I stand outside in the rain. It pours down on me, but it doesn't matter. All that matters is my prey. I am their hunter, and they know to fear me. They back away once they see my form and weapons. "There is no escape." I say with ease. They stop, and then go into an attacking stance. I dispose of them with ease. Newer ones arrive. Hey, isn't this the Realm of Sorrow? Isn't that me? I strike out with viciousness belied by my size and stature. I tear through them without any care in the world, my scythe and knife cutting through them with pleasure. After finishing, I laugh. "I'm glad I chose darkness, this power, I love it!"
I stand outside in the rain. It's probably good for plants, so I'm happy, that is, until they appear. Actually, at this point they're rather easy to take care of with magic. One good fire surge is all that's necessary. Newer ones arrive. All right, this is weird, wasn't I just on Destiny Islands? A few magic spells take care of most of them, and then I have to resort to brute force. Not a problem, my chained staff is a very good weapon. "I'm glad I chose light, it's much more fun!"
Wow, I zoned out. It appears that was just showing me what the other side's like. (Acronos: "Godammit, get to the friggin cliffhanger!" All right, all right!)
As Kairi's balance continued to force her near Acronos, the seagulls saw some food and squawked. Acronos, being totally zoned out instantly twitched towards it as anyone who zones out will do if you yell at them. (Acronos: "Thank you randomness!" Sora: "Yay!") As Acronos twitched, the only thing that would have stopped Kairi from falling stopped being there, and she fell. Did I mention that the whole thing was in slow-mo? Well it stopped as she fell and Acronos caught her wrist.
Acronos: "Be careful, I don't think you want to get soaked!"
Kairi: "It's better than falling onto your face!"
Acronos: "Hazuva? (Yes, I actually say this when I'm confused)"
Kairi: "I was falling facing your face, and you were facing me…"
Acronos: "Oh, sorry!"
Kairi: "It's my fault."
Acronos: "(Shrugs) okay, see you."
Kairi: "See you tomorrow."
The next day Acronos got up at 8:00 and went outside. He asked where there was a boat to get to Port islands. Wakka told him that one left from the nearby housing island where everyone lived in half an hour. They allowed him to use Riku's boat to get there, and loaned him a map and compass, even though his computer was fine and there wasn't too big a distance anyway. He got there safely, and took the boat because it was free. When he got to Port Islands he was amazed, the place looked a lot like New York! Actually it was smaller and less crowded, far smaller and much less crowded to be precise. In the center was the church.
Acronos: "Hello?"
Priest: "Hello young one, what can I do for you?"
Acronos: "Umm, my friends told me that you guys needed stained glass, and since I have magic I thought I could help."
Priest: "That's very kind of you."
Acronos: "I don't want to sound greedy, but I do need some things in return."
Priest: "Money?"
Acronos: "No, just some pipes, doorknobs, handles, and metal in general."
Priest: "Well, we have some extra lying around, how much do you need?"
Acronos: "Computer?"
Computer: "Approximately 50 feet of pipe, 8 complete doorknobs, 20 handles… non specific amount of sheet metal or any type."
Acronos: "That about covers it."
Priest: "We have all those things left over, you can have them for free."
Acronos: "Thanks!"
Priest: "But then what to give you?"
Acronos: "Uhh, a bookcase, books?"
Priest: "We have those second-hand as well."
Acronos: "Do you really want to pay me?"
Priest: "It wouldn't be fair otherwise."
Acronos: "Anything cool-looking will do."
Priest: "Ah! I have something perfect! You seem to be a warrior, so you must use accessories to enhance your strength."
Acronos: "Yeah, but I have no money."
Priest: "We have a very useful accessory to help you."
Acronos: "Okay, just tell me where I can get a ton of sand for free and then you should draw a picture that's the size and shape of what you need."
Priest: "They are undergoing a project to get rid of an enormous amount of sand that washed in during a heavy storm, go see them while we draw the picture."
Acronos: "Okay!" This sounded far too simple to Acronos, but he didn't mind. He got the sand, and lifted it with the reverse gravity spell. When he got there they had drawn the pictures. He asked the thickness, and then pulled out one of the largest boulders he had from his house, and cut it to specifications. After pouring in the sand, he applied dye, and then as much heat as possible, then cooled it after that. It came out great! The rest were fine too.
Priest: "Thank you so much, you've really helped us! So in return, here is the metal, the bookcases, the books, and also our blessed earring! This increases magic by one point and defense as well as magic defense by 18."
Acronos: "Cool!"
Priest: "However, there are no more ferries going out today."
Acronos: "Da…rn it!"
Priest: "You may stay here for the time being, but you should call your parents. We never did get your name, did we?"
Acronos: "I'm Acronos, I washed up on Destiny Islands so I have no parents, here at least."
Priest: "Oh! Well, shouldn't you be at an orphanage?"
Acronos: "I'm 15, and I have magic, I can take care of myself. These things are for my house on Destiny Islands."
Priest: "House?"
Acronos: "I built it inside a mountain, with plenty of windows, so I'm fine with that. I created some compressed magic, so I'll never need to pay bills aside from food again."
Priest: "That's amazing! I am very impressed."
Acronos: "Thank you, and good night, I'll stay here."
Priest: "It's not very comfortable."
Acronos: "I have a sleeping bag, I'll be fine, goodnight."
Priest: "Good night."
It was a quiet night, with a few noises here and there. Everyone slept by this time, there were few who weren't, and they were heading home. Acronos was awake, he just couldn't fall asleep, and so he went outside. Deciding to test his jumping abilities, he jumped to the top of the church. He then jumped to a nearby building and another, and another… The cool wind whipped at his face, but he was warm enough. He just ran, jumping when needed. He let his thoughts wander anywhere they would while he ran, until there were no more outlets for thought, and there was just night, wind, and motion. The darkness wrapped around him like velvet, and he ran on, not getting tired at all. There was no point to this, (or me writing it) but to him, all that mattered was the run. There were no heartless here, and he finally felt at peace with himself and the world, as well as his life. He was a keyblade wielder, so he would wield it. He wondered why so many people had emotional trouble regarding life; it was only to be lived. There is little choice, but like the run, it must be done, or else it isn't itself, it's something else entirely. He jotted this down in his head for a later time; he felt that it might come in handy. It would. There was more than enough work, good pay, and no corrupt politicians/CEOs or whatnot, so there's almost no crime. Sure a small theft here and there, but no unnecessary murders since there are few guns and less need for them, aside from training. Acronos had nothing to do but keep on running; finally he reached the end of the city. It was about 1:00. He decided to head back, and then fell asleep quickly. In the morning he took the first ferry home after thanking everyone and all that.
Tidus: "So how was it?"
Auron: "Did you acquire what you needed?"
Irvine: "Did you meet some hot girls?"
Selphie: "Irvine!"
Irvine: "Not for me, but you have to admit, Acronos looks like he could use a date."
Acronos: "Thank you very much, but I'll decide those matters on my own! Oh yeah, and I got all the metal, you were right Auron, the church had the stuff just lying around. They also gave me a blessed earring, it's pretty cool!"
Maioko: "It rocks! Did you pierce your ears?"
Acronos: "Think about the people who gave it to me. It's just a snap on thing."
Maioko: "Aw, I wanted to hear about the blood!"
Acronos: "You sound like I do! Didn't you get enough fighting in the Realm of Sorrow?"
Maioko: "Not really."
Acronos: "Eh, whatever. Mind if I go finish my house?"
Yuna: "That is not a problem, however we have finished scheduling the tournament."
Tidus: "It rocks! It's also gonna be very tough."
Wakka: "Ya, pure melee!"
Tifa: "Are you sure that's what you want?"
All: "Huh?"
Tifa: "Why not make it more difficult for the newbies? Since everyone knows basically where they stand, why not make it an ordered series of matches?"
Acronos: "I like that idea!"
Tifa: "Okay, since you guys fight in groups, I'll set you up in order."
All: "Cool!"
Lulu: "Oh yes, as to the party afterwards, it's actually going to be a bit bigger than we thought."
Wakka: "Ya, the adults want to give you an official welcoming party!"
Acronos: "Wow!"
Maioko: "Yeah, I got one too. Everyone pitched in to give money for me to start up, and they are having a house made!"
Acronos: "They got you a house?"
Maioko: "Yeah, cool, isn't it?"
Acronos: "Hell yeah!"
Tidus: "Chances are that since you're practically done-"
Acronos: "Give me an hour and I will be totally."
Tidus: "Okay, well, since you're done, there'll be some other kind of gift."
Acronos: "Sweet! I really have to thank you-"
Wakka: "Save the speech for the party, ya?"
Acronos: "Done, now lets have us a tournament!"
Tifa: "You have an hour and a half to prepare."
Acronos: "But it'll only take an hour to finish my house!"
Tifa: "Exactly, you need some time to prepare."
Acronos: "True." He finished up putting everything into place with haste, and looked at his creation with pride. "Hot damn, I'm done! Oh yeah, there are still a few details to take care of." So, thinking up anything, he carved out a knife-sized pole as well, and then put them into fire to harden them. He was ready.
