Match 6: Big One
The semi-finals of the Olympus Coliseum preliminaries involved Wendy, Donald, Goofy, Carla, and Sherria fighting against Big One, a team of seven Red Nocturnes, seven Blue Rhapsodies, and one Large Body. Wendy and Sherria cast Sky Dragon's Roar and Sky God's Bellow to get rid of the Red Nocturnes and Blue Rhapsodies, before focusing on the Large Body. The Heartless performed its body slam attack, which the group all jumped away from. As it got back up, Carla hacked its back with a series of kicks. The Large Body stumbled, but then turned around and tried swiping at the group. Goofy ducked the first punch, but got clobbered by the second and was knocked to the ground. Donald cast a Thunder spell, and electrocuted the Large Body. The problem was, that last shot made the Large Body mad, and it ran at Donald with its gut out. Fortunately, Wendy deflected the chest with her Keyblade, causing it to stumble back, and she delivered a quick combo to finish the job. The audience cheered with the group victorious once again.
Wendy cheered, "That's the power of the Keyblade!"
Goofy whooped, "YAH-HOO-HOO-HOOOEY!"
Donald smirked, "Take that!"
Soon, it was time for the final round. Wendy and her comrades felt a bit worn out, and each drank a Potion. Sherria sighed, "Boy, all this fighting sure does take a lot out of you."
Wendy wondered, "But who's going to face us in the final match?"
Carla replied, "I have no clue, but one thing is entirely certain; our last opponent won't be easy to beat."
Donald scoffed, "Big deal. We've faced our fair share of weirdos. Right, Goofy?"
Goofy stated, "Nothin' bad's gonna happen to us, not as long as we stick together."
Carla commented, "Our teamwork has proven to be quite essential thus far, but Donald's overconfidence is by far the most questionable."
Donald rolled his eyes, "Hey, don't hate because I'm tough enough for the big leagues."
Wendy suggested, "Guys, the sooner we focus on the battle, the better our chances of winning. We need to keep our guard up."
The Greek announcer made his way to the stage and spoke to the audience, "And now, it's time for the preliminary finals! Introducing Team Wendy's final opponent, the ex-SOLDIER: Cloud Strife!" Right on cue, the blonde warrior made his way into the ring amidst a myriad of cheers from the spectators.
Goofy pointed a finger, "Hey! That's the guy we saw earlier after our first match!"
Wendy asked curiously, "He's our final opponent?"
Donald gulped, "I don't like the looks of this..."
Sherria smiled, "Don't worry. Teamwork is the key to victory. Not even this guy can beat us." She walked over and held out her hand, "Hey, uh... Cloud, right? May the best man or girl win."
Cloud lifted his hand, but didn't bother shaking Sherria's. Instead, he put it on the handle of his sword. "I intend to." He pulled out his weapon of choice named the Buster Sword, its blade wrapped up in torn sheets.
Donald motioned his hands up to the sword, and looked back at them to see how big it was. "Weeeeeell... goodbye!" With a nervous chuckle, he began to flee out of the arena, obviously not wanting to deal with a sword that big, but Goofy went after him.
"Come back here!" Goofy yelled as he gave chase. "We gotta do this as a team!"
When they ran by Carla, she quickly pulled both of them up by their shirt collars. The two kept moving in the air, until they realized they weren't on the ground. Carla looked sternly at the two, and both of them responded with cheesy grins, before she put them down. "And just where do you two think you're going?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Donald answered nervously. "I'm throwing the match!"
"And I'm stopping Donald from throwing the match," Goofy added. "All of us need to stay and help Wendy."
"Can't you see the size of that sword?" Donald shivered. "We'll be creamed!"
"No, we won't!" Goofy shook his head. "Not if we watch each other's backs!"
"Instead of running your mouth, duck, why don't you open your eyes to the fight in front of you?" Carla insisted.
Meanwhile, the Sky Maiden and the ex-SOLDIER confronted each other, face-to-face. Wendy spoke first, "Before we get started, Mr. Cloud, I'd like to know why you entered the Games."
"Just to make things short, I'm here to take you down," Cloud answered. "I can't promise you'll leave without a scratch."
"Did you hear that?" Donald quacked fearfully. "He wants to take us down! Nice knowing you all! Bye!"
"Hold on!" Carla stopped him.
"But why?" Wendy questioned.
"I have my reasons. But let's cut to the chase. I suggest you throw the match and walk away," Cloud offered. "There's no point in fighting a kid, even a little girl like you."
"You heard him," Donald attempted to leave a third time. "Let's get outta here—"
"I don't think so!" Carla shouted. "We're staying, and we're helping Wendy!"
"You can't leave a friend behind," Goofy wagged a finger. "That's a big no-no."
"Never!" Wendy rejected Cloud's offer, and her Keyblade was at the ready. "We made it this far, and we're not giving up. We'll take you on!"
"I was hoping you wouldn't say that," Donald groaned, reluctantly readying his staff. "Fine, let's get 'im."
"That's better," Carla said in satisfaction, before assuming a fighting stance.
"Here we go!" Goofy held up his shield.
"We're on!" Sherria's hands surged with Sky God Slayer Magic.
"You think all five of you can handle me?" Cloud questioned, the Buster Sword seized firmly in his hands. "Either way, you're all gonna lose."
Final Match: Cloud
Wendy's team walked one way in a circle, while Cloud walked the other. To start off the match, Wendy brought down the Blue Mistral towards Cloud, who easily blocked it, knocked it away, and tried to slash back. She quickly deflected it, and the two engaged in a clash, the metal of both swords bouncing back and forth. Wendy felt great force each time the Buster Sword hit her Keyblade. She cartwheeled away, and Sherria cast Sky God's Bellow at Cloud, who jumped over it. Upon landing, he brought his sword up, about to thrust, and the Sky God Slayer anticipated his next move and stepped away. But the moment Cloud thrust forward, he did so at lightning speed, his body charging like a wild buffalo.
Sherria looked to her friends with a bewildered look, "Did you see how fast he was?" The others all had their mouths open, and nodded back.
