Chapter 38: The garden students meet and the First Event!
From Balamb they took the first airship to the Calm Lands. In the calm lands was a built in stage and a crowd of people set up in a stack of bleachers. The crowd was mainly made up of students and instructors. Standing infront of the grand stage with Sorceress Edea standing were three groups, Balamb Garden students, Esthar Dark Garden students and Galbadia Military Garden students.
" Hello students, your fellow breathren in Trabia Garden couldn't make it." Edea announced reading reports. " Welcome all, to the Garden Games. This is a competition between Gardens to settle the strength differences between the them. To find out who has the best students."
With that multiple cheers soared through the calm lands filling it with screaming girls, yelling guys and teachers taking painkiller pills to ease the pain on their ears.
" Now without further adieu let us begin the games." Edea said clapping. " Now for each event the students will recieve a point, whom ever has the most points at the end of the games win."
With that the three groups broke off retiring to their tents that were set up for them. Balamb was over by the entrance to the calm lands up the hill. Galbadia was far to the left of the calm lands and the Esthar garden was set up to the far right by the Arena.
They all sat down on the benches as Seifer paced around. " Seifer calm down already." Tifa said crossing her arms while leaning on Cloud's shoulder alittle.
" Oh shut up big tits... We're in the middle of a Garden war and your telling me to calm down." Seifer replied swinging his gunblade around.
" It's only afew games don't take it so seriously." Fira added.
" Yeah." Hei nodded.
" Whatever losers." Seifer said swinging his gunblade more and pacing around. Suddenly walking into the tent all at once was a man in a navy blue suit with the Galbadia seal on his blazer pocket. Three others walked in behind him as well.
" Hello." Tseng said fixing his tie.
" Hey guys." Reno waved.
" Wait...Reno?" Cloud said standing up." I thought you were--"
" On Balambs side? Hell no I was an undercover spy for Galbadia garden to see what you guys were cooking up for the games." Reno laughed.
" And it doesn't look like much." Elena said shrugging.
" Wanna say that again." Kuro said springing forth as Avalon held her back.
" So you guys are from Galbadia huh? Well good luck." Fira nodded stepping up. " May the best Garden win."
" Hm... yea... That basically sums up what we came here for." Tseng said shaking Fira's hand.
" I couldn't tell." Yuna whispered to Utada as she nodded.
" Alittle friendly competition won't hurt." Fira said shaking Tseng's hand.
A strange bell sounded signalling for the teams to come together again an Event was about to start. With one nod everyone got up and started towards the central stages. Infront of the stage were three different telepads.
"The first event, Knowledge, A SeeD must know exactly what to do at what time, and must also have a talent for getting him or herself out of a tight prodicament. For the knowledge event the students will be transported to a dungeon, if they can find their way through the dungeon in the set time they recieve the points. If not the team is automatically transported back and they recieve no points." Edea explained. " Only three SeeDs may enter the temple. Please pick the appropriated candidates."
The group huddled together to decide.
" I say we let Kuro handle this with two bodyguards." Cloud suggested.
" The same thing I was thinking." Kiako said.
" Fine." Kuro replied crossing her arms to her chest.
" Ok who will be the bodyguards?" Seifer asked.
" Hmm..." Everyone thought looking around.
" Squall and I will be her bodyguards." Cloud said pulling up his buster sword from the sheath on his back. Squall drew his gunblade and rested it on his shoulder.
" Ok go get em guys." Fira said with a nod.
" Aww I wish I could go." Kiako pouted.
" We'll watch from the sidelines." Hei said placing a hand on her head.
Kuro stepped up with Cloud and Squall at herside, to the left Larxene stepped up with Marluxia and Saix at her sides. The galbadia garden had Elena as the puzzle solver with Reno and Rude as her bodygaurds.
" Okay! Ready...Set...GO!" Edea said shooting a gun off into the air as the crowd cheered. Larxene jeted into the partol before Kuro or Elena. Surprised by her speed but not slowing down was Kuro, she and Elena ran in at the same time. The temple they were in was a strange factory like facility over the ocean. It was covered in vegetation giving it sort of jungle like theme and the sky overhead was an orangish purple like dusk setting.
" Hey come on no time for sight seeing." Kuro said running along through the long hall. She stepped on a hidden tile and a trap door sprung fro\m below them leading to a spike pit. " Are they trying to kill us?" Kuro said as she jumped across the spike pit. Cloud and Squall jumped across as well. They walked through the first door to be in a small boxed in room, there were three dragon statues in a corner and three spots where the dragons should be infront of the exit door on the opposite side. "Come on get those statues onto the spots hurry." Kuro commanded.
Cloud and Squall picked the statues up one by one and set them over to the spots on he ground with Kuro snapping at them to hurry and move faster. When they finally got the dragon statues onto the spots all of the lights in the room cut out and the dragon statues opened their mouths producing light like three spotlights.
"What now?" Cloud asked.
