CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Consciousness sparked in my brain, and I groaned quietly. Footsteps rushed to my side. I peeled my eyes open and saw Ventus hovering over me.

"You're awake!" Ventus said. "How do you feel?"

I rested a hand against my forehead and nodded. "What happened?"

"You passed out in Disney Town. It was... kind of scary." Ventus's eyes were glued to the cords on my right arm. "Do you have any idea what's going on?"

"I'm just as clueless as you with that."

Ventus helped me sit up. When I took in my surroundings, I gasped. We were inside a lobby made of brick, tinted with yellow from the burning torches. A wooden sign with "CLOSED" carved into it was tied on a string and hanging over the doorway to the next area. A giant cubby hole rested on each side of the wall, with a big pot torch in the center and a trophy on each side, making a total of four.

Olympus Coliseum.

I stood up and walked to the green-framed poster that explained the rules of the arena and casually skimmed my eyes over the words; I already knew them by heart.

"I took us to this place after you passed out. It's called Olympus Coliseum." Ventus said. I nodded absentmindedly.

"Hey, Ventus." I turned around to see a boy with a helmet over his face, leaving room for me to see his mouth and bright blue eyes. He wore a black armored tunic, silver pauldrons as half-sleeves that showed off his muscular biceps, and blue pants. He also wore black gloves, a brown guard over his narrow abdomen, two belts over the guard, and a turtleneck underneath his armor. "I see your friend's okay."

"Nice to meet you." I said. "My name is Hallie."

"I'm Zack. Ven and I met a while before. I helped him carry you here." Zack said.

"Thanks. So, um... have you seen Phil around?"

"Oh, you know Phil?" I nodded. "If you're wanting to become a hero, I don't mean to damage your hopes, but Phil already has two people to choose from, with me as one of them." Zack gave me a once-over. "In my opinion, you look like you know what you're doing. Me, on the other hand, I've got a long way to go."

"Well... It would still be nice to see him in the works."

"Yeah, I guess... Phil's in the arena."

I smile-thanked him, and Ventus and I climbed under the sign. I blinked to adjust the flush of light that filled my eyes. I shielded them and looked around. Hercules circled around the arena, doing whatever exercise Phil spouted from his seat in the bleachers.

"Maybe we should come back later." Ventus whispered.

"Don't worry. Leave everything to me. I know how to handle Phil." I said.

I walked up to Hercules.

"Hey, hey! This is a private training session! No one else is allowed in the arena!" Phil called. He hopped down from the bleachers and walked over to me. He gave me a once-over, creepier than the one I got from Zack earlier. "A girl, huh? What are you doing here?"

"I, um... I came looking for the great Philoctetes. I heard you're the best trainer there is around here." I said.

"Flattery- a clever way to get my attention. I assume you want me to train you, too, huh?" Phil said, burying his face in his hand. "Why am I suddenly so busy these days? I already have Herc to take care of, then that weird kid came begging on hand and foot for me to train him. He almost resorted to tears! Now I got you and blonde-y with those weird key weapons!"

"'Blonde-y' is right here, thank you very much!" Ventus called from the sidelines. Phil rolled his eyes.

"Why don't you put them up for some basic training, Phil?" Hercules said, the scrawny man who would soon develop muscles the size of my face under Phil's intense training.

Phil sighed and shook his head. He turned to the bleachers. "Fine. Have at it. But don't come crying to me when you get a boo-boo, 'cause I ain't kissing it better."

"Thanks, Hercules." I said. "My name is Hallie."

"Nice to meet you, Hallie." Hercules said. "Let's get started with training."

The three of us stepped onto the arena, and I felt something click inside me. The familiarity of the stone tiles against my feet awoke my battle instincts, and a rush of adrenaline pulsed through my veins before the training even started. Urns appeared around us.

"You gotta break the urns, and then you get points." Hercules said. "Let's see who can earn the most points."

Ventus and I nodded, and we summoned Wayward Wind and Ultima Weapon, while Hercules clenched his scrawny fists.

"Ready, set, GO!" Hercules cried as he dove for an urn.

Ventus charged towards an urn, and I surveyed the arena. I spotted a small clutter of urns squished together in the corner. I ran towards them and the tip of my Keyblade ignited with fire. I slammed my Keyblade into the ground and destroyed the group of urns. As Ventus and Hercules smashed urns one by one, I smashed groups of urns one by one. A giant urn materialized, and Hercules ran straight for it, head first. I chucked my Keyblade and it shattered the urn. Hercules charged through the shards and came to a stumbling stop.

"Hey!" Hercules cried.

"You gotta be faster than that!" I smiled and focused my attention back to the urns.

After a minute, a whistle blew, and the urns disappeared. Hercules and Ventus doubled over and panted while I remained upright. I had barely broken a sweat. Instead, I felt invigorated and ready for more.

"How'd we do, Phil?" Hercules called from his half-fetal position.

