5 seconds later…
K-K-K-K-K-K
Match 6: Big One
Four red nocturnes, four blue rhapsodies, and one large body.
"I'll take the big one, you guys take the rest!" Sora yelled, charging forward, preparing an ice attack.
"Hey!" Eddy yelled with a shaking fist, "how come YOU get the easy one?.!"
No answer. Not even from Ed, who went to fight a random enemy.
"Damn, I hate it when--D'oof!" he was struck by an ice attack.
One red nocturne was destroyed by Ed's newly learned Rocket technique. He would put his shield behind him, charge a bit of magic, and then blast forward with a deadly kill.
"Ouch!" he was struck by a blue rhapsody's spinning move. The yellow boy frowned, and used Rocket to destroy his opponent.
"HI-YAGH!" Eddy was suspended in midair as he used two magical moves to take out the said amount of Heartless. Two red nocturnes disappeared. The mage turned around and saw a rhapsody heading straight towards him. "Fire!" he shot a fireball from the tip of his wand.
Unfortunately, the attack missed as the enemy darted to the side.
"Dammit!" Eddy's face turned red. "I hate fast enemies!" Another blue enemy crashed into him, but not on purpose. It was Ed who had done it. The boy with the traffic cone on his head leap-frogged over Eddy, much to his annoyance, and came crashing down on the blue Heartless.
The one that avoided Eddy's fire was distracted by this. Eddy, however, wasn't, and destroyed it with a jump and slash.
He landed in a crouch in a Spiderman sort of way.
Ed approached his side. "Nice hit, Eddy," he congratulated, giving Eddy a strong pat on the back.
Eddy lurched forward, but kept his footing. "Anymore Heartless, Ed?" he asked, looking at him sideways.
"WHOA!" Sora came flying and landed right in front of them. A few feet away, the large body had its hands over its belly, pulling the piece of lard upwards before letting go.
"I got this one, guys!" Ed ran towards it.
Eddy helped Sora up and asked him, "Soften him up for us?"
Ed flew past them and crashed into the force field. The large body was aggravated to the point of being outlined in a purple aura. Ed groaned and was knocked out.
"Not really," Sora shook his spiky head of hair. "But I'm about to! Cya!" he shot a fire ball, getting the fat foe's attention.
"Don't forget about me!" Eddy followed suit.
The large body was charging at them with its hands behind its back. Sora blocked it, teetering the Heartless backwards. It scratched its head, as if trying to think.
Sora and Eddy used as many fire and ice attacks as they could, shifting the field around slightly. Before it could react, it disappeared.
They had won yet again.
K-K-K-K-K-K
Sora, Ed, and Eddy, now fully healed and charged with magic, stood at their end of the arena.
"Wonder who our next opponent is," Sora……wondered, leaning on his Keyblade.
"Eh, who cares?" Eddy waved a pink hand. "We can take them."
"You think so?" Sora inquired with a glance. "Cuz the matches just keep getting tougher and tougher."
"I know so," Eddy stated with closed eyes and a raised finger. "It's just gonna be another brainless Heartless."
"With mustard?" Ed asked.
"………………………………………………………………..I doubt it."
"Hey! Shinobi!"
"?.?.?" the three looked to the side.
Control Freak stood outside the arena with a box of Cavity Crunch in his hand. He smiled at them cockily, "Good luck."
"Uhh….thanks?" Sora said politely.
"I just want you to survive the preliminaries," he spoke. "If you fail these, then you're a bunch of disgraces."
"Why don't you enter this and see how it is for you?.!" Eddy shot back. "It's like you're trying to put pressure on us!"
"Easy there, Edward," Control Freak joked.
"The name's Eddy!"
"Whatever," he waved him off and walked away.
"Man…," Eddy's head slumped downwards while the rest of his body stayed the same, "…..that guy really gets on my nerves."
"Forget about him," Sora stated. "There are more important things to worry about."
"Like eggs?" Ed said.
Eddy gave him a sideways glance. "Eggs have nothing to do with anything, Ed."
"You're welcome."
