"Wow," was all Akira could say.
As Sora and Goofy managed to push the massive golden gates open, the majesty of the new and intriguing world they landed on burst into view. The large courtyard sprawled before them, lined with gold pedestals topped with fire pits. The courtyard seemed to be the entrance to a massive coliseum-like structure, if the colossal statues of brave gladiators guarding the entrance were any indication. Their golden swords clashed above the entrance, giving the entire structure an almost sparkling look.
Their curiosity got the better of them and they entered the building as a unit, although the inside was quite a letdown compared to the regal exterior. The lobby was dimly lit with torches, and the floor was inundated with visibly deep cracks, obviously needing repair. An empty corridor barred with a 'Closed' sign gave them some modicum of hope; perhaps it was the passageway to a grand arena where spectators would cheer as their favourite warriors claimed victory in battle.
A short satyr was standing next to a bulletin, straightening it out as he muttered softly to himself. Donald, Goofy, and Akira gestured to Sora to try and get his attention, too nervous to do so themselves. Sora cleared his throat and apprehensively tapped the satyr on the shoulder.
"Good timing," the satyr said instantly, almost giving the group heart attacks, "Give me a hand, will ya? Move that pedestal over there. I gotta spruce this place up for the games."
The satyr never turned to face them, obviously expecting Sora to be someone he knew. Sora turned around to face his group and gestured in confusion. What was he supposed to do now? Akira shrugged her shoulders quietly and pointed at the large pedestal the satyr must have been talking about. It couldn't hurt to try and move it like he asked… would it?
Sora sighed and marched over to the pedestal, summoning all the strength he had as he tried to push it. Yet, he couldn't move it at all, not even an inch; he had never tried to push something so heavy in all his life. "It's too heavy!" he complained.
"What? Too heavy? Since when have you been such a little-"
The satyr interrupted himself once he realized the person he asked to move the pedestal was a far cry from the person he was expecting. He examined the group of four, at a complete loss. "Oh. Wrong guy. What're you doing here?" he asked as he approached them, eyeballing each one of them, "This here's the world-famous Coliseum—heroes only! And I got my hands full preparing for the games."
He finished examining them and sighed. They definitely weren't cut out for it. "So, run along, pip-squeaks," he said, motioning his hand to dismiss them from his sights.
Sora pouted and crossed his arms. Who does this guy think he is?
The satyr shook his head at the teen's stubbornness. "Look, it's like this. Heroes come from all over to fight ferocious monsters right here in the coliseum."
Donald let out an angry quack. "Well, you've got heroes standing right in front of you!"
Goofy reassuringly placed his hands on Sora's shoulders while Akira nodded in agreement. "Yup, he's a real hero, chosen by the Keyblade!"
"Hero? You runts?" the satyr said between laughs.
Sora fumed. "What's so funny? We've fought a bunch of monsters!"
The satyr wiped a tear from his eye. "Look, kid, if you can't even move this…"
He attempted to push the pedestal he asked Sora to push earlier with all his strength. "You can't… call yourselves… heroes…"
The satyr was almost immediately out of breath, yet the pedestal still didn't budge. Akira put her hands on her hips. This guy sure talked big for someone who couldn't even hold his own. "Okay, so maybe it takes more than brawn," he said between breaths, "Fine, let's see what you can do."
The group motioned joyfully to each other; finally, a chance to prove their worth!
The satyr pulled out a stopwatch and removed the 'Closed' sign from the hallway. "The name's Philoctetes. Call me Phil. You'll have a minute to destroy all the barrels on the obstacle course. Capiche?"
The group nodded enthusiastically as they quickly passed through the corridor in a single file. Phil took one last look at them as they bolted into the arena, shaking his head. "Ugh, didn't think I'd be babysitting some runts today..."
Phil trained them long and hard. He alternated everyone with obstacle courses of varying difficulty and strength training. He was a very strict coach, but also encouraging.
