AUTHOR [P.O.V.]

Sora, Y/N, Donald, and Goofy return to the gummi ship and travel to the Olympus Coliseum. They enter the Coliseum Gates, where two giant golden statues of gladiators clashing swords stand around the entrance. They walk across the grounds and enter the Coliseum. Walking into the dim lobby, the cracks in the stone visible underfoot, a satyr is putting up a sign on the wall near an entrance. A "closed" sign is tied in the dark doorway and a large pedestal is placed against a wall near a lit torch. Sora and Y/N walks up to the busy-looking satyr.

Sora: "Um..."

??? [without looking]: "Good timing. Give me a hand, will ya? Move that pedestal over there for me."

He points to the pedestal, still facing the sign on the wall.

???: "I gotta spruce this place up for the games."

Sora, Y/N, Donald and Goofy walk over to the pedestal and attempt to move it, but it doesn't budge.

Sora: "It weighs a ton!"

Y/N: "Yeah!"

They talk to the satyr again.

Sora: "It's way too heavy!"

???: "What? Too heavy? Since when have you been such a little—"

He turns around, expecting to see someone much taller. He looks down at Sora then at Y/N.

Philoctetes: "Oh. Wrong guy. What're you doing here?"

He hops down to their level and gaits toward Donald, who backs away.

Philoctetes: "This here's the world-famous Coliseum— heroes only! And I got my hands full preparing for the games. So run along, pip-squeaks."

Sora pouts and the satyr puts his hands on his hips.

Philoctetes: "Look, it's like this."

He paces around.

Philoctetes: "Heroes are coming from all over to fight ferocious monsters right here in the Coliseum."

Donald [crossing his arms]: "You've got heroes standing right in front of you."

Goofy places his hands on Sora's and Y/N's shoulders, and Sora smiles.

Goofy: "Yup. He's a real hero chosen by the Keyblade! And Y/N is a master!"

Y/N lets out a small blush from the compliment Goofy gave her.

Donald [pointing to himself]: "And we're heroes, too."

Philoctetes [shocked]: "Hero? Those runts?"

He laughs loudly, slapping his large belly.

Sora: "What's so funny? I've fought a bunch of monsters!"

Sora pounds on his chest proudly. Y/N rolls her eyes playfully at her friend.

Philoctetes: "Hey, if you can't even move this..."

He attempts to push the pedestal forward, making no progress.

Philoctetes: "You can't call yourself..."

He tries pushing with his back against it, his hooves slipping on the floor. Sora crosses his arms sternly. Y/N placed her fists on her hips.

Philoctetes: "A hero!"

He wears himself out and sits on the ground, trying to catch his breath.

Philoctetes: "Okay, so it takes more than brawn."

He stands back up.

Philoctetes: "Well, well, let's see what you can do. This trial is tough. You got what it takes? You ready?"

Sora: "I'm ready!"

Y/N: "So, am I."

Philoctetes: "Okay, kids. Let's see what you've got."

They enter the Coliseum, where several piles of barrels are set up around the arena.

Philoctetes: "The rules are simple: Bust all the barrels within the time limit. Ready? Go!"

Sora and Y/N take out all the barrels with seconds to spare.

Philoctetes: "Not bad! For a beginner, that is. And to a Master no surprise."

Sora blasts through a harder course. Which was easy for Y/N.

Philoctetes: "Hey, you're better than I thought!"

They return to the Lobby.

Philoctetes: "You know, you ain't bad, kid. Neither are you, girly."

Sora scratches his head, chuckling. Y/N chuckles.

Sora: "Looks like we're headed for the games."

Sora puts his hands behind his head, smiling.

Philoctetes: "Afraid not."

Sora [surprised]: "Why not?"

Philoctetes: "Two words: You guys ain't heroes."

Y/N raises an eyebrow at Philoctetes words. Goofy counts on his fingers.

Sora: "Come on!"

Philoctetes: "Wanna become a real hero? Start by mastering this spell."

Phil gives them the Thunder spell and they walk outside, stopping when they hear a voice.

Hades: "Rather a stubborn old goat, wouldn't you say?"

Y/N gets her Keyblade out knowing this man was trouble.

Donald: "Who are you?"

Hades: "Whoa, hold on there, fuzz boy. Wait, let me guess. You want to enter the games, right?"

He walks over to them, the blue flame dancing on his head. He stands behind Sora, placing his long-fingered hand on his shoulder.

Hades: "Well, then, hey, get a load of this."

A piece of papyrus appears in Hades's hand, much to Sora's surprise. Y/N leans over her friend's shoulder.

Sora: "A pass?"

Hades: "It's all yours."

He starts to leave after giving him the Entry Pass.

Hades: "Good luck, kid. I'm pulling for you, little shorty."

They run back inside and talk to Phil, giving him the Entry Pass.

Philoctetes: "Hey, how'd you get this?"

Y/N: "Our secret. Not gonna tell."

Sora: "Can we enter the games now?"

Philoctetes: "Well... I guess so. We start with the preliminaries! Some real weirdos signed up for the games. Better watch yourself."

