BONG!!!

Phil hit the gong head on and Sora leapt into action. He quickly started cutting down heartless left and right, blasting them occasionally with magic spells. He then used reflega when he saw a Neoshadow lunge for him but the shield dome caused the heartless to bounce off and be destroyed by the resulting burst of light. He then used Firaga Shield to push back the other Heartless, defeating a few. Sora then dodge rolled backwards before throwing a Thundaga spell. He then felt, inside his heart, a buildup of power unlike the tingling Thunder Bolt, the warmth Fire Blazer, and the cold of Diamond Dust. It was similar to Speed Rave which was when he felt his heartbeat speeding up along with a semi tingling sensation. However instead of the tingling sensation, it was like a combination of all three feelings, an alternating cold and warm feeling with the similar tingling. He quickly focused the energy into his Keyblade, causing him to start glowing with a white aura and start floating in midair, controlling his Keyblade telekinetically.

In the stands, Hope was amazed, Lightning arched a curious eyebrow, and Aqua literally leapt up and started cheering.

"YES! YES! YES! HE DID IT! HE DID IT!!!" She chanted as she danced around in place before noticing the concerned looks she was getting from Hope and Lightning. She grinned innocently before sitting down.

Sora, meanwhile, reared back and lunged straight into the thickest area of the crowd, surrounded by a glowing white shield of energy. He then turned and started spinning and slashing with the Keyblade, each successful hit sending a chain of lightning through the nearest heartless while he himself remained protected by the shield. Every time an enemy struck the shield, they would either be flash frozen and then shatter or burst into flames. Either way Sora mopped them up quickly. When the last of the heartless were gone, his Command Style faded away.

"Alright kid not bad! Next up, Aqua!" Phil announced as Sora approached Aqua as she made her way to the arena center.

"I'm so proud of you." Aqua said as they passed each other by.

"Thanks." Sora replied as he leapt back up onto the stands and took a seat next to Hope.

"That was impressive. How did you do that?" Hope asked.

"It's kinda hard to explain." Sora replied. Hope was about to ask something else but Lightning put her hand on his shoulder.

"Hope, pay attention to the match." Lighting said as Hope nodded and both he and Sora silently returned to watching the arena. Aqua stood ready on one end of the arena. Phil, having realized that head butting the gong was not such a good idea after all, hoisted up a mallet onto his shoulder.

"Ready!" Phil shouted as the heartless suddenly flooded the arena.

"Set!" Aqua summoned her Keyblade and stood ready to fight.

BONG!!!

Aqua immediately pointed her Keyblade at each of the heartless before her, carefully sweeping it across in front of her. The Heartless in the meantime started to charge at her.

"What's she doing?" Hope asked as Sora shrugged. He had never seen her do this before. Just before the heartless could reach her, she cartwheeled into the center of them and stopped as she started glowing with a white aura. She started spinning around in place like an ice skater would do, one foot hovering slightly above the ground while the other slowly started bending back and upwards as she arched her back towards her rising foot while spinning. As she spun, a swirling white light flowed down from her Keyblade overhead before she started moving around like a top towards the other heartless, mowing them down easily. By the time she finished the attack, the heartless had been wiped out and she slowly spun to a stop. Sora, Hope, and even Phil were both slack jawed.

"Holy Hera." Phil muttered in awe.

"Impressive." Lightning said coolly as she gave a polite golf clap. Aqua walked back to the stands, running a hand through her hair with a smile, and without even a hint of a dizzy stagger.

"What was that?! A Command Style?!" Sora asked excitedly as Aqua let out a relaxed sigh upon sitting down.

"Nope, that was a Shoot Lock. It's another thing that I'm going to teach you, Sora. I'll explain it to you later, but for now our focus is on mastering the Command Styles, okay?" Aqua asked as Sora nodded. They hadn't noticed Phil call for Hope to enter the arena. Their attention was regained when they heard Phil shout…

"Ready!" They saw Hope standing on one end of the arena with a single large boomerang that was almost taller than him.

"Set!" The heartless reappeared. Lightning leaned forward slightly, resting her right arm on her leg and her head in her hand as she watched.

BONG!!!

With a single mighty throw, Hope threw the boomerang which started to slice effortlessly through the heartless, sweeping around in a circle and decimating all but one of the heartless. Hope leapt up and caught the boomerang in midair as it returned to him. He then quickly hurled a Thundara blast from his hands at the single remaining heartless, destroying it. Hope turned and looked up hopefully at Lightning who leaned back with a satisfied smile, crossing her right leg over her left, before giving a nod. Hope smiled back up at her before nodding back and heading for the stands.