"Donald, using Thunder magic on the barrel course is considered cheating! Goofy, keep your shield straight! Sora, you're slacking, time's almost up! Akira, these are the lightest dumbbells I have, and you can't pick them up?" He buried his face in his hands at the chaos before him. "Oy vey. The lot of you…"
Yet, even amidst his hopelessness for them, they showed promise and a lot of heart. They may be his lightest set of weights and she might have the strength of a marshmallow, but Akira still tried to pick them up. Donald didn't have to listen to him; gods know using Thunder is taking the easy road, but Donald still refrained from it. Goofy was always willing to try new techniques or to customize what he already knew, and Sora was always ready for the next challenge, even when he was completely out of breath. Maybe these kids weren't totally hopeless after all...
"You know, you kids ain't half bad," he called to them from the sidelines, clipboard in hand. The team put down the equipment they were using and rushed to the satyr's side, panting heavily.
"Looks like we're headed to the games!" Sora cheered with a smile, giving Akira a high five.
"Afraid not," Phil said firmly.
"Wh-what? Why not?" Sora stammered.
"Two words: You guys ain't heroes!"
Sora was too upset to notice his phrase wasn't two words long. Rest assured, Goofy counted on his fingers, but wasn't able to come up with an answer.
"Come on!" Sora said angrily.
Phil shook his head as he pointed to the exit. "No can do. Go continue whatever you were doing and train some more. Maybe when you come back, you'll have what it takes to compete."
The group walked in unison towards the courtyard, but their usual cheerful mood was soured. After all that hard work they put in, they were still denied.
"Maybe he's right, guys. Maybe we should come back after some more training," Goofy suggested as he attempted to lighten the mood.
Donald let out an angry quack in response. Akira sighed. "It's not like we have a choice at this point," she said, slumping her shoulders in defeat.
"A rather stubborn old goat, wouldn't you say?"
They felt a sudden chill in the air when they heard the mysterious voice. A tall, odd-looking man approached them from behind, his skin matching the hue of the blue flame that burned on his scalp. He wore a black toga, billowing with smoke and darkness at his feet. If suspicion had a look, it was definitely him.
"Who are you?" Donald asked, pointing his staff to the stranger.
"Whoa, hold on there, fuzz boy. Wait, let me guess: You want to enter the games, right?"
The stranger approached Sora, putting his arm around him as if they were old friends. Goofy and Akira remained at alert; this guy didn't seem very trustworthy, and casually putting his arm around a young teen he had just met made him seem even more suspicious.
"Well, then hey! Get a load of this," he said with a grin, baring his oddly sharp teeth.
A small papyrus scroll appeared in his hand. As Sora examined the scribbling on the paper, his eyes widened. It allowed for free entry into the Olympus Coliseum games!
"A pass?" he asked excitedly, taking the scroll into his hands.
The man grinned as he let go of Sora and began making his way towards the exit. "It's all yours. Good luck, kid. I'm pulling for you, little shorty."
He disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving the team both perplexed and immensely excited.
"I don't know if we can trust him…" Donald said, narrowing his eyes.
"Who cares? It's an entry pass isn't it?" Sora retorted.
"Is it legitimate?" Akira asked.
Sora grinned. "There's only one way to find out!"
Sora had excitedly bolted to the satyr when they re-entered the lobby, shaking the pass in front of him enthusiastically.
"Hey! How did you get this?" Phil asked in shock once he tore the pass from Sora's hands.
"Can we enter the games now?" Sora pleaded.
Phil's eyes widened. If he had his way, he'd send them packing; they couldn't possibly stand up to some of the ferocious opponents in the coliseum. But an entry pass was an entry pass, and he could do nothing more than honour it.
He sighed heavily. "Well… I guess so. But you had better watch yourself! Some real weirdos signed up for the games this time around, and I won't have you kids dying on me!"
The barracks beside the arena had a large window for viewing the fights in progress to rouse the soldiers' excitement. Yet, this soldier in particular seemed completely disinterested in the battle that raged before him. A most colourful group of young teens and anthropomorphic animals were fighting waves upon waves of Heartless, yet even that couldn't stimulate his interest.
"That little punk is your next opponent, okay?" the blue flame-haired man from before stated, pointing to Sora in the arena, "Now, don't blow it. Just take him out."
The soldier scoffed. "Hades, the great god of the Underworld… is afraid of a kid? Sorry but my contract says -"
"I know!" Hades fumed, "You think I don't know? I wrote the contract! I know it says you're only required to kill Hercules in this tournament. But you've gotta fight that kid to get to him. Come on."
The soldier remained quiet, examining Sora as the group won their next match.
