Author's note: Alright, time to begin the final fight, guys! Enjoy!

The strong beam of light arrived and then disappeared to release two characters: a young man and an adorable whale shark. Despite being on his two feet, Logan realized he wasn't standing on anything; there was nothing but endless darkness all around. No source of life nor light, just black stretching beyond their sight.

"W-Where are we, Logan?" Destiny asked, feeling a bit worried at the fact that they were standing in the middle of seemingly nowhere.

Logan hesitantly looked all around before giving his response: "I-I don't know... There's nothing... HEY, IS THERE SOMEONE AROUND?!" His yell echoed across the dark, like eco in a cave. Who did The Inventor wanted to set them up against?

Suddenly, thousands of doves flew off from seemingly nowhere, dancing all around the couple, who found themselves rising their arms/ fins for protection. When the little birds disappeared in the abyss, Logan and Destiny saw a sky-blue light glowing beneath them. Very quickly, they realized they were standing (well, floating above, for Destiny) on a large, circular platform made of glass. On the surface of this platform was displayed the painting of Sora with his eyes closed and the faces of Donald, Goofy, Riku and Kairi in smaller circles.

The more he stared at this glass, the more Logan felt like he knew it from somewhere... until it finally clicked in his mind. "I know this place! The Station of Serenity!"

"The Station of Serenity?" Destiny questioned.

"Yes; it's the place where Roxas started regaining his powers, in Kingdom Hearts 2. It's also where he fought Sora near the end of the game...?!" The young man's eyes widened as he started pulling the pieces together. "But then, that means...?!"

As if on cue, another beam of light appeared on the other side of the platform. Logan and Destiny turned around to see that it released a figure entirely covered by the Organization XIII's black cloak. Yet, Logan already knew who would be underneath. And, surely enough, the figure removed its hoodie to reveal a young, blond boy with ocean-blue eyes.

Logan gulped. "That's what I thought... Roxas!"

Destiny stared alternately at her boyfriend and at the cloaked boy who joined them. "Huh, excuse me, Logan, but I'm not familiar with your video games; who's Roxas?"

"Don't you remember? Sora, Riku and Master Yen Sid talked about him during my Keyblade training at the Mysterious Tower," Logan said, his gaze never leaving Roxas. "This guy is Sora's Nobody - his other half, if you want. They share the same heart... but they're still different people with different feelings... And different destinies."

"Hmm..." Roxas gave an analyzing stare at Logan, then at Destiny, and back at him again. "I see. A baseball cap and a whale friend... No doubt, you are the one my master told me about. The one called 'The Owl'." He took a few steps forward. "It's interesting that you know my name; I don't recall ever telling it to you. At any rate, if we have all been brought here, then you know what we must do."

Far from showing the same enthusiasm he always had when facing Sora, Logan stared at the floor. "Well..."

"Is that hesitation I see in your face? Why?" Roxas questioned.

"It's just that... Kingdom Hearts 2 is the first KH game I ever played," Logan explained. "Where most players began their journey in the franchise with Sora, I started mine with you, Roxas. So, in a sense... I feel more connected to you than most of the other KH protagonists... Having to fight you to the death feels weird..."

Hearing this, Destiny placed a comforting fin on his shoulder. "Logan, it's not the real Roxas; just a virtual one. If you really feel wrong, we can go see the real one, back in the Magical World, after saving Sora."

"... You're right. Thanks, Destiny," Logan gratefully said with a smile. He then looked back at Roxas with more confidence. "Sorry for the hesitation; we're ready to fight now!"

"Good, I don't like waiting." Roxas raised his two hands to summon two Keyblades. One of them was dark and imposing, while the other was silver-gray and beautiful. "I will take you both out right here, right now."

While Destiny assumed her battle stance and got her Water Magic ready, Logan simply stared at his opponent with a thoughtful look. He then smiled. "That's surprising. I wasn't expecting you to begin with Oblivion and Oathkeeper right off the bat. I thought that you'd start off with either the basic Keyblade or just one of those two, and that I'd have to cause some damage before you decide to take them both out. Must I understand that you see me as a worthy opponent?"

"From the data my master acquired and the fact that you're the leader of this invasion team, I deduced that you must be pretty strong. In fact, The Inventor put you in the top 5 strongest Dream Defenders after Hex's invasion," Roxas explained.

"Really? Stop it, you're gonna make me blush!" Logan bashfully said, only to receive a poke on the shoulder from his girlfriend.

"Stay focused, it's no time to get big-headed, Logan!" she firmly said.

"Right, sorry." The young man summoned his Fenrir Keyblade in his hands and assumed his fighting stance. "Ready when you are!"

Before the fight could begin, Roxas gave an analyzing look at his opponent's Keyblade. "This Keyblade looks familiar... I believe it is now used by someone I defeated a long time ago. Let's hope you'll do better."

Having nothing left to say, Logan and Roxas charged forward and clashed their Keyblades before swinging them all around. The Other displayed outstanding swordsmanship skills with his two Keyblades, but Logan still managed to hold his grounds despite the difference in speed. It was Roxas who landed the first blow when he pulled Fenrir back and spin kicked Logan a few feet away.

"Your skills with your Keyblade are petty basic. Am I wrong to assume you only started using it recently?" Roxas asked.

"Shut up! It'll soon be an entire year since I began training with Master Yen Sid, Riku, and your other half, Sora!" Logan answered.

"Is that supposed to impress me? I've been using a Keyblade throughout my entire existence. I'm also the only one who can dual wield them without the need of a Drive Form." Roxas narrowed his eyes. "You and I are clearly not playing in the same league..."

"We'll see about that!" Logan performed a Sliding Dash that Roxas parried with ease. When the Owl went for a horizontal swing, the Other expertly ducked and began unleashing a flurry of swings that Logan struggled to parry. The difference in terms of experience was clear.

