Darkness Hearts: Season 1 Reborn [Archive]

Legends-Kuja

16th June 2003, 09:03 PM

Darkness Hearts
Episode 1: Rise For the Occasion

As I remember...

I always knew I was not normal.

I've had the feeling since I could remember.

However, no one at our church was normal.

We were a group of kids, with different races, genders, likes and dislikes, all of our parents having vanished not long after we had been born. But we all shared one thing in common.

We weren't normal.

Although on the outset we appeared normal, and had no strange superpowers, something inside always told us we were different from the average humans.

From that, we were all connected.

From that, we could understand the true nature of good and evil, as seen by any religion, and not just our own.
****

Rob crashed down on his bed. The tired youth's brown skin glistened despite it being night. His glowering, neon orange eyes and his Bart Simpson styled hair completed his look Today totally wiped him. It began with their usual morning service. Although church itself went without a hitch, Rob had caught something evil within Charlotte's eye. Charlotte was his local rival at the church, one of the many adopted kids cared for by the Mira family, who ran the church. The thieving beautiful blonde had come up with another idea to get Rob in deep trouble, and the boy could practically smell it. Right after service, Charlotte fled outside into the never-ending rain, where the famous Crying Church derived its name and another surefire sign that if Rob didn't chase her, he was most certainly screwed.

Ken Mira, the lone son of the natural family, saw the chase and knew he had to play peacekeeper once again. Although of nerdy appearance and wiry frame, he was fast and strong enough to ward fights. And this fight he'd have to ward before it even began. "See ya, dad, gotta stop Bob and Charlotte before they mess something up AGAIN!" He had ringed as he dashed out into the rain, hoping his dad would forgive his semi-rude exit.

Turned out the precise trick Charlotte concocted turned out to be nothing... on the outset. Rob forgot to don decent rain protection, so he'd be screwed when he got back in... HOLY CRAP! When he realized Charlotte had only tricked him into running outside, He whirled back to go in, only to run into Ken. "KEN!" Rob had shouted. "Charlotte's gonna frame me! We've got to get back inside!"

"It looks like she framed you already," Ken had used his "dumb" voice with a grin.

Rob just snarled. "She'd just better not have attempted to kidnap Clara and Christie again, LAST TIME I had one heck of a time trying to explain that one to your mom..."

"Well, better get moving then," Ken and Rob had dashed back inside, dealt with Daniel (known to them as "Taz" due to his amazing mimicry of the Tasmanian Devil while eating.) and his usual greeting ("Hope you enjoy starring in yet another really bad rescue-the-chick flick!"), and headed up to the living quarters, where of course, Charlotte had succeeded in making poor Clara and Christie victims of her "evil" plots again.

"This is too easy. You're not fun anymore, Bob," Charlotte had taunted.

"You will NOT call me BOB!" Rob shouted, in which they then began to fight each other with pillows found on the beds. Ken wouldn't-and couldn't-help. He fell over laughing, having once again witnessed yet another hilarious spat between Charlotte and Rob. He once joked that they would forever be eternal rivals, having no idea how dead on he was.

Mr. Mira had stopped the barbaric fight at once, and the rest of the day the two had to work on "group projects", one that included untying the very thoroughly bound and gagged Clara and Christie. Rob had taken to cursing Charlotte's name all the way to bed.

Now Rob lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, musing in introspection. He always despised evil, especially if it was hidden. It's why he held such a grudge against Charlotte... but was such a grudge right to hold? He figured that Charlotte wasn't such a demon as he made her out to be, and yet he could never shake that deep, mutual feeling of not-exactly-hatred.

The other three girls walked in. Clara, Christie, and his twin sister Maya all flanked around Rob. Ken always considered him a ladies' man, and Rob couldn't exactly figure out why.

Maya spoke first. "Heard you got in another fight with Charlotte again..." she flicked her bangs from her face. She looked like a feminine version of her brother, with much more hair that fell around her.

"Yeah, did Clara not tell you?" Rob sighed.

"Like, we actually wanted to come by and thank you..." Clara said. The tanned girl had vicious fashion sense to match her beauty, as did the dark-skinned Christie-even as they both were in pajamas. "I mean, you always show that there's like, still dignity in men. If only Charlotte would see that..."

"Yeah..." Rob sighed. He seemed to sigh a lot.

"Being a ladies' man, are we?" Ms. Mira stood at the door.

"Aw, come ON!" Rob buried his head in his pillow from embarrassment.

"Well, I guess we'll see just how charming you are when you try to get married another 10 or so years from now, huh? All right, ladies, time for bed. We've got some work to do tomorrow!" Amidst the groans from the three of them, some managed a "Good night, Rob."

Rob punched a pillow. He wouldn't have a time sleeping tonight...

There were dreams.

These odd, freaky dreams of a woman picking a fight with a giant creature in black, losing, dying, and then saying, "Rob... your destiny awaits... You shall face your father..."

Then a dark and vicious being would awaken. Its cold yellow eyes pierced into him, its dark body surged with evil power. It rose to its towering height, and then it slashed him. He would awake in a furious sweat, looking around like a paranoid monkey.

Tonight was no different... on the outset. Same dream, but now he could see something extra.

Now the woman seemed to be enshrouded in the same darkness as the creature that killed her... but there was a distinct difference.

HER DARKNESS WAS NOT EVIL.

This woman now stood before him, her yellow eyes looking kinder than the creature's.

However she had different news. "Hello, my son... Your destiny at last begins."

"What destiny?" Rob asked. He eyed her suspiciously, almost comically. "Are you my mom?!"

She chuckled lightly. "That revelation should've been saved for another day, but yes, I am your mom... You and your sister will unite our family at last. You will also lead our race to its former glory, and wipe the evil from the darkness."

"Question: WHAT?!"

"See this..." She opened what looked like a portal. Creatures with weird, heart-like crests were stealing people's hearts, and then there was a boy with spiky hair, wielding what looked like a giant key. He was slashing all the dark creatures. "The creatures... they are called Heartless. They were once simple creatures that were carriers of the dead. They escorted the Soul and the Heart to the afterlife. But one day someone corrupted them. They began to mutate to the awful forms you see here. They then began to revert to stealing the Hearts they once carried, seeking to unite under the superior darkness, the final darkness that is Kingdom Hearts. The boy you see... he fights to end them. He hopes to return the connected worlds and restore than which is peace. But there is one problem... an endless flood of light may defeat the Heartless, but it will destroy the balance forever... something that cannot be done..."

"What balance, that between Darkness and Light?"

"Exactly..."

"So what am *I* supposed to do?"

"You fight for the darkness. Your mission is to restore the balance..."

"And how can I do THAT?"

"First you must dive into the Heart, as you are doing now. Here..." Three stones rose. One held a sword. One held a shield, and one held vast magic. A giant... KEY slammed in front of him. He picked it up.

"What IS this?" Rob asked. The key had a navy blue hilt and its ridges had a similar look to the symbol for darkness.

"The Keyblade... of Darkness. It may look funny, but doubt not its powers. Now you, as your sister is doing now must choose your fate. Your way of battle..." Rob looked at the three stones.

"My SISTER is doing this?" Rob looked incredulous.

"Yes, you think you could leave your own twin sister out of the loop?" His mom raised an eyebrow.

"No... I'd forgotten she had these same dreams..."

Rob walked over to the sword. His mother began. "The sword... a weapon of incredible justice... and darkness; evil. Is this what you seek?"

"Yes, mom..." Rob said.

The power of the sword forged itself into the Keyblade. "Now... you must sacrifice something in return." Rob looked about. Between the shield and the magic, Rob preferred to be able to defend himself, rather than depend on the power of a mage.

Rob said, "Mother... I sacrifice the way of the mage."

"Very well." The magic shattered, and the shield came inside of the Keyblade. "Your sister has chosen the opposite. Keep together through your differences. Don't let the Darkness tear you away." She looked out somewhere, and then she turned back to Rob. "Darkside is coming. Return to the waking realm. You and your friends are in grave danger..." the dark creature, its black hair, yellow eyes and large body rose from the darkness. "But fear not... for the darkness shall protect you from its evil..." the being was ready to slash, but Rob got his Keyblade out this time. This time, he was ready.

Then, he woke up.

Right out of his dreams, he saw the dark being outside! It was none other than Darkside. His dreams had melded with reality. "Holy crap..."

Beside him was now the Keyblade.

"Keyblade..." Rob breathed. He picked it up.

"ROB!" Maya dashed in. She had thrown on some clothes, an outfit of black, wearing a dark cape for some odd reason. She wielded twin daggers. Obviously, she was going for the vampirish mage look. "Come on, we're in serious danger! Lets go!"

"Yeah, tell me something I DON'T know!" Rob shot back. As he threw on clothes himself, matching white shirt and shorts, he asked Maya. "Where'd you get those daggers?"

"Ummm... I stole two knives from the family kitchen?" She gave a sheepish smile. Rob gave her a look.

"HEY, I HAD TO DEFEND MYSELF FROM UGLY BLACK CREATURES CALLED HEARTLESS!"

