" Mini-Scrooge asked as he patted Madoka's back with his little wing. "Quickly, lass, ye need to fall back!"

"No… I'm fine…" Madoka insisted between coughs.

Before Scrooge could protest, Madoka raised the Keyblade for another swing, the weapon suddenly feeling almost twice as heavy in her grasp. It was then that she noticed that the visage of the Black Fungus began to shift, along with the rest of her surroundings, the pinkette unable to exactly pinpoint where in front of her the Heartless actually was anymore. Regardless, Madoka pressed forward, swinging the Keyblade in a sluggish downward slash that only managed to hit the stone ground, Madoka unsure if the Heartless evaded her, or if she completely whiffed the strike. Regardless, she hefted the Keyblade off the ground and attempted a horizontal swing to the Black Fungus' head, only for the creature to lean back and effortlessly dodge the clumsy swing. The Heartless then sprang back up, head-butting Madoka with its mushroom cap, the force of which was really just a love tap, but in Madoka's inebriated state, it was enough to put her flat on her back.

"Get up, lass, yer surrounded!"

"Huh, r-really?" Madoka said quizzically as she forced herself to her feet. She shook her head, her vision clearing enough to show her that the other two Heartless had indeed flanked her, and before she could react, they both expelled the same noxious gas into her face, continuing to disorient her.

"Fall back, lass! Fall back!" Mini-Scrooge shouted, the pinkette heeding the duck's warning this time. She frantically swung her Keyblade around, attempting to cover her retreat, but between her dizzying vision, and the Heartless approaching with desynchronized hopping, it was almost impossible to discern where her opponents were as she slowly began to step back.

"On yer left!" Scrooge warned, Madoka turning to see that a Black Fungus had indeed managed to get right up next to her. The Heartless blew a purple bubble in her face that popped with enough force to send her staggering back. Waiting for her on the other side was a second Black Fungus, which head-butted her in the back and made her stumble forward, the girl nearly tripping on her own feet. Just as she was about to regain her balance, the center most Black Fungus propelled itself forward like a little rocket, slamming its mushroom-capped head into Madoka's side, sending her flying back and tumbling onto the ground in a heap.

"Ugh… w-what is this… so dizzy…" Madoka said as she slowly rose to her feet.

"Poisonous spores, the Black Fungi claim to fame." Mini-Scrooge informed.

"Poison…?"

"Aye, it'll sap ye vitality dry if ye let it."

Madoka believed it, feeling her energy slowly being drained away with each second. With this realization, she pulled out a Potion and used it, letting the green light heal her and giving her the kick in the pants she needed to reorient herself. She shook off the last of the poison's effect, her vision fully clearing as she saw the Black Fungi begin to approach her once more.

"Try to keep yer distance, lass, ye never know when they'll try to spray ye!"

"Right. Freeze!" Madoka cried as she casted a Blizzard spell at the ground where one of the Black Fungi landed, freezing it in place. "Freeze!" She did the same to another, keeping them from approaching any further and allowing her to put all of her attention on the third. "Fire!" Madoka said, sending a ball of fire straight for the defenseless Heartless.

However, just before the spell struck, the Black Fungus' body began to shimmer, color fading from its mushroom cap and its body turning white. The Fire spell then collided with its new form, the flames harmlessly evaporating off of the stone like texture of its body.

"Huh? W-What just happened!?" Madoka exclaimed quizzically.

"That's the other trick the Black Fungus has up its sleeve. Use poison to weaken their foe, and then strengthen themselves up to protect from retaliation." Scrooge explained. At that moment the other two Heartless transformed as well, instantly freeing themselves from the ice.

"So what do I do?"

"Nothin' much ye can do, lass, just keep yer distance and look fer an openin'."

"Oh come on!" Madoka whined before settling back into a defensive stance.

The left most Fungus propelled itself forward, Madoka avoiding it with a forward roll only to end up in the range of the right most Fungus, which attempted to slam its head against her. Madoka brought the Keyblade up to guard against the attack, the Heartless' head bouncing off of the silver blade and sending it staggering back. At that moment, the center most Heartless hopped forward, and once it was in range, it compressed itself to expel its spores at her. Madoka thought quickly, leaping over the wave of purple haze, holding her breath just in case as she landed on the other side of the mushroom-like creature.

On a reflex, she tried to land a turning slash on the Heartless' exposed back, only for the blade to harmlessly bounce off of the Fungus' newly fortified exterior. This gave the Black Fungus the chance to turn around and blow a toxic bubble in Madoka's face, the girl staggering back as her vision began to blur once again under the effects of the Heartless' poison. This time, Madoka immediately retreated, taking a few short hops back away from the Heartless to the other end of the ring. She tried to reorient herself, but her hazy vision and draining energy made it difficult for her to even stand, let alone defend against her adversaries.

