Fanfiction ► Beginning of Destiny

[Ban Mido]

EW! EW! EW! DOUBLE POST! EVIL!

Well, anyways, reading Roxi-Chan’s Halloween Special got me thinking about one of my own. Just to be clear, this one has no connection with the BoD what so ever! Just to be clear.

So anyways, this one is dedicated to Roxi-Chan, long time BoD reader and fellow fic author, who got me started with this. This is the second time your fic gave me an idea RC. Thanks a lot!
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It’s Halloween night at Halloween Town, and as usual on Halloween, the denizens of this dark holiday city are lost in their euphoria, celebrating their holiday with every form of fright and terror imaginable. But while its inhabitants are lost in their elation, it’s just business as usual for the Organization’s member XIII, Roxas, who hasn’t had a day off in his short career as a member. He was busy going from world to world, confronting a different type of horror, one that never brings about any type of joy. With the wind blowing through his dirty blond hair, he strikes down Heartless after lunging Heartless effortlessly, black and white streaks flashing through the air in an elegant dance of battle he had done time and time again. With but an effort, he had finished the final wave, the dark creatures exploding with darkness and releasing their hearts into the air. He dismissed his Keyblades as he wraps up a day’s work.

“Another day, another thousand hearts harvested.” He said with a sigh as he took out a piece of paper and looked at it. “Aw man! Tomorrow I have to go to the Pride Lands?!? I hate to go to worlds where I have to transform!”

“Excuse me! Young lad! I’m afraid you’re doing it all wrong!” A voice called out. Before Roxas could react, Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King, approached him from deep in the forest, swinging from branches and bounding off of trunks high in the tree tops with speed and agility that only he was capable of. After ricocheting off of a branch above the thirteenth member, he soared down, flipping around just in time right before arriving onto the ground right in front of Roxas, squatting as he touched down to prevent dislocating every joint in his bony body from the sheer force of the landing.

Crap! A local! the young Nobody panicked, believing his cover to be blown. Knowing he couldn’t out run the Prince of Terror, he waited for a chance to ditch him. As Jack smoothed out the wrinkles in his tuxedo and straightened out his bow, he reaches into his inside jacket pocket and pulled out a card.

“Greetings, and welcome to Halloween Town!” He said in a warm greeting as he grabbed Roxas’s hand and shook it in welcome. “My name is Jack Skellington! Here’s my card!” He said as he placed his business card in Roxas’s hand. The card read:

Jack Skellington
Halloween Enthusiast.​

“Forgive me for my lack of presentation. I don’t normally break out of the role of fright maker today.” The living skeleton said happily. “But when I see someone not celebrating this wonderful holiday to its fullest extent, I can’t help but step in and interject!”

“Wh-what do you—“

“Oh come now, don’t be coy! Did you honestly believe that you could throw on a robe and call your self the Grim Reaper?!” Jack said, mistaking Roxas’s uniform for a costume. He reaches out and grabs Roxas’s cheeks, giving them a slight pull. “Besides the obvious absence of the right props, your skin has far too much color!”

“But this isn’t a costume!!” Roxas replied in protest.

“No, it’s not…” Jack said solemnly in thought, scratching his boney cheek with a finger. Then a smile spread across his face as he wrapped his hand around Roxas’s wrist and started pulling the teen towards the town.

“Not yet at least!” Jack proclaimed with gusto, oblivious to Roxas struggling for his freedom in vain. “There is still time to save your Halloween!”

How can someone with no muscles be so strong!? Roxas thought as he continued his effort to free himself.

“Now, it’s going to take some doing, but I think we can pull it off. I have a prop you can use some where in my house. I’m actually pretty excited! I never had an occasion to use stage make up before. You have nothing to worry about! Our night of frightly delight isn’t over until the sun is in sight!”

They continued towards the town, Jack talking about the various ideas that he is having, Roxas still struggling to get free.
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In one of the many areas that can only be accessed by use of a Dark Corridor, Axel was up at the early hours of the morning, reclining on a couch in the lounging area of The Castle That Never Was, reading his favorite books. He looked up when he heard the familiar sound of a Dark Corridor being formed coming from behind him.

“You’re late Roxas! What kept you?” He asked as he looked over his shoulder. He saw his young compatriot brandishing a large reaping scythe that rested over his shoulder, wearing a bald cap over his head. His face was painted white with his lips touched up with black lip stick and gray eye liner gently touched up under each eye.

“And why are you cosplaying as Marluxia?” Axel asked.