"THE HEARTLESS ARE HERE?!"

"YES, AND UNLESS WE GET OUT OF HERE, WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!" Maya grabbed Rob, and the two of them headed across the hall to alert their friends. Two creatures, looking like ant/human hybrids, with beady yellow eyes and a human stance, emerged from the ground and started attacking. Rob wasted no time driving the Keyblade down its throat and destroying it. Maya killed the other with several stabs of her daggers.

They burst into Clara's room. She had cowered in a corner, being surrounded by more Shadow creatures. She spotted Rob. "Rob! Help!"

"I'll save you... as long as it takes," Rob echoed the words, as if he wasn't the first to speak them. He chopped the Heartless to nothing and took Clara by the hand. The three ran out the room, only to encounter an angry Christie and a very panicked Ken.

"I can't find my parents! What's going on here?!" Ken bellowed.

"I hate these creatures! They'll kill all who are dear to me and ruin my hair-style!" Christie snarled as another Shadow was forced to eat her baseball bat. "DIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIE!"

"We're under invasion. We must escape now..." Rob said, and the five of them headed towards Taz and Charlotte's room.

When they found Taz, however, he was alone. Fighting off various Shadows, he used a metal pole he found somewhere within the room. "Rob!" Taz called.

Rob knew what to do. He swung the Keyblade in a wide arc and swept the floor with the rest of them. A struggling Shadow then got the privilege of suffering head force trauma with another round of Christie's bat ("DIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIE!").

"Where's Charlotte?!" Rob asked.

"I don't know... I don't freaking know..." Taz sniffed. Ken hung his head. His parents, Charlotte... what happened. How had these creatures appeared? Is this connected to the Revelation? (A/N: Forgive any offense I bring, Revelation is the last book of the Bible.)

"In any case, we've got to split!" Maya yelled. "Let's go!"

The six teenagers ran for their lives, going for a quick and swift exit out the door. The rain greeted them, although somewhat mute. The glowering darkness outside filled them not with dread but a strange sense of adrenaline, wondering who-or what-they'll fight next.

In the distance, Rob could see... Charlotte.

A great darkness, flooded with evil, was surrounding her. However, Rob could oddly detect her heartbeat.

Charlotte looked at the group. Her eyes had a crazy, yet sad look, and her smile was very faint. "I see it now... light has never doubted its power and its quest for justice but... darkness... is it good, or evil, or both? It is for some reason..." she turned to Rob. "... I must have your blood, Robert Benton. I must have your blood..."

"What?! Charlotte! Snap out of it!" Rob commanded.

"You know you longed for this day. We share a mutual... not-quite-hatred... you can't deny it, fool," Darkness surrounded all of them now. "We are now free... free of this planet... which isn't our true home."

"What are you talking about?" Ken asked.

"Accept this darkness and find out..." The darkness washed over all of them, and Rob blacked out.

When Rob came to, only he, his sister, and Charlotte were still there. Charlotte leered at him. "We'll settle our score LATER. But for now... someone requests your presence..." Charlotte extended a finger, and behind them... Darkside rose to his full height. Rob's mouth hung open. Darkside was that much more imposing in real life. What was it doing here? Rob whirled back to snarl at Charlotte, but she was gone. Only Maya was with him now. Rob stood up and began to approach it.

"ARE YOU INSANE?!" Maya roared. "Who knows what it can do?"

"Sis, I lost it YEARS ago. Don't worry about me..." He stepped closer.

At this, a shadow formed from nearby him. It was another Shadow. It skittered about and turned to Rob. After examining him it spoke in what seemed like psychic power. (It is you.)

"Don't make me kill you," Rob threatened.

(I assure you, I'm THE GOOD GUY!)

"And how can *I* tell?!" Rob eyed him like he did his mother earlier.

(The symbol we all share...) The Shadow extended its hand to show an emblazoned blue symbol looking like a cross with two lines evenly spaced from each other instead of one near the top. Rob checked his right hand and saw he had the same symbol. (We are Soulless... the ones with the stronger Hearts, for we lack a soul. We are immortal... sort of.)

Rob eyed him again. "Did my mom send you?!"

(Yes, she did,) the Shadow sweat-dropped.

"Fine... so aside from the Keyblade, what's so special about me?"

(You are the one, who shall make Darkness wield the light of justice. You are the one who shall wield the Keyblade of Darkness.)

"How did you know?"

(Your mom's dreams were your own, were they not? They told us to come here... prepare you.)

"But of course." Rob said. "Although this Keyblade feels like I owned it for ages, I have ZERO sword fighting skills... What IS Darkside, anyway?"

(Heartless... unlike us. Giant leader of the Heartless...)

(We are different. We have hearts, and we've seen the evil made by our dark kin, like him.) The Shadow pointed to Darkside.

"That thing is huge... Can I fight it?"

(Fear not, for I shall help.) The Shadow perched itself on top of Rob's shoulder, and the two stepped forward, ready for battle.

Maya just looked in shock. "What?! Just pick up an evil key and fight without me?" she hung her head.

(You chill out. Your turn to fight shall come soon.) Another shadow akin to the one before appeared out of nowhere. Maya just noted the creature, nodded, and looked back.

Rob stood now close to the nightmare creature, its claws preparing to tear into the church. As it raised its fist, Rob shouted, "Hey, YOU!" The creature stopped in mid-attack and leered at Rob in an impassive curiosity. He raised his fist, but being slow, Rob saw the attack and dodged the swipe made by the creature.

(Strike his arms!) Exclaimed the little creature.

Rob did so with swift movements, damaging the beast. Darkside roared and reared back, and a mighty slash smacked Rob backwards. Rob didn't give up his assault, though. He struck again with more Keyblade combos, and the Darkside howled again. This time, it reared back and sunk its arm into a pool of darkness.

Smaller Shadows appeared. Rob faltered. "You DO realize I could still confuse you with them, right?!" he clenched his teeth, talking to the friendly Shadow.

(Riiiiight...) It said, forming another sweat-drop.

Rob went back to attacking. Two dark shadows slashed him, but he killed them easily with one swipe of his Keyblade. The Shadow hopped off of his shoulder and dive-bombed another Shadow, killing it before he landed back on Rob's shoulder. The Darkside emerged. This time it swept its right arm, flew up and smashed the ground with incredible force. Rob jumped up, but Maya and the other Shadow were blown off their feet.

"Maya!"

"ROB! Don't worry about us! Show him who's boss!" Maya yelled.

Rob turned back to see that Darkside had somehow improved its speed. It flew towards him and attempted to slash him. Rob blocked the move but was thrown back.

Darkside reared back and prepared to smash Rob into oblivion.

The dreams struck again.

His mother... now he saw, is mother "died" to that... that thing! Rob's eyes flared with rage. "You... you murdered my MOTHER! I'll SEND YOU BACK TO THE HELL IN WHICH YOU CAME FROM!" He jumped incredibly high, twirling his body like a screw, and landed a slash right on Darkside's face.

Rob rose from falling to the ground, grinned, and gave Maya a thumbs-up.

It stopped.

Darkside reared back suddenly, as if in surprise. (It's you... But why do you strike me?)

"What do you mean?!" Rob was still poised for battle.

(The wielder of that Keyblade... is none other than my son.)

"What... NO! YOU CAN'T BE!" Rob twitched, his blood boiling.

(But I am... You mother's insolence was a minor setback, but I guess this day had to come.) Despite his changing words Darkside only showed apathy. (You were destined to wield the Keyblade of Darkness, to restore glory to the Heartless.)

"You... you disgust me..." Rob walked closer to Darkside.

(That's too bad. MY father disgusted ME with HIS evil ways, and look where I am now...)

"That means NOTHING!" Rob bellowed.

"You... you can't be my-OUR father, can you?" Maya walked beside her brother, her eyes threatening to cry.

(But I am. You two are the greatest Heartless to ever exist. The wielder of the Dark Keyblade, you can open doors to worlds to provide infinite feasts to the Heartless,) he pointed to Rob. (And you... his sister. As twins, you share the same power. The Darkness of your hearts are synonymous with mine. Together... the Heartless shall forever render you two gods.)

"No..." Rob shook his head. "WE CAN'T!"

"We WON'T!" Maya said.

(You can deny your fates no longer... Your mother's babble about doing good is falsehood, unless you turn against your Heartless brethren. And if you destroy the darkness, Light will also cease to exist.)

"WE HAVE TO TRY!" The twins echoed. "There IS justice in this world, and your evil ways won't change us, FATHER!" The twins spat out father like an unpleasant taste from their mouths. They roared and charged their father.

(I... see... In that case, you can fight your family or die trying...) Darkness came from under Rob and Maya, and the two shadows. Rob felt himself... sinking into it. (Farewell...) Darkside turned around as Rob fought to get free of the darkness, but he only fell in, and he faintly saw the Darkside wipe out the church with one mighty blow.

Before Rob could cry out, he sank in utter darkness.

