Chapter 10
In which Bunches and Bunches of Plot happens

Zidane sat up, rubbed his head, and fell out of the tree.

"Oww, damn!" He stood up. "Where am I? Last thing I know, Dagger was leaning over to kiss me..." He brushed himself off and stretched. Looking around, he saw a domed forest close by. "That forest looks familiar... Chocobo's Forest? But why is it on the Lost Continent?" He started walking towards the forest. "Brr... It's cold." After a few minutes, he entered the forest. Snow lay everywhere, with chocobo tracks turning the snow into abstract patterns. A young boy stood against a tree in a clearing. He looked up as Zidane aproached.

"Hey! You're a new face. Welcome to Chocoboy's Chocobo Emporium. Since you're here, you must want a chocobo, right?"

Zidane paused. "Uh, yeah. Which one can I have?"

"Whoa, whoa. You haven't been here before, have you? You can't just have a chocobo. You can either try to catch one yourself, or you can pay me to catch one for you. So, what'll it be?"

Zidane thought for a moment. "Will it run away when I get off?"

"Of course! Chocobos are extremely skittish. So how about it? It's pretty hard to catch a chocobo..."

"Oh, all right, here." Zidane handed over a wad of Gil. "You catch one for me."

"Heh, no prob!" Chocoboy walked into the middle of the clearing. "Here, choco, choco, choco... I SAID COME HERE CHOCOBO!! Please..."

A chocobo stepped out of the woods. "Kweh!"

Chocoboy did a double take. "Wha? That's not one of the chocobos from around here..."

Zidane jumped. "Choco? How did you get here?"

Choco kwehhed and rubbed his head against Zidane's chest. Chocoboy scratched his head. "Huh! First time I've seen a chocobo attach itself to someone. Damn, guess this means I write you up for a loss."

Zidane hopped on Choco and rode out of the forest, leaving Chocoboy to wait for the next sucker... I mean, "stranded traveller" to come along. Zidane turned Choco's head south and headed for the hills.

* * *

Ace woke when the radar on the Barbara Ann sounded an approach to land. He pulled the boat into the docks of the small fishing village of Pislitl, uncovered his motorcycle, and sped off into the east. After an hour or so, the battered dome of Trabia Garden appeared around the mountains. Ace wheeled his bike into the Garden and parked in the central hall. Several Gaylas flew past him, but he ignored them and strode into the Headmaster's office. Headmaster Sinther Makela was busy shouting orders into a microphone. "Tilmitt, Kinneas, and Dort, report to the central Drive Room! We've got three of the new monsters there! Gogol, Cheere, and Maijus, get to the Cafeteria! Two Blue Dragons are eating all the hotdogs!" He turned and spotted Ace. "What are you doing here, Cadet! Get out there and help!"

Ace sat down in a chair. "I'd love to help you, but there's one condition. I want to be a SeeD."

The Headmaster looked shocked. "What? Why?"

"It's like this. My father was known as the Gory Galbadian. I want to clear my family name."

"Gory... Are you Ace?"

"That's my name."

"Get out."

Ace's jaw dropped. "Wha? What the hell!"

"We don't need your kind here. I'm telling you this for your own good. Besides the age restriction, most of the students here still remember what Seifer Almasy did to this Garden. You would not exactly recieve... A warm reception. You understand. The resemblance is uncanny. Unfortunate, as well."

Ace stood up quickly, knocking his chair to the floor. "FINE! If I can't clear my father's name by becoming a SeeD, I'll exceed him! Starting with YOU!" Headmaster Makela dove behind his desk as Ace raised his guns and began firing in his direction. He slapped a button on the underside of the desk as he landed. A light began to blink on the security station outside his door. However, the two guards were busy with a Snow Lion, and couldn't see or respond to the summons. The Headmaster cowered under his desk as Ace rounded it and stood over him, gun levelled at his head.

"End of the line for you, SIR." A shot rang out. The Headmaster's body flopped to the floor. Blood slowly trickled from the small hole in the front of his skull and puddled beneath the large chunk blown out of the back of his head.

Ace pulled a pack of playing cards out of his pocket. He pulled out the ace of spades. Pulling the Headmaster's jaw open, he slid the card into the dead man's mouth. He then scattered the rest of the deck on the Headmaster's body. Ace turned and strode to the doorway. He turned and glanced back at the room.

