Cloud Strife was never known to be a particularly friendly person.

From the distant days of his childhood, Cloud was the odd one out amongst his peers. It wasn't like anyone found him to be scary or threatening. To them, he was just awkward. Idle speech was more than just an annoyance; it was discomforting. And everyone was quick to catch on.

There was a part of him that regretted his attitude. Everyone made sure not to bother him more than they needed to, even within his small circle of friends. But still, the long moments when he submerged in silence by himself, the moments where he could stare blankly off into space without a care while his friends chattered off to the side, they became familiar moments of comfort. One would think he would naturally gravitate towards others like him. Others who knew how to appreciate and revel in quiet solitude.

That was not the case.

He would never admit it, but he hated loners. He never admitted it because he was one himself. The parts of him that grew accustomed and appreciative to loneliness were the parts of him that he hated most of all. He couldn't understand why anyone wanted to live like this. He couldn't understand why anyone would choose to embrace a life being just as unpleasant as he could be.

With that hatred in his heart, he could feel nothing but disdain for his current client who silently floated across from him in the dark arena entranceway. The audience bleachers just outside had long since been filled in anticipation for the tournament that would begin any minute from now. Those were all just muffled ambience in the distance to Cloud however. There was nothing to drown out the overwhelming sense of bleak nothingness that emanated from Tabuu's very being.

In his heart, he knew he shouldn't have taken this job.

But for someone as pitiful as him, choice was a nonexistent luxury.

Tabuu tilted his head towards the sullen blonde man. No sound left or ever would leave his mouth, yet Cloud could understand everything just from the cold gazes alone.

"That kid I ran into earlier. You need me to steal away his key, correct?"

Tabuu nodded slowly.

Cloud recalled the very brief meeting he had with the teen. If you could call it a meeting. He merely passed by the guy on his way to this irksome meetup. He couldn't think of anything notable about him. Just a loud and annoyingly excitable youth who traveled far to this world for an adrenaline pumping brawl.

Cloud wasn't stupid. He knew the moment he took on this job that he wasn't giving assistance to anything good. Seeing his would-be victim in person only confirmed it.

"Pathetic," Cloud gritted his teeth before taking his leave. "Waste of my goddamn time…"

Tabuu stared coldly as he watched Cloud blip out from sight. He knew he took a gamble by recruiting this one.

How annoying.

It didn't matter though.

He knew what he had to do if he failed to comply.

oOo

"Welcome sisters and brothers to this year's Newcomer Tournament!"

Seth's enthusiastic shout boomed throughout the arena. It was almost hard to believe that this amount of zeal and ardor was coming from someone as petty and irritable as that dude. But if there was anything Seth was good at, it was showcasing the guise of a professional. And in this case, he knew what the people wanted. Every statement and boast he made was met with thunderous roars from the fervent masses. They knew they were in for a show.

"As you all know, all winners will be inducted into the elite Brawlers group and forever having their name etched alongside the greatest heroes the worlds have ever known.

"Well we've got a surprise for you all this year. It's not enough to be the best. A true Brawler must prove they're as strong as a hero too! So for the first time ever, we are introducing a new exhibition match where the top contender will fight to the top against some of our valiant Brawlers themselves!"

The crowd's excitement was through the roof.

"Without further ado…

"Ready?

"GO!"

And with that, four statues were immediately shot into the air and towards the arena grounds. They were like mere toys being playfully tossed into a child's playpen. And as their golden pedestals landed neatly on the platform, the frozen forms of Cody and his crew came to life. This bizarre entrance was a tradition of this world, yet Cody and company could not help but feel disturbed and disoriented from the sensation.

"The heck was that?" Cody quivered as he frantically inspected his body.

"Felt kind of like a Pokeball," Loudred mused.

"Like you'd know," Alakazam grumbled. "Felt more like nausea if you ask me."

"Look!"

Mokona directed the group's attention towards the small army of Heartless that inched right towards them. In the past, they would've panicked on sight at these swaths of dark Shadows and Soldiers, but there was none of that this time. With confident swings of keys, fists, and spoons, they charged on forward. They were all down in minutes like the small fry they were. Cody couldn't help but smirk at this accomplishment. Just a few days earlier, he cowered around in fear at the mere sight of these things. Look at him now.

And just listen to the chants of the audience.

Just as the gang began to celebrate amongst themselves, their vision and senses quickly distorted. The loud and raucous arena setting was instantaneously replaced with the hallowed walls of the waiting room. But that didn't mean the enthusiasm was gone.