*****

Rob stood up. The room he was in was black. Maya was next to him wandering in confusion. "What IS this?" she asked.

"I've not the faintest idea." Rob said. "Our father... is he right, or is our mother right?"

(That would be YOUR decision to make...) The two shadows showed up.

(You two are in the Heart of Darkness. The mental gathering place of the Soulless.) One said.

(Only the Soulless have the power to come here... and you two are in fact... both Soulless.) The other added.

"My 'dad' said something to that effect... what does it all mean?" Rob asked.

(The Soulless and the Heartless are much the same... but there is one vital difference.) the first said.

"And what would THAT be?" Maya asked.

(The Heartless lack both Heart and Soul. We only lack the soul.)

"So... we're Soulless..." Rob said. He pulled another Suspicious Eye on one Shadow. "ARE WE DEAD?"

(One of these days I'm going to poke your eye out...) the Shadow stared back without flinching. (In truth, you two are the raw exception. You're not dead. But anyone who was not born Soulless may have died at one point or another.)

"So our mother died?" Maya asked.

(I'm afraid so...)

"So the dreams I had-" Rob began, but Maya smacked him.

"WE HAD," Maya interjected.

"-was of 'dad' killing our mom?"

(Yep. Weird way of communication, I know...)

"We were never normal... were we?" Maya sighed.

(And that's a BAD thing?!) The Shadows mimicked Rob's Suspicious Eye.

"I guess not, but our friends weren't normal either, were they?" Rob answered.

(No...) One began.

(Your friends... are all over the universe. Perhaps they are Soulless, perhaps just lost, or maybe even transcended through time. No doubt one of them would have actually seen this coming... and we don't mean the one called Charlotte.)

"If not her, then who-" Rob began, but the Shadow interrupted.

(You'll find that out soon. Now as the Soulless leaders, you know what you must do, right?)

"Ummm... find our friends and stop our mad, psycho father?" Maya asked.

(And that's just the beginning. There are many things you must do... one which means finding the other Keyblade masters, and finding what you truly are as Soulless, and most of all... uniting your family... There's only so much we can tell you...) the other Shadow said.

"Where do we start first?" Rob asked.

(A former king named Ansem began reports on us and the Heartless... find that information... it shall be useful to you. It shall guide your way.)

"Yeah..." Maya appeared. "I suppose we'll meet other Soulless in the fight against the Heartless?"

(Of course. They're disguised and everywhere. They shall help... in more ways than one. Good luck, Rob and Maya.) A portal appeared. It showed Rob and Maya's limp bodies being carried by a blue hedgehog into a hotel.

"So... this begins everything..." Rob stood up. "Our grand destiny... the fight to balance light and darkness..."

"DON'T WORRY, MY FRIENDS, I'M COMING!" Maya cheered and leapt into the portal.

"Oy..." He turned to the Shadows. "When will I see mother again?"

(Soon enough.)

Satisfied, Rob followed his sister to his new fate.

(The TRUE version of Episode One. I hope you enjoy this better version. I mean, who ever thought of Heartless as GOOD GUYS?)

Legends-Kuja

16th June 2003, 09:06 PM

Episode 2: Reawakening

"Dude, are you all right?" Rob heard a voice as he came to. Struggling to get awake, yet having a desire to sleep, Rob just mumbled. "Chill out, you're okay."

Rob finally sat up. He adjusted his groggy eyes to see a cobalt hedgehog staring at him. "Ken? ...No, you're not Ken. Who're you?" he asked.

"Name's Sonic. Sonic the Hedgehog. I found you guys emerging from some large-assed pool of darkness, unconscious."

"I've heard of you! You saved the world twice, haven't you?"

"I guess my reputation precedes me, huh? Thank goodness you're not evil..."

"How can YOU tell?"

"I have a way of knowing," Sonic grinned and tapped his noggin. "So, what's your name?"

"Name's Rob." He shook hands with Sonic.

"Tell me, who's Ken?" Sonic asked.

"Ken Mira... one of my friends... He disappeared, along with four other of my buddies. Only my sister and I made it out alive, as far as I know..." He sighed sadly, then turned and noted his sister was now snoring. "Has my sister awakened at all?"

Sonic's face changed to a grimace. "The girl woke up, took one look at me and said, 'Blue Hedgehog? I must be dreaming,' and went right back to sleep. Fat lot of appreciation I get. So what brings you here?'"

"I just found out today I'm something called a Soulless. They're derivatives from beings called the Heartless, except they have hearts, and most of them are good guys. My destiny is to wield this freaky key thing and restore order to the Heartless." Rob picked up his Keyblade. "Where ARE we anyway?"

"It used to be called Traverse Town, but it's grown bigger since those Heartless things attacked Station Square. Now since Station Square fused with place, they now call it Traverse Square." Sonic said. "I'm growing to hate those things. They've been seen all over earth, blowing up whatever the hell they want. But now that you say there's GOOD Heartless, it only gets more complicated. How can you tell the difference?"

"Well, as you can see, he good guys are marked with this symbol," Rob showed Sonic the white crest resembling an ornate cross. "The bad guys have this heart symbol with two weird lines crossing through it. And if you need further proof, only the good guys get theirs to glow." His began to glow. "I think I just suffered the worst hangover. I lose my friends, I get in a fight with my dad, who's this big Heartless freak, and now I've got no idea who's right or wrong. WHAT *IS* MY DESTINY ANYWAY?"

Maya woke up with a start. "Huh what where?! Oh, still same place. Rob, are we dreaming?"

Rob smacked her with his Keyblade. "That help?"

"OWWWWWWWW!" Maya whined, and smacked Rob in revenge. "So I guess I'm not dreaming. Maybe I'm going insane. Do you see a blue Hedgehog?"

"No, you're not insane. That's a blue hedgehog all right. His name's Sonic. Be nice." Rob said.

"I'm sorry. From where I grew up, I never expected to encounter Sonic the Hedgehog..." Maya shook hands with Sonic. ("MY, aren't we humble," Rob remarked.) Just then, a two-tailed fox burst in, holding some bags. Maya took one look at the new creature and said, "HE'S SO CUTE!"

"Sonic! I'm back! Hey, *GRAAAK*!" Maya wasted no time in squishing the two-tailed fox in a bear hug.

"MAYA!" Rob shouted. "Have some manners!"

"I'm sorry, but I'd never thought I'd see Miles Tails Prowler in person!" Maya gushed, Rob smacking his head on a nearby wall in frustration and embarrassment.

"That's okay, I get that all the time," Tails said pleasantly. "So I guess you two were from the Crying Church, I unfortunately heard it was destroyed some hours ago..."

"Yes... My dad trashed the place..."

"WHAT?!" Sonic and Tails gasped.

"That huge thing is Darkside... my... father."

"Our... father..." Maya sadly added.

"Personally, I'm going to kick his *** when I get back to Earth..." Sonic hissed. "No offense, Rob, but your... father is evil! He's worse than Egghead!"

"None taken, Sonic, I want to kick his *** too." Rob said. "But we can't just go back to earth... we have no means of getting there."

"I suppose we can devise a spacecraft," Tails said. "I can get the necessary tools, but it could be a while..."

"Well, I suppose we could tour Traverse Square while we wait!" Maya said. "It'll be cool!"

"I need to head out and take care of some personal business, but I'll catch up to you guys later!" Sonic dashed off and ran into the city.

"Right... let's go!" The twins left the hotel ready to set in for adventure...

****

"I suppose this is gonna take a while..." The mysterious Lord of the Dead eyed the large form hovering before him. "Let me get this straight. YOU, the great Darkside, despite your success on the destruction of the Crying Church, could not get your son to the Darkness?"

(That's just it... he IS Darkness... but he has a heart-and too strong of one,) answered Darkside.

"I see, but you still have time. I want you to meet some friends of mine...." Hades hair flared, and he glided back into his main foyer. Darkside followed, gliding like Hades.

Inside his skull room, several rough types were gathered around a crystal orb, monitoring Rob's actions. One, a huge purple Dragon, flew over to Hades and Darkside. "Yo Hades, what's happening! Gio got this to work!"

"Nice, Ridley, nice." Hades responded. Kraid, Ridley's sidekick, just roared in happiness.

"I don't like this," Hissed Sirius, a renegade robot decked in white. "I mean, what if the Heartless suck us of our rational thought? Then we'll be easily beaten by that brat."

"Don't worry," Giovanni, stroking an UMBREON, and not a Persian, answered. "If anything, the Heartless will try to keep our rational thought. With concise war like this, the Heartless are gonna need our help."

"Do I get to eat roast plumber?" Bowser asked.

"You'll get your chance..." Kagato checked a watch on his phantom hand.

"I suppose at last Peter Pan won't beat me so easily!" Captain Hook pulled out his new sword, adorned with Heartless symbols.

"These Heartless will do more than get rid of my pesky good side," Kuja checked his nails.

"May I HAVE your attention!" Hades raised his hands, and everyone looked at him.

More specifically, they looked above him.

Darkside had already glided in front of him, but Hades knew someone else was behind him. "Why must you ruin my entrances?"