Line up: Acronos begins first, then Maioko.
Wakka
Selphie
Tidus
Group
Auron
Group
Yuna
Irvine
Lulu
Group
Kairi
Group
Tifa
Tifa and Kairi
All out melee
Challengers' vs.
Acronos vs. Wakka
Wakka: "Are you ready?"
Acronos: "I was born ready!"
Tifa: "Fighters ready? Begin!" Wakka flung the Blitzball at Acronos' head. Acronos dodged it, as well as several more, to get a feeling for Wakka's attacks. When he got it down he settled into a batter's stance. "Batter up!" Wakka got ready and threw it as hard as he could, and Acronos hit it back equally harshly. It hit him, disorienting him, allowing Acronos a few good hits in.
Wakka: "No way I'm gonna loose so easily!" He charged up his energy and ignited the ball on fire.
Acronos: "Whoa!" Needless to say, this shot was faster and stronger, but Acronos dodged, barely. Another came by at an amazing speed, missing by a centimeter.
Acronos: "A few fireballs won't do me in!"
Wakka: "Bro, you're asking for it." The ball froze then, and came at his head, again dodged, but now some of the sand was slippery. Two more came by.
Acronos: "For your overdrive, it sure is missing a lot!"
Wakka: "Fire and ice aren't going to do it, huh? Well prepare for one hell of a shock!" A ball that was electrified was spun around, and then flung. Acronos felt that there was no way to do anything, Wakka took too little time to charge these up, and caught them instantly, the best he got would be ten seconds to come near, but Wakka would punch him. He then remembered that wood doesn't conduct electricity! He settled into the batter's stance again.
Acronos: "Not much of a shock if you can't hit me!"
Wakka: "Just try to hit this one back, you'll be crispy!" Wakka charged a huge amount of electricity into it, then shot it incredibly fast.
Acronos: "Now or never" He swung with all his might. A giant, bright explosion erupted. Wakka had to shield his eyes, but was instantly focused on his stomach when the ball collided there. Acronos ran in and landed several of his most powerful attacks, knocking Wakka out.
Acronos: "Cura!"
Wakka: "Oww, that wasn't supposed to happen, how'd you do it?"
Acronos: "Simple, wood doesn't conduct electricity, so I used that to my advantage."
Wakka: "Remind me not to get on your bad side."
Acronos: "Right, next match?"
Acronos vs. Selphie
Selphie: "I won't be so easy to beat!"
Acronos: "We'll see." Selphie charged, swinging her jump rope around and around. Acronos just blocked it, but it wrapped around his pole.
Selphie: "Hah! I got you!"
Acronos: "Not really." He changed it from his pole to his arm and gave it a mighty tug, and then just stuck his pole out.
Selphie: "Oww! Okay, Here goes!" She spun her rope around and around until it caused the sand to fly around as well.
Acronos: "This might be bad, if I didn't have fire magic." The fire spell got caught within and flung back at him. He dodged, and then just waited. Finally he came up with something, he used a long-range punch to blow away some of the sand, then another and another. Selphie just caught more sand.
Acronos: "This is getting annoying!" He spun in the opposite direction and moved in, the forces cancelled each other out, and his pole and her jump rope connected. She jumped back, and then swung a few more times. Acronos just blocked with ease.
Selphie: "Oh yeah, well lets see what magic you have to use!" She drew a spell from him and cast it, the flare spell. He was sent flying, but got up. She tried to draw another spell, but he ran in along with his magic and gave her several strong hits. He then jumped back, and she got ready for something.
Selphie: "Okay, try this out!" She did some odd spell, and then he got inflicted with blind and silence.
Selphie: "Hah, hah! You can't see me and can't use magic either!"
Acronos: "…" He just closed his blind eyes, concentrated, heard Selphie and jumped in with a tremendous slash that Selphie couldn't block and knocked her out. He just focused a bit and some wind wrapped around him, curing him of the statuses. He then cast cure on Selphie.
Selphie: "Awww, I can't believe I lost! You just got lucky!"
Acronos: "Here's a quote I'm sure someone must know. 'Whatever'"
Acronos vs. Tidus
Tidus: "This time around I won't be beaten!"
Acronos: "Did it once, I don't think I'll fail either." They got ready, and then the match started. Neither moved an inch. Finally after a long time, they both charged simultaneously. Their poles collided, once, twice, many times until they jumped back.
Acronos: "Well that was my first good warm-up."
Tidus: "Me too." They charged again, and Tidus used Spiral Cut. Again Acronos blocked and dodged, the same basic thing proceeded.
Tidus: "I enhanced Energy Rain a bit." He jumped up again, ready, then cast many more bolts of energy, but this time directly at Acronos. He just cast Blizzaga, the wide range blocking the bolts, but was hit with all of Blitz Ace because Tidus used it while he was busy with Energy Rain. Tidus charged again, and Acronos noted the ice behind him. He sidestepped and let Tidus slide and fall, but didn't attack. He waited for Tidus to get up honorably, and then just waited out his next attack. He then grew tired and was about to use Sonic Blade, but realized that it would be a bit foolish under the circumstances. So he resorted to a few hits after each block, which worked in taking Tidus out.
Acronos vs. Group
Tidus: "Get ready, this time it's three to one, and we're not holding back!" Acronos knew this, so he took up the predator's approach, taking out the weak first, which meant Selphie. However, he focused on Tidus in the beginning to lure Selphie into trying to attack him from behind, which resulted in her hitting Tidus, and him jumping into the air and slashing downwards onto her head, hard. She was knocked out instantly. He then went for Tidus, but just before landing the final blow, Wakka hit him with an ice one. Tidus got in a few good hits before he broke out and flung a block of ice at Tidus' head, effectively knocking him out. Wakka was the only one remaining, so Acronos charged quickly, using those ten seconds to land a running attack, then jump back, and repeat until Wakka was knocked out.
Acronos vs. Auron
Auron: "Do not hold back."
Acronos: "Why should I?" Auron hefted a katana-shaped pole onto his shoulder. He moved slowly, but attacked quickly, slashing and hacking, allowing Acronos no time to counter. Acronos jumped back and Auron walked over. Acronos thought that since Auron wasn't moving too fast, he could get some hits in. Auron proved far better than Acronos anticipated, for he moved and blocked so well that Acronos couldn't hit him once. Acronos tried many tactics, but none worked because of Auron's skill. Not one strike could penetrate Auron's guard. So Acronos took out the new knife and attacked with both weapons, but Auron had a thick pole and blocked all the attacks. Acronos just moved back and allowed Auron to attack. "Dragon Fang!" he yelled, jumped into the air and plunged his sword into the ground, but missed hitting Acronos. He was about to attack when he remembered what Dragon Fang did anyway, so he jumped out of the way of the eruption of energy before landing a few strikes.
Auron: "I see you are better than I thought, how about this!" Auron charged in and did a horizontal slash with all his might, Acronos blocked with the knife, only to have it fly point first halfway through a tree.
Acronos: "Whoa, that's one strong attack!"
Auron: "That's not everything." However he continued with the attack, until Acronos dodged it perfectly and hit him a few times. Auron realized that his special attacks seemed to leave him open, so he went back to regular attacks. Acronos realized that he now had no openings, so he tried some magic. Firaga was deflected, Blizzaga was blocked, and Thundaga was dodged, as well as the rest of his magic attacks. He then thought of another elemental property that could help him out. He cast Firaga and then Blizzaga right afterwards. He knew this left the blade vulnerable, so he charged in. Auron knew this as well and decided on a new course of action, namely a new special attack.
Auron: "Banishing Blade!" he raised his pole into the air and summoned dark rings around it, and then hit his pole onto the ground, sending balls of dark magic at Acronos. Acronos had little idea on what to do, so he just dodged, but they kept after him, so he hit them away, one at a time. It worked, until Auron summoned another batch. This time Acronos had another idea, so he ran at Auron, who saw his idea and tried to get away, but Acronos was faster, so Auron got hit with his own attack, which weakened his attack and defense.
Auron: "ugh, that was a good attack, and an equally good counter. However, I will hold nothing back!" So he readied his blade in Sora's stance, and swung it, sending a tornado of all things at Acronos. He tried to escape, but it was too large, he couldn't block it either, so he got caught up in it. Auron then drank from his hip flask, which only contained water, and then, muttering a small spell, threw it into the tornado, setting it on fire! Acronos came out of that one beaten and bruised.
Auron: "Had enough?"
Acronos: "Not yet. It's my turn now." So he unleashed Sonic Blade and knocked Auron out. He then cast Curaga on both of them.
Acronos vs. Group
Auron: "Good fight, but now how are you going to defeat us all? Selphie, Wakka! Stay at the back and hit with drawn magic and your Blitzball! Tidus and I will take him out in close range combat!"
Acronos: "Dammit, that's a good strategy that won't allow me to exploit any weaknesses" Auron and Tidus ran in and attacked with all their strength, but didn't get in any hits. Acronos realized that he needed something, so he jumped back to get ready with something, only to get hit with flare and a Blitzball. As he got up, Auron and Tidus stood back, as he had done. He knew Sonic Blade would be too much of a waste, so he had to think of something, until some of his compressed magic gems jingled in his pockets. He immediately pulled them out and casts protect and shell. He then unleashed wave after wave of Firaga, Blizzaga, Thundaga, Waterga, and all the other attack magic.
