Beginning of Destiny

XDXDXDXD I almost died laughing! Olette is so mean to him XDXDXD good job!

 

Damn, I wish more people wuld read. i_i

 

Chapter 7: Unlocking the Key to Destiny.

The bell placed on the front door of Collectable Curiosities rung as Buddy entered. What he saw when he entered the dimly lit area was wall to wall antiquities, quietly colleting dust. Objects of all sorts adorned the walls and shelves of the shop, nearly all of them in poor condition and disrepair. Some of them looked on the verge of disintegrating. There were clocks with cracked faces running on the wrong time or not running at all, Statuettes that had so many cracks, it looked as if a mere breeze would turn them to dust. There were antique glasses with chunks of the glass missing from the rim, and the various cutting tools, swords and knives, littered the store counters unsheathed that would be better suited as blunt objects, their blades dull and worn from lack of care. It was hardly what he expected.

“Collectable Curiosities?†he asked himself as he looked at the large suit of armor positioned by the door. Nearly every piece of the armor was either fractured or rusted, from its gold and red chest plates, to it armored gauntlets, to its Metal plated boots. From its rusted shoulder plates sprouted a tattered, moth eaten cape that extended down most of its form. It would have been quite the spectacular piece of art in its top condition, but Buddy wasn’t thinking of this as he mocked it, sticking his fists on the side of his head, index fingers extended, mimicking the bat ear extensions that adorned the sides of the helmet. “More like Curious Crap! Honestly, who buys this stuff?â€

Deciding that he still had time to kill before Olette’s return, he decided to look around the store a little more. He discovered that not all of the artifacts in the shop were broken, just odd. Some of the clocks didn’t have numbers, but bizarre pictures. Many of the shelves were packed with curious little trinkets that seemed to have no particular use at all. When one caught Buddy’s attention, he turned towards the counter to ask a question, only to find that the counter, along with the rest of the store, was vacant. No attendant presided at the shop at all.

“Ah, that figures. The people running this place figured nobody in their right minds would buy anything from a dump like this.†He said to himself. As he was about to leave the shop, he noticed that the back right hand corner of the shop was completely bare. Nothing was there except for a small table and a box, about a foot and a half long and eight inches tall.

Why didn’t I notice that before? He thought. As he approached the box, it turned out to be far more intricate than he originally had believed. It was of simple cedar, but it was carved with an etching of what appeared to be an ancient version of Twilight Town with unfathomable complexity. The top had been cut out, and a pane of glass that been inserted. The box itself looked as if it were ancient, as the hinges and the lock cap on it were brown with rust. It was absolutely covered with dust, the layers so thick; it looked as if it hadn’t been cleaned in centuries, keeping Buddy from seeing the contents within.

Curious as to why the box was isolated from the rest of the store, he searched for something to clean the glass with. Remembering the tissue that Olette gave him, he removed it from his pocket and scrunched it up in a manner where the part stained with his blood was out of the way and the majority of it was facing the mysterious container. He quickly cleaned the glass by dragging the tissue in vertical swipes against the glass. Once he was done, he discarded the tissue and gave the box his full attention. What he saw was a strange metal rod, possibly a club of some sort. He couldn’t be to sure, since the end seemed to have been broken off, as if it shattered.

Buddy had discerned that it was once a weapon of sorts, since it had the hilt of a sword. It was a most peculiar hilt, since it had two tassels, instead of the usual one that would be expected on some swords, on adjacent sides of each other coming out from the guard, down about five inches while four inches apart from the grip, and finally coming back into the base of the hilt. From its base was a 4 inch chain attached to it, the last link of it was fractured broken, as if some extreme force had cut it or snapped it. Buddy theorized that the chain was once part of some adornment, guessing that the missing part of the chain was connected to a pendent.

This is it? It’s just a hunk of metal! He stared at the broken weapon, very disappointed in his discovery. “SCREW THIS! I’m going back to the bench!†He turned on his heel towards the door,

Ba-bump!

A twinge a pain washed over his entire body. He clutched his chest as he broke out in a cold sweat. He turns around hastily and looks back at the box, with wide, glazed eyes.

Ba-bump, ba-bump, ba-bump!

His heart pounds as he slowly re approached the box. His fingers caress the latch as he stares at the hunk of metal inside the wooden container.

BA-BUMP! BA-BUMP! BA-BUMP!

He undoes the latch, slowly lifting the cover, revealing that the strange box was actually laced with a fine blue lace lining. The hinges creaked, clarifying that the box hadn’t been moved in ages. Under the artifact, a golden plaque covered with dust, rested there, as if to announce to the world the name of the item. The entranced buddy took his thumb and wiped the dust of the plaque, revealing its single engraved word.

“Keeeey…….blaaaaade….†Buddy whispered in a hushed drawl.

BA-BUMP! BA-BUMP!

He reached out his hand for the ancient item. His fingers caressed the black steel of the tassel and guard.

BA-BUMP!

Suddenly, he started sinking fast, as if the ground had turned into water. He descended head first as he sank into a endless void. He couldn’t move. It felt like there was a weight pressing against his entire being. He couldn’t breath. His lungs felt like they were being squeezed by a steel strong grip, keeping him from taking a breath. He couldn’t see. His eyelids felt like they were tied to lead weights. He felt as if he would sink forever in this lifeless void. He sank, sank, sank….

FWUMP!

“Oooow….†He landed hard on his front side. He crawled up to feet and rubbed his bruised cheek. He sighed as he opened his eyes. “This isn’t the shop…†he said with a tone of slight fear. He looked around and noticed that he was standing on a large stained glass platform, the glass as white as snow, with no intricate designs what so ever. The floor seemed to emanate a low light.

“Is it night time?†He asked himself as he looked up into the black void. He tried to see if there were stars or some type of moon, but he saw nothing. He noticed that the floor was actually a platform of sorts when he saw the edge. He ran to it, thinking he could get an idea of where he was. When he got to it, he had expected to see landscapes and cities, but instead he saw the same pitch blackness that went on forever. Try a he might he couldn’t see anything, not even the base to this mysterious tower.

“Okay, so no falling off…†Buddy said nervously with a chuckle, his voice cracked slightly as he got back up onto his knees. “Where am I?.†He asked himself, truly worried about his predicament. “The last thing I remember, I was gonna go back to the bench when there was this sharp pain in my chest. What is this place?â€

“This is the Station of Serenity.†A voice called out, answering his query. The voice seemed to come from everywhere, even from within him, reverberating within Buddy’s chest.

“Wh-who are you?†Buddy stuttered, surprised by the disembodied voice. But the voice ignored him, or perhaps, never truly heard him at all, as it continued to speak.

â€Once, this tower was engraved with your precious memories. But now, your memories have been taken from you, leaving this tower in the state it is now.â€

“Wait, my memories?!†An astonished buddy repeated. He had become alert and paid attention with intent at the thought of being able to learn something about his past. “Do you know about me? Do you know who I am?â€

â€You are of the non existent ones. Those who lost one of the three precious treasures that make up life, and have forfeited their right to exist.â€

“One of the non existent ones….†Buddy repeated quietly. He looked at his hands, as if they held the answers to all of his questions. “But how can that be? I’m right here!! I exist!!â€

â€You are different, in that you still have a foot hold in existence. You don’t exist, and yet at the same time, you do. A non existent one with a fractured heart.â€

“A fractured…†Buddy clenched his left chest, remembering the sharp pain he had in his chest earlier. “Heart?â€

â€It is because of this, that you are able to wield a power, a weapon that no non existent one could ever be able to touch.â€

And with that, Buddy’s body began to emit a soft light. Startled, he surveyed his person, checking if any changes had occurred. He sighed with relief, realizing that all that had happened was light emanation. Suddenly, the over all area of Buddy’s body that was lit up was shrinking, while it got brighter as it shrank. It started at his fingers and toes, and then went in from there. Eventually, it concentrated over his left bicep, as bright as a star.

“Wh-what’s going on?†Buddy asked, scared witless. Then two sparks of light, one black and one white, emerged from his chest, returning him to normal. The two sparks flew around the platform, dancing as they traveled from one end to another. They then came to a stop in the center of the platform, the white on the left, the black on the right. Buddy slowly and cautiously approached the two floating lights.

â€These were created from the memories that were engraved into your fractured heart.â€

The black spark flashed and solidified into a small, four pronged crown, still glowing softly. A little spark emerged from the bottom, and it solidified into a chain link. Likewise, every spark after that also solidified into a chain links until a bigger spark flashed and separated into two, shooting in opposite directions, and then come up and around towards each other, the streaks left behind forming a tassel in the shape of devils wings. A strand of light appeared between the top and bottom of the tassel, solidifying into a grip. From the side adjacent to the one connected to the chain and crown, another light shooting out in a straight line then coming back down into the tassel, forming to a blade like weapon. On one side, a small adornment formed, making the weapon look like a giant key.

â€This is the Keyblade Oblivion, born from a treasured friendship that has weathered the worst of tribulations.â€

Likewise, the white spark flashed, solidifying into a make shift star shaped good luck charm. On one of the star points, a face and some brown hair were scribbled onto it. Like the crown, it too sparked, each spark creating a different part of the item once more forming a Keyblade, except this time, the tassel resembled an angel’s wing.

â€This is the Keyblade Oathkeeper. It was born from a precious promise that must be kept. They are your power.â€

“My…My power?†Buddy once again repeated the voices words, starting to sound like a broken record. He looked on as the two Keyblades floated in the air. Stunned, he barely heard the voice speak one more time.

“Quickly, take up arms! The Darkness is coming for you.â€

The two Keyblades disappeared in a flash, and in a flash, reappeared in Buddy’s hands. As he looked at his two new weapons, he felt a pull in the back of his mind, sensing the approach of something with a malicious intent. He threw down his arms, Keyblades thrust in opposite directions, standing ready for battle.

Chapter 7:Unlocking The Key to Destiny: End

 

o.O
ROCKIN!
also, i still cant get over 'buddys' name *laughs histaricaly*

 

Thank you very much thanks!

 

*claps like crazy*

you are so good at this!

 

Chapter 8: Darkside Descends.