Phil stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Ventus, you scored 65 points." The blonde Keyblade wielder smiled and pumped his fist. "Hercules, you scored 44 points."

"Aw, man! One point from a new record!" Hercules said, kicking the dusty ground.

"Hallie, you scored... 162 points."

Ventus and Hercules both stared at me with raised eyebrows. I was a little surprised at how well I did, too, but I smiled humbly.

"I better get to work!" Hercules said, cracking his knuckles as the next group of urns appeared.

I glanced back up at Phil, who stared at me intently. He turned and walked off the bleachers and into the vestibule.

"You sure know what you're doing." Ventus said.

I shrugged. "Years of practice."


Ventus and I followed Hercules into the vestibule.

"You want to become a true hero, huh?" Ventus said to Hercules.

"More than anything." Hercules said. "See, my father is Zeus, the king of the gods up on Olympus."

"Whoa! Herc, you're a god?"

"No, no. I'm mortal. When I was a baby, somebody stole me from my parents, and figured out how to take away my godhood."

"And this true hero thing?"

"It's the only way I can become a god again. If I become a true hero, I can rejoin my father and go back to Olympus."

"You've got a lot of work to do, then." I said. "But I believe in you."

"Thanks. What about you two? Why are you here?"

Ventus sighed. "I'm... I'm just trying to make some friends."

"Well, you've done that already!" Hercules said.

"Huh?"

"C'mon, we're friends, aren't we?"

Ventus beamed. "You bet, Herc!"

Zack entered the vestibule and joined the group.

"All right, you bunch of rookies. It's time we go over the rules of the Games, so listen up." Phil said as he hobbled over to us. "All the matches are divided into two brackets- one for the East, and one for the West. The winners from each bracket go head-to-head in the championship match. Herc, Zack, I signed you two up for the West. Now move those sandals."

Zack, Hercules, and Phil entered the arena.

"Ven! Hallie! Come on!" Hercules called.

"Coming!" I replied.


Ventus and I watched from the bleachers as Zack and Hercules zipped through the Games and their Unversed enemies. During a break, we walked up to Hercules and Phil.

"Nice work out there, Hercules. You and Zack were awesome!" I said.

"Thanks. It's all because of you guys." Hercules said.

"Good! The other kid'll be happy to hear that." Phil said.

"No! I need you most of all, Phil! How else am I gonna become a hero?!"

"Hmph! 'Bout time ya got it!" Phil turned around and walked away, passing by Zack.

"Whoever wins, no hard feelings." Zack said to Hercules, holding out a hand.

"Course not. Holdin' a grudge wouldn't be very heroic." Hercules said, taking Zack's hand and giving it a firm shake.

"Hey, just making sure. You're not a hero yet."

Hercules chuckled. "True."

Ventus and I returned to the bleachers. Hercules and Zack stood at opposite ends of the arena. Zack drew his sword as Hercules charged towards him. He threw a punch, but Zack dodged with a backflip. Zack lunged and slammed his sword down at Hercules, but he rolled out of the way.

"This is really close." Ventus whispered excitedly.

"They're both really good." I said, bouncing my legs rapidly. "I wonder who'll win."

I glanced at Ventus, and I watched his face fall as he stared thoughtfully at Zack and Hercules. I looked to Zack and Hercules, and as I watched them fight, I remembered back to the Mark of Mastery exam. Maybe Ventus was thinking the same thing. Maybe he pictured Terra and Aqua fighting in the arena instead of Zack and Hercules. I rested my hand on his shoulder.

"Hey! We got trouble!" Phil cried, snapping us back to reality. "There's monsters loose in town and if they gate-crash the Games, you can forget about the match."

"That's our cue." I said. Ventus nodded, and we stood up from our seats and jumped down from the bleachers.

"Real monsters?!" Hercules said.

"We have to stop 'em." Zack said, lowering his sword and walking over to Hercules.

"Leave those monsters to us! This match is too important!" Ventus cried. We summoned our Keyblades and ran into the vestibule and out the door.


A couple of Jellyshades floated around the town. Ventus and I struck our battle stances, when suddenly we heard more warping. We looked up and gasped as hordes of Jellyshades floated down from two different directions. The Unversed surrounded us, and we stood back-to-back with our Keyblades.

"There's too many!" Ventus said.

"This? This is nothing!" I said. "I could easily fight one thousand of these guys!"

I heard a grunt as a Jellyshade went spiraling off, crashing into a few of its buddies. Hercules emerged from the crowd and stood at our side.

"Herc! Why are you here?! What about your match?" Ventus said.

"Forget the match. No way I could let my friends fight alone. 'Cause I'm a hero!" Hercules said. "I mean, ya know... I'm gonna be one. Come on, let's finish this together!"

The Jellyshades spent more time floating around aimlessly than attacking, which made them easier to destroy.

