Chapter 19: shadows of the sith
I do not own kingdom hearts or the properties shown in this fanfic. They belong to the respective owners and the original story is based on the works of Darius Almighty. Kingdom hearts and trials of the keyblade is owned by square Enix, Disney, and Tetsuya Nomura. Please support the official release.
Right. Now you guys get see darth maul and the lilo and stitch cast in action in this fic! Now during sora and kairi's fight they get to fight Maximilian the robot created by dr hans Reinhardt from disney's the black hole. I've been told this film has become a minor cult sensation to some sci-fi fans. So please try to imitate the villain with your voice or get doug walker (the nostalgia critic) to impersonate the antagonist.
With that out of the way, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!
Sora walked out of the tent labeled 'DRUG TESTING', making sure to zip his fly back up. "Well, I don't think that was necessary at all," he grumbled as he walked back over to the others. Once they were done with their applications, they sorted out who would be competing. The teams were set: Sora and Kairi; Beast, Mulan and sonic; Leon, Yuffie and Adelbert; and Tifa and Kim. Four teams that had the chance to bring down Pete and Darius.
"Alright! Now that we've got all the details out of the way, let's head for the arena! The games are about to begin!" Phil exclaimed.
"We'll head for our seats," Aerith said. "Good luck you guys." Everyone who wasn't competing left for the Coliseum stands.
"Perhaps you'd like to sit next to me, Quistis?" Jack slurred, slipping to Quistis' side.
"I'd rather kiss a rodent," Quistis spat. At this Rufus jumped onto her shoulder and puckered his lips. Quistis sighed and rolled her eyes. "Why aren't you competing, anyway?", she asked the pirate.
"Convicted felon," he answered as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Quistis sighed again.
As they headed for the stands, avoiding the merchandise stalls, one of them broke off from the group. Shalua had stopped in her tracks because something had caught her only eye. Frowning, she began to walk down an empty stone hallway away from the group.
She turned a corner and something caught her eye again. A flash of red hair had just turned another corner. With a slight sense of urgency, Shalua took after it. She ran down the hallway, her high heeled shoes clicking and clacking on the stone floor.
"Wait!", she cried when she spun around another corner, finally catching up with this person.
Shelke stopped in her path and turned to face her pursuer. Her blue eyes stared at the stunned Shalula in front of her.
"It is you," Shalua whispered. "Shelke..."
The little red haired girl's expression became confused. "Do I know you?", she said. Shalua looked hurt.
"Don't you remember? Although I suppose I've changed a bit since the last time. So have you." But, in looking at the girl in front of her, she suddenly frowned. "No, actually. I'm the only one who's changed. You look exactly the same as you did twelve years ago. It's me Shelke! It's Shalua! I've been looking for you for a long time now!" Shalua stepped towards her but Shelke drew her two sabres and pointed them at her. Her blue eyes turned the same color of her sabres.
"Don't come any closer," she said.
"Shelke..." Shalua whispered.
"It doesn't matter who you are or who I am. The only thing that matters is pleasing the Horned King."
"But it does matter! You're Shelke! Though twelve years have passed, you're still my sister!"
At these words, Shelke lowered her weapons. Her slightly stunned face became one of deep thought. "That's right, it was only twelve years. Twelve years since I was taken by shadow. Lost. Confused. Frightened. Barely alive. Look at my body." She said gesturing to her frame that was that of an eight year old girl . "I'm going to be nineteen this year. It's only because of my master that I'm still alive. His magic keeps me breathing but it is a feeble existence. But I have never thought myself the most unfortunate person that lived. That's because I don't even have the hope that 'perhaps', one day someone would save me."
Shalua collapsed to her knees, unable to take any more. Her sister. Her little sister. Taken from her home, forced to serve a crazed maniac that in turn served the darkness. She had counted on her. She had trusted her. "I'm sorry..." Shalua sobbed, as tears streamed out of her eye. "I'm so sorry!"
Shelke sheathed her weapons as Shalua poured her heart out. Giving Shalula one last blank look, she continued on her way to the arena. From behind the corner, Denzel listened and watched the whole scene.
KHKHKHKH
The Coliseum stands were filled to the limit with people from different worlds Stormtroopers stood along the aisles with their rifles across their chests. Confetti rained down from the heavens to celebrate this momentous occasion. Cheers roared throughout the stadium for the assembled fighters. Everyone competing were gathered in the arena, awaiting instructions. From the podium above, all the gods of Olympus watched.