Tidus: "Damn, isn't that cheating?"
Acronos: "Fine, I'll just keep my haste, protect, and cure ones. Happy?"
Auron: "It will do. Tidus, link your Energy Rain with my Banishing Blade." They did, sending small energy blasts with dark magic tips hurtling at Acronos. He tried running at them, but the two of them instructed the attack to go ahead of him and fly at him. Wakka and Selphie were attacking all the time as well. Acronos seemed to have no chance. He then got a small idea. He jumped high up and put his left arm up, so that the sun shone off his metal computer and blinded them for a bit. He then hit the attacks back at their owners. Tidus was barely standing and Auron was hurt badly. Acronos did his hard downward slash attack, knocking Auron out. He then spun around and hit Tidus hard, knocking him out. Wakka and Selphie diverged and attacked him from both sides. He just waited for a projectile attack and deflected it towards Selphie. A few more times and she was knocked out.
Wakka: "Why am I always the last one?"
Acronos: "Because you can take the most." He then attacked quickly, before Wakka could ready his magic blitzballs. Acronos won.
Tifa: "You can rest for ten minutes before your next few matches."
Maioko: "Can I go, please?"
Tifa: "Okay, you go while Acronos rests." Maioko managed to win as well, since she knew the techniques of each of them and some ways to defend, but she made up a few of her own. For instance, during Selphie's sand storm, she just reached in, grabbed the rope, pulled Selphie out, and beat her senseless. During the three on one match, she just grabbed Selphie's rope and spun her around, using her as a bludgeon. For the four on one, she just hit them all with quick and powerful energy blasts. While she was able to win faster than Acronos, she had less mp, energy for specials, and took more damage than him due to his conservative strategy.
Acronos vs. Yuna
Yuna: "I'm not a weakling!"
Acronos: "I didn't expect you to be." Yuna was quite adept with her staff, using it to block most of Acronos' attacks. She also frequently cast defensive spells on herself, to make sure of her safety.
Maioko: "Aw, come on! Yuna has barely attacked once this entire match!"
Tidus: "Yeah, but Acronos hasn't gotten any hits in either. Once Yuna wears him down a bit, she'll start summoning. Then there's going to be trouble." Acronos, never one to miss some advice, knew that he had to end this quickly, how could he compete with a summon? He increased his attacks, but to no avail, the barrier blocked anything that Yuna missed, since they were usually weaker attacks.
Yuna: "Please try harder, you haven't hit me once."
Acronos: "Whatever you say." He swung as hard as he could, hit Yuna's staff down, and then kicked with all his might. Yuna flew back a few feet from that attack, and Acronos persisted, never relenting, giving Yuna almost no time to recover, much less attack. He first kicked, then slashed, and then kicked Yuna again. He really did not like to hit girls, but she did tell him to, so he kept right on fighting. After a few moments, Yuna used a burst of air to push them far apart.
Yuna: "This ends now! Valefor!" A giant bird swooped down. Its wings were those of a bat, but yellow, it had a long, spiky, and thick ponytail of white hair, had a bird's face with a long neck with red hair, had a yellow body with, uh, feminine features, (hey I'm only describing what I saw in FFX!) As well as blue-furred legs with talons.
Acronos: "Well, this sucks. Okay, I guess I'll summon my heartless."
Yuna: "What!"
Acronos: "It's a long story, just know that there are some heartless that can be summoned, that are different from the rest. Umbra!" So he summoned his shadow heartless.
Yuna: "Those shadows! I know they may look weak, but they are strong."
Acronos: "Actually, these ones mainly rely on numbers, along with the rest of them."
Yuna: "I am taking no chances, Valefor, destroy it! Energy Blast!"
Acronos: "What's with everyone and energy as of late?" Valefor swung its head, and created a circular symbol in the air. It blasted it with energy, and then it spun, shooting out several blasts of devastating effect. Umbra dodged with ease, none coming anywhere close. It then jumped and clawed at Valefor.
Acronos: "Umbra, don't you have a special attack of some sort? (It nods yes) Then use it!" Suddenly Umbra became a pool of darkness and dragged Valefor in with gravity. Inside it was completely dark until several thousand shadows opened their eyes. They clawed at Valefor and then became one dark ball of energy around it, and finally imploded and exploded. Valefor and Umbra came out, but Valefor was unconscious.
Yuna: "Uh-oh."
Acronos: "I'm not going to use a summon on you." Umbra became energy again and went back into the symbol. Acronos then attacked with all his might, and since Yuna was still a bit stunned at the attack, got a direct hit and knocked her out.
Acronos: "Curaga!"
Yuna: "Good match."
Acronos vs. Irvine
Irvine: "Hey, loosen up. If you're going to loose, at least have fun with it."
Acronos: "I won't loose." Irvine took a few practice shots and then began aiming well. Acronos barely could guard, and had almost no time to dodge. However, he ran in and got close enough to administer a few hits. Irvine jumped back and kept at it, and so did Acronos. Finally he'd had enough and fired magic infused shots, and then just charged a bigger one that was so powerful it couldn't be dodged or blocked. Acronos got up, rather damaged. Irvine got the shot ready again, and then was about to fire before Acronos hit him hard. Acronos just kept up with Irvine, landing in hits until Irvine tried to fire at close range, then Acronos grabbed his gun and used it like a club to knock him out.
Irvine: "Hey, no fair! That was cheap!"
Acronos: "Not really, you just have the disadvantage of being unable to fight at close range."
Acronos vs. Lulu
Lulu: "Just because I was kind enough to teach you compressed magic, don't think I'll go easy on you."
Acronos: "Excellent! A chance to test my magic against a black mage's!" They both cast Firaga at the same time, both canceling each other out. Blizzaga, Waterga, Thundaga, Flare, and finally Ultima.
Lulu: "You have great magic skills."
Acronos: "Thank you, yours are incredible as well. However…" He cast reflect on himself.
Lulu: "Do you think that will win this? I do know some white magic." She cast dispel on him. However, while she did, he ran in and attacked, but he missed.
Lulu: "You may be strong, but I have magic enhanced attacks and defense!" She conjured up a staff of the elements and attacked with it. While she normally has low attack, the magic in the weapon tripled her strength and Acronos barely could hold her off. He tried jumping back and casting silence, but it was blocked. Then he got an idea. He created a large flare spell in his hands, and then hurtled it to the ground, creating a blinding flash that lasted about twenty seconds. When it finished he charged, but Lulu dodged with her magic again. He swung hard and connected with her staff, near her head.
Lulu: "Is this the best you've got? Hey, what's happening to my…"
Acronos: "Silence powder sprinkled on my pole, when it connects, some powder flies off and it hit you. How's that for a tactic?" Lulu just slapped him, hard, and smirked while standing above him.
Acronos: "Oww, remind me never to have you do that again!" Then he does the spring kick that Riku does, lands, spins around, and hits Lulu with everything he's got, effectively knocking her out.
Acronos: "Curaga!"
Lulu: "Good fight, and nice tactic. However, that won't work twice."
Acronos vs. Group
All three of them spread out and Yuna stayed closest to distract Acronos. He went after her because he knew she might summon, but Irvine and Lulu kept right on hitting him until he started jumping so they hit Yuna, and when they did he attacked. He went after Irvine next, using a similar strategy. Only Lulu remained.
Lulu: "I never had a chance to show you my overdrive, did I? All Fury!" She began casting all her spells at once, Acronos got damaged pretty heavily until he cast reflect and knocked Lulu out.
Acronos vs. Kairi
Kairi: "Don't expect any mercy, I trained under Tifa!"
Acronos: "This could be bad." Kairi charged and attacked with her staff normally but with a lot of power. Acronos was guarding but not going all out. Eventually Kairi started using the staff as a whip occasionally, which was harder to dodge, and couldn't be guarded properly. After a bit of time Kairi decided to attack with more force, using a combination of martial arts and the staff, which Acronos got hit with a few times, until he saw an opening and slashed upwards, using the momentum to spin so his back was facing Kairi, and then hit her stomach with both elbows. They continued on like this for a while, both getting in a hit here and there, but neither backing down. Finally, Kairi went into a special attack, which charged magic and energy into one continuous beam that Acronos barely dodged, (think Sephiroth's Pale Horse of chapter 4) and then had to run around because Kairi had the beam follow him. After a few minutes of this, he jumped into the air and did a powerful downward slash onto Kairi's head. She was badly hurt, but still conscious.
Kairi: "I'm not giving up! Bahumat!"
Acronos: "Damn!" A beast that had a humanoid shape, with a dragon's head, long golden claws on hands and feet, leathery wings that ended in feathers, spikes on its back, elbows, and knees, as well as a golden crown of spikes flattened and going backwards adorning its head, with one long one that acted more like hair, descended upon the field.