She shook her head in an attempt to regain some semblance of composure, watching through her hazy vision as the Black Fungi began to approach her. She should have known they weren't going to give her a chance to recuperate, and so she quickly used another Potion to stabilize her vitality in preparation to fend them off. Through her still blurred vision, she saw one of the Heartless launch itself at her, and rather than try to clumsily dodge out of the way, she brought the Keyblade up to guard, the mushroom cap colliding with the silver blade and knocking the Heartless back. By now, Madoka managed to shake off the effects of the poison, and as her vision finally cleared, she saw the Heartless in front of her return to its dark coloring. She wasted no time retaliating, jabbing the Black Fungus with a thrust of the Keyblade, making it stagger and giving Madoka the chance to step into its guard and send it flying into the air with an upward slash.

"Fire!" Madoka exclaimed as she shot a Fire spell at the airborne Heartless, and then a second, the Black Fungus evaporating in the flames before it had a chance to touch the ground. She turned her attention to the next Black Fungus that was approaching from the right, Madoka rolling out of the way as it expelled a cloud of spores at her. "Freeze!" She then pointed the Keyblade at the Heartless and casted a Blizzard spell, freezing its head in a block of ice that made it so top heavy that it struggled to remain standing. Madoka took this chance to close the distance between them and slashed through the Heartless' frozen head, defeating it.

"Alright, just one more left!" Madoka said, turning to the last remaining Black Fungus as it continued hopping towards her.

As soon as it got into range, it expelled a cloud of spores around itself, only for Madoka to leap over the offending radius and come down on the Heartless with a downward swing of the Keyblade. Unfortunately, the silver blade harmlessly bounced off of the Heartless' mushroom cap, the Black Fungus having become invulnerable again, much to the pinkette's annoyance. As soon as she landed, the Black Fungus attempted to blow a toxic bubble at her, Madoka leaping back in order to avoid the attack, and create some distance between them. However, the Heartless didn't intend to make it that easy for her, as it launched itself forward, only to collided with the blade of the defending Keyblade. The Black Fungus then spewed forth another haze of spores, Madoka just barely able to roll out of range and then dash to the opposite end of the ring.

At this point, it was just a war of attrition; Madoka just needed to avoid getting hit with the spores long enough for the Heartless' invulnerability to fade. Madoka stood on the other side of the field in a defensive stance, watching intently as the Heartless hopped as fast as it could across the stone floor to reach her. Eventually, once it came about halfway, the dark coloring returned to the Black Fungus' form, and Madoka knew that now was the chance to strike. The Black Fungus seemed to be thinking the same, propelling itself forward in one desperate attack. Madoka dashed forward, brandishing the Keyblade at her side, and with a single horizontal slash, cleaved through the Heartless, its body fading away in a cloud of spores that Madoka was sure not to inhale.

Madoka was met with another round of applause from the spectators, the changing tune of the trumpets signaling the end of the second round.

"Alright, lass, this is it, the final round!" Mini-Scrooge said. "Ye win this, and yer in the Hercules Cup!"

"Right, just one more fight to go." Madoka said, taking out an Ether and a Potion that she used to keep herself fresh going into the final round of the qualifiers. "I'll do my best!" She declared, Scrooge giving her an encouraging nod before jumping back into her hood.

Madoka returned to her starting point in the ring, lowering into a defensive stance as she awaited her final opponent to grace the stage. Her mind raced with guesses as to what it could be, almost certainly a large Heartless, on par with those she had faced in the past if the Heat Saber from Lightning's round was any indication. Madoka's grip on the Keyblade tightened, it didn't matter what she would end up facing, she just had to fight and win, for the sake of everyone back home. As she silently steeled her resolve, she was shaken from her intense focus by the familiar sound of a child's laughter.

"Huh?" Madoka said quizzically, turning her head to the source of the sound. For the briefest of moments, she could have sworn that she saw the pale face of a Clara Doll peaking out from behind one of the pillars to her right, but the visage retreated back behind the stone column as soon as Madoka's pink orbs met with its crazy ringed eyes. More childish giggling brought Madoka's attention to the pillars to her left, her gaze passing over two more Clara Dolls before they too retreated out of sight behind their pillars.

"Eh? What's going…?"

One final fit of giggles brought Madoka's attention back across the arena, the ghoulish faces of the three Clara Dolls peaking out from behind the two pillars right across from her, the trio covering their mouths as they giggled tauntingly at her. Before Madoka could wonder any further, the Clara Dolls all leaped out from behind their hiding place, flipped in the air, and balanced themselves on their shadowy spears as they appeared below them and impaled the stone floor. The acrobatic display gained a round of applause from the watching crowd, the satisfied Clara Dolls sliding down their pole arms and pulling them out from the stone, the center most doll twirling it above her head before all three brandished their weapons challengingly at Madoka.