"You're really good. Where did you learn to fight like that?" Sora asked as Hope sat back down next to him.

"Later, I want to watch Lightning's fight first." Hope replied as Sora nodded understandingly and turned back towards the arena. Lightning was in position with her rifle in hand.

"Ready!" The heartless once again flooded the field.

"Set!" Lightning cocked her rifle and aimed it at the Heartless.

BONG!!!

Lightning quickly dropped to one knee, steadying the rifle and looking through its sights. With a single pull of the trigger, Lightning's rifle started to let out a steady stream of machine gun fire, mowing down the heartless in a matter of seconds.

"Well that was kinda…I dunno. Cheap?" Aqua asked as Sora shrugged.

"Lightning fights in her own way. She probably doesn't want to waste her energy this early on in the games. I can almost promise you a better fight in the next match." Hope said as they all stood up.

"Alright, thirty minute rejuvenation break!" Phil said through the megaphone before walking off stage.

"Come on Sora, let's talk training." Aqua said as Sora started to follow after her but paused and ran up to Lightning and Hope.

"I thought that the two of you fought well out there. I'm looking forward to facing one of you in the next match." Sora said as Hope smiled and nodded.

"You did well yourself, Sora. I'm counting the seconds for our match to arrive. See ya then." Hope said as Sora nodded and ran off to catch up with Aqua who was waiting for him by the lobby doors. Hope watched them leave through the lobby with a thoughtful look.

"Hope?" Lightning said, giving him a curious look.

"Huh?" Hope asked, looking up at her.

"Something up?" Lightning asked.

"No, it's nothing." Hope said as Lightning gave him a look as if saying "I know better." Hope sighed in defeat.

"I'm wondering. Why does Hades want us to win so badly at the games? Why does he want us to defeat those two? They don't seem to be mean or anything." Hope said as Lightning looked thoughtful.

"They do appear to be capable warriors. The woman more than the boy. Of course he did mention that she was his master. My question is, what sort of master is she? And what were those weapons they were using?" Lightning asked.

"They would probably ask the same of your gun, Light." Hope said as Lightning nodded slightly in agreement.

"Whatever the reason, we still have a job to finish. Take the opportunity to rest up for now, Hope." Lightning said as Hope nodded.

"Alright then, but…hey Light? Do you mind if I go talk to them?" Hope asked.

"I'm not sure about this Hope. They're our opponents. We should be focusing on a way to defeat them in the one-on-one battles in the next stage." Lightning said as Hope sighed, looking down at his feet in disappointment. Lightning looked at his expression and sighed.

"Ask the woman for me about where she gets that colored hair of hers." Lightning said as Hope looked up at her with a smile before running off. Lightning could only watch him leave with a smile and a small chuckle.

…

Aqua and Sora were outside the arena lobby. Aqua then stopped and turned to Sora.

"So now that you've acquired your unique Command Style, we can move on to the second tier of the Command Styles." Aqua said as Sora looked curious.

"The second tier? How many tiers are there exactly?" Sora asked.

"Just the two. The Second Tier has more to do with timing. When you're using a Command Style, you will eventually feel its power start to run out. It's when you feel like the power is about to let out that you quickly rejuvenate it with a single magic spell or a particular action such as dodging or attacking. The resulting Command Style is a tier two Style. Now every Keyblade wielder has three tier two command styles. Two shared, and one unique." Aqua explained.

"Two shared?" Sora asked confused as Aqua smiled and motioned to wait a moment.

"The two shared styles are formed from the bonds you make in your heart while the unique is formed directly from your heart, exactly like the unique first tier Command Style. For example, Terra and I had a strong bond with each other in our hearts so together we shared the Blade Charge Command Style. Ven and I had even stronger bonds with each other in our hearts so we shared the Air Rider Command Style." Aqua explained.

"Oh I get it, if I have formed strong connections with two people, then we share a Command Style because of it." Sora said as Aqua nodded.

"Precisely. I imagine that you will get your shared Command Styles from Kairi and Riku since they seem to be your closest friends." Aqua said as Sora nodded.

"Then how do I activate the second tier? I know it involves timing." Sora said as Aqua smiled.

"That's the trick with the second tier, it takes a bit of guess work to figure out what they are. Once you figure out the trick to activating each one, then you will officially have mastered the Command Styles." Aqua said as Sora looked excited.

"I'll get to work on figuring them out right away!" Sora exclaimed as he ran back into the arena, passing Hope as he went.

"Hi Hope! Can't talk now! Gotta train!" Sora said as he passed, leaving a confused Hope behind.