Eventually, Logan was no longer able to stand the flurry and had to jump away to regain his composition. "Stay calm, Logan! You've already faced him in the game... Well, not actually, but you watched videos online, so you know how he fights!" the Owl nervously thought to himself as his opponent charged at him. He once again found himself on the defensive, dodging and parrying Oblivion and Oathkeeper, with little room to fight back.

At one point, Roxas managed to trap Fenrir between his two Keyblades and made it flip out of Logan's hands. As it touched the floor, he planted Oblivion between the handle and the guard, preventing Logan from retrieving it. "It's sad to say, but for all its strength, Fenrir is a Keyblade designed to combat large crowds of enemies or big opponents; it has almost no use against warriors like me, who have a high speed rate." He pointed Oathkeeper at his disarmed enemy. "I hope you have other ways of fighting, otherwise, this encounter is already over."

"... As a matter of fact, I do have other ways to fight." Grinning, Logan suddenly grabbed the immobilized Oblivion by the handle and used it as a hold to perform a rotation and deliver a strong kick into Roxas' side, knocking him a few feet away.

"Well-played, I'll give you that... But I don't need two Keyblades to defeat an enemy with no weapons." Roxas ran forward, ready to strike Logan down. However, the Owl saw him coming and actually managed to grab the Other's arm, making him flip over his shoulder and hit the floor hard. "What the...?!"

"Yeah, sorry for the bad surprise, but I'm not only a Keyblade Wielder like you; I'm also good in unharmed combat thanks to my pro wrestling experience," Logan explained, looking down at the Nobody with a grin.

Frowning, Roxas kicked back to his feet and attacked once again, only to have Logan duck his swing and wrap his arms around his waist for a German Suplex. The young man then jumped away and took out his Magical Sketchbook, into which he began drawing. This caused Roxas to tilt his head curiously after getting back up. "What are you doing?"

"Can you just give me a second? I'm gonna show you something really cool!" Logan demanded.

"Man, it's not exactly the right time to make a drawing - we're in the middle of a fight to the death, in case you forgot," Roxas pointed out.

"Come ooon, just be patient! You'll see!" Logan insisted. With a sigh, Roxas just stood back and waited whilst his opponent kept running his pencil across his sketchbook. Many seconds later, he was finally done and took out the page. "Here, watch this!"

The page glowed with light before transforming not into a weapon nor turning Logan into an animal... but actually becoming a ride made of magic that surrounded the platform. It was exactly like Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin with an Omnimover space vehicle featuring two laser pistols and a joystick.

"Wanna play a little game, Destiny?" Logan offered his girlfriend as he took place in the space vehicle.

Destiny shrugged and then turned into her human form. "If we are to fight for our friends, might as well have fun doing it."

After the human whale took place in the space vehicle next to her boyfriend, the ride began. Moving all around the platform, they used their laser pistols to shoot at Roxas whilst also rotating their vehicle when required to do so. "Is this guy for reals?!" The Nobody thought as he deviated the laser blasts with Oathkeeper. There were so many that he needed to go take Oblivion back in order to deviate every single one. Logan and Destiny laughed throughout the entire ride. "Using a park attraction in combat? Are you taking things with so little seriousness?" Roxas asked when the ride came to an end.

Logan blinked his eyes curiously. "What are you talking about? Your other half, Sora, is also using Disney rides and attractions in combat." He went to get Fenrir back and then rested it on his shoulder with a grin. "So? Looks like I'm not as weak as you assumed I was. Wanna throw away this fight while you still can?"

CLANG!

In a split-second, Logan found himself blocking Oathkeeper and Oblivion with Fenrir as Roxas glided to him at tremendous speed, leaving lens flare behind him. "Your arrogance is annoying," the Other remarked with an impatient expression. "You really thought you were gonna win just because you got the advantage at the beginning? Well, sorry to break your little moment of joy, but I wasn't even fighting at the full extent of my skills." Breaking the contact, he span on himself to create a ring of light that knocked Logan away across the platform.

"Cheese and crackers! Where'd that come from?!" the young Dream Defender asked while recovering from the hit. He didn't have much time, however, as Roxas once again appeared above him, bringing his two Keyblades down upon him. He narrowly avoided them by jumping back at the last second. However, Roxas once again appeared next to him before he knew it. "You won't get me like this!" Logan exclaimed and swung his Fenrir Keyblade again, only to have Roxas avoid it and strike Oblivion into his unprotected side.

"Logan!" Destiny exclaimed in shock.

The next seconds were painful for Logan as Roxas moved all around him at an elevated speed, striking from every possible angle, dealing a lot of damage. Regardless of his efforts, the Dream Defender could not block every strike and soon found himself down on his knees. "Time to finish this!" Roxas declared, coming down at his opponent with his Keyblades raised above his head.

Logan looked up, seeing his end coming... only for a wall of water to come in the way and stop it. "What the...?!" Roxas turned his head to see Destiny, back in her whale shark form, glaring at him.

"Stay away from him!" She began sending jets of water at the Nobody, who deflected them all, but their force still made him step back.

"I see," Roxas mumbled when Destiny ceased her attacks. "You possess the natural elemental magic of water - the one I never managed to control. Not astounding, considering you are a creature of the sea." He rose his two Keyblades. "I was wondering when you'd decide to join the fight instead of just standing there as a watcher. Let's have a little match: your water against my light."

Roxas charged towards the aquatic female, avoiding all of her water jets on his way. When he arrived before her, the whale attempted to smack him away with her tail, only for him to duck and then get ready to strike her down.

CLANG!

"... You're a persistent one, aren't you?" Roxas asked, looking at Logan, who blocked him yet again.

