| GCB Fanfics: The Fanfiction Project |
June 30th, 2003Jack woke up. Slowly he got up and dragged himself over to the bathroom to shave. Half way through this activity his eye caught the clock in his bedroom. '10:35' said the digital display. Slowly raiden returned to shaving......."10:35!?!?!?!?!?!?" Yelled Raiden suddenly, pulling the razor off his face, knicking himself in the process. He quickly finished shaving and put on his skull suit, and then rushed out to the training center. When he got there he headed immediately to the shooting range. Unfortunately all 7 slots were filled. "Whats the matter, kid, get in a fight with a lawnmower," said a dry voice from one of the booths. "Snake, sorry I overslept." "Listen, Raiden, do you think I plan on letting you win this? Do you even think I'm not prepared to use lethal force." "I know, but I said I'm sorr-" "Sorry, isn't good enought, kid." Snake interrupted, "This is a real tournament, if you're not prepared to make the commitment then you should just go home now." A third voice chimed in, "Leave him alone, Snake." The third voice belonged to the experienced gunman of the NSA, Sam Fisher. "He's just a kid, he doesn't know any better." "Yeah Fisher, how would you feel about killing a kid in your first match? And not because he wasn't good enough, just because he wasn't prepared." "If thats the job..." Raiden stormed off. He'd had enough of being referred to as a kid. Hadn't he done enough, taken down a swarn of Metal Gear Ray's, defeated a clone of Solid Snake in a sword fight. He figured he best brush up on his sword moves since the shooting range was a no go. He looked around for someone to practice with, he started to move over to Dante, but he saw his sword change into a giant sickle and thought better of it. Finally his eye's met the Air Pirate, Vyse. Vyse had his two cutlasses in his usual stlye, one held regularly, one held by the handle with the blade parallel to his forearm. "Hey Vyse!" Raiden yelled, "You up for some sparring." "Sure thing," replied Vyse. Vyse and Raiden related to eachother. Both of them had to get over the 'kid' barrier. No one respected them because of their age. However, they had both shown that when it came down to it they were both truly capable. Vyse and Raiden were pretty even. Both of them had impressive control over their weapons. Normally Raiden would've had to use at least some gun fire to win, but all this time off of his ship Vyse was getting a little weary. He longed to sail the open skies of his world Arcadia, with his friends Aika and Fina. Suddenly his longing was interupted by a huge explosion.… The explosion came from just outside the training center, where a very unfortunate Mr. Vercetti had made the mistake of slapping KOS-MOS's ass. The resulting explosion had taken out the entrance to the training center as well several hapless bystanders. Vyse and Raiden rushed over to see. Vercetti was lying unconcious half way through a marble pillar, KOS-MOS seemed to be moving in for the kill. "Stop!!!" yelled Vyse, "You can't just kill him." "I have detailed files on proper conduct from males. His behavior did not match these files. Reprocussive actions were deemed necessary." replied the machine. "Did you have to blow up the whole training facility?" commented a bewildered Vyse. "My files on Thomas Vercetti indicated a substantial level of skill. Any less force than was applied would have resulted in a 18% drop in accuracy." "For christs sake. Some people just can't take a ****ing compliment." Vercetti seemed to have awoke and was now rubbing his throbbing head. "****, this was my best ****ing suit. Genuine ****ing shark skin, and now its ****ing ruined, ****!" Vyse looked around he wasn't sure which one was crazier. Being the good samaritan he helped the downed one. "Geez, man are you okay?" Vercetti got up, with some help from Vyse. His gray shark skin soire looked more like a black tank top and short shorts. "hmmm.......NO!!!!" "Well, Tommy, I can't say you didn't deserve this, I mean thats just uncalled for." scolded Vyse. A smug grin slid across Vercetti's face. "Well, it was worth it, and I bet she enjoyed it too. Didn't you sweet chee-" He was interupted by the two gatling guns the size of motor cycles that suddenly were pointing at his face. Isaac watched at Tommy tried to escape a rampaging KOS-MOS. "Ah crap." ---- Train, observe, train. Observe, train, observe. It had been a month, and the contestants had all fallen into a daily routine. It was WAY too much like homework. These guys need to lighten up! Ness had thought. Sure, it was sometimes fun hanging out with Pikachu, Sonic, and a few of the others who weren't stony-faced grownups, but there was no-one here he could really relate to. It didn't help that the only one around here anywhere near his age was that mopey wet blanket, Sora. He'd seen the guy smile, what, twice, in