"……"
"……"
"……"
They were silent as the boy they had seen before stepped into the arena. His blue eyes piercing through Sora's soul. He readied his buster sword.
The force field came to life, cutting off all exits.
"That doesn't look like a Heartless to me, Eddy," Ed said was a 'smart' expression on his long face.
"What was your first clue?" Eddy said, preparing to use a magical attack.
Sora held his Keyblade horizontally in his right hand.
Ed shrugged and brought his shield out.
Match 7: Cloud
"YAH!" Eddy made the first move with a well-aimed fire attack.
Cloud held his sword at the right angle and deflected the blast.
"Dammit!" Eddy sprinted towards the youth.
"I got your front, Eddy!" Ed yelled.
Eddy looked over his shoulder while he ran. "It's 'back', Ed--YAWCH!" Cloud had used the distraction to strike the loudmouthed mage, sending him flying.
Sora ducked and ran to his enemy.
Ed was battling him.
"HA-CHA!" Ed swung his shield ungracefully.
Cloud jumped back, moving from his spot for the first time. "That the best you can do?" he taunted. "HOOOW!" he aimed his buster sword forward and skidded across the arena in under a second.
Ed held his shield up in front of him, expecting to block the attack. Instead, the sword went down, cutting his legs clear off.
Sora gasped, stopping.
Cloud let his guard down and raised an eyebrow.
Ed's severed legs fell opposite sides, but the main body just floated on air, as if the legs were still there. Even stranger, there was no blood at all. "Uh oh," Ed said, flailing his arms left and right to keep balance.
Cloud smacked him with the flat side of his blade. "Cartoons….," he muttered, "…so unrealistic."
"But…..how…?" Sora was speechless again.
"Cartoon stuff, Sora," Eddy ran past him. "He'll heal the moment you take your eyes off him."
Sora looked at Ed again.
"Hi, Sora!" he waved, wiggling his fingers. He was still on the ground. He didn't seem to be experiencing any pain.
Sora shook it off and went to help Eddy.
Eddy jumped over a low swipe. He whacked Cloud in the side. The teen didn't react in any way. Instead, he raised his foot and kicked forward. Eddy ducked swiftly and, smirking, cast Blizzard.
"Nnngh!" Could winced as his left leg was frozen. He grunted, aimed to the side, and slashed his sword downwards.
"Missed me!" Eddy side-stepped; just as Cloud wanted him to.
"HAGH!" he blasted forward, straight into Eddy, knocking him back.
Sora barely avoided it, jumping over his buddy. He struck downward as he descended. Cloud caught Sora's weapon around the middle with his clawed hand. The Blade's width was sizable enough to wrap one's fingers around. The blond swordsman pulled back. Instead of having his weapon fly out of his hand, Sora held on tight and went with it. Cloud shoved Sora behind him, spun, and slashed.
His buster sword met Ed's shield. The boy with the cone on his head had a frown on his face, his eyebrow bending into a triangle with its point pointing downwards. His legs were connected to his body again. He pushed back.
Cloud almost lost his balance.
"Fire!" Eddy yelled from behind him.
"Dah!" Cloud let out as he was struck by heat.
Ed and Eddy converged on him at once.
"NRAAAAAAAGH!" Cloud suddenly jumped high and came down sword first.
The Eds were hit in such a way, that they were both severally knocked out.
"…..ugh…."
"…gravy….."
Sora was alone.
Cloud looked at him. His mouth was covered by his scarf, but he wasn't smiling. He was just waiting for Sora to make the next move.
"You're quite the fighter," Sora complemented, his Keyblade ready, just in case.
"Wish I could say the same about you," Cloud answered. "You've hardly done anything." His tone was harsh. "Instead of letting a bunch of kids' cartoons fight your battles for you, why don't you take me on yourself?"
"They were kinda in my way," Sora shrugged with a simper.
"So, they were." Cloud looked towards the knocked out forms.
Four dollar signs were spinning around Eddy's head. Four chickens were spinning around Ed's head.
Cloud shook his head. "Makes me wonder how old you are."
"Fourteen," Sora answered quickly.
"And you're hanging out with them?" Cloud asked.