Sora looked around. He saw Pete and his Gladiator Heartless standing at a distance. Darius stood alone with his arms crossed. To his dread he saw Azul and Shelke with some of the larger Omega Heartless. The other wannabe fighters he did not know.
He and Kairi stood with their friends. Leon and Adelbert were forced to listen to Yuffie's boasting about how she could beat everyone with one arm behind her back. Tifa and Kim were avoiding the flirts in the crowd. sonic, Mulan and Beast were just minding their own business.
"Welcome, one and all!" Down from the sky flew a small man with blue skin dressed in a toga and a hat that kept him afloat with two wings. "I am your happy high flying announcer, Hermes! I just flew in from Olympus and man are my wings tired!" The Coliseum went dead silent except for the cricket in the background. "Woah. Tough Stadium. What I meant to say was, welcome to the Zeus Cup!" The stadium echoed with more deafening cheers. "That's right! Coming at you from the Coliseum is the biggest, greatest, gnarliest brawl ever to be thrown! All the other tournaments? Nothing compared to this! Warriors from all over are here to duke it out for this!"
A sudden flash of brilliant light shined over the Coliseum causing many to look away because of the glare. A golden trophy engraved with clouds and pictures of the gods floated above. "That's right! The Zeus Cup! The greatest trophy in Olympus! But that's not all! Including the great honour that comes from winning such an award, it includes one wish from Zeus!"
"A wish?" Sora repeated.
"That's right a wish! One single wish from the king of the gods! Lifelong supply of chocolate! World peace! A copy of Kingdom Hearts 3! Anything that is in almighty Zeus' power he will deliver!"
Sora winced and looked at his challenging enemies. He would hate to think what would happen if one of them was granted the wish. All the more reason to win this tournament.
"And who makes this all possible you ask?" Hermes continued. "Nobody but the son of Zeus himself! Ladies and germs, give it up for Hercules!"
From the clear blue skies soared the flying white horse, Pegasus. Riding on his back was Hercules himself with his girlfriend Meg behind him. He waved to the cheering crowd as he flew over their heads. Pegasus landed in front of the tournament competitors and Hercules dismounted.
"Thank you! Thank you! You're very kind! Welcome! Please, please you're too much! Really, it's you guys that make this all possible!"
"Hmph. Show off," sonic sniffed.
"Now if I could have your attention please!", Hercules said, shushing the crowd. "Please show your appreciation for this great god, showing up today despite his busy schedule! Everybody, give it up for my father, Zeus!"
The Zeus Cup then shone even brighter and transformed. The king of the gods now floated above the crowd on a cloud in his purple toga and white beard. More cheers rang from the crowd.
"Welcome everyone!" Zeus' powerful voice called. "Thank you all for coming! Hi son!"
"Hi dad!" Hercules waved back.
"Now, let the games begin!"
KHKHKHKH
Everyone sat in the front row of the Coliseum stands awaiting the first match of the tournament. Flipping through his program, Cid read the schedule. "Looks like Darius is fighting in the first match," he said aloud.
"Well, now we'll be able see him in action," Sora said. "I've never actually seen him fight before."
"Trust me," Leon said. "don't underestimate him."
Just then Denzel walked down the stands and pushed through the crowd. "Where did you go?" Marlene asked as he took a seat next to her.
"Oh, uh, bathroom," he replied. Marlene eyed him suspiciously. Not far behind Denzel, Shalua arrived with a sad expression on her face. She sat down next to Barret without a word.
The Coliseum suddenly erupted with enthusiastic cheers as Darius' opponent entered the arena. He was an average looking gladiator dressed in steel armour with a broad sword at his waist. When he reached the centre he drew his sword and held it up to gleam in the sunlight.
At the other end of the Coliseum walked Darius, still in his dark Stormtrooper armour. He ignored the cheers and stepped calmly into the arena. Hermes floated down to them, microphone still in hand.
"Alright boys, I want a clean fight! No eye gouging, hair pulling, biting, or third degree wedgies! Alright, go!"
The nameless gladiator leveled his sword at Darius. "Today you will fall by my sword!", he stated confidently. Darius said nothing. "Prepare yourself!" The gladiator charged for the Imperial, who sidestepped to avoid the sword swipe. Regaining himself, he tried to hit Darius again. The general dodged all of the man's attempts to win the match. He flipped and jumped all over the arena like he was in a dance. He hadn't even drawn his weapons yet.
"He's good," Kairi whispered.