" Shut up I'm thinking." Kuro said looking around for an alternate solution. There were something smered on the walls where the lights were pointing. She walked over and dusted off the dust and smudges to reveal a mirror. The light beamed off of the mirror and shot up towards the ceiling. " Cloud, Squall." Kuro called. They nodded and immediatly searched for the mirrors, Squall uncovered one at the side and Cloud found one at the floor. All three lights sparkled up to the mirror on the ceiling and that light reflected on the exit door producing a sign or symbol. The symbol was crocked and disfigured.
" What is that?" Squall asked.
" Looks like some sort of seal." Kuro said rubbing her chin and looking around. " Looks messed up, I guess we have to fix it to get out of here like a puzzle."
" Well how do we fix it?" Cloud asked staring at Kuro with what little light they had.
"Hmm." Kuro walked over to one of the mirrors, they couldn't be moved or directed in a different position. She then turned towards the statues and placed a hand infront of the light she saw a piece of the seal on her hand the light from the dragons were the pieces. " We have to rearrange these statues." Kuro said. She walked between them placing her hand infront of them memorizing the seal piece and the order it went in. " Okay I got it, pull the one to the far right in the center and pull the center to the left piece and the left piece to the right." Kuro said pointing around. Cloud and Squall did as much and the seal came together opening the door for them to pass. They ran through and found themselves in the hall again.
(On the sidelines.)
" Yay they got through." Kiako cheered.
" But Larxene and her group are jetting through she's at the last room and Kuro is just getting to the second." Tifa explained.
" Have faith she can do it." Avalon said punching forward.
(Back in the temple)
Kuro, Squall and Cloud made it to the second room. The room was a wider room area with a blob monster squirming around, Kuro casted Thundaga and the blob disappeared. It came back again falling through the ceiling and once again squirming around.
" Ignore it come on." Cloud said trying to rush forward. In the center of the room was a giant spike pit and the exit door was on the other side of the spike pit. " We can't jump that." Cloud said.
On the far side of the room was a button that could be pressed to let down a bridge for them to cross. They looked back at the blob monster squirming around the room now doing anything in particular but just squirming around. " I have an idea... do any of you know Aeroga or Graviga?" Kuro asked turning back to Squall and Cloud.
" I know Graviga." Squall said raising a hand.
" Great. Use Graviga when I give you the signal. " Kuro raised her staff up and pointed it at the blob monster. She casted Aeroga on the monster and slowly lifted it off of the ground then pushed it over the edge of the spikes. The aero magic sailed the blob monster over the spikes and over the giant button. She canceled the spell and the blob flapped onto the button. " Now!" Kuro signalled and Squall casted Graviga on the blob pressing it down on the giant button causing a transparent bridge to appear out of nowhere.They ran across the bridge and out through the exit door reaching the last room.
The last room was sort of like an arena like room. In the center dropping down causing a giant tremor was Twilight Thorn. He stood there staring at them.
" What have to fight it." Cloud said running at it. He flew towards it in his blue aura light attempting to slice through him but in a white flashed he went flying back to Kuro and Squall's side.
" Yeah we have to fight it but not in a way that we're the one's doing the fighting." Kuro said rubbing her chin. She looked around spotting multiple giant stone squares everywhere. Twilight Thorn rushed them slamming his huge fist into the ground as they all dodge rolled to the side.
" Use the blocks." Kuro said casting Thundaga shooting three blocks into the air. Cloud and Squall hit them like baseballs towards Twilight Thorn. He hit the ground hard KO'd. " Ok now attack!" Kuro said as her staff ejected a scythe's blade. They rushed Twilight Thorn striking it multiple times in his head knocking off HP. He jumped up fast and slapped all of them back with his fist causing them to fly back and hit the walls. Kuro repeated the thundaga and Cloud and Squall hit the bricks towards Thorn. This time he wiggled his body around dodging the blocks. " We have to get him from behind... Cloud go around him and strick with a block, me an Squall will distract him." Kuro whispered.
They rushed towards Twilight Thorn trying to attack but their hits were going through him as if he were a ghost. Cloud zoomed around Thorn then slammed his buster sword on the ground causing six blocks to fly up. He batted them one by one to the back of Thorn's head. With that Thorn fell out again ko'd.
Kuro, Cloud and Squall rushed in again striking thorn in his head. All at once he stood up then cracked into pieces and blew up into a white light. The door on the other side had opened.
" Come on!" Kuro shouted running for the exit. The second they passed through the door they were back at the cheering site.
" And Balamb Garden get's 5 points!" Edea announced. The Balamb side of the crowd cheered.
" KURO SAMA YOU DID IT! ALL OF YOU DID!" Kiako said running over. Everyone gathered around Kuro even Cloud and Squall to give her a group hug but in a black explosion she blasted everyone of them back.
" No...hugs." She said dusting herself off.
" Okay, Balamb and Esthar came out of that in flying colors but Galbadia didn't come out so good in the end." Edea announced. " Next is the Summoning Event to test the strengths of the Summoner stay tuned."