Acronos: "I. Am. Screwed." He summoned Umbra who did its attack, but was wiped out when Bahumat did its special attack: Mega Flare, which had it charge up a beam in its mouth, along with several spheres around it, and then fire them all at once from high up, making a huge explosion. Acronos then threw away his pole for his keyblade. He felt more power coursing through his body and charged in, slashing with all his might at Bahumat. While it was very powerful, Bahumat couldn't dodge for its life, or move too fast aside from in the air. After several powerful hits, Bahumat did fly into the air. Acronos jumped up to its height, executed a few combos, and then finished with the downward slash that sent Bahumat to the ground. It got up, only to be met with a flurry of stabs and slashes. It tried to fight, or take off, but Acronos attacked madly, keeping it from flying or attacking. When he saw that it was almost gone, he cast Ultima on it, getting rid of it.
Kairi: "You beat Bahumat? Whoa!" Acronos went back and got his pole, and then attacked again, but Kairi blocked.
Kairi: "I've had time to heal while you fought, I'm not going down!"
Acronos: "Sorry, but I'm not holding anything back!" He cast Ultima on her, followed by the aerial slash that knocked her out.
Acronos: "Curaga! That was one hell of a fight!"
Kairi: "Thank you, I have to agree."
Acronos: "Hey, why didn't you ever summon that against Ansem?"
Kairi: "I only learnt to summon a week ago."
Yuna: "Yes, I taught her. However, Kairi, why did you summon Bahumat at full power? Had it used Mega Flare on Acronos, even in its new and weak condition, it might have killed him!"
Kairi: "I'm sorry, I don't know how to summon in any way other than full strength."
Acronos: "Hold on, Yuna, do you mean that I only beat you because of a handicap?"
Yuna: "Not really, the only difference between full power and training summoning is that the summon is a bit weaker and the attacks are meant to stun."
Acronos: "Kairi's summon was much stronger than yours, and you trained her recently. Is she stronger than you?"
Yuna: "I don't know, Bahumat is a stronger summon than Valefor, but with training the two are equal. However, I never had that much time yet."
Acronos: "Okay, now, lets fight!"
Acronos vs. Group
Acronos started off with Sonic Blade, mainly focused on Yuna and Kairi. After that, everyone was disoriented, so he hit Kairi with his strongest attack, knocking her out. He took out Yuna next with several strong attacks and an Ultima. He went after Lulu first this time and just attacked her a few times. When she began to put up a fight, he deflected her weapon and kicked her in the head. By this time Irvine was back to normal, and hit him with his strong blast as Acronos landed. Acronos just ran in, attacked a few times, grabbed Irvine's gun and knocked him out with it.
Tifa: "Okay, you face me next. Maioko, it's your turn." Maioko won as well. Against Yuna, she grabbed her and kneed her in the head a few times, and then did a powerful punch to the side of the head to knock her out. Against Lulu, she hit her with an energy blast to distract her, and then attacked at close range, and eventually used Lulu's staff against her. Against Kairi, she hit her with a really strong energy blast to start, and then bashed her head a few times.
Acronos vs. Tifa
Tifa: "Don't worry about loosing this one, kid. It's only a bonus, since I am strong enough to take on everyone at once."
Acronos: "Well that's encouraging. Who cares, I'm not holding back!" He charged in, but Tifa just punched the air, sending a large shockwave that knocked him down. He got up and tried again, dodging a few, only to learn that Tifa can punch extremely fast and that these attacks couldn't be blocked. Again he got up, and then he charged, but when Tifa punched quickly, he jumped and cast Firaga and Thundaga until he was above her and landed his downward slash. It wasn't much, but it was something. He then cast haste and protect to land a few more slashes, about five since Tifa was fast enough to block the hundred or so attacks that he used. However, all five were strong. Finally she got tired and used her special attacks. She charged in and did several quick and extremely powerful attacks. When she called out, "Limit Break!" One of Acronos' memories came back, namely the game Final Fantasy 7. He knew how to dodge the first attack: Beat Rush, and then to jump away before Somersault was used, and when Tifa grabbed him to smash his head into the ground with Meteor Drive, he turned it on her. When she tried Water Kick, he jumped over it and kicked her in the head, a la Matrix. When she grabbed him again and jumped into the air to hurtle him into the ground with Meteor Strike, he grabbed her wrist and flung her into the ground instead. Then next move; Dolphin Blow, which was an uppercut, he dodged and turned into a painful wristlock that Tifa barely got out of. He knew Final Heaven, a punch that even when not touching the ground sent rocks flying in its wake, was coming up, so he backed up. When she raised her fist and charged it up, he jumped high up, so that she missed, but still sent him flying into the mountain, where he landed at a ninety degree angle to the ground on his feet, and propelled himself at her like a spring. He smashed his pole into her head while going extremely fast.
Tifa: "Oww, you're much better than I thought."
Acronos: "Thanks, and I see where you got your reputation." She smashed her hand into the ground, creating a blast of sand, and then attacked, landing a solid punch on Acronos. After flying into a wall, he decided to hold absolutely nothing back. He cast a barrage of Ultima spells that Tifa couldn't block, and then did his downward slash, followed by a rapid succession of slashes and stabs. After a moment, he went to using his knife and martial arts as well. Finally Tifa punched him in the chest, but he didn't fly as far.
Tifa: "I've had enough! Premium Heart!" She summoned a purple gauntlet to her hand, with a V shape's point facing towards the tips of her fingers that started a bit before the knuckles. This was a much stronger weapon that allowed her to get stronger the more enraged she became.
Acronos: "This is bad." He charged in and attempted his previous assault, but the Premium heart increased Tifa's speed as well. Acronos was lucky if he tapped the end of a hair. This continued, neither getting any hits in for a while. Actually it took a half hour. Since everyone figured they weren't going to get anywhere for a while, they started the decorations for the party, leaving Maioko near the fight to train while waiting for anything. Finally Acronos jumped back, and Tifa pressed the attack. She still didn't leave herself open anywhere, and then Acronos considered something: She might be able to guard from above, but it wasn't as strong. So he began to jump around at a rapid pace, alerting everyone to the battle. He attacked from above during most of the jumps, but only by swinging below him as he flew. On occasion he'd cast a quick spell, but none really did damage. Tifa jumped into the air and delivered a spinning kick to Acronos' head from out of nowhere, sending him to the ground.
Tifa: "Give up. You're not skilled enough to penetrate my guard effectively, and you are barely defending yourself."
Acronos: "That makes it a challenge, the more impossible, the better the outcome. However, under no circumstances shall I give up." As he began, he jumped to his feet. As he punctuated the "no", he charged. As he said "up", he slashed in that direction, to connect squarely with Tifa's jaw. She flew up a few inches, and Acronos pressed the advantage of her position by delivering his hardest attack to her midsection. She flew almost as far as when she punched him.
Tifa: "Grr. If I can't beat you easily with my fists, lets see how you do against my magic!" Red waves of mana crashed beneath her feet. She pulled back her arms, as if stretching, and then did a double punch forward, sending the magic towards him. "Flamethrower!" This attack is rather self-explanatory, and Acronos' immediate running and dodging is too.
Acronos: "Geez! Are you trying to barbecue me?"
Tifa: "No, just win."
Acronos: "Well then, try some of your own medicine!" He focused and copied her attack, at three-quarters power, but still effective, especially on powerful attacks.
Tifa: "You can't even use the attack at full power! How about something more interesting? Shadow Flare!" Darkness enveloped everything, and a huge explosion took place, a giant, dark, version of Flare.
Acronos: "Ugh. That really hurt! Try this on for size!" Instead of copying her, like she anticipated, he sent up a wall of sand, rushed at her, attacked a few times, jumped back, made as if to slash from the left, but then copied her attack, blasting her point-blank and sending her flying.
Tifa: "Argh! No more mercy! Shadow Flare! Pandora's Box! Flare! Odin: Gunge lance! Final Heaven! Beat Rush! RRR ARGH!" Each spell was in quick succession, and attacked most of the field, Acronos managed to cast reflect eventually though. He couldn't reflect Odin's Gunge Lance, but managed to dodge it, since it was only a lance hurling at a couple hundred mph at the point where he stood. Acronos dodged most of Tifa's limit breaks, but he was lucky if he got a second of time in.
Acronos: "She's firing these attacks like mad! I don't stand a chance, she has to hit me at some point, and then I'm toast! I don't have time for Sonic Blade either! Wait, was that an opening? That's it! She's attacking in a rage, but is leaving herself open! Now if I only had the time to make use of this…" He finally found the time needed. It was in between Final Heaven and Gunge Lance. Coincidentally, and rather obviously, these two took the longest to use, charge, and had the biggest recoil. Tifa normally would never have used them together, but Acronos had been studying her moves and left himself open, (seemingly) for the two, one right after the other. The move was a copy of all the attacks compressed into a Final Heaven type attack, and then Ultima, followed by the jump slash and as many quick and powerful combos as physically possible.
Tifa: "(Raggedly) You'll never…defeat me. I defeated…Sephiroth…with my companions! I…Won't…Fall!" She charged up to start the rage again, but this time, one simple thing did it… a punch to the forehead. It wasn't very nice, but effective. The rage was halted in its tracks, and Tifa was barely standing. Unfortunately, Acronos was in the same position.