Finally, Darius decided that he'd had enough. Back flipping at a distance, he charged towards the gladiator at full speed. The man prepared himself, raising his sword.
SWISH
Before anybody knew what happened, Darius was now crouched behind the gladiator so that they were now back-to-back, both his lightsabres drawn. The gladiator stood frozen, with his sword still in front of him. Then the sword split clean in two and the man collapsed. The entire Coliseum went deathly quiet.
"I'm not sure what just happened," Hermes stuttered. "But the winner is Darius!" The silence was broken with more cheers. Coliseum staff dragged the gladiators body off to the medical tent and Darius walked out of the arena, but not before giving Sora one last, icy look.
"This could be tougher then I thought," Sora gulped.
KHKHKHKH
After the mess had been cleaned up the tournament progressed once again. The next constants stepped into the arena. A small, squirelly soldier dressed in medieval armour wobbled his way nervously to the arena. The reason for his nervousness was clear. As his opponent stepped into the arena his knees began to knock.
Beast made his way to the centre of the Coliseum with his eyes locked on the quaking soldier in front of him. Hermes floated down and explained the rules again.
"Begin!" Hermes shouted scaring the soldier even more.
As soon as Hermes flew off Beast summoned his Keyblade. This startled a certain Imperial general in the crowd.
"Another one?", Darius whispered.
The soldier clumsily drew his sword and held it feebly in front of him. He shook with fright as he awaited Beast's first move. As soon as the prince took one step forward, the man screamed and threw his sword down.
"AHHHHH! He's a monster!" The man screamed and ran in the opposite direction, slamming straight into the invisible barrier around the arena. He fell on his back, out cold. Beast stood dumbstruck.
"The winner is the Beast!" Hermes shouted.
"Way to use your strengths, mate!", Jack called from the stands as he sipped rum from his beer cap. Beast hung his head hopelessly.
KHKHKHKH
"Ladies and gentlemen, Kragnok the Destroyer!" Standing in the Coliseum centre was the huge green brute that they had seen earlier. He was dressed in crude armour from which protruded a number of spikes. He lifted his huge battleaxe and bellowed a loud battle cry, which the crowd answered with cheers.
"Jeez, he's a big guy!", Barret stated.
"No kidding! I feel sorry for whoever has to face him!" Sora said.
"And his challenger!" Hermes cried. "Weighing at a grand total of twenty-seven pounds! Wait, did I read that right? I guess. One of the meanest and fiercest monsters in the universe! Once rumored to make a Minotaur cry for his mommy!"
Everyone in the Coliseum waited on the edge of their seats as they kept their eyes glued to the archway from which Kragnok's opponent would emerge. Someone was moving in the dark corridor but it was difficult to make out who it was. Finally, he emerged into the light.
"Hehehe! Aloha!", the small blue creature cried waving to the stunned crowd.
"No way," Sora whispered.
"Ladies and gentlemen, Experiment 626!" Hermes announced.
"His name is Stitch!", insisted a little girl, standing not far behind Sora's old friend. She had dark, tanned skin and was wearing a red dress with white flowers. She ran up to Stitch's side.
"Ha ha! It's about time 626 got into action!", said a figure standing behind the little girl. Actually, there were two "persons" standing behind her, two strange looking aliens. One was large and plump with purple skin and four eyes. He wore a white lab coat. He continued, saying "He was getting restless! Already ate everything in the concession stands! Including the concessioner!"
"And he has to fight that guy?", the other alien said. He was skinny with green skin and one large eye. Despite his gender, he wore an orange dress similar to the little girl's. "I mean, he's so big! And ugly! And I'm pretty sure I saw a nest of spiders in his armpit!"
"It doesn't matter! Stitch will beat him!", the little girl said confidently. Stitch pumped out his chest and strutted his way to the ring.
"That little guy's gonna get creamed!" Cid said. "Pass the popcorn!" he said to Ron.
"How could he possibly beat a huge guy like Kragnok?", Kairi questioned. Sora laughed a little.
"Trust me, Stitch has a few tricks up his sleeves," he said.
Back at the arena, Stitch hopped into the ring and blew kisses to all of his adoring fans. "This is my opponent?" Kragnok asked smugly. "A tiny blue koala? Why not just call the match now? I don't want to be bothered by those animal cruelty activists."
"Alright boys!", Hermes said. "Knock each others brains out!"