Standing ready, Buddy looked around the glass pillar, ready for what ever this mysterious enemy might be. Suddenly, the entire pillar began to shake.

“What is this?!? Is it an earthquake?!?” He asked as he tried to keep his balance. He looked down and saw darkness wisps spreading around his feet, growing larger by the second. Before he could evade, a large black hand, roughly the size of Buddy’s waist, thrust out of the dark and grabbed Buddy around the waist, the grip as tight as any bond. The body belonging to that hand came forth from the dark, revealing a giant that was four times Buddy’s size. It was all black with a muscular build, and its head had thick tendril like hair, which seemed to writhe around as if each strand had a life of its own. Its lower waist had a huge hole shaped like a heart. It gazed at buddy with piercing, glowing yellow eyes.

“WH-WHAT ARE YOU?!?” Buddy demanded in a panic. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that he would be fighting something like this monster. The beast brought Buddy close to his face still clutching him in his left hand, only about a few feet to be exact, and looked him in the eyes.

”HEART…LEEESSSSS…” The beast drawled in a loud whisper. Buddy could see the Beast form the words with its lips. Even its soft whisper reverberated into Buddy’s entire being, its breath ruffling through his hair. Its breath hurt his nostrils, his eyes stung slightly. He closed his eyes to protect it from the foul wind. Is this what Darkness smells like?

The monstrosity lifted Buddy into the air, and with all its might, threw him down towards the fluorescent ground, uncoiling its grip around him as he descended, the monster pushing Buddy with its palm as he fell. With its added weight and thrust, the Beast slammed Buddy into the glass floor, inflicting far more damage to Buddy than if the beast just threw him down. The sheer force of the monster’s palm thrust cracked the glass platform in a spider-web like pattern in a circular area around Buddy.

”KOFF! GAK!” Buddy croaked. He coughed up a quick spray of blood, scoring the first strike for the beast. The monster lifted buddy back up for another round. Buddy desperately tried to compose himself as blood streaked down his chin. The beast stared at Buddy, waiting for him to compose himself enough so he could feel the full brunt of the next attack. It was obvious that the monster intended to play with its victim. Buddy, after catching his breath and calming himself down, spoke in a soft, sarcastic tone. “Hey! tall, dark, and handsome!” The giant, not really responding to Buddy’s comment, but to the sound of his voice, gave more pause than it originally intended as it looked at him.

“You have to know, I’m not usually this close to someone on a first date.” He said, still speaking softly. He had managed to free his right arm during the monster’s last attack,and had somehow figured out how to dismiss his Keyblades, as his hand was vacant. A vertical explosion of light flashed in his hand, and as the light faded, revealing the Keyblade Oathkeeper. Buddy glared at the beast with a new found ferocity and a wide, tooth showing grin. He had the look of a wolf being backed into a corner, getting ready to rip through his opponent.

”SO BACK OFF!!” He yelled as he plunged the Oathkeeper into the giant’s wrist. The beast released its grip around Buddy as it howled in pain, allowing Buddy to climb up onto the goliath’s wrist. Leaving Oathkeeper behind as he dashed up its arm, he summoned Oblivion, it appearing in the same light as Oathkeeper. He brought Oblivion around, and slammed it with all his might into the beast’s head, the beast recoiling from the strike. He had managed to land three more strikes to monster’s head before it managed to swat Buddy away with its other gargantuan hand. Buddy grunted as he was sent flying towards the edge of the platform. However, he managed to correct himself in mid air, stopping him from sailing. He managed landed on one knee and as he took a moment to wipe away the blood, the giant trotted towards him.

The monstrosity towered over Buddy and lifted its foot in a preparation for another attack. Buddy leapt forward, tucking his in legs and rolled away, dodging its stomp. He kept rolling, dodging repeated attacks. He rolled around until he got dizzy, stopping at the edge of the platform. The giant trotted over and brought its foot back up, getting ready for another stomp. He backed up to the edge, and dodged the behemoth’s stomp. He swung his Keyblade horizontally, slashing it into its ankle and setting it off balance. The beast frantically tried to regain its balance, not wanting to fall over.

“Down ya go!” Buddy chirped as he slammed Oblivion into the monster’s heel, offsetting its delicate balance, sending it over the edge. He back steps to dodge any flailing limbs, watching as the giant toppled over the edge. “Adios, gruesome!” He remarked with a salute.

“Damn shame though. That Oathkeeper thing was pretty cool.” He said with a sigh, resting his weapon on his shoulder. “Now, time to get out of here. You’d think there would be an invisible staircase or something...”

Suddenly he heard a loud humming coming form behind him. He returned to the edge and peered over just in time to see the feet of the beast disappear into a portal of darkness.

“Still want to fight eh? Very well then.”

Buddy backs away from the ledge, about a quarter of the way in, and stands ready, watching the floor for any signs of attack. Sure enough, darkness appeared around his feet.

“THE SAME ATTACK WON’T WORK TWICE!” Buddy hollered as he jumped aside as the beast’s right hand thrusts up from the floor. With an unexpected burst of power, Buddy brought around Oblivion in a horizontal swing and cut off the monsters hand and wrist! The giant leapt out of the dark portal in astonishment of its sudden injury and retreated to the opposite side of the platform. The dismembered appendage dissolved away, unnoticed by the two.

Buddy eyed the beast carefully as the beast returned Buddy’s scrutinizing gaze. It lowered his remaining hand, still impaled with Oathkeeper, gently onto the glass floor. A dark portal then appeared around it, and smaller creatures started to crawl out.

“What, you can’t beat me by yourself, so you have to bring in some of your friends?” He asked sarcastically, not really expecting an answer. He watched as black creatures, roughly about a foot in height, with big heads and pudgy bodies clawed their way out of the portal with stubby little claws. They all had bug like antenna, and beady yellow eyes that were like dots on their heads. Crap! I’m not sure if I can take on the *****y black giant and his little buddies at the same time.

But instead of swarming Buddy, the creatures crawled their way up the giant’s arm, across the shoulders, and up the other arm to where the missing hand once was. They piled on top of each other, clawing their way up one by one, each one clinging to their brethren once they found their proper place. Once the last of the creatures had taken their place, they merged into one big ball of Darkness, warping and twisting into a specific shape. When it started to resemble a hand without fingers, five strange appendages formed and grew out, four from the top, one from the side. The smaller creatures had assimilated themselves into the larger one, giving it a new hand to replace the one lost in Buddy’s last attack.

“Well, I guess that’s… handy.” Buddy stuttered with a twitch in his eye. When he noticed that the beast had closed the dark portal, he made a de a mad dash toward it, reversing his grip on Oblivion. He jumped onto the goliath’s hand just as it was about to lift its hand up, snatched up Oathkeeper, and dragged the two along the giants arm, leaving deep gashes as he ran. He arrived at the giant’s head, and landed a succession of blows, at least three times as much as before, repeatedly swinging his Keyblades in all manner of directions. The giant brought its new hand around to smash him, but Buddy dodged by ducking behind the beast and falling down into the beasts heart shaped cavity in the lower torso. Once he had propped against the monsters inner right side, he plunges both Keyblades into the adjacent side.

“IT'S TIME FOR A SIDE SPLITTER!” He barked. He started pulling his Keyblades in opposite directions with all his might. With a grunt , he managed to split the giant’s side wide open! Immediately, Buddy jumped down to get out of the way of flailing arms. The giant’s upper half, now only connected to his lower half by one of his sides, flail wildly as it tries to desperately regain its balance that was set off by the lost of once side.

“Only one shot at this…” Buddy murmured. He took aim with Oblivion, being careful to keep his line of sight on the monster’s waist. He brings Oathkeeper back behind him, and chucks it forward, spinning it rapidly. Oathkeeper pierces the beasts remaining waist, severing it from the lower body and plunging and sending it into the void!

“Now that that is taken care of, it’s time to find a way out of here. Maybe I should check for invisible stairs after all…”

Buddy looked over the platform for any indication of where an exit could possibly be, when he notices that he’s casting a shadow onto the floor, even though the only light source was coming from the floor. He looks up to see the giant’s upper body hovering high in the air, in its hands was a growing ball of dark energy. It was getting ready to destroy the entire tower along with him.

“Man, this pest is like a bad itch.” Buddy told himself with a scowl, starting to get rather annoyed. “Always coming back in a place I just can’t reach. Well, I guess the best way to take care of a pest is with a big ol’ can of STRIKE RAID!” Buddy threw Oblivion this time, as hard as he could and with even greater spin than before, sending it sailing through the black abyss. It nailed the giant right through the head, dissipating the dark energy instantly. The beast went limp and dissolved away as it fell.

“Finally...” Buddy said with a sigh, relieved that he was finally done. He held his hands out and concentrated, summoning both of his Keyblades back. “I guess they really do belong to me.”

“Well done.” The strange voice called out, praising Buddy for a fight well fought. “You have beaten the Darkness that has come for you. Now, it is time for you to return.”

“WHAT?” Buddy yelled in astonishment. He dismissed his Keyblades, them fading into light. Buddy rushed to the center of the platform, searching for the source of the voice frantically. “BUT I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS! WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT ME?!? WHAT’S MY NAME?!?”

But his pleas were to no avail, as the voice continued its farewell.

”You will have many battles ahead of you to claim what you seek. When you next return to the Station of Serenity, you will be close to claiming that which you have lost. Farewell.”

Once it had finished, a light enveloped Buddy, starting at his feet, and consumed his being. Things started to go white, and eventually, all he could see was a bright light. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his hand.

“YEOW!!” he yelped. He was shaking his hand in an effort to shake away the pain. He had returned to the shop at Mall Street, only with one difference. Standing next to him was a truly crotchety old man who wore a trench coat like one would wear a robe. He had a crooked nose with a bald head with gray hair on the side. He held a cane in his hand and shook it at Buddy.

“NO TOUCHING THE MERCHANDISE!” He yelled, spitting as he talked. “Honestly, kids today have no respect at all!”

“Jeez, Sorry…” Buddy yammered as he rubbed his hand.. “Hey! Old man! When I left it was 11:30. Do you know how long I was gone?”