Acronos: "Well, this is the final charge."
Tifa: "No holding back." They ran in, both ready, they both jumped into the air… and landed safely. They turned around, seemingly ready for another jump, until… Tifa just gave a thumbs up, and fainted. Acronos just stood for a moment, not believing he'd won. Then he just sat down where he stood, very exhausted.
Maioko: "Wow! That was amazing! That was an incredible fight!"
Acronos: "Can't wait until my next one, glad I conserved some mp. If I go all-out I should be okay. Thanks. By the way, try not to go all-out right now, I heard that Tifa taught Kairi to fight physically, so they probably have tag-team attacks."
Maioko: "Sure, but I think I can handle it."
Tifa: "I call ten minutes rest, that was exhausting! Good match."
Acronos: "Thank you, same to you." After ten minutes it was Maioko's turn.
Maioko vs. Tifa
Tifa: "You have several advantages over Acronos, but that doesn't matter…much."
Maioko: "Who cares, I'm just happy to finally be able to fight a proper hand-to-hand match against someone of my caliber!"
Tifa: "Don't get cocky." Maioko charged, and so did Tifa. Since I'm lazy, just think of any good martial-arts movie you've seen, maybe the first Matrix? Finally it got down to specials, which were about the same. Okay, so maybe not. Beat rush got blocked, Somersault missed, and Maioko hit Tifa out of the air, (I did this to a friend once, good thing they weren't hurt, it was actually a spinning kick), Meteor Drive was used against Tifa, as was Water Kick, Meteor Drive, and Dolphin Blow. Final Heaven was a little different; Maioko tried to block it, but got sent flying. She got a little ticked, and launched energy blasts, and was about to go into a frenzy that would have worked, but would have left her drained, until she remembered Acronos telling her to conserve her energy and magic. She charged in, a few really quick punches, and kicks with the occasional grab got Tifa a bit tired. She was going to go into a rage, until Maioko hit her with a small burst of energy, which stopped her. Maioko tried something a bit new; namely having Tifa run after her, jumping onto a wall, flying off like a spring, hitting Tifa's head, and then throwing her into the aforementioned wall. Maioko waited for the dust to clear, which allowed Tifa time for a rage. Maioko heard the charging, so she cast reflect and Aeroga quickly. She did the same thing as Acronos. Instead of a final charge like Tifa and Acronos did, both did Final Heaven at the same time. The resulting explosion sent both of them flying, and both got up. They ran in and started brawling. Neither got a good hit in, until Maioko realized that Tifa was anticipating most of her attacks, which is extremely bad in martial arts, but can help on rare occasions, so she did an attack that could have two interpretations. When she noticed which one Tifa was going with, she did the other and knocked her back. To finish it, she jumped into the air and smashed both her fists into Tifa's stomach. They all got ready.
Acronos vs. Kairi & Tifa
Kairi: "This is the end of your winning streak!"
Tifa: "As master and student, we are unstoppable!"
Acronos "We'll see about that." He downed an elixir quickly, for this would be a tough match and he'd already exhausted most of his mp facing Tifa. Instead of the usual cat-and-mouse routine used in combat, the two got right to it. Kairi flung one end of her staff at Tifa, but a bit off. It wrapped around her, and Kairi lifted her into the air by snapping it. She then pulled hard, spinning Tifa in the air quickly, so fast in fact that it was impossible to see where the attack would come from, or where. Acronos took a moment, and then jumped up and back. Tifa launched a flying kick at almost the same time, so he moved out of the way, grabbed her foot, spun around using both their momentum, and threw her at Kairi, using only a second. They got up, apparently unhurt, and then Tifa charged, while Kairi whipped from a distance. He decided not to go one-on-one, but to jump, grab Kairi's chain, and use that to attack Tifa a few times. Kairi's next move was a horizontal slash, and Tifa charged at the same time. They expected his jump, so Tifa grabbed the end of the staff and flung it at his back. He reached behind him, grabbed it, did a front flip, and sent the thing at Kairi, knocking her in the head. To finish it off, while at the apex of his flip, he spun to be facing Tifa, and then executed his downward slash on her head while she was focused on Kairi. They got a bit ticked and Tifa used Final Heaven, and while Acronos dodged, Kairi flung her chain and wrapped it, mummy-like, around Acronos. Since this was an actual chain, it hurt and was wrapped tightly around him. He tried to get room by struggling, but to no avail. He tried to spin, but since his legs were so tight together, he almost fell. Tifa went up and punched him in the stomach.
Tifa: "Sorry. This is a bit ruthless, and neither of us like using it, but the other techniques wouldn't work."
Acronos: "I…(labored) expected…worse. …It's…a battle!" Tifa gave an apologetic smile and continued punching and kicking him. Finally, through the pain, an idea popped into his head. When Tifa did a front-snapping kick, he bounced at the same time, and while in the air, he grabbed her foot with his legs, spun around, and when he was free, wrapped the chain around her with the spin and a slight hip movement. Kairi immediately went to spin her chain back to her, but Acronos grabbed the end and pulled the other way. Tifa yelled in pain.
Acronos: "Quit it Kairi! You might hurt her!"
Kairi: "Me? What about you! ?"
Acronos: "Fine. I'll pull her out." He took up a stance with a grin. He pulled as hard as he could in a great tug. Needless to say, Tifa came out of that very dizzy. This gave Acronos the perfect opportunity; he used Sonic Blade entirely on Kairi, and then Ultima. She was knocked out, but somehow standing. She opened her eyes suddenly, and tons of light poured out. She spun her pole around quickly, and then smashed it into the ground.
Kairi: "Heart of Pure Light!"
Acronos: "What the hell?!"
Tifa: "That's Kairi's strongest attack, well, indirectly."
Acronos: "Weren't you just…uh…what's it do?"
Tifa: "It enhances everyone who's helping hers' stats to the max… In short, Final Heaven!" This time, even though Acronos was several yards away, he got hurt badly and sent flying. He got up slowly, and Tifa cast Fire 3, nearly knocking him out.
Acronos: "Argh! Unfair advantage!"
Tifa: "Crybaby."
Acronos: " O_O! Grr.… RARRGH!" He charged at a very fast speed, cast Ultima, hit Tifa with an energy blast, and did a combo.
Tifa: "Heh, Heh, Heh. Didn't you hear? My stats are maxed out, you can't hurt me." Acronos decided that she probably was right, so he ran at Kairi. Tifa tried to punch him, but he threw her into the water. Kairi was projecting a wall of light energy, which Acronos had a ton of trouble getting through. Eventually he cast Reflect to help him out. Tifa had gotten up and was about to hit him with Final Heaven when he cast it. The light energy bounced off, hit Kairi, and then was projected as darkness, which hit Acronos. He instantly stood rigid. Suddenly he heard whispers; they eventually turned into the cries of the damned, screaming in their hell. Black lightning crackled around him, red-black energy surrounded him, and then he reached down and wrapped his arms around himself. For a few seconds Tifa stared at him, then she moved. At about that time he stood with his head facing the sky and roared with all the fury and power of hell. A small flash of light, and he'd transformed. Not into the invincible Deity, but into the Devil form that was almost the same strength, actually, it was quite less, but still far more than enough to take Tifa and Kairi out. His skin was made of black scales that were so small that it looked like regular skin. He had black-red bat wings at his back, claws of steel at his hands, and talons of the same at his feet. His face and hair appeared to be made of stone, and his mouth and eyes appeared to be only carvings. However, the iris and pupil were red, and shining. His hair was extremely spiky, blue-white at the base, white before it went down, and black with streaks of white at the tip. His pole had instantly been traded for the keyblade that was now so dark and radiating darkness that it couldn't be seen. He had spikes off his knees, shoulders, and elbows. He also had some runes on his arms, legs and chest. Not something you'd want to be on the wrong end of, like Tifa. Most of his awareness told him to kill anything and everything, but the miniscule amount of human told him not to kill, but to knock out. Since this was his first stay in his devil form, he had little to no control, but immense power. He noticed Tifa and his red eyes flashed brighter for a moment. He took one step forward, she took one back. He smiled evilly and chuckled, showing that most of his teeth were canines, and those that weren't were sharp anyway, and his normal canines were elongated in a vampire's style. Tifa's eyes showed immense fear for a second, but she shook it off and ran at him with Final Heaven. He just grabbed her fist with one hand and said in a deep, evil, and raspy voice:
(Devil) Acronos: "What, is that the best you've got? One transformation and you've been reduced to a weakling bartender searching for her boyfriend." This pissed Tifa off, a lot. As I mentioned before, the Premium Heart increases power with fury. Tifa charged all her power and rage into one blast and shot it, blinding everyone for a moment.
Tifa: "Did I get him?" The smoke cleared and Acronos wasn't there.
Tifa: "Oh no! I killed him!"
(Devil) Acronos: "Actually, you didn't even come close." Tifa jumped several feet into the air. Acronos seemed bored when he punched her out of the air into Kairi. This knocked both of them out, especially since Kairi was right in front of some rocks.