Kragnok raised his axe and pointed it at Stitch's furry face. "It's not to late to give up", he said, to which Stitch blew raspberries in response. Kragnok growled. "Fine! Don't say I didn't warn you!"
Stitch grinned evilly.
"AAAHHHHH! OH GOD! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? OWWWWWW! MY SPLEEN! IT HURTS SO MUCH! WAHHHHH! OH, THAT DOESN'T BEND THAT WAY! GAHHHHH! HELP ME! FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS PURE, HELP ME!" The Coliseum audience winced as the screams and pleas of Kragnok filled the air. People looked on in horror at the rated M violence that was on display in the ring.
Kragnok the Destroyer lay in a crumpled mess. Stitch stood leaning against him, picking his teeth casually. Once everyone had registered what had just happened, they broke into enthusiastic cheers.
"Whoa...", Barret whispered.
Sora broke out in a radiant grin. "Alright Stitch!", he shouted, standing up. The little blue monster heard him amongst all the other people with his big ears and turned his large black eyes in Sora's direction. As soon as he spotted Sora, he smiled widely.
"Sora!", he exclaimed. He jumped out of the arena and catapulted himself right at Sora. The Keyblader was knocked flat on his back as Stitch slobbered on his face.
"Hey! Come on! Cut it out!", Sora laughed.
KHKHKHKH
Up in the podium that housed the gods, Zeus and his son Hercules watched the matches as they progressed. The next match was Tifa and Kim versus a band of Vikings. Oh, those poor Vikings.
"I got to say son, this is one heck of a tournament you cooked up here!" Zeus praised. "Good fights! Good food! Good company! I'm so proud!" Hercules grinned, embarrassed.
"Aw it's nothing dad! Sora and his friends are the ones making it interesting. Besides, it's all in your honour! This is your day! And - I don't want to jinx it - but it would be just terrible if some kind of evil force were to arrive and ruin everything!"
POOF
"Hades is in da house!" The god of the dead announced upon his flashy entrance. Zeus and Hercules both sighed, as did all the other gods. "Hey Mercury! What's up! Apollo! How's that hip treating you? Hey Athena, you and me should hook up later, eh? Haha! Just kidding Aries!"
"Just ignore him," Zeus whispered.
"Zeusy!" Hades exclaimed. "Is this seat taken?" He shoved Hercules out of his seat, not bothering to wait for an answer. "How's it hangin' li'l bro? How's the king of the gods gig workin' out for ya?"
"Hades. Nice to see you again," Zeus replied grudgingly.
"Oh, come on Zeusy! You're not still mad about me trying to knock off Herc, here, are ya? I thought we were all past this! Besides, I love the little guy now!" To show it, he grabbed Hercules and started noogying him.
"Why are you here?" Zeus asked. "It's not everyday we get to see you out of the Underworld. How is it there anyway?"
"Well you know, a little dark, a little gloomy and, as always, full of dead people! What are ya gonna do? And what's with the suspicion? This is one of the biggest events of the millennium! It's only natural for me to be excited! Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to watch the rest of the fight." Zeus frowned but turned back to the match below, missing the evil smile that crossed Hades mouth.
KHKHKHKH
Another Viking swung his sword at Kim only to be met with a hard kick to the jaw. Not far from her, Tifa punched another one straight at the barrier, knocking him out cold. These two femme fatales were an unstoppable force of martial arts skills. The Vikings were no match for them.
There were only two Vikings left and both were running at the girls who were now caught in the centre. Tifa and Kim clasped their hands together and jumped, kicking out on either side of each other, taking down both Vikings at once. They turned to smile at each other in victory.
"Winners! Kim and Tifa!"
"Alright, Kim!" Ron shouted.
"Booya!" Rufus called with his tiny megaphone. Tifa and Kim waved back at their friends.
"Oooohhh!", Stitch waved back. "Call me, baby!", he said doing the 'call me' gesture with his hand.
"Stitch! Stop objectifying women!", the little girl lectured. He had just been introduced as Lilo. "In this day and age, women are intelligent hard working leaders of the future!"
"Where did you get that load horse manure?", Jack drawled. Stitch giggled mischievously.
Sora also laughed, which earned him a glare from Kairi. "Uh, Stitch. You guys never explained why you were here."
"I'll answer that!", the literally four-eyed alien shouted. "I am Dr. Jumba Jookiba! 626, or as this little girl has named him, Stitch, is my evil creation!"
"Former evil creation!", the one-eyed alien corrected.
