Heartdimension Neptunia I: To Kingdom Come (Kingdom Hearts x Neptunia)

by Ren149

Neptune was an amnesiac who woke up in a dark place. However, through the guidance of a Heavenly Voice, she was granted a chance to explore the outside world, and she crosses paths with a boy wielding a mysterious key, their adventure of friendship, mystery and faith shall test their resolve! (Refer to Ch12 Nepstation for new scheduling) (Also available on Ao3)

14. 12: Go for It (the Distance)!

Olympus Coliseum – Entrance

"Tournament time!"

"Tournament time!"

"TOURNAMENT TIME!"

IF sighed at the joyful singing that Neptune, Sora and Donald are exuding. "Rein in it, guys. We don't want to waste ALL our energy before the first round."

"Hey, guys!"

The party looked up to see two familiar faces greeting them.

"Glad you all could make it!" Rena greeted them.

"You guys certainly look tougher than ever" Hercules complimented them.

"Whaddaya expect!?" Neptune boasted as she put her hands on her hips.

"We're gonna win this tournament!" Sora shouted.

"And become real heroes!" Donald exclaimed.

"They sure are excited, huh?" Compa sweatdropped.

"Good to see you rookies are motivated!"

The party turned to see a familiar satyr descending the staircase.

"Hiya, Phil!" Goofy greeted the goatman.

"I see none of you have croaked since you last passed by here" Phil noted. "She told you about the tournament?"

"The Pantheon Foundation Tournament, right?" the guild agent asked.

"Right! It's the tournament made to celebrate the anniversary of the Pantheon's creation" the trainer explained. "And you rookies all want in?"

"Heck yes!" Neptune screamed.

"Sign us up, please!" Sora said with a pumped fist.

"Well, you're in luck!" Phil said. "Since you all won the prelims, your team's able to participate in this one."

"Really? Wow!" Neptune exclaimed. "Talk about our lucky day, huh?"

"Yeah, thank Hermes for that and some" the trainer said rather offhandly. "Now, I assume all seven of you are gonna sign up?"

"Yes, please!" Donald shouted. "Wait, seven?"

"It's in the tournament rules" Rena explained. "Teams can enter from one participant up to seven, just like in the preliminaries. I initially planned to enter alone, but since there's all the team slots filled up, I figured I'd sit this one out, but…"

"Rena really wanted to go at it, so I asked Phil for advice" Herc continued. "Wanna know what he said?"

"I told her to just wait up for you guys, since you got one slot open in your team" Phil answered offhandly. "I figure having one more rookie on your team wouldn't hurt"

"And…there you have it" the aspiring adventurer finished. "So…what do you say? Shall we work together."

"D'awwww, you don't have to be so polite!" Neptune cooed with star-sprinkled eyes. "We're all friends here! We wouldn't mind having you with us!"

Rena's eyes went wide at that. "R-Really!?"

"'Course not!" Sora followed. "You were really cool back there! We don't mind having you with us!"

"Hear, hear!" Compa cheered as Goofy chuckled.

"Eh, why not?" Donald shrugged. "We could use the extra muscle"

"I'll have to make some adjustments" IF noted. "But this is nothing new for us. Welcome aboard, Rena"

Rena gasped happily as she bowed in gratitude. "Thank you all so much! I promise I won't you all down!"

Hercules laughed at that. "Since we got that all sorted out, mind introducing them to the tournament, Phil?"

"Of course!" Phil nodded, clearing his throat. "Alright, listen up, rookies!"

---

Phil's Explanation – The Pantheon Foundation Tournament

First off, this tournament's a single elimination type, split into four brackets, meaning there'll be eight participating teams. It will be a combat tournament fought in the Coliseum's Arena, just like in the preliminaries. Once the first set of brackets are done, the next rounds between the four winning teams will fight each other, and once that's done, the two teams will face off for the finals. After that is done, the winning team will get to fight Herc here for the championship title. Easy to follow, right? Now for the rules!

Rule #1: All manner of physical and magical prowess is allowed. Teamwork between teammates is also allowed and encouraged.

Rule #2: No other manner of outside help is allowed. That means any summons or whatever are prohibited!

Rule #3: Still-participating teams are to remain within the Vestibule after winning their matches. No eyeing other matches until either you're out or you've won!

Rule #4: No cheating! Any form of it will result in IMMEDIATE disqualification!

And Rule #5: This may be a tournament, but it's still the games here in Mount Olympus, so let loose and have fun with it, alright?

---

Olympus Coliseum – Vestibule

"And there you have it!" Phil finished explaining. "Any questions?"

Neptune raised her hand. "Yeah. When do we get started!?"

Herc laughed at her gumption. "I'll be watching you guys from the stands! Break a leg, guys!"

---

Olympus Coliseum – Arena

"The first round of the Pantheon Foundation Tournament will begin! Starting off with Nep Team Epic vs. The Double A Staff Team!"

"Wow!" Neptune exclaimed "Who'da thunk you two would be our first match?"

"Well, as they say, Fate is a whimsical mistress"

"Whimsical...is a way to put it..."

The party looked at their opponents in front of them. Two very familiar figures stand before them today.

"Artisan!?"

"Aerith!?"

Aerith shook her head. "Not just that! We're the Double A Staff Team! Heck yeah!"

The two then stood behind each other and posed.

"Your team name could use some work..." IF snarked. "Then again, Nep Team Epic isn't any better..."

"What are you guys doing here, anyway?" Sora asked the duo.

Artisan cleared her throat. "Well, we came here to train in preparation to take our home world back. Aerith here suggested coming here to do just that."

"So, we went around and beat up some of the monsters and Heartless around here, and then we heard about this Tournament, so naturally, we signed up." Aerith continued.

"That's reckless of you. You're risking the World Order just by coming here, you know?" IF said, shaking her head in disbelief. "Just look at the poor duck. He's malding so badly he's about to shed his feathers..."

Sure enough, Donald is FUMING so much, and would've done so much more if Goofy and Compa didn't restrain him.

Artisan chuckled. "Well, at least you're motivated."

She then raised her staff, ready for battle.

Aerith does the same, twirling them as she does. "Don't hold back on us. Just because we use staves doesn't mean we're weak!"

"Looks like we're up against magic-users first" Rena stated, unsheathing her sword. "Well, I won't hold back just because we're acquaintances!"

Neptune nodded, summoning her Keyblade in turn. "Same here! I owe ya big, Arty. So, for that, get ready for a whole lot of Neppin'!"

Sora summoned his Keyblade as well. "C'mon, guys! We can sort out the World Order thing later!"

Donald, releasing himself from his friend's hold, summoned his staff. "Oh, I'll show them order, alright..."

Compa sighed. "I don't know who I should be more worried of in this case..."

The rest of the party summoned their weapons as the match is about to begin.

"Alright, contestants!" Phil called out. "You ready?"

...

...

"Then let the battles..."

...

"BEGIN!"

"Aw-right!" Neptune cheered as she leads the charge. "Time to draw first blood!"

But then her charged came to an abrupt halt thanks to a sudden bolt of lightning that struck her dead-on!

"AAHHHHHHH!" the girl screamed as she became charred from the lightning strike. "Forgive me, Zeus! I am not in your strike zone! I swear!"

"What was that!?" Sora exclaimed. "Where did that come from!?"

Aerith snickered as her staff is charged with magic. "There's more where that came from! FIRAGA!"

Swinging her staff, the flower girl unleashed her Fire magic against the defenseless girl...

"Aw snap!"

But a brave royal captain stepped forward and blocked the incoming attack! The two were pushed back a bit from the recoil, however.

"Thanks for the save, Goofster!" Neptune cheered.

Goofy turned around and gave a thumbs-up to Nep-Nep.

"I'm not done!" Aerith declared as she fired off another Firaga immediately!

"Ahhh!"

Thankfully, Goofy blocked it just as quickly, much to the party's relief.

"Anyone mind explaining what just happened?" Sora shouted.

IF clicked her tongue. "That's Artisan's brand of magic. She lays traps around the arena, and anyone who trips on them will get hit with whatever magic's embedded on them. That one she just used was her Thunder Wards!"

She then glanced at Aerith, noticing a glow of magic underneath her. "And that appears to be Aerith's Arcane Ward. So long as she stays there, she can cast the same spell twice with the same level of intensity!"

Artisan chuckled. "Observant as ever, IF. Then again, we've had our fair share holding back Heartless together. Who do you think helped you out with your brand of untapped magic?"

As if to back her claim, three icicles suddenly formed around Compa, trapping the nurse in place! She is trapped by Artisan's Blizzard Wards!

"Oh no! Someone help!"

Donald scrambled to get the nurse out with his Fire-imbued staff. "I'll get you out!"

Sora growled, bracing his stance. "Okay! That's it!"

The boy then charged forth, which caused the horned woman to shake her head in disappointment.

"Tsk. Tsk. Come now" Artisan chided. "There's no reason to be aggressive. Why don't you just sit down?"

As the boy charged, he stepped on a Gravity-embedded rune, causing him to drop down from the increased weight. Sora was crippled by a Gravity Ward!

"Ack!" the boy cried. "Is this how the Newtype felt?"

Aerith, meanwhile, was setting up a large glyph around the arena. "And...done!"

Her staff then lit up with energy provided from the Radiant Ward that she just set. "Now you guys might wanna start running, 'cause this is gonna hurt!"

She then spun around, waving her free hand around as green lasers fired from it, threatening to damage whatever is unlucky to be in their way!

"Thanks, Dona-" Compa then screamed..."GET DOWN!"

...and ducked along with the...duck, avoiding the laser coming their way.

"Since when can the healer fire frickin' laser beams!?" Neptune complained as she hid behind Goofy, who kept his shield raised as he too braced for laser fire. "She might just be the most OP healer in video game history..."

Aerith giggled. "I'll take that compliment!"

Artisan then charged her own staff with Fire magic. "But this is only the beginning! FIRE WARDS!"

She then tapped her staff on the ground, causing fire pillars to emerge around her.

"See if you can dodge this!"

The fire pillars then moved away and began to move against the scattered party!

"Everyone, move away!"

Between the fire pillars, the laser beams and even the other traps Artisan laid, things appear to be hopeless for Nep Team Epic!

IF groaned as she narrowly dodged a laser beam. "This is bad. Our first round and we're already running like headless chickens..."