(Devil) Acronos: "Next? Cure."
Maioko: "I think we should go straight to the melee, huh?"
Tifa: "(Rubbing her head) Yeah, I think you'd win anyway, Maioko."
(Devil) Acronos: "I'm waiting…" So everyone got ready to fight. Everyone seemed a bit apprehensive and just plain scared of Acronos' Devil form. When the "GO!" was sounded, he went after everyone in order. However, he walked and used martial arts instead of the keyblade. While he moved slowly, he knocked out with only one hit. While he leisurely took out everyone, Maioko fought much quicker, taking advantage of everyone's fear, and Acronos' leisure. Soon Kairi and Tifa were the only ones left.
(Devil) Acronos: "Have at them, Maioko." With that he sat down, returning to his human form. Maioko charged at Tifa, blocked a punch, and used it to throw Tifa at Kairi. Both of them got up, only to be met with an energy blast. This took a few minutes, so Acronos recovered, cast cure on everyone defeated, and helped them get the party set up. Eventually Kairi was knocked out and started her attack. Maioko looked around, and noticed that Kairi didn't have her barrier over her head. Since Acronos was nearby, painting his newly installed door, she ran at him, noticing that his pole was in the sand pointing up. She did Blitz Ace, except Kairi's head was the ball, knocking her out easily. The sudden loss of all that power disoriented Tifa for a moment, allowing Maioko time to charge up an energy blast and hit her with it.
Acronos: "You done? Okay, here's an elixir. Lets fight." They settled into fighter's stance, and were about to attack, when the parents came. The fight was interrupted, and Acronos had to greet everyone, tell his story, etc. Maioko had to say how she was doing, how her house was doing, etc. Eventually everyone dispersed and Acronos was left to wander around. He asked Tidus, Wakka, and some of the parents when the food would be ready, seeing as the tournament and transforming had left him very drained and hungry. They gave an estimate of half an hour. Acronos sighed and went around to ask about the details of the party, such as what he was getting. The only answer that he got was that it was a surprise. He then checked the time and noticed that sunset was soon, and he departed to the island. Maioko happened to be occupying his spot again, but she heard him and inched over to the left a bit. He swung over and sat down. They watched in silence as the sun began to set. Maioko then placed her head on Acronos' shoulder. He would have shot up like a rocket, if she hadn't said:
Maioko: "Calm down, don't get any ideas either, I'm just really tired and hungry, and you shoulder is a good pillow."
Acronos: "Eh, same here." She rested her head on his shoulder and he asked: "Since we're both hungry, wanna share a paopu?"
Maioko: "Sure, I'm not afraid of a fruit." Acronos tossed it into the air and cut it evenly in half with his keyblade. The blade shone oddly while doing so. They grabbed the fruit and shoved it into their mouths at the same time. They took a while eating it, to see exactly how it tasted.
Maioko: "This thing isn't half bad."
Acronos: "Yeah, it's the right mix of sweetness and everything else."
Maioko: "Hmm, it tastes like it isn't quite ripe yet."
Acronos: "Yeah, but it would have been absolutely perfect in a while."
Tidus: "Dinner's ready!!"
Acronos & Maioko: "All right!" They ran in and everyone in the tournament began tearing voraciously into their food. Not one thing was said until the food was done, the kids were eating, and the adults were staring. When the food was done, a belch resounded from Wakka, Tidus, and Irvine, because Acronos had a bit more manners.
Acronos: "Ahh, that was delicious. Especially after that sugary fruit."
Maioko: "Yeah, very filling."
Selphie: "What fruit?"
Acronos: "The p-."
Kairi: "Lets talk about this later."
Maioko: "Sure." Everyone walked around a bit, and Kairi took this time to ask what happened.
Kairi: "So… What's up?"
Maioko: "Well… We were starving."
Acronos: "So we shared a paopu fruit."
Maioko: "Is that okay?"
Kairi: "Sure, but we should have told you-."
Selphie: "It's so ironic! Heh, Heh, the paopu fruit is supposed to bind your destinies together forever and ever, through eternity! If the legends are true."
Acronos & Maioko: "(look at each other) WHAT!!! THAT'S WHAT A PAOPU DOES?!!!!!!!!!!"
Kairi: "(weakly) yeah?"
Acronos & Maioko: "ARGHH!!!!!"
Acronos: "(panting, idea hits) Wait! That doesn't mean too much, just that we're stuck together, like friends or something."
Maioko: "Yeah, that's it. Friends for life, eh? (Raises hand)."
Acronos: "Yeah, exactly. (Shakes hand)."
Selphie: "So…How did it taste?"
Acronos: "Great, the perfect mix of sweet and all else."
Maioko: "However, it wasn't totally ripe yet."
Selphie: "(whispering) Maybe that represents their relationship? It's not ripe, they're just friends now, but when they hook up, it'll be great!"
Kairi: "(whispering) If they hook up, that is. I am inclined to believe you, though, since when Riku had it alone, he said it tasted awful."
Acronos: "What are you guys whispering about?"
Selphie: "Nothing really…"
Maioko: "Okay, whatever."
Sora's mom: "(arrives) Hello all. Oh hello Kairi."
Kairi: "Hello. Have you met Acronos yet?"
Sora's Mom: "No, I have the bad habit of being late. Nice to meet you."
Acronos: "Hello. Who are you?"
Sora's Mom: "I'm the mother of a boy named Sora. Since you're from another world, you must have heard of him."
Acronos: "Yeah, I did. Uh, well…did you eat anything?"
Sora's Mom: "Yes, when I finished I remembered."
Acronos: "Okay, that's good since we ate absolutely everything."
Sora's Mom: "So, have they told you what we're doing?"
Acronos: "Oh well, better make the best of this odd situation (evil grin) Yes, but I can't quite seem to rem-."
Kairi: "No they have not told him."
Maioko: "Acronos! C'mon, it's supposed to be a surprise!"
Acronos: "(looks ashamed) sorry."
Sora's Mom: "It's no problem, Maioko was just as bad."
Maioko: "(Blushes)"
Acronos: "(Evil grin)"
Sora's Mom: "Well, if I know my timings, we should tell you about now anyway." The parents came over.
Jecht: "Hey kid. No doubt you're curious about this party."
Acronos: "Or at least what's going to happen."
Jecht: "Well anyway, we were all forced- (is elbowed by Yuna's dad. Auron, and his wife hits his head) OW! Uh, make that; we all pitched in when we heard your house was almost complete, to get you some things you might need."
Tifa: "Not only that, but we installed it too."
Acronos: "Wow… I, uh, thank you. I thank you with all my heart. Also, how'd you install it? You only had an hour."
Wakka: "Quote: 'Haste spell, never work without it.' Courtesy of Lulu and her family."
Acronos: "Wow. Well… Let's check it out!" They ran in to see that the walls were painted, the doors were knobbed, the windows had glass, the kitchen had appliances, the rooms had beds, the office had a computer, books, there were phones here and there, there were mirrors, the dining room had a table, there were chairs in several rooms, there was plumbing, and in short, everything was done.
Acronos: "WOOHOO!! I can say this truthfully! Yes! My house is finally completed!"
Sora's Mom: "We're glad you're happy, dear. I hope you like it here."
Acronos: "I love it!" Now the party goes to having fun, and eventually everyone goes back to their homes, happy and full. Acronos goes into his newly furnished home and inhales deeply, savoring the scent of his house, his new house. He walked around, taking in the sights and memorizing the routes. On the kitchen table he noticed a small bag with $1000. It read: "Good luck and use this well." He smiled warmly and walked to his bed. After chucking his sleeping bag on it and reducing himself to a pair of boxers, he crawled in and fell asleep quickly. The next day dawned and Acronos woke up, took a shower, brushed his teeth, changed, and ate from his now stocked shelves. He went outside, refreshed, to the sunshine…
Acronos: "When the hell did I get into such a good mood?" Maioko happened to hear him.
Maioko: "Good morning, and does it matter?"
Acronos: "Good morning to you too, and I guess not."
Maioko: "What's there to do today?"
Acronos: "Well, we could continue out fight."
Maioko: "Sounds good to me, as yourself, you don't stand a chance!"
Acronos: "I don't need a transformation to beat you!" Wakka walked in on them.
Wakka: "Good morning, ya?"
Acronos & Maioko: "'Morning Wakka." At this time everyone began arriving. Acronos and Maioko tried to fight, but someone stopped them each time. Finally, they sighed, gave up, and wandered around. Selphie also seemed to be trying to get them together, so they both headed to the Secret Place, just to get away. Though they did this at the same time, it was separately, "Great minds think alike."
Acronos: "You needed quiet too/"
Maioko: "Yeah, there's no way to do anything."
Acronos: "Have you been here before?"
Maioko: "Only once, and I wasn't paying much attention."
Acronos: "Then lets look around." They began looking at the drawings, sometimes raising an eyebrow, sometimes smiling, and laughing out loud at some. Eventually they met at the door. Acronos examined the door, ran his hand over it, but couldn't find anything odd about it. Aside from its being there, of course.
Maioko: "Hey, take a look at this." She pointed to a drawing of two people sharing a paopu.