“Are you high boy? It’s 11:31 right now! You were just standing there like an idiot when I came in! Now go! Shoo! Shoo!”

“Okay, Okay…” As Buddy headed towards the door. He stopped and looked at the suit of armor once more, looking up and down, and then over his shoulder at the broken Keyblade. What was that? Was it a dream? It seemed far too real. And it seemed like it lasted for a half an hour at least.

“Keyblade, eh?” He muttered as he stared at the palm of his hand, deep in thought.

“I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU TO GET OUT!” The angry old man screamed, shaking his cane wildly in the air.

“I heard you the first time old man! Don’t slip a disk!” Buddy snarled. He opened the door, a ring of the bell signaling his departure.

Chapter 8: Darkside Decends: End.

 

WOW! mean old man!!!!! great job!

 

Chapter 9.

Chapter 9: Side Stepped Side Story 1: R.O.A

It’s been fifteen minutes since Olette and Rinoa left Buddy sitting on a bench, and ten minutes since the two purchased their Dawn to Dusk CD, bypassing the line of die hard fans thanks to Rinoa’s connections. Ten minutes that where spent, at the insistence of Olette, with the elder of the two holding a cup of Moon munny coffee, and Olette herself, sipping on an Italian Soda while seated at a sofa so common to cafés and coffee shop. Olette was reclining in her seat while her teacher was starring at the girl with a bit of puzzled look in her eye.

“Shouldn’t you be getting back to your friend?†Rinoa inquired inquisitively, intent on finding the source of Olette’s peculiar behavior. “Isn’t he waiting for you?â€

“Ah, let him wait!†She scoffed after taking a sip of her drink. “It’s his punishment for acting like an ass earlier!â€

“Come on Olette, don’t you think your being a little too hard on him?†Rinoa asked with a note of reason, uncommon for her age. It was one of her traits that made her so popular with the students and teachers alike at the school where she worked. She would often get forced into the role of intermediate when disputes broke out between her coworkers, her students, or between the faculty and the student body. “It’s not the first time a teenager dropped the ball when they met me for the first time, and it probably won’t be the last! It’s no big deal.â€

â€Well it’s a big deal to me!†She said in a loud voice, eyes closed out of irritation, raising her plastic cup in preparation for another sip. “He embarrassed me in the middle of one of the busiest places in Twilight Town!â€

Realizing that her current strategy isn’t going to work, she abandons it and adopts a different tactic all together. She casually retrieves a pack of coffee cream that had been sitting on the table in front of them, opens it, and stirs it in to her coffee with a little plastic stir stick she had acquired when she picked up her order. She brings it close to her lips, smelling and savoring the aroma of Twilight Town’s exclusive brew as she gently brushed away her hair that had fallen in front of her sight behind her ear. Before she takes a sip, cradling the cup with her hands, she asked Olette a rather innocent sounding question.

“So, if Buddy’s your boyfriend, does this mean you’re over that crush you had on Hayner?â€

â€PFFFFFFFFT!!â€

Caught off guard with a mouth full of soda water, orange flavoring juice and whipped cream by her elder compatriot’s question, spits it out in a fine spray out of the surprise and astonishment that the question had wrought. She struggled to catch her breath between coughs as she attempted to compose herself. The educator couldn’t help but smile slightly with a glint of sneakiness in her eyes as she thought: Bingo!

â€RINOA! WHAT THE HELL WOULD GIVE YOU THAT IDEA!?!†The exasperated Olette asked, wiping away the left over soda from her mouth with a handkerchief, her cheeks burning from embarrassment.

“Well its true, isn’t it?†The elder inquired, setting the cup down onto the table. “Telling from your behavior around him, it would be obvious to anyone that you would be involved with him.â€

“No it’s not true!†The younger said hastily, her face still red. “It’s just that—“

“You got jealous when he looked at another woman.†Rinoa interrupted.

“NO! It’s just how I keep all of my boys in line.†Olette replied nervously. “And I do not have a crush on Hayner!â€

Total BS. Rinoa thought to herself with a sigh. I can see that you’re head over heels for him.

“So let me get this straight. You got angry with someone for looking at another woman who you are not involved with, saying that he is just, and I quote, one of ‘your boys.’ So tell me, how did he become one of ‘your boys?’ And don’t tell me that you guys just up and decided to add a fourth to your little trio!â€

Feeling pressured from the interrogation Rinoa was putting her through, Olette tried to think up a way to appease her teacher in a way that wouldn’t reveal that she had only met the boy a few days ago when Hayner found him naked in the forest, and that the boy has no recollection of his past.

“He’s… a friend from Hayner’s.†Olette replied, trying to avoid eye contact. “He’s from out of town.â€

“Right…†Rinoa hummed, eyeing the younger girl. She knew her pupil was hiding something from her. She decided to give Olette one more push before she would try to find her answer elsewhere. “So why would you be so strict with someone who is technically a friend of friend, and that you don’t have any direct relationship with what so ever?â€

“Well…†Olette hummed. She placed her index fingers upside down under each eye, bobbed her head slightly, and gave her best good girl smile. “Me no know!â€

And in one swift motion, Rinoa wrapped her arm around the Olette’s neck, pulls her in close, and secured the young girl into a head lock and grinded her knuckle into Olette’s scalp, ruffling the girl’s hair.

“Don’t be cute with me!†She said, a tad annoyed with the girl.

Olette gave a slight sad pout at the comment. But I am cute! Once she was free from Rinoa’s head lock, she pulled a brush out of her bag and started fixing her hair.

“So where do you think Marlene is?†Olette asked in an attempt to change the subject as she ran her brush through her hair. “It’s the second Saturday of the month. She always goes to Mall Street on the second Saturday of the month. And with the new Dawn to Dusk CD out, I half expected to find her fighting her way tooth and claw through that line!â€

“What?†Rinoa asked, surprised that Olette would ask such a question. “You mean you don’t know?â€

“Huh?†Olette replied, looking rather puzzled. “I don’t know what?â€

“Oh my god…†Rinoa whispered. She crawled over closer to Olette and looked her in the eyes.

“Olette, about Marlene, she’s…â€

“What about her?†Olette muttered with worry for her friend in her voice.

“Marlene is in the hospital.†Rinoa said softly. “She has been for the past two weeks.â€

“What?†A stunned Olette said softly. It wasn’t uncommon to lose touch with school friends over the summer, but to not hear about this for so long was too much. “HOW? WHY?â€

“Calm down, she’s okay.†Rinoa hugged Olette and gently stroked her hair, trying to calm the panicking teen. “When her father noticed that she was late coming home, he went out to look for her. He found her in a really bad shape near the upside of town. He managed to get her to the hospital in time, but when I checked a few days ago, she was still in a coma.â€

“Poor Mr. Barrett†Olette muttered sadly. Marlene’s father, Barrett, was the gym coach at her school. He was supremely protective of his daughter, and would snarl at anybody who would even look at her at the wrong way. He was big, gruff, and surly, but he had a kind heart, and would crawl from the depths of hell to the tops of the heavens to protect the people he cares for. He was one of the strongest guys in all of Twilight Town, and many would say that he would be able to take down the entire wrestling league with one hand, which coincidentally, was all he had. “He must be sick with worry.â€

“Poor Barrett?†Rinoa asked with a slight smile. “Don’t you mean poor hospital staff? He hasn’t left the hospital since Marlene had been checked in. Have you ever tried to get a guy the size of a tank to move when he doesn’t want to? Let me tell ya, even if they had a fork lift, it’s not happening.â€

Olette giggled with a smile at the thought of the entire staff trying to push Barrett out the door at the end of visiting hours. But that smile faded soon after as she thought about the unfortunate news. “Who would do such a thing?†she asked. Rinoa looked into Olette’s sad eyes, throwing around a thought.

“I honestly don’t know.†The teacher lied, not wanting to burden the emotional brunet any further. Truth is, she had a suspicion. In the past year or so, there have been a bunch of gangs cropping out of the woodwork, claiming a certain section of Twilight Town as their territory, with each gang said to have strange abilities. The Council of Masters, the group of individuals that acted as the government for Twilight Town, had been pressuring the media to keep their existence silent in fear of it tarnishing Twilight Town’s reputation, leaving only gossip spoken at remedial conversation. She didn’t even know of their existence until a student of hers broke down and told her everything from his involvement in one of these gangs to the gang’s customs, rules, and their traditions. Out of concern of her students, she started asking students from different areas that she had noticed were experiencing similar stress to the first. She had found out that the gangs that had sprung up were seemingly unrelated. The only connection they had was that all the groups had names with the initials of D.o.T. Marlene had been the latest that had come to her before the summer break, concerned about the boy she had been seeing had been running around with these gangs, making them the most likely suspects. She had tried to talk to the authorities, but to no avail. She decided that if they won’t do anything, she’ll do all that she is could to protect her students.

“Maybe I was too harsh with him.†Olette said, interrupting Rinoa’s train of thought. Rinoa looked at her with a blank stare.

“Before summer vacation started, Marlene and I kind of had a fight.†Olette said frankly. Rinoa still just stared at the young girl. “It wasn’t anything all that bad, but it isn’t something that I want to end a friendship on. It’s probably even worse to start one with a fight.â€

“And I guess I shouldn’t blame him for losing it in front of Twilight Town’s most popular bachelorette.†Olette said with envy as she eyed her teacher’s physique. Rinoa couldn’t help but chuckle nervously. Olette returned her brush to her bag and deposited the plastic cup she was drinking out of into the trash. Throwing her bag over her shoulder, she stood up.

“We should be getting back.†Olette said plainly, and with that, she walked out the door.

“Hold on Olette!†Rinoa pleaded as the girl rushed out. She collected her purse and quickly followed her student. When she exited, she looked to the left to see Olette standing in front of an alley.

“Let’s cut through here! It’ll be faster than going around. Come on!â€

“Olette, I really don’t think--“the educator tried to say in an effort to stop the teen, but she dashed down the alley before raven haired woman could finish. With a sigh, she rushed to follow the teen into the alley, and straight into a brick wall, stopping them from proceeding.