"I didn't even know you even HAD entrances," echoed a loud and scratchy voice. A black demon looking being curled itself and reduced its size to that of Hades. His flaming eyes regarded the Lord of the Dead. "And besides, we must get to business at hand."

"Very well, Aku." Hades walked to the center of the circle and began to speak. "Okay, so these Soulless guys, they're the ones keeping Rob out of the Darkside. We'll need to defeat these lousy brats by finding their friends, and keeping them at bay. Rob can be easily kept at bay with pops," Hades pointed to Darkside, who just nodded. "And plenty of damsels-in-distress. You guys can make those, right?"

There were general voices of agreement.

"Very well." Aku spoke this time. "Our time shall come. Great things shall come to us, power is at our fingertips!"

****

"Wow, this place is HUGE!" Maya noted.

"Yeah," Rob said. They had been everywhere. Although it was still split into three districts, the place had developed quite a few changes since the legendary Sora had first passed through it. The place now had a few skyscrapers, and several banks, stores, and houses had opened. Some worlds kept connected to Traverse Square by use of portals, and they were all over the place.

Only District three was plagued by Heartless, but some heroes took residence in Traverse Square and dedicated themselves to wiping them out.

Maya looked to the sky. "It's nice here. I think I like it a little more than Earth, but at the same time, things won't ever be normal again, will they?"

"I suppose so." Rob said.

"OOOO! ICE CREAM!" Maya jacked Rob for about five munny (yes, they use that currency on Earth now) and ran in the Ice Cream Parlor. Rob just blinked and sauntered off further, figuring at his slow pace his sister could easily catch up.

Rob pulled out and looked at his Keyblade. The navy blue/black Keyblade seemed to glow slightly, as if detecting an important presence. Rob stared at it, wondering just what it unlocked. However, a voice interrupted these thoughts.

"A Keyblade... one of great evil. Destruction of our worlds, is THAT what you seek?" Rob whirled back to see a tall, angry teenage girl leering at him. Her jet-black hair fell right to her butt, pinched together by a small rubber band. Her large white shirt and jeans did nothing to hide the outlines of her buxom body, and she stood on high-heeled boots. This teenager continued to walk towards him and talk. "I've heard of a Keyblade of Darkness, and it is most likely one to bring destruction and chaos... unless it is wielded properly. Tell me now... are you evil?" She was near his face now.

"I don't think so," Rob returned. "But fighting me will prove nothing."

"If this Keyblade chose YOU," Rob now saw the girl had fingerless gloves on, laced with iron knuckles. She continued as she cracked her knuckles, "How are you not evil?"

"I don't know... I'm just not," Rob snarled.

"Prove it," The girl lunged and aimed at fist at Rob's face, but Rob swiftly dodged. Rob back-flipped and blocked the barrage of punches that flew in his direction. The girl swept him off his feet but Rob landed, and used a handspring to both knock her away and spring back. The girl recovered and charged him again. Rob swung his Keyblade for the first time, negating the strong-armed punch headed his way. The girl reared back both fists to her right, appearing to charge something.

"Taste this... Dolphin Punch!" The girl whipped a watery punch, nearly soaking Rob and wounding him in the process. Rob sprung off of his Keyblade and flipped behind her, ready to launch attack when-

"THUNDER!" A stray lightning bolt zapped the girl and knocked her out. Rob looked around in a panic... he sure didn't use that Thunder! He then saw Maya, calmly licking vanilla ice cream while she stared down the girl that just fainted. "Hi Rob! Thought you could use some help. Figured there'd be some fanatic who'd think we're the devil incarnate or something."

Rob just groaned. "When'd you learn that trick?"

"You don't remember I also Dived Into the Heart? I inherited magic!" She continued licking her ice cream. She snatched Rob's Keyblade. "I can even use this," She swung it around a few times before Sonic dashed by, and noticing the knocked out girl, ran back immediately and tried to help her up.

"Tifa!" Sonic cried. "Are you all right?"

The girl known as Tifa stirred and came to. "Sonic?"

"Yeah, it's me... what happened?"

"Keyblade of Darkness..." Tifa struggled to stand on her own feet. She pointed to Rob. "I saw him and tried to fight, but someone interfered."

"IT WAS HER FAULT!" Rob pointed at Maya in a mad panic. Maya ignored everything and just kept licking her ice cream.

Sonic rolled his eyes. "Listen guys, I don't think we've been properly introduced. This is my friend Tifa. Tifa, this is Rob and Maya, and NO, they're not evil." Rob and Tifa reluctantly walked over to each other and shook hands.

"Hi Miss Tifa. Sorry about that," Maya simply shook hands with Tifa as she finished he ice cream.

"I guess I can forgive you two..." Tifa walked as she began talking with the other three.

"Where do you come from?" Rob asked.

"I hail from Hollow Bastion..." Tifa began. "Many of my friends come from there. Some time three years ago, Ansem's Heartless experiments raged out of control, and the Heartless nearly consumed our land, until a lad named Sora came by and stopped the Heartless. I managed to come here right before the barriers were revived... and broken down again. My friend Barret decided to set up his weapon shop here, and he and I make a living helping out heroes against the Heartless..."

"Maybe we should pay a visit to Barret, I think I could use a few defensive tricks," Sonic said.

"Oy, I guess it's gonna get boring until we get to Barret's place?" Rob asked.

"Or NOT..." Sonic hopped up and his spikes tensed. Standing in front of them stood Sonic's great adversary, Dr. Robotnik, a.k.a "Eggman."

"Oh HELLO, Sonic. I knew you would've survived that Heartless attack on Station Square! Now that I've seen NUMEROUS worlds out there, I can easily overpower them with technology and take over the worlds! And with the Heartless, it'll be a cinch! It's PURE GENIUS, I tell you!"

"So you're Eggman?" Tifa asked, cracking her knuckles. "I always wanted to meet you... with my fist!" She got into a fighting stance.

"Don't even THINK IT, Eggface!" Sonic shouted. "You won't survive for ten seconds!"

"Oh yeah?" Dr. Eggman hopped on his mech and powered it up. "You won't survive this. You don't have a chance!"

Sonic leapt up and used a homing attack on Eggman, dealing some damage. Rob used his Keyblade to smash in and also deal damage. "Arrgghh! You'll pay," he launch several small homing missiles, hitting all four of them.

"Ouch!" Maya whined. Unsheathing twin daggers, she growled, "It's time to play!" She dashed by his rocket fire and sliced the machine. With an added touch, she shouted, "THUNDER!" And a thunderbolt struck Eggman's machine.

"OWWW!!" Eggman howled.

"Toasty!" Maya crowed.

"Taste this!" Tifa launched a combo, with a final hit smacking Eggman in the face. In a furious rage, Eggman countered by grabbing Tifa and throwing her off to the side. Eggman marched and shot more rockets at Sonic and Rob, who both back-flipped away from the blasts. Rob laughed and poked Eggman in the stomach with his Keyblade, having no effect.

"Since you want to party, let's have a fiesta! Olé!" Dr. Eggman cheered as he smashed into Sonic with his boxing arm. The charging Tifa also met the boxing arm and had to take the resulting force with her all the way back about 20 feet and to the floor.

Rob jumped up and used a sword combo on Eggman, knocking him back. Sonic recovered and used another homing attack. "Too bad, Egghead, we could've been friends!" Sonic joked as he dodged the resulting blasts of mini-rockets. Maya used a new Fire spell ("ROAST BACON!") to negate the charging rockets. Rob cleverly flipped Tifa over a wave of rockets and ducked to avoid getting hit himself. Tifa stomped on Eggman after landing on his mech. Tifa made a face and spanked her rear after avoiding Robotnik's attempt to grab her again.

"You brats won't defeat ME. Final Beam!" Dr. Eggman powered the HUGE cannon to fire it at our heroes, but Sonic bravely hopped in and smashed the cannon before it could fully fire.

"AAAAHHH!!! I've... failed," Dr. Robotnik cried as the mech short-circuited and blew up in his face. "This... is nothing, Sonic... I call upon the POWER of the Heartless... finish them..." Dr. Eggman fell unconscious.

For a few brief moments, our heroes stood in silence, considering celebration, but at this, they noticed a black mist sinking from Dr. Eggman. It fell to the floor, and swooped backwards into a statue of a giant knight with an axe. Without warning, the axe rose up and slammed about two centimeters from where Rob stood, and a huge, muscle-bound creature emerged from the very thin knight statue. Rob twitched in fear as the huge creature came to form. It had a rather small head resembling a metal chimney, bulbous yellow eyes poking from its dark face. Its large, blue body resembled that of a muscle-bound troll's.

"What the-What... are you?" Rob stared at it.

(So I am born... I am... Curmudgeon,) It rose to its full height-around twice the size of that of Eggman' s mech. It poised to fight.

Rob leaped and began to strike.