"Hey, it's like the old goat says. Rule 11: It's all just a game, so let loose and have fun with it! And, I mean, a casualty along the way is no big deal, right?" Hades continued, trying to get some response out of the soldier.
His efforts were in vain as the soldier remained as quiet as ever. He picked up his massive sword that rested on the wall beside him, stepping into the arena as he ignored Hades. The next match had him facing the kid Hades wanted eliminated, and he didn't want to hear another earful from him.
Hades wrinkled his nose once the soldier was out of view. "Geez, stiffer than the stiffs back home. Still… Suckers like him are hard to come by…"
"Say, you're better than I thought, kid!" Phil said encouragingly as he handed the group some bottles of water, "Wish he was here to see this."
"Who?" Sora asked.
"Hercules. He's a hero if there ever was one. Too bad he's off visiting his father."
Sora nodded. He'd love to meet a real hero someday; and hopefully when that day comes, he himself could be considered a hero as well!
They were interrupted by a tall figure casually strolling beside them, blocking the sun and casting shadows over them. The man seemed to be a soldier but carried an air of strength and gloom with him. His red scarf billowed behind him like a long cape and contained several tears at its edges. He wore large combat boots and matching gloves, with the left glove sporting long, golden claws. His piercing blue eyes fixed on Sora as he entered the arena, causing Sora to gulp with fear. Akira wanted to take him seriously but almost laughed when she noticed the soldier's hair; despite being a golden blonde, he and Sora had the exact same hairstyle.
"Oh, he's your next opponent," Phil said as he read the soldier's name off his clipboard, "Cloud. He looks tough. Be careful out there."
They nodded in unison and returned their water bottles to the satyr before setting off for the arena, ready for their next battle.
From afar, Cloud didn't look terribly intimidating; it was only when he finally summoned his massive weapon, a sword as tall and as wide as the soldier himself, did they shudder in fear. Akira swallowed hard when she laid eyes on his weapon; and here she thought her flimsy staff was heavy...
"Do you think we can really beat him?" Goofy asked nervously as they readied their weapons.
His answer would come soon enough as Cloud instantly sprinted for them. Sora guarded Cloud's strike with his Keyblade, knocking him back as the other three scattered around him. Sora winced; even though he was able to stop his attack, it felt like he had just been rammed by a truck.
Cloud was no pushover; he was incredibly strong, and for someone with such a heavy sword, he was oddly quick on his feet. He seemed strangely attached to Sora, and as much as the others attacked him, he always zeroed in on the teenage boy. Akira placed herself at a safe distance and readied her staff in her hands, concentrating hard. "Blizzard!" she yelled.
Her ice spell aimed straight and true, and hit Cloud right in his back, knocking him down on one knee. She gasped with excitement at her success; and on her first try too!
"Donald, did you see that?" she asked excitedly, hoping her teacher noticed.
She put a hand over her mouth in shock. Just a few steps away, Donald and Goofy lay flat on the ground, knocked out and unconscious.
"Donald! Goofy!" she cried, rushing by the duck's side as she gingerly picked up his head, "You have to get up!"
Her eyes widened as a large shadow suddenly blocked the light above. He was right behind her, no doubt in a rage after her ice spell. She didn't have a free second to block his strike with her staff; Cloud's sword met her stomach, tossing her across the arena with a heavy force. Her vision grew dark and her mind went blank; she rolled over once before laying completely motionless, unconscious like her allies.
Sora's breath caught as he realized he was completely alone against Cloud. He was already severely wounded from the pummeling Cloud had given him during the fight and barely had the strength to stand anymore. Sora wasn't even able to scratch him; it took everything in his power to keep his Keyblade straight while he blocked against the barrage of hits Cloud had dealt. And now that Cloud made swift work of every one of his allies in a single blow, Sora started to feel the last shred of hope in his heart fade away.
As Cloud approached him, blade in hand, he heard the distant yells of Phil calling for him to stop and end the match. But Cloud paid no attention to him and continued his advance. Sora's heart sank; was this the end for him?
Sora flinched, waiting for the hit. But it never came. As he slowly allowed himself a peek, he gasped. A colossal three-headed black dog, as tall as the arena walls and with razor-sharp teeth protruding from its salivating mouths, had knocked Cloud away, drooling at the sight of its new prey.