Rena hummed, her eyes closed.

"Hey, Rena..." the guild agent called out. "Are you alright?"

But the aspiring adventurer didn't answer. She maintained her focus and continued to meditate...

"Okay!" Donald screamed as he prepared a Thundaga. "How about I show you how to use magic!?"

His magic fired, causing a lightning storm to appear above his two enemies, forcing them to move away.

"Huh?" Rena gasped.

"They moved!" Goofy exclaimed.

Seeing the chance, Compa immediately readied a blast. "Here you go! FROZEN TREATS!"

Following her lead, Neptune unleashed an Aerora-filled slash. "WIND SLICER!"

"Ah, geez!" Aerith hopped back, casting a flower-shaped shield in front of her. "LUSTROUS SHIELD!"

"Gkh!" Without any room to dodge, Artisan erected a small barrier to block Neptune's magic attack. "Looks like they're recovering now!"

"Alright!" IF cheered with a pumped fist. "Our team's on the attack. Let's keep it up, guys!"

Sora nodded, regaining his momentum. "Let's go, Goofy!"

"Okay!"

"I see" Rena understood. "Those two needed to stay still to maintain their wards. The moment they were forced to move away, their concentration broke and thus, their spells weakened." Her eyebrows furrowed. "That means we need to strike hard and fast before they can set another trap!"

As the two charged forth, IF looked to Rena, who broke out of her meditation. "Let's move, too!"

The adventurer nodded. "Let's!"

"Welp, this is bad!" Aerith bemoaned as she ran around. "That last ward needed a lot of time to setup!"

"Sorry 'bout this, Aerith!"

She then looked up and noticed a certain royal captain looming over her as he spun around like a tornado!

"Oh no, you don't!" Aerith tapped her staff onto the ground hard, unleashing a golden aura around her. She has unleashed the Planet's Protection! "I may be flustered, but I'm not out of options!"

She then glanced to the side to see her partner being assaulted by Sora, who was striking her with Keyblade attacks.

"HAH!" Downward slash!

"YAH!" Slapshot!

"AHA!" A Blitz to the-

"Not yet!"

Artisan hopped back and unleashed a quick lightning strike, a left-over Thunder Ward, forcing the boy to dodge.

"Shoot!" the boy cursed.

"Don't let up, Sora!" Rena called out as she charged the horned woman with a thunder-infused sword! "THUNDEBOLT STRIKE!"

Artisan dodged the incoming attack, but then felt someone behind her!

"You're wide open!" It was IF! "CHAOS EDGE!"

The guild agent delivered an overhead kick against her opponent, knocking her down to the ground!

"Arty!"

This got Aerith worried. Her aura can't last long and she's running low on MP. This is bad!

"Get back, Goofy!"

Hearing this caused the royal captain to stop his attack and run back, causing Aerith to gasp at what she just saw.

"Now for our payback!" Compa declared as her syringe is filled with Donald's magic!

"TREATMENT BLASTER!"

The blast hit the flower girl dead on, but due to her aura, she remained safe...

"My aura's running out. This isn't good..."

...until her Planet's Protection ran out. Thankfully, the Combination Skill that just hit her had stopped...

"Don't blink, Aerith!"

...only to be met with an electric triangle made of sword slashes! Neptune has unleashed her Delta Slash against her!

"Oof!"

The attack knocked her back and down onto the floor, joining her comrade in defeat.

"And with that!" Phil announced. "The first match is over! The victor is...NEP TEAM EPIC!"

"Aw man..." Aerith complained as she laid down in defeat. "We lost..."

"I suppose it shows how much stronger everyone has gotten..." Artisan noted as she was helped up by IF. "Or how much more training we ourselves need."

The flower girl sighed as she was helped up by Compa. "Looks like we still got a long way to go before we go save our world..."

"Still..." Artisan wondered. "How did you figure out our weakness? I thought our plan was perfect!"

"Haha! It was!" Rena admitted. "But then Donald started blasting lightning everywhere and you were forced to dodge. That's when I sensed your magic traps waning, and from there, we struck hard and fast"

"I'm amazed you guys noticed that and followed up immediately." the guild agent admitted to the party.

"Really?" Sora wondered. "We just saw an opening and took it. We didn't even realized the traps were weakened..."

"Even so..." The horned woman approached the party. "You people have grown much since we first met. Honestly, this goes beyond my expectations"

"Aw, shucks!" Neptune said, feeling giddy.

"But" Artisan suddenly said. "You all still have much to do, and much to learn as well. You can't afford to rest on your laurels when you're not even done yet."

"We know" Compa said.

"We're getting closer and closer to where we have to go" IF said. "We can't afford to stop now"

"Same here" Sora agreed, with Donald and Goofy nodding in agreement.

Artisan chuckled. "Glad to hear it. Now, we'll just get out of your hair so you can prepare for the next round."

Rena hummed. "I wonder who we'll face next..."

---

The semifinals of the tournament are about to begin! The winner of the first round, Nep Team Epic, will now go up against the winner of the second round Team Awesome Ninjas!

Suddenly, smoke appeared in front of the party, and from that smoke, emerged two familiar figures.

"Prepare for trouble!"

"And make it double!"

"Woah!" Neptune interrupted. "Didn't realize we're doing this bit! Thank goodness this is a fanfic, otherwise we'd be in legal trouble!"

"To denounce the evils of darkness and pain!"

"To extend our reach to the worlds beyond!"

Donald sighed. "Do they have to do this?"

Goofy chuckled. "I think it's kinda cool!"

"MarvelousAQL!"

"Yuffie Kisaragi!"

"We are Team Awesome Ninjas!" the two declared together. "Surrender your treasure or prepare to fight!"

"DO-GOO!" And it appears the stray Dogoo appeared too!

"Amazing!" Compa cheered, clapping her hands.

"Bravo!" Goofy cheered along too.

"Get serious, you two!" Donald scolded them.

"So, let me guess" IF said, raising an eyebrow. "You two are here to train and stuff, right?"

"Oh, it's not just that!" Yuffie replied, wagging her finger. "You know tournaments are big stuff here, right?"

"Yeah?" Sora followed along.

"And people who win tournaments get fabulous prizes, right?"

"Uh-huh" Neptune nodded.

"So, that's why we're here!" the Great Ninja exclaimed. "We're here to win it and claim our prize!"

"Judging by how you described it" IF guessed. "You probably thought there's gonna be prize money for this tournament!"

"Well, why wouldn't there be!?" Yuffie said.

"Not all tournaments need to have money for the prize" Marvy commented. "Though, if there is some, I could use it to help our Mr. Geppetto and Pinocchio."

"Yeah, uh" Phil interrupted. "There's no prize money for this tournament, ladies"

"WHAT!? What's the meaning of this!?" the Great Ninja complained. "I demand to speak to your organizers!"

"You're looking right at him!" the small satyr snapped back. "And I don't come up with the ideas for these tournaments, I just organize them!"

Yuffie groaned. "Don't tell me the Gods of this world are stingy as heck! This blows..."

"So, uh" Neptune wondered. "What are you two gonna do now? The money's the reason why you're here, right?"

"That may be..." Yuffie started. "But even if there's no cash to be won, we still have our pride as ninjas!"

Marvy nodded. "A ninja never leaves her job unfinished. Since we signed up for this tournament, we will fight to win!"

"So, our opponents are the swift and agile types this time..." Rena noted as she bowed. "This will be a good fight! May we duel fairly!"

Sora laughed. "Competitive and polite, huh?"

"Alright, contestants!" Phil called out. "The next round is about to begin..."

"WAIT!"

Everyone looked at Marvy, who grabbed the stray dogoo.

"He's not part of this tournament, so let me drop him off real quick."

Which she did in no less than five seconds...

"Okay, I'm good!"

Phil sighed. "The next round is about to begin..."

...

...

...

"NOW!"

"Ready or not, ninja ladies" Neptune taunted as she attempted to charge. "'Cause here I come!"

Yuffie grinned as she readied numerous shurikens on her hands. "Time for an appetizer!"

She then threw them around, causing the party to scramble around and dodge the shurikens!

"Aw, come on!" Neptune complained. "How come you always get to draw first blood!?"

"See the thing about ninjas?" the Great Ninja replied as she readied more shurikens. "We're quick and deadly!"

She then threw them, leaving the party no time to recover!

"T-They're everywhere!" Compa panicked.

"Then guard everywhere!" Donald shouted, casting an Aeroga on her. "This will help!"

"You guys doin' okay?" Sora asked around as he blocked the incoming projectiles.

"Yup!" Neptune answered, following Sora's lead. "Still, when will we get our opening?"

Goofy ducked as he kept his shield up. "I dunno! Got any advice, Iffy?"

IF, who was parrying the incoming shurikens, scanned around. "Just keep your eyes peeled. They're fast, so they can hit us from any angle!"

"That's right!" a cheery voice said. "We ninja can hit from any angle!"

The guild agent's eyes widened as she looked back...

"Like from behind"

...as Marvy went in for a back attack!

"No, you don't!"

But the cheery ninja's assault was halted by Rena's blade!

"Aw man" Marvy bemoaned. "Didn't think someone was paying attention here..."

"Don't think you can sneak around while I'm here!" the adventurer boasted.

But the cheery ninja smiled again. "But we ninja don't have just physical attacks, you know?"

Rena then sensed more shurikens coming her way, forcing her to block them. This act gave Marvy the chance to escape and rejoin Yuffie.

Seeing this caused her to grin, as she began to make some hand gestures.

"Now watch this!"

Suddenly, bursts of energy began to emerge near the party, forcing them to dodge out of the way!

"Is she hitting us with those!?" Compa yelled as she ran around.

"I didn't know ninjas could do that!" Sora complained as he dodged around the blasts.

Yuffie snickered as she continued her assault. "See that!? That's the Great Ninja Yuffie for ya!"

Marvy giggled. "Looks like you got them on the ropes. I think we should pile on the pressure!"

"Time for that, then?" the Great Ninja asked, earning a nod from her partner.

Marvy then placed a scroll on her mouth and began to make hand gestures. "Ninja Art! BLOWING WINDS!"

Suddenly, a strong wind began to blow in the arena!

"Woah!" Goofy shouted. "The weather forecast didn't say anything about this!"