“Why is this here?†Olette asked, rather perplexed. She was quickly joined by an angry Rinoa.

“OLETTE! YOU SHOULDN’T RUN OFF LIKE THAT WHEN YOU’RE WITH SOMEONE!†Rinoa said sharply as she scolded. “And you shouldn’t go through alleys anyway. It’s really dangerous!â€

“It’s dangerous around noon time?†Olette replied, seeing flawed logic in Rinoa’s argument.

“Hey, anything can happen.â€

“Well, well, well! Look what we have here!†An irritatingly scratchy voice rang out into the alley. “A couple of butterflies have fluttered their way into the Spider’s web!â€

“See, this here is case in point.†Rinoa said with a sigh. Moments later, a group of five men, all wearing black leather jackets, black t-shirts that were numbered one through five, black jeans, and headbands with blue snowflakes patched on them quickly descended down from the fire escapes of the buildings on either side of the alley and quickly stood between the girls and their exit. The last one to descend had a scrunched face, a protruding nose, beady eyes, and hair that stood straight up like tall grass. He seemed to be the leader of the group, as he took a stance in the center of the of his compatriots, along with the fact that his shirt was labeled “1â€. Rinoa instinctively placed herself between the gang and her pupil.

“Unclench sweetheart.†The small guy said in the same scratchy voice from earlier. He had a crooked smile plastered onto his face. “We’re not interested with the kid. Why don’t ya ditch her and come have fun with us?â€

Rinoa kept silent. The group started to creep forward.

“T-teacher…†A scared Olette stuttered. Rinoa gave her a quick glance to signify that things would be okay.

“Come on.†One continued. “If you promise to behave yourself, we’ll promise to try and not be too rough.†He reached out to grab her wrist.

OLETTE! STAY BACK!†Rinoa yelled in a commanding voice. She grabbed one’s wrist and pushed it aside, and in an instant, she thrust her other hand and slammed the bottom of her palm into one’s large nose, breaking it instantly and sending him falling to his knees, screaming in pain. The other four rushed her almost instantly, but Rinoa took them all down in an unexpected barrage fists and kicks, sending the whole lot of them to the floor quickly and easily. When she was done, they were all groaning on the ground as she stood in a martial arts stance, one leg lifted off the ground like a crane. Her left hand was held high in the air while her right was held low with poise and grace.

“Honestly, did you think it would be that easy? Looking the way I do, I would be an idiot not to prepare for such an occasion.â€

“DON’T GET COCKY SWEETCHEEKS!†another voice called out. Rinoa turned looked around to the far wall to see another gang member with a t-shirt labeled six had captured Olette and covered her mouth with one hand, held a knife only a couple inches from her neck with the other. His compatriots crawled to their feet as Olette struggled against her captor.

“Good work six!†One said when he was back on his feet. He glared at Rinoa coldly as he squeezed his nose to stop the bleeding.

“Now, let’s try this again. You do as you’re told, or else six gets to have his way with your little friend over there, got it?â€

Panicking, Rinoa quickly looked from one, to the captured Olette, and back to one. Her eyes were wide from terror of what could happen to her student. Defeated, she nods her heads with closed eyes as she tried to hold back tears.

“Excellent.†One hissed as he snickered. “And you can forget about getting off easy. Oh no, you’re gonna have it nice and rough. It’s what you get for messing with the Disciples of Twilight, subgroup B!â€
All of the sudden, Rinoa’s eyes went wide. She replayed one’s words through her head. Disciples of Twilight? Subgroup B? Does this mean…

“Enough! Let’s get started!†One barked. The five started chuckling, while the sixth that stood by looked on.

“It’s too bad.†Six whispered in the panicked teen’s ear. “I kind of have a thing for younger girls.â€

This sent Olette into a frenzy, desperately trying to escape. Six took a deep breath, sniffing Olette’s hair, evil thoughts running through his mind when suddenly…

CLANG!

The sudden sound of metal caught the attention of the others and they looked for the source. Six had been nailed across the face with a trash can lid thrown like a Frisbee. Dazed, he released his grip on Olette. Rinoa took the chance and dashed over, grabbing the girl and holding her close. While Olette cried, Rinoa joined her gaze with the gazes of others toward the entrance of the alley to see who their savior could be.

They saw a man, roughly Rinoa’s age, wearing black jeans and a black t-shirt with the words ‘Trial by Fire’ emblazed across the front. They couldn’t see his face because he his nose, mouth and chin were hidden by a scarf wrapped around his head, revealing only eyes with a triangle tattoo under each one. He hid his hair with a ski cap.

â€WHO THE HELL ARE YOU!?!†One demanded angrily.

“Just a good citizen, going around and picking up crap off the streets.†The mysterious figure said matter of factly. He looked over at the direction of the girls. “Hey! Are you just going to stand there? Move! Find a cop or something and tell them that there will be six goons gift wrapped for them.â€

“Alright…†Rinoa said solemnly as she recovered from the daze of the stranger’s unexpected arrival. She momentarily pushes Olette aside and glared with untold anger towards six, already on his feet. “But first…â€

She swung her foot as hard as she could between six’s legs, landing a crippling blow to his sensitive parts, knock the air out of his lungs. He fell to his knees as he cupped his throbbing appendage, gasping for air.

“That’s for calling me ‘sweet cheeks!’†She said sharply. She lifted her leg up and brought it behind her. “And this…â€

â€THIS IS FOR THREATENING MY STUDENT!†Rinoa roared with ferocity she had never felt before as she swung her leg around, slamming her heel into the side of six’s head as hard as she could, pushing it until she slammed it once more into the brick wall. Six slumped down as blood trickled down his skull, fainting from the teacher’s ferocious attack. Not giving a seconds pause, she grabbed Olette and ran out the alley, not stopping until she found the closest security station.
---------
“DAMN!†An astonished Axel gasped as he looked at the fallen number six, his look of surprise hidden by his disguise. “That lady can FIGHT!â€

Axel, in awe of the fighting prowess and savageness of the black haired girl’s attack, noticed that suddenly his left hand felt really cold. He looked down to see that it was covered with ice.

“And I was having such a good day too.†One said coldly, his right palm open and facing Axel. The snowflake on his headband glowed light blue as his hands were surrounded by a blue aura.

“Oh, really? I didn’t notice.†Axel remarked, taking note of the headband. He flared up the temperature in his left hand, instantly turning the frozen ice into vapor. This act had gone unnoticed by the thugs. “I’d never consider a day when I had to get five of my friends together just to gang up on a couple of girls a ‘good day.’ You people are honestly pathetic.â€

“What do you know?†One rebottled. “Me and my boys, we were just out and having a good time. Trying to have some fun, ya understand? Now you came along and ruined our good time, and now we got this frustration built up. We’ve got to let it out somehow, preferably with a little payback to the guy what caused it. And they say payback is a dish best served cold!â€

With that phrase acting as a signal, the snowflakes on the headbands of the remaining four started to glow, a similar aura growing around their hands. Axel looked at the sight and chuckled slightly.

“I don’t think I have anything to worry about.†He said, trying to contain his laughter. “What do I have to worry about from a couple of morons too dumb to use magic when they were getting their butts kicked by a girl?â€

This sent one over the edge, as he no longer was able to control his anger.

â€SHUT THE HELL UP!! I DON’T THINK YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE DEALING WITH! NOBODY MESSES WITH THE DISCIPLES OF TWILIGHT! NOBODY!!â€

Axel couldn’t help himself. He laughed out loud as he clenched his stomach. After about a minute of this, Axel started to calm down, his belly laugh reduced to the occasional snort.

“Damn, that was funny.†He said, wiping a tear from his eye. “I’m going to assume that the pun was accidental. You just don’t seem that smart.â€

â€THAT’S IT! KILL HIM!!†With the signal given, the five of them casted a barrage of blizzard spells, two from each hand, for a total of ten. Axel sneered under his disguise, and with his right hand, he summoned one of his chakrams. He held it out in front and spun the chakram as fast as he could as he increased the heat of the metal, creating a wall of hot air. His maneuver Instantly dissipated the blizzard spells, and the blast of air caused his scarf to blow away, leaving his face visible. Before his enemies had time to register what had happened, he stopped spinning his weapon and dashed at them, chakram raised in the air…

It was over before it begun. The five remaining gang members laid unconscious on the cold concrete of the alley floor, bleeding from their sides that were slashed open. He had already collected the headbands from all six members after depositing his cap in a near by dumpster, and inspected them with scrutiny.

“I see, so it’s the headbands that did it.†He said with a sigh. “I thought something was strange with these things.â€

He reached down to the unconscious number one, lying face down, and grabbed him by the hair, yanking him up just enough to reveal his face.

“You jerks don’t really have any magical potential at all, do you?†He asked the unconscious gang leader, not really expecting an answer. “These things are like spell books. They are able to give norms like you the ability to use magic. And like spell books, you can never use their full potential if you don’t know how to use them properly. These headbands are far more powerful than you realized.â€

He released one’s hair and sighed, his thoughts currently on his latest discovery. These headbands are defiantly native to this world, but how did punks like these acquire something like this, much less something this powerful? It’s not something you can find at Mall Street, and that is saying a lot! Something is defiantly going on here. Something big.

“What a pain.†Axel said with another sigh. “This is supposed to be a simple recruitment job. It shouldn’t get this complicated. And why do I have a feeling things are just going to get worse?â€

Depressed from the new complications making his mission more difficult, Axel quietly retrieved his newly bought backpack and pulled out his jacket, slipping it over his shoulders as he buttoned it up. He took out his new gold rimmed aviators and put them on after he tied a bandana over his forehead, once again hiding his hair. He stuffed the headbands into his bag, thinking it better not to leave them here. When he was done, he looked around the alley at the dying gang. With a moment's thought, he pulled out a bottle filled with a green liquid. With but a thought, he brought theiquid to a boil and threw it down into the alley, shattering the glass. A green mist slowly crept over the six fallen, partially healing their injuries. As he watched, he spoke to the slumbering bunch once more.