Cloud zoomed forward with a consecutive amount of lightning fast Sonic Rave strikes, and all members of Team Wendy got hit, knocking them back. The five were a bit slow trying to get up. Cloud attempted to attack Wendy with another Sonic Rave, but she cartwheeled out of harm's way. He tried it on Donald, Goofy, and Carla, but the three leaped elsewhere. He tried to get Sherria with his last Sonic Rave, but she brought up her black wind-powered hands and blocked it, getting into a struggle that didn't last long. Cloud concentrated his strength into the Buster Sword and was able to push Sherria down to one knee, before he slashed her away with a deadly Cross-Slash combo, causing her to scream in extreme pain.
"Sherria!" Wendy cried.
"Aaaagggh! It hurts!" Sherria winced, clutching her chest. Despite her automatic healing ability, the wound inflicted by the Buster Sword managed to seep in, draining her strength and vitality by the minute. "It's unlike any injury I've ever felt! Even my healing magic doesn't work!"
"What kind of person is he...?" Wendy sweated.
"Thunder!" Donald struck Cloud with a lightning bolt, stunning him for a moment.
"We got this, Sherria!" Goofy shouted, moving in with his shield. When he got too close, Cloud did a fast recovery and brought his sword up. Goofy slid on his back to dodge a sword blow, and got up to deflect an onslaught of Sonic Raves, each attack bouncing off the silver metal. "Goofy Tornado!" Goofy then spun around and damaged the blonde warrior's body, catching him off guard. Cloud countered with a Cross-Slash that bounced the shield forcefully, the last hit pushing Goofy to exhaustion, before slashing him away with another Sonic Rave.
"Fire!" Donald shot a fireball against Cloud, who dodged backward and jumped into the air. The ex-SOLDIER performed a Climhazzard, which involved him slamming the Buster Sword into the ground with unnatural strength. The resulting shockwave decimated Donald and knocked him out instantly. Cloud surged forward with another series of Sonic Raves, hacking away at Goofy until he fell unconscious, before he could provide support to Donald. That left Wendy, Sherria, and Carla as the only ones opposing him.
"That the best you can do?" Cloud taunted.
"Whoa!" Wendy exclaimed. "He's really fast!"
"He took out Donald and Goofy with no sweat," Sherria remarked. "He's something else..."
"It's not just his speed," Carla theorized. "He must've channeled Magic Energy from his body into his weapon!"
"My name is Cloud Strife," Cloud introduced himself. "I'm an ex-SOLDIER. I've been hired to make sure you won't get far."
"But why?" Wendy questioned. "What do you want with us?"
"Doesn't matter. You're the one I'm after," Cloud replied coolly. He executed four Sonic Raves, and Carla realized too late that her body was struck with super-sonic slashes. The white Exceed was sent in the air, and Cloud executed an aerial sword combination. The last blow smashed her to the floor, creating a crack from where she collapsed. Carla groaned tiredly, her body lacerated with slash wounds, before she reverted back to her original Exceed form.
"Carla!" Wendy screamed.
"Why, you...! Sky God's Boreas!" In a fit of rage, Sherria positioned her hands together and summoned a massive black tornado, intent on blowing Cloud away. He responded by swinging the Buster Sword five times, the sheer strength of the blade cutting away a large portion of black wind, until the last swing completely destroyed the tornado. Sherria gasped in horror, "No way!"
"That was nothing," Cloud scoffed.
"Oh, so you wanna play rough, huh? I'll show you!" Sherria growled. "Sky God's-" Before she could act, however, she felt a pain seeping through her chest and was forced to grasp it, the damage she received from the Buster Sword catching up to her. "Argh! Crud..." She added in frustration, "C'mon, magic! Heal! Heal! Why won't you-" She was silenced by an upper slash, and felled by a Climhazzard. She fell in defeat, her Sky God Slayer Magic unable to heal such injuries.
"SHERRIA!" Wendy shrieked.
"It's just you and me now," Cloud said confidently. "C'mon, kid. Give me your best shot."
"I won't let you get away with that!" Wendy gritted her teeth. Focusing her Sky Dragon Slayer Magic into her arms and legs, she brought her Keyblade down and Cloud blocked it with the Buster Sword. The force was so strong that a large gust of wind flew throughout the entire arena.
"Whoa!" Philoctetes exclaimed, holding onto a stone pillar. "Look at 'em go!"
Wendy and Cloud got into a vicious clash, parrying and dodging each other's attacks at breakneck speed. A minute passed, and when the ex-SOLDIER lost his focus, the Sky Maiden hit him with a 7-hit combo, the last slash sending him back a couple of feet and falling to one knee. Cloud leaped in the air for another Climhazzard, and when he missed, he was met with another 7-hit combo. He retaliated with eight consecutive Sonic Raves, which Wendy managed to avoid. At the last Sonic Rave, she somehow managed to deflect the blow, and tried to slash at him. Cloud jumped over Wendy to avoid it, countered with a Climhazzard, and missed again. She hit him with a Blizzard spell, followed by a Sky Dragon's Claw which knocked the Buster Sword out of his hand. Wendy cast Sky Dragon's Wing Attack to knock the weaponless ex-SOLDIER to the ground, and used her Keyblade to hold his sword down.
That didn't stop Cloud, however, for he flipped himself back up and slid his sword out of Wendy's grasp, and the two clashed again. He activated his Sonic Raves again, and three of them managed to hit the Sky Dragon Slayer dead on. She screamed at the pain she received from each slash, and she was forced to grasp her chest with both arms.
"You kept up with me," Cloud remarked, his body sustained with less moderate wounds. "Even a single man by himself couldn't stand up to me like this."
"I won't lose..." Wendy panted. "I won't let you beat me..."
"Sorry to burst your bubble, but recess is over!" Cloud attacked with more Sonic Raves, and Wendy cartwheeled herself out of the way. He then jumped up and did a Climhazzard, which she avoided by jumping over.
