At last, the third chapter is out. Sorry it took so long.

Chapter Three: Silent Hero. The Birth of an Alliance.
Before the fight, we go to the villains' lair.

[(Moon) Tournament City -- Kuja's Palace]

::cue "Kuja's Theme -Millennium Version-" from Final Fantasy IX::

The villains watch the city's events with a large crystal ball as they relax inside their underground lair. Vox enters.

Vox: That was a nice ad! ::to Riou:: Tell me I did good, boss!

Riou: Hmph. You could've done without the Pay-Per-View part.

Vox: Say, how's the new "Gaunlet of Doom" coming?

Kuja: You mean the tower Riou will bring with his magic? Bah. It would just mean a new hideout for us. After all, what's wrong with my beautiful palace?

Red-Haired Boy: ::to Riou:: You said that tower will bring destruction, right? But-

Riou: Don't worry, kid. The Phoenix people will be safe from harm. I'll make sure only they remain alive so they can roam in a world without humans.

Red-Haired Boy: "Kid"? That's "Lord Saffron" to you!

Introducing -- Saffron
Emperor of the Phoenix people

Suddenly, a winged woman arrives. She bows down before Saffron.

Saffron: Kiema. This better be good.

Introducing -- Kiema
Saffron's guardian; raised him since his birth

Kiema: Pardon, Lord Saffron. But I couldn't find Sephiroth like you requested.

Riou: Sephiroth. ::slams the tip of his staff down:: Bastard! He's been playing the wild card ever since he came here.

Elderly Knight: ::as he steps in:: Would you like me to hunt him down?

Riou: No need. He can't run away for long. If Sephiroth truly wishes torment Cloud, he's going to need our help.

Saffron: ::to the knight:: Ah, Duke Vox. Can't believe there's two of you with the same name.

Introducing -- Duke Vox
Former captain of the Dragon Brigade; previously slain.

Saffron: But you're too old to even hold a candle against Sephiroth. I, however, stand a chance against him once I grow up. If there's anyone who should hunt him down, it's me.

Duke Vox: Quiet, little brat! :: Pulls out a spear::

Riou: Quiet, both of you. I said that wasn't going to be necessary. ::turns around:: Kefka! ::as Kefka steps up:: The girl you've been fascinated about. What's her status?

Kefka: The girl signed up for the tournament, just like you expected.

Riou: ::evil grin:: Perfect. She could be of use to us.

Kefka: Yeah, yeah, yeah. When do we get to see this "killing machine" you've been talking about?

Riou: Pretty soon, but I got a job for you. You make sure that fool Arth doesn't get in the way. Got it?

Kefka: Got it! ::skips away::

Saffron: :: Once Kefka is out of the room:: That guy's nuts.

Everyone else: ::murmur in agreement::

[(Moon) Tournament City -- Gymnasium]

We now go to the match between Cloud and Major Armstrong, which was already under way.

-----

Zell: That's weird. Why did he take his shirt off?

-----

Armstrong pulls a chunk of rubble from the ring itself, showing how strong he really is.

Major Armstrong: You shall see why I'm called "The Strong Arm Alchemist!"

He then tosses the boulder upwards, and once it came down he punches it. With the aid of a special gauntlet, his punch transforms the boulder into a large arrow. Cloud, however, dodges it on time.

-----

Kiyo: Those two have been going at it for a while.

Zatch: He must be really strong!

Blond-Haired Teen: ::as he walks in:: Yep, that's a national alchemist for ya!

Zell: Who are you?

Blond-Haired Teen: My name's Edward Elric. :: Points to a large suit of armor:: This is my brother, Alphonse.

Introducing -- Edward and Alphonse, the Elric Brothers
Two brothers who travel together, one with amazing skills in alchemy

Zell: Aren't you kind of short to be competing?

Edward: ::Angered:: DON'T CALL ME SHORT!! IT SERIOUSLY PISSES ME OFF WHEN PEOPLE CALL ME SHORT!!!

Kiyo: Calm down. I'm sure you're powerful enough to fight your own battles.

Edward: ::calms down:: You got that right. Al and I have made it out of some hairy situations.

Alphonse: ::nods:: I'm not here to fight, but my brother can always count on me if he gets in trouble.

Cloud: :: Offscreen:: Farewell.

Kiyo: ::turns his attention to the match:: Oh, right! The match!

-----

Cloud homes in on Armstrong and executes his Omnislash. Barely standing after all those slashes, Armstrong concedes.

Major Armstrong: I cannot go on. You are clearly more worthy to face this Eggman person than I.

Referee: Then Cloud qualifies for the tournament! Just 14 preliminary matches left to go!

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Edward: No way! That guy beat Armstrong?!

Zidane: He's pretty strong. I'm really glad he's one of the good guys.

Squall: ::as Cloud makes his exit:: Cloud! If we all band together, maybe we have a better chance against Eggman.

Zell: Yeah, how 'bout you join us?

Cloud: ::walks away:: Not interested.

Squall: ::nods:: Right.

Kiyo: But you have a good idea. Let's discuss it after this match.

Referee: Okay, we now go to the third preliminary match, and then we go to a 30 minute break. ::reads from a clipboard:: Tatewaki Kuno, step on up!

Kuno steps into the ring, bokken ready. Ranma and Akane stood closely by.

Ranma: Don't screw up, Kuno.

Akane: I'll be surprised if he walks out without gloating.

Referee: Next. Terra Branford, will you kindly step into the ring?

A green-haired girl then walks into the ring. Some recognized her immediately, and some didn't know her at all. A young knight stands closely by.

Young Knight: You can do it!

-----

As in every case he confronts a girl, Kuno turns on his charm.

Tatewaki: Terra Branford, what a lovely name. Could this be a gift from the heavens?