"Thunder!" I cried, thrusting my Keyblade into the air. The teeth sparked and bolts of intense lightning rained down around me, making my ears ring. Each bolt struck down an Unversed. I jumped next to Ventus. "Ready for a little action replay?"

Ventus glanced at me and smiled. "Yeah! Ready when you are!"

As a horde of Jellyshades came at us, I jumped into the air. Ventus reached up above his head and cupped his hands together to create a step. I pushed myself off his hands with my foot. As Ventus quickly jumped out of the way, I twirled in the air and showered that area with balls of Fire. The magic collided into the orbs and destroyed them. I spiraled to the ground, and Ventus reached out and caught me.

"That never gets old." Ventus grinned.

I chuckled lightly, realizing he didn't hold me nearly this long the first time. I cleared my throat and stood up.

"Nice teamwork, guys." Hercules said.

"Thanks." Ventus said, but his face quickly fell. "Sorry we made you lose that match, Herc."

"Aw, come on, you don't have to apologize. It was totally my decision."

I glanced past his shoulder and noticed a Jellyshade floating towards him. "Look out!" I gasped.

As Hercules turned around, Zack lunged and sliced through the Unversed with his sword. "What, you didn't save any for me?"

"Hey, you're here!" Hercules said.

"Hey, I've set my sights on being a hero, too. I just don't run as fast, that's all."

"So, you both threw the match?" I said. "Is there even a winner, then?"

"Well, I left first, so it's not me." Hercules said.

"Yeah, but I was only seconds behind you." Zack said.

"Hey! I never said I'd coach the winner." Phil said as the little satyr walked towards us. "All I said was I'd see the match, then decide."

"And...?" I said, a small smile peeking on my face.

"Look, bein' a hero takes more than just muscle. Ya gotta have heart and care about people. And sure, you both get high marks for that, but this time, only one of you cared fast enough- and that makes all the difference."

"Then that means..." Ventus said.

"Oh man! I was this close!" Zack groaned, but then quickly regained his composure. "Well, that's life."

"Wow, you bounce back fast." I said.

Zack turned to Hercules. "I never really introduced myself." He took off his helmet, and black spikes exploded from his head, with some hair framing his face. "I'm Zack. Congratulations, Herc."

"Thanks, Zack." Hercules said.

"Yeah well, we'll see if you're still thankin' him when I'm through with ya." Phil said. "You got a long road ahead of ya, champ."

"Hey, don't count me out! I've still got plenty of big dreams to go with my lousy luck!" Zack said.

As Hercules and Zack laughed, Ventus and I approached Phil.

"Okay, be honest... You weren't really gonna stop training Herc, were you?" Ventus said.

"Of course not. I know that kid's gonna go the distance." Phil said. "But he was stuck in a rut. He just needed a little incentive."

"Aw, the goat-man really does have a heart." I giggled.

Phil turned to us. "Well, thanks to you two, Herc here has really shaped up. I owe ya."

Ventus held his hands behind his back. "Nah, I'm glad. I made a good friend. Somebody to share a laugh with." Ventus nudged me with his elbow. "Like Terra and Aqua... we'll patch things up."

I smiled and nodded. "Right."

Ventus turned around and started to walk away.

"You're leaving?" Hercules said, jogging up to us.

"Yeah. My journey's not over yet." Ventus said.

"But you'll visit, right?"

"I'll stop by once you're a true hero."

"Stop by once me and him are both heroes!" Zack said.

"Oh, so you mean never come back?" Ventus teased.

"Hey, watch it!" Zack said, giving Ventus a noogie.

We all laughed at the two. My eyes met with Ventus's, and he smiled.

"See you later, Hallie." He said. "Tell Aqua and Terra I said hi."

A nervous chill shot down my spine. I mustered a smile back and nodded. "I don't need to. You'll see them again. We'll all be together again. Promise."

Ventus's grin widened, and his ocean blue eyes shimmered in the sun.

"Oh... That reminds me. I want to ask you a question." Ventus said.

"Sure. Fire away."

"Okay... Who's Sora?"

My stomach dropped, and I reached up and gripped my crown pendant.

"Where did you hear that name?" I said, my eyes wide with fear.

"After you passed out at Disney Town. You mumbled that name in your sleep: Sora. Who is he?" Ventus said.

I stared at his curious deep blue eyes and gulped.

"He... um..." I said, tearing my gaze away.

"Is he one of your friends?" Ventus said.

I chuckled quietly. "Uh, yeah. Something like that."

Ventus nodded. "I guess you miss him, huh?"

"Yeah." I said, clutching my crown pendant with both hands now. "A lot. More than I can bear."

Ventus smiled and placed his hands on my shoulders. "It's okay. You'll see your friends again someday."

I looked up at Ventus, and the contagious smile on his face made its way to mine. I nodded.

"You know... I'm really starting to believe that." I said.

"Hey, do you think I could meet your friends?" Ventus said.

I laughed and nodded again. "Of course. Someday soon."