"Yes, Pleakley. Experiment 626 is as good as a boy scout now! To some degree. I mean, there was this one time in Barbados, many people injured! But I digress. This tournament is a perfect opportunity to test Stitch's battle skills! He will rip up the competition! And then with that wish! Oh, ha ha haa! Ooops! Evil scientist within me taking over again!"
"Stitch is here because he wants to be," Lilo explained. "With that wish he can get lots of stuff!"
"Yeah! New space ship! Big blasters! Pretty girls..." Stitch said slyly.
"But we're going to use it for the betterment of the mankind! And fishkind!" Lilo said happily while Stitch sourly agreed.
"I hope I don't have to fight him," Sora gulped.
"Wasn't that a fantastic match folks?" Hermes exclaimed. "I'd hate to run into those two in a dark alley! Alright, time for the next match!"
"That's us, Sora!" Kairi said.
"Let's go!", he exclaimed and they both ran off for the ring.
On their opponent's side of the arena stood a large metal robot. It looked like a child's wind-up toy blown up to a gigantic size. In fact, it had a wind-up key sticking out of its back. Two pincer-type claws served as hands and many weapons sprouted from various parts of its body.
"Alright, listen bub!" Pete said to the man who controlled the deadly looking robot. He wore bushy hair, a beard and a white lab coat. "Your robot had better be as tough as you say! Sora ain't no pushover you know!"
"Don't worry," the scientist said. "Maximilian will make short work of those children. They won't know what hit them! You'd just better keep up your part of the bargain."
"No worries! If you take care of those kids, it'll guarantee you a spot in Maleficent's new world order! Just remember, don't take out the girl! Maleficent needs her for her dark and evil schemes! But the other kid is fair game!" Pete then hobbled off, laughing.
Sora and Kairi walked into the arena and confronted the large robot. It stared them down with its large lightbulb eyes. "I think I played with this guy when I was a kid," Sora said thoughtfully. "Except he was a lot smaller."
"What happened?" Kairi asked.
"I blew it up with a fire cracker," he replied, nonchalantly. This apparently angered the robot as its yellow eyes suddenly turned red. "Uh, but it made me incredibly happy in the one week that I owned it!" The robot's arm then changed into a cannon and he pointed it straight at Sora and Kairi. "Maybe we should just fight." They both jumped out of the way before the blast from the cannon could hit them.
"Give me a T!", Ron cheered.
"T!", Denzel exclaimed.
"Give me an A!"
"A!", Marlene cried.
"Give me a C!"
"C!", Yuffie shouted.
"Give me an O!"
"O!", Rufus yelled.
"What does it spell?"
"Taco?" Cid said scratching his head.
"That's right! Where's that taco guy, anyway?"
Back at the fight, Sora and Kairi were having a bit of trouble. The robot had every weapon known to man. Rocket launchers sprouted from its chest. Its other arm morphed into a machine gun. Its knees became flame throwers and lasers shot out from its eyes. They had quite a workout while dodging all of that. To top it all off, their attacks were apparently useless. Nothing they did could penetrate its armour.
Dodging another round of machine gun fire they jumped back. "Any ideas?" Sora asked.
"None. Nothing works on him!" Kairi said hopelessly. Sora frowned and looked the robot up and down searching for some kind of weakness. Sadly, he could find none. Not even their spells did any significant damage. But then an idea struck him.
"Hey Kairi!" he called. He whispered into her ear and then nodded. Sora ran for the robot, casting blizzaga to cancel out the flamethrower. He ran around the arena dodging all the robot's fire power. And, while he distracted the robot, Kairi climbed up its back with Keyblade in hand.
"You idiot!", the scientist shouted. "Get her off your back!" The robot complied by reaching behind its back trying to claw Kairi off. She managed to make it to the robot's head. With all the strength she could muster she rammed her Keyblade straight into its head. Unfortunately, at that moment it was finally able to grab her and promptly threw her straight at Sora.
"Ouch. If I had a nickel for every time that happened to me...uh...let me see...carry the three - well, I'd have five cents!" Jack said, cheerfully.
Both of the robot's arms turned into cannons as Sora and Kairi untangled from each other. The cannons were pointed straight in their faces and began charging.
"Now!" Kairi shouted.
Sora raised his Keyblade and fired a powerful thundaga spell straight at the Keyblade that was lodged in the robot's head. Serving as a lightning rod, the Keyblade channeled the attack through the robot's insides, shorting out every circuit in its metallic body. Its eyes dimmed to black and the robot collapsed with a loud crash.