"Sky Dragon's Roar!" Wendy breathed a mighty gust, and Cloud blocked it with his Buster Sword, allowing her to hit his vulnerable lower body with a 6-hit combo. "Sky Dragon's Wing Attack!" She knocked him off balance with hammers of wind. "Sky Dragon's Claw!" She knocked him in the air with wind-fueled legs, before she jumped up and slashed him a few times. "Fire!" She finished the combo with an explosive fireball that sent him back to the ground. Despite the current state he was in, the ex-SOLDIER pushed himself up to his feet, and held her back with a Cross-Slash.
"Not bad. Not bad at all," Cloud said wheezily. "But how about THIS?!" Much to Wendy's surprise, he disappeared into a flicker of wind. The next minute, he reappeared and was swarming her with lightspeed attacks. Concentrating on her speed and agility, she held him back with several blocks of her Keyblade, until she lost her focus. Cloud landed five Sonic Raves, sent her up in the air, kept up the pace with an aerial combination, and ended it with a Climhazzard. Wendy healed a fair amount of health by drinking a Potion in her pocket, and cast Sky Dragon's Roar at him, but he vanished again and delivered a Cross-Slash. Moments before he could strike again, she caught him off guard with Sky Dragon's Crushing Fang, scratching him across the chest, before knocking him in the air with Sky Dragon's Claw. Wendy then jumped over, hit Cloud a few times with the Keyblade, and then finished with three Fire spells.
The battle was reaching its peak, and both combatants were moderately injured. Cloud complimented, "I have to give you credit, you're a tough girl. But don't you see it's meaningless? Just give up and get it over with."
Wendy breathed heavily, "I won't... let you... beat me... I promised my... friends... that I'll keep on fighting... until the end. I didn't come all this way... just to run away from you!" Raising the Keyblade, she gathered enough energy and willpower to execute her trump card, "Blue Mistral Command Style: Skyward Wing!" Seconds later, she was glowing in a light blue aura, and was armed with crystal wings and a white blade. She eyed the ex-SOLDIER, fiercely determined to win the tournament for the sake of her friends.
"I wish it didn't come to this..." Cloud mused. "Looks like I have no choice." Gripping the Buster Sword in his hand, he channeled large amounts of energy in the form of electricity sparking around his body, and a giant black wing popped out of his back. He glared at the Sky Maiden, intent on completing the job Hades asked him to do.
The two readied themselves.
"I'm ready!"
"Farewell."
WHOOSH! The powered-up forms of Wendy and Cloud charged and attacked rapidly with immense force, dodging and blocking each others' moves, in what seemed to be the climax of the match. The audience erupted into cheers, motivated by the sheer thought of how extreme the battle turned out to be. At any rate, the Coliseum's popularity would skyrocket when the dust cleared. Donald, Goofy, Carla, and Sherria broke free from unconsciousness and looked up to witness the two clashing on the ground and in the air. With all their hearts, they prayed that their Sky Dragon Slayer friend would win.
In the battle's final moments, Wendy hacked Cloud's chest with her Crystal Wings, and he countered with a slice to the hip. She performed a series of Wind Steps, teleporting her way out of every swing of the Buster Sword, and she reappeared just in time to knock it out of his hand.
"What?!" Cloud exclaimed.
"Command Style Critical Art: Great Dragon Wind!" Wendy transformed the Blue Mistral into a dragon-shaped tornado that caught Cloud in its jaws. It slammed him down to the ground, the impact generating a swirling vortex that destroyed the pavement of the arena, leaving the image of a white dragon in its wake.
"Gotta keep going..." Cloud emerged from the rubble and collapsed on one knee, the grievous injuries taking its toll on him. Wendy fell on her knees and panted exhaustively after a valiant effort, her Command Style deactivated as a result.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" the Greek announcer addressed the crowd. "The winners of the Olympus Coliseum Preliminaries, Team Wendy!"
The audience cheered loudly at Team Wendy's victory, as confetti made its descent from the air, in honor of the surviving team who bested the preliminaries. A weakened Wendy looked around to see the positive reaction of the fans, and wiped a tear from her eye, overwhelmed by the thought of victory. It was like winning the Grand Magic Games all over again, only this time, she was the main star of the arena. The rest of her friends stood up and came to her aid, their emotions of relief and happiness helping them forget the injuries they bore from the battle.
Carla cheered, "Well done, Wendy!"
Sherria smiled, "You did it! We won!"
Donald admired, "You got him good, kid!"
Goofy cried, "We won the match!"
The four cradled the injured Sky Maiden in their arms, soaking in the cheers of the attendees. Even Philoctetes couldn't help but admire the team's determination and ferocity. "Say, you're better than I thought! Maybe you do have what it takes!"
Sherria laughed, "That's what he gets for messing with my best friend, our Sky Maiden."
Donald smirked, "Better luck next time, blondie!"
Unfortunately, one person didn't care if he won or lost, and cast his shadow over Wendy and company. They turned to see Cloud Strife, the defeated ex-SOLDIER who stood over them with an expressionless face that ignored all the batters and bruises, the Buster Sword gripped with both hands. "There's not going to be a next time, kid..."
Carla demanded, "Impossible! How can you still be moving with all those injuries?"
Cloud stated, "A finished match doesn't mean my job is finished yet. Hades and I had a deal."
Wendy gasped in surprise, "Hades?"
Behind Cloud was the Lord of the Dead in question, watching from the barracks. "That's right. One swipe of the blade..."
Cloud used any strength he had left to lift his sword in the air. Donald and Goofy put their hands over their eyes and waited for the inevitable, while Wendy, Carla, and Sherria turned their heads away, the Sky Dragon Slayer putting her Keyblade in front of her. The crowd gasped at this sight, their cheers replaced with shock. It would appear that the loser was intent on killing the victors, which was a serious violation of rules in the Games.
Cloud paused for a few seconds, looking at this sight. Suffice to say, second thoughts crossed the young man's mind. "A battle like this is something I haven't had in a long time, and yet... I'm just going to kill a bunch of kids over a contract? Even a girl like her? Is this deal I made the only way to find who I'm looking for...?" He finally lowered his sword and put it away, shaking his head in disgust, "It's not worth it. I won't kill you. You don't deserve it."