"Huh? W-Wait, what… why…!?" Madoka flustered, completely taken aback by the identity of her final opponents. Suddenly, Madoka's eyes went wide in realization, her gaze moving back into the stands to fall onto Mami. The older girl met Madoka's pleading gaze for but a moment before turning away, offering no denial to Madoka's silent accusation.

"Mami-san's… trying to sabotage me…" Madoka solemnly lamented, her gaze falling to the floor with a heartbroken look on her face. Madoka's grip on the Keyblade slacked momentarily before it tightened once more, Madoka shutting her eyes to keep tears from forming as her crestfallen expression hardened with determination. "Fine then… bring it on!" Madoka declared, falling into a defensive stance and facing the trio of Clara Dolls, the trumpets blaring dramatically as the final round commenced.

As soon as the declaration was made, the first Clara Doll leapt forward, bringing its shadowy spear down in an overhead swing. Madoka leaped back out of the way, the dark spearhead clanging against the stone floor where she had once stood, but before she could retaliate, the second Clara Doll approached and swung her spear over the kneeling form of the first Clara Doll towards Madoka. The pinkette ducked under the attack, narrowly avoiding the pole arm, only for the third Clara Doll to come forward as well and swing her spear in the opposite direction, which Madoka blocked with the Keyblade. The shadowy spearhead slammed against the silver blade with enough force to make Madoka stagger, and recognizing the brief window of opportunity, the Clara Dolls hopped back a short distance, twirled their weapons, and lunged forward together, all three spears jabbing into Madoka all at once and sending her flying back.

"Gah!" Madoka gasped as she was thrown back into the barrier, just barely able to stay on her feet as she slid off the transparent surface.

The Clara Dolls gave her no chance to recollect herself, one of the creatures advancing and swinging its spear at Madoka, who managed to avoid the strike with a forward roll. The Clara Doll turned on its heel and swung its spear back around towards her, but Madoka easily blocked the strike, the spear bouncing off of her blade and giving Madoka the chance to step into the creature's guard and send it flying back with an upward slash.

"In comin'!" Mini-Scrooge shouted, alerting Madoka to the Clara Doll that was barring down on her with its spear overhead.

Madoka rolled to the side to avoid the attack, the Clara Doll impaling its spear into the stone floor. It then pulled its weapon out, reared it back, and thrusted it forward, Madoka brining the Keyblade up to block. Sparks flew off the weapons as Madoka pushed the Keyblade against the pole arm, the momentum of the strike carrying the Clara Doll forward and passed the pinkette. Madoka capitalized on the opening and jabbed at the Clara Doll's exposed back, making it stagger forward before Madoka followed up with a sweeping slash that sent it falling to the ground.

Madoka then turned her attention to the third Clara Doll, gasping in surprise, as she was just barely able to step out of the way of the swirling spear that spun like a buzz saw as the creature dashed forward with it. With the attack failed, the Clara Doll took hold of its weapon and swung back around at Madoka, the spear slamming against the Keyblade as it was brought up to guard. Undeterred, the Clara Doll stepped forward, swinging the opposite end of the spear upward and knocking the Keyblade straight out of Madoka's grasp.

"Wha…!" Madoka gasped as she watched the Keyblade tumble through the air and land on the other side of the ring. In that moment of panic, the Clara Doll jabbed the offending end of the spear into Madoka's chest, making her stagger back, and with no weapon to defend with, was sent flying back with a turning swing of the Clara Doll's spear.

The Clara Doll giggled as Madoka fell to the ground, the other two immediately springing to their feet and joining in. As Madoka struggled to stand, the Clara Dolls surrounded her, skipping ominously around her in a circle. Once Madoka finally stood back up, the Clara Dolls stopped their skipping, raised their spears, and leaped forward, bringing their weapons down on Madoka in the center all at once. Seemingly defenseless, Madoka instinctually summoned the Keyblade back into her grasp and brought it up to block the coordinated strike. All three spearheads slammed against the metallic blade, ringing across the battlefield as the force brought Madoka to her knees. She desperately pushed against the ethereal spears, the Clara Dolls seemingly giggling at her efforts, but eventually, she managed to push the weapons off of her and stand back onto her feet.

"Fire!" Madoka shouted as she shot a Fire spell at each of the staggered Clara Dolls, keeping them from immediately retaliating and giving Madoka a chance to catch her breath.

Unfortunately, that moment didn't last long, as the Clara Dolls quickly put out the flames and regrouped. Madoka watched as two of the Clara Dolls leapt into the air over the third, all three bringing the back ends of their spears together, the shadows that made up their form expanding and fusing together into an axel of a giant wheel. The Clara Dolls all held onto their respective spokes tightly as their strange configuration began to roll. Madoka lowered herself back into a defensive stance, waiting for the wheel to turn in her direction, only for the giggling Clara Dolls to roll off to the side of the arena and mysteriously vanish behind one of the pillars.