"I don't see what's wrong with them," Sora said casually. "Do I have to be of a certain age?"
"Under ten for these two."
"That's silly. People should be able to make their own decisions about who they hang out with."
"YOU TELL HIM, SHINOBI!" Control Freak cheered from behind the force field.
"Teach that cruddy teen that we may be cartoons but we still have feelings!" Numbuh Four stood by his side with a raised fist.
"Friends of yours?" Cloud questioned.
"Uh…sorta," Sora said, unsure. "Let's go!"
"Very well," Cloud sighed and--"HOGH!"--charged forward with incredible speed.
Sora was hit before he could react, but with the flat side of Cloud's buster sword. Cloud yelled and charged at him again. This time, Sora blocked the attack. Cloud's heavy sword went up, leaving his body vulnerable to attack. Sora took this opportunity to lunge forward and hit the swordsman near one of his many belts around his belly.
"Oof!" Could fell on his back with a cringe.
"HAH!" Sora swiped downwards.
The attack would have sliced Cloud in two had he not rolled to the side just in time. He used his sword as cane to get up. Then, he spun on his heel and swung a deadly blow at Sora.
"YEAH!" Eddy was no longer K.O.'d. He looked around, saw Cloud and Sora fighting, and equipped his staff to help. He used a fire attack.
Cloud swung his foot forward, and into Sora's torso. He then moved his blade to deflect Eddy's fire attack right back at him.
Eddy gasped and didn't avoid the heated attack in time. He was still alive, but his face was badly blackened. He coughed soot.
"Nnngh!" Cloud growled in frustration. He was about to perform another sonic strike, but was struck by fire in his right shoulder. "Dah!"
"COME ON!" Ed was back, already doing a high jump and coming down with his shield at the ready. Cloud clenched his jaw and held his weapon over his head. Ed slid over him--
"WHOA--OW!"
--and fell onto the arena floor.
"Farewell," Cloud hummed. Orange sparks danced around his body as he levitated.
"Huh?" Sora blinked.
"The Hell?"
"Cool!" Ed was still lying flat on his belly, but his head had risen and done a one-eighty turn.
SWOOOOSH! Cloud flew at them swiftly. He swung his blade at Eddy first.
"YAGH!" Eddy yelled as he was sliced across the chest.
Ed, now standing, ran to strike the flying one with his shield. Cloud was too fast, and struck him instead.
"Hurts!" Ed blurted.
Cloud zoomed towards Sora.
Sora's eyes widened. He dodge-rolled to no possible end.
Cloud always shifted between who he'd strike, going for Ed then Eddy then Sora before repeating.
"….ugh…," Eddy was knocked out again.
Ed ran to Sora' side as Cloud's feet touched the ground. The darkly-clad boy did a jump, heading for the two remaining fighters. Sora and Ed jumped both ways, evading the dangerous move.
Cloud pulled his sword out of the ground and used the momentum to throw the heavy weapon towards Sora's head.
"WHOA!" Sora jerked his head to the right, barely avoiding having his skull impaled. The bandaged blade flew past him, nipping his ear ever so slightly. "That was close," Sora put a hand over his lobe.
Cloud was now unarmed after the failed assault. Realizing the chance, Ed dove at him from behind, sending him stumbling forward.
"HAA!" Sora swung at him.
Cloud did a role under the Keyblade, side-rolled, stood, and sprinted towards his weapon. He grabbed the hilt and swung it in time to deflect a fireball from Sora.
"You're really starting to bug me," he told them.
"Thank you very much," Ed said, standing by Sora's side.
"You're only making this harder, kid."
"I'm no kid," Sora glared.
"If you say so," Cloud held a fighting stance.
Sora and Ed were ready.
"FIRE!"
"Huh?" Cloud looked to his left, only to be hit square in the shoulder by a fireball. "Ugh!" he fell to the ground.
Sora and Ed, not having moved a muscle, looked in the direction from where the projectile had come. Eddy stood in a frozen position, leaning forward on one leg with his smoking staff pointed forward. "Heh heh heh. Take that," he said as he stood up straight and blew the smoke from his weapon.