"Stay strong, guys!" Sora declared.

"That's not all~!"

Yuffie took the chance and chanted something. "Freeze 'em solid! ICE NINJUSTSU!"

The Great Ninja's incantation caused the windy storm to gain an icy chill, causing Nep Team Epic to shiver under the sudden change of weather.

"Brrrrrrr!" Neptune shivered. "Someone please turn down the A/C!"

"Do they even HAVE aircons in Ancient Greece?" Compa complained.

"We're not done yet!" Marvy then switched to a different scroll. "Ninja Art! FLAMING INFERNO!"

And now, a heat wave surged across the arena!

"And now it's getting hot in here!" Donald complained.

"I feel like melted pudding..." Neptune bemoaned.

"And now for another!" Yuffie tried to prepare another incantation... "LIGHTNING NIN-"

"No, ya don't!"

...only to be hit with a thrown shield to the face!

"Yuffie!"

"ARC SLASH!"

Marvy immediately hopped back, narrowly dodging an incoming slash projectile from Rena.

"Aw right! They're open!" Neptune bellowed as she charged forth. "Time for a counter-attack! CRITICAL EDGE!"

Sora followed suit as he attacked the Great Ninja with a 13-hit technique. "ARS ARCANUM!"

"Here's a GRAVITY SHELL for you!" the nurse then followed with a Gravity-infused shot, downing the two ninjas at once!

"Aw, geez!" Yuffie complained as she got up, rubbing the back of her head. "They're going to own us at this rate!"

"Think it's time for that last gambit?" Marvy asked.

"It's a little earlier than I'd like, but..."

The Great Ninja then got up in a hop. "We gotta do it! We go for gold or go home!"

Marvy nodded as she stood as she grabbed a smoke bomb. "Let's do it!"

IF took notice of this. "They're trying something! Someone, stop them!"

"I got it!"

Sora then charged straight at them, but the cheery ninja threw down her smoke bomb, causing a mist to form around the two ninjas!

"Gah!" Neptune panicked as she closed her eyes. "My eyes!"

"I can't see them!" Sora shouted.

IF clicked her tongue. "Everyone, keep your guard up! They're trying something!"

Rena then closed her eyes and concentrated on their presences "My Eight Leaves training lets me peer into their presences, so they can't have left the arena yet. What are they tr-"

She then gasped. "Is this-!?"

As the smoke began to clear, they see their opponents standing proudly...

"There they are!" Donald pointed out.

Compa nodded. "Let's finish this!"

Yuffie smirked. "Yeah. But the big question you should be asking is..."

The sight in front of them surprised Nep Team Epic.

"Which of us should you be finishing off?" Marvy declared as...

"Holy nepperoni!" Neptune shouted. "The ninjas multiplied!"

Sure enough, four Yuffies and four MarvelousAQLs all stood in their path.

IF furrowed her eyebrows. "Not quite. They're most likely clones. Who knows how tough they really are..."

"Ready or not..." the Yuffies braced their stances...

...as the Marvies did the same. "'Cause here we come!"

It was pandemonium. Between the clash of competitors, there was no clear winner...

"Have a taste of my TRUE DEMON SLICE!"

"This is easy! Feel the ART OF WAR!"

"No, you don't! STRIKE RAID!"

"I'll help! GOOFY DISCUS AWAY!"

"BATTOU-RENBU GO!"

"I'll DELTA SLASH you down!"

"Chill out with my BLIZZAGA!"

It was too much for the resident nurse, who couldn't keep track. "Which one is the real one?"

She then sensed two Marvies about to attack her...

"AH!"

...causing her to raise her syringe in defense!

"We're going to be slapped down at this rate! What do we do!?"

Suddenly, she felt a presence behind her...

A Yuffie was moving in for the ki-er, knock-out!

"Gotcha now!"

The nurse closed her eyes!

And then she heard slashes, and in a few seconds, the pressure she felt against her lessened.

Compa opened her eyes slowly as the clones around her vanished in puffs of smoke.

"Huh?"

The nurse could then see the back of a proud adventurer-to-be, her head turned back to see her companion doing well.

"Stay put. I got this"

Rena stepped forward and with a deep breath, readied her attack once more...

"Second Form..."

From her peripheral, she could sense her prey perfectly, her years of training coming in when it comes to sensing presences, especially fakes from the real thing.

With her targets honed in, the adventurer-to-be made her move.

"GALE!"

In a swift motion, she slashed down each of the clones and even halted the attacks of the real ninjas with one more slash from her re-sheathed blade!

"Woah!" Marvy shouted.

"That gal's tough...!" Yuffie said.

IF then saw a window of opportunity and gave her order. "They're wide open! Take them down, guys!"

"Okay!" Donald then charged his staff with Thunder magic. "THUNDAGA!"

The lightning magic bolted the ninjas down!

"They're stunned!" IF shouted as she charged forth. "Sora, with me!"

"Got it!"

The two then performed their Combination Skill!

"DOUBLE RAVE!"

The skill sent the two ninjas flying up in the air with a powerful gust of wind!

"C'mon, Goofster!" Neptune beckoned. "Let's finish 'em good!"

"Okay!"

Goofy followed as he and the female Keyblade Wielder performed their Combination Skill!

"GOOFY-NEP BUSTER!"

The two ninjas were brought down by their combined assault, knocking them down onto the ground...

Yuffie groaned. "Why me…?"

"I'm sorry..." Marvy managed to say. "We tried our best..."

"And that's game!" Phil declared, raising his hand. "The winner of this round goes to NEP TEAM EPIC!"

"Aw, darn it!" Yuffie groaned. "How could we lose!?"

"I guess..." Marvy said, catching her breath. "We need more training, huh?"

"You..." IF struggled to breathe. "...tell us..."

"We're well on our way to becoming real heroes!" Neptune cheered. "Right, guys?"

Sora and Donald cheered. "Yeah!"

"Hero, huh?"

Yuffie got up upon hearing their declaration.

"So, lemme ask you guys real quick. What do you think makes a hero?"

"Uh, courage?" Sora answered.

"Cuteness?" Neptune responded.

"Fame?" Donald wondered.

Yuffie sighed. "If that's your answers, I doubt you guys are gonna make it big time on the Hero business"

"Hey!" the royal wizard complained.

"Then do you know what makes a hero!?" Neptune asked.

The Great Ninja shrugged. "Heck if I know. Far as I remember, people who became heroes never sought out to become one. They just sorta...became one"

"They just..." Sora wondered. "Become one?"

"Well, there's no need to rush the answers" Marvy said. "I'm sure you'll find it along the way."

She then approached the party and handed them a boxed lunch.

"What's in this?" Goofy asked.

"Some of my favorite food, futomaki" Marvy said with a cheer. "It was supposed to be a thank-you gift for before, but I couldn't find the time. Though, you can also consider it a prize for beating us!"

"Ooooohhh!" Neptune cooed. "Some nice lunch!"

"Thank you so much, Marvy!" Compa thanked.

"A quick-pick-me-up may be just what the doctor ordered" IF said.

"I bet it'll taste good!" Rena anticipated with wonder.

Marvy laughed. "I'm glad you all thought so!"

"Guess we'll be heading to the stands" Yuffie noted. "Good luck, guys!"

The ninja duo left as the party waved them goodbye.

Goofy hummed. "I wonder who our next opponent's gonna be?"

"Knowing our luck so far..." Donald hazarded a guess. "Our next opponent's gonna be tough."

"Yeah..." Sora wondered. "...and considering who we kept bumping into, I have a good feeling who our next opponent's gonna be"

"Oh?" Neptune overheard. "Care to share with the class, buck-o?"

Sora hummed. "I think it's gonna be..."

---

The final round of the tournament is about to begin! The winner of from the left bracket, Nep Team Epic, will now go up against the winner of the right bracket Team Not Interested. Go Talk To A Wall! (We're not making up the last one, folks!)

Sora sighed. "I knew it..."

"These two!?" Neptune gasped.

"Oh!" Rena, on the other hand, felt pumped. "Now THIS will be a great match!"

In front of the team entered two familiar men...

"So, you're our opponents this time..."

"Hmph. They're a nice break from all those other guys, that's for sure..."

It was Leon and Cloud! Truly, an amazing team-up for the ages!

"You two signed up too!?" IF panicked.

"W-We're in trouble, aren't we?" Compa whimpered.

"Aw, phooey!" Donald, however, did not balk. "We didn't come this far to back out now!"

"He's right, you know?" Goofy said. "Didn't we all come here to become heroes?"

Sora nodded. "Yeah! They're tough, but we can get through this! We have to!"

"An adventure wouldn't be complete without tough obstacles to overcome" Rena declared as she raised her blade. "Now, come! Give us everything you got!"

"Wow, look at you guys, getting all fired up!"

Neptune slapped her own face. "Okay, time to tough it out, Neptune. We gotta win this!"

IF sighed. "Look at us, panicking at the sight of these titans...

She then sported a toothy grin, "But what kind of guild agent am I if I can't find a way around this?"

She unsheathed her qatars. "Time for us to go the distance, and reach for hero-dom!"

Compa could only laugh. "Everyone's getting fired up from this! Okay, time to clock in overtime, Compa! Everyone's gotta need treatment after this!"

Leon could only chuckle at the sight. "Looks like we didn't have to worry about them"

"What's there to worry about?"

Cloud brought out his Buster Sword, ready for a tough fight. "We all got something at stake here. We go all in or leave it all out."

Leon smirked, readying his Gunblade. "She's right. You definitely have a way with words"

Cloud groaned. "What has she been telling them about me?"

"Time for the third battle to begin!" Phil announced. "Don't be afraid and force your way through!"

...

...

...

"FIGHT!"

"Okay!" Neptune readied her technique. "This time, there won't be any interruptions! CROSS COMBINATION!"

She then aimed straight for Leon, who met her blow for blow.

"I already felt your attack once..." the Drifter declared as he blocked up to the fifth slash. "I know when to strike"

He then charged up magic in his free hand... "Taste this!"

...and blasted a chunk of ice (his Blizzard Barret, if you will) at the girl with the key, forcing her back!

"Hey!" she complained. "No fair!"

Not wasting a chance, Cloud moved in and pressed the attack with a Braver!

"Dodge this!"

Seeing the attack, Neptune hopped away, leaving the soldier open for attack.