"Whoa, you guys took them out like it was nothing!" Pit flew excitedly towards them. "It was like a whole army of them and then, BAM!"

"I gotta say, that was pretty impressive," Samus walked over alongside Red, both more than happy to praise the group's victory. It was their first impression of their fighting skills after all. A good one.

There was very little time for the four to bask in their little ego boosting session. Seth's voice could be heard from the LED screen that towered over them from the upper walls of the room. The man named Cloud had taken his stance in the arena. Cody squinted his eyes knowing that this was their chance to really examine what exactly they were up against.

Cloud had a blank poker face as if his very participation was nothing more than an annoyance. It gave the impression that he was merely going through the motions of something he couldn't get out of.

What exactly was this guy's deal?

Cody's mouth gaped as Cloud's opponent materialized. Right in his eyes was the familiar sleek purple form of Guard Armor's limbs. He and his allies struggled greatly against that menace and now they had to witness a suspicious stranger attempt it all on his own.

"Have you fought that guy before?" Red asked as he noticed the shocked looks on the quartet's faces.

"Yeah," Cody nodded. "That thing nearly kicked our butts."

"We beat the sock out of it!" Mokona gleefully boasted.

"Yeah," Loudred added. "And it only took seven of us."

"Seven?!" Pit exclaimed. "And he's taking that thing down on his own?"

"I see," Samus sighed as she lightly planted her hand on the face of her helmet. "He's really trying to get rid of the guy, huh?"

The room tensed. Cody and company remembered their fight against it well. They expected a lengthy and arduous struggle to unfold right in front of them.

What they saw instead was a few quick swings of an enormous sword while pieces of armor collapsed near instantaneously.

…

…

…

Red coughed. "Well, uh," he glanced towards the Keyblade Crew who all shared the same faces of horror and regret. "Even if you guys can't take him down, there's still us."

That was the least of their concerns.

Right now, they were just hoping they wouldn't die.

oOo

"What the hell was that?" Seth breathed uncomfortably as he struggled to take in the speed of Cloud's battle. His fingers quivered on the railing from his box seat as he eyed the now empty arena platform down below incredulously.

Seth lightly slapped his hand onto his dreary eyes. He may have been harsh on those four to an almost cartoonishly stubborn degree, but even he was aware he may as well had given them a death warrant when he tossed this task on to them. "Those guys are so screwed."

"Hey, you should have more faith in them," Bianca chimed in beside him. It sounded like her statement came more from an instinctive reaction rather than sincerity. Her strained and nervous face mirrored her coworker's almost to a tee.

The tournament raged on. The two tried their best to assuage their worries as they tentatively observed Cody's group perform above Seth's initial expectations. But as soon as Cloud returned to the field to obliterate his opponents in record time, they were back to their negative states. Trying to deny the clear contrast in skill was impossible.

"For crying out loud, I even fixed the brackets so he'd get the tougher looking matchups," Seth let out a pained groan. "I guess I'll be relying on the Brawlers after all." He glanced over at his partner. "You briefed those three on him earlier, right? How'd they react?"

"Well," Bianca gritted her teeth ever so slightly. It wasn't like she had any more bad news, but one of the reactions she received was fairly unexpected. "Red and Pit were just as you'd expect. Samus though? She had a weird hunch on him."

"A bad one?"

"Nope. Good…ish?"

"The hell does that mean?" Seth raised his eyebrow.

He returned his gaze onto the battlefield. "Well whatever 'hunch' she had, we're just going to have to wait and see what happens."

"Wait and see if he kills those four or spares them?"

"You sent them to me, so if they die, you're paying for their funerals."

"You let them in though!"

"You were forcing them onto me."

"Why are we even talking about this? I can't even tell if we're joking. Seriously, I hope they don't die."

oOo

No, they did not die.

But it certainly felt like they did.

Before long, their matchup against Cloud finally arrived. And before long, it was as good as over. It happened much too quickly for Cody to understand exactly what happened. One moment, Cloud was in front of him and his crew, drawing out his Buster Sword, the largest goddamned sword Cody had ever seen in his life. The next moment, he was sent into a whirlwind of every memory from his short, and admittedly paltry, life his mind was willing to toss at him. Evidently, it was true what they said about your life flashing before your eyes when you've reached your death bed.

Except Cloud wasn't cruel enough to kill him of course.