“You know, the normal rule of thumb here would be to harvest your hearts, but I’m not gonna. Personally, I don’t care if you losers live or die, but with the Heartless coming closer to Twilight Town, there’s a chance that you lot will become Heartless yourselves if you die like this. And if I’m guessing the plan right, and if the newbie has the power that I think he does, there would be a chance that your hearts would end up in the same place they would go if I did harvest them, and that’s just not gonna fly!â€

Axel turned around with his backpack slung over his back. Before he exited the alley, he says one last thing to them without looking back.

“If I ever allowed hearts as rotten and as weak as yours to be added to Kingdom Hearts, Boss Xemnas would be pissed with me.â€

Once these last words were spoken, the Flurry of Dancing Flames strikes forward with the intent on completing his mission, come hell or high water.

Chapter 9: Side Stepped Side Story 1: R.O.A.: End

 

axel and rinoa kick butt =D

 

They do, don't they? of course, my version of Rinoa is a little different than the one you see if FF8.

 

ive never played FF8 (tho i want to)

 

GO AXEL GO!!!!


If I was Olette I would be scared to forgett homework after that!

 

Sorry I haven't been on lately. I've been busy.^^;


Chapter 10: If your life is only worth a chip in the pile, then you shouldn’t up the ante.


It’s been forty-five minutes since Buddy exited the odd store and resumed his seat on the bench, and fell asleep thirty minutes ago out of boredom. He sprawled out over the length of the bench, his left arm and leg hanging off the side. People stared at him as they passed by, wondering why he was sleeping in the middle of one of the busiest places in Twilight Town, thinking he was too well dressed and his clothes were too new to be homeless. At 12:45, the one who had picked out those very clothes that deceived the populace rapidly approached the slumbering boy with her mentor close behind.

“Look at him.†Olette said with a sigh, her hands planted on her waist. “We nearly got killed and he’s sleeping like a baby. Honestly, how weird is it that anyone could even sleep in a place like this?â€

Rinoa only eyed the girl with a raised eyebrow. You are the last one who should be calling anybody weird. Just twenty five minutes ago, you were an emotional wreck!! How can you recover so quickly from an experience that would scar most girls your age for life?!

“Hey teach?†Olette asked to grab Rinoa’s attention as she turned her head around to look at her teacher. “Let’s not tell him or anybody else about what happened, all right? I wouldn’t want anyone to worry.â€

“Alright…†Rinoa replied with a slight sigh. “But only if you promise me that you’ll be more careful when you’re in the busier parts of town, and that you won’t go through alleys from now on!â€

“It’s a deal!†Olette replied with a smile.

“Big…â€

“Who said that?†Olette asked rather startled, caught with her guard down.

“I think Buddy just said something in his sleep. He must be having a good dream!†Rinoa said, pointing a finger at the young lad. Sure enough, a big grin had appeared on his face. The slumbering Buddy had begun drooling while the girls had their brief chat, a small pool of saliva forming on the bench around his mouth. Blissfully oblivious that he now had spectators watching him at close range, he mumbled another word, barely audible to the two ladies.

“Round…â€

“What the heck is he dreaming about?†Olette asked curiously as she squatted down until she was looking at Buddy face to face.

“Tender…â€

“Food, most likely...†Rinoa stated with certainty.

“Juicy…â€

“Wait a minute…†Olette said with a note of growing anger. â€Big!? Round!? Tender!? Juicy!? Why that perverted mind of his!â€

“Calm down!†Rinoa interjected before Olette could fly off the handle. She leaned over and placed her hand on Buddy’s shoulder. “Let’s just wake him up and ask him, okay?â€

She shook his elbow back and forth gently, rousing the boy from his slumber. He sat up as he opened his eyes, rubbing away the sleep. He had a blank look on his face as he stared at his hands, held together in a circle with his thumbs and middle fingers pressing against each other.

“What happened to my meatball sub? The meatballs were HUGE!†Buddy muttered, still half asleep.

“See? It’s just food!†Rinoa said with an ‘I told you so’ tone as she stood back up next to the blushing Olette, who was trying to hide her burning red face with her hands. “I think you’re the one with the dirty mind, girl.â€

“Hey! You’re back!†Buddy said with the realization that he was no longer asleep. He hopped up excitedly. “What took you so long?â€

“Sorry…†Rinoa said in preparation for a lie as she remembered to keep the ordeal they had gone through earlier a secret. “The line was longer than I expected it to be.â€

“Um, Buddy?â€

Buddy turned his attention toward Olette, who was standing tensely while holding her arms behind her back. Her left leg was bent slightly towards her right. Her burning red cheeks of embarrassment that had gone by unnoticed by the dirty blond haired boy had been reduced to a slight blush. Her shoulders were shrugged nervously as she tried to avoid eye contact with the boy as she gave a nervous pout.

“Yes?â€

“I’m sorry… about how I treated you earlier. I was being unfair to you. Please forgive me!†Olette stammered quickly. Her hands then went from behind her back to her front, laying them, her right hand on top of her left, on top of her thighs. She bowed down, sliding her hands down all the way down to her knees. Buddy stared at her, scratching his head with a confused look on his face. Then he grinned from ear to ear and gave a slight chuckle, his hand still on top of his head.

“Forget about it! What’s a few arguments or a broken rib or two matter between friends anyways?†He said cheerfully.

“Right!†Olette said happily with a clap. She then eyed the friend once more and then gave a slight gasp, and a smile crept onto her face. “Now I know what that outfit is missing!â€

“Wh-what do you mean?†Buddy stuttered, fearing that he would be the girl’s dress-up doll once more.

“It needs just the right jacket!†Olette said excitedly, giddy once more. “And if I remember correctly, Romeo’s jackets and outerwear is having a sale!â€

Rinoa couldn’t help but giggle as she watched the two. But then a solemn look fell over her, as she looked on with soft eyes.

“Okay you two.†She said, interrupting them. “Before you two go running off, I need to talk to Olette in private. Could you give us a sec Buddy?â€

“Huh?†The puzzled Buddy grunted. “But you just got here!â€

“Sorry…†Rinoa replied with a forced smile. “It’s really important.†She pulled out a munny pouch and retrieved a couple of the small jewels. “Here’s three hundred munny. Why don’t you walk down to the ice cream parlor on the corner and buy yourself some sea salt ice cream?â€

“It’s okay Buddy.†Olette assured him as she and her teacher took a seat onto the bench that Buddy had been slumbering on, after making sure to wipe up his drool. “It will only take a moment, and then I’ll meet you down there. I promise.â€

“Well, all right, if you say so.â€

Buddy started down the street, leaving the two ladies to their privacy. He was barely halfway down the street when a voice called out, stopping him in his tracks.

“HEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!?â€

Buddy looked to his left and to his right but could see no one looking towards him. Before he could continue on his way, a hand grabbed his shoulder and spun him around.

“Hey Sora! How did you—“ the person who spun Buddy around to look at him stopped when he got a good look at Buddy’s face. The stranger was wearing a black sweatshirt with a hood draped over his head, rendering only the front of his face visible. His sweatshirt had a red outline of a heart inside a star emblazed on the front, with the emblem also present on the back of the black glove he wore on his left hand. He wore black jeans and plain black sneakers to round out his attire. What little of his body was visible, his face, was covered with a large patch covering his left eye and eyebrow, part of his forehead and a portion of his upper left cheek. It was tied behind his by several bands that wrapped their way around his head. His left eye was dark red, and he had black hair on the right side of his head, and white hair sticking out from under his patch on his left. His body seemed to be more muscular then Buddy’s, but you the loose clothing he wore made it difficult to tell. He looked like he was only a year older than Buddy.

“Oh!†The strange dark clothed figure gasped. “I’m Sorry. I thought you were someone else.†He said quickly. “Sorry for bothering you!â€

He then ran off, leaving a confused Buddy standing alone. What a weirdo. Buddy thought to himself. But still, I get the feeling I’ve seen him before.

Buddy quickly dismissed the thought as he turned back around and headed in the opposite direction. As he neared the corner, he saw the destination the girls had sent him to, but noticed that further down the street, a large crowd had formed around some unseen spectacle. Curious as to what it could be, Buddy fought and edged his way through to the front of the crowd. When he finally broke through, he saw two men sitting at a table playing a card game of some sort, and two pouches of munny were placed at the center of the table. The chair on the right had a large black bag hanging off of it. Suddenly, the player that had been sighting on the left silently got up and slumped his way into the crowd, dejected. He must have lost, since he left his pouch behind.

“Tough luck you had there.†The one that remained seated said in a scoff as he reached up and grabbed his winnings, propping his feet onto the table and reclined into his chair in a show of arrogance. “But what do you expect when you go up against Setzer?â€

The crowd roared over the man’s boast, chanting his name in what seemed like a practiced unison. He had long light blue hair that was combed straight back and outgrown sideburns reaching down past his chin. He looked to be in his early thirties, and his skin had a slight tan to it. He wore a white silk shirt and dark blue slacks that were tucked into his light blue boots. He wore a long, heavy set dark blue coat over his shoulders like a cape.

“Okay, who’s next?†He asked loudly to the crowd. “Who will be the next one to try their luck against me? If you manage to win three hands against me in a game of blackjack, I’ll grant you a great honor!â€

“Go up against Setzer!?†One voice in the crowd called out.

“Who in their right minds would?!?†another replied in a tone suggesting disbelief at the notion.

What a crock! Buddy thought as he looked on, not seeing the attraction. He was about to turn around and leave when somebody elbowed him in the back, accidentally knocking him into a clearing. He stumbled a little, but managed to regain his balance. He noticed that a silence had fallen over the crowd, as all their eyes were on him.

“So…†The man called Setzer sneered as he removed his legs from the table top. “A mere boy has more guts than the whole lot of you here, eh?â€

“No, I didn’t—“Buddy began as he tried to explain he really didn’t have an intention to challenge the strange individual.

“Don’t be shy!†Setzer said with a smile. “It took a lot of courage for you to step forward! Come! Take a seat!â€

The crowd started to cheer him on, hooting and hollering at the confused Buddy. Realizing that it was already too late to back out, he took the chair that sat across from the confident Setzer.