a month? That was about the point that the idea had hit Ness. We need to do something fun for a change! And I made sure to bring along my home-run bat and a ball... He had set out immediately to find players. After much effort, he had finally found enough players to make up two teams. Unfortunately, he had to explain the rules to almost all of them. How could so many people have never heard of baseball? It was almost as weird as not believing in aliens. After some time arguing, Sonic agreed to join Mario's team and the teams were set. Of course, there were a few problems once they had started the game. Letting Wario be umpire was the first mistake. Before long, it had become obvious he was trying to fix the game. They kicked him off the field and into the small group of onlookers, one of whom was just as displeased. "No more shall you crooked my bet!" yelled CATS. "All your gold coin are belong now to me." Nobody could quite agree where Kirby's strike zone was, and Bowser and Mario had nearly come to blows over it. Of course, it didn't matter while Mega Man was pitching--eventually they had to rule that shooting the ball out of your gun-arm was not a legal pitch. Sora had had a bit of trouble grasping the concept of a single, precisely timed swing. He was doing better now, though. He even seemed to be having fun on occasion. Aeris, noticing this, seemed relieved. She had been trying to convince Cloud to join the game since she had found him, studying the contestants as they played. He had refused repeatedly, preferring to study his possible future opponents from afar. When the great ape with the tie had hit what looked to be a sure home run, Cloud's eyes followed the dinosaur, Yoshi, as it jumped dozens of feet into the air, extending its tongue another ten to catch the ball. Ness stepped up to the plate. Why are you staring at me, you glowing-eyed dork? Tidus was on the mound, and he'd been pitching--er, kicking--a no-hitter. His girlfriend, Yuna, was cheering him on, oblivious to the little squirrel that had snuck in under her skirt and was now gazing upward. Is that what Conker had meant when he said he'd rather "admire the scenery" than play? "Hey-a batter-a batter-a batter..." CRACK! Can't catch that one, can ya, Luigi! ---- His name was Sephiroth. And he was power incarnated. He was the son (as he saw himself) of Jenova. In his dimension he had been without question the most powerful being there was. He had set out to unlock the secrets of the ancients, and came close to defeating the power of the entire planet. He had only fallen thanks to a team of fighters assisted by a being who bore a shadow of his power... Cloud Strife. A useful tool for a while, but he had enough of me to still be a threat. He should have known it was impossible for him to succeed. But he did. Sephiroth whipped his sword through the air in an arc. The masamune hummed softly as it sliced cleanly through the air. He had swung his sword to claim many lives with as little effort. He had been brought back to do what he did best. Fight. He knew no equal in magical powers or the art of the sword-but he had still been bested by an inferior last year. His foe had been an elfish boy armed with a sword... and the triforce of courage. Link overcame his fear in facing him, and won the battle of the mind. The physical battle was merely a formality after that. He stood alone in the middle of the arena, illuminated only by the light that shone from his eyes. He knew of Link's opponent in his own dimension, Ganondorf, another being with a will to power like his own. The boy's nature was one of simplicity and courage, and apparently in his neck of the woods that overcame superior might. If Sephiroth had been a little more human, he might have shaken his head and scowled at fate. But that was not his nature. The boy and him weren't the same type of being. They weren't even in the same league. If he fought him again he would win. He could do no otherwise. He was a superior form of life, and he had to win out. Laughter seemed to surround him. Laughter... laughter was pointless. This laughter was simply mad. A jester in yellow and green... with orange and red stripes around his neck began to make his way towards the center of the arena. He did not walk with the purpose or focus Sephiroth exhibited... he seemed to twitch randomly when he moved. He would start running then stop again, and then hop a few times back and forth before darting forward. He came within a few feet of Sephiroth and let out another insane laugh. Sephiroth remained impassive, and simply looked at the stranger. His gaze spoke volumes of his experience, power, and will. The president of Shinra had frozen in his tracks, unable to speak when Sephiroth fixed him with glowing eyes. One look and he was able to fill the mind of any rational being with fear. This one appeared not to be rational enough to