Curmudgeon took one mighty swing at Rob, who dodged by mere inches. Sonic hopped on its right arm and ran up the creature, landing a homing attack on its head. Annoyed by this, Curmudgeon turned around and attempted to render Sonic road kill, slamming the giant axe into the ground and causing the earth to shake.

Tifa used the force to project herself up and right into the face of the creature, where she used a triple kick. The doubly annoyed Curmudgeon flicked Tifa away with its large hands almost comically, a vein appearing to have popped on its head. The knocked-out Tifa crashed into the ground, and the hulking creature turned around to finish her off. Just as he was about to render her road kill, Sonic dashed and picked her up, narrowly dodging the falling axe. Maya used the force this time and leapt on the creature. "Rob!" She called. "Keyblade! Just let go!"

"What?!" Rob exclaimed as he let go of the Keyblade while dodging the axe again. The Keyblade disappeared with a *poof* and reappeared in Maya's hands, where she proceeded to stab Curmudgeon in the face with it. Curmudgeon roared and tried to flick Maya off, but it only succeeded in damaging its own small head. Maya held on to his head as it went crazy.

"HELP!" She cried.

"We could sure use that!" Sonic mused as he dodged the mad axe.

Rob panted. This sucked. And he hadn't even begun.

Just as he tried to think of a way to save Maya, a marvelous, yet strange thing happened, although some people would call it a plot device.

A suit of bluish-white armor crashed in front of them in six pieces. The armor rattled, and then formed what looked like a Heartless knight.

The new creature leered at Curmudgeon through its metal helmet. (You chose the wrong Keyblade master to mess with. Rob, I'm about to launch you into it. Get your Keyblade back!)

"Maya! Drop the Keyblade!" Rob shouted.

"I... CAN'T!" She squealed. However, she managed to do so anyway, squealing some more in the process.

It appeared in Rob's hands again.

(Prepare for high speeds,) the armor "Heartless" said as it picked up Rob with its floating hands. They rocketed towards Curmudgeon's head, and with a wide sweep, Rob sliced the monster's head in two, although it didn't fall apart.

Curmudgeon stopped flailing. Rob picked up Maya just as it was about to fall. The monster toppled and crashed into the ground, and disappeared in a flash of darkness.

It was all over.

Tifa and Sonic came back, and the hands dropped Maya and Rob. However, it was the strange Heartless that first spoke. (Are you all right?)

"Aren't you a... Heartless?" Rob asked.

(Soulless now, dude.) It answered. (You mean you don't notice my new crest and my sexy new armor? I'm known as Guard Armor. I used to lead attacks on this very town until I was defeated. Now I've become a Soulless.)

"I see," Rob nodded. "Thanks."

"Ugh..." Sonic noticed Eggman started to recover.

"Eggman!" Sonic dashed to him.

"What... was that?" Dr. Eggman asked. "Sonic... I can't believe I'm asking this... but did I hurt you?"

"Eh, not much," Sonic said.

"Forgive me... that kind of power and madness... I hope I never feel again." He said.

"I see you're good now. That's a relief. Could you possibly help out Tails? He's trying to build a space craft to get back home."

"FINE. But first, what's that thing?!" Dr. Eggman asked, pointing to Guard Armor.

"He is Guard Armor." Rob answered, and he explained about the Soulless and Guard Armor's past.

"Okay, so where's fox boy?"

"In the tool shed down the street. You won't miss it," Sonic answered.

"Very well. Our trip will be ready in a matter of 2 hours or less." Dr. Robotnik hopped on his mech, doing quick repairs, and marched away to the tool shed.

"Wow. What a change of events," Rob noted.

"Yeah," Maya added. "What brought YOU down here?" she asked Guard Armor.

(That Keyblade attracts both Heartless and Soulless. However, it attracts Soulless much faster. You can summon our aid anywhere you wish. You'll find out how to summon us soon. BUT I MUST WARN YOU: not every Soulless is good. I've heard stuff about simple 'Heartless-like' versions of these guys, and most aren't friendly...)

"Why?" Rob asked.

(They probably serve some other purpose... But you must be the guy who's going to set both races straight, right? Best of luck, chap. I must get back-I'm still the Keyhole Guardian, you know.) It started to shake, then disappeared into thin air.

"So I've got a lot to learn, I guess. I suppose the trip's gonna be long. If what the Soulless said is true, I'm going to be fighting all over the place." Rob turned to Sonic, Tifa, and Maya. " *But most of all, I want to find my friends.* I'm only asking this once. I won't bother you if you decline, but I ask of you... will you help me?"

"YEAH!!!" Maya and Tifa cheered.

"HELL YES, I AM!" Sonic added.

"We're guys and girls who love adventure," Maya said. "We won't quit now, peril is part of the fun."

"All right then. How about we train in District 3?" Rob offered.

"Yeah. Let's GO!"

"*My friends... I shan't give up. I WILL FIND YOU...*"

Legends-Kuja

16th June 2003, 09:11 PM

And just to prove Sora IS in this and plays a big part, here's...

Episode 3: DUDE, Where's Sora?!

(New point in disclaimer! I don't own Sora, the Enigmatic Man or anyone you've heard of! But I DO own Sara. Leave her alone. And just so you know, this is NOT based on Final Mix!)

It's time we answered that question.

Where the hell IS Sora, anyway?

It so happens that the original Keyblade master is back in Traverse Tow-er Traverse SQUARE. Taking a short break with his friends Donald and Goofy, Sora ordered their third round of root beer. Having taken a two-year vacation/training session in the Magic Kingdom, Sora aged only one year. THAT year was spent navigating the walls of Castle Oblivion, piecing his memories back together. That's when he caught the message Pluto held. It told him, with great relief, that the King and Riku had safely made it out to Little Planet, and would find home soon. The King was also gracious enough to explain Castle Oblivion--it was strangely enough part of the Keyblade Master training, called the Recollection--fate, not bad luck, handed Sora to the doors of that Castle, although he oddly lost his Oblivion and Oathkeeper Keychains... but one thing was wrong.

Ansem was back.

The once kind king was now a cold, cruel, villain. This note proved Sora's attempt to defeat him was in vain. And worse yet King Mickey also noted there was a Keyblade of Darkness, and its wielder had just been awakened to its cause.

"This is gonna take us a while," Sora sighed. "I mean, although my friends are safe for now, evil hasn't even been fazed, and now there's some evil dude with a Keyblade like mine."

"Perhapsh we'll find someone shoon!" Donald said.

"Just how many evil dudes are there?" Goofy asked.

"I honestly don't know..." Sora answered as he looked at them. "But seriously, the drive of adventure has recovered me. Maybe there's an end to all this madness..." He turned to his right (Donald and Goofy were both to his left) to note a girl with short silver hair. This girl was reminiscent of Riku, although her nose was bigger. This didn't strip her of any beauty, however. Sora began to ask her a question. "What brings YOU here?"

"Why the frick do YOU wanna know?" She shot at him.

"Hey, hey! Just being friendly! " Sora whined.

"I had enough of this friendliness of people..." she sighed. "No one likes you when you're looking for company, yet everyone wants to befriend you when you're alone... Perhaps I should turn the question to YOU first... What're YOU here for?"

"Have you heard of Ansem?" Sora asked.

"What's that got to do with anything?" she asked.

"Everything. Ansem is the reason I'm out here. I beat him, and I was sent to find King Mickey. But he was safe, and now he tells us Ansem's out. That demon is the source of all Heartless."

"Ansem... that name's familiar to me... I think I remember him..." The girl pondered. "I wonder what drove him mad? The Heartless, yes, but I think there's more to it... To tell you the truth, I'm searching for a girl."

"A girl? Yeah... I'm trying to find one myself. She a friend of yours?"

"You could say that."

"A... romance?" Sora winked.

Big mistake.

She began to laugh darkly. With lightning speed, she pulled out a sword, shaped very thin and long, and pressed it to Sora's neck. "Your sense of intolerance/perversion does NOT amuse me. JUST BECAUSE OF THAT I won't answer your question. Never mention that again, okay?"

"Sheesh, I was only asking..."

"HEY!" Donald shouted.

"You chill out!" Goofy shot at the girl.

"Hey! Chill out!" Shouted the bartender.

The girl pulled her sword back. "Very well. Name's Sara."

"Sora." They shook hands. He turned to his buddies. "They're Goofy and Donald."

They waved.

"Hmph." She nodded. "Well I suppose I could come with you..." she leaned in close and whispered. "Although, I suggest you ditch the losers..."

"Huh? Okay, lemme tell you a secret," Sora whispered back. As soon as Sara got close, Sora yelled, "THEY'RE NOT LOSERS!"

Sara gritted her teeth from Sora's response. She then started laughing.

Sora got the sudden epiphany that he was very screwed.

In an instant, her blade was pointed at his neck. She stopped laughing, and snarled, "I don't enjoy when that happens. I think you need a lesson in manners... come with ME."

She grabbed Sora's ear and dragged him away, much to the horror of Goofy and Donald.

"She's getting away!" Goofy panicked.

"She won't! Letsh get her!" Donald roared.