Cody landed hard on to the platform in an almost deafening thud. Pain seared up every inch of his body upon impact. He could hardly believe he didn't permanently snap his back in half right then and there. His companions were in no better condition as they too laid cold and injured on the ground beside him. The question was less how they got knocked down but when. Were they down before him? After him? At the same time? Everything felt so instantaneous, it was impossible to tell from a victim's perspective.

Cloud slowly inched towards the teen who writhed on the ground in pain. Cody winced in fear that the man would go even further and that he would enter a second round tumbling humiliatingly through Memory Lane.

But again, Cloud was not as cruel as he appeared.

He stared at the key that, despite everything, was still held firmly and tightly in Cody's grasp. Obtaining this trinket was his mission. He could just snatch it right this moment and everything would be done with. But he also looked at the Keybearer himself. Just as expected, he posed no threat to the merc, but despite the fear that was clear as day on his ragged and worn face, he could still see a spark in Cody's eyes; A spark to survive, and a spark to fight back despite the knowledge that he couldn't.

It was then Cloud made up his mind.

He drew down his sword. Screw the job. As far as he was concerned, this battle was over.

…Or was it?

A faint scream could be heard from the audience, just loud enough to avoid being completely drowned out by the bustling ambience that surrounded it. That scream spread until haunting fathoms of fear overwhelmed the stadium. As pained as they were, Cody and company needed to see what happened. As they weakly lifted themselves off the ground, they began to feel their straining bodies quickly heal themselves as if adrenaline was doing its job to prepare them for the scene they were about to witness.

An enormous dark pterodactyl-like creature tore down into the stadium.

Loudred was the first of the group to yelp. "What is that?"

The screech of Seth's microphone billowed into the air and competed against the crazed commotion that consumed the entire arena. "This is an emergency," he stated in the calmest voice he could gather. "Ridley has escaped captivity and is currently flying around the arena. We request that every attendee evacuate the stadium. I repeat, everyone, please evacuate the stadium, now."

Cody and his crew could do nothing but gawk. The gigantic reptile wringed around wildly in the skies as it crashed its body and wings into the bleachers that were quickly emptying out like a wriggling spout. And alongside the creature, way up in the sky, was a silent blue figure that stared sternly down towards the arena platform. With his ghostly existence and, of course, Ridley running amok, it would be easy to miss his presence altogether. But to Cloud, he was the one that posed the biggest threat here.

"Can't say I wasn't expecting this," Cloud mumbled as he lifted up his Buster Sword once more.

Cody jumped as Cloud leapt up towards the sky, nearly causing the worn teen to topple over once more. The blonde merc bounced off any loose platform he could find to further propel himself upwards as readied himself for a devastating strike against Tabuu. There he was, just inches away from Tabuu's still and eerie face, when Ridley's tail effortlessly smacked him straight back down into the arena. The Keyblade Crew may have just been beaten senseless by the guy, but even they were aghast at the sight.

"Hey, you four!"

They all turned around to see Bianca, who now wielded a sword, rushing over alongside Samus, Red, and Pit.

Samus was the first to make a move as she deftly shot out lasers from her arm cannon and avoided Ridley's movement just as she had many times before. Pit flew to the skies armed with a bow and celestial arrows while Red tossed three Pokeballs into the air to reveal a Charizard, Squirtle, and Ivysaur. Bianca meanwhile decided to check up on the knocked down merc before she too joined her fellow fighters in their efforts.

"Hey, hey, are you alright?"

"Is," Cody stammered. "Is there anything we can do?"

Bianca looked up at him and the others. None of them were in any condition to fight.

"You four take this guy with you and get the heck out of here."

"But," Loudred winced. He looked over at the fight that was ensuing. The heroes were already struggling; even Samus who seemed to have the most experience against this foe.

Just then, Ridley roared and turned its attention towards the ground where they stood.

"Crap," Bianca cried as she quickly jumped up into a fighting stance. There was no way she'd be able to look after Cloud's body like this.

"What are you guys waiting for? Go!"

They'd gotten used to joining in on the life threatening battles that it was almost disheartening to be rejected from another one. But of course, a man was down, and if they weren't careful, they would be too. Loudred sloppily slung Cloud on to his shoulder as the four made their departure.

If the arena had suddenly turned into a den of chaos, the lobby wasn't much better. Every nook and cranny of the building was filled with attendees racing through the halls, hoping to leave the world before Ridley could get ahold of them first. It was almost impossible for the gang to walk through without being nearly tripped or stampeded over by another group of rowdy evacuees.