be affected. "Loser! Fool... WEAKLING!" The stranger spat on the ground. "You beat all these fools to lose to a little boy! You're worthless! Heh hahah!" He resumed his inane chuckling. Sephiroth showed no reaction, but the clownish figure continued anyway. "Still don't realize you can't win, do you! You're just another hack with a sword! Who do you think you are, king of the goths?" He spat on Sephiroth's exposed blade. Sephiroth merely studied the stranger. He was either a complete idiot or believed himself to be so powerful he was not intimidated by the taller man who already had his weapon out. Either one would be interesting. The clown gave him the once over and shook his head. "Idiot! Not me, you! Idiot! I am Kefka! I controlled all the magical forces in the universe! I destroyed an entire world, and remade it in my image!" "I am Sephiroth. And this would be the Masamune." Sephiroth jerked his blade forward and put the full force of his body behind it. Kefka flinched as he saw the incoming attack... but grabbed the blade by its tip just before it reached him. He smiled and muttered a few words... Fire engulfed the Masamune, but Sephiroth held the blade at Kefka's chest. His hand was burning, but the pain reminded him he was alive. "Is that all you can do?" Sephiroth asked. Kefka let out a shriek and a dark vortex appeared, surrounding them. Soon, he could see nothing but the burning sword and the clown giving him a wicked smile. Sephiroth spoke softly. "You close that vortex and neither of us will get to fight again." Kefka leaned forward and whispered in Sephiroth's ear. "It doesn't matter if you fight!" He let out an insane chuckle. "You'll fail anyway! You know you won't win. Best to end it all now! Living is pointless. Until you have embraced death, destruction and despair, you can not fight. Your will is weak! You can not overcome yourself." Sephiroth's hand felt like it was holding a sun. Nothing the clown said made any sense. Sephiroth drew in a breath and used some of his own magic. The light in his eyes grew until it outshone the flame on his sword. It began to penetrate the dark void around him until pinholes of light could be seen through it. Finally, it broke through the darkness, and the black hole around them vanished like a shadow. The stranger released the sword and the flames disappeared. Sephiroth looked at Kefka again. He was apparently saying something pointless. "May you learn to love your defeat." Kefka spat. Sephiroth threw the Masamune at him... but he had already disappeared. Sephiroth retreived his sword and left the Arena. He was done, and the next fight began in only a day. ---- Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely. And eventually drives one mad. Magus had been watching the encounter between the two beings who had thought they possessed absolute power. And when two beings of such potential meet, the results can only be humbling for both. Challenging Lavos had proven impossible for him, despite his near infinite-power... but it was not impossible for the group of heros he chose as companions. They had gained strength by banding together. The weak, together, had outmatched the strong. A bolt of lightning crashed down beside Magus, seemingly out of nowhere. It appeared to him that he was different from Sephiroth and Kefka merely in his ends. He would have done anything to destroy Lavos, and seek revenge. His goals merely worked out in a way that enabled him to make use of Crono and his friends. He simply had different goals than the other villains. That, and I am still sane. Ruling or destroying the world is pointless. It is all pointles... compared to the mastery of time. Another bolt of lightning split the sky. Then another, then another... they appeared in a circle around him, with increased frequency. Magus sighed, and rolled his eyes. "Crono, would you cut that out?" Crono chuckled, and jumped out from behind a bush. "Eh, I was bored, you were brooding, seemed like a good combination." "Yes. Thank you. Your sense of humor is only surpassed by your verbal skills. Now run along." Crono chuckled again, and sauntered off. "See you around, good luck in the tournament." "You too," Magus said out of reflex. Crono might see Kefka in the ring, or maybe even Sephiroth. He had less reason to fight than the others-no pride in his abilities, no enemies to destroy, or grudges to settle. He had nothing to prove, no desire to test the limits of his power against the best fighters from time and space... he merely wished to enjoy himself. We'll see how long he lasts with that attitude. The next fight would be tomorrow, most likely an easy victory for the returning champion. Magus smiled. It was good to be an outsider. He intended to surprise the fighters who had not seen him in battle before-including the champion himself when it came to be their time to fight. Next Entry (Match 1) Back |