The two left the bar in a mad hurry. It was then that the other five people at the bar began to talk.

"Hmmm... Keyblade of Darkness? This could be something new for us to do." The first, a human with a space military suit, spoke.

"Yes... A Keyblade of Darkness is sure to bring mass destruction. Maybe we can find someone who'll pay us richly if we destroy it." A second voice spoke, this one being what appeared to be a large blue turtle-A Blastoise to be exact. Its left arm was mechanical, however, as it seemed to hang around the human a lot. "Some data is still necessary..."

"Yeah, but what if this Darkness can be used for good, like I can?" the third seemed to be some sort of demonic biker, loaded with weapons.

"Yeah, but maybe we could sell it for cash!" A red squirrel chattered.

"SHUT UP."

"Maybe we could turn Darkness Blade into candy," noted the fifth, a pink warrior with a strange antenna.

"Yeah, I'd LOVE for you to try that." The human commented. "Well, we should get moving. We just might find a bounty involving that Keyblade. Let's go."

All five of them rose up and left the bar.

*****

This sucked. Poor Sora was being dragged by the ear by some silver-haired freak not unlike an evil Riku. "LET ME GOOOOO!" Sora complained for the fifth time. "IF YOU DOOON"T, I'LL KICK YOUR ***!"

"Really?" Sara let go of his ear and pointed her sword at his neck again in a matter of seconds. "Try me."

"How can I kick your *** if you're pointing that thing at my neck?"

"My point exactly." She went back to dragging Sora away.

"Where are we going, anyway?"

"If you must know, I'm taking you to the World Terminus on this Planet so we can warp wherever we want to and go find our... *ahem*, women. Excuse my behavior to your friends, but they're too slow for my liking. They're better off hunting for your king."

Sora just sighed. "Have it your way. But could you PLEASE stop dragging me?"

She reluctantly let him go, and he crashed into the earth. Sora got up, dusted himself off, and hesitantly followed Sara, not wanting to leave his friends.

Sara came to a sudden halt. Sora stopped as well. "What's wrong?"

"Something... dark is coming this way." She murmured, and she drew her sword.

"What?" Sora pulled out his Keyblade, but he saw nothing.

"BEHIND YOU," Sara warned. Sora whirled around to see a fading figure walk right... *through* him. Sora fell over in shock and his right eye began twitching as the figure came to a halt. Sora recovered and came to stare at this odd figure. He was now an apparently solid figure, a man completely shrouded by a dark gray hooded coat with a long zip, and two drawstrings hanging from the collar.

"You... you look familiar! I saw you *before the gates of Oblivion*!" Sora gasped.

The being spoke, more or less like it had psychic power. (I'm afraid I'm not the same. But... it seems you are special too.)

"King Ansem?" Sara asked.

(That is a familiar name to me...)

"You aren't, I guess," Sara kept her sword ready.

The Enigmatic Man's black gloved hand opened and a strange, blue light filled with a lattice of hexagonal shapes begins to fizzle in it. He turned in Sora's direction. (You look like him.)

"What's THAT supposed to mean?!" Sora asked angrily. He then saw the energy and gasped. Bringing the Keyblade in front of him, Sora tried his best to block the insane amount of energy aimed directly at him. At first, he struggles, but eventually he holds steady and even pushes it away. It rockets off into the night sky.

The Enigmatic man appeared to be staring Sora down and thinking. After a slight pause he concluded. (Which means, you are not complete...)

Sora could only raise his eyebrow at this statement as he prepared his Keyblade. Sara prepared her sword as well.

The Enigmatic man "spoke", (Incomplete one... that power...) he stood. (Allow me to test that power.)

The hooded one struck first. A red energy sword formed and Sora had to pull a Matrix rip-off to narrowly avoid being sliced in half. Sara leapt over the Keyblade Master and struck with her sword, sending the Enigmatic man back a bit. A huge wall of blue energy formed, and Sara painfully crashed into it. She quickly recovered and backed away.

"Curses, he's tough..." Sara snarled.

"Right..." Sora lunged, and the hooded one dodged, but Sora whirled around quickly and caught him in a brutal Ars Arcanum combo. Sora reacted quickly enough to dodge several blasts of blue energy, but a red sword swipe knocks him off his feet, and he was forced to roll out of the way before a second one could crush him.

Sara leapt in and launched a five-hit parry against the Enigmatic man's onslaught. She backed away from the large energy shield he put up and lunged to strike once it fell, but she met not one but *TWO* red energy swords, which she could barely block. She crashed into the ground.

Sora stepped in this time and used a Sonic Blade to rocket to the other side of the man, then swept with another combo.

However, by this time, Sara stood up. A single black wing extended from the right side of her upper back, flaring to its full size. "Flame Pillar," She echoed, as the walls of fire knocked the Enigmatic Man back into another combo pulled off by Sora.

Sora swung his Keyblade in a mighty arc and knocked the Enigmatic man away. The hooded one surrounded himself in a sphere of his blue energy as Sora and Sara stood back and kept their weapons ready. The Enigmatic man suddenly pushes away the energy and it dissipates.

(... Truly fascinating. This is going to be enjoyable.)

"What are you talking about?" Sora asked, wasting no time in hopping up to smash down the man one last time, but at the zenith of his jump, time appeared to suddenly stop. The man faded slightly. At this, Sora simply crashed right through him, and Sara raised an eyebrow in amusement.

Sora got up and dusted himself off. He snarled at the Enigmatic man as the hooded one turned to Sora and began to speak. (In your present state you probably cannot understand... In any case, the time when we can meet again will doubtless come.)

"W-wait! Who are you--!" Sora asked as the man faded away.

(I am...) the man had completely faded away by this point. (... A mere shell...)

"A mere shell?" Sora whispered to himself. Sora turned to Sara, who was now laughing. Getting that distinct feeling that he was screwed again, his anger turned to fear and he started to run away again, but Sara simply said, "Wait...!"

Sora turned around. Normally, she only laughs as a warning that you pissed her off. What was this? "Hey Sara, what's with the One Winged Angel thing?"

"My father taught me those moves."

"What?" Sora paled. If this was the daughter of who he THOUGHT it was, he would be SOOOO dead... "Umm... have you seen your father lately?"

"No... Ever since King Ansem went mad, I've never seen him..." she sighed.

"Awww...." Inwardly Sora breathed a sigh of relief. He had nearly beaten the One Winged Angel himself in a tournament last year. And if he found his daughter with him... Sora paled at the very thought. "Well, perhaps we'll find him too." Sora hoped for his sake HE didn't. "But Sara... who WAS that guy? what did he mean 'You are not complete'?"

"I honestly don't know..." Sara answered. "For all I know... he could mean you have yet to reach the apex of your power..."

"Maybe so..." He agreed. Just then, Donald and Goofy showed up.

"Okay, demon lady!" Goofy shouted. "It's time you gave up!"

"Give us back Shora!" Donald added.

"Donald! Goofy! Please listen!" Sora said. "You shan't fight her! I have to go with her to find the Keyblade of Darkness!" Sora now began to slightly plead. "Go find King Mickey and Riku. They're on Little Planet. I'll meet you there." Sora grinned. He went up to Donald and whispered in his ear, "Besides, she the daughter of the ONE WINGED ANGEL, so I wouldn't piss her off if I were you." Donald paled.

"MAKE IT ALIVE, OKAY?!" Donald shouted.

"I promise." Sora said.

The two reluctantly turned and left Sora and Sara. Sora sheathed his Keyblade. "One more thing... I heard... there are Heartless out there that seek justice... what does THAT mean... how is it possible?"

"Something we'll find out." Sara turned away and walked inside the World Terminus. "Let's go."

*****

Rob sat down. This was going to be tougher than he thought. Far tougher. However, he knew he couldn't give up. The hardest part, he surmised, would be finding the answers. He was faintly aware of a "Here!" Shouted by Sonic. Rob snapped back into reality just in time to catch an odd pair of shoes. They were black and white high-tops, streaked with red, with what appeared to be some sort of jet boosters underneath.

"I want you to have these. The guys at G.U.N gave me this as a token of apology. But I don't need the speed boost. I thought you might like it better." Sonic explained. Rob threw off his old shoes and put them on. "These allow you to skate on energy to rocket at maximum speeds. You'll be ALMOST as fast as I am!"

"Thanks." Rob said.

"HEY YOU!" Rob whirled around to see Barret. The tall black man walked over to Rob and Sonic, but in the end Rob saw he was talking to BOTH of them. "Thought I'd find you two here. Tails and the fat man say they've got your ship ready. and you'll be headed out soon. I ALSO wanted you to get this," He showed a piece of paper. "Some friendly Heartless gave me this, said you needed it." Rob looked at it.

"Ansem's report!" Rob exclaimed.

"HAH, KNEW it was important."

Rob began to read it:

It is painful being a former villain. But I keep going despite my horrible memories. I hope for a brighter future, despite knowing that there is Darkness in every man's heart.