"I guess we won," Sora droned.
"YAY!" Ed threw his shield up into the air. "WE WON! WE WON! WE WON!" he ran in circles as he yelled this.
"Calm down, Ed," Eddy said. "We may be the all-time best, but don't act like a--" BONK! He was cut off as Ed's shield landed on his head. A huge bump formed, separating his hat from his flat cranium. "Ouch," he rubbed his noggin.
A few feet away, Numbuh Four palmed a fist, "Yeah! Wayta go!"
"That pink midget is quite the magical fighter," Control Freak commented. "Wonder if he worships Hecate."
Cloud's body moved.
"Hang on…," Numbuh Four's beady eyes appeared again.
Cloud stood up straight, ready to fight some more. However, he was sent back down by a huge mechanical foot on his back.
Eddy, his bump gone, gasped.
Sora looked in awe.
Ed said, "Cool," with a plain face.
An enormous, three-headed, robotic dog stood, having broken through the force field. Its colour was jet-black. The three pairs of eyes were all solid red. A metallic dome rested on its back.
"Hello there," five voices sounded at once, probably via loudspeaker.
Numbuh Four gasped, "No…."
Father stood on the other side of the stadium. "Oh, there was one other rule I forgot," he said to himself, walking away. "Accidents happen." And he was gone.
"We have come to take back the Stadium for the adults in our new Robo-Cerberus," the voices monotonously spoke in unison, "so either leave peacefully or else you can all be DESTROYED! AH-HAH-HAH-HAH-HAH-HAH-HAH!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!"
Robo-Cerberus made to kill Sora, Ed, and Eddy in one single swipe. Just before it could do so, a bald boy in a red sweater, small grey shorts, and white socks with a football-shaped head flew on brown jet-boots. He strained, his shaded eyes probably screwed shut.
He was holding Robo-Cerberus back on its hind legs by pushing on its belly. He did this with a pair of glowing, metallic gloves.
K-K-K-K-K-K
"Kids Next Door:
G.L.O.V.E.S.
Glowing Leather Obviously Very Energetically Strong"
K-K-K-K-K-K
"Numbuh One!" Numbuh Four yelled.
"Numbuh Four!" 'Numbuh One' yelled back. "Get them out of here!" He spoke in a British accent.
Numbuh Four quickly made for the nearest gate. He was followed by Control Freak, Sora, and Eddy.
"Wow….," Ed kept staring. He grinned oh so annoyingly, "It's a puppy!" He was then grabbed by the neck by Eddy's stretched arm, and pulled away.
K-K-K-K-K-K
They all stood in the lobby.
Numbuh Four was pacing back and forth in front of the other four. "Oh, crud. Those were the Delightful Children from Down the Lane."
"Who are they?" Sora asked, standing between Ed and Eddy.
"They're Father's kids, I think," the kid explained. "And traitors to kids everywhere. They teamed up with the adults in order to make sure that us kids never have fun again!"
"Wow, I know how you feel," Eddy commented. "My parents stink."
"Let's not forget their huge robot," Control Freak explained. He grinned like a true sci-fi fan, "Judging by the outward appearance, that alloy isn't very strong."
"So, how can it be defeated?" Sora asked him.
"Anyway you want," the obese one commented. "These 'Delightful Children' obviously haven't ever watched Anime, so taking out the amateur coating shouldn't be a problem."
"And why should they trust you?" Numbuh Four frowned at him.
"Beats me," CF shrugged. "Eh, do what ya want," he waved the group off. "I'm going to get a view of the fight from the stands." He left.
"I'm going back out there," Sora made for the door.
"Hold it there, teen!" Numbuh Four was in his way in half a second, blocking the door. "This isn't some tournament, y'know. This is the real thing!"
"Maybe so, but I'm not letting them get killed by some piece of scrap," Sora said heroically.
"Can't argue with that," Numbuh Four gave in. "Just watch you butt out there, okay?"
Sora grinned and gave a thumb's up with his free hand, "Okay. Let's go, guys." He ran through the entrance.
"You heard him, Ed," Eddy said without moving yet.