"Uh, okay." Hope said with a shrug before turning towards Aqua. Aqua had turned slightly and seemed lost in thought and so she didn't notice Hope approaching.

"Um…" Hope said, catching Aqua's attention.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I guess I was a little lost in thought there." Aqua replied as Hope nodded understandingly.

"It's okay. I was just hoping to get to talk with you and Sora. You know, just wanting to be a good sportsman and all." Hope said as Aqua smiled.

"So, why are you competing in the games?" Aqua asked as Hope glanced at the doors to the underworld for a second before turning back to her.

"I'm fighting for something." Hope said as he headed towards the steps to the lobby. Aqua followed him and they both sat down on the steps, Aqua sitting to his right.

"I'm fighting for something too when I think about it." Aqua said, looking up towards the sky and thinking of Ven.

"What are you fighting for?" Hope asked as Aqua looked at him and then pulled out her lucky charm, stroking it gently with her thumb.

"I'm fighting to save my friends." Aqua said as Hope looked up towards the doors to the underworld again.

"I'm fighting to bring someone back." Hope said as Aqua smiled at him.

"We both fight for someone we care for. I hope you succeed, Hope. But I wonder, how do these games play into your plans?" Aqua asked as Hope looked away slightly.

"We've…made arrangements that if we win in the games, the people that Lightning and I are fighting for will be let go." Hope replied as Aqua looked curious.

"You mean…these people are being held hostage?" Aqua asked as Hope shook his head.

"No, they're not hostages. We're fighting to bring my mother and Lightning's sister back from the underworld." Hope explained as Aqua realized what he meant.

"You mean that they're dead? Oh Hope. You didn't make a deal with Hades did you?" Aqua asked him. Hope looked down at his feet.

"He said that he would let them go. I'm not entirely sure that I trust him but it's our only option." Hope replied as Aqua sighed.

"Dealing with Hades is never a wise idea. Trust me, he plays dirty and he doesn't always follow the rules. I've faced him once before. He's a very sore loser." Aqua said as Hope stood up.

"It doesn't matter. I have to do this. It's the only way." He said before turning towards the lobby entrance. He was about to walk away but he felt Aqua's hand on his wrist.

"Hope…just be careful." Aqua said before letting him go. Hope walked back into the arena in silence. Aqua sat in thought for a moment before following after him.

Earlier…

Sora had just passed Hope as he entered into the arena. He looked towards the arena and saw the practice barrels had been replaced. He started approaching the practice barrels when he spotted something out of the corner of his eye. He turned and saw Lightning sitting on the ground in the shade of one of the arena walls. Her eyes were closed and she was leaning up against the wall. Sora shrugged mentally and turned to continue towards the barrels. He summoned his Keyblade and quickly fired a Firaga blast, shattering one of the barrels. He heard a startled yelp when the barrel exploded and turned towards Lightning who had her rifle primed and aimed straight at Sora as she breathed heavily. She gave him an exasperated glare and lowered the rifle before climbing to her feet.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up." Sora said as Lightning shrugged.

"Forget about it kid. Don't mind me." Lightning said as she sat back down. Sora shrugged and aimed his Keyblade at the barrels but paused and turned back towards her.

"Are you Hope's master or something?" Sora asked, gaining the woman's attention.

"Hmm?" she asked.

"Is Hope your apprentice?" Sora asked as Lightning leaned back.

"I suppose he is. I really hadn't thought of calling him an apprentice, but I have been teaching him a few things about fighting. If anything it helps him stay focused." Lightning replied as Sora looked thoughtful.

"What about you? Is that girl teaching you to fight?" Lightning asked as Sora nodded.

"She's training me to become a Keyblade Master. I have to become one if I'm going to succeed in my mission." Sora explained, earning an understanding nod from Lightning.

"Sounds like you've got your work cut out for you. The girl acts like she knows what she's doing." Lightning said.

"She's a Keyblade Master, the last true master in years. She knows what I'm going to have to do to become a Master. I mean I'm working on mastering one of the abilities a true Keyblade Master needs to know. I should be working on them now actually." Sora said as Lightning stood to her feet.

"Then work on those abilities. Don't let me distract you. Focus on the task at hand." Lightning said as Sora nodded. He turned towards the barrels with a thoughtful look.