Wendy, Donald, Goofy, Carla, and Sherria all opened their eyes. Another close call was averted... or was it? They all spotted something over Cloud's shoulder, and Wendy gave the warning. "LOOK OUT!"
Cloud looked behind him, only to be stomped on by a giant paw. It belonged to an enormous three-headed beast with black fur, glowing red eyes, and razor-sharp teeth. Wendy yelped and got to her feet, backing away from the monster growling over her.
Hades smiled evilly, "Oh, right. There's one other rule I forgot to mention: Accidents happen." He retreated into the darkness of the barracks, confident with his new lackey getting the job done.
The three-headed beast let out a deafening roar that made the whole arena shake. The crowd would've been worried if it weren't for the fact they thought this was part of the show. Donald and Goofy, however, screamed and ran away from the arena. Wendy, Carla, and Sherria went after them, but the monster blocked their path, its three heads grinning maliciously at them.
Sherria motioned with her hands, "Nice doggy."
Wendy asked, "How do you know it's a dog?"
Sherria gestured, "Can you see the long snout and the perky ears on each of the three heads? It's obviously a dog with three heads."
Carla gasped, "You're not talking about Cerberus, aren't you?"
Wendy wondered, "Cerberus? Who's that?"
Carla answered, "According to ancient history, Cerberus is the name of the guard dog of the Underworld. And if I recall correctly, a certain guild was named after it, but with the word 'Quatro' before it."
Wendy replied, "Quatro Cerberus? That's the name of the guild Bacchus belonged to!"
Sherria shivered, "Well, whatever that doggy's name is or wherever he comes from, there's only one word to describe him: trouble."
Wendy alerted, "Here it comes!"
The three braced themselves as the beast's heads made a break for them, driven by the urge to feast on their flesh. But before the fangs could reach Wendy, Carla, and Sherria, they were instead held back by an incredible force of strength. The beast known as Cerberus felt his weight lifted upward by that same force, and to everyone's surprise, his chest rested on the hands of someone! The crowd cheered in thunderous applause, and Wendy noticed whom they were clapping for; an extremely muscular man wearing orange-brown Grecian armor, a brown belt around his waist with a golden emblem with the symbol of a thunderbolt engraved on it, a red and brown headband tied around his forehead pushing back his rust-colored hair, save for one bang that fell over it, and a short deep blue cape.
"Herc!" Philoctetes recognized him. "About time you showed up!"
"Phil!" the muscular man shouted urgently, glancing over his shoulder at the satyr. "Get them outta here!"
"Hey, you heard the man!" Philoctetes projected his voice to the crowd. "Everybody out of the arena! Now!" Most of the attendees took the hint and evacuated from the Coliseum, but some elected to stay, not wanting to miss any of the action. Philoctetes grew annoyed at this, "Well, go on! This isn't a free show!"
Wendy watched the whole scene in bewilderment until she heard the voice of a familiar duck. "Wendy!" She turned to see Donald and Goofy motioning to her from the vestibule. "Come quick!" Wendy, Carla, and Sherria complied and raced out of the arena.
Lobby
"Whew, that was close!" Philoctetes exclaimed as soon as they reached the lobby, safe and sound. He leaned against the wall and took in several long breaths.
"Is everyone alright?" Wendy asked.
"We're fine," Sherria answered. "Guess the victory party's cancelled."
"That's one big doggy," Goofy commented. "With a size like that and three heads like those, he'd definitely win first place in the talent show."
"But he's so huge," Wendy pointed out. "He can barely fit into the talent show, and his sharp teeth would scare everybody away."
"Uh-huh," Sherria agreed. "An enormous dog with three heads is not my idea for a pet. Or anyone's, by that matter."
"Yeah," Wendy nodded. "Bad idea."
"What's the matter, cat?" Donald teased Carla. "Are you scared of dogs?"
"Of course not!" Carla scoffed. "Though we are cats, us Exceeds do not share the fears and weaknesses of an ordinary cat."
"A cat who ain't afraid of baths, dogs, and cucumbers?" Goofy wondered. "It's like you're a super-cat!"
"A crazy 'super-cat,' that is," Donald rolled his eyes. "She kicked me right in the face!"
"I gave you a demonstration of my powers, duck," Carla retorted. "You should never have doubted me. If it weren't for me, the team wouldn't have made it to the finals."
"Gawrsh, you handle your kicks like it's a piece of art," Goofy admired. "Nice work out there."
"Why, thank you," Carla smiled.
"Oh, your kicks are very good, all right," Donald said bitterly. "Good enough to give me a—"
"Now that you rookies are back in one piece, I bet you're wonderin' about that giant dog you saw," Philoctetes cut him off. "That's Cerberus, the guardian of the Underworld."
"I stand corrected," Carla confirmed. "This creature hails from the world of darkness."
"Hey, how did you know?" Philoctetes wondered.
"It's only an assumption," Carla replied.
"Who's the guy crazy enough to send a three-headed mutt to eat our butts?" Sherria asked.
"I bet someone sent him to attack the Coliseum," Wendy guessed.
"Whoever this guy is, he doesn't really like us," Goofy stated.
"Are you talkin' about Hades?" Philoctetes questioned. "He's the Lord of the Dead and ruler of the Underworld, in case you're wonderin'."
The group gasped in horror upon hearing the name of the stranger who gave them the entry pass. "Hades?!"
"I should've known!" Carla clenched her fist with a glare for having her suspicions proven right. "He intended to have us participate in the tournament so he could have his hired muscle, Cloud Strife, eliminate us!"
"We've been tricked," Wendy grimaced. "He led us into a trap."
"He truly is dark and mysterious," Carla growled. "Better yet, he is rather ambitious. He does live up to the name of ruler of the Underworld, similar to Mard Geer Tartaros."
"Or he's named after the guild master of Grimoire Heart," Sherria pointed out. "One of the Balam Alliance that Fairy Tail took out eight years ago."
"Blast it all," Carla mused. "I should've figured it out sooner."
"It's okay, Carla," Wendy acknowledged. "We didn't mean for things to happen, but they did."
