Not much to say for now... These are my last three fics going solo before new
writers join the crew. Just enjoy the story.
Also, to those that have read this on GameFAQs... Please refrain from posting spoilers in your reviews. I thank you for your support... But try not to spoil the element of suspense regarding who is going to win that the ff.net people might still be able to have throughout the story.
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DAY EIGHT
It was just another day on the job.
Tom Nook wasn't here for shop keeping. However, it's a fact that when someone is taken from one place to live and moved to a totally different place, they still tend to revert back to how they acted and what they did before the move. Tom Nook was no different. He was the shopkeeper of the little village that the 64 had created, just like he was in his own little town, and he was proud of it.
He missed the peaceful village, old Tortimer the mayor, the policemen, Copper and Booker, and the villagers... Even Monique. But he had one old friend to keep him company.
Mr. Resetti sighed, leaning against a nearby wall.
"So Nook, how's business?" The tanuki shook his head. Business was clearly not booming, and the holdup that Bowser had tried to pull yesterday hadn't helped matters. Luckily, the big koopa had been dragged off by Mega Man and Zero, who were also shopping at the time, and Nook had escaped the potential robbery without a loss.
"Bad. I just don't think this is my element, ho ho... Back at the village, I could make a living without constant price wars, and I'd have a pleasant time chatting with everyone too. But here! These guys are sharp... And they're not nice either."
"Not here, apparently."
"Yeah, Resetti. So, how bout you?"
"Eh. No reset buttons nearby, I guess that's a good thing. But I guess... I kinda miss it. I pretend to be annoyed by yelling at those villagers, but ya know... It's fun. And it sure beats trying to cover up the last scandal Tortimer has gotten mixed up in. Man, that guy... I thought turtles were wise!"
"Stereotype, my friend."
Mario and Luigi, the plumbers, popped their heads in at this.
"What-a is that-a? Stereotype? I've-a never heard of it! Mamma-mia!"
Only, Auron, looking at katanas in the background, caught the irony of this statement. He chuckled a little, but then groaned. Tidus and Yuna were headed towards the shop. Put those two together and they turned into little, babbling children, so caught up in their love for each other that everything else was blocked out.
It wasn't that Auron was such a miserly old man that he couldn't stand to see the two of them in love. However, there were more important things at stake here. Auron was more perceptive than most... He wondered what the point of this tournament was? What, if anything, would the winner receive? In addition, if Tidus could get past the first round, he'd be able to spend more time with Yuna... Wouldn't it be logical for him to want that? Wasn't it worth training for, that extra time with his love if he won?
But for Auron... Convincing Tidus of this need to train was another thing entirely.
Nook and Resetti were really out of their element here. In a place were competition and fighting were key, they were just a nice duo of mole and raccoon.
They weren't cut out for this. They were cut out for calm walks along the grass, watching fish swim through the river, insects fly and crawl around the landscape, and
Tidus and Yuna walked into the shop, and looked around.
"Nice place you have here, Sir Nook..."
Tom Nook smiled. From what he saw of the young summoner, she was just like the calm, polite villagers back home... One reminder of the kindness that wasn't exhibited far too often among those in this dimension.
"Just Tom Nook is fine, Lady Yuna. Feel free to browse."
Auron chuckled again, in the background. Softly, he whispered to himself the line that Nook always said, in his genuinely friendly greeting to all of his customers.
"Just try not to carouse..."
It was all but a certainty that Tom Nook would not last very long in this tournament between dimensions. The tanuki was no fighter... Auron would miss the raccoon after that inevitable first round exit... He was a pure soul, with a heart rooted entirely in kindness. That was more that could be said for many of the others at this tournament of champions.
DAY TWELVE
A scythe and a sword swung heatedly in the morning breeze, swung by two fighters who were much more than capable.
Crono was the one that was parrying, more often than not. Crono had always tended to lead by example, rather than by words or an assertive personality. He was just content to do what he needed to do and let the others follow. Frog, Ayla, Marle, Lucca, Robo... They'd all been content to let him lead. He was the alpha male of the group, almost by default.