"Yup. That puppy was cute, huh, Eddy?"
The magician palmed his face.
They left the room.
K-K-K-K-K-K
Outside, Numbuh One was backed up in a corner. He was still hovering. Cloud hung by his cape in the bald kid's gloved hand.
Robo-Cerberus got closer.
"HEY!"
"Huh?" the five voices sounded surprised as the giant robot turned all three of its heads around.
Sora, Ed, and Eddy stood with their Keyblade, shield, and staff held at the ready.
"Leave them alone!" Sora yelled.
"Well, well, well….," the Delightful Children hummed, "if it isn't the Keyblade Master. Father has told us a lot about you, and it appears that you're on the kids' sides. You should all be ashamed………" although the sources of the voices couldn't be seen, it was definite that they were grinning.
"Let them go!" Sora could only care about the safety of the other two.
Numbuh One flew into the lobby with Cloud in tow.
Numbuh Four stepped out for a brief moment. "Teen, I got two words of advice for you: ATTACK!"
"Prepare for your inevitable DOOM!" the Delightful Children yelled. Robo-Cerberus roared and fired several meteor-like projectiles from its mouths.
"Scatter!" Eddy yelled.
Ed jumped left. Eddy jumped right. Sora ran forward.
A projectile flew towards him. He growled and smacked it away with his Keyblade. It hit one of the heads, scorching it.
"You'll pay for that!"
Sora dodge-rolled under the mech, heading for the centre of the stadium. Ed and Eddy weren't far behind, the letter shooting fireballs behind him. Ed held his shield over his face with his other hand on his traffic cone.
Several missiles flew towards their position.
"In-coming!" Eddy screamed.
Sora dodge-rolled under the missiles, knowing that deflecting them would be difficult. Ed and Eddy ducked.
Robo-Cerberus approached them, letting out random mechanical roars. It finally stopped near them, bent over, and bit in three different directions.
"YAH!" Eddy cast a Thunder attack.
Ed jumped and struck the left head, his strength denting its snout slightly. The middle head jerked at him. He held his shield up, blocking the attack, but being knocked back a few feet.
"HAAAAA!" Sora flew from a jump. He pointed his Keyblade downwards and stabbed in that direction. He imbedded his Keyblade in the right head, causing sparks to dance and random wires to flail around.
Eddy shielded his eyes by turning his cap 'round the right way. Ed merely stared.
A gasp. Then, "What have you done?.!"
"Destroyed one of your robot's heads!" Sora yelled back. He held into his weapon's hilt as the Blade was still in the robot head.
"Nnngh! Head Number 3 disconnection NOW!"
"Huh?" Sora blinked confusingly. He gasped as the head he was on began to shake violently. Then, like the Delightful Children had said, the right robotic head detached as its red eyes darkened. It flew with a piece of its neck like a rocket….with Sora on it. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"
"Sora!" Ed yelled with an outstretched hand.
"Hehehehehehehehehehehe….," the Children laughed as the remaining two heads shifted to make Robo-Cerberus look like it had two heads.
"I'll save him!" Numbuh One had returned, flying towards the zooming head. "Continue with the Delightful Children!"
Ed growled, full of rage, "BAD PUPPY!" He put all that fury into a magical concentration. He used Rocket to dent the new right head.
"Foolish pieces of bad animation," the pilots spoke as Robo-Cerberus stood still. "Do you really think that mere boys such as yourselves can defeat us?"
"Hey!" Eddy yelled. "We've beaten plenty of monsters, and we sure a heck can beat you!"
"Oh really? Tell us…what kind of enemies have you overcome?"
Eddy answered that quickly, "That guy with the big sword! He was tough!"
"Please… Don't make us laugh. He was but an amateur at best, no match for us."
"Well, DUH! You attacked him off guard!"
"Why, that's our strategy. Now, if you don't mind, we will continue in our effortless attempts to crush you--……….both?"
They had finally noticed that someone was missing.
"Where is the yellow boy with the traffic cone on his head?"
"I'm glad you asked," Eddy folded his arms with a smirk. "NOW, ED!" he yelled with a hand near his mouth.