"Rest in pieces, Headmaster."

Ace ran back to his motorcycle, climbed on, and rocketed out of the Garden. The SeeDs he passed wondered why he was laughing so hard.

Gory Galbadian: 34
Ace: 1

* * *

The Ragnarok swooped low over the ocean. Vivi sat in the cargo bay, with Rinoa crouched next to him.

"Hey, what's wrong, Vivi?"

"Huh? O-oh, I'm just afraid of heights..."

"What? Well, don't you worry. This ship is completely enclosed. There's no way you can fall out. Come on, let's go see what it looks like from the passenger deck!"

Rinoa took Vivi's hand, and together they walked into the passenger deck. Some SeeD trainees stood, sat, and lounged about in the room. The general chatter died down when the two entered, then resumed when they saw it wasn't Squall. Rinoa may be a Sorceress and Squall's fiance, but she didn't exactly inspire fear and respect. The two moved to the windows and looked out, Vivi rather hesitant. The continent of Trabia was just becoming visible on the horizon. Rinoa pointed at it.

"See there? That's where we're headed. You saw that big building next to the Ragnarok?"

"Uh huh."

"There's three of those in the world. They're kind of like schools to train people to fight. We're going to go help out another one." She looked ahead. "Hey, come on, let's go to the bridge! I'll introduce you to Zell. He's kinda cool."

They rode the elevator up to the bridge. Squall looked up from his seat at the Comm station. "Rinoa, please don't bring him up here. The bridge is no place for children."

Heimdal stood up from his seat in the co-pilot's chair. "In that case, sir, I should leave."

Squall turned and looked at him. "What are you talking about, Cadet?"

"Well, sir, you say the bridge is no place for children. I am not of legal age to be considered an adult, therefore I am still a child."

"Hang on, I didn't..."

"If you only meant to be referring to this small child, then I feel you have unduly discriminated against him because of his age. As a member of Garden, I feel it my duty to inform you that that behaviour is discouraged by the ideals of Garden and SeeD. As it says in the Garden Charter, "For no Person shall be discriminated against because of Race, Sex, Age, Creed..."

"All right, all right! I get the point, Cadet. The kid can stay." Squall turned and stared out the window.

Vivi looked up at Heimdal. "Th-thank you..."

Heimdal crouched and smiled at Vivi. "No prob, kid. Besides, you remind me of how I was at your age. SeeD Cadets tend to grow up fast." Hey stood. "Hey, you wanna sit in my chair? You get the best view."

Vivi straightened his hat. "A-alrighty. Thanks." He walked over to the chair and hopped in. Zell glanced over at him.

"Hey there, kiddo. You be careful not to touch anything, okay? I'm Zell. Pleased to meet you."

"Th-thanks." Vivi shook hands with Zell.

"Just sit back, enjoy the ride, and ignore Squall. Look, the Garden's coming into view." The dome of Garden appeared over the mountains in the distance. Just then, the radio crackled.

"This is Selphie Tilmitt of Trabia Garden! The Headmaster has been killed! Monsters are running rampant through Garden! Most of our students and SeeDs are injured! We're running low on Cures! Anyone, we need help!"

Squall triggered the "Transmit" key. "This is the Ragnarok. Hang on, Selphie, we're nearly there."

"Squall! Thank Hyne! Hurry!"

Squall turned to Zell. "Zell..."

Zell gave Squall a thumbs-up. "No prob! Pedal to the metal!" He looked at Vivi. "Better sit back. This thing goes fast when we need it to."

Vivi sat back and Rinoa and Heimdal each found a seat. Zell toggled the intra-ship intercom. "Yo! Hold on to your shorts! We're kicking this into hyperdrive!" Zell then flipped up a large red panel. Inside lay a lever labelled "Go baby go". He pulled it.

The enormous engines at the back of the Ragnarok flared into full blast, and the ship rocketed towards Trabia Garden. Everyone was pressed back into their seats by the force of acceleration. Zell whooped and Vivi let out a "Whee!" as the Ragnarok hurtled towards the Garden in distress.