"Huh? Wait, where…?" Madoka flustered, looking around the arena for her opponents, their ominous laughter vanishing with them.

"Stay on yer toes, lass, somethin' about this stinks to high heaven." Mini-Scrooge urged, Madoka tightening her grip on the Keyblade as she looked around nervously for the Clara Dolls.

Eventually, their incessant laughter filled the arena again, as the shadow wheel rolled out from behind a completely separate pillar next to Madoka from the one they had originally disappeared behind. Madoka rolled out of the path of the shadow wheel, only for the apparatus to disappear behind the pillar right across from it and then reappear out from behind a pillar all the way across the battlefield, Madoka evading its sharp spokes a second time. Back and forth they went, appearing and disappearing all across the arena, Madoka finding it harder and harder to avoid their path of destruction as they picked up speed.

Eventually, she was finally caught and rolled over by the shadow wheel, Madoka falling to the ground but recovering with a shoulder roll. She looked all around the arena, waiting anxiously for the wheel to appear again, but when the laughter of the Clara Dolls once again filled her ears, it came not from behind one of the pillars, but from right above her. By the time she looked up, it was too late, the Clara Dolls came down on her with their spears, jabbing them into her petit form as they impaled them onto the ground.

"GAAHHH!" Madoka screamed in pain, but that was just the beginning, as the Clara Dolls all began spinning her around, their spearheads pulling at her clothes and flesh, before they threw her across the battlefield.

Madoka's body slammed against the barrier around the arena, before slumping down face first on the ground. Madoka panted heavily, taking a moment to let the pain subside from that brutal attack. She listened as the Clara Dolls began crying crocodile tears at her expense, their dramatic sobbing sounding more like poorly concealed laughter as Madoka forced herself to stand. Once back on her feet, Madoka administered a Potion to herself, the Clara Dolls ceasing their display of faux grief as the green light reinvigorated their opponent. Madoka fell back into a defensive stance, the Clara Dolls brandishing their spears once again as well, before the pinkette charged back into the fray.

"Fire!" Madoka cried, shooting a Fire spell at the nearest Clara Doll as she charged. Unfortunately, the little creature effortlessly deflected the flaming projectile with a twirl of its spear, and once the flames vanished, the Clara Doll leapt forward and brought its spear down onto Madoka, only for the girl dodge with a side roll. Madoka tried to retaliate with a downward swing of the Keyblade, but a second Clara Doll swooped in and blocked the attack, the third Clara Doll right behind it and thrusting its spear towards Madoka's exposed torso. Madoka leapt back to avoid the strike, the three Clara Dolls jumping back as well, brandishing their spears before thrusting them forward all together.

However, Madoka was prepared this time, rooting her stance and bringing up the Keyblade to guard against the coordinated strike. The three ethereal spearheads bounced off of the transparent barrier that appeared before the Keyblade, causing the Clara Dolls to recoil back. Madoka took the chance to advance on the Clara Doll furthest to the left of her, landing a downward slash on her dazed opponent, following up with a thrust that made the creature stagger back, leaving it completely open for the turning slash that sent it flying back. However, before she could keep putting the pressure on that single Clara Doll, a second cut her off by dashing forward with a spinning spear, Madoka narrowly avoiding the attack with a backwards roll. Unfortunately, that dodge put right in the path of the third Clara Doll, its own spinning spear grinding against the pinkette as it passed by. Madoka staggered back, but managed to stay standing, allowing her to notice the Clara Doll she had sent flying hop back into the fray, Madoka bringing up the Keyblade to defend against the thrust of its spear.

The Clara Doll followed up with a swing to the head that Madoka ducked under, coming back up and blocking the spear as the Clara Doll swung it back around from the opposite direction. Madoka struck back with an upward swing of the Keyblade, but the Clara Doll avoided it by skipping backwards out of her range, allowing a different Clara Doll to jump in and bring its spear down onto Madoka, who stepped back to avoid it. Madoka retaliated with a horizontal slash, but the Clara Doll pulled its spear out of the ground just in time to knock Madoka's sword arm away with an upward swing. The Clara Doll kept up the pressure with a high thrust that Madoka ducked under, the creature following up with a thrust to Madoka's torso that she sidestepped to avoid. Madoka then blocked one last swing of the Clara Dolls spear, pushing the spearhead away and giving her the chance to strike back with a downward slash. However, the Clara Doll pirouetted out of the path of her strike, the silver blade slamming against the stone floor before the third Clara Doll swooped in and landed a powerful thrust to their overextended opponent, Madoka quickly recovering with a shoulder roll.