"What in the blazes?.!"
Ed was standing on the robot's back. With an angry yell he threw the weapon like a frisbee. It cut through the neck of the left head, causing it to fall to the ground with a loud KLONG!.
"CURSE YOU!.!.!.!.!.!.!" they pressed a button and several compartments opened in the dome to release a horde of mini-missiles. Ed dove ungracefully. He landed on his feet and rushed to his shield a few feet away. The missiles, obviously heat-seekers, followed him.
"Cool off, why dontcha?" Eddy used an ice attack one on of the missiles. It wasn't enough. He quickly cast Thunder before any of them could go out of his range. This proved more successful as the ones that were hit exploded, causing a chain reaction of mini-explosions. "Bingo," Eddy said with a grin.
And he was hit by a powerful swipe from Robo-Cerberus, sending him flying for the umpteenth time.
Ed picked his black and white shield up. "Prepare yourself!" he pointed. "For I am--OOF!" Eddy crashed into him.
"Hehehehehehehehehehehe," that annoying laughter.
More projectiles flew their way.
"This way!" Eddy yelled. Ed followed him with no other choice. They ran circles around Robo-Cerberus, having no intention to fight it yet. "Sora's not here, Ed! So, we need to come up with a plan to beat this thing ourselves!"
"Gotcha, Eddy," Ed gave him the 'Okay' sign. They both jumped to avoid a deadly shockwave.
"Let's try and distract it before Sora gets back!"
"Okey dokey!" they separated.
Meanwhile, Robo-Cerberus no longer looked like Cerberus. Now, it just looked like a giant dog with a dome on its back. It growled and fire meteor-like projectiles flew from its mouth again.
Eddy side-stepped one, ducked another, and used a fire-based attack to destroy the last that came his way. Ed blocked the ones that went for him, bothering to shoot the last one back to singe the final head.
One metal paw swung at Ed. He held his ground, and was unaffected.
The head bit down at Eddy. "NRAGH!" Eddy was hit in the face.
"EDDY!" Ed called. He punched away a robotic paw and ran to his wounded friend.
"Ugh…," Eddy rubbed his head.
"Do you wish to surrender?"
"NEVER!" Eddy bellowed, charging up his staff. "Ed, get me up there!"
Ed easily picked Eddy up, and threw him. The short boy landed on the dome perfectly.
"What are you doing?.!" The Delightful Children yelled. Two robot arms came from opposite sides and tried to knock Eddy off with their lobster-like claws.
Eddy smacked one away. He arched his back to avoid another one before spinning on his heel to whack the claw away. Both came at him at once. Obviously, he stepped backwards while still keeping his balance. Both arms crossed. Eddy swiped down at them…..only to retract back as his staff bounced off. He shook violently for a few seconds before regaining his senses and balance.
"ICE!" he screamed and froze both arms just as they were about to swipe down at him. He then jumped towards the two frozen limbs and broke them into several cold pieces.
"If you think those were the best we have, then think again!"
This time, four arms came from the sides.
"I got it, Eddy!" Ed came out of nowhere and crippled one arms with a single strike. He landed on his feet next to his comrade. He saluted.
Eddy smirked as he and Ed stood back to back against the three robotic, pincer-wielding arms.
At the moment, the dog robot itself was useless.
The arms sped at them, ready to cut them into pieces. Ed deflected one with his shield, and caught another. Meanwhile, Eddy duelled with a claw right before melting it away with a fire spell. Ed crumbled one the one he had caught in his hand and smashed the last one.
"Is that the best you got?" Eddy mocked with a smirk.
"Yeah, we're too………..um," Ed couldn't come up with anything smart to say.
Robo-Cerberus' tail curled upwards and pointed at them. A part of its tip opened like a hatch, exposing a laser cannon. It began to charge.
"Ed, use your shield against that cannon!" Eddy commanded while pointing at the charging weapon. "I'm gonna charge up a spell with my remaining magic!"
Ed saluted dumbly and held his shield at the ready. The cannon had fully charged, releasing a pure while laser beam with red rings. It struck Ed's shield, being absorbed.