"He's open!" IF declared as she charged. "Rena, with me!"

"Roger!"

The aspiring adventurer followed suit, nearing upon the soldier.

"No, you don't!"

Leon attempted to intercept them, but was stopped by a thrown shield that he narrowly dodged.

"Don't forget about us!"

The Drifter's eyes widened as he noticed a beam of magic heading his way!

He was about to be hit by a Treatment Blaster!

"We got you now!" the guild agent declared as she readied her attack. "FLAME SOUL SLICE!"

"Third Form!"

As soon as Rena closed in, she raised her sword, causing it to be imbued with flame!

"FLAME IMPACT!"

Sensing an incoming attack, Cloud immediately raised his Buster Sword and barely parried the incoming attacks, pushing him back.

"Grk!" He groaned. "Barely felt that!"

"Did we get him?" Compa wondered as her and Donald's attack ended.

"Not quite!"

The two looked up and noticed Leon diving in with his Gunblade!

"Oh no!"

"Get back!"

However, Sora immediately moved in and blocked the incoming attack, causing the two to clash.

"I'm impressed" Leon praised the boy. "You've gotten stronger since we last fought"

"And I see you're not holding back as much, aren't you!?" Sora replied, pushing his opponent back.

"That's right" the Drifter declared as his Gunblade was charged with energy. "We haven't been slacking off while you guys were travelling around the worlds. We've gotten stronger too!"

He then dodged to the side, avoiding Goofy's sliding attack!

"But why?" the royal captain asked. "Aren't y'all busy with keepin' everyone safe in Traverse Town?"

"We are" Leon reassured. "But more than anything, we want to get our home world back. We can't just let you all carry that burden when that matter concerns us as well."

He then leapt up and readied to unleash the energy in his weapon.

"That's why we're not holding back even against you! FATED CIRCLE!"

The Driften spun around, releasing the energy in his Gunblade in a large circle, forcing the party to defend themselves.

"Gah!" IF shouted. "Wasn't it smaller before!? Didn't know it could be that strong!"

"He's been improving himself for a long while, huh?" Rena guessed.

"He's not the only one"

The two ladies looked to see Cloud, his Buster Sword charged up with energy.

"How's this!? BLADE BURST!"

The soldier then slammed his blade down, unleashing beams of energy against his two opponents, pushing them back!

"I'm not done either!" Leon shouted as his free hand charged with electricity. "How about this!?"

He then sent a small lightning storm against Compa and Donald, forcing the two to shield themselves from the incoming attack!

"Now, feel this!"

Seizing the chance, Leon leapt up and charged up his Gunblade again, diving straight against the wizard and the nurse!

"ROUGH DIVIDE!"

Just as he was about to hit them, Goofy came in between Leon and his targets and shielded his friends, blunting the blow that would have knocked them all out!

"Guys!" Sora growled as his friends were KO'ed! "Okay! That's it!"

He then braced his stance and charged against the Drifter.

"HOH!" A Sliding Dash to start off!

"HYAH!" Followed by a Slapshot!

"RIPPLE DRIVE!" A blast of magic that pushed Leon back!

Cloud grunted, noticing his partner in danger...

"Watch where you're looking~!"

...only to find Neptune closing in on him with a Thunder-charged Keyblade!

"Blast!"

"DELTA SLASH, GO!"

The soldier could barely block the incoming slashes, joining his teammate near the edge of the arena.

"Looks like they're stepping up their game..." the soldier mused between gasps.

"Yeah..." Leon agreed as he tried to stand, energy filling his Gunblade as it began to emit a blue hue. "I guess it's time to wrap this up, don't you think?"

Cloud nodded as he stood, red electricity filling his being.

"Time to kick things up a notch!"

Rena grunted. "Looks like they're kicking things up into high gear! Watch out, guys!"

In a swift motion, Cloud flew around and started attacking the remaining members of the party, forcing them to block or parry the soldier's incoming attacks!

"Hey, is it me..." Neptune started as she parried one of Cloud's strikes. "...or has this guy gotten faster than last time!?"

"His strength's no joke..." Rena answered as she barely blocked an incoming attack. "Don't let that sword's size fool you! He can swing it as easily as a stick!"

Sora growled, dodging one of Cloud's attacks. "And that's not getting to what Leon's doing..."

IF glanced at the Drifter, who is still charging up his Gunblade. In fact, his blue-glowing blade seems to be getting longer by the minute!

"This is bad! At this rate, he'll..." She then turned to the only male left standing among their party. "Sora! Hit me with an Aero, now!"

"What about the rest of us?" Sora asked.

"Save your energy! Just do it!"

With a hesitant nod, he immediately placed an Aerora shield on the guild agent. "WINDS!"

"Farewell..."

Cloud leapt up in the air, vanishing from immediate sight.

"Now, where did he go!?" Neptune complained.

"He's too far away" Rena answered. "At this rate, he's gonna hit us hard before I can sense him!"

"He's not the only one you need to worry about!"

Upon hearing his declaration, the remaining party members looked to Leon, who raised his Gunblade filled with energy.

"This is nuts!" Sora shouted. "We're already beat and they're about to hit us! Even if we could use an item, they'll just beat us the moment we're healed up!"

"I can't think of any other options now nor can I waste time to explain! No choice but to risk this!"

IF then took a deep breath...

"We gotta-"

"RAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

...and charged against the lion-hearted man!

"Iffy!?" Neptune gasped.

"IF!" Sora shouted.

"What are you doing!?" Rena demanded.

But the guild agent wasn't paying attention to them and continued her charge, preparing an incantation as she did.

"A reckless last charge, huh?" Leon wondered, not losing focus. "I thought you were supposed to be the smart one, IF"

He then readied to heave his blade down. "But if this is your resignation notice, then I've taken notice. Time to finish this! BLASTING..."

IF growled, stretching her hand out as she neared her opponent. "GUSTY..."

But as she neared, she was suddenly pushed to the side by the force of a landed Buster Sword!

"No!" the remaining party members gasped...

...But IF smirked, which caused Leon to panic.

"ZONE!"

"...WINDS!"

Leon heaved his blade down, forcing the remaining three combatants to hop away to the sides. Cloud was thankfully away from the blast radius.

"Is..." Sora started as he stood up. "...everyone okay?"

"If anyone's dead..." Neptune shouted as she stood. "...raise your hand!"

"I'm..." Rena barely said as she stood up. "Alright. How's IF?"

The three remaining party members looked to see IF down on the floor ahead of them...

"Oh no..."

...and Cloud looming over her...

"That..." Leon managed to say as he tried to get up. "...was a close one. Didn't think she could sneak a glyph right behind me..."

"That explains why I nearly felt the blast earlier" the soldier said, rubbing the back of his head. "She was messing with your aim with that stunt"

"I don't know..." Leon wondered. "If that was her only aim, then why did she charge at me like that?"

The two then heard a loud roar coming closer to them!

"RAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

As soon as he saw Sora coming in at him, everything clicked into place in Leon's mind.

"I see now..." the Drifter smirked. "So, that was your aim all along, IF..."

"SONIC..."

Cloud gritted his teeth as he, exhausted from all the attacks he's been using, braced for the worst. "Blast!"

"...BLADE!"

The boy with the key furiously assaulted his foes with seven dashes!

"Sora..." Neptune bemoaned. She then slapped her own cheeks. "C'mon, Falcom Jr! Let's avenge our friends together!"

"Yeah!" Rena nodded fiercely. "But they're not dead, though"

The two girls then charged, determined to end this fight once and for all.

"How's this for a lion, Leon!?"

As soon as Neptune neared the man, she stopped and stepped back, readying her attack.

"CRITICAL EDGE!"

She then struck down the lion-hearted man, knocking him out for good.

"I've lost to you once, Cloud" Rena declared as she filled her blade with blue fire. "Now, I'm here to repay the favor!"

She then struck against the soldier with her flame-imbued sword.

"Azure flames, gather on my blade!"

The adventurer-to-be raised her sword...

"AZURE FLAME...SLASH!"

...and sliced through the caped man, sending him down to the floor along with his partner.

"Guess you guys..." Leon managed to say before he fell to the ground. "...really have what it takes after all..."

After a deafening seven-second silence, Phil declared the match over.

"WITH A DOUBLE KNOCK-OUT, THE WINNER OF THIS MATCH IS NEP! TEAM! EPIC! GIVE A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR OUR TOP TEAM, EVERYONE!"

Sora gasped as the cheers grew louder. "We...we won?"

"I'd dance and cheer, but..." Neptune managed to say between breaths. "...I'm...running on empty here..."

Rena nodded, stabbing her sword onto the ground as she used it as an improvised stand. "You...tell me..."

"SORA!"

"NEP-NEP! RENA!"

"IFFY!"

The three then saw the rest of the party rushing to them, though Compa rushed past them to get to IF.

"Hey..." Sora greeted them. "Sorry...we went and won the match ahead of you guys..."

Donald groaned. "Why must you guys be so reckless!? We're supposed to be a team, remember!?"

Goofy nodded. "Donald's right. You guys can only do so much by yourselves..."

Neptune chuckled weakly. "Well...you got us there..."

"Iffy!" Compa shouted as she administered treatment to the guild agent. "Why do you have to rush out there like that!? Now you've got a lot of boo-boos on you!"

"But...I'm still alive, right?" the guild agent weakly replied.

The nurse huffed. "Only because you held onto your last Hi-Potion. Any closer and you might be out in a coma!"

"Yeah!" Neptune followed. "Aren't you the gal with the plan? Why'd you go and rush out like that?"

"That was pretty reckless of you" Rena noted. "That doesn't seem like your usual MO..."

IF chuckled weakly. "Sorry. I guess time was against me here. I could have told you guys the plan, but then they would've taken us out by the time I was done hashing it out..."

"I see..." Sora understood. "That's why you said not to shield the rest of us. So, I'll still have enough energy to keep fighting."

The guild agent smiled. "That's the plan. Nice to you to figure that out, Sora."

"It wasn't just that"

The party then saw Cloud approaching them with Leon slinging onto his shoulder.

"She was messing with this guy's aim here." the soldier continued. "Had she not casted that wind glyph behind him, his attack would have hit you three dead-on, even if you gained some distance."