Glaring at the Nobody, Logan growled: "Don't. Touch. HER!" He attempted to strike his enemy down, but this last one simply ducked the swing and struck him in the back with one of his Keyblades. Logan briefly staggered, but upon seeing Roxas walking towards his girlfriend again, he immediately regained his composure and jumped on his back to wrap his arms around his head for a rear naked choke. "I said, don't touch her!"

Roxas struggled a bit in the submission hold, but eventually managed to press his hand against Logan's side and push him away with a light blast. "Now, where were we, before this interruption?" he asked and kept approaching Destiny.

"That's not good: I don't have enough Water Magic tricks to stand on my own against him!" Destiny nervously thought. "Maybe I should've gone looking for Dory's friend who taught her new spells for her Bubbles Magic..." She attempted another swing of her tail, that Roxas ducked and slipped underneath her. He pressed his hand against Destiny's underbelly and shot another blast of light, sending the whale flying up and crash hard on the platform.

"Looks like it's my light that wins against your water," Roxas remarked with a little smug look. His moment was short-lived, however, as he suddenly received a strong punch across the face, courtesy of Logan, who clearly didn't appreciate him hurting his girlfriend.

"Destiny! Are you alright?" Logan asked as he rushed at his beloved whale's side.

She groaned a bit, but managed to float back above the floor. "Don't worry, Logan. With my size, it's gonna take more than that to take me out," she assured with a comforting smile. She then looked back at their opponent. "I can't beat him by myself, and nether can you."

"Yeah... In that case, let's take him out together!" Logan said with enthusiasm, rising his hand to exchange a high-five with Destiny.

Logan once again engaged Roxas in close combat, this time having Destiny backing him up with jets of water. Whenever the Nobody was about to overpower Logan, Destiny would stop his momentum with her Water Magic, and whenever he tried to attack her, Logan would be there to block his way. With this strategy in place, they managed to get the advantage and land a few blows on Roxas - even using his ring of light wasn't enough to get him out of his predicament.

Eventually, Roxas decided he has had enough and, with a flick of his hands, summoned thirteen sword-shaped shields of light energy all around him. From this point on, he kept fighting Logan in close combat, but would sometimes summon his light energy shields either to protect himself, interrupt an attack, or strike his enemies from blind spots when they would least expect it. Logan found himself getting hit multiple times, and even Destiny could barely interfere in the combat as whenever she wanted to throw a jet of water, a shield of light would hit her from out of nowhere, her large size not giving her much room to dodge.

"Alright, time to end this!" Roxas declared and floated up above the middle of the platform. He then shot his thirteen light shields around the arena, which then light it up in a thick twilight mist to replace the eternal darkness around the platform. He stretched his arms to either side of his body and unleashed a barrage of light spheres at his enemies. While Logan managed to dodge most of them by running or parried others, Destiny found herself unable to avoid a single one of them because of her size. Soon, she collapsed on the platform, covered in wounds.

"DESTINY!" Logan yelled in horror, seeing his girlfriend hurt.

Roxas ended his attack and floated back down on the platform. "Don't worry; she's still alive. However, I would recommend abandoning while you still can; your friend is clearly no longer able to fight, and you must know by now that you can't defeat me in a Keyblade duel."

"... That's right, I can't...," Logan admitted, his back facing Roxas. He decided to pull his Fenrir Keyblade away. "... That's why I'm gonna defeat you on my own terms!" Turning around with a deadly glare, Logan raised his two hands and summoned his Owl Buster sword, immediately assuming his fighting stance.

The Other displayed a look of surprise. "I've never seen a sword that size... So that's the famous Owl Buster The Inventor told us about?" He shook his head and tried to retain a cool expression. "Interesting choice, but fighting with a weapon that'll slow you down even more isn't gonna make anything better."

He rose his hand and sent four of his light shields towards Logan. To his surprise, the Dream Defender didn't move and simply took position to deliver a swing of his sword... that actually shattered all four light shields into pieces!

"What?!" Roxas exclaimed in shock and disbelief.

Not stopping there, Logan charged at the Nobody with fire in his eyes, jumping for a vertical slice. Roxas managed to roll out of harm's way at the very lasts second, letting the Owl Buster slam into the floor, sending shards flying everywhere. The Owl pressed on his attack, forcing Roxas on the defensive as he struggled to dodge and parry every swing of the gigantic sword.

"Impossible! How can he move so fast with a weapon that's bigger than his previous one?!" Roxas thought. No matter what he did, Logan left him no room to counterattack, even with his two Keyblades. Realizing that close combat wasn't going to get him anywhere, the Other jumped to the other side of the platform and rose his hands, ready to send more of his light shields.

"Incoming!"

Roxas turned his head barely in time to see Destiny preforming a front flip and slam her tail into the floor to send a huge wave toward him. He managed to jump high enough to avoid it, but left himself open to Logan, who jumped and slammed the flat side of his sword straight into Roxas' abdomen, making him spit saliva, and sending him to fly off the platform. He landed on another one that the others had failed to notice before.

Logan jumped onto Destiny's back so that she could float up to the other platform, stopping close enough for him to talk. "Do you want to end it now, Roxas?" he asked.

After coughing a lot and getting back up, Roxas gave a confused stare at his opponent whilst clutching his stomach. "Why did you not finish me off? You had the opportunity to cut me in half and end the match right there... So why did you hit me with the flat side of your sword?"

Logan stared down. "As much as I'm mad that you hurt my girlfriend... I still don't resent you for it. Like I said before, KH2 was my first game in the franchise, so it's through your eyes that I entered this amazing world for the first time. While I admire Sora the most... you still have a special place in my child's heart. This place got even more special when I got familiar with the entire franchise and learned your story. Roxas, I don't wanna hurt you, so please, just let us save our friend while we can."