Sparks flew in all directions as Madoka had to keep blocking and parrying the spear strikes of the Clara Dolls. The trio of giggling, childlike monsters fought like a single unit, each one hopping in and out of combat, leaving little lull in their collective attacks for Madoka to take advantage of. The constant barrage of swings and thrusts forced Madoka back, wearing down on her stamina little by little. Eventually, the Clara Dolls were able to break through her guard with a collective triple thrust, sending Madoka tumbling to the ground. As she struggled to her feet, the Clara Dolls began playfully skipping around her, Madoka recognizing what was coming next. Once Madoka stood back up, the Clara Dolls all pounced at her, the pinkette rolling out of the circle and dashing to the other end of the battlefield as the spears slammed against the ground where she once was.

With some distance now between her and her opponents, she took the chance to catch her breath, but the moment of reprieve didn't last long, as the point at which the spears had connected on the stone floor fused together into a wheel's axel. The Clara Dolls all jumped up and balanced themselves on one of the sharp points of the wheel's spokes, the trio giggling in glee as the shadow wheel began rolling and disappeared behind the nearest pillar.

"Uh oh…" Madoka dreaded, before needing to roll out of the way of the wheel's path as it appeared from behind the pillar next to her. As the shadow wheel disappeared behind the next pillar, Madoka rushed to the center of the arena, it's rectangular shape making it impossible to find a point that was equidistant from every pillar, but dead center was the best she was going to get.

She waited for the shadow wheel to reappear, and just as she suspected, it popped out from behind the pillar nearest to the center on her right, Madoka easily rolling to avoid it. Madoka had noticed from earlier that the Clara Dolls never followed the same exact path twice as the shadow wheel, and so, now knowing that the center most pillars were safe, she awaited the wheel's return, which turned out to be from out of the top right corner pillar.

"Freeze!" Madoka cried as she fired two Blizzard spells at the ground between her and the wheel, hoping the difficult terrain would stop the Clara Dolls in their tracks.

Unfortunately, this was not the case, as the sharp points of the wheel's spokes acted like crampons that allowed it to carry itself over the ice with little to no interference.

"W-Wah!" Madoka whimpered as she frantically dodged to the side to avoid the rolling Clara Dolls.

As she recovered from the clumsy dodge, the shadow wheel reappeared behind the closest pillar, and with no time to evade, Madoka simply brought the Keyblade up to defend herself. Madoka's feet skid across the battlefield as she was forced back by the spinning wheel grinding into the silver blade of her weapon, Madoka trying with all of her might to keep the Keyblade in her grasp and in a defensive guard. Eventually, her back slammed against one of the pillars, earning a pained gasp from the pinkette before the shadow wheel suddenly changed directions and rolled behind another pillar right across from her. Madoka fell to the ground, the aching of her back preventing her from getting back up right away. As she forced herself up onto her knees, just about to lift herself back to her feet, the Clara Dolls appeared above her, and pinned her back to the ground with their spears.

"GYAAAAHHHHH!" Madoka screamed in agony before she was lifted up by the spears that impaled her. The Clara Dolls giggled in sadistic glee as they spun her around as they had before, only to unceremoniously toss her across the battlefield, the poor girl falling to the ground in a heap.

The audience collectively winced at the display, their usual excitable bloodlust replaced with sympathy as they watched the pinkette struggle just to hold herself up on the palms of her hands. Madoka whimpered as she tried to stand, despite her physical body only showing a few scrapes and bruises, she felt as if she had been torn to shreds, the pain that usually only lasted a fleeting moment instead lingered on her, as if trying to crush her very spirit. It was working, as in that very moment, part of Madoka just wanted to lie back down on the ground and wait for the pain to subside, to just pass out on the cold stone floor in a desperate attempt to avoid repeating such a painful experience.

Meanwhile, in the stands, Mami couldn't help but look away from the groveling girl, her feelings of sympathy and guilt gnawing away at her resolve.

'I'm sorry, Kaname-san, really I am… but this will all be over soon.' Mami thought to herself as she looked back at the girl in the ring. 'Please… just stay down.' She pleaded, wringing her hands together as she watched Madoka continue to struggle to stand. Just when it seemed like Madoka was going to give up, a sigh of relief about to escape Mami's lips, she planted the Keyblade into the stone floor and used it as a crutch to finally pull herself back up onto her feet.

"…I'm not… done yet." She declared defiantly, the crowd cheering her on for her display of resilience. A pained expression fell across Mami's face before she hardened her expression once more.

'Very well, struggle if you must, but it won't do much against Akemi-san's familiars.' Mami asserted in her head, the Clara Dolls responding by brandishing their spears and narrowing their gazes at their exhausted opponent.

"That's right, hang in there lass!" Mini-Scrooge said as Madoka steadied herself. "Those ragdoll ruffians may have ye on the ropes, but little do they know ye have just a few more tricks up yer sleeve."

"Right!" Madoka replied, knowing exactly what Scrooge was saying. She fell back into a defensive stance, meeting the Clara Doll's narrowed gazes challengingly, prompting the trio of familiars to charge forward, hoping to take out their weakened opponent with one last decisive strike.