"Two bonds in my heart. Hmm." Sora said to himself as he closed his eyes in thought. Suddenly he instinctively fired another Firaga blast, shattering the barrel. He instinctively started doing that repeatedly before he felt the warmth inside his heart and focused it into his Keyblade, activating Fire Blazer. He then carefully used the first spell that came to mind, Magnega. Using Magnega pulled all of the barrels together. Sora then felt the urge to attack with the Keyblade and leapt up to attack. He kept attacking until he felt the command style's power starting to wane but he also felt a new and unfamiliar feeling in his heart. He quickly focused this new power into his Keyblade and the blade itself started emanating a black energy around the blade. He looked at himself and long black trails of an odd substance started trailing behind him as he moved. He noticed that his speed had increased and his attacks were more ferocious. He looked at his off hand and noticed that the back of his hand and fingers had been coating in a viscous black liquid that extended beyond his fingers in sharp points creating the illusion of his having claws. Sora's eyes widened in fear at the sight.

"Uh oh, am I in anti-form again?!" he asked as he came to a stop. He turned to see Hope running up to Lightning and Aqua entering from the lobby entrance. He quickly hurried over to her but not on all fours like the anti-form was common to do.

"Aqua! Aqua! Do I look like a heartless right now?!" Sora asked as Aqua looked at him curiously.

"No but you do have that strange stuff all over you. What did you do Sora?" Aqua replied.

"I used Magnega to pull all the barrels together and then I attacked them! I felt a strange feeling in my heart, like a Command Style, and when I focused it into my Keyblade, this stuff appeared!" Sora explained quickly as Aqua crossed her arms with a smile.

"Then are you sure it's not one of your tier two Command Styles?" Aqua asked as Sora pondered for a moment and then raced back to the barrels, taking a swing at them with his clawed hand which caused an entire barrel to shatter. He then felt the Command Style's energy fade away and he saw the liquid fade away along with the energy around his Keyblade.

"Huh. I guess it was." Sora said as Aqua caught up to him.

"Do you know whose heart you got it from?" Aqua asked as Sora pondered.

"I remembered trying to think of Kairi but when I did, I got the urge to cast reflect and dodge and guard. But when I thought of Riku, I felt the urge to use Magnet and then attack. I guess that means the Command Style I just used came from Riku." Sora said as Aqua crossed her arms.

"You thought of the people who you feel the closest to and you felt the instructions given to you. That's exactly how it's done, Sora." Aqua said as Sora smiled.

"But what about my unique tier two style?" Sora asked as Aqua knelt down to his level.

"It'll come to you. But first I want to talk to you about something real quick." Aqua whispered.

"Why are we whispering?" Sora asked curiously.

"Because Hades is here manipulating Hope and Lightning." Aqua replied causing Sora to blink in surprise.

"What? I thought I defeated him recently!" He exclaimed in a whisper.

"Yeah but he is a god, and you can't kill a god you know." Aqua replied as Sora shrugged and nodded in agreement.

"So what do we do? We can't stop Hades can we?" Sora asked as Aqua smiled.

"Maybe not him, but we can reveal his true colors to those two. Hope himself said that he doesn't fully trust Hades so I'm thinking, we find a way to get those two to realize that he's one of the bad guys." Aqua said as Sora understood and nodded.

"Good idea. I assume you have a plan?" Sora asked as Aqua sighed and shook her head.

"I was kinda hoping you did." Aqua replied. She and Sora both started thinking. They then heard a squeaking sound. They looked up and turned towards the lobby doors to see Phil pushing a blackboard on wheels out into the arena. Written on the blackboard were the match ups for the final round. Aqua was going to be fighting Lightning and Sora was going to be fighting Hope. Sora immediately had an idea.

"Aqua, I think I know how to do it." Sora said as Aqua snapped her fingers in mock-frustration.

"Shoot, I was hoping I'd have it first. Oh well, what's the plan?" Aqua asked as Sora started whispering in her ear. Aqua listened closely, her face slowly turning to serious listening, then suddenly to surprise. Her face then switched from surprise to a disapproving glare.

"Sora, that's dishonest." Aqua said as Sora put his hands behind his head in his relaxed fashion.

"I know." Sora smirked knowingly.

"Yes…" Aqua said still maintaining her glare of disapproval before suddenly switching to a sneaky grin, "…and I love it! Let's do it!"

She and Sora clasped each other's right hands, sealing the deal, as Phil whipped out the megaphone.

"Alright, all competitors! Take your positions!" Phil shouted as the large square slab in the arena center suddenly split into two rectangles, making an H shape with the stands when looking towards them from the lobby entrance. Aqua walked up to the space on the left while Sora walked up to the space on the right. Lightning and Hope were in their positions already. Sora and Aqua turned and gave each other a nod before turning towards their opponents. The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife as the four warriors stared each other down.

It was going to be a fight to remember…

End Chapter 12.

Sora's Tier 1 & 2 Command Styles will be named later on in the story, so don't flame for me not giving them names.