"Then my partner would have easy pickings on you guys..." Leon admitted. "IF saw through it and reacted as best she could..."

"You fought real hard, y'know?" Cloud told the guild agent. "Even when you're out, your pals kept going thanks to the chance you gave them. Guess you don't need to bark out orders to tell them what to do"

"Iffy..." Goofy said.

"To go this far..." Sora followed. "Just for us..."

IF chuckled again. "C'mon. Like Donald said, we're a team. Sure, I'm not all hyped up to be a hero like most of you here, but that doesn't mean I can't do my part and help you get there."

"Awwww..." Neptune cooed. "Iffy..."

"Just don't be reckless again, got it!?" Compa said aloud, nearing the verge of tears. "I don't know what I'd do if anything bad happened to you..."

The guild agent chuckled once more. "And I to you too...I'll try my best on that."

This did not reassure the nurse at all. "Iffy!"

"I'm being realistic here" IF shrugged. "We're gonna face tougher challenges past this tournament, and anything could happen to us out there. That's why we gotta keep our guards up out there. You know that, right?"

Compa sighed. "I know. Just...be careful. Like, really careful, okay?"

IF giggled. "Yes, ma'am"

"I think you guys can handle it" Cloud butted in. "S'long as you got the heart for it, I'm sure you'll make your way through."

"Heart, huh..." Rena pondered on that.

"Okay, listen up, rookies!" Phil called out. "We're gonna go clean up the place. A special match just came up for the winners at the last minute, so if you all can move your butts out, that would be great!"

"A special match?" Goofy wondered.

"What's up with that?" Donald asked.

"Who knows?" Neptune hopped back up. "Welp, you heard the goatman. Let's go rest up a spell!"

"We could even try out Marvy's futomaki while we're there" IF suggested. "Good thing we saved it up before this, huh?"

"Oh yeah!" Sora perked up. "She gave us a boxed lunch as thanks, right?"

"Sounds tasty!" the aspiring adventurer hummed. "Let's eat!"

"Good idea!" Compa agreed. "Besides, we all need the rest we can get before the next round, anyway."

She then turned to her patient. "Especially you, Miss Guild Agent"

IF sighed. "I know. I know."

---

We apologize for the delay, but the special match is about to begin! Nep Team Epic, please step into the arena!

The party returned to the arena, however...

"Is it me..." Yuffie said, hugging herself as she shivered. "...or is it getting a bit chilly in here?"

"You got a point..." Marvy agreed, holding on to the dogoo that howled from the chilly air.

"Sense anything strange?" Artisan asked her fellow staff user.

Aerith nodded. "It's like...bad. Really bad"

"Wonder what they'll be facing this time?" Leon wondered.

Cloud, however, remained silent. "This presence...It feels familiar..."

"AL-RIGHT!" Neptune shouted. "Who's next!?"

"Someone's excited..." IF complained.

"Well, we rested up and refreshed up thanks to that quick meal..." Goofy pointed out.

"I feel like we can take on anyone right now!" Donald said excitedly.

"Calm down there, ducky..." the guild agent scolded. "Most of us are still a bit beat. We gotta conserve our energy as much as possible."

The royal wizard moaned. "I know..."

"Still..." Compa looked around, noticing the strange fog around the arena. "Why does it feel like something's gonna jump on us here?"

"It can't be that bad" Sora said, slinging his Keyblade above his shoulder. "We dealt with monsters like that Cerberus before, right?"

"Only because Herc and the others helped out!" the nurse pointed out.

"But we have become stronger since then" Rena countered. "I say, whether the opponent is man, monster or even a god, bring them on!"

"See?" Neptune chirped. "Falcom Jr.'s all fired up now!"

"He-Hey, did someone call for a god?"

The party tensed up, recognizing the voice.

"That's...!" Compa shivered.

IF growled. "That snake...!"

"Hey-hey-hey" the voice complained. "Don't you know? I got WAY more class than every snake in the universe! Guaranteed!"

Sora shouted out. "Why don't you show yourself already!?"

"Geez, and after all I did for you, kiddo..."

A puff of smoke appeared in front of the party, revealing a familiar black-robed figure.

"You!" IF growled again.

"That snaky-oil salesgod from before!" Neptune pointed to said salesgod in question.

"Whoa there, tigress!" the fast-talking god said. "I have a name, y'know? Hades, Lord of the Dead, God of the Underworld. Nasty place. Wouldn't recommend for a vacation..."

"What are YOU doing here!?" Donald demanded.

"What do you think, birdbrain?" Hades shot back. "I'm here to participate in the tournament too!"

"That's a lie!" Compa shouted.

"Yeah!" Yuffie shouted from the seats. "We didn't even see your name in the registry!"

"Ah, better check that again" Hades said nonchalantly. "I'm pretty sure I placed that special match request. Mind checking it, goatsy?"

Phil scoffed at him, but checked the list regardless. "Huh. So, he did. All signed up and everything."

"Oh, come the nep on!" Neptune complained.

"He's gotta be cheating!" Aerith shouted.

"Can't you take it to the Gods, Mr. Phil?" Marvy asked the goatman.

"I would, but..." Phil explained. "It will take several hoops to get something like this checked over right now, and we're still in the middle of the tournament."

"And..." Hades took over. "You wouldn't want folks rioting all over the countryside, now would you? Wouldn't want Zeus-y and his 'family' to feel weaker from the loss of faith, am I right?"

Hearing that caused Neptune to feel apprehensive, for some reason...

Artisan clicked her tongue. "That's a low move..."

"Hit the enemy where it hurts..." Leon said with a disapproving tone. "This guy clearly sunk too low to consider those viable options..."

Yuffie huffed. "What a fast-talking cheapskate. You really fell for this snake, Cloud?"

Cloud sighed as he hung his head in shame. "Don't remind me..."

"So, what brings you to this place?" IF interrogated. "It can't be just a simple vacation tour, knowing you"

"And you would be right!" Hades shouted. "See, this tournament has a little particular clause that all participants are aware of. Care to repeat it for the class?"

Sora scoffed, glancing at the local hero, who was also glaring at the Lord of the Dead. "A chance to fight against Herc over there! What of it?"

"Well, I figured since SOME people couldn't do the ONE thing I oh-so-nicely asked them to do" Hades complained, his eyes glancing at Cloud from the stands before turning his hateful gaze at the legendary hero watching from the stands. "I figured that I'd take a more personal approach against Irkules. You feel me?"

"Cloud..." Aerith growled, feeling angry. "Requesting permission to kill"

"Denied" the soldier replied. "Besides, we're out."

Donald huffed. "Well, that's a relief."

"At least no one else will fall for your tricks again!" Compa shouted, readying her syringe.

"How about you go back to the Underworld like the good lowlife of a god that you are?" IF taunted.

"You won't get to Herc!" Sora declared.

"You'll have to get through us first!" Rena shouted.

"Heh, you know, I just had a wonderful idea" Hades started, the arena feeling a bit hotter.

"What?" Neptune asked, not dropping her guard.

"How about I get a place for you DOWN UNDER!?"

In a flash, Hades' fire ignited, turning his ashen body to a red hue, his blue flame turning blazing red as his anger boiled.

"Come on, guys!" Herc cheered the party from the stands. "You can take him down!"

"Let's do this!"

Neptune leads the charge, approaching the god with all her might!

"CRITICAL EDGE!"

"You think that'll be enough!?"

With the god sent reeling back, IF and Compa followed up with their attacks.

"Then how about this? BLISTERING COLD!"

"FROZEN TREATS!"

The combined Blizzard attacks managed to send the god further back.

"Gah! The chilly touch is NOT good for my skin!" Hades complained as he summoned up a fireball. "But in COMES THE HEAT!"

"DODGE!"

Everyone dodged out of the maddened god's assault of large fireballs!

"BADA-BOOM!"

"He's relentless!" Donald complained as he dodged another fireball.

"We gotta find an openin'!" Goofy shouted.

"Oh, what's that?" Hades mocked. "You want some more? THEN FEEL THE HEAT!"

He summoned fire onto his hands and unleashed them in lines and started circling around the arena.

"Keep dodging the flames and watch for an opening!"

The spinning assault went on for a good five seconds. Once Hades stopped...

"Hey, having fun yet?"

"I will be!"

The God of the Underworld looked to see Rena, her blade primed, and her soul empowered by her Burning Heart.

"And you are?"

"Rena Bright! And I'm here to deliver divine ultra-violence!"

She then slammed her blade down, causing the god to be flung up in the air from the aftershock.

"QUICK BREAK!"

Not letting another second slip, Rena unleashed a flurry of spinning attacks at the Lord of the Dead!

"We're not through here!"

Sora then proceeded to unleash his Strike Raid, throwing his Keyblade at Hades while he was still reeling from Rena's attack.

"Goof, back me up!"

"Gotcha!"

Dashing to the royal captain, IF hopped on top of his shield...

"UP YA GO!"

Goofy then launched the guild agent up into the air...

"Better hope you still have a prayer left, Hades!"

"Ah, smokes..."

...upon which she then unleashed a flurry of slashes straight at the God of the Underworld.

"Go down!"

Grabbing Hades, IF slams him down, unleashing a mighty blow against the Lord of the Dead!

This is their Combination Skill, Ascending Demon!

"That's it!" Hades then started charging flames into his hands again! "Time for a fried feast!"

He then floated across the arena, his flames attempting to burn whoever was unlucky enough to stand in front of him.

"Take cover!"

As everyone scrambled for cover, Neptune and Donald happened to stand right behind him.

"Hey, ducky" the girl in the parka called out to the royal wizard. "Fancy a combo of our own?"

The duck nodded. "I think I have just the one for us!"

Channeling all his magic into Neptune's Keyblade...

"Here's a little gift!"

"Oooohhh~! Thanks, ducky!"

...up until the blade has reached to FIVE times it's usual length, even!

"Isn't that?" Artisan's eyes widened in surprise.

"Similar to Mr. Leon's technique?" Marvy noticed, to which the Lionheart hmph'ed.

"Time for a big finish!"

"Don't screw this up!"

"Huh?" Hades noticed a shadow growing behind him. "Who put the lights out?"

"SUPER NEP BLADE!"

He was too late! The blade, enlarged by Donald's magic, bore down against the God of the Underworld in a mighty slash!

"I...can't believe this..."