Roxas said nothing, just stared at Logan in silence. He then sighed and looked down. "I'm sorry... But even if I wanted, I couldn't. My master programmed me and the other replicas of Organization XIII to lead our fights until the end without giving up, even if there are no other options. That's why I can only tell you this... You should've taken me down when you could; it won't happen again." He looked back up. "Do you know how I'm different from the real Roxas?"

"No, how?"

"Well, as you probably remember, The Inventor intended for you and your other Dream Defender friends to come and rescue Sora. His plan was for me to face up against the leader of your group, the Dream Keeper."

"G-Gabriel?" Destiny asked.

"Yes. In order for me to stand a chance at victory, my master programmed me with special attributes that even the real Roxas doesn't possess." He raised one hand to make what seemed to be a ball of fire energy appear. "This is a sample of the Axel replica's energy... With it, I can use one of the greatest assets in Sora's arsenal..." He narrowed his eyes. "With it, your chances of victory will fade away... Drive Form: Infernal!"

Roxas got engulfed in flames that covered the entire platform. Even from afar, Logan and Destiny could feel the heat emanating from it. Soon, the flames faded away... and the couple widened their eyes. Roxas was now clad in what looked like an alternate variation of his casual clothes, this version being red and black with flames pattern. In addition, the Nobody carried Oblivion and Bond of the Blaze, the Keyblade used by Lea in the Magical World. It was burning with fire energy.

To say that Logan was beyond shocked would be an understanding. "W-What?! He can use Drive Forms?!"

"Isn't that the same thing Sora used during your past missions?" Destiny asked.

"Yes. But Roxas has never been able to use Drive Forms in any KH game ever." Logan narrowed his eyes. "Can The Inventor really make changes like that as he pleases?"

The newly transformed Roxas performed a few swings with his new Keyblade. "We're in his world; we therefore follow his rules." He made Bond of the Blaze release a lot of fire. "I already told you, Logan Jindrak... You and I are not playing in the same league." Performing a swing, he sent a huge slash of fire towards his opponents.

"Cheese and-"

BOOM!

Upon touching its target, the attack exploded and created a large cloud of smoke. When it faded, Logan was shown with his Owl Buster protectively raised in front of him, the young man panting heavily. "That was close... Destiny tried to protect us from that attack with a water barrier, but even that wasn't enough to completely stop it. Good thing my sword managed to withstand the rest of it, otherwise, we'd be flambéed by now."

"Impressive... But what are you gonna do now?" Logan widened his eyes, barely having time to turn around before Roxas smacked Oblivion into his Owl Buster, the force of the impact knocking him away.

"What the heck?! When did he move?! I didn't see anything!" the young man thought whilst flying away.

Destiny was shocked to see her boyfriend getting hit from out of nowhere, but managed to compose herself and perform a flip to push her opponent off her back. "I'll teach you to mess with my boyfriend!" She once again went for a tail whip, looking to smack the Nobody away... only to have this last one block her tail with his two Keyblades.

"You only have three moves in your whole arsenal?" Roxas asked, visibly not impressed. "As you can see, my current Drive Form revolves around the element of fire, meaning your Water Magic should be the biggest threat to me on this field right now... However, with your lack of skills, you're more of a nuisance than anything."

Bond of the Blaze radiated with fire, burning Destiny's tail, which made her pull back with a yelp of pain. "Don't listen to him, Destiny; he got fire, you got water, so you can beat him!" the whale thought to herself. Roxas started sending powerful attacks of fire that Destiny tried to counter with her Water Magic as best as she could. However, the Other inevitably gained the upper hand and ended up knocking her onto another platform with a fire blast.

Logan, meanwhile, had recovered from the hit just in time to see his girlfriend crashing next to him. "Destiny!" The poor whale was lying on her stomach, smoke emanating from her burning side. He glared daggers at Roxas. "You'll regret that!"

With a battle cry, Logan jumped up and attempted to slice Roxas in half with Owl Buster. However, Roxas somehow managed to block the hit with only Bond of the Blaze, an uninterested expression on his face. "I strongly doubt that." With one swing of his arm, Roxas sliced Oblivion across Logan's abdomen before kicking him back to his girlfriend's side. "I already told you that we aren't playing in the same league, Logan Jindrak..."

Coughing in pain and clutching his abdomen, Logan somehow managed to still hold his sword with his free hand as he pulled himself to rest against Destiny. He looked at her unconscious figure and then frowned in desperation. "I'm sorry, Destiny... I want to avenge you... but I don't know how!" He tightened his grip on his sword. "How... How can I lose in such an important moment? I can't lose... I... I must... save Sora!"

"Pathetic..."

Logan widened his eyes and then looked up to see a figure close to him... A figure that wasn't Roxas. It looked like a tall barn owl whose entire being was made of darkness, safe for its heart-shaped face and beak that were silver-gray, and its eyes that were blood-red. "Hello, comrade," he said with a malicious smirk.

"W-Who are you?" Logan asked.

"Who I am? Sorry, but I don't have a name - I'm nobody," the owl replied, the smirk never leaving his beak. "I can, however, tell you what I am... Though I was expecting you to know, what with the familiar feeling you must be experiencing at this moment..."

The familiar feeling? What was he talking ab...? Now that he mentioned it, it's true that Logan could feel something familiar inside him at this moment. His heart was burning with anger, trembling with fear and disgust, all while his head was bathing in confusion and sadness... Exactly like when he reached his breaking point during the Magical World Grand Prix... It finally clicked for him.

"You're the manifestation of my inner darkness..."

"Bingo!" the dark bird exclaimed with snapping his feathers. "Y'know, I was really looking forward to actually meet you in person. But now that it's happening, I must admit that I'm pretty... disappointed. Why? Look at you, comrade; you're getting your butt kicked hard by someone who's stronger than you. Do you know why that's happening?"