Cell showed me that emotionless beings aren't capable of good OR evil. It was this that I found research on the Soulless. They told me of their pasts--transporters of the dead into the Spirit World. One had also pointed out an individual who had started a war on Little Planet, his Heart torn between light and darkness.

"Kuja!" Sonic exclaimed.

"Who's Kuja?" Rob asked.

"This seriously evil dude who wreaked havoc on several planets. He even destroyed one. However, I heard some tale of how Kuja attacked Little Planet, but there were stores of heroes 'who bonded with the shadows,' and defeated him. I bet we'll run into him soon..."

I went to investigate this and met heroes fighting against him. After I witnessed their powers, I saw that the Soulless are in fact, another race, almost a rival race to the Heartless. Some are good, like the Heroes I met, but others... they seek to flood this world in light, almost like the Heartless seek to flood this world in darkness... The key to getting these two rival races to get along lies within the Keyblade of Darkness.

I must find the wielder, perhaps then I can make sense of this... as well, I've seen both Heartless and Soulless... they who keep human form. Most logical explanation points to their ability to keep their body and/or even their minds as they lose their Heart or Soul. I am truly not sure what side they hold, but most I've seen (like the Heroes) seek a balance. Further research is needed, with no loss of life as the result, I hope...

"Soulless... light?" Rob blinked. "I thought I was DARKNESS incarnate!"

"Maybe you're something different..." Sonic said. "He did say the Keyblade of Darkness is key to making the two races work together."

"Maybe a Soulless shrouded in Darkness is to show the balance?" Rob pondered.

"ENOUGH head-scratchers for one day! Y'all gotta go!" Barret picked up and chucked both Rob and Sonic in the general direction of the ship. As Sonic and Rob left, Barret shouted some last-minute instructions. "Tell Tifa she can join the party--I can find other help! Best of luck to y'all!"

Rob and Sonic headed to the ship, ready for their first true adventure.

(Those five people in the bar are based on a perfect team made by my friend, consisting of several borrowed characters what would NEVER share a universe together-maybe the Blastoise and the demon biker, but almost no similarities. You're not supposed to know who they are... yet.)

Tha Legend

18th June 2003, 12:08 PM

You sound like a very accomplished writer to me. I haven't been fortunate enogh to play kingdom hearts, but I do enjoy your style. Keep it up! Also, your chapter length is great. If anything, make it longer.
~Legend~

Legends-Kuja

18th June 2003, 04:27 PM

Feedback is nice...

ENTER THE POKEMON INFLUENCE!

Episode 4: Kanto: Where's the Pokeymen?!

(Note: Pokémon haters and fans alike beware these next chapters. Standard disclaimer applies.)

"So where's our destination?" Asked Rob.

"Where else on earth but KANTO!" Tails exclaimed.

"Why Kanto?" Asked Maya.

"Nearest place where we can land safely and secretly..." Dr. Eggman said. "Besides, it's night time there."

"Yeah, makes sense," Sonic said, agreeing with Eggman's logic. Tails had already started the ship and had made his way through space. Earth wasn't far from Traverse Square, so it took them only half and hour to arrive. Upon seeing the surface of the earth, Rob could see many craters.

"Those must be the places that the Heartless sunk!" Rob exclaimed.

"Our home, the Crying Church, Great Britain (well, some part of it anyway), China! It's awful!" Maya added.

"No... I didn't know it was THAT bad..." Tifa shook her head sadly.

When they arrived, it was the dead of night. The cool, brisk air assaulted them before they even stepped out for the cockpit. Well, Sonic, Rob, Tifa and Maya did.

"We're staying here," Eggman said.

"Wish we could come, but we have to monitor the ship!" Tails added.

"Chicken-wusses," Muttered the four as they left the ship.

"OH YEAH? YOU TRY MANAGING THIS SHIP!!" Tails shot back.

Sonic only smirked. The four sped away.

Rob landed on the ground and started skating. The feel of speed was great, although Sonic still bested him. Maya simply hung onto him, as she was slower than either one. Tifa hung on to Sonic.

With a sudden flash of darkness, some Heartless appeared.

"Heartless!" Shouted Sonic.

But these weren't your ordinary heartless. Rather, they were Pokémon. A pack of Sneasels, to be exact. The blue creatures leapt up and tried to slash down Rob. Sonic, however countered their appearance and smashed into two of them with a homing attack, killing them instantly. Tifa bounced backwards and let a Sneasel have it with a well-placed kick.

"Fire!" Maya shouted, a radical burst of flame killed another Sneasel. Rob simply countered the attacks with combos.

"Hmph... we better keep an eye out." Rob said. Rob and Sonic continued to skate through the dark of night in Kanto. The moon was out in full, however, lighting the way from our heroes.

More Sneasels appeared. However crows escorted them. Murkrows, to be exact.

"These guys are persistent..." Sonic muttered. Rob slashed them down, and Sonic kept using his homing attack on them. Despite Rob's powerful Keyblade, Sonic usually killed them faster.

Maya and Tifa were also putting up quite a fight. Knowing the creatures feared fire and thunder, they teamed up and used either element to get rid of them easily. Tifa launched a fire kick combo, frying another Sneasel. As Maya downed the last Murkrow, she asked, "Where exactly are we going?

"...Good question." Rob muttered.

"YOU MEAN WE'RE WANDERING ABOUT AIMLESSLY?!" Roared Sonic. Rob just nodded.

"Well, crap... At least we're fighting Heartless, so we CAN'T be far off from the right trail, right?" Maya asked.

"I suppose..." Sonic muttered, disappointed that they weren't really going anywhere. However they spotted something in the distance. "What's that place?" Sonic asked.

"I think it's a Pokémon Center..." Maya answered. "And look, it's still open! Maybe we could get a place to stay!" Maya exclaimed.

"According to this sign, we're in Viridian City..." Tifa read the sign. "I wonder if Tails and Dr. Robotnik knew?"

A sudden flash of darkness erupted right behind them, and Rob turned to see a giant horde of Sneasels and Murkrows. The other three turned to witness this awful sight, and all four paled. Rob snarled, and began to back away.

"Wish we could join the party," Sonic cracked before turning tail. "But we gotta split!"

"AUUUUGGGGHHH!" Rob and Maya squealed as all four tore towards the Center. The horde made pursuit, but luckily our heroes were far too fast.

The door slid open, and a young lady with pink hair looked out. Spotting our heroes, she instructed, "Quickly! Come inside!"

"Not fast enough for ya?!" Sonic, Rob, Tifa, and Maya showed up right behind her, and the pink-haired lady flipped a switch, and a steel reinforcement slid down in front of the door, letting the Pokémon horde crash right into it. She breathed a sigh of relief and turned to our heroes.

"Are you okay? What are you people doing out on this time of night?" She asked.

"We came here tracking down Heartless activity..." Rob read her nametag and tried to address her properly. "... Nurse Joy... Unfortunately, we encountered those things instead... I've heard of Pokémon, but what kind were THEY?"

"Those two were Sneasel and Murkrow..." They turned to see a man, looking to be in his late fifties. He sported a lab coat, red shirt and brown pants. He had just shut a book he held in his left hand. He showed pictures of the two Pokémon they saw outside. "Those two Pokémon normally don't live in this area, but their presence multiplied right after the Heartless began attacking Earth."

"I see..." Rob said.

"HEY WAITASECOND," Sonic held up a hand. "I think I know you... Professor Oak, I resume?" (A/N: This is a multi-verse Earth, and Sonic is well connected...)

"That's correct!" Professor Oak answered, happily taken aback (if that's even possible) by this question. He studied Sonic. "I think by your appearance, you must be Sonic the Hedgehog, aren't you?"

"You've heard of me?" Sonic asked.

"Who hasn't? You saved the world twice!"

"I wish I could again, I've got no idea how to repulse the Heartless invasion..."

"I believe that must take a team effort," Professor Oak said thoughtfully. "It will take some time before we keep the Heartless from tearing the Earth apart. Excuse my manners, who are your friends, Sonic?"

"My name Rob," Rob said, shaking hands with Professor Oak.

"I'm his twin sis Maya," Maya chirped.

"I'm Tifa," Tifa introduced herself.

"My, what an unusual symbol on your hand..." Professor Oak said, examining Rob's right hand. He looked at the strange white cross as Rob answered, "It's the Soulless Crest... I wield something called the Keyblade of Darkness. Its answers are still not known to me..."

"Soulless, huh?" The old man said, still looking as if in deep thought. "Speaking of that," he opened his book and pulled out some notes. "A man named Ansem stopped by here... I talked with him for quite a while, asking him all he knew of the Heartless. He explained all of his research, how the Heartless had corrupted him for some time, and what he knew of the answers... but the most intriguing thing would be the Soulless... They have emerged, but what side are THEY on? What he knows so far of the Soulless specifically are in these notes..." He handed them to Rob, and the four heroes crowded around Rob to read it.

The Soulless is an interesting race. Some Soulless I've seen keep a human appearance, only lacking a soul. Others I've seen mirror a drive like the Heartless... they flood the Soul with light and create more Soulless. These form of Soulless either have no mind or are under the control of something greater. To this day I have yet to find what happens to the discarded bodies and minds of those who lose Heart or Soul...