"This way!"

Their attention turned towards a familiar voice. Seth, who was directing the masses to safety, desperately attempted to make them follow as well.

"We, we can't just," Cody stuttered. "We can't just leave."

"They're going to get ripped into pieces and swallowed whole!" Mokona shrieked.

"Didn't you guys just get knocked out by Sleeping Beauty over there?" Seth nudged his eyes towards Cloud who continued to lie limply over Loudred. "If that thing knocked him out, you guys sure as hell won't do any better."

"But you had this whole plan because you weren't even sure your guys could take him out," Alakazam retorted. "Doesn't that mean they'll all get knocked down too?"

Seth's eyes twitched. He had a point. Normally Samus could take the thing down on her own, but alongside all the craziness that was occurring, the creature had become much more rowdy and threatening than usual. That's why they opted to keep it tightly captive here and away from her world to begin with. If it was strong enough to break free, even Samus and the others might meet their match. But he wasn't willing to admit that. No, he was the manager of the stadium. His main concern was everyone's safety. Even theirs.

"Hey, you two!" Seth shouted towards the exit where Chris and Chef were most definitely trying to mask their escape with the crowd. The duo jolted as if Seth himself was much more frightening than the current situation.

"If you're going to try and fail to leave your posts knowing full well neither of you have a way out of here," he emphasized his words harshly before pointing towards Cody and his crew. "Take those five with you!"

"What, hey! You can't do this!" Cody cried out as Chris promptly began to usher him out.

"Sorry bro," Chris replied. "Dude's scary as shit if things don't get done right away." He leaned closer to the teen's ear. "Hey, you guys got a ride, right? Mind letting us mooch off of you?"

Man, screw this guy.

The group continued to voice their displeasure all the way to their unwilling exit. All Seth could do was sigh and shrug.

"Our world, our problem. Not yours."

oOo

After they forcefully shook off the pair of wannabe hitchhikers, Cody, Alakazam, Loudred, Mokona, and a still resting Cloud were left mulling over themselves just right outside the doors to the stadium.

"Maybe Seth has a point," Alakazam said quietly, earning gasps from the group. "This is their world. They know how to handle stuff like this. And the people in this world are way stronger than we are now. Maybe we should just go."

"How could you say that?!" Cody shouted. "We need to figure out how to get back in there, not leave!. I know you're a stickler for this whole world order thing, but now's not the time for that."

"I think you guys should all hop into my gem here so I can sneak onto the field and vomit you all out!" Mokona yipped.

"How about I go and spam Uproar and take everyone's eardrums hostage until they let us back in?" Loudred added.

"Again with this?" Alakazam quickly snapped out of his uncertainty in time to once again fume at their stupidity. "Now's not the time for any of that either!"

Cody bit his lip. This scene reminded him all too well of what transpired back on the island; panic and chaos that soon devolved into a ruined world. This wouldn't have been the first time he'd be rushing into a battle outmatched and unprepared, but he was worried the outcome would result more closely to Darkside than Guard Armor; an unknown victory leading to a lost world. The dumb luck he relied on had no real place in a fight where the consequences were so dire. He'd just chastised Alakazam about this moments before, but Seth's words rang in his head. There was no real reason for them to chip in. To the inhabitants of Smash Stadium, they were no different than the scrambling audience members. Was it right to just leave things here?

Suddenly, Cloud coughed harshly as he scrappily forced himself off of Loudred. Cody tried grabbing ahold of his arm to keep him from losing balance while he limped around. Their difference in size and physique however nearly caused him to be the one to lose his footing instead. "Are you alright?"

No response. Instead Cloud continued to push forward and shoved Cody aside.

"Hey," Loudred called out. "You're still hurt bad. Come back."

"So are you guys, and yet you won't shut up about wanting to fight," Cloud mumbled. "I started this mess. If I leave this place now like this, I'll regret it."

And so would they.

As if on cue, the four revved up their romp forward as well.

Except they knew they were going to need more than just a brave march to break in.

Cloud yelped as he was once again toppled over Loudred's arms. The large Pokemon was the first to charge forward, followed by Alakazam, Mokona, and Cody at the tail. They screamed out as if initiating a battlecry and ripped past the entrance and lobby like a speeding bullet. Seth, Chris, and Chef had no chance of stopping them in this state.

Soon enough, they were launched right back into the arena, ready to help end this battle.