"Why-"

"IT'S BECAUSE YOU'RE TOO SOFT!" the darkness manifestation exclaimed, making Logan jump. "You're going easy on your opponent because you know his past and feel sorry for him! Having this mindset is the perfect way to lose in a humiliating fashion! Do you think Roxas feels the same way about you? You think he's worried about your past and feels the slightest bit sorry for you because of it? NO! Ever since the start of your battle, he has done nothing but swing his Keyblades and unleash his power with the intention to win! You don't have any of that - you look like a child trying to fight against an adult!"

"But I..."

The darkness manifestation leaned down so his face was closer to Logan. "Do you know what's the difference between a warrior and a champion, Logan?"

"What?" Logan asked with tilting his head in confusion.

"Eh, eh, eh, don't worry; I'm not trying to play some sort of guessing game or anything that dumb," the bird assured. "On paper, warriors and champions are pretty much the same: they're both strong, have similar appearances, are not afraid to put their lives on the line, and are held in high esteem by others... Yet, one constantly stands high above the other. So what is it, Logan? What is it that makes the champion decide the battles to lead, while the warrior has to lend his strength to the other, willingly or not? Why one stands high on the mountain while the other sits at its foot in the shadows of ignorance?"

Logan said nothing, just stared at his inner self in silence. This last one brought his beak next to Logan's head so that he could mumble the answer in his ear.

"The answer is clear and easy, Logan... THE DESIRE TO WIN!" He opened his wings. "If the champion always thrives on success, it's because he refuses to accept defeat as an option! A true champion must be driven by an unquenchable thirst for victory! For power! The willingness to tear his enemies apart, break them into pieces! Seeking victory isn't something logical or that you can explain with reason; it's just an instinct lying dormant within your subconscious!" He smirked again at Logan. "You know why Drake succeeded where you failed miserably, Logan? It's because he does have this instinct while you don't. He managed to cross that victorious line thanks to his indomitable spirit, whereas you needed to drop as low as cheating to even briefly cross that line."

Hearing those words, Logan clapped his hands against the sides of his head. "Shut up! That's not true!"

"It is, and you know it," the darkness manifestation continued. "That's why you succumbed to darkness during the Magical World Grand Prix and allowed me to be born. If you've never won anything in life, Logan, it's because you don't have the will nor the ambition to succeed. You're okay with receiving a good participation medal instead of the victor's trophy."

Logan finally looked back up at his host. "What do you suggest I do, then?"

The darkness manifestation ceased to smirk, giving a serious look. "You enjoy fighting and having fun... But now, it's no longer time for any of those... You crossed paths with an opponent who uses a powerful fire to block your progress... In that case, you need an even more powerful fire..." He held his dark wing forward. "Take my power. Use it to destroy him."

"W-What?! N-No!" Logan protested. "I don't want you to take over me again, just like you did during the race. It was... horrible..."

"You think you have a choice, Logan?!" the bird seriously asked. "This isn't like your little sparing sessions or missions you used to go on with your friends! Just fighting and having fun means dying, and running away to live means your friend dies! If you wanna defeat him," he pointed a wing at Roxas, "you need to be merciless! You need to be ready to beat him without hesitation and tear him into pieces! You need to rage, rage, and RAGE again, Logan!" He brought his wing closer. "So? What will it be? Do you wanna give up? Do you wanna fight... Or do you wanna win?"

After a few seconds of silence, Logan slowly raised his head to reveal a look of pure rage on his face. He looked at his injured girlfriend and then back at his inner darkness, some of which started emanating from his own body. "I want... TO WIN!" he declared with grabbing the wing offered to him.

Roxas finally stepped on the platform again after floating around for a moment. "It's been a moment since my last attack, and you still haven't moved. Must I understand that you decided to forfeit this encounter? That would be a wise decision." Upon getting close enough, however, the Nobody got to see Loan back on his two feet, with his back facing him and his body emanating a sinister energy. "Huh? What's that?"

"... You hurt my Destiny and you're preventing me from saving my friend and mentor...," Logan mumbled in a low, threatening tone. He slowly turned around, his face twisted by anger. "I... HATE YOU!" His body exploded with darkness, forcing Roxas to step back a bit. The darkness eventually faded, revealing Logan in an owl armor that was entirely black, with a space in his helmet revealing his blood-red eyes. His Owl Buster sword had also disappeared, replaced by a sword that took the shape of a rectangle black blade with a sharp tip and a handle carved at its base. This handle had white bandages covering it and the design of a red owl decorated both sides of the blade.

Standing still and letting his hair dancing in the wind, Roxas gave a look mixing shock and confusion at his opponent. "What happened? I've never seen anyone besides Riku displaying such a level of darkness power without being turned into a Heartless... His aura is completely different from moments ago... And what's with those eyes? There's no more determination nor good will behind them, just anger and... hate...," he mumbled to himself. "Who are you?"

Logan didn't answer, simply opening the 'beak' of his helmet and pushing a loud roar more fit for a monster. He then brandished his sword, pointing it at Roxas.

"... You don't wanna talk? Very well, then, let's just end this." Roxas raised Bond of the Blaze and charged another fire attack. However, as he did so, Logan charged a ball of darkness at the tip of his own sword. "What the...?!"

Both opponents launched their attack at the same time. When they collided, it created a gigantic explosion of flames that engulfed the entire platform and beyond. Roxas stood in the middle of the flames and smoke, looking around in confusion.

"What's that supposed to mean? He struggled to counter that attack even with back up from his friend, and now, he has an attack that is just as strong?" Roxas frowned whilst still looking around. "I don't understand; The Inventor didn't say anything about the Owl having such darkness power..." Turning his head, he spotted his enemy in the smoke and flames. "There you are!"