"So what's with the other guy lifting Cerberus over his head?" Sherria asked. "You know, after he stomped Cloud with his paws?"
"That's Hercules," Philoctetes answered. "Herc for short. I mentioned before that he has godlike strength, and what he did to Cerberus right now is a demonstration."
"Hercules... is here?" Sherria gasped in disbelief, and Philoctetes nodded. She breathed steadily for a few seconds, and finally, she yelled excitedly, "HERCULES IS HERE?!"
"Yep, he's here," Philoctetes nodded. "You finally get to see the champ. But there ain't no time for autographs just yet."
"HERCULES! A REAL GOD! OH, MY GOSH!" Sherria screamed happily. She then paced around the lobby, her head brimming with hopes and ideas, "When we're in the Games, we get to fight Hercules, and he says, 'Hey, Sherria! I heard you're a God Slayer! Show me what you can do!' Me and him, fighting each other in front of hundreds of fans!" The others stared at the fantasizing Sky God Slayer as she passed by, Donald and Philoctetes with annoyance, Wendy, Carla, and Goofy with slight curiosity. "What's more, if I actually defeat Hercules, I'll take records of our incredible fight, share them with my Lamia Scale friends and to the people of Fiore, and I'll go down in history as the best God Slayer ever!" Her hands grasped with anticipation, "What a way to kill two birds with one stone! Oh, yeah!" Her joyous outburst was quickly smothered with mischievous laughter, "This is my break! My BIG BREAK!"
"Yeah, yeah, girlie," Philoctetes rolled his eyes. "You can go fan-crazy with Herc on the veranda AFTER he takes care of Cerberus."
"Tell me about it," Donald jeered. "Who would've guessed that Sherria is nuts?"
"What's THAT supposed to mean?" Sherria eyed suspiciously.
"Oh, it's nothing," Donald said sarcastically. "It's just that..." He added with a whisper, "...you're crazy."
"Crazy?" Sherria questioned. "What are you talking about? I'm completely sane."
"Sherria, I think Donald means it," Goofy pointed out. "You've been acting weird lately."
"Let me guess," Donald interjected. "Does it have something to do with fighting someone like Hercules?"
"Hey, don't hate because I'm excited," Sherria shrugged. "A girl's gotta have dreams."
"She's right, Donald," Wendy agreed. "It's what she dreamed about. She wanted to test her God Slayer Magic against a real god. Just think of how strong she'll be if she actually defeats one!"
"See?" Sherria smiled. "At least somebody supports me."
"Geez, this is some adventure we've been in," Donald complained. "We've got not one, not two, but three strong and weird additions to our team. First we've got a kid with a key who likes breaking the rules, then we've got a cat lady with bad legs and a backwards philosophy, and now we've got a teenage girl with a crazy dream of beating up a superman. I mean, seriously! Who invited these people?"
"Um, you did," Carla said dryly. "When you found Wendy holding the Keyblade."
"A-hyuck, she's our friend," Goofy smiled. "Carla and Sherria are also our friends. They're not so bad when you get used to 'em."
"Sometimes, it makes me wonder why they're our friends," Donald muttered. "They're the strangest people I've ever met."
"If you're done talking, let's get back to business," Philoctetes insisted. "We're wasting time and money."
"Fine," Donald sighed. "Back to business."
"Can Hercules stand up to Cerberus?" Wendy asked.
"Herc's no stranger to monsters," Philoctetes grinned. "With his godlike strength, he should be able to handle him." A loud noise vibrated the Coliseum, allowing a small dust of rubble to fall down from the ceiling, and his expression turned to worry. "Then again, maybe not. This doesn't look good." He scratched his head in frustration, "I hope Herc's okay. Wish I could go in!"
"Cloud..." Wendy whispered. She looked to the arena's entrance, before finally deciding to run back in. The rest of her friends saw this, looked to each other, and nodded.
All five of them were just about to enter, until Philoctetes spoke up, "Wait!" He looked over to Wendy with concern, "Kid, you're not entering the arena, are ya? This ain't just some match. This is for real!"
Wendy explained the actions she and her friends were about to take, "Phil, we were set up. The match with Cloud was an ambush. Cerberus was meant for us, and Hercules shouldn't be the one in there. I'm not going to let some three-headed dog scare me! We're going back to fight him!"
Sherria smiled, "On a side note, you can decide if we're hero material or not. This is our chance to prove ourselves."
Philoctetes contemplated Wendy's decision. He knew that even heroes sometimes needed help. Eventually, he gave his reply, "Go for it, kid. Get out there and whip that dog down to size!"
Wendy smiled, "You got it."
Sherria chuckled, "Like you actually need to say it."
Carla encouraged, "Let's get moving!"
Goofy whooped, "Here we go!"
Donald said dryly, "Sure, we're gonna play fetch with the dog. Yippee... woohoo."
Coliseum
At the now empty arena, Hercules was holding the unconscious Cloud over his shoulder, standing between the wall and Cerberus's giant jaws bearing down on him, inches away. The great hero was mustering his courage and resolve to wear down the guard dog of the Underworld for as long as he could. Just then, Cerberus's ears perked up, hearing the footsteps of others behind him. Turning his three heads, he saw Wendy, Donald, Goofy, Carla, and Sherria below, taking fighting stances. Hercules was surprised to see the group of five emerging from the vestibule, and attempted to speak to them, "Hey, what are you doing here? I thought Phil told everyone to leave!"
"You get Cloud to safety," Wendy proposed. "We'll take care of Cerberus."
"Are you sure, kid?" Hercules questioned. "You're gonna be alright?"
"We're ready for anything," Wendy assured. "It'll take more than a three-headed dog to bring us down!"
"Huh, from the looks of things, I've got my hands full at the moment," Hercules took time to assess the situation, before he complied. "Okay, I'll leave it to you." Before he could make a break for the exit, he was startled to see Sherria in front of him, casting an awkward smile at him. "Oh, you're one of them, right? What's your name?"