With his fury cooled down, Sora took the chance and punted him straight out of the arena, leaving the Lord of the Dead to his fate.

"Ack! AGH! Wait! Come on, guys! COME ON!"

---

The title match of the tournament is about to begin! All members of Nep Team Epic, please step into the Arena for the Title Match!

"This is it..." Sora said, barely able to contain his excitement. "The final round. You two ready?"

"Heck yeah!" Neptune cheered. "Hero-dom, here we come!"

"This is the last stretch!" Rena said. "No matter what happens, let's give this all we got, guys!"

"Yeah!"

"So" Yuffie started, turning to the new entrants in the audience. "Tell me again why only those three are fighting Herc?"

IF sighed. "Apparently, they wanted to have their match like this."

Compa nodded. "Something about hero's pride and whatnot"

Donald sighed in frustration. "Those guys just wanted to show-off!"

"But didn't you want to be a hero just as much as they do?" Marvy asked innocently.

"C-C'mon!" Donald tried to defend himself. "There's more than just becoming a hero! I mean..."

Aerith giggled. "I think our little ducky's feeling a little embarrassed~!"

"Still, they made the right decision for this one" Artisan remarked.

"How so?" Yuffie asked.

"You four are already reaching your limits, right?"

The remaining members of Nep Team Epic gasped in surprise.

"Sadly, yeah" IF said, looking away nervously. "Guess the futomaki and potions weren't enough"

"Sorry about that" Marvy apologized. "I would've made more, but the ingredients were so expensive!"

"That's not what I'm saying..." the guild agent reassured.

"I thought I was seein' stars for a while there..." Goofy admitted.

"Wow" Aerith gasped in amazement. "I guess you two were giving no quarter there, huh?"

Leon hmph'ed.

"Hades jumping in there certainly didn't help" Cloud replied. "Our fight's were just friendly matches. That wasn't"

"At least this is a friendlier bout this time..." Artisan commented.

Donald scoffed. "I could've kept going..."

"Now, now, everyone" Compa settled everyone down. "We may not be able to fight right now. But we can still cheer them on."

Marvy nodded. "We can, at least, give them our energy!"

"Well, that's one thing I'm good at!" Yuffie chirped.

"It's about the only thing you're good at" Cloud snarked.

"Oh?" the Great Ninja teased. "Then why don't you try being a cheerleader, spiky?"

"Not interested"

Meanwhile, back in the arena proper, Hercules is preparing for the match, doing some stretches for a warm-up.

"You ready, champ?" Phil asked.

Herc gave a smile. "Ready as I'll ever be."

As he approached his opponents, he couldn't help but ask.

"Still, are you guys sure you wanna do this? I can understand if you're exhausted from fighting Hades. Beating down a god is no easy feat."

"P-shaw!" Neptune replied with gusto. "We wanted to test our might against you ever since we heard about you from the goatman!"

"Besides, we want to prove something to you" Sora followed up. "And to everyone else here. Where our strength comes from. What being a hero really means."

Rena nodded. "I'm with them. Plus, with this match, I'll be able to see how far I have come as a person, to see if I'm ready to become a great adventurer like Falcom is"

Herc sighed. "Guess I can't dissuade any of you now, huh?"

Sora chuckled. "You can try. But we've already decided on this"

Herc nodded. "I see."

"Alright, everyone!" Phil announced. "The title match of the Pantheon Foundation Tournament is about to begin! In this corner are the three participants from Nep Team Epic!"

The three waved their hands across the arena, earning cheers from their growing audience.

"You can do it, Sora!"

"Go for gold, Nep-Nep!"

"Take him down, Rena!"

"We're rooting for you guys!"

"Do-goo!"

"And on this corner" Phil continued. "Is our reigning champion, the son of Zeus himself! HER-CU-LES!"

Herc waved his hand to the audience, earning him cheers as well!

"It's Hercules!"

"You can do it, Hercules!"

"Three cheers for the son of Zeus!"

"He's our hero!"

"Go Herc Go!"

"Now, the title match will begin in a moment. Weapons at the ready!"

The contestants wasted no time, drawing their weapons. In Herc's case, he simply readied himself. Despite having a sword, he preferred using his raw muscular strength to get the job done.

And this tournament is no different...

"Alright! Ready to go the distance?"

"Already am!"

"Let's get this started!"

"Whenever you are!"

"Then, let the final match..."

...

...

...

"BEGIN!"

"I'll start us off!"

Rena channeled energy unto both Sora and Neptune, granting them unbridled strength.

"Is this..." Sora wondered.

"Your Burning Heart?" Neptune continued.

Rena nodded. "Herc's coming. Get ready!"

Sure enough, he was coming at them with a bull rush attack.

"He's using his head!" Neptune shouted.

"Move!"

The trio immediately moved out of the way. However, Herc changed his course and started charging at Neptune!

"Why me!?"

"He's exposed!" Rena noticed. "Let's go, Sora!"

"Right behind you!"

Sora then channeled Aero magic onto his Keyblade...

"DEFENSE!"

...giving Rena a windy shield to work with.

"Time to show you the fruits of my training..."

"That's nice!" Neptune shouted. "But can you please be quick about it!?"

Sheathing her blade, Rena took a deep breath, and with the winds guiding her...

"Fourth Form..."

...she unsheathed her sword and proceeded to meet Herc's bull rush head-on!

"AUTUMN LEAF CUTTER!"

...By performing a cutting slash through him, breaking his focus!

"Gotcha now, hero!"

Neptune, seeing the opening, proceeded to attack him with three lightning-infused slashes!

"DELTA SLASH!"

"Grk!"

"Not done yet! SONIC BLADE!"

Not letting up, Sora follows up with his seven-hit dash attack, leaving the demigod kneeling on the floor.

"Now, he's using YOUR technique, Cloud!" Yuffie exclaimed, pointing at the boy.

Cloud simply huffed in response. "At least he's doing well with it."

"Hah. Not bad"

But then he got up, his divine aura flaring up!

"But I'm just getting started!"

He went for Sora and engaged him in melee combat. For every slash Sora does, Herc blocks them. For every punch Herc does, Sora dodges them.

"C'mon, Sora!" Goofy cheered.

"Punch his teeth in before yours do!" Yuffie shouted.

As the two men were engaged in combat, Neptune is preparing her next attack.

"I'll help out." Rena released another wave of energy, blue this time, to Neptune. "ZODIAC!"

The aura empowered Neptune's magical affinity.

"Sweet!"

Gathering fire energy onto her Keyblade, Neptune moves in and unleashes her attack.

"BLAZE BREAK!"

However, the flames just...bounced off the demigod, and he didn't even notice it!

"What the nep!?" Neptune complained.

"That aura must be protecting him!" Rena noticed. "At this rate, Sora will lose the fight!"

"What do we do!?" the girl in the parka panicked.

"Calm down" the aspiring adventurer said. "Let's try wearing him down. Maybe he can't keep that aura up forever"

"Good idea! In that case...Sora!"

Neptune ran over to the two, causing Herc to raise an arm to block Neptune's attack.

"Switch with me!"

"Got it!"

Once Sora tagged out, Neptune goes on the offensive against the demigod!

"Show me what you got!"

"I'll give you that and more! VARIABLE EDGE!"

While Neptune engaged with Hercules, Sora regrouped with Rena.

"You doing okay?" Rena asked the boy.

Sora nodded. "Yeah. Just a bit exhausted."

The two looked onto the duel in progress. Neptune is making about as much progress as Sora did in his clash. In other words, not so much.

"But how are we gonna take that aura down?" Sora wondered.

Rena hummed. "I have an idea..."

"What is it?"

Before his question was answered, he felt his magical affinity being empowered.

"Let's try attacking at the same time."

"Think he'll react?"

"If he reacts as I hope he would."

Sora nodded. "Then let's go for it!"

Neptune is already feeling a bit out of breath from the ongoing clash.

"Can't we...settle down...for a round of...pudding?"

"Sorry! Still in a fight."

Just as Herc is going in for a massive punch to Neptune's gut, Sora and Rena came in from behind...

"Haaaaahhh!"

"Hiyaaaaahhhh!"

Hearing their battle cries, Herc immediately jumped up!

"You guys!" Neptune cheered.

"Don't relax yet!" Rena warned her. "Get ready to move!"

Sensing that Herc's coming back, the trio tried to hop away.

"How's this for ya!?"

But they felt the brunt of Herc's Divine Slam attack, knocking them back.

"Gah!"

"Owie!"

"Hrg!"

The three slowly got up, and that's when Rena noticed something.

"I knew it!"

Herc's aura is gone! The last attack removed it from him!

"Heal up, you two! I'm going in!"

Wasting no time, Rena moved in...

"Face me, Hercules!"

"Bring it!"

...and engaged the demigod in single combat!

"Time for a big one!"

As Herc is readying his divine-infused punch...

"Not this time!"

...he suddenly felt his arm being stuck.

"What the...Strings!?"

Sure enough, his arm is being restrained by some of Rena's Shadow Strings.

"A little something to help me catch stray prey when I was little" Rena explained. "Never thought I could use this to restrain a hero, though!"

Wasting no time again, Rena immediately moved in!

"AXLE RUSH!"

Due to the fierce assault from Rena's blade, Herc was being pushed back.

"You're getting better by the day, Rena! Color me impressed!"

Rena smiled. "Thanks! But I'm not the only one who's improved..."

Herc's eyes widened as he felt two presences jumping at him from behind!

"Gotcha! ARS ARCANUM!" A direct thirteen hits!

"CROSS COMBINATION!" And seven more for good measure!

Herc could do little but brace himself against the assault from the two Keyblade wielders!

"Wow, that was rough!" Herc complimented the two. "You two certainly packed a punch there!"

"Aw, shucks!" Neptune cooed. "The hero's complimenting us!"

"We're here to win this!" Sora declared. "That's why we're giving this no less than our best!"

Herc nodded. "And that's how it should be. But the question now is..."

The demigod then flared up, charging himself with divine energy as he drew his sword.

"...how far are you willing to go?"

Rena gasped as she felt the hero's aura flaring up. "Here he comes!"

"Hiyah!"

Herc then began to spin around the arena, moving around like a spinning top threatening to slice anything in the way.

"He's...fast!" Sora managed to say as he maintained his defense!

"When will...he stop?" Neptune complained.

