Chaos Hearts 2
Chapter 3 - Grudge Match
Lucky's Keyblade led the Galestrom to the gates of a Greek coliseum. Winston dropped off the group before flying the ship away from any settlements where it might be noticed. Lucky took a look at some leaderboards posted near the coliseum entrance. "Hey, Sora's been here! Looks like he's a top competitor!" he noted. "Competing in what?" Whisk questioned. "Whaddaya mean, what?" came a grouchy-sounding voice. They looked to see a small, chubby old satyr. "You're visitin' the Coliseum and you don't know about the Games?" he said, his demeanor changing quickly when he got a good look at Whisk, "Angelcakes! Hey, if you wanna see the Games, I can get ya front row seats, whaddaya say, sugar?" the satyr asked with a smirk. "We aren't here for games..." Miles pointed out, and Whisk looked a bit weirded out by the satyr. Lucky, however, got a bit excited. "Cool! Let's check it out, Whisk!" he said, taking her hand. The satyr looked a bit disappointed that Lucky was coming along. "Oh, I get it. Youse two are an item. Ehh, whatever, I'll let ya in anyway. C'mon, matches are about to start!" he said. Despite Miles' attempt to keep them on task, the trio joined the satyr, Phil, and watched a few rounds of the Games. Heroes were battling monsters and even heartless, all for a shot at fame and glory. A new contender was making a name for himself, and Lucky was shocked to see that it was a familiar dragon. "Me-yow!! That's Zeke!!" Indeed it was. Zeke used his fire breath to make short work of some heartless opponents, letting out a roar as the crowd cheered his victory! "He must be the reason why the Keyblade led us here." Whisk figured. "I don't know..." Miles said, looking at the screen on the back of his shield, which displayed some readings he'd taken. "There might be a prism shard somewhere..." he said. "Guys... I'm gonna enter the Games to beat Zeke!" Lucky declared, seemingly not paying attention to what his friends were saying.
In the coliseum lobby, upon asking Phil about entering the games, the satyr brushed them off. "You rookies only just heard of the Games and now ya think you can beat a dragon? Ya got spunk, but I only got two words for you... No, stinkin', way!" he said, starting to walk off. "Heeey, that was three words! And we beat up Zeke all the time!" he protested. "Actually, you haven't fought Zeke directly very much." Miles pointed out. A rather large, muscular man stepped into the lobby, having apparently overheard on his way in. "Phil, are you turning away new contenders again?" he asked, crossing his arms. "C'mon, Herc, look at 'em! They're even softer than Sora was when he first turned up here!" Phil protested. Lucky held out his hand and summoned his Keyblade. "I can do it! Give me a chance!" he said seriously. Phil glanced at Herc, who nodded. "Every Hero's gotta start somewhere." he said. Phil heaved a sigh. "Oy, alright alright. But if I find you strugglin' too much, yer out!" he said.
Meanwhile, outside the coliseum entrance, Zeke met up with a blue-skinned being with flaming hair, dressed in black robes. "Yeesh, how many heads you gotta bust before you get a match against Jerk-ules?" the being complained. Zeke shrugged. "Don't look at me, Hades, I'm doing my part. Luck of the draw, I guess." he stated. Hades' fire burned a bit hotter in his frustration. "I didn't give you that pass to the Games just for you to showboat!" he shouted before cooling off a bit, "No, no, you're right. You just keep winning, Wonderboy'll have to defend his title eventually. You get his title, I get his life, win-win!" the God of the Underworld said, disappearing in a burst of smoke while having a sinister laugh. Zeke chuckled to himself, glancing at the coliseum doorway. "I knew the kitty-cat would turn up soon. Forget Hercules. This is all about my revenge..." he sneered.
Lucky and Whisk had signed up for the Games, but Miles declined to join them, intending to search for a prism shard. So, it was up to the two felines to face the first wave of heartless, being a group of Shadows and monkey-like Powerwilds! "Bring it on! Hiiiii-ya!!" Lucky slashed past a Shadow and ran at one of the Powerwilds. The monkey swiftly leapt aside, dodging his attack! "Hey, no monkey business!" he said, making another attempt to strike the heartless. It jumped back to avoid him, and then jumped forward, slashing its claws at Lucky's face! "Me-YOW!!" he screamed. Zeke was watching him struggle from the stands, having himself a good laugh. "You're a bit rusty, ain't ya, kitten? You gotta do better than that if you wanna face me!" he shouted. Whisk took out the Powerwild with a shot of fire magic, and the scratched-up Lucky growled in frustration. "I got the next one! You sweep up the Shadows, Whisk!" he said. "You're welcome!" the winged feline huffed. Phil was watching, and Lucky had to prove his mettle to keep competing. Two Powerwilds came at him this time, so he used his own magic to even the odds. "Wind!" he shouted as he raised his Keyblade. His Aero spell whipped about, blowing the two monkeys in different directions! Lucky leapt after the first, smacking it with his Keyblade to take it out! "Alright, you're next!" he said, charging towards the remaining monkey. "Thunder!" Whisk cried, causing several bolts of lightning to crash around the arena, zapping not only the Powerwild Lucky was chasing, but his Keyblade as well! "ME-YOW!!" he shouted as he sizzled from the electric spell. "Ahh, sorry!" Whisk whimpered. Zeke fell over in his seat laughing at them. "Whisker's aim's off, too! You guys are hopeless!" he cackled. Despite their sloppiness, however, Lucky and Whisk had managed to win their first round. "Callin' them Junior Heroes would be generous, ugh..." Phil grumbled as he watched.