“In admiration to your bravery, I won’t be too tough.†He smirked with arrogance. “So, how much are you willing to bet?â€

“Bet?†The blond haired youth repeated, unsure of what he meant. Taking a chance, he placed the munny that Rinoa had given to him earlier onto the table. “All I got is three hundred munny.â€

“What am I, on a school yard betting pocket munny with my class mates?†Setzer asked sarcastically, looking at the miniscule amount. A roll of laughter washed over the crowd.

“He actually intends to make such a small bet?!?†someone in the crowd asked loudly in exasperation.

“Seltzer’s only humoring the kid!†Another called out, dismissing the thought that the famed Setzer could actually be serious.

“Kid, you have more guts than I thought you did, actually thinking that you could gamble against the famous Setzer with such chump change!†Setzer said with a chuckle. “I like that. Tell ya what, kid. Because I like you, for every hand you win, I’ll triple the amount of your initial bet. How does that sound?â€

“Fine… I guess…†Buddy muttered nervously, no clue of what’s happening.

“Okay, then. Let’s get this started!†The flamboyant gambler said after he put six hundred munny onto the table, shuffling his cards. “Don’t worry it’ll be over before you know it.â€

He dealt two cards face down in front of himself and Buddy. He immediately peaked at the cards in front of him, churning a thought around in his head. Buddy thought it would be best to do likewise as he bent the cards just enough for him to see what was on the other side, revealing the jack of clubs and the nine of diamonds.

“Well? Do you need another card?†Setzer asked.


“N-No! I’m okay!†Buddy answered nervously.

“Then the dealer takes one.†He said, flipping a card onto the table, revealing the six of spades. “Now let’s see who wins.â€

Setzer confidently flips over his face down cards, revealing a queen of hearts and a two of clubs.

“Eighteen.†He said with assurance of his victory. Buddy revealed his hand, and Setzer’s eyes went wide.

“Nineteen. Damn.†Setzer grunted. The crowd couldn’t believe what had occurred. Someone actually managed to win against Setzer. He took Buddy’s cards and reshuffled them into his deck. He pushed the six hundred munny from his side to Buddy’s.

“So, I won?†Buddy asked, still rather confused.

“Yes you won.†Setzer replied with a sigh. He pulled out a pouch containing twenty seven hundred munny and tossed it onto the table. “But don’t think you’re done!â€

He once again dealt out the hands face down onto the table. This time, Buddy had a ten of spades and an eight of diamonds.

“Well?†Setzer asked. Buddy, still not sure what was going on, held up a finger into the air, signifying one more card. Setzer flipped a two of hearts face up in front of the boy. “And the dealer will stay.†He revealed his hand, a nine of hearts and a jack of clubs. “Nineteen.â€

Buddy flipped over his, and Setzer slammed his hands onto the table in disbelief. The crowd began to whisper on what they were witnessing.

“Man, that kid has got the devil’s luck!â€

“Could Setzer actually lose?â€

Setzer, now irritated that he had lost twice in a row by someone that he had assumed didn’t even know how to play the game, grabbed the munny on the table and dumped it all into a larger pouch, slamming a pouch containing eighty one hundred munny onto the table.

“Final Round!“ He said sharply. One final time, he shuffled the cards into his deck and dealt out the hands. This time, Buddy had the King and Ace of spades.

“I’ll stay.†Buddy said with confidence.

“You might regret that.†Setzer scoffed. “You lose this, and it’s all over. You lose the entire pot without being able to buy back in. The Dealer stays.†Setzer flipped his hand over, revealing the Kings of diamonds and clubs. “TWENTY!â€

Buddy revealed his hand, and instantly the crowd screamed “TWENTY-ONE!†And rushed him, showering him with praise.

“You actually beat Setzer!â€

“That was amazing!â€

“Do you have a girlfriend?â€

“ENOUGH!!â€

The crowd fell silent asetzer rose from his seat. He removed the sack from the chair, and with his back turned to the crowd, removed something from it, hiding it from the crowd.

“Indeed, you have won. You have amazing luck. And I said that I would bestow upon the one who bested me in three hands a great honor.†Setzer said quietly. He then turned around rapidly and threw a large blue plastic bat with a yellow handle spinning towards Buddy. He managed to grab it by its handle with his left hand in one swift motion. The crowd backed off as Setzer swung down an identical club into a mock battle stance with his right hand as his left rested upon his hip.

“True to my word, I will bestow upon you the rare honor of fighting Twilight Town’s Champion, Setzer Gabbiani, In a Struggle match!â€

Chapter 10: If your life is only worth a chip in the pile, then you shouldn’t up the ante: End

 

i liked it, but i cant figure out who the mysterious dude was lolz

 

That's cause you aren't exactly supposed to know yet. Don't worry. All will be revealed in due time.

 

Sorry I haven't been on as of late. For those of you who actually care anyways. Anyway, here's chapter 11.

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Chapter 11: The first Struggle: Setzer Versus the unknown youth!

“Struggle?†A curious Buddy repeated in his cluelessness. The crowd had exploded in excitement with Setzer’s declaration as Setzer glared at Buddy as he stood in his mock battle stance, intent on avenging his loss.

“Well?†Setzer asked loudly, growing impatient. “Aren’t you going to take a stance? We can’t struggle if you don’t take a stance!â€

“I would, but…â€

“But what?†Setzer demanded relaxing his stance for the moment. “Spit it out! I haven’t got all day!â€

“What’s struggle?†Buddy asked innocently, leaving the Struggle champion, along with the rest of the growing crowd dumbstruck and speechless.

“P-please tell me you’re joking!†Setzer stuttered in shock as he stared at the boy with his right eye twitching slightly. “You mean to tell me that you have never heard of Struggle?!?â€

“Nope!†Buddy chirped, scratching the back of his head. Setzer couldn’t believe what he was hearing! To actually meet someone who doesn’t know about one of the most popular contests in the world!

â€What rock have you been living under!?! Never heard of Struggle?! I find that hard to believe!†Setzer yelled in anger, thinking that Buddy was lying to throw the champ off guard. He resumed his stance and got ready for his attack, not even caring that the size of the crowd didn’t leave enough room for proper combat, nor bothering of asking the audience to give them space. He was about to lunge when someone called out over the crowd.

“SETZER, ENOUGH OF THIS!†The voice said loudly and with authority. Setzer once again relaxed his stance and looked towards the direction the voice had come from, just beyond the crowd. Buddy, still having no idea of what was happening or what he should do with the strange bat that Setzer had given him, decided to join his gaze in the same direction of Setzer’s out of curiosity.

Fighting his way through swarm of people, a heavy set man emerged from the crowd and stood before Setzer. He seemed to be about five feet, nine inches tall and looked like he was in his early forties. He wore a brown dress vest on top of green sweater, which went well with his brown slacks. His black hair was combed back and to the sides, with it parting down the middle of his head. Just under his nose, he had a pencil line mustache, giving him a dignified and formal look.

“Perez!†Setzer said in surprise as he locked eyes with the rotund individual, who was obviously not happy with the brazen showboat, while Buddy only looked on silently without speaking. “What are you doing here?â€

“I was shopping with my wife, but that’s not the problem.†The other said with authority to Setzer, whose usual holier-than-thou attitude suddenly took a leave of absence. “The problem, my good Setzer, is that you were about to hold an unsanctioned Struggle match in the middle of a crowded street. You know the rules about unsanctioned matches!â€

“I don’t see what the big deal is.†Setzer calmly replied in a rebuttal as he ran his fingers through his hair with a sigh. “I have two committee approved Struggle bats with me. I should be able to hold a match whenever I please.â€

“Two Struggle bats do not a proper Struggle make!†the gentleman retorted, gesturing with one of his hands as he spoke. “You know perfectly well that there is more to a Struggle than just hitting each other with bats! A lot of hard work has been done in order to make Struggle what it is. To hold an unsanctioned Struggle is to insult everyone who dedicated time and effort into this event.â€

“I am one of those people Perez.†Setzer scoffed while lightly tapping his Struggle bat off of his shoulder. “With me as the champion, I’ve created a goal for witch all aspiring Strugglers can aspire to, but never attain. I have assured that people will always have a reason to Struggle! And if you want to the match to be ‘official’ so badly, then just say the word. You’ve got the authority, don’t you?â€

“That’s the problem with you Setzer. You think that just because you are Twilight Town’s Struggle Champion, you think that the rules don’t apply to you. You have to realize that the rules apply to everyone! You’ve got to think of the example you’re setting for others. If I bend the rules with you, I’d have to bend it for everyone else, and I can’t do that!â€

“Excuse me..†Buddy interrupted with a nervous smile, starting to feel ignored. “But who are you?â€

“Oh! I’m sorry! I didn’t see you there!†The older individual squeaked, a little surprised at Buddy’s sudden interjection. He cleared his throat, covering his mouth politely with a curled up fist before holding them behind his back. “I am the President of Twilight Town’s branch of the Struggle Regulations Committee, but everyone calls me Perez for short.â€

Yeah, but what’s your name? Buddy thought to himself, not wanting to seem rude. “I see, and what exactly is Struggle? I’m… new to the area, and don’t know all that much.â€

“You must be from overseas, then. Anyone from this continent not knowing about Struggle seems pretty unlikely.†Perez deduced with crossed arms. “To put it simply, Struggle is a contest, usually between two individuals, who attack each other using objects such as the bat that you’re holding. In a normal Struggle, each player starts out with a hundred points, and every time they successfully land a strike to their opponent, then that person drops points. You can gain points by collecting dropped points. The winner is the one who has the most points at the end of the time limit, which is usually from a minute to ten minutes.â€

“Wait a sec!†Buddy interrupted. “How do you ‘collect’ points?â€

“What are you an idiot?†Setzer scoffed loudly, staring at the teen with an irritated look in his eyes. “Do you think that there are Velcro vests that we wear and that we just stick felt balls onto?â€

“Setzer calm down!!†Perez barked, glancing over his shoulder towards Setzer. He turned back towards Buddy to answer his question. “Basically, it’s computers. Every designated Struggle ring has a computer that, when in conjunction with the force meter in the Struggle back and impact meters worn by the contestants, calculate how many points a contestant loses based on how much force is in each strike, and then projects them in a virtual image onto the field, and when a contestant passes through a one of these images, that point is added to the contestant’s score.â€

“I see…†Buddy sighed. “So what you’re saying is that a Struggle basically a fight.â€

“Basically. But we try to encourage people Struggle in designated areas with regulation equipment. Unsanctioned Struggles can get quite dangerous.â€

Buddy broke eye contact with Perez and then stared at Setzer, a vague thought running through his head.