The scientist stood dumfounded. "Oh well," he sighed. "I guess I can still fulfill my life long dream of becoming a dentist." He walked out of the arena with a new outlook on life.
"The winners! Sora and Kairi!", exclaimed Hermes.
KHKHKHKH
And so the tournament progressed. Warriors from all around fought fiercely in the ring for honour and recognition but mostly to win the wish from Zeus. Fighters fell and fighters rose through the ranks leading to the championships.
Sora and Kairi managed to fight their way to the top of the tournament roster. sonic, Mulan and Beast made it, too, but most of their opponents just ran once Beast entered the arena. Leon, Yuffie and Adelbert had one more match to fight before they were guaranteed a spot in the finals.
Unfortunately, it seemed that they weren't the only ones who had progressed. Pete and his Gladiator Heartless were a force to be reckoned with, cutting down all opponents that came their way. It was the same case with General Darius, who ripped through all who challenged him. Azul and Shelke were two separate entries and both got through as well.
"Who's DM?" Sora asked as he and Leon looked at the tournament rosters displayed on the Coliseum walls. Stitch hung onto his back, also reading.
"Not sure," Leon said. "But he took down everyone to make it to the elimination rounds. No one has seen him fight. But we'll find out when we face him. He's our next opponent."
"Well it looks like my next fight is with...Shelke," Sora said, thoughtfully. "Good! I can nip one threat in the bud!"
"Go Sora! Turn her into Stitch chow!" Stitch growled. Sora smiled and nodded.
Back in the arena, the crowd was cheering for more action. "Alright, ladies and gentlemen! We are nearing the end of the elimination rounds! And what a good time we've been having! Lasers shooting! Limbs flying everywhere! Those things are excellent souvenirs. The next match, Sora versus Shelke!"
In the stands, Shalua stiffened while her friends cheered. Denzel looked her way worriedly.
Shelke the Transparent walked her way to the ring calmly. She shared a glance with Azul, who was leaning against a wall; he nodded to acknowledge her. On the other side, Sora was making his way to the ring.
"Go get her, Sora!" Kairi cheered.
"Break her in half!" Ron cried.
"I'm out of rum!" Jack wailed.
Sora and Shelke faced each other with him towering over her. Her face was expressionless while his was determined. As Sora watched Shelke he couldn't help but feel she looked familiar. Like he had seen her somewhere before. But where? "Who wants to see these two young whipper snappers duke it out?" Hermes was answered with ecstatic applause. "Let the fight begin!"
Sora immediately summoned his Keyblade and Shelke drew her sabres. The match began with Shelke charging directly at Sora with great speed and attempting to stab him, but he sidestepped and avoided it. She was fast. Swinging around, she connected her other sabre to Sora's Keyblade, sending sparks into the air.
The fight continued like this with the exchanging of blows. Shelke was a clearly a skilled in using her two sabres. Her quick movements and accurate strikes kept Sora on his feet. But to the trained eye it was clear that Sora had the upper hand. With much more experience in swordsmanship he was beginning to wear down the Tsviet. As the matched dragged on, he began to score more hits on her body.
Shalua winced each time Shelke was struck. Tears threatened to fall from her eyes as she heard her sister's grunts of pain. Denzel also watched the match with full sympathy for the red haired scientist.
Sora scored another painful blow to Shelke, sending her flying onto her back. Before she was able to get back up Sora pointed his Keyblade in her face.
"The fight's over," he stated. "Give up."
Shelke showed no fear. "My life for the Horned King," she said coldly. Sora scowled and raised the Keyblade.
Shalua looked away shaking with sobs.
"Sora! Wait!"
Sora stopped and turned to the stands where Denzel had risen and was shouting to him through the noise of the Coliseum.
"Don't do it!", he shouted. His friends stared at him as if he were insane but Shalua stared at him in shock. "Shelke is Shalua's sister!" Sora balked. Her sister? His head snapped back to Shelke who was still on the ground. Of course. That's where he'd seen her. It was in his dream where Shalua's sister was taken by the Heartless. That was Shelke. She looked exactly the same now as she did then.
The Tsviet took advantage of Sora's moment of distraction and swiped at his gut, slashing the fabric of his outfit causing him to jump back.
"Is it true?", he asked. "Are you really Shalua's sister?"
Shelke's expression didn't change. "We are of the same flesh and blood if that's what you mean." Shalua bowed her head sadly.