* * *

Pandora, Reeve, and Beatrix stood on the beach of the new island and stared at the dense jungle in front of them. Pandora dropped to one knee and began examining the ground. "Hmm... This island apparently appeared, it didn't rise from the sea."

Reeve crouched next to her. "How can you tell?"

"There are no runoff marks. Plus, that jungle would be in really bad shape if this island was on the bottom of the sea up 'til now. This is interesting, to say the least. I wonder if this has anything to do with that Ice Cave in Galbadia?" She straightened up and dropped a snowball on Reeve's head. "Gotcha."

Reeve brushed the snow out of his collar and turned to the forest. Beatrix was walking along the edge, occasionally poking her sword into the undergrowth. Reeve and Pandora joined her. The undergrowth and canopy were so dense that very little light reached the forest floor. However, the tree trunks grew close together and wound with vines, making passage through them nearly impossible. The trio continued to skirt the edge of the forest.

In a short while, they came to a road. Or what used to be a road. It was a low clear space that maintained a constant width, anyway. The entire area was tangled in vines. Two large, ivy-covered mounds stood at the mouth of the road as it led inwards toward the center of the island. Pandora leaned against one.

"Well, here we are. We have a road. Any suggestions on how to clear these vines?"

Beatrix glanced at the vines. "We could cut our way through them."

"Of course. I'd like to test a hypothesis of mine. Might I borrow your sword for a moment?"

Beatrix reluctantly passed the Save The Queen to Pandora. Pandora stood in front of the vine wall and swung the sword into them. The vines fell limply and hung for a moment. Then, sap squirted from the ends as the vines twisted and quivered. New growth shot from the tips, winding around itself. Pandora had to leap back to keep from getting snared in the explosion of greenery. When the botanical growth spurt ended, the vines formed an even thicker barrier across the end of the road.

Pandora glanced at the vines, then back at her companions. "Any other ideas?"

Reeve was leaning against one of the ivy mounds. "Well, it seems that we can't cut our way in... Perhaps there is some kind of key?"

Pandora looked at him for a second. Then a thought struck her. "These ivy lumps. They can't just be ivy. They'd lose their shape. There must be something under them." She began clearing the ivy off the one she stood next to. The first thing she uncovered was a toothed maw, followed by a warty, Neanderthal-like brow. As more ivy was cleared, the shape revealed itself to be a very ugly statue of a squat quadriped on a column. The column it sat on was rough-hewn and square, with a smooth square area on one side. Words were etched into the smooth area. Pandora studied them, then pulled a sheet out of her sketchpad and made a rubbing of them. She looked harder.

Beatrix and Reeve stood behind her. She turned and looked up. "This is the language of an ancient race that lived here before our current civilization rose to power. I can read it, but only barely."

"Who seek to break the Chains of Fate,
We give to You this Path-way Straight.
But those who Seek with nought to Find,
May this Path with Creepers wind."

"Apparently, we have to know what's here before we can get to it. There's our key, now what is it?"

Reeve looked at the wall of vines. "I think I know a way to find out what's in there..."

He stepped back and forced a bolt of mental energy into the ground, throwing himself into the air. He did that twice more, sending himself above the treetops. His gaze swept across the trees to a large stone building in the center of the jungle. Then gravity reasserted itself, bringing him crashing to the snow-covered beach. "The temple..." He gasped. "Our goal is a temple."

Pandora crouched at his side. "You didn't have to do that. I just now figured out the key. It's not even necessary to know what lies ahead. All it takes is a statement of intent."

She stepped up to the vine wall and spoke.

"Quaero... quero... rumpo... catena fas."

With a rustle, the vines shivered and parted, revealing a cobblestone road. Reeve and Beatrix gaped. Pandora turned. "Well, come on! We don't have all day!" She looked at them. "What? I picked up on some dead languages in my youth. I merely said that we seek to break the chains of fate."

Reeve stood, brushed the snow off his clothes, and joined the two ladies at the edge of the road. Together, they set foot on the path to the world's salvation.

* * *

August and Marlene saw Cloud settled into his room, then went to unpack their own things. They stepped into the room and tossed their bags on the table. August looked at the beds. "Who gets the top bunk?"

"Do you want it?"

"Not particularly. In my line of work you quickly learn that a bed is a bed. Either one is fine."