Magus had always challenged this. He found himself more often than not being Crono's rival, partly because he remembered the boy from his past... Crono was always a Reaper, a stormcrow, a bringer of ill fortune, to all the times he went to. 600 A.D., he showed up and had to fight Magus. Prehistoric times, he showed up when humans were oppressed by lizards. Zeal had been calm and peaceful... Perfect... For so long. Crono showed up, it all falls down.
Crono was a Jonah of the world of Earth... The world that for so long had been ruled by a giant alien, dwelling under the surface. Only now, because of Crono, was that world finally free.
Magus was taking out some of his aggression against the leader of his old group, from the days when Lavos was cut down. Magus had been the natural leader in that group of seven... But he was also the outcast in it. No one wanted anything to do with him, or for that matter, trusted him. Not like Magus could blame them, of course...
Magus alternated the locations where he swung his scythe. First, the blow came up, barely blocked in time to stop cutting off Crono's ear. Then, the blow went almost straight down, aimed at Crono's shoe. The boy had to dodge out of the way, and rushed back up at Magus with his katana outstretched.
Crono, for all his leadership, could not read people. He did not realize that Lucca loved him as more than a best friend. He didn't see the hurt in Frog from the past, not at first. And he couldn't see Magus's desire to lead. He couldn't see where all the wizard's aggression was coming from.
Crono's katana swung at Magus's shoulder, but was blocked by a swinging scythe, in a whirlwind motion. Crono had to duck to avoid having himself struck by the giant scythe, and in doing so, dropped his weapon, and Magus kicked it away, before Crono could reach. The elf-like warlock smiled.
"It was too easy to see what you were going to do with the blade. You always swing somewhere at my torso, and I know where to hold my scythe to block it. Try and mix it up a little."
Crono nodded.
"Truth be told," the wizard went on, "You'll be able to use magic in regular fights, and that will help. But you should refine that techinique of yours..."
"Yeah, I know. It's just tougher with a katana, you know."
"Not really. It's all the same to me."
Magus detected something very interesting about Crono, this time around. It was a quality about the boy that could decide how well he did in this tourney...
Magus didn't know if the boy was playing to win. He didn't think he had the heart... Or the skill. Just look at who Crono had to face last time. Dante? Lara Croft? Solid Snake? All gun fighters.
Kefka, Mario, and Sephiroth weren't gun fighters.
But Magus didn't care. As Crono walked away, back to Nook's shop, Magus smiled, showing his fanged teeth.
"Let's hope the other swordsman is that easy."
It was almost time. Off in the distance, the sharp eyes of the wizard could make out the dim forms of the monkey, AiAi, was practicing precision rolling, and finding out that a wall wasn't a great target, and of the Hylian, Link, who was fencing with Isaac... And winning easily.
The monkey and the elf would be facing off in their battle soon...
"The black wind's howl begins to grow..."
DAY EIGHTEEN
Wide-eyed, a group of competitors stared at the stadium that they would soon be using for their fights.
Tommy Vercetti was the only one that didn't share in the wonder of Vyse, Zelda, Pac-Man, and Luigi, who had all gathered here during the calm, sunny day, as they admired the huge stadium.
"Geez, if you guys can't believe this damn thing's size, you'd be flabbergasted if ya ever saw New York City. Christ, none of you have ever seen anything like this?"
"Just me."
Sam Fisher spoke calmly to Tommy Vercetti as he walked up from behind the assembled group, smirking.
"Fisher! ...You're not gonna arrest me, are ya?"
"Not here for that. If I was here to arrest you, Vercetti, you'd already be in the brig."
The two men shook hands. They had never actually met each other in the world, but both had made an effort to know their enemies... or friends... when they got here. In a place where many of the people present were among the truly bizarre, Fisher and Vercetti were just normal people. They weren't a big ape or a grammarless emperor.
They were only human.
As soon as Sam Fisher bid adieu to the group gathered in front of the giant coliseum, walking off back towards the village, someone far from humanoid walked up to the huge stadium, admiring it... It was Yoshi, the dinosaur friend of Mario. Luigi followed right behind the curious dinosaur, watching over Yoshi, trying to prevent foolish moves... But he failed.