"I'm Sherria," Sherria introduced herself with a blush. "Nice to meet you. And you must be Hercules. I've heard a lot about you. You're the undefeated champion of the Coliseum with godlike strength. It's because YOU'RE a god."
"Technically, I am," Hercules stated. "But I live down on earth as a mortal."
"Oh, my gosh!" Sherria squealed excitedly. "I can't believe it! I'm talking to an actual god!"
"Whoa, easy there," Hercules calmed her down. "What got you so excited all of a sudden?"
"It's been my dream to meet a god and face him in combat," Sherria explained. "I'm a God Slayer. My magic is said to have the power to defeat gods, and my purpose is to test it against one." She cleared her throat, "If it's alright with you, can you and I—"
"JUST GO ALREADY!" Donald yelled impatiently. "We've got a job to do!"
"Oh, well. Guess it'll have to wait," Hercules confirmed. "Watch yourselves!" He hurried with Cloud to the vestibule as fast as he could. Passing Wendy, both of their eyes met for a brief moment; the Sky Maiden flashed a confident smile, and the son of Zeus smiled back and gave an encouraging pat on the back, before he completely exited.
"Aww, come on!" Sherria pouted. "We were having a nice chat!"
"This isn't the time for fun!" Donald insisted. "We've got a big problem on our hands!"
"Lighten up a bit, Donald," Sherria quipped. "There's always a time for fun in situations like this."
"You call THAT fun?" Donald cried incredulously. "As in taking a vicious three-headed dog for a walk kind of FUN?!"
"Every battle is worth the experience," Sherria grinned. "It's all in the thrills. The more experience you get, the more you enjoy it."
"That's Sherria for you," Wendy giggled. "She's always looking on the bright side of things."
"I don't," Donald grumbled. "Playing fetch with a humongous mutt isn't my idea of having fun."
"Concentrate, everyone!" Carla urged. "We must focus on defeating Cerberus."
Philoctetes, who wanted to watch this up close from the audience stone slabs, gave instructions to Wendy and company. "Kid, I got two words of advice for ya: ATTACK!"
Sherria cried out, "That's one word!"
Wendy encouraged, "Never mind that. Let's teach this bad dog some tricks!"
Cerberus let out a huge roar, stomping his large paws. The battle was on!
"Spread out!" Wendy instructed her friends, and all five ran in different directions. Cerberus began his trek across the arena, each of his heads individually breathing out large fireballs. To avoid the stream of miniature flares, Goofy put his shield in front of him and slid it across the sand like a surfboard, Wendy and Carla performed a few cartwheels, and Donald and Sherria rolled away. Once the team regrouped, Cerberus lifted his front feet off the ground, ready to stomp on them. Wendy, Donald, Goofy, Carla, and Sherria backed away in time, but the shockwave caused by the impact of Cerberus's feet knocked them off their feet, their backs landing hard on the ground.
With a groan, Wendy opened her eyes to see Cerberus's paws coming straight down again. She gasped, and rolled out of the way. After the paws slammed, the rest of Wendy's allies saw this as an opportune moment. Donald cast a variety of Thunder spells to zap each of the three heads. Cerberus felt the shocking force of the duck's magic, and growling in anger, he advanced and shot another stream of fireballs. The number of explosive projectiles was increasing, but Wendy and her friends would come up with minor strategies to outsmart the guardian of the Underworld. Wendy and Sherria cast Sky Dragon's Roar and Sky God's Bellow at Cerberus's left and right heads, while Goofy deflected a fireball with his shield, hitting the center head square in the eyes. Those attacks caused Cerberus to reel back, and Carla seized the opportunity to jump in the air and deliver a flurry of kicks to the heads.
Cerberus stopped in his tracks, and his heads attempted to bite at his targets. Donald and Goofy yelped as they leapt away from the sharp teeth. The heads then snapped their teeth at Wendy, Carla, and Sherria next, but they managed to avoid all the bits with great flexibility, and counterattacked with their respective magical styles. During the brawl, Wendy took one hard swing of the Keyblade that connected the center head's teeth; the beast roared in pain at the steel's impact against his jaw. The center head took another snap, and bit down on the Blue Mistral. The Sky Maiden got in a tug of war, but her feet were slipping against the much stronger Underworld beast. The left and right heads were occupied with Carla and Sherria, but the center head proved more than enough to resist Wendy. Donald and Goofy held onto her chest, but it was no good. Cerberus then picked the center head up and jerked it behind him, sending them flying to the stone slabs. They would've landed hard on the seats if not for Wendy sticking out the notch of the Keyblade, catching the edge. The three fell on the concrete a little safer.
Cerberus reared up on his hind legs and dropped to the ground a third time, sending a shockwave that blew Sherria and Carla away from him. He lifted his heads up, ready to breath fireballs again, and the five regrouped. Cerberus's flares destroyed much of the Coliseum's infrastructure, leaving traces of rubble and smoke. His attention returned to Wendy and company, and he attempted to spew fireballs again. As soon as the left and right heads opened their jaws, Wendy and Donald cast Blizzard, forming ice crystals right in their mouths. The ice stung his two mouths bad, and caused him to let out a dreadful roar. Cerberus's center head glared at both Wendy and Donald, and shot another fireball. They moved away, but Goofy wasn't so lucky and got blown away. Before the center head could make another move, Wendy jumped up and executed a quick 13-hit Keyblade combo, and Sherria joined in by flinging her black wind-fueled fists, before ending it with Sky God's Boreas. The unison of attacks was a success, and Cerberus roared at the injuries.
The Underworld beast gritted his teeth, and Wendy's group could see fire building in his three mouths again. Fireballs flew throughout the arena once more, and they were either avoided or deflected. Cerberus even deigned to bite with his three heads, but it was another effort Wendy and company could handle. Jaws were deflected, and heads were decimated by powerful attacks and magic.