"All right." Marlene began setting up the shelf on the top bunk with a few books. Motorcycle maintenance, the latest Saunders and Vommet romance novel, etc. August set up his own little shelf with a few objects. A worn, dog-eared book of Zen. A small jade sculpture of a dragon and tiger fighting. A smooth black rock. He leaned his sword against the side of the bed and sat at the desk in the middle of the room. He looked up at Marlene.

"So, now what?"

She looked back at him. "Hungry?"

"Not really. Ripping the throat out of a T-Rexaur kinda makes you lose your appetite." He stood. "I know! I'm gonna head for the Training Center. You wanna come?"

Marlene hopped off the bunk. "Love to!"

The two sprinted off to the Training Center. When they arrived, a SeeD was just finishing a battle simulation on a holographic platform. August looked up at it. "That looks good." He stepped over to the operator. "Is there a waiting list or something for this?"

"Nope. Whaddaya want to fight?"

"Hmm. How about a sliding scale? Start out with a few Bite Bugs, then work up from there."

"Sounds good. Hop on!"

August climbed a set of steps onto the platform. The platform was arranged like a barbell, with a thin bridge connecting two knobs. Three spikes stuck out from the knobs. These spikes formed narrow walkways and corners to hide in if need be.

As August stepped onto the platform, sword drawn, a Bite Bug swooped towards him. Cleaving it in twain, he flipped onto the center of the knob. Flying up from the rim of the arena, two Bite Bugs swooped to the attack. His sword flashed up, then down and two sets of wings went their seperate ways. Within minutes, he was facing -and defeating- ten Bite Bugs at once. He cleared the last of them and called out, "Next attack level!" An anacondaur raised itself on the other dais, opening its hood and giving a warning hiss. Dashing onto the connecting walkway, August landed a few sharp swipes that tore its ears off. Hissing, the Anacondaur struck. August leaped nimbly over it and stabbed it in the back of the head. As it died, two rose on either end of the walkway. August let them get close. As they struck, August dropped off the walkway. Catching his claws on it, he swung around the walkway, slashing the snake's heads open as he went. He called for the next attack level.

A Snow Lion appeared, exhaling a cloud of ice crystals in his direction. He leaped back onto the dias to escape them, then charged the Snow Lion. Sliding backwards a few feet, the Snow Lion roared, and August stumbled, ice crystals coalescing on his fur. The lion advanced, one paw raised to swat the annoyance off the platform. Rolling back onto his feet, August slashed at the encroaching paw, iliciting another roar from the beast. Darting forward under the paw, he ran his sword into its chest.

Marlene watched August. He wasn't even breaking a sweat. She whispered into the operator's ear.

A Ruby Dragon raised itself from the platform. August gaped at it. "This was supposed to be a gradual increase!" The dragon roared, rising onto its hind legs for a moment before stomping onto the connecting bridge. August paused. "Damn. Time to think of a strategy..." The dragon spat a large ball of fire at August. Just barely managing to dodge a direct hit, August beat at the flames on his fur. When the flames died, August stood there, teeth clenched, fur smoldering, and whiskers singed. "All right! Now I'm mad. SUMIYAKA-KEN!!" Raising his sword in front of him, he felt the world slow. To an outside observer, August blurred into a streak, which then raced through the dragon, flashing a silver streak all the way. It was over in a second. August slowed, panting, to a halt on the other dias. Across from him, the dragon uttered one final roar that was cut short about halfway through when its top half slid free of the bottom half and slumped to the ground. Looking at the steaming remains, August muttered, "All right, that's enough." August turned and walked towards the showers, barely acknowledging the cheers and applause from the crowd that had gathered.

Marlene watched August walk into the showers. Her eyebrow arched in appreciation. He had handled that very well. She noticed he still carried his sword. That was understandable. Many warriors felt like their weapon was a part of them. Losing it could devastate them.

August stood under a stram of water in the showers, just letting the water run down his body. He held his sword up and let the water purify the blade. He would have to thank Marlene for that surprise. It reminded him just how unpredictable the world is. He stepped out of the shower, vigorously towelled himself off, and pulled his pants on. He walked out into the Training Center to see Marlene fighting on the platform. He turned and headed for the Library. He needed to do some research.