Yoshi stared straight at one of the metal supports near the bottom of the stadium. Metal wasn't very common in it's architectural design, but leave it to the dinosaur to find something that no one would look at as extremely odd, and find flabbergasting. Unwisely, the dinosaur decided to see if this new material was edible... And he quickly found out that it wasn't. Yoshi decided quickly that metal was not going to be a staple of his diet. Luigi chastised the dinosaur for his foolishness, but he had something that he was curious about too.
"Hey-a? How-a many people does this-a fit?"
Vercetti studied the outside for a moment, and made a guess. Living in Miami, he had seen his fair share of arenas...
"Just ten grand or so."
"What exactly does grand mean..."
Vercetti shook his head. He had to remind himself sometimes... Some of the people present weren't exactly versed in mob street talk... Especially the Princess Zelda, who had just spoken.
"Ten thousand, princess."
Vyse whistled in admiration.
"Just? Vercetti, most of us have never seen ten thousand people gathered in one city, let alone a stadium."
"Amateurs. Hey, Robin Hood , ten thousand's not too much in my world's terms. There are more than a million people back in Vice City, where I live... It that different for you?"
Tommy Vercetti never needed an answer to his question... The shocked looks on his audience's faces at the mention of one million people in the same place answered it for him. Obviously... There wasn't as much of a cluster of people in most of their worlds.
"God... Diversity among worlds sure is a *****."
Vercetti and Vyse had immediately became pretty friendly once they stepped into the tournament grounds. They were both thieves, though their style of theivery was very different... Vercetti robbed from everyone and kept it, while Vyse was more like a "Robin Hood" in that he robbed from the rich and gave to the poor.
But despite the differences between the two, they got along, and Vercetti could finally trust someone, as trust just isn't possible in the mob. It was a willing change for Vercetti... While others, like Tom Nook, always dealt with genuine, honest people in their lines of work back home, Tommy Vercetti was lucky if he dealt with one honest businessman a week.
Vyse grinned.
"Tommy, have you ever gone a day without swearing?"
Vercetti shook his head, grinning. Ever since he was a kid, Tommy Vercetti had used what others likely viewed as impolite words in his vocabulary... That was just his way.
"C'mon, kid. Let's go to Nook's."
"Don't rob it."
"Damn."
Also, to those that have read this on GameFAQs... Please refrain from posting spoilers in your reviews. I thank you for your support... But try not to spoil the element of suspense regarding who is going to win that the ff.net people might still be able to have throughout the story.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------
DAY EIGHT
It was just another day on the job.
Tom Nook wasn't here for shop keeping. However, it's a fact that when someone is taken from one place to live and moved to a totally different place, they still tend to revert back to how they acted and what they did before the move. Tom Nook was no different. He was the shopkeeper of the little village that the 64 had created, just like he was in his own little town, and he was proud of it.
He missed the peaceful village, old Tortimer the mayor, the policemen, Copper and Booker, and the villagers... Even Monique. But he had one old friend to keep him company.
Mr. Resetti sighed, leaning against a nearby wall.
"So Nook, how's business?" The tanuki shook his head. Business was clearly not booming, and the holdup that Bowser had tried to pull yesterday hadn't helped matters. Luckily, the big koopa had been dragged off by Mega Man and Zero, who were also shopping at the time, and Nook had escaped the potential robbery without a loss.
"Bad. I just don't think this is my element, ho ho... Back at the village, I could make a living without constant price wars, and I'd have a pleasant time chatting with everyone too. But here! These guys are sharp... And they're not nice either."
"Not here, apparently."
"Yeah, Resetti. So, how bout you?"
"Eh. No reset buttons nearby, I guess that's a good thing. But I guess... I kinda miss it. I pretend to be annoyed by yelling at those villagers, but ya know... It's fun. And it sure beats trying to cover up the last scandal Tortimer has gotten mixed up in. Man, that guy... I thought turtles were wise!"
"Stereotype, my friend."
Mario and Luigi, the plumbers, popped their heads in at this.
"What-a is that-a? Stereotype? I've-a never heard of it! Mamma-mia!"
Only, Auron, looking at katanas in the background, caught the irony of this statement. He chuckled a little, but then groaned. Tidus and Yuna were headed towards the shop. Put those two together and they turned into little, babbling children, so caught up in their love for each other that everything else was blocked out.
