This chapter is going to follow the game very closely. It's neccesary for the next chapter though, my apologies in advance.
Axel's timing was perfect as he materialized into Twilight Town. Time had stopped, that much was apparent. If it hadn't been for the battle raging in the ring there wouldn't have been a sound. He kept his hood pulled low over his face, fairly certain that the Dusks would have things cleaned up by the time he got to the arena. No reason to show his face, yet. However it was Roxas, and not the Dusks who stood victorious as Axel pushed past some frozen bystanders and into view.
"Roxas. All right. Fight fight fight." He gave a brief applause as he strode into the ring, genuinely impressed, and worried. If Roxas had taken care of this many Dusks, he was a lot stronger than Xemnas had thought. He tried playing a different card.
"You really don't remember?" He asked, trying not to sound too hopeful. "It's me! You know, Axel," and with a flourish he swept off his hood, sure that Roxas's memories would come flooding back.
"Axel?" The clueless tone said It all. His best friend really was lost, and it was all he could do to hide his disappointment.
"Talk about blank with a capital B. Man oh man…Even the Dusks aren't gonna crack this one." Then a thought struck him. In a blaze of fire from each hand he summoned his chakrams, if the Dusks couldn't crack him, he would.
"Wait a sec!" Roxas really had no intention of fighting this black robed stranger, the stranger who felt strangely familiar, as if they had met in a dream. "Tell me what's going on!"
Axel would have liked nothing better, but he had to remember where they were. "This town is his creation, right?" Saying the words more to remind himself than anything. "Which means we don't have time for a Q & A. You're coming with me, conscious or not. Then you'll hear the story."
No sooner had he finished the sentence the air started to distort, as If someone had dropped a pebble into a pond. Not soon after the initial ripple, the spectators all disappeared.
"Uh-oh," Axel muttered, thinking aloud. Xemnas had warned him about this, about the telltale signs that told him when Diz was nearby.
Roxas noticed it too, and that was the breaking point. There was only so much he could take in a day. "What's going ON?" He shouted at Axel, the only person so far who seemed to have any idea what was happening to him. He hurled the keyblade to the ground, which in his eyes had become a symbol of all the strange things that had been happening to him. A slight glimmer of hope told him that maybe without it things would return back to normal. It didn't last long, almost immediately the keyblade forced itself back into his grasp in a brief flash of light.
"Number 13, Roxas. The keyblade's chosen one." Axel explained, trying once again to jog his friends memory. Unfortunately, it had the adverse effect.
Roxas was fed up. Tired of the cryptic messages and strange happenings, and so far no one had pissed him off more than this stranger who seemed to only be bringing up more questions while not giving any answers. "Okay, fine! You asked for it!" He shouted out, bringing the keyblade to bear.
Axel could only grin, this was more like the old Roxas, the Roxas he remembered. Besides, he had already mentioned bringing the kid back unconscious really wasn't a problem. "That's more like it," he chuckled, twirling his twin chakrams lazily around on each hand, deciding right before the inevitable clash he'd take it easy on his old friend.
Roxas came charging right in, and before he even made the first slash Axel could tell Xemnas was right about one thing, Roxas wasn't nearly as strong as he used to be. A quick hop on the ball of his foot sent Axel spinning clear of Roxas's clumsy swing, hurling a chakram out in mid spin to strike firmly against Roxas's shin, then promptly called it back in a puff of smoke. First blood was his. If it hurt, the brown headed boy didn't show it. He came charging right back in, trying the same overhead slash, and Axel promptly executed the same counter, scoring another solid hit.
"Roxas, this is disappointing," he whispered, thinking he could spin circles around this inexperienced opponent all day. Roxas proved him otherwise. He came charging in again, keyblade held high as if he was about to strike, being sure to keep his eyes on Axel's feet. Sure enough, Axel expected the attack. He began his dodge without even checking that Roxas had begun his swing, believing he was trying the same offensive. Roxas kept running straight ahead, satisfied to hear the "chink" of a chakram connecting with the stone of the arena floor. Axel heard it too, although the fact didn't really register until the keyblade plowed into his stomach, and it didn't stop there. After the first hit Roxas kept up the attack, battering Axel again in the ribs before sending him flying with a powerful finishing slash. Axel didn't quite lose his footing as he touched down after the assault, but damn had that hurt! It seemed that although Roxas lacked the finesse he once had, he still had all his old strength.
"Maybe not quite as easy as I thought," Axel muttered to no one in particular, massaging his aching midsection.