But, just as Scrooge had said, Madoka wasn't out of options just yet, the girl reaching up and grasping the pendant around her neck. She thought back to her time in the Land of Dragons, recalling meeting Mulan and Shang and being asked to aid them in their mission to Qui Gong. She recalled fighting alongside Mulan to rid their path of the Heartless, reconciling with Mulan after their disagreement over the fate of the princesses, and the moment she reunited Mulan with Shang after the latter was presumed to be dead. The pendant gave off a warm glow as she remembered her time with the hero of China, the Clara Dolls pouncing on their seemingly defenseless prey just as the light began to reach its apex.

"Lend me your strength… Mulan!" Madoka cried, the Clara Dolls being blasted back by the bright flash of light that followed.

The light was blinding for everyone in the coliseum, rousing confused mutterings amongst the crowd until the light died back down, revealing Madoka's transformation. Her hair, usually done up in twin pigtails, now laid free down the back of her neck, and her usual clothes were replaced with Chinese garb. The teal top fell to about her knees, just above the knee high socks she wore, and was held together by a red sash, upon which her usual ribbons were tied in a bow where a soldier's sword would have hung. Madoka brandished the Keyblade in a manner similar to the woman she was emulating, before falling back into a defensive stance, the crowd cheering excitedly at the sight of Madoka donning the Mulan Cosplay.

Mami was shocked, her jaw dropping at the unexpected transformation, any signs of fatigue that had plagued Madoka now nowhere to be seen as she faced down the trio of Clara Dolls with a fierce expression.

The Clara Dolls themselves had quickly recovered from being blown back, paying little mind to their opponent's new look as they brandished their spears and hopped back into the fray. The center most Clara Doll charged forward, the other two on standby to step in should the first's strike be blocked or dodged. As the creatures advanced on her, Madoka tapped into the well of magical power that this new form had come with, the Power of Fire that was gifted to her by the hero of China herself magnifying, and with a wave of the Keyblade, Madoka summoned three balls of fire in the air around her.

"Fire!" Madoka cried as she thrusted the Keyblade forward, sending the flaming projectiles flying across the field, each one colliding with one of the Clara Dolls and igniting them in flames upon impact.

Madoka then dashed forward, closing in on the center most Clara Doll by wreathing the Keyblade in flames and landing a jumping downward slash on the dazed creature; Flare Blitz. She then followed up with a horizontal slash that the Clara Doll avoided with a short hop back, the other two Clara Dolls approaching from either side of Madoka in order to flank her and cover the third's retreat. However, as soon as the Clara Dolls had closed the distance, Madoka waved the Keyblade again and summoned three more balls of fire that orbited around her, and kept the Clara Dolls at bay. With a second wave of her weapon, she sent the flames flying in every direction, exploding on impact with the Clara Dolls and sending them staggering back.

"That's it, lass, separate them, don't let them surround ye!" Mini-Scrooge encouraged from a pocket on her right hip, catching on to Madoka's strategy.

Madoka turned her attention to the Clara Doll to her right, trying to close the distance with another Flare Blitz only for the creature to pirouette out of the way at the last moment. It retaliated with a swing of its spear, but Madoka parried the strike with a swing of her own, knocking the spearhead away and leaving the Clara Doll wide open. Madoka surround herself in fire again, causing the Clara Doll to stagger back as the flames ate away at its flesh, and as it tried to recover, Madoka stepped back into its guard and knocked it into the air with an upward slash, before sending the flaming projectiles to converge on the airborne target above her.

Before the resulting smoke even cleared, Madoka turned on her heel and raised the Keyblade in a high block, the spears of the other two Clara Dolls slamming against it. Their weapons bounced off of the Keyblade, but they used the resulting momentum to cartwheel back, and then thrusted their spears forward together. Madoka shoulder rolled out of the way of the attack, before standing back up and throwing another trio of fire spells at the Clara Dolls. One of them connected with the one closest to her, sending it staggering back, while the other two were deflected with a twirl of the third Clara Doll's spear. It continued spinning the spear at great speed as it dashed towards her, Madoka just barely able to roll out of the way before retaliating with a Flare Blitz. The flaming slash cleaved through the Clara Doll's guard, leaving it open for a turning slash that sent it flying back and crashing into the staggered Clara Doll. Madoka summoned another bout of fire, and with a wave of the Keyblade, she sent the flames careening out to her three opponents, the resulting explosions sending them flying back and tumbling to the ground.