Hades shook his head in the distance, disappointed at his soldier's inability to fulfill a simple command. "Oh right, there was one other rule I forgot: Accidents happen," he said with a stoic expression.
Sora watched in horror as darkness spewed forth from the dog's mouth, preparing itself to feast on him. He would have been dinner had someone not suddenly come to save him.
The man rushed over and held the advancing dog back, keeping it away from Sora. The teen rubbed his eyes, attempting to get a better look at his savior; he wore a traditional hero's garb and a cape, with a large physique to complement his strength.
"Herc!" Phil called to Olympus' greatest hero as he joined them in the arena.
"Phil!" Hercules yelled, "Get them out of here!"
Phil and Sora nodded together and rushed to his allies' aid. Phil squirted water from his bottle on the passed-out wannabe heroes, helping them to their feet as Hercules struggled to hold the dog back.
"Can you walk?" Sora asked Akira, flinging her arm around his shoulder as she lazily opened her eyes, slowly regaining consciousness.
She nodded softly, limping as Sora attempted to help her walk across the arena. Phil had managed to get a now fully conscious Goofy to his feet, but Donald still needed to be carried.
"What about Cloud?" Goofy asked as he rushed back to the lobby with Donald in his arms.
"Herc will get him to safety!" Phil reassured, "We need to get out of here, now."
The group spent a few minutes in the lobby recovering from their daze yet, even when they all felt strong enough to walk again, Hercules still hadn't returned from the arena. With each passing second, Phil grew more and more anxious.
Sora eyed the dark entryway to the arena with resolve. He knew he wasn't as strong as the heroes in this world, but he couldn't just let someone fight for them while he sat around and did nothing.
He suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder. He shifted his gaze to his old friend, who watched him with a soft smile of her own. Donald and Goofy also shared the sentiment and the three of them nodded together silently, as if to say: "We know you want to help. Wherever you go, we'll follow."
Sora smiled gratefully and nodded wordlessly in thanks. Puffing out his chest he marched towards the arena with his friends close behind.
"Kid, what do you think you're doing?" Phil asked urgently, "Cerberus is dangerous! This isn't just some match! This is for real!"
"I'm not afraid," he answered firmly, "You can decide if I'm hero material or not."
After he had said his piece, Sora continued his march towards the arena with his three friends in tow. Phil sighed; even if they were kids, they showed the tenacity and the heart only a mighty hero could have. He silently prayed for their success.
"Be careful, kid."
Hercules breathed heavily as he simultaneously held Cloud over his shoulder and kept the massive beast's jaw at a safe enough distance. Yet, even this proved to be a daunting task for the mighty hero, and he grew more exhausted with each passing moment. Thankfully, just as his grip on Cerberus' jaw was about to slip, the team of friends burst into the arena, eager to help. Cerberus' ears perked at the sound of their footsteps, giving Hercules just enough time to release its jaw and run to safety with the unconscious soldier.
As Phil emerged from the corridor to escort Hercules into the lobby, he addressed them one final time. "Kids, I got two words of advice for you: Attack!"
Cerberus roared ferociously as his opponents rushed across the arena. Dark smoke began to foam from the beast's mouth; it growled as it released the darkness from within, vomiting an array of smoke and energy that sank into the ground. The group had little time to process the awful sight; the darkness it had released emerged from the ground across the arena, chasing after them as they attempted to escape it, like miniature traps biting at their feet.
Even during the few times when Cerberus gave them a moment to catch their breath, they were unable to lay a scratch on the beast; its colossal size made it difficult to even get close enough to attack. Unlike the Trickmaster Heartless from Wonderland, magic was of little use; Sora, Donald, and Akira were simply not strong enough to cast magic that would do any amount of damage.
Sora came to a halt at Akira's side, exasperated. "This 'tall enemy' shtick is starting to get old. How are we supposed to attack it?"
She shook her head, at a complete loss for ideas.
"If only we could just get on its back!" he said hopelessly.
Her eyes widened the moment he mentioned 'get on its back'. Well… maybe she had one idea. "Maneuver 42!" she said confidently.