“Don’t. Ask.” Roxas said as he hurried out the room. He bumped into Xemnas as he passed through the door, not stopping to apologize.

“Roxas!!! Where are you’re manners?!? And why do you look like Marluxia?!?”

“PISS OFF, MANSEX!!” Roxas yelled sternly as he stomped down the hall. Bewildered, the two senior Nobodies looked on as their junior left.

“Axel? What is today’s date?” Xemnas asked with a sigh as he flipped through his notebook.

“October 31st. Why do you ask?”

Xemnas examined his notes, and then closed it on a sigh.

“I see.” He said to himself. “In light of the date and where he was sent to harvest, I suppose I can forgive him for this transgression just this once. And I might as well let him have the day off tomorrow.”

“What for?” Axel asked with a raised eyebrow. “You usually go ballistic if anyone talked to you like that.”

"Well, let’s just say Roxas wasn’t the first to be unfortunate enough to be cornered by the Knight of Fright on All Hallows eve.” Number one said as he walked away.
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Not bad for an impromptu two hour's work! so any ways, I hope you all enjoy it!


A Happy Halloween to all, and to all a good Fright!

 

[Roxi-chan]

“October 31st. Why do you ask?”

Xemnas examined his notes, and then closed it on a sigh.

“I see.” He said to himself. “In light of the date and where he was sent to harvest, I suppose I can forgive him for this transgression just this once. And I might as well let him have the day off tomorrow.”

“What for?” Axel asked with a raised eyebrow. “You usually go ballistic if anyone talked to you like that.”

Well, let’s just say Roxas wasn’t the first to be unfortunate enough to be cornered by Knight of Fright on All Hallows eve.” Number one said as he walked away.

Favorite part!!!!!
^///////^
Dedicated...To meh...? Oh my gosh!! I feel so special! No-ones ever dedicated anything to me! Ever!
Tehe!~
You don't know how happy you made me! Seriously! And trust me, that is a true acheivement! LOL

Edit:
Second time I've gave you an idea?...THERE WAS A FIRST!?!?!?!?!?!?!

-dies from shock-

 

[Ban Mido]

Favorite part!!!!!
^///////^
Dedicated...To meh...? Oh my gosh!! I feel so special! No-ones ever dedicated anything to me! Ever!
Tehe!~
You don't know how happy you made me! Seriously! And trust me, that is a true acheivement! LOL

Edit:
Second time I've gave you an idea?...THERE WAS A FIRST!?!?!?!?!?!?!

-dies from shock-

:lol:

Yep! although I haven't used the first one yet. Check the pages of your fic. I'm sure I mentioned that one of your chaps gave me an idea overthe past couple or so. If you want, I can PM you when I get to it.

Anyways, The idea you gave me helped me to be able to go indepth with a couple characters that I wanted to go in depth with. I haven't written the chapter yet, but I think it's going to be quite good. I never would have thought of it if I hadn't read your fic, so you deserve it.

....

RC? *pokes with stick* Are you okay?
....

Ruh-roh!

 

[Nojerom]

you guys are both silly and incredibly hilarious...

but nice halloween thing.. i could so see that happen!!!
freaking. awesome. beyond. all. extent.
keep going Allstar!!!!

 

[Merlin326]

aye. sometimes the best stories come from those with a good sense of humor (even in fics that arnt comedy)

with all due respect,
Merlin326

 

[Roxi-chan]

^_^
I'm good. lol
Haha...I'd look, but...There's, like, eleven pages... o-o Nu!!!! TOO MANY!!!! -dies again-
Well, anyways, I'm glad I've you some good ideas, then! ^_^ I still feel special. lol

 

[Ban Mido]

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?”

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.”

“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!”

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

“Big…”

“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…”

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

“Tender…”

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

“Juicy…”

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

“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?”

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.”

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

“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.”

“Um, Buddy?”

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?”

“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!”

“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!”

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?”

“Huh?” The puzzled Buddy grunted. “But you just got here!”

“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?”

“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.”

“Well, all right, if you say so.”

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?!?”

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!”

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?”

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!”

“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?”

“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!”

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?”

“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.”

“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?”

“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.”

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.”

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!”

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.”

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!”

“Could Setzer actually lose?”

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!”

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

“You actually beat Setzer!”

“That was amazing!”

“Do you have a girlfriend?”

“ENOUGH!!”

The crowd fell silent as Setzer 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!”

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

 

[Nelo Angelo]

badass chapter taht was my friend. awesomw. we got a struggle fight comin up now have we. cool.