He launched another fire attack that Logan easily cut in half with his sword. The Nobody widened his eyes in shock, quickly recomposing himself and trying to attack again, only for Logan to grab his arm with which he used Bond of the Blaze, interrupting his move. "...?! W-When did he-" Logan hit his knee into Roxas' stomach, knocking the air out of him, and then proceeded to rapidly punch him in the face with both fists, ending his combo with a kick that sent Roxas flying off the platform and through the pillar of another one, shattering it to crumbles.

"RAAAAAAAAAAH!" Logan roared at the top of his lungs, his voice echoing across the virtual infinity all around him.

After flying across the air for a while, Roxas managed to regain his balance in the air. He had to cough a bit and groaned as his face was hurting like crazy. "Even in my Drive Form, I struggle to keep up with him... This guy... He's nothing like the Logan Jindrak I've been fighting so far. It's like he has become something entirely different. Can I really...?!" He shook his head. "No, it's no time to doubt! He has gotten a bit stronger, but I can still win this!"

Lost in his thoughts, Roxas had failed to see Logan approaching with a large piece of the platform he had destroyed moments earlier. He was holding it in a single hand, giving a good swing to throw it at full speed toward Roxas. Not impressed, the Nobody managed to shatter the incoming projectile with a single swing of Oblivion... However, he had not expected Logan to appear behind the projectile and shove his foot directly into his stomach, the hit almost making him vomit.

"Ugh..." At the same time, Destiny recovered from the attack she had taken earlier. Her side was still burning, but it was bearable for the moment. "What... happened...?" she asked, rubbing her head with a fin. She then remembered they were still in the middle of a battle and widened her eyes. "Logan? Logan, where are you?"

She suddenly heard loud noises from afar and floated to the edge of the platform to see Logan clashing with Roxas in the air, far off in the distance. While she was glad to see her boyfriend was still able to fight, some details brought confusion to her mind. Why was Logan clad in a dark armor? Why was he fighting using darkness attacks? And what happened to his fighting style? Instead of being precise, strong and calculated, he now looked like a wild beast, striking his opponent with ferocity without giving him a second to breathe.

"... Logan?"

Back to the fight at hands, Roxas was down on one knee, his body covered in bruises. No matter what he did, he just couldn't keep up with Logan; he had gotten too strong, fast and unpredictable. It was like fighting against a devil. Nonetheless, the Other refused to stay down - his master expected him to win at any cost. "This has gone far enough! I'm ending this right here and now, Logan Jindrak!" His body started radiating with a powerful energy of fire. "SOLAR BLAST!" Bringing his two hands before him, Roxas built a fireball of epic proportions that he pushed at tremendous speed toward his enemy.

Even from afar, Destiny could feel the attack's heat and had to protect herself behind a barrier of water. Once it was passed, she saw the attack gone and Logan no longer present where he previously was either. "Logan?!"

Exhausted by the attack, Roxas panted heavily, struggling to stay up. "This spell was the strongest in my arsenal. It combines both Axel's fire and my light, making it very efficient against any form of darkness. I'm sorry it had to end like this, but I had to win at any cost..." The Nobody suddenly felt a breathing noise behind him, making him widen his eyes. Slowly turning around, his heart dropped to the bottom of his stomach. "... How did you-"

Not letting him finish his sentence, Logan swung his sword to shoot a slash of darkness that Roxas tried to stop with his two Keyblades. However, he could not stop it, for it was too big and solid. To make things worse, Logan dashed to Roxas' other side and shot another slash of darkness, forcing him to block it with one of his Keyblades. Whilst Roxas was groaning in pain, trying not to get sandwiched between the two darkness slashes, Logan went up and shot a third one from above, hitting Roxas full front and making it crash down on a platform below with the poor Nobody.

Following this hit, Roxas found himself lying down in the middle of a little crater, covered in wounds and visibly in agony. Struggling to remain conscious and coughing a lot, he tried to stand back up and keep the fight going on. Before he could do so, however, Logan pounded on him, forcing his body down on the floor, and started delivering punch after punch across his face. The worst part in all of this was that the possessed young man was grinning maliciously through it all, like he was enjoying making his opponent suffer.

Destiny had arrived at the platform seconds before, meaning she got to witness all of it. While the sight of her enemy losing the fight should've brought her comfort... it wasn't the case. Those red eyes and the glare behind them... They weren't her boyfriend's. Whilst attacking nonstop, he kept repeating the same word: "Rage! Rage! Rage! Rage! RAGE, RAGE, RAGE, RAGE!"

No, at this moment... Destiny was feeling fear.

She charged forward and wrapped her fins around her boyfriend, pulling him away from the defenseless Nobody. "Logan, that's enough! You've beaten him, there's no need to strike him anymore!" Not listening to her, Logan squirmed in his girlfriend's grip, even at one point opening his helmet's beak to bit her hard on the fin. She yelled in pain, but still refused to let him go. "Stop! You're hurting me! Logan!"

The armored warrior eventually managed to break free and turned to face the whale with a glare. However, he did not attack and simply stared at her begging look as tears formed in her eyes. She held her injured fin and sniffed a bit. For some reason, this sight caused all the rage and thirst for victory within Logan to melt away, being replaced by something heavier... Guilt.

"Des...tiny...?" he mumbled with his normal voice. Logan suddenly dropped his sword and grabbed his helmet with both hands. "Let... me... go... NOW!" He struggled to pull the helmet off him, his body also getting free from the darkness armor, but it clenched to him, trying to remain stuck. After a brief fight, Logan managed to get the armor off and threw it far away, making it shatter into pieces. He then collapsed on his knees, taking deep breaths.

"Logan, are you okay? What was that thing?" Destiny asked as she approached her boyfriend in worry.

Logan didn't answer, instead simply staring at the whale shark's injured fin. "... I... hurt you... It's my fault. I allowed my inner darkness to take over, and you got hurt because of it. It's my fault."