"Shalua..." Aerith whispered.
"Now that's a shocker!" Jack cried. "That's probably the biggest shocker we'll ever hear in this little adventure!"
Shelke raised herself and readied her weapons again. Sora scowled. He couldn't hurt her now! His good guy instincts were telling him not to bring down his friend's sister. He sighed. Whether Shalua liked it or not, Shelke was with the Horned King now. She had to be stopped. But maybe he could make this work both ways.
He fired a couple of blizzaga spells at her which she deflected by raising a shield. This proved a useful distraction as Sora charged at her again. They clashed weapons as Shalua watched worriedly from the stands.
"Oh, the drama is killing me," Ron whimpered. "Pass the popcorn!", he called to Stitch who hoarded it all greedily.
Finally, Sora got under Shelke's defenses and swung his Keyblade up to connect with her jaw sending her high in the air.
"Thundaga!" Sora cried. The lighting bolt streaked through the sky and hit the still airborne Shelke. The normally stoic girl cried out as the volts coursed through her, knocking her out cold. She fell back to earth and Sora caught her.
"Winner! Sora!"
"Shelke!", Shalua shouted, jumping into the arena and running over to her. She scooped her unconscious sister out of Sora's arms and into her own. She cried freely as she cradled Shelke's body. Sora smiled.
The rest of the group came over as well. "Cid, Wade, Aerith," Leon called to them. "Take her back to the Shera. See what you can do."
"Alright," Aerith agreed. She walked to Shalua and put a hand on her shoulder and helped her up. Together they carried off Shelke to the Shera.
Sora watched them go with a feeling of accomplishment. Turning his head, he met the yellow eyes of Azul who was still leaning against the wall. The large man smirked and walked out of the arena seemingly not to care about today's events.
"I have no idea what's going on but it seems very beautiful," Hermes said. "Now would everyone who is not competing in the final match please leave the arena!"
"That's us, Leon," Adelbert said.
"Right. Let's go Yuffie." Leon called to the ninja. Everyone else went to the stands.
"I hope Shalua will be okay," Kairi said, as she and Sora made their way to their seats. Sora smiled reassuringly.
"Don't worry. My spell wasn't that strong. Shelke should be alright."
"Will she?" Kairi retorted. "Remember, Sora, she worked for the Horned King for over ten years. Who knows how much that has changed her."
"Next fight! Leon versus DM!"
"DM?" Barret echoed.
"Dumb monkey?" Ron guessed.
Up in the god seats, Hades grinned wickedly.
Walking to the arena from the entrance was someone clad entirely in black robes. His face was covered by a black hood. He walked slowly and without hesitation to meet Leon in the ring, his robes dragging behind him.
Sora watched the man as he stepped into the ring. What was this feeling he was getting?
"Go get him, Leon!" Yuffie cheered from the sidelines. Adelbert stood there also with his arms crossed.
The robed figure turned his covered head toward the other members of Leon's team. Raising his gloved hand he made a gesture motioning them to come forward.
"He wants to fight them all?" Quistis asked in disbelief.
Leon raised an eyebrow. "Can he do that?", he asked Hermes, who had flown down to their level.
"As long as the opponent is okay with it, it is permitted," he explained. "Most of the arrogant jerks get creamed so think of it as a break!" Leon nodded understandingly.
Adelbert punched his fists together. "So he thinks he's a big shot, huh? Man, I hate guys like that! They think their so tough that the world is their oyster!"
"Yeah, aren't guys like that annoying?" Lula said sarcastically.
"Damn straight!"
Yuffie jumped into the arena next to Leon. "Let's take him down Leon!"
"I've got a bad feeling about this," Sora said.
"Folks, we've got quite a treat here!" Hermes announced. "A three-on-one match with Leon, Yuffie and Adelbert against DM! Pray for his soul...and let the fight begin!"
Leon and Yuffie drew Gunblade and Shuriken while Adelbert drew Lula. The dark figure, however, made no move to draw any kind of weapon but stayed perfectly still, staring down his opponents.
"What's he waiting for? Christmas?" Yuffie said, annoyed. "Although, I'm getting tired of waiting for Christmas, too."
"Enough talk! Let's get him!" Adelbert shouted, charging for the figure who still didn't move. The figure raised its hand with outstretched palm. Before Adelbert could reach the robed figure he was sent flying back by some unknown force. He flew past the astonished Leon and Yuffie and smashed into the invisible barrier. Little stars circled his head.