"NNNnnnnnnn-GGNNNNGH-nhghnnnnhghh!.!.!.!.!.!.!" Ed, despite his amazing strength, was having a hard time keeping his shield up. His shoes scrapped the surface of the dome as he was slowly pushed back.
"Keep it together, Ed!" Eddy yelled as he concentrated.
"I'm………trying, Eddy…!" Ed managed. His eyes screwed shut and his eyebrow frowned.
"FOOLS! Do you really think you can stop us?.!"
"How can they see us up here?" Eddy wondered.
"HHHhhhrhrh-rhrrrrrrrrrrr-NNNNNGH! EDDY, I CAN'T KEEP THIS UP!" Ed wheezed.
"Almost done, Ed!" Eddy was nearly finished.
"I…….can't………..!"
"I'm done, Ed!" Eddy grinned as his face was illuminated by the concentrated magical energy. "THUNDER!" he yelled with his staff held high.
A huge horde of lightning struck down on Robo-Cerberus. Sparks danced to and fro as the robot's systems short-circuited. The head shook erratically and then went limp. The laser cannon stopped firing, much to Ed's relief.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!"
"Let's go, Ed!" Eddy jumped off. He was followed. "HA!" he pointed at the malfunctioning robot. "You lost!" he gave the 'loser' sign.
"Eddy," Ed pulled on his shirt and pointed up.
"Huh?"
A black dot was growing in size as it flew towards the Stadium. Eddy put a hand over his eyes. Ed did the same.
"No way…," Eddy was in disbelief.
The missing dog head was back, nose-diving towards them. Sora held in tight, his Keyblade free. Numbuh One sat on his knees in front of him. His gloved hands were curled around wires which were torn from the hole the spiky-haired teen had made with his Blade.
"This can't be happening!"
"Hang on, Sora!" Numbuh One yelled. "It's gonna be close!"
When the head was in range, Numbuh One grabbed Sora's wrist and took off via jet boots.
A gasp from five children sounded right before, "EJECT!" The dome separated from the body and flew away via a jet thruster on its underside. "We'll be back, Kids Next Door!" And they were done.
The head collided with the body, causing a huge explosion. Everyone ducked their heads for cover. When the smoke cleared, the remains of Robo-Cerberus could be seen, now nothing but pieces of junk.
Clapping sounded from the audience seats.
Nunbuh Four, Sora, Ed, and Eddy looked.
"Bravo!" Control Freak was standing at the front row. "That was brilliant, although predictable! You efforts impress me greatly!"
Everyone else, except for Sora, sweatdropped.
K-K-K-K-K-K
"…..'and thus, I hereby dub thee junior heroes, and confer upon thee full rights and privileges to participate in the games. Further--'"
"Hey!" Eddy interrupted. "What do you mean 'junior heroes'?"
They were gathered in the lobby. Numbuh Four stood on his pedestal, reading from a paper.
He explained to Eddy, "You rookies still don't understand what it takes to be a true hero."
"So…., what's it take?" Ed asked.
"Well," Numbuh One said with his ungloved fists on his hips, "that's something you're all gonna have to find out for yourselves….just the way us members of the Kids Next Door did."
"No problem," Sora spoke. "We'll start by proving ourselves in the games."
"There ain't gonna be any games for awhile," Numbuh Four said plainly. "We gotta clean up the mess first."
"Okay," Sora said as his group began to leave. "We'll be back."
"Hold on a sec!" Numbuh Four halted them. "I have something for you."
This got Eddy's attention, "A cash prize?"
"Nope; better!" Numbuh Four reached behind him comically and has arms came back with two items. One was a big, golden mallet; the other was a laminated card. "This is your hero license," he gave the card to Sora. Sora said before putting it away somewhere.
"And this is a--"
"Mallet?" Eddy cut him off with a frown. "After all that, you're just giving us a stupid mallet?.! I can't believe this!" he continued to rant loudly.