"Logan, it's okay-"

"No, it's not!" Logan suddenly exclaimed, closing his eyes and frowning hard. "I was so angry at Roxas for hurting you that I allowed all my rage and obsession for victory to take control over me! And look what happened because of it: I hurt you, too!" He dropped his head a bit. "Sora was wrong... I'm not strong..."

SLAP!

"Ouch! What was that for?" Logan asked, rubbing the top of his head where Destiny just slapped him.

The whale shark gave a firm glare to her boyfriend. "Don't ever say that you're not strong again, you hear me?! I may not know how this whole 'darkness in the heart' thing works, but there's nothing wrong with what you just did! I don't know if you remember, but we were losing that fight, when that guy activated his Drive Form; if you hadn't used that armor just now, we'd be dead by now. That wasn't weakness; you just did what you could to win this fight."

Logan still didn't seem sure, looking at Destiny's fin. "Destiny... I-I can't stand the sight of you getting hurt... I'm supposed to protect you, so when you get hurt-"

"And you think I don't feel the same way about you, Logan?" Destiny asked, using her fin to make the young Dream Defender look up. "If you get hurt, I'll make you feel better. If you can't fight, then I'll fight for you. And if you fall, I'll help you stand up once more. Because that's what couples are supposed to do, right?"

Seeing her beautiful smile, Logan couldn't help but feel the weight of his guilt being lifted from his shoulder, and smiled in return. "Yeah, you're right..." He took her fin to stand back up and pulled the adorable whale in a hug.

At that moment, the couple heard a groan and turned to see Roxas standing up once again and getting out of the little crater in the platform. He was visibly hurt, panting heavily whilst glaring at them. "Oh, seriously? Even that wasn't enough to take you out?" Destiny asked in annoyance.

"You did quite a number on me back there, I won't deny it... However, I can still fight... Can you?" Roxas asked as he assumed his fighting stance once more.

"You bet I can!" Logan declared as he summoned his Owl Buster sword. "Ready to go, Destiny?"

"I'm always ready!"

Unfortunately, if the young couple thought they were going to earn an easy victory, they were wrong. Despite being weakened by the beat down he took from Logan in his dark form, Roxas could still fight very well, his Drive Form allowing him to overpower his enemies with ease. He moved around at tremendous speed, striking from every side, and delivering fire attacks. Before long, Destiny received a fire blast that knocked her down on the platform again, leaving her with burning wounds.

"Cheese and crackers!" Logan groaned as he fought through the pain and fatigue to keep swinging his sword.

Roxas avoided all the attacks with relative ease until he decided to stop the blade with Oblivion. "Alright, I'm getting tired of this." Pushing him back, the Nobody started delivering rapid strikes to his opponent, ending with a double strike of his Keyblades into his side, sending him to fly and crash next to his girlfriend.

"It... can't... end like this...," Logan groaned as he pushed on his sword, trying to get back up. "I must... save... Sora...!" Regardless of his efforts, the pain and fatigue were just too strong. Eventually, he just collapsed on the platform and expressed a look of fear and panic as Roxas slowly walked in their direction. "No... No, no, no, no...! It's too... I can't..." Breathing heavily, Logan took his head in his hands and began yelling in distress: "Gabriel! Rachel! Anybody! Help!"

Hearing her boyfriend's panicked voice, Destiny managed to get back to her senses and approached him. "Logan, stay calm, it's no time to panic!"

"Don't you see, Destiny?! He's too strong - we can't beat him!" Logan kept panicking. "No matter what we do, we can't land a single hit on him. It's over..."

"We can't give up now, Logan! Look at him; he's on his last legs! We just need to push a little more and Sora'll be safe! Come on!" Destiny insisted, trying to push her boyfriend back to his feet. However, he didn't hear any of it.

"HE'S on his last legs?" Logan asked with a chuckle. "I hope you're joking; I can barely stand at all, yet I'm still getting my butt kicked. None of our tricks work against him." He looked down. "Besides... even if we manage to win... there's no guarantee that Sora will be saved. To save him, our team needs to win every match, no exception... So... If even ONE of our friends lost their match... winning now would be pointless..."

Having had enough with this pessimist attitude, Destiny once again slapped her boyfriend on the head. "So that's it? You're just going to give up like this? Why did you ask all of your friends to help us if you don't believe they can succeed? You really think Gabriel would ever have this kind of mindset towards you or the others?"

"No... But... Gabriel always know what to do in these situations... That's why he's our leader," Logan mumbled in shame.

"A team is only as strong as its leader, Logan. That's why you must be strong now," Destiny explained, touching her boyfriend's cheek with her fin. "Right now, all of our friends are pulling their lives on the line and doing what they can to win their fight. Imagine that they all succeed. Do you really wanna nullify their efforts by losing here and now? You know, the one thing I love the most about you, Logan, is that you never were afraid to get stronger nor to do everything you can to protect those you love. Like when you protected Dewey, you have it in you to stand up against impossible odds and yell in defiance - a resolve to never quit. That's exactly what we all need right now."

Logan gave a deep, thoughtful look at his girlfriend... before looking at the floor. "She's right... I am the leader of this team. Whenever we went on missions with the Dream Defenders, we could always look up to Gabriel to lead us through the hard moments and to know what to do when things seemed desperate... Are the others feeling the same way toward me right now?" He tightened his fist. "If I can't win right now... then everything I did - my training with Master Yen Sid, with Sora and Riku, assembling the team, my friends' efforts, all of us putting our lives on the line... It will all have been for nothing! Giving up would be a shame for the Dream Defenders! And then... Drake and the others will have been right on me: I truly will not be worthy to call myself a dreamer!"