Meanwhile, Miles was searching the nearby city of Thebes for any sign of a prism shard. He was in communication with Nicole via his shield's communicator. "My analysis is inconclusive. We simply don't have enough data on the Paradox Prism to determine if you have detected a shard." Nicole informed him. "Then I'll just have to find the source of the reading...hm?" As Miles looked up from the screen, he noticed Zim peering out from behind a large statue of Hercules. "You! I knew it! You're after the shard!" Miles shouted, chasing after the Zeti through the city! "Haha! Can't catch ZIM!" the villain shouted, ducking as Miles's shield flew past his head like a frisbee. "That's RUDE!" he yelled, picking up the shield and throwing it back at the fox. He then tossed over a vegetable stall to slow Miles down while the owner of the stall shouted curses in Greek. "I'll take care of him, sir! Get back here, Zim!" Miles yelled, spinning his tails to fly over the stall and continue the chase! Zim led him through the busy section of the city, eventually heading into an alley that appeared to be a dead end. "Ha! Got ya cornered!" Miles smirked. Zim snickered at him. "No, no! We have YOU cornered!" he said, pointing behind Miles. The fox scoffed. "Nice try. I know Zeke's fighting in the coliseum!" he stated. "Miles, look out!" said Nicole through the shield, which was being held up in such a way that she could see behind him. Her warning came too late, however, as Scourge picked Miles up and slammed him against the wall, knocking him out! "You're all mine, you traitor!" the green hedgehog cackled, "Revenge on you losers is gonna be sweet!" he added while Zim hopped up and down, laughing sadistically.
Lucky and Whisk continued to fight their way up the rankings, beating a squad of spooky Halloweentown heartless, some piratey heartless, and some crazy seed-spitting flower heartless. The battles went relatively smoothly, though Lucky still seemed a bit rusty. At any rate, it was nearly time to take on Zeke, and Lucky was doing some stretches between rounds when Zim hopped into the coliseum lobby, carrying Miles' shield. "Huh? Zim!? What are you doing with that!?" Lucky gasped. "Sending a MESSAGE!" he shouted, tossing the shield at Lucky, who barely caught it without getting smacked in the face by it. Whisk aimed her wand at Zim just as Hercules was stepping into the room. "What'd you do with our friend? Talk, or you'll see what my magic can really do!!" she shouted. "Here he is..." Lucky said, noticing a recording on the shield's screen. Whisk peered at the screen, where they saw Miles tied up. Then, Scourge's face filled the screen. "I took back what's mine from you, pussycats! If you want me to let him live, then you better not beat Zeke!" he said. "And Zim?" the Zeti added, only for the recording to end without him being mentioned. Needless to say, Zim was thrown out of the vestibule quite forcefully. It was at this point that Hercules made his presence known. "That's low, kidnapping your friend to make you throw the match! But you know what... That place your magic mirror was showing... I know it! You go take care of Zeke, and I'll rescue your friend!" Herc offered. Lucky looked a bit worried, and Whisk nodded. "Let me come, too. I know Lucky's been off his game, but he can handle Zeke without me!" she said. Herc smiled. "Alright, but don't you dare lose!" he said. Lucky chuckled softly. "Well, I can't beat him before you save Miles... But I'll try to hang in there..." he said, "No, I'll do it! For Miles!" he asserted with more determination!
Lucky and Zeke faced off in the coliseum, a smug smirk on the dragon's face. "Time for some payback, loser!" he taunted. Lucky didn't even summon his Keyblade, instead raising his fists. He had to hold back for Miles' safety, so there was no sense using his weapon. "Enjoy it while you can..." he said. The match began, and Zeke was quick to go on the offensive, punching Lucky in the gut, and then the face! The cat staggered, and made an attempt to strike back with his own fists, but Zeke easily sidestepped him, grabbing his tail and swinging Lucky around before slamming him to the ground! Phil winced as he watched. "Hurry up, Herc... This kid can't take too mucha this..." he grumbled with concern.