The bald kid gave the blond one a thumb's up. Numbuh Four nodded with a smirk and aimed the seemingly normal mallet at Eddy, who hadn't stopped complaining. Suddenly, one of the sides opened like a hatch with hinges and a spring-loaded boxing glove flew out at a fast speed. It collided with Eddy's chin, sending him flying back. Three stars appeared and disappeared around Eddy when he hit the wall. The glove returned to the 'mallet'.
"What the…?" Sora was at a loss for words.
Numbuh Four tossed him the mallet, which Sora caught awkwardly.
"Use it to confuse your enemies," the Kids Next Door member said.
"Uhhh….thanks. Cya," Sora turned on his heel to leave. "C'mon, guys. We'll figure this thing out later."
"Coming, Sora," Ed used his shield to scrape Eddy off the wall like using a spatula to flip burgers on a hot grill. Eddy dizzily followed his moronic friend.
They left.
"Say, Numbuh One," Numbuh Four looked down at his friend. "Where are the others?"
"They're still taking care of Knightbrace," his friend explained.
"Oh….I see."
A second passed.
"I still can't believe a teenager beat the Delightful Children from Down the Lane," Numbuh Four stated as he jumped down.
Numbuh One leaned over and whispered in his friend's ear, "Just between us…..I had already worn them down by the time the teen jumped in."
Numbuh Four smirked. "My lips are sealed."
K-K-K-K-K-K
The group walked through the parking lot.
"Now what?" Eddy asked casually.
"I don't think there's anything left to do here," Sora said with his hands behind his head. "We should get back to the Gummi Ship."
"Yeah," Eddy agreed. "I'm getting bored here."
Sora cocked an eyebrow, "Right after a fight with a giant robot?"
"It happens."
"Look!" Ed pointed.
They did.
Cloud was sitting on the sidewalk with his sword by his side. He looked as if he was thinking hard. Sora and the other two approached him.
Eddy frowned. "Leave him be. He obviously doesn't wanna talk to--"
"Hey, are you alright?" Sora asked.
"Yeah," Cloud answered softly, the opposite reaction Eddy expected.
"So, why'd you go along with him, anyway?" Sora asked, ignoring Eddy.
"I'm looking for someone," Cloud explained. "Father promised to help. I tried to exploit the power of darkness……but it backfired." He stood up. "I fell into darkness……and couldn't find the light."
"You'll find it," Sora said with an optimistic smile. "I'm searching for someone, too."
"For your light?"
Sora nodded.
Cloud walked towards Sora and handed him some sort of glowing ball. "Don't lose site of it." He walked past the group.
"How about a rematch sometime?" Sora asked him. "Fair and square; no dark powers involved."
Cloud stopped and ran a hand through his blond hair, "I think I'll pass." He left the lot.
"What is that thing?' Eddy eyed the ball in his friend's hand.
"It's so shiny!" Ed's eyes sparkled.
"I dunno--whoa!" the ball flew from Sora' hand and into his suddenly equipped Keyblade. "……….what just happened?"
"Don't ask me," Eddy shook his hands to emphasize his innocence.
"It wasn't me!" Ed added.
"Hmm," Sora examined his Keyblade at eyelevel. "Nothing seems to have changed."
"Then, who cares?" Eddy loudmouthed. "Come on," he waved them after him, "we're wasting time."
Sora sighed, "Fine."
They left.
Father stood in the parking lot a few minutes later.
He looked at a small replica of Numbuh One in his black hand, "He's strong……he's kind. He's always there for you, and he's slightly handsome. He's perfect. Perfect." Fire outlined his form as he became angry. "Perfectly infuriating! HE DRIVES ME CRAZY!.!.!.!.!.!" He calmed down, panting, "Wait a minute. What are you talking about?" he asked himself. "All the pieces are in place. Relax. Here's what you do. Let Numbuh One train the teenager. In the next games, I'll take care of them both."
He detected someone else's presence.
He turned and glared at Judge Doom with his pure yellow eyes. "What do you think you're doing here? Stay out of this," he said harshly. "This is my show."
"As you wish," Doom said with prestige in his voice. "Fight to your heart's content."
Father nodded with his eyes closed. When he opened them, he realized the Judge was gone.
"Huh….," he hummed, "…he's quite elusive."
end transmission