When a high place, such as a treetop or the tip of a boulder, needed to be reached, the children of Destiny Islands had developed the infamous 'Maneuver 42'. There was no meaning behind the 42; it simply sounded cool, while also invoking curiosity at what the first forty-one maneuvers could be, regardless of whether they actually existed or not. Despite its name, Maneuver 42 always worked, and they had relied on it many times during their carefree days on the islands.
Sora pursed his lips to form a tight smile, excitement filling his eyes. "That'll work!"
Akira hurried to Cerberus' side, taking care to not be in his direct path. She got down on one knee and laced her fingers together, creating a makeshift stepping stool. "Ready when you are!" she called.
Sora took a deep breath. He had performed and executed Maneuver 42 many times; he was a pro, the greatest on the island! Well... if they weren't counting, Riku, of course. With adrenaline coursing through him, he rushed towards his waiting friend.
The moment she felt the weight of his foot on her hands, Akira mustered all her strength and lifted him as quickly as she could, giving his jump that much more height. He hurdled through the air, jumping much higher than he normally would have. As predicted, he easily landed on Cerberus' back with a soft thud.
The beast instantly went into a panic, attempting to reach the foreign being on its back; however, its anatomy didn't allow for it to easily access that part of its body, causing its three heads to flail wildly in alarm as Sora unleashed a string of blows with his Keyblade.
Cerberus stomped the ground with such intensity during its panic that the resulting shockwaves knocked Akira off her feet. As she attempted to pick herself up, she was met with the sight of chomping fangs and drool; one of Cerberus' three heads had lost interest in Sora and decided to fixate on the prey before it as the other two eyeballed the Keyblade master causing a ruckus on its backside. She kicked her feet in an attempt to move herself out of harm's way, but the massive head covered so much ground, it was almost useless.
She threw her arms in front of her and flinched, waiting to be ripped to shreds, when she noticed a shadow had appeared before her. Goofy stood heroically in front of her, readying his shield. With all his strength, he flicked his shield as he threw it towards Cerberus' head, spinning it like a boomerang. The force of the impact was enough to knock the head in a daze, and Cerberus slumped down to one foot in pain. Sora had dealt a finishing blow to the two remaining heads as Goofy effortlessly caught his shield, a triumphant grin painted on his face.
"That was incredible!" Akira cried as Goofy helped her back to her feet.
"How did you manage that?" Donald asked as Cerberus lay still in the middle of the arena, completely knocked out.
"Goofy, that was so cool!" Sora cheered, hopping off of Cerberus' back.
Goofy laughed as his comrades praised him. "Gawrsh, I guess that training really paid off!"
The group stood in a formal line in the lobby as Phil addressed them from a pedestal, reading from an official document as Hercules presided as a witness. The four of them shook with excitement; how could they not be declared heroes after that epic fight?
"Thus, I do hereby dub thee Junior Heroes, and confer upon thee full rights and privileges to compete in the games. Furthermore –"
Donald let out a frustrated quack. "Hey! What do you mean junior heroes?" he asked with a scowl.
Phil shook his head "You rookies still don't have what it takes to be a true hero."
Akira slumped her shoulders. "What are we supposed to do then?"
"Well, that's just something you'll have to figure out for yourselves," Hercules said confidently, "Just like I did."
Sora smiled, gesturing to himself. "No problem, we'll start by proving ourselves in the games!"
Phil motioned to the familiar 'Closed' sign that now took back its rightful place hanging across the doorway. "There isn't going to be any games for a while; gotta clean up the mess from that last fight."
Sora and Akira made a wincing face to each other; they certainly didn't mean to destroy half the arena during their fight…
"We'll be back then," Goofy reassured them.
They exchanged a few pleasantries before saying their final goodbyes. As the four friends made their exit from the coliseum, Phil chuckled to himself. "I can't believe those squirts actually beat Cerberus!"
Hercules bent over to reach his level, whispering in his ear. "Between you and me, I'd already worn Cerberus down by the time the little guys showed up."
Phil laughed heartily; he knew it couldn't be possible that they had achieved such a feat. Still… they were good kids, and Phil had grown quite the soft spot for them.
"My lips are sealed," he said to his old pal, grinning mischievously.
"You don't suppose the next games will be as tough as this one, do you?" Goofy asked as they made their way towards their gummi ship.
"Considering the mess we made, it'll take eons before there actually are any," Donald said impatiently.