After making up his mind and deciding to continue fighting, Logan used his Owl Buster to pull himself back on his two legs, glaring at the approaching Roxas. He clutched at his chest, closing his eyes and focusing. "Owl Armor, I know you're in here somewhere! I need you now!" Hearing Roxas getting closer, his sense of urgency got even worst. "Please, I don't need much! Just give me the strength to keep fighting, to win, to give meaning to all of my friends' efforts, to save my mentor! COME ON!"

Overwhelmed by a feeling that was just as powerful as the ones he felt when he fought Hex with his friends and when he defended Dewey from the skeletons, Logan's body emanated a powerful white light that soon covered his whole body, temporarily blinding Destiny and Roxas. Once the light calmed down, the two of them got to see Logan now clad in an owl-themed armor that was pure-white, just like the energy emanating from it.

Once again, Roxas stared in awe at the sight before him. "Impossible! He has another owl armor?! No, it looks like the other one... yet, it's completely different. Whereas the previous one was made of darkness and had an aura of rage and malice... this one is radiating with positive energy. There's no anger in his stare... Just happiness... and determination..."

Logan grabbed his Owl Buster sword and gave a beautiful smile. "Sorry, I'd like to tell you what this armor is supposed to be... But I'm not sure myself."

"... It's okay, I wasn't going to ask anyway," Roxas assured. "Whatever this power is, I don't think any of us has enough strength to continue this fight for very long. That's why I suggest we end this in one go to determine a true winner once and for all." Rising his two Keyblades, Roxas once again radiated with a burning fire. "I'm gonna send you my strongest attack, so do the same, Logan Jindrak!"

Logan chuckled a bit. "Sorry, but I didn't spend enough time with this armor to explore its true potential. I'm gonna have to do with what I have." He rose Owl Buster, charging it with this strong white energy.

With a battle cry, both opponents charged at the same time, meeting in the middle of the platform from the top of where a huge explosion mixing white energy and fire erupted. When it faded away, Logan and Roxas were standing motionless from across each other. Many seconds of silence passed... before Roxas stumbled forward with a groan and then looked down at his Keyblades. They were both destroyed.

Far from looking shocked or sad, Roxas simply smiled. "You know..." He turned to face Logan. "... I'm not sure how it would've been like to face the Dream Keeper, like originally intended for me... But even with the memories of the real Roxas... facing you was one of the most thrilling experiences I've ever lived..." His body started fading away into data. "Well-played... Logan Jindrak..." The smile never leaving his face, Roxas disappeared.

Logan remained still, doing nothing but pant heavily as the reality of the situation started settling in his mind. Once it was done, he pushed a loud scream mixing pride, anguish, exhaustion, and victory that echoed across the endless darkness around him. He had done it. He pushed himself beyond his limits against impossible odds... and won.

"I... won... Gabriel... Rachel... Everyone...," the young Dream Defender mumbled as his Owl Armor disappeared. Tired and out of energy, he dropped his sword to the floor and would have collapsed, had Destiny not caught him in her fins on time.

"Are you okay?" she asked in worry. But then, she immediately smiled. "You did it, Logan! I knew you could win!"

"We did it," Logan corrected, exchanging a high-five with his girlfriend. Just then, a screen appeared above them. "The Inventor. What are you doing here?"

"I merely come to congratulate you on your spectacular victory against my virtual reproduction of Roxas," the data character simply stated. "I'm also here to announce you that this fight was the final one; all the others are finished."

"Really? How did all the others do?" Destiny asked.

"Oh, they all did very well, Miss Destiny," The Inventor replied, remaining vague on the details to build the suspense. "... They did well... and managed to win all their encounter. Congratulations, your team has won the game."

"Really?!" Logan exclaimed in joy.

"Indeed." The Inventor raised his hand and made a little key appear before the duo. "As much as I am disappointed by the conclusion of this game, my program forces me to accept defeat and give the promised reward to the winners. Take this key, and you'll be able to release Sora with your friends in the previous room. Once it is done, you will be free to return to the Magical World."

"Not so fast," Logan said. "What's telling us that you're not gonna come after Sora again in the future? Maybe I should take you out here and now?"

"This won't be necessary," the pixelized being assured. "Once an opponent defeats me, I'm not allowed to come after them again unless challenged. This means your friend is safe from me for the time being. Plus, after seeing your friends in action, I do not believe my chances of success are high enough to risk getting on the Council of Magic's bad side. That's why I will leave you alone and wish you a good day." The screen turned off.

"... You think we can trust him?" Logan asked.

"Maybe. But even if he tries to come after our friends again, we know that we can beat him." Destiny took the little key in her fin. "Now, let's take this key, join with the others, free Sora, and return home..."

Author's note: My gosh! I once again broke the record for my longest chapter ever written, this one reaching practically 10,000 words! It's also the longest fight I've ever written on this site, with our beloved Owl, Logan, going up against the Other, Roxas in an epic clash, where the power of friendship and self-confidence ultimately prevailed.

Judging by the opening song at the start of this arc, most of you probably assumed Logan would have gone against Xemnas, since he's the leader of Organization XIII, and that's what I showed during the cinematic. However, I really wanted Logan to face Roxas for being another Keyblade Wielder and the Nobody of his teacher. You wanna know something funny? I had no idea how I wanted this fight to go on nor how it would conclude (for the way Logan would win, I mean), so I simply improvised as I went along.

It was pretty exciting to get to bring back Logan's Owl Armor (the one he got during the final fight against Hex, in 'Saving The Disney Universe') as well as showing the darkness in his heart taking over. You probably noticed it was different from the armor he had in 'Magical World Grand Prix'; that's because in that story, it was a Heartless that took over, whereas here, he simply allowed the darkness in his heart to take control based on all his negative feelings. As for the Owl Armor... Sorry, but you're gonna have to wait another time to learn how it really works.

Next time: The end of the 'Rescue Sora Arc'. Logan's team returns home with Sora and celebrates the last days of summer.