 

[Athel]

Great chap, Allstar.
I'm curious as to who the mystery character is....
At first, I thought it was Riku, but it can't be.

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.

That sounds a lot like Riku, except for the eye and the hair.

 

[iloveyou502]

“Do you have a girlfriend?”

Haha.

Awesome chapter.
btw, that halloween story wasnt so bad either.

 

[Roxi-chan]

Tehe!~
That was good! Roxas kicked major butt against Setzer! lol
^_^ Good chapter!

 

[Ban Mido]

Glad ya all like it! And good spoitting, ThepPowerOfPie! While he is nameless for right now, that character is an original with a very big part to play in the story, as well as a very big connection to Sora! I'm gonna have to be very careful with him, or else I might not portray him the way I want too...

 

[Nojerom]

“Big…”

“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…”

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

“Tender…”

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

“Juicy…”

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

“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?”

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.”


“You actually beat Setzer!”

“That was amazing!”

“Do you have a girlfriend?”

that's fricking hilarious, those were my two favorite parts. dude i'm confused about the guy who thought he was sora, but i might figure it out later, idk depends. keep going Allstar, it rocks!!!!!!

 

[Merlin326]

lol, i just realized i havent commented on the latest chapter yet. "sorry about that, Chief."

anyway, good chapter there. i like how you are developing "Buddy" (as we shall call him until his other name is revealed). he appears to be at the end of a number of jokes. i almost feel sorry for him, lol (despite the fact i already feel sorry for him because of his fate, lol).

with all due respect,
Merlin326

 

[Ban Mido]

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!”

“I would, but…”

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

“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?!?”

“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!

”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?”

“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!”

“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.”

“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.”

“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?”

“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!”

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

“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.”

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.”

“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.”

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

“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?”

“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.”

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

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

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.”

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

“Simple. I have no reason to.”

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

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

“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?”

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.”

“But I have no reason to!”

“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…”

“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!”

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.”

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?”

“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.

”ARE YOU READY FOR A STRUUUUUUUUUUUUGGLEEEEE?!?”

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:”

“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?”

“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!”

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

“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.

”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.

”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.”

“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!”

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.

”Round two to Buddy!”

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.

”Round Three, Fight!”

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:

”MATCH TO BUDDY!”

Chapter 11: The First Struggle Match!: End.
----------
Author's notes: Comming next post.

 

[Nelo Angelo]

wow. that my friend was awesome. very vivd and i could see it all. i loved it.
excellent job. setzer got pwned yet again.

 

[Merlin326]

good chapter there. just one question: is Perez supposed to be the nameless announcer guy for the Struggle from KH2?

with all due respect,
Merlin326

 

[Nelo Angelo]

im pretty sure it is. it looks a lot like him.

 

[Ban Mido]

Thanks you guys!

in regards to you're question Merlin326, Perez, Which is short for 'president' is what I'm calling the guy who handles everything Struggle related. In KH2, he's the guy who gives you the reward in the 'poster sticker' job. He is also the guy who you talk to later in the game when you want to struggle against somebody. If that isn't specific enough, he's the guy who approaches Seifer at the first Twilight Town visit and tells him he wants to see more of Seifer's 'Cool moves'.
If this is the character that you were reffering to, then yes. yes it is. I just thought it might be better for me to give him a nickname, since he'll be playing a slightly better role than in KH2. Not too much better though.


Okay! time for the Author's Notes:
--------------------
So, yeah, Setzer basically got his butt handed to him. It's what he gets for being a cocky basterd. On the plus side, Roxas(Buddy) is now 50,000 munny richer!

“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?”

If there was any confusion about this part, It was actually a reference to the KH2 manga. In the struggle tornament in the manga, they wore these vests and helmets and stuck the little balls onto them. I figured the vests were velcro and the balls were felt, or something like that. But I really didn't like that explanation, so I concocted my own, which is a little more technical.

I just noticed that Buddy(Roxas) doesn't get all that much dialog. I guess it could show his ineptitude, having no memories what so ever, but I think it has something more to do with what someone once told me a long time ago. I believe it was along the lines of "Shut the **** up and pay attention! You might just learn something!" It really stuck with me.

Man, we've been spending more time than I was planning to in Mall Street. Hopefully, I can wrap it up here and move on in the next few chapters or so.

Until next time, Keep doing your best!:thumbup:

 

[Roxi-chan]

Oh, la, la! I really got into that last chaper! Tehe!~
'Buddy' kicks ass!...Like he should! lol~
Anyways, good, no, great chapter! WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!~
I can't wait for the next.