The Clara Dolls quickly sprang back up to their feet, barring their razor sharp teeth in angry scowls as they stomped their feet like misbehaving children. With an angry hop, the Clara Dolls brought their spears together and formed the shadow wheel, giggling madly as they rolled away and disappeared behind the nearest pillar. However, Madoka was more than prepared this time around, standing tall with her feet together as she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and focused. Unsurprisingly, the Clara Dolls came back out from behind the pillar closest to her, but the moment their maniacal laugher hit her eardrums, Madoka rolled forward out of the way of their path. Madoka continued to focus, breathing steadily, and when the Clara Dolls came back at her out from a pillar in the top right corner from her, she rolled out of they way at the very last second.

Even as the Clara Dolls picked up speed, Madoka's sharpened senses and improved reflexes allowed her to perfectly dodge each roll of the shadow wheel, gracefully rolling and cartwheeling out of its path until it eventually stopped coming. Madoka knew what came next, stopping at the center of the battlefield and focusing all of her magical energy into the Keyblade. A fiery red aura began to emanate from her, the Keyblade vibrating with power in anticipation to release it. Finally, Madoka's ear twitched as she heard the sound of the Clara Dolls materializing in the space above her, and with a single, perfectly timed roll, she avoided the spearheads as they were violently impaled into the stone floor where she once stood.

"Blaze!" Madoka shouted as she pointed the Keyblade to the sky. The aura around her flared, as out from the tip of the silver blade came a rapid-fire volley of large fireballs, the Clara Dolls looking up in absolute terror as the massive flaming projectiles came raining down on them.

Red Meteor

The battlefield was filled with the Clara Doll's childish squeals as they were engulfed in one fiery explosion after another. Eventually, the smoke and dust settled, revealing the Clara Dolls bundled together in a heap on the ground. They whimpered to each other as they made one final attempt to untangle themselves and stand back up, only to fall back down on the stone floor, unable to continue fighting. Reversing her grip on the Keyblade, Madoka put her hands together in a Chinese salute, bowing respectfully to her opponents before dismissing the Mulan Cosplay in a flash of light.

The entire coliseum erupted into thunderous applause, nearly overpowering the sound of the trumpets as they played in celebration of Madoka's victory. Moments later, Madoka fell back onto her bottom, panting heavily as casting fatigue began to settle in, and yet despite the less then flattering position, the applause did not stop. Madoka looked out into the cheering crowd, the embarrassment and anxiety she had once felt from the attention now replaced with a sense of pride and accomplishment. It was the exact same way that Sora felt when the crowd cheered for him during his stint in the games, the experience familiar, yet also completely new to the young pinkette, who never had any such accomplishments to feel proud of before in her whole life. Eventually, her eyes fell onto Calliope and her family, the little girl somehow cheering louder than anyone else in the stands, a wide smile on her face as she clapped and waved at the older girl. Madoka returned the smile, her fatigue washing away as she decided to just enjoy her moment of victory.

That moment didn't last long however, as Madoka looked over to the other side of the stands, her smile falling from her face as she found Mami's seat empty, the blond girl nowhere to be found. She looked back over to the unconscious Clara Dolls, her crestfallen expression turning into one of solemn determination, reminding herself that the real fight was only just beginning.

---

Mami walked in silence through the corridors of the Coliseum, listening to her own echoing footsteps as she hung her head in contemplation. As she approached the front entrance, she paused and looked down the hallway that led down to the lobby, recalling how Madoka had practically sprinted there all the way from the stands to reunite with her, after her final round in the qualifiers. A part of her wanted to do the same, to meet with Madoka and congratulate her on her well-earned victory, but she knew that after the stunt she had pulled, any such praise would ring hollow, and so she just continued forward, pushing the stone doors open and walking out into the coliseum courtyard.

"Quite the performance, wouldn't you say?" Mami turned on here heel at the sound of the condescending voice, as appearing in the courtyard in a puff of black smoke was none other than Hades, Lord of the Underworld. "Gotta admit, the little pink runt had a lot more fight in her than you had led me to believe." The demonic looking god said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"I thought you said you and your Heartless could keep her from making it to registration in time." Mami replied accusingly, crossing her arms in disapproval.

"Welcome to my world, kid. Just another day of my perfectly laid plans being thwarted by a hometown zero and key slinging brat!" Hades defended, clear irritation in his voice.

"…I don't think Thebes is Hercules' hometown." Mami corrected, a decision she would immediately regret.

"Don't get smart with me, you little…!" Hades shouted in Mami's face, the flames on his head briefly turning red during his outburst. However, he quickly calmed himself down, pulling away from the defensive teenager and straightening himself out with a sigh. "Ok, you know what, it's fine, so the kid's in the running, big whoop. Just gotta keep our eyes on the prize."

"That's right." Mami agreed. "As much as I hate the idea of fighting my friend, it doesn't change what I have to do." She asserted, her hands balling into fists at her side. "You do remember your end of the agreement, don't you?"