“No thanks.†Buddy declared loudly, earning a raised eyebrow and a puzzled look from the crowd, which had fallen silent with the arrival of Perez.

“What do you mean?†Setzer asked, unsure of the meaning of Buddy’s remark.

“I won’t fight you.â€

“WHAT!!†Setzer shouted in shock. The crowd started to whisper to each other, not sure of what to make of the spectacle. â€But why!?â€

“Simple. I have no reason to.â€

â€But I’m the Champion!! Doesn’t that mean anything to you?!?â€

“Not really, no. I’ve never even heard of you before today, to tell the truth.â€

“Now do you get it Setzer? You’re opponent is refusing your challenge. It would be best to stop this spectacle now!†Perez stated plainly to Setzer, recoiling from Buddy’s words. He couldn’t believe that there was someone who didn’t know who he was. But like the true entertainer that he was, he recovered quickly. He stood at the ready, posing for his fans in a picture perfect example of finesse. With a smirk, he instantly retaliated to their arguments.

“So what, are you saying that we should just have a Struggle somewhere else after all the proper channels have been gone through? Or not Struggle at all? You know perfectly well that the heart of any sport revolves around the fans. Are you saying we should just disappoint all these people?â€

Setzer raised his Struggle bat into the air and the crowd exploded with cheers, the spectators clapping and calling out for a Struggle. Perez stared at the man and gave a heavy sigh.

“I can see that this could get out of hand.†Perez droned, not surprised with Setzer’s actions. That man has a tendency to turn everything into a performance. He turned towards Buddy. “Hey kid! You might as well go along with it.â€

“But I have no reason to!â€

“Yeah, but that doesn’t matter to Setzer. He loves being the center of attention. Once he gets into his show, it’s impossible to stop him. The way he works a crowd, we’re likely to have a riot on our hands.

“But…â€

“If the honor of being in the same ring as me isn’t enough…†Setzer interrupted with a sly smile crawling on his face. He reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a metal clip, filled with a strange roll of paper. He took the roll out and unrolled it, flashing it all to the crowd. “Perhaps fifty thousand munny will me enough incentive!â€

But that doesn’t look like munny!

“And before you ask, large amounts of munny can be interpreted in cotton paper form for easier management. It’s not like I have a bag of holding to carry fifty thousand little gems with me.â€

Buddy stood silently for a minute, taking Setzer’s remark as an insult to his intelligence. Setzer had gotten it right, but it still was a little insulting. The crowd watched intently and with much anticipation as Buddy gave it one last thought.

“Fine, I’ll do it.†The youth conceded. If only to shut this guy up!

The crowd gave a great cheer, and Setzer smirked in victory. Perez held up his hands to silence the noise.

“Then it’s settled. But it won’t happen here, let’s move it back to the intersection where there is more room.†The Perez ordered, and with that the crowd retreated to the intersection, forming a barrier of spectators at every street entrance, creating a make shift ring. Before Setzer could take his place, Perez stopped him with a warning. “Listen Setzer, I do this begrudgingly. This is the only time I will tolerate such actions. You’ll be walking on thin ice after this, is that clear?â€

“Whatever…†Setzer dismissed, not really listening to the Perez’s warning. He went through the crowd after handing the prize munny to the Perez. Perez sighed and took his place as well, acting as the announcer and judge of the match. He looked around the ring once, locking eyes with both contestants, and with everyone in the crowd. After he was done, he closed his eyes and centered himself. He took his deepest breath and hollered with all his might.

â€ARE YOU READY FOR A STRUUUUUUUUUUUUGGLEEEEE?!?â€

This sent the entire crowd into frenzy, as they cheered louder than ever before. Despite it not being a regulation match, even he couldn’t help get a little into the mood as he smiled. He let them go on like that for a moment before moving on.
“This is an unregulated, unclassified Struggle match.†He threw his left arm out in Setzer’s direction, his palm open as if he were presenting him. “In this corner is:â€

“Setzer Gabbiani.†Setzer said, completing the sentence.

“And in this corner is:†He repeated, thrusting his right arm out in Buddy’s direction.

“Buddy.†The teen stuttered, following Setzer’s example. He was a little nervous, being the center of attention once again. Perez continued, speaking loudly and to no person in particular.

“Since this is an impromptu Struggle match without the proper equipment, the regular one hundred point rules will be substituted in favor of the three strikes rule. The first to land three solid strikes to the body will be the winner. Attacks deflected by the arms will not be counted towards your score. As expected, attacking your opponent’s sensitive area is strictly forbidden. Contestants, do you agree to these terms?â€

“Yes.†agreed Setzer.

“Okay…†stuttered Buddy.

“Then it’s agreed. A moment will be granted for final comments.†Perez announced. Setzer, standing at the ready, smirked with a look of victory.

“Just so you know kid, going against me in a Struggle match is a totally different matter than going against me in a card game. Your luck just officially ran out!â€

“Whatever!†Buddy retorted in defiance, standing firmly with his Struggle bat to the side. “Let’s just do this already!â€

“Struggle match! Setzer versus Buddy! FIGHT!!†Perez shouted as he threw down his hand in a vertical swipe between the two, signaling the start. Without any hesitation, Setzer made his move.

â€My life is a chip in the pile…†He announced passionately, striking the same battle pose from earlier, swiping his Struggle bat down diagonally with his right hand, cocking his head slightly. Standing at the opposite end of the ring from Buddy, he crouched down low in preparation for a lunge.

â€It’s time to ante up!†He dash towards Buddy, not even considering defense, planning on making a quick finish. His coat flapped through the air as he sprinted his arms off to the side, a look of certainty on his face. He just got into striking range, preparing to strike, when…

BONK!

Buddy had brought his Struggle bat down in a vertical strike, striking Setzer squarely on the head. Setzer froze immediately when he was struck, standing in the in mid dash. Everyone who witnessed it seemed to have been left speechless. Setzer looked up, with the Struggle bat still on his head, and leered at the boy.

“It seems you are more skilled than I originally thought.†Setzer stated calmly, containing his anger. His eye started twitching slightly.

“I don’t think my ’skill’ had anything to do with it.†Buddy claimed, staring back with a blank look on his face. “I think you just made a really stupid move.â€

“Uh, round one to Buddy!†The Perez stated. Setzer removed himself from under the club and this time, resumed a proper battle stance.

“I won’t make the same to mistake twice.†Setzer said, standing at the ready. Buddy silently grasped his struggle bat tightly with both hands, bending his knees slightly. They waited for the signal to begin the next bout.

“Round Two, FIGHT!â€

Anyone else who had lost the first round would have waited for their opponent to make the first move, but Setzer wasn’t anybody else. He quickly thrust his club forward, aiming for Buddy’s abdomen. Buddy quickly defused his attack by swinging his bat up, knocking it off center, and swung it to Setzer’s side, landing a second blow. The crowd erupted into elation, either cheering for Buddy or against him. Perez excitedly announced the winner.

â€Round two to Buddy!â€

Setzer, jumped back a couple feet. His anger is now clearly visible on his face.

“THAT’S IT! NO MORE MISTER NICE GUY!! NOW YOU FACE THE STRUGGLE SCREWDRIVER!!†He yelled with intensity. He glared at Buddy, unchaining his coat from around his neck and threw it into the crowd. Perez instantly announced the next round.

â€Round Three, Fght!â€

Setzer instantly leaped forward with unexpected power, flying through the air, spinning as he flew towards Buddy. Buddy looked on at the amazing spectacle and thought Holy Crap!

Not able to dodge, Buddy blocked the spinning Struggle bat with his own, reinforcing it by resting it on his arm. He could feel the sheer force that Setzer attacked with, pushing him back a little. Setzer stopped spinning, no longer able to get the necessary turning force, and before he could land, Buddy swung his Struggle bat up with all his might, nailing Setzer squarely on the chin. Sent flying away, Setzer landed a few feet away and the crowd roared, cheering for the victorious, and mysterious, youth. Before Setzer even landed, The Struggle President yelled with excitement and passion:

â€MATCH TO BUDDY!â€

Chapter 11: The First Struggle Match!: End.

 

For those who actually read this, Sorry for not being on recently.^^; Pretty much had given up trying to make this site work. But now I have reason, so I'm back!

Chapter 12: Fare thee well Setzer, See ya later Rinoa!

As soon as Setzer landed, the audience cascaded into the street to mob the young teen hero as if he were the next big idol. Before he could react, he was surrounded by the crowd with no escape. They started asking questions that he didn’t know the answer to and started panicking, looking for an escape path. He kept looking back and forth for an opening, any opening.

PHWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET!!

The sound of a whistle blasted throughout the square, piercing the eardrums of the entire crowd. Covering their ears to protect their hearing, everyone looked in the direction of the source of the irritating sound to see Perez blowing on a brass referee’s whistle as hard as he can. Once he ran out of breath, and caught the attention of everyone in a three block radius, he returned it to his pocket.

“Okay, that’s enough. Break it up! Break it up!†Perez ordered, shoeing away the crowd with an annoyed look on his face. The crowd dispersed, groaning with annoyance for being dismissed. As the crowd left, Perez wandered up with a big smile on his face.

“Thanks for the save.†Buddy chuckled nervously, breathing a sigh of relief. Perez couldn’t help but laugh in amusement.

“No problem.†The elder man chirped, resting his fists on his hips. “I must say, that was amazing. You are deceptively strong.â€

“Really?†Buddy replied. His thoughts momentarily went back to his experience with the Keyblade in the antique store. Now that he thought about it, it wasn’t something that would be considered ‘normal.’ He realized that he would have to think about it later.

“BUDDY!!†a familiar high pitched squeal screamed out in joy. He barely turned around to see the source, when he was glomped by an excited Olette, capturing him into a big bear hug.