Sora, Y/N, Donald, and Goofy fight through the starting matches of the preliminaries. Afterwards, they talk to Phil in the Coliseum.

Philoctetes: "You're no heroes yet, but you ain't doing bad. Lucky you came to me for coaching."

Phil stroked his goatee as a soldier and a woman enters the arena. Sora and Y/N stares at them and the man stare back at Sora through spiky blond hair, his long red cape flying behind him, boots digging into the ground. The woman stared back at Y/N, as well, she had greyish-blue hair, ties into a down ponytail, with a dark aqua top with some kind of collar that shapes as a circle covering half of her face, and shorts right up to her knees, wearing small heels and matching colours with the top and had a black staff with purple gems on it.

Philoctetes: "Something tells me they'll be a tough one to beat. Who knows, maybe you'll end up facing them."

The quadruple fights through more matches and speaks with Phil.

Philoctetes: "Say, you're better than I thought, kid, girly! Wish he was here to see this."

Sora: "Who?"

Philoctetes: "Hercules. He's a hero if ever there was one. Too bad he's off visiting his father."

They fight through more of the preliminaries and celebrate while Hades watches from the barracks.

Hades: "Those little punks is your next opponent, okay?"

The blond soldier leans against the wall next to him as the greyish-blue haired woman stood next to the soldier.

Hades: "Now, don't blow it. Just take them out."

Jeine: "Heh."

Cloud: "The great god of the Underworld is afraid of kids? Sorry, but our contract says—"

Hades [snappy]: "I know! You guys think I don't know? I wrote the contract! I know it says you're only required to kill Hercules in this tournament. But you've gotta fight those kids to get to him. Come on."

He points to Sora and Y/N, who was talking to Phil and scratching his head.

Hades: "Hey, it's like that old goat says: Rule 11: It's all just a game, so let loose and have fun with it!"

He punches the air.

Hades: "I mean, a casualty along the way is no big deal, right?"

He smiles and Cloud stands up and walks away with Jeine following by his side.

Hades: "Geez. Stiffer than the stiffs back home. Still, suckers like him are hard to come by..."

In the darkness behind him, a large creature snarls. Sora, Y/N, Donald, and Goofy finish the preliminaries and enter the final match against Cloud and Jeine. Sora and Y/N attack with their Keyblades, while Goofy moves in with his shield. Cloud and Jeine swing their giant sword and staff and knocks them both back.

Cloud: "That's the best you can do?"

Jeine: "Come on, Cloud. Focus."

Sora and Y/N slide forward and strikes, but they dodge backward and jumps into the air. Cloud slams his sword into the ground with unnatural strength, knocking out Donald. Giving a loud yell, Cloud and Jeine surges forward and strikes, knocking Goofy out before he can heal Donald. Sora does his best against Cloud, while Y/N does hers with Jeine but Cloud being a recruit of SOLDIER, his experience is unmatched, and he knocks the wind out of Sora. Jeine who has experienced guard training she easily defeats the Keyblade Master. 

They walk over to a kneeling Sora, Y/N Donald and Goofy unconscious around them, and Cloud peers down at the boy, while Jeine peers down at the girl. Phil runs in with a white towel, but Hades stops him. Cloud raises his sword, Jeine raises her staff and Sora and Y/N closes their eyes, bracing themselves. Cloud and Jeine lower their weapons to Sora's and Y/N's surprise, and they hear footsteps behind them, turning just as a giant black claw crashes down on them. Sora and Y/n look up to see an enormous three-headed beast with red eyes growling over him. Darkness emanates from its jaws, each of its razor-sharp teeth bared. Sora gasps as Hades retreats into the barracks.

Hades: "Oh, right, there was one other rule I forgot: Accidents happen."

The beast moves in to attack Sora and Y/N but is pushed back by an incredibly strong man.

Philoctetes: "Herc!"

Hercules holds back the monster, shouting to Phil.

Hercules: "Phil, get them out of here!"

The five of them race out of the Coliseum.

Philoctetes: "Whew, that was close! That was Cerberus, the guardian of the Underworld. Herc should be able to handle him. But then again, maybe not... This doesn't look good. I hope Herc's okay. Wish I could go in!"

Sora and Y/N start to run back into the Coliseum.

Philoctetes: "Kid, girly you're not entering the arena, are ya? This ain't just some match. This is for real!"

Sora: "We're not afraid. You can decide if we're hero material or not."

Philoctetes: "Careful, kid, girly!"

Sora and Y/N reenter the Coliseum arena, where Hercules has Cloud and Jeine slung over his shoulder, Cerberus's giant jaws bearing down on him, inches away. The beast's ears perk up, hearing their entrance and they turn around, allowing Hercules to run Cloud and Jeine to the Lobby, past Phil.

Philoctetes: "Kid, girly, I got two words of advice for you: Attack!"

Cerberus roars and stomps around the arena, sending large fireballs at Sora, Y/N, Donald, and Goofy. Sora and Y/N manage to stay out of the beast's path, Donald sending Thunder spells at its three heads. One of the fireballs heads Sora's way, and Y/N deflects it with her Keyblade, hitting the centre head square in the eyes. The beast stops roaring and attempts to bite them as Sora and Y/N attack. 