"Hey, this isn't my first chariot race, kid. I know the contract inside and out." Hades assured her, strutting up to her side and placing one of his long, boney hands on her shoulder. "You defeat Hercules in the championship tournament, his approval rating takes a nosedive and he loses the faith of the people, and in exchange, I pull a few strings in the afterlife of your World, and badda-bing badda-boom…" He opened his free hand in front of Mami's face, a small cloud of smoke forming in his pale blue palm. Mami let out a surprised gasp as the smoke took on the form of two all too familiar looking adults; a tall man with neatly combed brown hair, and a shorter woman with long blond locks that was tied behind her in a low hanging braid. "…You get one more day with mommy and daddy." Hades whispered in the dazed teen's ear, a sinister smirk on his face.

Mami's bottom lip quivered as the apparitions of her long deceased parents looked at her with kind smiles, smiles she thought she would never get to see again. She reached her hand out unconsciously, the illusion of her parents doing the same, before Hades closed his fist, dispelling the illusion into a puff of smoke, as the god pulled away from the mourning teen.

"Of course, it wouldn't be that much more trouble to extend those visitation hours indefinitely, and all you would have to do is…"

"No!" Mami immediately, vehemently refused, Hades' cocky smile falling into an irritated frown. "I will defeat Hercules in the games, as per the agreed terms of the contract, but I will not take his life." Mami firmly declared crossing her arms defiantly in stark contrast to the vulnerable daze she had just come out of.

"Hmph, stubborn little brat aren't you…" Hades muttered under his breath before putting on his best, salesman smile. "Alright, have it your way, but if you ever change your mind, remember, the offer's on the table." Hades said taping his fingers together calculatingly as he began to walk passed Mami towards the exit.

"Oh, but just a fair warning." Hades continued, stopping mid-stride to turn around and lean down to eye level with the blonde teen. "I've thrown plenty of much, much bigger fish than you at ol' Wonderboy over the years, and he's chewed them up and spit them out every single time without even breaking a sweat." He informed her, a single bead of nervous sweat falling from her brow, betraying her otherwise stoic expression. With a devilish smirk, Hades stood back up straight and continued toward the exit. "I'm just saying, you might not even be able to eek out a win at all without that little bit of extra… killer instinct, if you catch my drift." He taunted from over his shoulder, Mami retaliating with a scowl that only made Hades' smile grow.

"Well, either way, good luck in the Hercules Cup tomorrow, and remember, I'm rooting for you." And with that last snarky comment, Hades vanished in a puff of black smoke, leaving his reluctant champion alone in the courtyard to ruminate on his offers and warnings.

Mami's gaze fell to the ground, her teeth clenched and hands balling into fists as a complex mix of guilt, anxiety, hesitation, and determination raged inside her heart. Her legs began to buckle, and tears threatened to form in the corner of her eyes, but she quickly steadied herself, her next course of action having long since been decided.

"I just have to win tomorrow. No matter who it is I'm facing, I just have to win… Kaname-san, Hercules-sama, please, forgive me."

---

A/N: Dun Dun DUUUUUNNNN! That's right, PMMM's resident paragon of justice has teamed up with the Lord of the Underworld himself, Hades! Unbelievable! Who could have seen this coming? ...No, seriously, show of hands, who saw this coming? I ask because my beta reader said he was actually surprised, and I want to know if it was actually an effective twist, or if it was just a fluke. I like to think that Lightning made for a pretty effective red herring, since the FF cameo in past games usually start off associated with Hades in some way (Cloud, Auron, Zack), so tell me, did that throw you off the scent even a little bit, or did Mami's insistence on participating in the tournament tip my hand a little too much?

You know, back when this arc was just a twinkle in my creative mind's eye, I struggled with exactly how to present the tournament format of the KH 1 and 2 Olympus Coliseum in written form. I considered making the qualifiers an actual tournament bracket, but I couldn't really come up with an in universe justification as to how and why Heartless were able and allowed to enter as contestants, and I wasn't about to come up with a bunch of throw away OC bosses for Madoka to fight, so I decided on this gladiator style three round system instead. The actual Hercules Cup, on the other hand, will in fact be a proper tournament bracket, albeit not a very large one, so yeah, I hope you guys are looking forward to that!

And, before we wrap things up here... who's HYPED FOR WALPURGIS REVOLUTION BAAAAABBBBBYYYYYY! FINALLY! After EIGHT! LONG! YEARS! We're finally getting a sequel to Rebellion! I guess all of that karma we've saved up during the pandemic is finally paying off! I can't wait for this movie you guys, the entire original production staff is returning, including the Urobutcher himself to put the final nail in this frilly little coffin he's stuffed us in ten years ago! I can't wait to see how the movie finally resolves everybody's character arcs, and what I can gleam from that to use in my own writing of this, and other PMMM fics. I just... I JUST! CAN'T! WAIT!

Well, that about does it for me, thanks for reading, get HYPED for Walpurgis Revolution, and I'll see you all next time.