’BUDDYTHATWASSOCOOLHOWDIDYOUDOTHATYOUACTUALLYBEATSETZER!!†She squealed in one breath, her arms still wrapped around the exasperated Buddy, unable to free himself from the girl's grip.

â€Olette…. you’re…..crushing…….meâ€. Buddy whispered, unable to take in air from Olette’s monster hug. Rinoa, as always, follows a step behind the girl.

“OLETTE, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, LET HIM GO! HE’S STARTING TO TURN BLUE!†the educator shouted, catching the attention of the girl. Olette immediately released the blond haired teen, and he took in a deep breath, his lungs freed from the girl’s grip. This girl is detrimental to my health!

“Sorry!†She said shyly, tilting her head slightly in a show of innocence. “But I couldn’t help myself. That was just so cool!â€

“That was impressive.†Rinoa stated, repeating Perez’s and Olette’s sentiments.

“Thanks!†he replied with slight embarrassment, his cheeks blushing slightly. But the red quickly faded from his cheeks as he stood around as if a slight thought was rolling around in his head. “But he really didn’t seem all that strong. What was the big deal about that guy?â€

“Well…†Perez drawled, thinking back a couple years. “I guess you could say he’s a victim of his own success.â€

“Huh?†The three chanted in unison, not sure of the meaning behind Perez’s remark.

“Back before he became the champion, he would train day in and day out, all to claim the Struggle championship. When he finally claimed it, challengers started calling him out almost daily. Eventually, as he started defeating more and more people, the challengers stopped coming, saying that it was a futile effort to Struggle against him, calling him unbeatable! With no one to challenge him, Setzer wasn’t practicing as much as he used to, and eventually he stopped training all together. Instead, he just spent all of his time showboating and gambling his life away, thinking that he was unstoppable.â€

“I see…†Rinoa whispered loudly with a look of empathy on her face. “I guess it was only a matter of time before somebody brought him down. When he fell, he fell hard and fast. It makes me wonder if somebody like him could actually have the strength to recover.â€

By this time, Setzer had gotten up and had already walked over to where his coat laid. Feeling like he should say something, Buddy walked over to him as Setzer kneeled to retrieve his coat, stopping a few feet away.

“Uh, hey Setzer…†Buddy muttered nervously, scratching his cheek slightly. Setzer paused as he kneeled down, his hand on his coat. He didn’t bother to turn his head and look the youth in the face. Buddy couldn’t think of exactly what to say to consol solemn champion. He improvised and thrust out his fist into the air, thumb sticking straight up, and gave a wink with his with his right eye. “Good match!â€

“You…. You beat me.†Setzer said in a hushed, almost whisper like tone as the reality of what happened slowly sunk in. He slowly retrieved his coat and stood back up.

“Yeah… I guess I did.†Buddy replied, a little uncomfortable at the moment. He fidgeted slightly. I hope he doesn’t carry a grudge.

“I… I feel… humbled.†The champion lamented, still not looking towards the boy, now joined by the others, observing silently. Setzer quietly returned his coat over his shoulders, still not facing the group.

“Hey, it’s not like the match meant anything! Don’t take it so hard!†the teen replied. He stuck out his right hand, palm open, in a gesture of friendship. “Bygones?â€

Setzer paused for a moment, and then quickly turned around and grabbed the boy’s and pulled nervously in slightly, looking deep into the boy’s eyes. Buddy gulped nervously as Setzer glared at him with intensity.

“It’s up to you now.†He dictated with authority. “I’m leaving it to you to represent Twilight Town. Don’t lose.†He then released Buddy’s hand and quickly walked away.

â€Wait!†Buddy called out after him through cupped hands. â€What do you mean?â€

It was too late though, as Setzer disappeared into the crowd. All Buddy could think to say was “You forgot your Struggle bat.â€

He then noticed an envelope in his right hand. Setzer must have slipped it in when he grabbed it. “What’s this?â€

Why don’t you open it to find out?†Olette stated, a little curious as to what it could be.

“Okay, okay…†Budd said. He noticed that the top of the envelope was already cut open. He reached in and pulled out a ticket with the words ‘Special Pass’ emblazed on it, followed by a lot of fine print.

“GAH!†Perez gasped, taken back by the sight of the slip of paper. “That’s a pass to go straight past the preliminaries matches and straight into the first round of the Struggle Slam!â€

“NO WAY!†The two females said loudly in disbelief. â€WHY WOULD SETZER GIVE AWAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT!â€

“This may sound stupid…†Buddy muttered, once again finding himself out of the loop. “But what’s ‘struggle Slam?’ Is it some kind of tournament?â€

“Only the biggest Struggle tournament EVER!†Olette explained loudly. “It’s the only thing that Struggle junkie Hayner has been able to talk about all summer!â€

“It is?†Buddy replied, not seeing the significance of the statement. Rinoa, who noticed that really did nothing to alleviate the boy’s confusion, decided to step in.

“Vague much Olette?†Rinoa scoffed, and then turned towards Buddy. â€Basically, it’s a tri-annual tournament, attracting Strugglers from across the continent. The first round is a free-for-all battle against all the qualifying Strugglers, Taking a whole day with the ring being a entire section of Dawn City, the largest on the continent! At the end of the day, the eight Strugglers with the best scores remaining are the winners and move on to the final rounds.â€

“Wow, really?†Buddy gasped, impressed with the sheer scope one tournament could have. “And I suppose that since he was a champion, he was given a free pass into the first round without having to go through the prelims?â€

“Yep.†Perez replied. “The champions of all of the major areas are given such a pass. Most of them tend to use it to stake out the first round area, Downtown Dawn city, and find places to pick off other contestants one by one.â€

“But why would Setzer give me something like this?†Buddy inquired, staring at the ticket. Perez had a look of contemplation and wonderment about him as he looked on in the direction of Setzer’s departure.

“It’s because you reminded him of why he became a struggler in the first place.†Perez stated with his hands held behind his back, sounding almost like a scholar imparting ancient wisdom to a new generation.

“What do you mean?†The youth inquired. Perez heaved a sigh as he went off on a tangent to the conversation. The three others listened intently.

“When I first met Setzer, struggling was his dream. He wanted so much to improve, to become better than he already was. I saw something in the lad that I knew could be the potential for something grand. Back then, he wasn’t anything like he is today. He was considerate, kind, and valued fairness above all else. It seemed like he was doing all the right things. But then…â€

Perez turned around, and with a solemn look on his face, he shook his head in disappointment.

“But then he finally managed to win Twilight Town’s Championship. And as I’ve said before, that was when everything went sour. He stopped practicing, started gambling, and began carrying that god awful ego around with him where ever he went. I still can’t believe how it could have gone so wrong.â€

Perez walked over towards Buddy and placed his hand on the youth’s shoulder and looked in the boy’s eyes with a smile on his face.

“But you reminded him of something very important. He thought he was the strongest there was until he lost to you. It helped him realize that the old saying was true: ‘There is always someone better.’ Someone who is better Struggler, a better fighter, and a better person. If he remembers this, then I have no doubt that there’s hope for him. As long as he carries this in his heart, I have no doubt that he will make that ‘someone better’ himself.â€

Perez looks back down the street, a look of certainty on his face.

“When he returns, I have no doubt that he will be a stronger opponent.â€

“Anyways…†He said as he turned back towards the three. “It’s time I got back to my wife. If she comes out of the store and notices that I’m gone, there will be hell to pay!â€

He grabbed the struggle bat from Buddy and replaced it with the munny sack, already containing the roll of fifty thousand munny.

“You should really consider fighting in Struggle Slam.†He encouraged, grinning like the fanatic that he is. “I would love to see more of your moves. And don’t worry about the Struggle bat! I’ll make sure it gets returned to Setzer.â€

He walked off, leaving the three standing in a dumbfounded silence until Olette broke it, saying “Man, Hayner is going to be sooo pissed when he finds out.â€

“I’d… imagine.†Rinoa replied, not really paying attention. Buddy suddenly snapped out of his amazement, and rummaged through his munny sack.

“Rinoa?†He said, catching the teacher’s attention. He plopped the roll of munny into her hands. Rinoa’s jaw immediately hit the floor at the astronomical amount for a teenager to have.

“B-B-B-BUT HOW!? WHY!? WHAT FOR!?†She stuttered in exasperation. Olette was stunned silent to see some who she knew didn’t have a munny to his name suddenly had more munny than her, even if she saved up for a year.

“Setzer said I had to ‘bet’ to play. All I had was the munny you gave me. It wouldn’t be right for me to keep itâ€

“That’s nice but…†Rinoa drawled uncomfortably, trying to resist the temptation of pocketing the munny, she grabbed Buddy’s hand and placed the roll in, closing the hand into a fist. Sometimes, it just doesn’t pay being a good citizen. “I gave that munny to you. It was yours to keep and do with what you wished. I couldn’t just take it back from you.â€

“But—“

“No buts!†She said sharply and with a slight glare. Buddy could see that there was no way for him to win, so he turned to Olette and opened his munny pouch containing eighty-one hundred munny.

“How much do I owe you for the clothes?†He asked the brightly dressed girl. tilted her head slightly and crossed her arms in a pose of mock thought.

“Tell you what…†She said slyly, leaning towards him slightly. “You treat me to sea salt ice cream, and we’ll call it even okay?â€

“Fine…†The youth conceded, realizing that arguing with her would be equally pointless. The two girls giggled at the defeated youth.

“Well, I’ve got to get going.†Olette said with a smile. “It was nice meeting you Buddy. Olette, remember what we talked about!â€

“I will! See you later Ms. Heartily!†Olette called out.

“Nice meeting you too!†Buddy replied after the woman.

“See you guys around!†she called out with a wave as she walked away into the crowd.

Chapter 12: Fare thee well Setzer, So long Rinoa: End

 

So nobody is interested anymore?

 

Which is exactly why I did not post anymore stories here buddy. Nice to meet you on this forum. However, the only part popular in this forum is the userportal and The Spam Zone. In Creativity Corner, there are not many hard core readers like in KHI.