"Any moment now..." Rena calculated.

After two more seconds of spinning, Herc stopped in the middle, withdrawing his sword as he reorients himself, his divine aura dissipating.

"There! Strike now!"

Seeing a chance, the trio moved in to strike!

"CRITICAL EDGE!" A four-hit attack!

"Two hits...GRAVITY BREAK!" Gravity finisher delivered!

"CRIMSON GALE!" Flaming attack unleashed!

Herc again withstood their attacks with gusto, but he is starting to lost breath from the heated match!

"Heh..." the hero smirked. "I actually broke a sweat there..."

"How..." Neptune gasped. "How is he so tough!?"

"Must be his godly prowess showing..." Sora guessed.

"Nah" Herc shook his head. "I may have been born by Zeus, but I lost my divinity when I was a baby. When I was a teenager, my father told me to find someone who can train me to become a hero. That's when I met Phil and after a while, he agreed to train me."

He then put his hands on his hips. "And look where that led me. Hard work and the will to go for the distance has led me to become a hero. That's my source of strength. So, what's yours?"

"Our source of strength..." Sora mumbled.

"That's..." Neptune whispered to herself.

"You can do it, guys!"

The two looked to the stands. More precisely, where their friends are.

"Get up, Sora!"

"Fight on, Nep-Nep!"

"Don't lose, Rena!"

"Goofy...Donald.."

"Compa...Iffy..."

"And not just them"

Rena pointed to their other friends who were cheering for them.

"C'mon! The match is not over yet!"

From Aerith...

"You can do it!"

...to Artisan...

"Get up, guys!"

...to Yuffie...

"We're rooting for you!"

...to Marvy...

"Do-goo!"

"Stand up!"

...even Cloud...

"You can't give up now!"

...and Leon, too...

"Everyone..." Sora gasped.

"They're cheering for us..." Neptune said.

"To have this much support..." Rena stated as she smiled. "It feels nice."

Suddenly, the three of them had a shared epiphany.

"I get it now!"

They now know the answer to Herc's question.

The source of their strength.

"Found your answer?"

The trio looked at each other; the same look of realization plastered on their faces.

"Yeah" Sora answered first, his eyes resolute.

"There's no doubt about it!" Neptune answered next, her face filled with resolve.

"There can be no other answer than this!" Rena answered last, placing her hand on her heart.

Herc smiled. "I see. Then...!"

The reigning champion began to charge up divine energy, which started to encapsulate the entire arena!

"This power...!" Sora gasped.

"We gotta finish this up quick!" Neptune shouted.

"Then let's go for the gold, guys!" Rena rallied as she began to charge her sword with energy.

"Right! Sora?"

The boy nodded. "Time for that, then!"

The two Keyblade wielders charged right at the hero.

"Bring it on, you two! Let's finish this match!" Herc declared.

Sora grinned. "Took the words out of our mouths!"

"Then have a taste of our teamwork!" Neptune declared.

The two Keyblade wielders proceeded to assault the hero with coordinated Keyblade strikes.

Once they reached their sixth strikes, however...

"His aura's almost charged up!" the boy with the key shouted.

But the girl with the key grinned. "Then we leave this to her."

"What!?"

The two hopped to the side as Rena swooped in and charged right at Herc with all her might.

"Feel my SOUL BREAKER!"

Starting with three slashes, Rena then took a deep breath and proceeded to barrage the hero with several spinning strikes!

"Not yet!"

She then leapt up and charged the tip of her sword with more energy.

"She's going for a big one!" Herc noticed. "I'll have to expend the energy now!"

The hero proceeded to shrink the divine aura, now only affected a certain area around Herc.

"He's retracted the aura!" Sora yelled.

"Now it's up to us!" Neptune chirped. "Get ready, buck-o!"

"This is..."

"Try this on for size!"

"...the end!"

Rena sent herself down, clashing her blade with the champion's Divine Sphere shielding him from her attack.

"Hrrrrrrrrgggg!"

"Hooooooooohhh!"

"They're not letting up!" Sora noticed.

"C'mon, Falcom Jr.!" Neptune cheered.

"This sphere's incredible. All the energy it uses truly surpasses that of us humans...However..."

Rena began to exert more effort into her attack as the sphere slowly started to crack!

"Wha...!?" And Herc definitely took notice!

"I won't give in! I will give my all...TO GET OVER THIS BARRIER!"

The cracks started to form across the sphere as it loses the fight against Rena's assault, until eventually...

"HAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"

...the barrier broke, and Rena landed her attack against the ground, unleashing a powerful wave of energy against the downed hero...

"She...broke through..." Herc couldn't believe his eyes. No one has ever broken through his shield before. Not even Hades' strongest creatures could do it!

But before the hero could formulate another plan of attack, two figures closed in on him.

"Now taste..."

"Our TWIN ARCANA!"

Sora and Neptune closed the distance, and with Rena's last slash wave, they delivered the final blow against the world's reigning hero...

"Not...bad...you guys..."

...and as he fell down in a loud thud, silence reigned over the arena, the audience gazing upon the end results of the match.

One second became three...

Three seconds became seven...

Seven seconds became thirteen...

And by then, Phil announced the results!

"And there you have it, folks! The winner of the Pantheon Celebration Tournament is NEP! TEAM! EPIC!"

"We...We're the CHAMPS!"

"SHALALALALA-LALALA!"

"We...We really did it!"

The rest of their friends rushed down to join them in celebration.

"We did it!" Goofy cheered as he rushed to hug Sora.

"We're real heroes now!" Donald shouted as he followed Goofy's lead.

"Three cheers for Nep Team Epic!" Compa exclaimed as she hugged Neptune.

"Guess we made a big milestone now, huh?" IF stated with a contented sigh.

Far from the team, the remaining Drifters looked upon them.

"Whaddaya know?" Yuffie started.

"Guess they're ready for hero-dom now, huh?" Aerith said.

Artisan chuckled. "So, they are."

Marvy giggled. "They all did great!"

"Do-goo!"

Leon smiled. "Sora, Neptune. Well done"

Cloud, meanwhile, helped Herc up to his feet. "Those kids...They're really something, huh?"

Herc couldn't help but give a proud smile. "Yeah. That they are..."

---

Olympus Coliseum – Vestibule

"Congrats again, you guys!" Herc congratulated the team. "You were amazing! I-I didn't even hold back!"

"So" Leon started. "What is the source of your strength?"

Placing a hand onto his heart, Sora declared his answer. "My strength...they come from the friends I made...From Riku and Kairi, Donald and Goofy..."

Neptune followed. "To Compa and Iffy...to Arty, Leon, Yuffie, Aerith, Marvy, Falcom Jr., even Cloud over there..."

"And not just them..." Sora continued. "Herc and the other friends we made along the way, they're part of our strength, too!"

"Really?" Herc asked to be sure.

"I agree with that" Rena nodded. "Hearing this made me recall something a wise man told me. 'No man is an island'. It is through meeting others and bonding with them that helps us grow as people. That is what defines our strength."

"Wait, you can't be seri-"

"That's right!" Herc said, lifting the confused Phil up. "You guys have found what gives you strength. And I'm sure with your friends by your side, you can get through anything!"

Sora nodded. "Yeah!"

"Well now, since we're all here" Neptune suggested. "Why don't we finish up our last deal of business here?"

"Last deal?" Artisan asked.

The female Keyblade wielder then turned to the pedestal on the side of the room. The one pedestal they couldn't move yet.

"Oh yeah!" Donald remembered.

"Heh. Almost forgot about that" Phil said, turning to the hero. "Herc, would you..."

But said hero shook his head as he put his trainer down. "Why don't we let do them do this one?"

The party, including Rena, got into position near the pedestal. Last time, they each tried to push it individually. Now, though...

"You guys ready?" Sora asked.

Donald and Goofy nodded, the two positioned behind the boy.

"How about you gals?" Neptune asked.

"You bet!" IF nodded.

"We're not gonna let one measly pedestal get the best of us!" Compa boasted.

Rena laughed at that remark.

...this time, they will push it together, as one.

"One..." IF started.

"Two..." Donald counted...

"Three!"

The party all began their push...

"C'mon guys!" Aerith exclaimed.

"You can do it!" Marvy shouted.

"Show that thing who's boss!" Yuffie cheered.

"Do-goo!"

...and after a few seconds, they started to make progress!

"Well..." Artisan noted.

"Look at that" Leon said.

"That's the stuff!" Herc cheered.

After a few more pushes, they were able to push the pedestal out of the way!

"Aw-right!" the Great Ninja shouted.

"They did it!" the flower girl cheered.

"You were all great!" the other ninja complimented.

"Yeah..." Neptune managed to say. "How's...that?"

"Never thought..." Rena said, catching her breath. "Pushing a pedestal...could be so tough..."

Sora tried to say something, but then noticed something peculiar on the ground. "Oh"

"Well, what do we have here?" Leon said, noticing the thing on the ground too.

"Who would've thought that could be so close here?" Artisan commented.

"What's up?" Cloud asked, feeling out of the loop.

"Look there"

Everyone looked at the object on the ground, or rather...

"It's the Keyhole!" Compa exclaimed.

"Wow" IF gasped. "How is it something so important be placed somewhere unsuspecting?"

"Whimsy of the gods, I imagine" Yuffie muttered.

"I don't get it" Herc said, confused. "What's so special about that keyhole?"

"Basically, it leads to the heart of this world" the guild agent explained. "If left be, the Heartless will enter into the core and consume this world, drowning it to the darkness."

"Some of the worlds have already been consumed due to this" Artisan took over. "Ours was close into becoming the next victim too"

"So, how do you deal with it?" Cloud asked.

"With this"

Sora and Neptune approached the Keyholes with Keyblades in hand.

"What are you two runts doing?" Phil asked this time.

"Keeping your world safe, that's what they're doing" Yuffie answered for them.

Together, their Keyblades shone and shot beams to light at the small Keyhole on the ground, locking it for good.

"There!" Sora said.

"All done!" Neptune followed.

"That should keep this world Heartless-free for a while!" Aerith cheered.

"Guess that means things will be quieter around here, huh?" Cloud surmised to which the flower girl nodded with a hum.

Suddenly, a ringing noise is heard close to IF.

"That must be Cid" Artisan guessed.