Herc led Whisk to a chamber at the foot of Mount Olympus, where a massive statue of Zeus could be found. This was where Miles was tied up, and where they found Scourge. "Whisk! I-I'm sorry, I..." Miles stammered. Scourge kicked him. "Shut up! I was after your whole group, anyway!" he growled. "Well, your lousy plan's not gonna work!" Whisk shouted. "You're gonna learn what happens when you mess with a Hero!" Herc added. Scourge sped over to them, slapping Whisk to the ground before she could react, and then throwing a punch at Herc. "Ow!!" he grunted, finding the hero's body as hard as a rock. "By the way, that statue there? That's my dad, king of the Gods!" he said, grabbing Scourge by the jacket. "Crap! Come out, heartless!!" he shouted as Herc started to swing him around! Whisk stood up to find Soldier heartless heading after Miles. "Hang on! We'll have you free in a jiff!" she shouted. "Hurry! We still have to save Lucky!" the fox pointed out.
Hades sat in the front row, cheering on Zeke as the dragon was pummeling Lucky in a showboating manner. "Yeah, that's my fiery boy! Smash this pussy into pita, and then it's time to do the same to Herc the Jerk!" he shouted. Zeke held Lucky up by the face, the cat seeming limp and defeated. "No, I think I'll be ending my career here, undefeated... After all, I'm no hero!" the dragon growled, lowering Lucky down to look him in the eyes. "Excuse me!?" Hades shouted, "We have a contract here, lizard lips! Do you know what happens when you back out of a contract with the LORD OF THE DEAD??!" he shouted, his fiery hair burning hotter with rage. "You're not my lord of anything, I'm not from this world!" Zeke snickered. Hades gave a whistle. "Hey! Plan beta! Get your chubby butt in here!" he called out. The ground began to rumble, shaking with approaching impacts... giant footsteps. Zeke gulped and dropped Lucky onto his feet. "Plan beta?" he asked nervously. The back wall of the Coliseum suddenly was knocked down, and a massive Cyclops stomped into the arena with a roar! "Beta here was locked up with the Titans. Let's see who's REALLY worthy of a battle with 'ol Wonderboy!" Hades said, sitting back to enjoy the show. The one-eyed brute reached down and grabbed Zeke in his hand before the dragon could get far. "Hah hah! Tiny lizard... You'll taste nice!" the Cyclops laughed. Zeke struggled and whined in his panic. "LUCKY!! Help meeeee!! C'mon, brother!" he shouted. Lucky summoned his Keyblade, shrugging off the beating he'd taken earlier. "You're gonna owe me bit time!" he shouted, hurling his Keyblade up towards the Cyclops' hand, causing him to shout in pain as he dropped Zeke. "Foolish little gnat! I squash you flat!" the Cyclops shouted, forcing Zeke and Lucky to both run screaming as the giant lumbered towards them. "Dangit, Hades! We just rebuilt this Coliseum!!" Phil groaned, "Herc, you better get here soon, or ain't nothin' gonna be left!"
"Heal!" Lucky immediately cast Cure to prepare for the real fight, running towards Zeke. "Get me up to his head!" he shouted. Zeke stepped aside instead, and so as Lucky tried to jump onto where the dragon's back would have been, he instead landed on the Cyclops' foot, and was swiftly kicked away! "MEEEE-YOOOW, YOU SUCK, ZEKE!!" he shouted. "Have fun gettin' flattened!" the dragon waved, running off towards a corridor of darkness that Scourge peered out of. "Come on, we've stirred things up enough here!" the hedgehog said, yanking Zeke through the corridor as he got close. As they vanished, Lucky was left on his own. "Uhhh... Fire?" Lucky whimpered, sending fireballs from his Keyblade shooting up towards the Cyclops only for the giant to snuff out the flame with a simple swat of his large hand. "Me gonna bite you head off!" the monster growled, reaching towards Lucky. Before he could grab him, Whisk appeared next to him. "Just in time!" she said, taking Lucky and teleporting to safety! "Huh??" the confused Cyclops grunted. Miles suddenly came soaring towards the brute's eye, holding his shield in front of him. "You didn't have to throw me that hard, Herrrrc!!" he shouted before his shield smashed into the Cyclops' eye, causing it to howl in pain while Miles flew away. Hades watched this, burning with aggravation. "Come ON! Just step on 'em already! No, no, no!!" he cried as he watched Hercules race into the arena and introduce his fist to the Cyclops' knee, causing it to stagger in pain. Lucky and Whisk emerged nearby. "That's what I wanted Zeke to help me do, put out his eye..." he complained. "It's sweet that you thought he might." Whisk sighed while they watched Hercules swing the Cyclops by the leg and hurl him out of the Coliseum, into the distance. "Hopefully things will stay this easy." Lucky murmured while Miles lowered to the ground beside them, standing shakily. "You call that easy?" he sighed.