They came to a halt near the steps before the gates, a familiar face blocking the exit they needed to pass through in order to access their ship. Cloud sat pensively on the stone steps as Sora approached him.
"Hey, are you alright?" Sora asked.
Cloud eyed him, no emotion present in his eyes. "Yeah."
"So, why did you go along with him anyways?" Sora asked, referring to Hades.
Cloud lowered his head and closed his eyes. "I'm looking for someone. Hades promised to help. I tried to exploit the power of darkness, but it backfired." He picked himself up off the steps, looking to the sky. "I fell into darkness, and I couldn't find the light."
"You'll find it."
Cloud lowered his gaze to meet Sora's eyes. How could this kid know so little yet be so sure? Still, it was hard not to feel optimistic around him.
"I'm searching too," Sora continued.
"For your light?"
Sora nodded. Cloud formed his lips into a small smile that wasn't visible behind his crimson scarf. "Don't lose sight of it."
He had nothing more to say and left the group of friends as he walked towards the coliseum. Donald, Goofy, and Akira attempted to eavesdrop, but Cloud's voice was too soft to make out what he was saying to Sora.
The Keybearer nodded. "How about a rematch sometime? Fair and square, no dark powers involved!" he called.
Cloud came to a temporary halt and stole a glance at Sora from the corner of his eye. He combed his fingers through his blonde hair, uninterested. "I think I'll pass."
"I don't suppose he apologized for beating us up," Donald said once Cloud was out of view, crossing his arms.
"He doesn't seem like a bad guy, to be honest," Akira added, shrugging her shoulders.
"Bah!"
Donald angrily stomped towards the gates leading to their gummi ship with Goofy following closely behind. Akira giggled at his small outburst.
"We met so many amazing new friends!" Sora marveled as he gazed up at the coliseum, placing his hand behind his head and relaxing his pose.
Akira nodded. "I'd like to come back someday – and I'd like to bring Kairi. She'd never believe me if I told her I'm actually fighting enough to be called a junior hero."
Sora laughed. "Yeah, and we can bring Riku too, so he can lose a few matches against a real hero and quit bugging me about our score!"
"He'd need to lose a few hundred for his score to come even with yours," she said furtively.
"Ugh," Sora whined, slumping his shoulders, "Not you too!"
She laughed enthusiastically; Riku had racked quite the score against Sora during their play-battle matches on the island. Although, Sora had grown quite a bit during their short journey; he might even be able to give Riku a run for his money if they met him today!
"Met him today," she thought as her mood shifted, "That's the problem, isn't it?"
"I wonder what they're doing right now…" she said softly.
Without missing a beat, Sora stretched his arm and reached out his hand to her. "Then, let's go find them."
Akira blinked. This was the second time he presented his hand to her, offering to lead her into the unknown when she was feeling uneasy or stressed. It put quite a bit into perspective for her. He must also be hurting for their friends as much as she was; he must also be longing to see them again. Yet, he always was the one to reach his hand out to her and keep the positivity alive between them. It hardly seemed fair.
She nodded and took his hand, allowing him to lead them both towards the Gummi Ship past the golden gates, where Donald and Goofy patiently awaited them. Except this time, she had a new goal in mind.
"Someday I will be the one to reach my hand out to you, and lead you into the light."
"He's strong, he's kind! He's always there for you, and he's handsome to boot. He's perfect. Perfect. Perfectly infuriating!"
The flame on Hade's head burned a bright orange as he raged, throwing an action figure resembling Hercules to the ground. Yet just as quickly as he had entered his sudden rage, his anger subsided, along with his hair.
"Wait a minute. What are you worried about? All the pieces are in place. Relax. Here's what you do. Let Hercules train the kid. In the next games, I'll take care of them both," he said as he punched a fist into his hand.
Yes, his plan was excellent! What a shame it was that she had to step in and rain on his parade.
"Who invited you to the party," he snapped at the figure that had just made an appearance, "Stay out of this. This is my show."
The witch with the violet lips gestured softly around the orb at the tip of her staff, a mannerism she adopted for when she was severely bored or particularly entertained.
"As you wish. Fight to your heart's content."
Hades was prepared to rage again at her irritating words, but he stopped himself almost instantly. He wasn't stupid enough to cross the likes of her.