Almost pushed to the brink of exhaustion, Cerberus's mouths foamed with dark energy, as he readied a strategy of his own. His heads moved downward, spewing out a stream of dark matter and sending it into the ground. As a result, the energy pooled and shot up into small fireballs. He shot more fireballs, and they coupled with the dark matter, making the struggle to dodge and deflect more difficult. With Wendy and her friends tired and distracted, Cerberus proceeded to bite them away with his jaws. The sharp spikes of teeth pierced their bodies fiercely, before they were blown away by another paw shockwave that crashed their backs against the wall, before landing chest first onto the ground.
Fortunately for Wendy and company, their stash of Potions restored fair amounts of their health, and they managed to stand back up to their feet. In retaliation, the Sky Dragon Slayer lifted her Keyblade into the air and cast Thunder, summoning a stream of miniature thunderbolts that hit against all of Cerberus's heads, making him flinch. Three managed to hit his jaws like a lightning rod, and he shook in electric shock from the attack. Seeing Cerberus in this state of shock, Wendy was about to pull out her trump card.
"Blue Mistral Command Style: Skyward Wing!" Wendy activated her Command Style and turned her attention to Cerberus, who recovered from his paralysis. He walked towards her, but his movement was slower from such a long battle and taking a lot of hits. Nonetheless, he unleashed a combination of fireballs and dark matter across the Coliseum ruins. Wendy Wind Stepped towards the Underworld beast, who whipped his fangs at her, to which she blocked with her Crystal Wings. Afterwards, she hit each of the heads with a string of fast Keyblade combinations. "Command Style Critical Art: Great Dragon Wind!" She dealt the final blow in the form of a dragon-shaped tornado that swirled the beast into the air, until it slammed him to the ground with a loud THUD! As soon as the earth stopped rumbling and the dust settled on the battleground, Cerberus was no longer moving.
"We did it!" Wendy cheered, deactivating her Command Style and regrouping with her friends. "We beat Cerberus!"
"Nice work, Wendy," Sherria held up her hand, and the Sky Dragon Slayer slapped it for a hi-five. "You made that dog heel."
"Who woulda thought it'd be hard to teach a three-headed dog how to play fetch?" Goofy asked.
"Tell me about it," Donald nodded. "He almost fetched us in his teeth." He then laughed at his joke, "Get it?" No one seemed to laugh at his attempt for humor, and they only responded with odd looks. "What? It's a joke."
"Let's just go," Carla sighed, and the five walked back into the vestibule after all was said and done. Philoctetes, who had miraculously survived the destruction of the arena to see the rest of the battle, glanced at Wendy's group with an impressed smile.
Lobby
Later that day, Wendy, Donald, Goofy, Carla, and Sherria stood before Philoctetes and Hercules, who were holding a ceremony in honor of their bravery and exemplary performance. The satyr read the statement on the papyrus out loud, "Thus, I hereby dub thee junior heroes, and confer upon thee full rights and privileges to participate in the upcoming tournaments for the Coliseum Games." He then handed pieces of papers in the form of licenses, granting them permission to enter the Games whenever they wished. "Congrats, rookies. You earned it."
That announcement filled Wendy and her friends with such gladness, and they began to celebrate. Wendy held Sherria's hands, and the two jumped with joy. Goofy did a victory dance, Donald tossed his hat in the air, and Carla clapped her paws enthusiastically. "We did it!" they cried happily. "We did it! We're in the Games!"
"Hey, wait a minute!" All of a sudden, Donald's loud voice snapped the group out of their victory party, and they turned to see him casting a glare at Philoctetes. "What do you mean, 'junior heroes?'"
"We saved the Coliseum by defeating a gigantic beast from the Underworld," Carla joined in. "Does that count as heroic?"
"You rookies still don't understand what it takes to be a true hero," Philoctetes said seriously. "The road to being a hero is long and tough. If you learn a lot from that road, you'll know you truly are one."
"So, what does it take?" Goofy asked.
"Well, that's just something you'll have to find out for yourselves," Hercules crossed his arms with a grin on his face. "Just the way that I did."
"No problem!" Wendy smiled, lifting a fist proudly. "We'll start by proving ourselves in the Games. We'll win all the tournaments, and we'll discover what being a true hero is all about!"
"Testing one's limits is the key to unlock one's potential," Carla stated. "The more we progress, the stronger we'll become."
"We'll show everyone how tough we are as a team," Sherria gestured to herself and her friends. She then took a step towards Hercules, and her eyes glimmered with a mixture of eagerness and determination. "If we win all the tournaments, we'll get a chance to face you!"
"It depends on how far you've come," Hercules replied. "Who knows? You and your friends might."
"I can't wait!" Sherria grew excited. "When that day comes, I'll unleash the full extent of my God Slayer Magic to defeat the Coliseum champion! This is my time to shine!"
"I'm putting my faith in you, Sherria," Wendy encouraged. "I know you can do it!"
"Once you defeat a god, your status as a God Slayer will elevate to new heights," Carla said.
"Think of how proud your Lamia Scale pals are gonna be!" Goofy smiled.
"Thanks, guys," Sherria gave the thumbs up. "You're the best support I could ever ask for."
"There she goes again," Donald rolled his eyes.
"You're pretty eager to fight some gods and monsters, girlie," Philoctetes admired with a chuckle.
"Yeah, I guess I am," Sherria giggled.
"Like I said, you and your friends are free to enter the Games," Philoctetes continued. "But the bad news is, there ain't gonna be any games for a while." He motioned to the closed sign over the arena entrance, "That fight with Cerberus really messed up the arena, so we gotta clean it up first."
"How could we forget?" Wendy giggled, remembering the damage Cerberus caused. But she didn't have time to help clean up the Coliseum; she and her friends had other priorities. "That's alright. We'll come back later." She turned to Hercules, "It's nice to meet you, Hercules."
"Same to you, Wendy," Hercules nodded in agreement. "Until next time."
"See you later!" Wendy waved.
"Bye!" Goofy cheered.
"It's been fun!" Sherria grinned.
"We'll meet again soon," Carla acknowledged.
"See ya!" Donald saluted.
Hercules and Philoctetes waved goodbye as the five left the lobby. The satyr then stroked his beard for a bit, "I still can't believe that cute little squirt actually beat Cerberus."