Hades approached Hercules with a sneer. "Keep feelin' proud of yourself, sunspot. I'll be back..." he said flippantly. "And I'll be here. Always." Herc smirked. Hades scoffed and then vanished in a burst of smoke. Lucky had asked Miles and Whisk what happened in the meantime. "Man, Herc's so tough even Scourge couldn't beat him. Wish he could come with us..." he said. "Do you think Scourge got away with the shard?" Whisk wondered. Miles looked at the reading on his shield. "Whatever I was detecting, I think it WAS coming from Scourge, 'cuz it's gone. Who knows, maybe it was part of Scourge's trap." he sighed. "Then why'd the Keyblade lead us here? ...Just to let us know Scourge and Zeke are working together?" Lucky questioned. Phil approached the trio while they spoke. "Well, kid, you survived. That's gotta be somethin'." he stated, "But it looks like the Coliseum's closed for repairs...again. Keep trainin' and maybe try again... Junior Heroes." he added before scampering off to talk to Hercules. Lucky sighed. "If he only coulda seen me fight Chaos..." he murmured. "That's in the past!" Whisk smiled, "He's right, we need training. Maybe that's why the Keyblade led us here?" she suggested. Miles nodded. "Well, since we're here, why not train with Herc for a little bit? And we'll be ready for when Scourge comes back!" The trio were in agreement, and aside from a rigorous training session, that was the end of their Olympus adventure...
Copter, Fera and 1BIT had gone to a different world, where everything had a black and white cartoon aesthetic. Even their group had become a bit toony, though the loss of color didn't really mean much for the trio. Copter and 1BIT soon found themselves helping Toon Sonic to battle a zany cartoon tank piloted by Toon Eggman. The missiles fired by the tank were actually explosive heartless, which Copter needed to strike with his Keyblade to avoid getting blown up. "Even silly machines like this tick me off! C'mon, Sonic, knock out that tank!" Copter shouted while swinging his Keyblade like a bat to knock away the missiles. 1BIT was using his shield to knock back some Hammer Frame heartless that were trying to bash him like a nail. "Ugh! These guys are mean! Hey, where is Fera?" the white fox wondered. Toon Sonic raced by, knocking the hammer heartless over on his way to the tank. Neither he nor Eggman seemed capable of speech in this world, but the panicked expression on Toon Eggman's face spoke volumes as a smoke cloud erupted around the tank while Sonic set to work smashing it up! Fera, meanwhile, had caught a certain pair of robots. Not only weren't they cartoony, but they retained their red and yellow colors. It was Orbot and Cubot! "Alright, you two, start talking. You're not from this world." she growled, lifting them by their metallic "necks." Orbot folded his arms. "We'll never talk!" he said. "Yeah!" Cubot added, "And we won't say nothin' about Eggman's plans, either!" Fera flipped them upside down in her hands. "Ohh! No! The voltage is rushing to my head!" Orbot whined. "I had ways of making people talk when I was with the Covenant of Despair... Let's see if I remember..." the wolf growled while the robots whimpered in fear.
Toon Sonic chased away Toon Eggman, whose Egg Mobile flew off erratically and a bit comically. From the wreck of the tank, the world's Keyhole appeared, glowing as it hovered above the broken vehicle. "Funny, I thought the Keyhole would be, you know, a hole in...something." Copter muttered. "Looks like a hole in reality." 1BIT said. The Keyblade seemed to tug at Copter's arm, so he pointed it at the Keyhole. A beam of light shot from the blade, connecting with the Keyhole. With a flash of light, the Keyhole vanished, and Copter could hear a clicking sound, like a door being locked. "I guess that's it... Now that silly silent Sonic will be okay. Guess I owed him one after he helped me escape the Ring." Copter stated, seeing Toon Sonic on a hilltop in the cartoony world's "background," waving at them. He and 1BIT waved back as Fera arrived. "We may have a problem." she told them. "Yeah, a teamwork problem. Where were you?" 1BIT grumbled. Fera motioned to Orbot and Cubot, who scrambled to run off as the trio looked their way. "Eggman, probably the same one that trapped Copter in the Paradox Prism, is out there looking for the prism's shards." Fera stated, "His stooges told me as much." Copter scratched his head. "But we've been all over this world, and we didn't find any shards. Do you think they got 'em?" he asked. Fera shook her head. "They're scouting worlds for the doctor. But the shard pertaining to this world is clearly somewhere else." she concluded. "Aw, shucks. I guess we better get back to the Maverick and keep searching them worlds..." 1BIT sighed. If Eggman was rampaging across the worlds, there was no telling what chaos would follow. Copter heaved a sigh. "Here we go again, Eggman..." he grumbled. Their quest was still only beginning...
To be continued...