"Mind answering it, IF?" Leon requested.

"Got it" IF answered the call from her phone. "Hello? Yeah. Yeah, we're here. Everyone's here, too. Oh. Okay, see you!"

Putting her phone down, she relayed the party Cid's message.

The Gummi Ships are now ready to make the needed trek...

---

Olympus Coliseum – Entrance

"So, you guys are really going?" Rena asked the party.

"Yuppers!" Neptune nodded fiercely. "Time and pudding wait for no one, after all!"

"Besides" IF said. "Cid finished up the modifications to the warp gummis. We should be good to go to our next destination once he finished patching our ship up with them."

"Hollow Bastion, right?" Sora asked.

Goofy nodded.

"So, this is it" Donald said. "We're moving in on the enemy's stronghold!"

"It will be tough!" Compa stated. "Maleficent and Ms. Evil Witch will be there with tons of tough Heartless! Not to mention, Riku too..."

Sora nodded grimly.

Neptune hummed. "I wonder if that lovely Newtype's gonna show up there..."

Goofy turned to the other party. "So, what about you guys?"

"Well" Artisan rubbed the back of her head. "We'll be heading back to Traverse Town first"

"Why's that?" the nurse asked.

"We have to make sure the town stays safe, first and foremost" Leon answered. "Second, we have to make sure all the preparations we made are set and ready to go"

"Once all that is done, we'll rush in and join you guys there" Artisan followed.

"I'll help you all out too!" Marvy exclaimed. "A ninja must always repay their debts!"

"Wow!" Neptune's eyes sparkled. "Talk about bringing in the cavalry! You guys really want in on the action, huh?"

"Well, duh!" Aerith replied. "That world is OUR home! We'll do most things to get it back!"

Yuffie snickered. "This will be the grand return of Yuffie Kisaragi as she takes her home world back from the Heartless with her comrades by her side! Wouldn't that be awesome, right Clou-"

But the spiky-haired soldier is nowhere to be seen!

"Where'd he go!?"

"Oh, about him" Rena butted in. "He said he had some 'unfinished business' here and told me to tell you guys to go on ahead without him"

The Great Ninja groaned. "Just as when we finally found him, he goes off and walks away! What's his deal, anyway!?"

Marvy tried to calm her fellow shinobi down. "Now, now, Yuffie. We should at least respect his boundaries and give him space..."

Aerith sighed. "I hope you know what you're doing, Cloud..."

"Huh. Weird" Neptune suddenly said. "Why do I hear Latin chanting in the background all of a sudden?"

"So, does this mean we're going in first?" Sora wondered.

Leon nodded. "Try to cover as much ground as you can. If you can make it past Maleficent and her goons, all the better. But more importantly..."

"More importantly?" Compa parroted.

"Don't lose heart" Leon finished. "There's no shame in losing, as long as you can keep going afterwards"

The party nodded. "Right!"

IF then felt her phone vibrate from her pocket.

"Did someone text me?"

The guild agent opened her phone to see...

"I got messages!"

The party gathered around IF as she opened her inbox.

"Who are they from?" Compa asked.

"Let's see..."

IF opened one of the texts. It reads...

"Gud luk out ther, nyu! Make sur Alice coms hom safe..."

"Hey! Isn't that Puchiko?" Neptune recoginzed.

"I'd recognize that verbal tic anywhere" IF sighed.

"You have more messages here, Iffy" Compa noticed.

Shooting a quick reply to the previous message, IF proceeded to open the next one.

"Hey, u guys doin ok? Al and I got woried for bit."

"That one's from CC2, right?" Goofy guessed.

IF nodded. "Guess I'll reply to her too. Were fine. Wil brin Jasmine bak. Promis"

"You still have more left, Iffy"

Hearing the nurse loud and clear, IF opened up another message.

"U all better not los! Peter and the boys want to hear ur storis afterwards!"

"That one's from Sting, I believe" Donald said. "Only she could be so demanding..."

"But it's nice to hear she's rooting for us, too!" Sora said.

"There's still one more message. Sender unknown"

IF opened the message and it reads...

"I sense a great trial ahead of you. The residents of Halloween Town and I wish you well on the journey ahead."

Donald groaned. "I think I know who sent that one..."

"It's Magey!" Compa exclaimed.

"Man, she sent a text message without a phone" Neptune said. "How does she do it?"

"Magic?" Goofy guessed with a shrug.

Rena chuckled. "Everyone out there is wishing you luck, huh?"

"This is proof of how much their help means to us" Marvy said.

"That's right!" Herc cheered. "So, with that said..."

"You guys can do it!" the three of them said. "We know you can!"

"Herc..." Sora said.

"Awww, Falcom Jr..." Neptune cooed.

"Marvy..." IF gasped.

The boy chuckled. "Thanks, guys. Hearing all that's gotten me fired up!

Goofy nodded. "Everyone's countin' on us!"

"We can't let them down!" Compa exclaimed.

"We've come this far, so let's go all the way through!" Donald shouted.

"Once we make it through this, we'll be one step closer to saving the worlds!" IF declared.

"So, let's hustle and bustle, ladies and gentlemen!" Neptune chirped. "Let's go save our friends AND the worlds like the heroes we are!"

"YEAH!"

"Hey!" Cid called out to the party. "You're ships all prepped up! You're good to go!"

With that confirmation, the party rushed back to their Gummi Ship, their destination set...

"Good luck, guys..." Herc said as he waved them goodbye.

"May your journey be a prosperous one..." Rena prayed to the party, wishing them luck...

"Those rookies are certainly going a great distance..." Phil said, looking to the ship that departed their world. "That's for sure"

---

NEPSTATION

---

Neptune: This is Nepstation, coming to you with a special bulletin! Normally, we'd give you the latest buzz around, but today is something special, for we have the latest intel on our enemies!

IF: Nep, quit with the suspense and just tell everyone already.

Neptune: C'mon, Iffy. We gotta set the stage and everything! It's Showbiz 101!

IF: Stall too long and people will lose interest. *sighs* Anyway, we have the latest intel on the enemy's stronghold, the haunting castle of Hollow Bastion.

---

*an image of the enemy's castle is shown onscreen*

Neptune: And how haunting it is! Look at how menacing it is! The smoking pipelines. The huge Heartless Emblem in front of it. The many waterfalls dotting the front yard of this place. *shivers* This is top-notch dungeon design, I tell ya!

IF: It's not just that. The castle rooms are split across the place too. Upon entering it, you'll be in the Main Hall, which consists of an old Library, and past that hall, you'll have to take special elevators to climb further up the castle, which consists of an old chapel and a Grand Hall that houses a great secret.

Neptune: A chapel within the top of the castle? Okay, I know final dungeon design is supposed to be elaborate, but who in their right minds would put their place of worship further INSIDE a building. Those should be placed near the entrance or something.

IF: *sighs* Makes you wonder what kind of lunatic would design this place.

Neptune: I bet they even have an amusement park inside the place!

IF: Nep, you're watching too much anime. Simmer down, please. *clears throat*

---

*silhouettes of more dangerous Heartless appear onscreen*

IF: This is all we can uncover about the castle at present. It will be a long climb up, filled with more dangerous Heartless and a long path to the top, but rest assured. Once we get up there, we'll have those witches down in no time!

Neptune: Uh-huh! This was once the proud homeworld of tons of people, some of which we got the pleasure to be friends with! We gotta get them their home back!

IF: You're right! I'm sure they'll be able to make their world hospitable again after all this. If they can manage a Refuge World, they can certainly rebuild their world again.

Neptune: Now that's looking forward! Welp, it was short, but this is all we got for you today!

IF: Not yet. You still got more stuff to do before you end this broadcast, remember?

---

Neptune: Ehehe, you're right! Hey, Sora! Review time!

Sora: I'm here! So, what do we got?

Neptune: First up, our usual review from keybladelight! For your question, the deets regarding how that world fell will be answered in due time. Maybe sooner than you think?

Sora: I hope we get those answers too. Anyway, our next review is…from an Enemy Stand!

*purple symbols appear on top of the hosts*

Neptune: Well, what did they say?

Sora: Well, they liked the original content last chapter. Y'know, the one about that city in our dreams?

Neptune: Oh yeah! Now that I think about it, a lot of this story is following the beats from yours, huh?

Sora: I guess Mr. Author likes to play it safe first. Hopefully, he'll start diverging once we go further along in the story.

Neptune: Hey, you got a bunch'a games in your franchise. I'm sure something drastic will happen at some point or another!

Sora: One can only hope. Anywho, Neptune, they've got a question for you!

Neptune: Oh yeah? *reads through question* Ah, a tournament of my own, huh? Well, it would a Pudding Eating Contest, obviously!

Sora: *chuckles* Really, just that?

Neptune: I mean, I have other ideas like a Gaming Contest, but remember that friend of mine I mentioned last time? She'd be more gung-ho with hosting that kind of tournament!

Sora: I…see! Welp, that's everything!

---

Neptune: Tune in next time for the climax of the story! The epic confrontation between old friends and diabolical enemies! There will be tears, betrayals, revelations, all the things that make a story compelling! Next time on Heartdimension Neptunia, Chapter 13, Forces of Evil! Our hearts...will lead us to victory!

Sora: Now, we ended up doing a proper preview...

Neptune: Hey, it's the big climax. Gotta drum up excitement and all that, you know?

---

Sora: *chuckles* Sure! Anyway….*a plane letter flies in* Huh? What's this? *opens letter*

Neptune: Is it from Mr. Author? What news does he have for us this time?

Sora: It says "Since the next two chapters will be split into parts again, once the upload starts next week, I will upload the parts within three days each. My plan is to have the rest of this fic be completed by the end of April, so please look forward to what's coming next. Not just the climax of the story, but what comes afterwards. That's all!" Huh, guess our schedule's taking a bit of a shake-up, huh?

Neptune: Well, at least people won't have to impatiently wait for several years before they get their next nugget of news.

Sora: Are you…referring to something with that?

Neptune: No! It's not like certain companies are being radio-silent about their content or anything because they are still putting out fires within them or coming up with another get-rich-quick scheme or something! *chuckles nervously* Why would I think about that? Don't be ridiculous!

Sora: *sweats nervously* Errrr, right…Anyway, from all of us here at Nepstation...

Neptune and Sora: See you next time!