Acronos: "Who are they? That one looks a bit like Kairi, eh? Hmm, I've got déjà vu. Oh yeah, that's it, this one looks like Sora!"
Maioko: "Sora? You mean the keyblade wielder?"
Acronos: "Don't you mean 'master'?"
Maioko: "There are many keyblades, and nearly anyone with a decently strong heart can wield them. However, these keyblades will only appear if a master comes along, or there is a great need along with a wielder that's almost a master. Wielders must keep strong hearts to keep their blades. Masters have the keyblade getting stronger to keep up with their power. There is usually a master born, um, well you're the first. Also, the masters' keyblades only appear in worlds containing universes, like our Earth."
Acronos: "Whoa… Where'd you learn this?"
Maioko: "Realm of Sorrow. You'd be amazed how much information is there."
Acronos: "Cool. So, this is a masters' keyblade?" When he pulled out his keyblade, a keyhole appeared on the door.
Acronos: "Jeez! I can't believe this wasn't sealed!" He immediately pointed his keyblade at the keyhole. Nothing happened. Acronos looked very confused and checked it. It seemed to be locked.
Acronos: "Well then, if it's sealed, why's it here?"
Maioko: "I don't know."
Acronos: "Now it only I could unseal the barrier from here. As he said this, his keyblade sprung up as if to say: "I can do that!" and shot a beam of red light at the keyhole. After yelping, they examined the keyhole again, it appeared to be sealed still.
Acronos: "What just happened?"
Computer: "Barrier now dispelled."
Acronos: "Wow, I can dispel barriers!"
Maioko: "(sadly) So… I guess you're leaving?"
Acronos: "In a month, yeah."
Maioko: "(perks up) Huh?"
Acronos: "Yeah, I just got here, and I have a home here, why should I leave right now?"
Maioko: "Yeah… Hey, we forgot the drawing!"
Acronos: "Good point. Lets find Kairi." As they went outside, Kairi ran towards them.
Kairi: "Hey guys!"
Acronos: "Hey Kairi. You never told me you were an artist."
Kairi: "What do you mean?"
Maioko: "That picture of you and Sora came out really good."
Kairi: "O_O You saw that?"
Acronos: "Yeah."
Kairi: "Umm, can you keep that a secret?"
Acronos & Maioko: "Sure."
Kairi: "Oh yeah, I have to give you something for winning the tournament." She gave Maioko a megalixir, two elixirs, three mp-ups and four energy-ups. She gave Acronos the same, except that he got a key chain instead of the megalixir.
Acronos: "Is this key chain for my keyblade?"
Kairi: "Yeah, I think so."
Acronos: "Cool. On a different note, I just dispelled this world's barrier!"
Kairi: "What? Do you mean that we can leave?"
Acronos: "Just after I assemble my gummi ship."
Kairi: "I'm torn in between leaving now, and not."
Acronos: "Since it's my ship, I've made that decision. We leave in a month."
Kairi: "Cool, so it's you, me, Maioko, anyone else?"
Maioko: "Why do you think I'm coming?"
Kairi: "Are you?"
Maioko: "Well, uh, um, yes… Damn you."
Kairi: "Ha ha ha ha ha!"
Acronos: "C'mon, lets just ask everyone if they want to go." To make a long story short, everyone accepted. Another fun filled day passed, with a few fights here and there. As with all days, it got late.
Yuna: "Oh yes, Maioko, something has come up, I am unable to let you stay at my house tonight."
Maioko: "That's okay, Selphie?"
Selphie: "Nope, sorry, no dice."
Lulu: "I am unavailable as well."
Maioko: "Umm, anyone?"
Acronos: "Uhh, my house is available."
Maioko: "Okay, you've got an extra bed?"
Acronos: "Yeah, and plenty of food and water, but why stay with someone?"
Maioko: "I may have bought a house, but it takes a while, unlike yours."
Acronos: "Okay, I'll help build it tomorrow."
Maioko: "Thanks, and you don't mind me staying?"
Acronos: "Stay as long as you like, 'mi casa es tu casa', or: my house is your house."
Maioko: "That's really kind of you." So everyone got ready to leave, but Yuna remarked that it would be very cold tonight. Maioko and Acronos watched the sunset together as usual, but they kept glancing at each other without wanting to. Each time this happened, the one who did it cursed the Paopu fruit. After that little bit, they both walked to Acronos' house, side by side, without wanting to of course. Their most common shared phrase would soon be: "Damn that paopu fruit!"
Acronos: "What do you think?"
Maioko: "It's a really nice house. You sure are good at this. I'm still surprised you carved it out of the mountain."
Acronos: "A fire spell will do that. So… You wanna eat?"
Maioko: "Umm, have you got anything?"
Acronos: "Nothing prepared, but it'll only take a few minutes. Anything in particular you want?"
Maioko: "Uh, can you make spaghetti and meatballs?"
Acronos: "Easy, it'll be done in ten minutes."
Maioko: "Should I help you cook?"
Acronos: "If you want to."
Maioko: "Um, sure, but I'm not too good."
Acronos: "I'll teach you." So they made spaghetti and meatballs together, and it turned out that they were both good. After eating, they watched a bit of T.V, and faced each other in video games. Finally, the clock struck 10:30 PM, and they decided to go to bed.
Acronos: "I'll get the guest room and you get my room, okay?"
Maioko: "What happens if I have to use the restroom during the evening? How will I get the gems to work?"
Acronos: "Good point. The plumbing works on its own, but you might need the lights. I'll get the floor and you get the bed."
Maioko: "Thanks, will you be okay?"
Acronos: "Yeah, I don't mind."
Maioko: "Cool." They went to bed and slept for a while. Unfortunately, Yuna's prediction came true. The temp. dropped to about -50F, around –250C. Maioko woke up from shivering and checked the clock, Midnight. Acronos was scrunched up in his sleeping bag, also shivering.
Maioko: "Acronos? Acronos!"
Acronos: "Yeah? (Shiver) damn it's cold!"
Maioko: "I woke up because of that. Do you have heating or something?" Acronos put the heat to max and lit the fireplace, but it did very little.
Acronos: "Here, use my sleeping bag, it relies on body heat, so you'll be warmer."
Maioko: "I'm gonna decline for two reasons. One: then you'll be cold, Two: you were cold in your sleeping bag anyway."
Acronos: "So what are we gonna do?"
Maioko: "Um, the sleeping bag uses body heat, right? So more than one body would be warmer, right?"
Acronos: "So you're suggesting we sleep in the same sleeping bag?"
Maioko: "Well, we don't have to…"
Acronos: "Hmm… Glad I wore pajamas instead of boxers. (Shuffles over) If you get too cold, I've made space." He turned facing the right side and Maioko slid in facing left.
Maioko: "Hey, come closer, I'm freezing." They fell asleep quickly. The next morning when Acronos woke up, he nearly had a heart attack. Maioko's face was a few inches from his, sleeping with a smile on her face, her arm over him. He was about to go into a state of shock, when he remembered the evening. He got up so as not to disturb her. When he got out, she mumbled in her sleep and reached out, seemingly searching, and then pulled back, pouting a bit. He felt an odd feeling of kindness, and brushed a bit of hair from her face. As he did, she smiled again. He wondered if she was awake, and also why he'd done that. He let it go and walked downstairs to take a shower, brush his teeth, get changed, and eat. About twenty minutes after this, Maioko woke up, (yes, she was asleep before). She got up, brushed her teeth, took a shower and changed, (include anything I missed, I don't know female morning rituals). She then went downstairs. Upon seeing Acronos, she remembered the evening before and blushed slightly.
Acronos; "Good morning. What'll it be?"
Maioko: " 'Morning, and are cereals okay?"
Acronos: "Sure, what kind?"
Maioko: "Thanks, but I'll make it myself."
Acronos: "Sure." Now comes the part where my laziness comes in. During the month that followed, Maioko's house was built, (wooden structures take a bit more time to carve precisely than stone, it took about two weeks), the gummi ship was created, (three days were spent on designs alone, and everyone had fun making it), and everyone got weapons, (my next chapter will be bios, look it up there). Everyone said their goodbyes and was completely ready by the end of the month. It was a rather tearful goodbye, but they finally left. If you want to know my opinions on gummi ships, see the bios chapter.
Tidus: "Do you know how to fly this thing?"
Acronos: "Yeah, I've been taking test flights, I can land and take off, and I only hit one meteor per flight!" This bit of information left everyone a bit nervous
Kairi: "Where to?"
Acronos: "Do you know any places?"
Kairi: "Hollow Bastion and Traverse Town."
Acronos: "Computer, which is closer?"
Computer: "Traverse Town."
Acronos: "Then lets go!" he put the gummi ship into high gear and raced off with everyone screaming. When they reached Traverse Town, all that it was, was a star. Everyone shielded their eyes and the gummi ship adjusted.