In the audience stands, everyone stared with open-jawed disbelief at what had just happened.
"Was that...?" Sora started.
"Yeah," Kairi said.
The robed figure reached for his waist. Hanging from his belt was a familiar metal cylinder. Grasping it firmly, he drew it and pressed the button on its frame. Red light shot out of its top to its end in a deadly lightsabre.
"That ain't good," Yuffie stuttered.
The lightsabre-wielding figure charged for them head on. Jumping high in the air, he came down on Leon who raised his Gunblade to block. When he landed, he rounded and kicked Yuffie in the stomach sending her flying back. He and Leon clashed in a dangerous duel. The mysterious figure moved gracefully and elegantly to attack. Leon was pushed to his limits just to keep up. He received help when Adelbert got back up and joined in with Lula.
"Ow! Yeouch! Ahh!" Lula cried each time she hit the searing hot lightsabre. Amazingly, the figure was able to keep both of them at bay.
Yuffie got back up and threw her large shuriken straight at him. The man swung his lightsabre in a wide arc causing Leon and Adelbert to jump back. The shuriken whizzed for him and he stopped it in midair with his power. While one hand held the weapon in place, he used the other to spin it faster and faster. Once he was satisfied, he sent the weapon spinning to Adelbert. He raised Lula to stop it but was pushed back none the less. Before he had a chance to recover, the robed figure came flying in for a high kick that knocked Adelbert against the barrier and out cold.
"Well, that's just great!" Lula growled still in Adelbert's grasp. "He could have at least dropped me before he got his butt kicked."
The fighter known as DM dodged the smaller shurikens that Yuffie was throwing. He rushed at her, spinning his sabre to deflect the other stars thrown at him. Without any other weapons, Yuffie resorted to hand to hand combat.
"You...are...really...starting...to...tick...me...off!", she panted as he dodged her punches and kicks. The man punched her hard in the gut causing her to gasp. She went down, unconscious.
"This is bad!" Sora gasped.
"Who is this guy!?" Quistis growled.
"I told you! Dumb Monkey!" Ron said.
The man stared down at the unconscious ninja before turning to the last remaining fighter. Leon grasped his Gunblade and charged, yelling a battle cry. The man blocked each attack effortlessly. Leon was worn out and tiring fast.
"I've got to stop this!" Sora shouted, about to jump into the arena. A bolt of lightning struck the railing in front of him and put an end to that plan. "Rrrr! Stupid rules!" His friends could only look on as Leon finally collapsed from exhaustion. He was then lifted off the ground by an invisible power that gripped his throat. Struggling to breathe, Leon looked into the red and black colored face under the hood.
"Stop!" Hercules shouted from the podium. "This match is over! Let him go!"
'Oh, come on!" Hades whined. "He's just playing around! Believe it or not things aren't exactly the most exciting in Underworld." Hercules glared at him. "Fine," he sighed. At his gesture the man released his hold on Leon.
"Winner! DM!" Hermes cried. "And that's the end of the elimination rounds! The Zeus Cup will continue tomorrow, giving our finalists the time to rest up! So long, ladies and germs! Make sure to pass by the concessioners so that they can cheat you out of your money on the way out!" The crowd cheered, already on their way to buy some giant foam fingers.
"Well this was a very happy day for us all! Wasn't it Zeusy?", Hades asked of his little brother. "Of course it was! People were maimed, mangled, and some brought in business for the Underworld!" Zeus grumbled something. "Especially that guy down there! Wonder who he belongs too? Oh, that's right, it's me! Wow, he'll be tough to beat! Oh well! Not like there's anything at stake here. See you tomorrow, Zeusy!" Hades disappeared in a cloud of brimstone and fire, leaving behind a worried Zeus and Hercules.
Hades reappeared next to the dark robed man in the ring. "Hades!" Sora shouted. "That guy's with him!?"
"Uh, that guy's head is on fire," Jack said. "Should we be concerned or have I been sniffing paprika again?"
Hades put his blue hand on DM's shoulder. "Good work today, buddy. Screw the Final Fantasy guys! The Sith are where it's at! Back to the Underworld! Drinks are on Pain and Panic!"
Both of them disappeared. Sora clenched his fist. Things just got a lot more complicated.
And that concludes another chapter. Be sure to write nice reviews adapt the original story (Darius Almighty's work) on DeviantArt, turn it into a webcomic or post the story on TV tropes or follow and favorite it. And remember may your heart be your guiding key!