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Akane: This is so like Kuno.

Ranma: "Like"? It's all him. That moron just lost the match. He just doesn't know it.

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Tatewaki: ::to Ranma:: Silence, Saotome, lest ye receive the end of my sword! ::to Terra:: If thou best me in combat, I'll let you go out with me.

Terra just responds with a battle stance, perhaps not interested in Kuno after all.

Referee: Alright, enough with the formalities. Begin!

Terra: I'm sorry, but I'm in a hurry.

Tatewaki: ::makes a quick dash:: Then let me end this match for you! ::swings his bokken rapidly:: Strike! Strike! Strike! Strike! Strike!!

-----

Kuno's swings were powerful enough to destroy a fraction of the wall ahead of him with wind pressure alone. Luckily, Terra dodged them all.

Steiner: What power!

Zidane: ::grabbing his tail:: You're telling me! That guy almost cut my tail off!

-----

Tatewaki: You dodged me, the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High? I'm impressed.

Still in mid-air, Terra prepares an attack of her own.

Terra: Haaah!!!! ::launches a chunk of ice at Kuno::

The attack takes Kuno by surprise as it knocks him outside the ring. Outside the ring and unconscious, Kuno loses.

Referee: Terra qualifies for the tournament! As promised, we all go now to a 30-minute break before resuming.

Terra: ::walks away:: I...won.

-----

Ranma: That buffoon had it coming.

Akane: At least she didn't kill him.

Zidane: ::to Ranma:: Hey, you two don't like Eggman at all, right?

Ranma: Yeah.

Zidane: Squall has this great idea about us good guys banding together.

Akane: And you wants us to join? I don't see why not. What do you think, Ranma?

Ranma: Fine by me. Where at, uh....?

Zidane: The name's Zidane. I know just the place!

[(Moon) Tournament City -- Tantalus Pub]

The tavern was full, as many of the good guys have gone inside. Zidane speaks to Baku.

Zidane: Yo, Baku!

Baku: Well, well, well. Hoping to make some business with us?

Zidane: I know you guys got a basement with a large table.

Baku: Yeah. Cinna found out about this game called "Poker." So we brought a huge table. Word gets around fast, huh?

Zidane: A lot of friends want to have a meeting down there. We only got about 25 minutes, so....

Baku: Alright, alright. ::hands over a key:: Just lock up when you're done. The basement's that way. :: Points to his left::

[(Moon) Tournament City -- Kuja's Palace]

Back in the palace, Riou inconspicuously monitors the villains' actions. A bald-headed teen arrives.

Riou: Zaruchimu. Where were you?

Introducing -- Zaruchimu
Riou's right-hand man; uses the power of shadows in battle.

Zaruchimu: Sorry, Riou. But I was just sending Kiema on her way to our next objective.

Riou: Right. We'll reduce the numbers of those heroes soon enough.

Zaruchimu: ::as several eyes suddenly open around his head:: Many of them have gathered in a small tavern. If Kiema successfully brings one of our "pets" there, the mission itself will be flawlessly completed.

Riou: ::evil grin:: Good thing it's hungry.

[(Moon) Tantalus Pub -- Basement]

Only a small light bulb filled the large basement with light. Anyone Zidane could round up in one minute sat around the table, while the man himself sits between Squall and Garnet.

Ranma: So why are we here?

Zidane: Squall here had an idea for all of us to become a group. Since he came up with the idea, I think he should be leader.

Steiner: Agreed! ::to Squall:: If you would kindly speak now....

Squall: ::stands up:: Our worlds are threatened. I think unless we bring a united front against Eggman, we'll lose our homes.

Kiyo: United front? I know it's a good idea, but what exactly are we facing here?

Squall: I don't think Eggman is working alone.

Zell: Yeah, we still have that annoying Vox guy to worry about.

Garnet: How else do you know he's not working by himself, Squall?

Squall: ::after a long pause:: He seems to know about our worlds. I don't think he was able to build this entire city by himself. It could have taken years, even with his robot companions.

Tidus: Wait, wait, wait. So do we know who is Eggman working for?

Squall: I have an idea. Who do you know, each in your individual worlds, who would not care if any harm was done to it? It happened before...when we met.

Zidane: ::as a light bulb turns on above his head:: Chaos.

Firion: You're getting warm. I think it's Chaos' warriors. The Emperor could have provided the technology needed to build those airships.

Squall: I think so, too. And not just them. :: Points to Zatch and Edward:: But they were also able to ally themselves with an evil outside our worlds. Zatch. Edward. Do you know who else could be siding with the warriors of Chaos?

Zatch: Well.....

Kiyo: Probably a smart Mamodo.

Edward: And I think it's the same people who killed one of our colonels.

Squall: That's possible. If the villains are united, we should do the same.

Garnet: Unite for a good cause.

Suddenly, a minor earthshake could be felt. Garnet falls off of her seat, but is safely caught by Steiner.

Zidane: You alright, Dagger?

Garnet: ::getting up:: Yes, I'm fine. But what was that?

Baku: ::from upstairs:: What the hell is that thing?!!

Squall: :: Pulls out his Gunblade:: Probably the enemy. I can hear the people screaming outside.

-----

Right outside the pub, the heroes find a large Zuu hovering above Kiema. Marcus, Blank, and Cinna were down and out.

Zidane: Guys!

Kiema: Don't worry; you'll be joining them soon. ::to the Zuu:: Who's hungry?

The Zuu attempts to peck at the unconscious Blank. However, once its head reach down, Edward pulls out his armblade and slashes the Zuu's head.

Edward: Leave this thing to me! get those three out of here safely!

The villains make their first move. But is Edward Elric able to foil them in time? Find out, next chapter!