Acronos: "Here goes!" he pointed his keyblade at the world to unseal it, and the red beam went towards it, it hit the star and then…
Traverse TownIt was dark. Then again, since it's always night in Travers Town, it's supposed to be dark. The doors to the second district opened. A dark figure stepped through. Their cape obscured their form; the only thing really visible was their shockingly pale blue eyes. Heartless were swarming the second district today, as predicted. This person was a hunter. Their job was to destroy any and all heartless. The hunter got ready. The heartless noticed the hunter and surged towards them. The hunter threw back the cape, revealing that it was a woman. She got her spear out and charged, the heartless would not survive!
Acronos' GroupMaioko: "Damn Acronos, you said you knew how to fly that thing!"
Acronos: "I do!"
Tifa: "then why did you almost kill us!?"
Acronos: "I'm telling you, that asteroid was flung at me by a heartless ship! I didn't crash!"
Kairi: "Yeah: "But the barrel roll almost killed us!"
Acronos: "No, that meteor would have! Not me!"
Auron: "Shut up! Can we get off the subject and get moving?" They walked along, checking out the sights. Tidus and Yuna went together, and they met up with the guy who looks like Tidus.
Tidus: "Who are you?!" They yelled about the other being imposters for a while, but finally settled to just stopping suddenly and saying hello and shaking hands like good friends. Almost needless to say, Yuna had an anime fall from this. The First District is bigger than in the game, obviously. At some point, everyone just split up, Acronos and Maioko headed to the item shop. Behind the counter was a guy with a Hawaiian shirt over an orange shirt and blue shorts, with a gray cap with the part that sticks out being red and a bit torn.
??? : "Yo, wazup?"
Acronos: "Just looking around."
??? : "Anything in particular?"
Maioko: "Anything that increases mp or energy?"
??? : "How about a phoenix chain?"
Maioko: "Thanks, that's cool!"
Acronos: "Umm, Maioko, we have to get munny. We're broke."
??? : "Sorry."
Maioko: "It's our fault."
Acronos: "Heartless drop munny, do you know where some are?"
??? : "There's a surge in the Second District. We pay people to get rid of some. There's someone in there now."
Acronos: "By 'surge' how many are we talking? Oh yeah, what's your name?"
??? : "Brian, and it's a couple thousand."
Acronos: "A COUPLE THOUSAND!!!"
Brian: "Yeah."
Acronos: "Maioko, you can help me or get the others.
Maioko: "I'll get them." Acronos ran into the second district with his new keyblade out. Here's a description: Paopu fruit key chain, star-shaped hand guard, and the upward point is the blade. It's actually two blades connecting, making the point, starting at the ends of the hand guards, like a star? There are also two other blades perpendicular to those two. There was a star-shaped symbol/point pointing out of the hand guard starting blades. So he took it out to see about a thousand left. He smirked and ran in, they didn't have much of a chance. Finally there were about ten left. He stepped in to finish them off, but was cut off when someone jumped in the middle of them and cut them all down with a single spear slash. The person immediately jerked their head up; it was the pale blue-eyed hunter from before. She didn't have her cape on anymore, and got her spear ready.
Acronos: "Hello. Who are you? Are you the one sent here?" Instead of answering, she stabbed at him a few times, but she missed.
Acronos: "Whoa, whoa! I'm not heartless!"
??? : "So, you're bad enough!"
Acronos: "Since when had being the keyblade master bad?"
??? : "Like I'd believe you!"
Acronos: "See, I have a keyblade!"
??? : "So, you could be a wielder."
Acronos: "Sora, Riku and Mickey were the only wielders granted a keyblade! Do I look like either? Besides, that still means I'd probably be good."
??? : "True… However, keep away!"
Acronos: "Look, I'm not gonna hurt you."
??? : "You should be more concerned with me hurting you!"
Acronos: "Geez you're stubborn."
??? : "Hey!"
Acronos: "Well you are! You haven't even told me your name!"
??? : "Grr. I'm Acane."
Acronos: "Well I'm Acronos, nice to meet you."
Acane: "Stay back! You still look like Blasphemy."
Acronos: "(Icily) Him. I still owe him an ass kicking!"
Acane: "Hmm, you're not him, you do have the keyblade, maybe I can trust you."
Acronos: "Yeah. Why are you here?"
Acane: "Same reason as other people. Lost my world."
Acronos: "How? Weren't they all restored?"
Acane: "Yeah, but mine was restored in its future."
Acronos: "That sucks." Everyone arrived.
Maioko: "Hello, who're you?"
Acane: "(gets spear ready)"
Acronos: "Hey, they're my friends. You know, you act like a deer. You jump at anything. Why, if you can slaughter a couple thousand heartless?"
Acane: "Hmm, you're right. So keyblade master, what's your objective in this world?"
Acronos: "Find leads to where Sora is, and maybe find out if some worlds need to be sealed."
Acane: "I have no leads towards Sora, and I've searched this town through and through. However, there are some worlds out of the keyblade's reach that need sealing."
Acronos: "Okay, where are they?"
Acane: "Come to my house, I have a star chart."
Acronos: "Cool." They went to her house, which was actually a room in the hotel. She put her chart on a table and pointed to one star.
Acane: "Okay, this is the closest one. This star here is Traverse Town. Acronos and female gauntlet wielder, the one with the claws, you two are from Earth. I believe you know this world as the video game: Onimusha."
Acronos: "Okay, but use our names."
Maioko: "I'm Maioko." Everyone introduced himself or herself.
Acane: "Alright. Well, put the locations in your computer."
Acronos: "Why don't you come with us? You know this stuff."
Acane: "Hmm. I don't know… (Cheerfully) Okay!"
Acronos: "Cool! Huh? My symbol's glowing?"
Acane: "It means lots of heartless are near."
Acronos: "Well then, lets kick some heartless ass!"
Everyone: "Yeah!" They ran outside into the alley, only to see that there was no room even to land. While everyone hesitated, Acronos, Maioko and Acane dropped in. Acane's long spear and high speed allowed her to take out the most heartless in the shortest time. Acronos was second and Maioko third in kills. At one point, Acane jumped up and ran sideways on the wall, stabbing and slashing as quickly as possible. Not to be outdone, Acronos slashed hard enough to send a vacuum that cut down any heartless in its path, and Maioko punched hard enough to send a wave of air that decimated as well. However, the heartless kept closing in, and seemed never-ending. Everyone else either jumped in or fought long-range. After a long time, most of the heartless were destroyed.
Acane: "Hmm, that was far too many for just a standard surge."
Acronos: "How come there are still heartless here?"
Acane: "The world was sealed, meaning that the heartless can't reach the core, or come from outside. That doesn't mean that some weren't here when the world was sealed. Those remaining heartless still lived here, but can't attack. Since heartless use darkness, every night in a world they spawn, and when it's day, some die. The friggin' things are like mosquitoes! Oh yeah, it's always night here, so they spawn a lot. Without Hunters like me, they'd take everyone's hearts and leave this a barren place."
Acronos: "Wait, I unsealed the barrier, does that mean that more heartless can come?"
Acane: "Nah, the barrier and heart are different."
Acronos: "So why are you worried?"
Acane: "This kind of surge means a leader."
Acronos: "A Guard Armor or something?"
Acane: "Who knows? No one's ever been in there, and come back alive at least."
Acronos: "Well lets be the first." They walked into the Third District. There was a door there that they hadn't seen before. They wandered in, encountering a few heartless here and there, but nothing serious. When they entered, it was a dark cavern with a giant generator in the middle, with a window over it.
Acronos: "I get it. Heartless are created in these generators. They are powered by darkness, and probably made of certain heartless. I'm sure that when they are completed, meteors fall onto the planet due to a surge of dark energy that attracts them. Hmm, meteors are also symbolic of a world's destruction, so these generators, when completed, send millions of heartless at the core. Hmm, the regular ones are probably just scouts."
Maioko: "You can tell all this by just a generator with a window over it?"
Acane: "I think he's correct. Anyway, why's it here?"
Acronos: "Hmm, if this star goes out, the heartless can attack the worlds."
Acane: "How? The core is sealed. It's like trying to run through a brick wall!"
Acronos: "Dunno, but we should destroy it anyway."
Acane: "Mayhem! Wahoo!"
Maioko: "Okay… That was odd."
Acane: "Ahem, sorry."
Acronos: "We could try stealth?"
Acane: "Too many. Huh, what's going on?" A huge heartless rose in front of the generator. It truly was enormous, with claws for hands, on chains wrapped around its arms. Other than that, it looked like a Dark side, except no wings, one line for eyes, a mouth, and it was more blue than black.
??? : "Heartless! You know my name?" Nothing responded, since heartless couldn't speak. Somehow it took this as a reason to continue. "Well too bad! From now on you shall refer to me as Betty! Muahahah! Muahahahah! Muahahahahah!"
Acronos: "Isn't Betty a girl's name?"
Computer: "Scanning. This is a combination of all the hearts that the heartless have stolen. This may make it strong, but very eccentric. This one appears to mimic "Kung Pow: Enter the Fist." Is weak versus fire. Also be warned that after being hit once it becomes very strong and sane."
Acronos: "Okay… That was weird. Stealth?"
Acane: "Mayhem and destruction are better." Before Acronos could say anything, she rushed in. He shrugged and followed along with everyone else.