Hercules smirked, "He even fought her at his full strength. Hades is not gonna be happy to see his pet worn down by a little girl."
Philoctetes agreed, "Yep. He definitely won't."
Coliseum Gates
Wendy, Donald, Goofy, Carla, and Sherria exited the lobby, and took the path to the exit. Donald spoke up, "Well, there's nothing we can do here. Let's go somewhere else."
Carla interjected, "I happened to talk with the Coliseum's security during the preliminaries. They reported to have seen no one among the audience that looked like a mouse or people bearing the Fairy Tail mark."
Goofy shrugged, "Guess the only thing to do now is head back to the Gummi Ship."
When they approached the double doors leading out of the Coliseum, they spotted a familiar face. It was Cloud Strife sitting near the doorway.
"Cloud!" Wendy approached him, while her friends stood cautious in case any foul play happened again. The group knew about how he came to the Coliseum under contract from Hades, but nobody knew his reasons for doing so. "Cloud, it's you!" Wendy cried. The ex-SOLDIER's only response was a solemn look, and she could tell he was pretty upset over something. The Sky Dragon Slayer grew concerned, "Hey, are you alright?"
Cloud lifted his head up to look at Wendy. He responded in a low tone, "Yeah. Sorry about earlier."
Wendy acknowledged, "It's okay. I understand."
Cloud muttered to himself, "I still can't believe he tricked me like that. I just have to know better next time who I make a deal with."
Wendy grew curious, "Yeah, about that... Why did you go along with him, anyway?"
Cloud stood up and told his story, "I'm looking for someone. Hades promised to help." Wendy and the others listened intently, "I tried to exploit the power of darkness, but it backfired." The ex-SOLDIER looked up into the blue sky, "I fell into darkness, and I couldn't find the light."
Wendy tried to cheer him up, "You'll find it. I'm searching, too."
That lightened Cloud's spirits a little bit, as he looked at the Sky Maiden. "For your light?" A nod answered him. After having a cold face for so long, he cracked a bit of a smile at Wendy for being nice to him, even after he tried to eliminate her. Cloud reached into his pocket and gave Wendy an Ability Orb, before placing it in her hand. "Don't lose sight of it."
Wendy smiled, "I won't. Thank you." Cloud walked away, but she called out one last time, "Are we going to fight each other sometime in the Games the next time we meet? I hope there won't be any dark powers involved."
Cloud turned his head, running a hand through his hair and flashing a cocky smile. "I think I'll pass." With that said, he made his departure.
Goofy examined the Ability Orb Wendy was given. "Gawrsh, that's a Sonic Blade Ability Orb! You can make fast dashes with your Keyblade, just like Cloud during our match!"
Wendy got a big grin out of that, "This will come in handy!" The Ability Orb popped and transferred into her body, granting her the power to use the Sonic Blade, similar to Cloud's Sonic Raves. Her smile was then replaced with concern for the ex-SOLDIER who disappeared. "I wonder if he's going to be alright."
Carla assured, "I'm sure he will, child. He has his own path to follow, and we have ours. It's best not to get involved."
Wendy nodded, "You're right, Carla. Let's go." Donald and Goofy pushed open the large double doors, and the Sky Maiden looked back at the Coliseum over her shoulder, sharing one last smile before the gate slammed behind the group.
Nightfall had approached Olympus Coliseum, and after the Gummi Ship had left, Hades could be seen fuming at the Coliseum Gates, holding a statue of Hercules in his hand. "Hercules, the all-time undisputed, undefeated champion of Olympus Coliseum. A true hero if you ever see one. He's strong. He's brave. He's kind." Every word he spoke was laced with biting sarcasm, and the statue took on the ability to flex its own muscles. "He's always there for you, and he's handsome to boot." The last thing the statue did was crossing its arms and winking, before it was roasted in Hades's palm. "He's perfect. Perfect." His collected tone then changed into a furious one as he turned red, "Perfectly INFURIATING! HE MAKES ME CRAZY!" The hair on his head blazing hot, he exploded in a burst of flames, a pillar of fire rising into the air from where he stood. As the smoke settled around him, Hades caught his breath and returned to his cool blue shade, trying to regain his composure. "Wait a minute. What are you worried about? All the pieces are in place. Relax. Here's what you do: let Hercules train the girl with the key. In the next games, I'll take care of them both." He made a fist with a wicked smirk, "It's like killing two birds with one stone, so to speak."
A voice from behind him concurred, "Oh, I simply love that old saying."
Hades turned to see Maleficent addressing him, but he wasn't too happy to see the leader of this operation involving the dark guilds, the Heartless, and the other villains. "I don't remember you purchasing a ticket to Mount Olympus."
Maleficent stated, "I just came to see your progress. How fares your attempt to seize the girl with the Keyblade?"
Hades frowned, "I had it right in the bag, but that little squirt had to louse it up! Even my pet couldn't handle a kindergarten dropout! Meanwhile, where have you been? Living it up with that Kaze girl and the other villains, leaving me out of the herd!"
Maleficent questioned, "And what saying do you have of this situation of yours?"
Hades sneered, "I've got a bone to pick with you! I asked some of those magical clubhouses you hired to contribute to my grand scheme, to be my extras for the show, but no! They never came! Where were those idiots when I needed 'em?! Do they think I'm the unpopular one?! I'm a member of this club, too!"
Maleficent answered, "Calm yourself, Lord of the Dead. The dark guilds are very busy with their affairs in other worlds. Time is of the essence, after all. And both of us have lots of time to spare. Since they cannot help you at this moment, you can always ask me..."
Hades scoffed, "Hmph! You came to the party too late, toots. If they can't come, I'll just have to run the show on my own. I don't need you, Kaze, or anyone to look over my shoulder. Stay outta this. This is my show."
Maleficent was visibly disturbed by Hades's stubbornness, but decided it was best to leave him be. "As you wish, Hades. Fight to your heart's content." Hades grinned in pride, but that was short lived when he noticed the venom laced in her words. He scowled and was about to voice his complaint to Maleficent, only to find that she was gone. All Hades could do was stand there and contemplate his next move.