It wasn't that Auron was such a miserly old man that he couldn't stand to see the two of them in love. However, there were more important things at stake here. Auron was more perceptive than most... He wondered what the point of this tournament was? What, if anything, would the winner receive? In addition, if Tidus could get past the first round, he'd be able to spend more time with Yuna... Wouldn't it be logical for him to want that? Wasn't it worth training for, that extra time with his love if he won?
But for Auron... Convincing Tidus of this need to train was another thing entirely.
Nook and Resetti were really out of their element here. In a place were competition and fighting were key, they were just a nice duo of mole and raccoon.
They weren't cut out for this. They were cut out for calm walks along the grass, watching fish swim through the river, insects fly and crawl around the landscape, and
Tidus and Yuna walked into the shop, and looked around.
"Nice place you have here, Sir Nook..."
Tom Nook smiled. From what he saw of the young summoner, she was just like the calm, polite villagers back home... One reminder of the kindness that wasn't exhibited far too often among those in this dimension.
"Just Tom Nook is fine, Lady Yuna. Feel free to browse."
Auron chuckled again, in the background. Softly, he whispered to himself the line that Nook always said, in his genuinely friendly greeting to all of his customers.
"Just try not to carouse..."
It was all but a certainty that Tom Nook would not last very long in this tournament between dimensions. The tanuki was no fighter... Auron would miss the raccoon after that inevitable first round exit... He was a pure soul, with a heart rooted entirely in kindness. That was more that could be said for many of the others at this tournament of champions.
DAY TWELVE
A scythe and a sword swung heatedly in the morning breeze, swung by two fighters who were much more than capable.
Crono was the one that was parrying, more often than not. Crono had always tended to lead by example, rather than by words or an assertive personality. He was just content to do what he needed to do and let the others follow. Frog, Ayla, Marle, Lucca, Robo... They'd all been content to let him lead. He was the alpha male of the group, almost by default.
Magus had always challenged this. He found himself more often than not being Crono's rival, partly because he remembered the boy from his past... Crono was always a Reaper, a stormcrow, a bringer of ill fortune, to all the times he went to. 600 A.D., he showed up and had to fight Magus. Prehistoric times, he showed up when humans were oppressed by lizards. Zeal had been calm and peaceful... Perfect... For so long. Crono showed up, it all falls down.
Crono was a Jonah of the world of Earth... The world that for so long had been ruled by a giant alien, dwelling under the surface. Only now, because of Crono, was that world finally free.
Magus was taking out some of his aggression against the leader of his old group, from the days when Lavos was cut down. Magus had been the natural leader in that group of seven... But he was also the outcast in it. No one wanted anything to do with him, or for that matter, trusted him. Not like Magus could blame them, of course...
Magus alternated the locations where he swung his scythe. First, the blow came up, barely blocked in time to stop cutting off Crono's ear. Then, the blow went almost straight down, aimed at Crono's shoe. The boy had to dodge out of the way, and rushed back up at Magus with his katana outstretched.
Crono, for all his leadership, could not read people. He did not realize that Lucca loved him as more than a best friend. He didn't see the hurt in Frog from the past, not at first. And he couldn't see Magus's desire to lead. He couldn't see where all the wizard's aggression was coming from.
Crono's katana swung at Magus's shoulder, but was blocked by a swinging scythe, in a whirlwind motion. Crono had to duck to avoid having himself struck by the giant scythe, and in doing so, dropped his weapon, and Magus kicked it away, before Crono could reach. The elf-like warlock smiled.
"It was too easy to see what you were going to do with the blade. You always swing somewhere at my torso, and I know where to hold my scythe to block it. Try and mix it up a little."
Crono nodded.
"Truth be told," the wizard went on, "You'll be able to use magic in regular fights, and that will help. But you should refine that techinique of yours..."
"Yeah, I know. It's just tougher with a katana, you know."
"Not really. It's all the same to me."
Magus detected something very interesting about Crono, this time around. It was a quality about the boy that could decide how well he did in this tourney...
Magus didn't know if the boy was playing to win. He didn't think he had the heart... Or the skill. Just look at who Crono had to face last time. Dante? Lara Croft? Solid Snake? All gun fighters.