Backing up, Cerberus rears up on its hind legs, and drops to the ground, sending a shockwave to the quadruple. Y/N heals Sora with a Potion as the beast's mouth foams with dark energy. It moves forward sending dark matter spewing out of its mouth and into the ground. Sora pushes Y/N as he rolls to dodge as the energy pools and shoots up from under him. Goofy, finding a way on top of the beast, sends his shield flying at the multiple heads. Sora and Y/N move in as it tries to bite at Goofy and knocks out the beast, which falls to the ground loudly. Later, Hercules and Phil are addressing Sora, Y/N, Donald, and Goofy in the Lobby. Phil reads from a piece of papyrus as Hercules stands with his arms crossed.

Philoctetes: "Thus, I do hereby dub thee junior heroes, and confer upon thee full rights and privileges to participate in the games. Further—"

Donald: "Hey! What do you mean "junior heroes"?"

Philoctetes: "You rookies still don't understand what it takes to be a true hero."

Goofy: "So, what does it take?"

Hercules: "Well, that's just something you'll have to find out for yourselves. Just the way that I did."

He smiles.

Sora: "No problem. We'll start by proving ourselves in the games."

Sora smiles, lifting a fist proudly.

Philoctetes: "There ain't gonna be any games for a while."

He motions to the "closed" sign over the arena entrance.

Philoctetes: "Gotta clean up the mess from that last battle first."

Sora: "Okay, we'll be back."

He waves and the three of them leave as Hercules waves goodbye and Phil strokes his beard.

Philoctetes: "I still can't believe that squirt actually beat Cerberus."

Hercules: "Just between us, I'd already worn Cerberus down by the time the little guy jumped in."

The door closes after the quadruple left.

Philoctetes: "My lips are sealed."

At the Coliseum Gates, Sora and Y/N see Cloud and Jeine sitting next to each other as they held hands near the exit and walks up to them.

Sora: "Hey, are you guys all right?"

Cloud and Jeine look up to see the two Keyblade wielders.

Cloud: "Yeah."

Sora: "So why did you guys go along with him, anyway?"

He leans his head pensively on his hands.

Cloud: "We're looking for someone. Hades promised to help. I tried to exploit the power of darkness, but it backfired."

He stands up and looks to the sky. With Jeine following suit.

Cloud: "I fell into darkness, and I couldn't find the light."

Jeine: "Same here."

He looked at Jeine who gave him a sweet smile.

Sora: "You'll find it. We're searching, too."

He looks back at Sora. As Jeine does the same to Y/N.

Cloud: "For your light?"

Sora and Y/N nod and Cloud move closer to him, placing something in his hand.

Cloud: "Don't lose sight of it."

Cloud and Jeine start to walk away, and Sora nods and looks in his hand.

Sora: "How about a rematch sometime? Fair and square, no dark powers involved."

He moves toward Cloud, waving his hand in the air. Cloud turns his head, running a hand through his hair.

Cloud: "I think we'll pass."

Despite this answer, Sora and Y/N smile sheeplishy as Cloud and Jeine leave hand-in-hand. With Sonic Blade in hand, Sora and Y/N exit the Coliseum, the doors slamming behind them. Later that night, Hades stands in the Coliseum Gates, fuming. He holds a Hercules statue in his hand.

Hades: "He's strong, he's kind."

The statue flexes his muscles.

Hades: He's always there for you, and he's handsome to boot.

The statue crosses his arms and winks.

Hades: "He's perfect. Perfect. Perfectly infuriating! He makes me crazy."

Hades turns red, roasting the statue. The hair on his head blazing hot, he explodes in a burst of flames. As the smoke settles around him, he catches his breath and returns to his cool blue shade.

Hades: "Wait a minute. What are you worried about? All the pieces are in place. Relax. Here's what you do. Let Hercules train the kid and that girl she'll handle herself fine anyways. In the next games, I'll take care of them all three."

He makes a fist as the horned witch appears behind him, her staff held firmly in her hands.

Hades: Who invited you to the party? Stay out of this. This is my show.

???: "As you wish. Fight to your heart's content."

Hades smirks, nodding, before noting the witch's tone, and scowling as she disappears. Sora pilots the Gummi Ship to the next world. They hover over the world and see that it's a Deep Jungle.

Goofy: "Hey, Donald, maybe King Mickey's down there."

Donald: "In a backwater place like that? No way! Let's move on."

Sora: "Hold on. Riku and Kairi might be down there. Let's just check it out."

Y/N: "I don't know, Sora..."

Donald: "Forget it! We're on an important mission!"

Sora: "Just land!"

Donald: "No!"

Sora: "Come on!"

Sora and Donald fight over the controls of the ship. Y/N and Goofy try to separate them and to make them stop fighting.

Y/N: "Okay! That's enough both of you! Sora will pilot us to that world, understand?"

Donald: "Aw, phooey!"

Sora: "We're landing!"

The ship starts to shake and descend.

Donald: "Don't touch that! Nooo!"

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Edited on ??????????

Originally published on August 31

Word Count: 2678

Just so you know Jeine is my Final Fantasy VII OC.