Kefka, Mario, and Sephiroth weren't gun fighters.
But Magus didn't care. As Crono walked away, back to Nook's shop, Magus smiled, showing his fanged teeth.
"Let's hope the other swordsman is that easy."
It was almost time. Off in the distance, the sharp eyes of the wizard could make out the dim forms of the monkey, AiAi, was practicing precision rolling, and finding out that a wall wasn't a great target, and of the Hylian, Link, who was fencing with Isaac... And winning easily.
The monkey and the elf would be facing off in their battle soon...
"The black wind's howl begins to grow..."
DAY EIGHTEEN
Wide-eyed, a group of competitors stared at the stadium that they would soon be using for their fights.
Tommy Vercetti was the only one that didn't share in the wonder of Vyse, Zelda, Pac-Man, and Luigi, who had all gathered here during the calm, sunny day, as they admired the huge stadium.
"Geez, if you guys can't believe this damn thing's size, you'd be flabbergasted if ya ever saw New York City. Christ, none of you have ever seen anything like this?"
"Just me."
Sam Fisher spoke calmly to Tommy Vercetti as he walked up from behind the assembled group, smirking.
"Fisher! ...You're not gonna arrest me, are ya?"
"Not here for that. If I was here to arrest you, Vercetti, you'd already be in the brig."
The two men shook hands. They had never actually met each other in the world, but both had made an effort to know their enemies... or friends... when they got here. In a place where many of the people present were among the truly bizarre, Fisher and Vercetti were just normal people. They weren't a big ape or a grammarless emperor.
They were only human.
As soon as Sam Fisher bid adieu to the group gathered in front of the giant coliseum, walking off back towards the village, someone far from humanoid walked up to the huge stadium, admiring it... It was Yoshi, the dinosaur friend of Mario. Luigi followed right behind the curious dinosaur, watching over Yoshi, trying to prevent foolish moves... But he failed.
Yoshi stared straight at one of the metal supports near the bottom of the stadium. Metal wasn't very common in it's architectural design, but leave it to the dinosaur to find something that no one would look at as extremely odd, and find flabbergasting. Unwisely, the dinosaur decided to see if this new material was edible... And he quickly found out that it wasn't. Yoshi decided quickly that metal was not going to be a staple of his diet. Luigi chastised the dinosaur for his foolishness, but he had something that he was curious about too.
"Hey-a? How-a many people does this-a fit?"
Vercetti studied the outside for a moment, and made a guess. Living in Miami, he had seen his fair share of arenas...
"Just ten grand or so."
"What exactly does grand mean..."
Vercetti shook his head. He had to remind himself sometimes... Some of the people present weren't exactly versed in mob street talk... Especially the Princess Zelda, who had just spoken.
"Ten thousand, princess."
Vyse whistled in admiration.
"Just? Vercetti, most of us have never seen ten thousand people gathered in one city, let alone a stadium."
"Amateurs. Hey, Robin Hood , ten thousand's not too much in my world's terms. There are more than a million people back in Vice City, where I live... It that different for you?"
Tommy Vercetti never needed an answer to his question... The shocked looks on his audience's faces at the mention of one million people in the same place answered it for him. Obviously... There wasn't as much of a cluster of people in most of their worlds.
"God... Diversity among worlds sure is a *****."
Vercetti and Vyse had immediately became pretty friendly once they stepped into the tournament grounds. They were both thieves, though their style of theivery was very different... Vercetti robbed from everyone and kept it, while Vyse was more like a "Robin Hood" in that he robbed from the rich and gave to the poor.
But despite the differences between the two, they got along, and Vercetti could finally trust someone, as trust just isn't possible in the mob. It was a willing change for Vercetti... While others, like Tom Nook, always dealt with genuine, honest people in their lines of work back home, Tommy Vercetti was lucky if he dealt with one honest businessman a week.
Vyse grinned.
"Tommy, have you ever gone a day without swearing?"
Vercetti shook his head, grinning. Ever since he was a kid, Tommy Vercetti had used what others likely viewed as impolite words in his vocabulary... That was just his way.
"C'mon, kid. Let's go to Nook's."
"Don't rob it."
"Damn."