Another thing about this world is the "Pokémon" phenomenon. They are connected to the Heartless and Soulless somehow... I noticed the "dark" type of Pokémon follows the Heartless closely, while the "Steel" type follows the Soulless...

"That makes sense... But I've yet to see an 'evil' Soulless..." Rob said. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a man walk by. This man was in a brown and black striped suit, and his face seemed to have a look as cold and evil as a deranged wizard. Rob got the feeling he wouldn't like that guy, so he shivered and muttered, "Or maybe I just did..."

"What? WHERE?!" Maya and Sonic looked around.

The man Rob saw was gone, so Rob simply shook his head and said, "Never mind, I'm going delusional from lack of sleep."

"There's another room upstairs where you can sleep," Nurse Joy offered.

"Thanks... maybe Tails and Eggman won't kill us?" Maya offered to Sonic.

"Their fault they had to go and do ship duty, but I think I'll give them a call," Sonic dashed away. Rob snickered and turned to Nurse Joy and Professor Oak.

"Nice talking with you two... I'm horribly tired, so I need a rest. See you in the morning," Rob yawned and left upstairs. Tifa and Maya followed suit.

Professor Oak sat down, thinking about his conversation with Ansem. About two minutes later, however, a Chansey came in. It had the appearance of a big, pink egg with pink dreadlocks and a pouch where another egg sat. This Chansey wore a nurse hat, so when it approached Professor Oak, shouting "Chansey! Chansey!" He rose immediately.

"Did the girl you found awaken yet?" He asked.

"Chansey!" It nodded.

Nurse Joy and Prof. Oak wasted no time in following it over to a caring unit, where the girl rested. Now, however, she was wide awake and horribly confused. "Where am I?"

"You're in the Viridian City Pokémon Center," Nurse Joy answered calmly. "It was too dangerous to take you to a real hospital, so we took you here... are you all right?"

"Yeah..." She said.

"What is your name?" Professor Oak asked.

"...Clara," The girl answered.

****

Tails and Eggman grumbled complaints as Sonic hung up the phone. "Come ON, Sonic, you can't be THAT cruel, can you?"

"How I hate that hedgehog," Eggman muttered, bringing the ship closer to the Pokémon Center. Tails gave him a look. "I mean, at TIMES... Tails, didn't we whip up a security system at some point? How do we activate it?"

"Oh, man, where IS it?" Tails dug through a compartment, closed it in frustration and opened another one. "AHA! Here it is!" He pulled out a remote. "This button here," he pointed to a red one. "Thing is, we have to be out of the ship..."

"Tails... what was that?" Eggman whispered, staring blankly out of the front window.

"Huh?" Tails looked outside. He saw several people hop in from the roof. Tails sweat-dropped and his eyes shrank. "That can't be good..."

"We were expected..." Eggman stated plainly.

"How do you know that?"

"Why else would this happen RIGHT AFTER Sonic declared everyone went to sleep? There are better times to rob this place, like BEFORE WE SHOWED UP."

Tails blinked. Then he shouted "CALL SONIC IMMEDIATELY!"

"I'm on it!" Eggman pulled out a receiver.

****

"Is it here?" A red-haired youth asked, searching a computer.

"Is it there?" A blue-haired youth asked, searching through an office.

"IS IT ANYWHERE?" A talking cat with a gold charm on its head and an overly large mouth bellowed as he threw some papers up in frustration.

"SHUT UP, MEOWTH!" The two youths shouted.

"Calm yourselves," Giovanni came in with Professor Oak and Nurse Joy, who were both bound and... nervous. Team Rocket nevertheless strained to avoid panicking at the sight of their boss. Giovanni put the two in a corner and went to Jesse and James.

"You're doing good so far... I KNEW that kid could reduce any Rocket to bumbling fools like you... I have Ansem's notes, so you can stop messing this place up, I paid for this you know. If I'm correct, Rob and his cronies should be here any minute. Then we can put this 'Soulless' thing to the test. And of course, if things go wrong, there's always Darkside, and our trump card," Giovanni's Umbreon came in, with Clara on top of him. Her hands and feet were bound behind her back. Thick gray tape was over her mouth, and one close enough could hear soft mewing sounds. She barely moved, however.

(Rob could be desperate enough... sources say he knows this girl.) Umbreon stated.

"So what do we do?" James, the blue-haired youth asked.

"You will distract the fools while I prepare a mano a mano with Rob," Giovanni instructed.

(Team Rocket is ready. Should you induce a quick failure or the heroes pull a surprise attack, we'll have enough time.) Umbreon winked, and picked up Clara by running under her and scampering off to the back.

"I trust you'll keep everyone else out of the way... there's no worries with the Ash boy, he's halfway across the globe." Giovanni grinned and stepped off into the shadows.

Jesse, the red-haired youth, looked back as Giovanni left. She sighed. "Too bad. I wanted something more to do than to just be a diversionary tactic, but I guess the boss knows best," Jesse pulled up her sleeves. "Besides, my dark powers could use a warm-up!"

"Why, there goes Rob now..." Giovanni whispered, almost to himself. "Stall the others as well as possible... Rob is mine..."

"It's all over for you fools now..." James grinned evilly.

****

*RING RING RING*

Rob woke up to the sound of a ringing communicator. It wasn't his, though, it was Sonic's, and despite the ringing, Sonic still snored away. Rob grumbled and answered it.

"Hello?" He ventured.

"SOMEONE EVIL IS IN THE BUILDING!" Tails's voice rang in his ears.

"Oh, CRAP..."

****

Rob, Sonic, Tifa, and Maya hurtled down the stairs. The urgent message from Tails showed that something wicked was brewing right under their noses.

Rob came to the main large foyer, and saw that the lights were off and silence took residence. He wearily looked around. "The lights here are usually on no matter what... something's deathly wrong..."

"Death will probably be the LEAST of YOUR worries!" A snide, New York-accented voice echoed.

"Prepare for trouble!" One voice boomed.

"And make it double!" Another echoed.

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all peoples within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jesse." A spotlight turned on, and Jesse appeared.

"James." Another spotlight came on, and James appeared.

"TEAM ROCKET, blasting off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"

"MEOWTH! That's right!" Meowth appeared, and all the lights came on.

"Wobbuffet!"** The blue Pokémon appeared from out of nowhere.

Jesse groaned.

The good guys just blinked, utterly disturbed by the introduction. "Hey, uhh... doesn't your motto sound a LOT like a good guy's motto?" Sonic asked.

"QUIET, YOU," Jesse roared. "You fools are in the way of our grandiose plan to flood the world in darkness! And we're going to kick your butts!"

Rob, however, had not paid attention to the entire thing. His Keyblade was spazzing out and an awfully familiar voice was begging for help. (Please... someone help me! I'm lost... I didn't ask to be terrorized by these forces of evil! Please... help!)

Some words came to his mind. *I'll save you... as long it takes...*

"It... it IS! CLARA!" Rob bellowed. To add to his high emotion, he also saw the man he'd seen earlier, looking as evil as ever... RIGHT AT HIM.

"Huh?" Rob took everyone aback with his random outburst.

"OUTTA THE WAY, FREAKS! I'M GOING TO RESCUE CLARA!" Rob bellowed, skating at maximum speed and passing a very confused Team Rocket. The man simply left, having expected this.

"How did he...?" Jesse blinked.

"CRAP!" Meowth! "It's the trump card! He went straight after it!"

"Umm hello?" James interjected. "That's a GOOD thing."

"Trump card?" Tifa raised her eyebrow. She dropped to a whisper. "It's a setup! Maya! Sonic! Can you distract Team Loser? I've got to help Rob!"

"We'll handle these freaks," Sonic grinned, getting into a fighting stance.

"I think they're not even worth the dirt on my feet!" Maya taunted, as Tifa sneaked away to find Rob.

"Feh, without your Keyblade master, you simply guarantee your defeat, brats!" Jesse sneered. "It's all over for you! Taste the power of darkness! Arbok! GO!"

"Weezing! GO!" James added. They both summoned two Pokémon. One had the appearance of a large, purple cobra, its chest holding a giant Heartless symbol. Weezing was simply a really ugly floating... thing with holes all over its floating body, and three heads. Each of its holes emitted poisonous gases of all types. "Weezing! Sludge Bomb!"

"Arbok! Poison sting!" Jesse bellowed.

"I DON'T THINK SO!" Sonic dashed right by the Pokémon, being too fast for them to hit. Maya unleashed a Thunder attack, striking both. Sonic dodged Arbok's tail, punching it in the gut and sending it flying. Weezing tried to hit Sonic with another Sludge Bomb, but it failed. Sonic punched it, but unlike Arbok it was far more resilient.

"Weezing, Smokescreen!" James commanded.

"WEEZING!" The Pokémon cried, spreading its noxious gas all over the place. Sonic and Maya could barely see, as Jesse and James prepared a surprise attack.

"I think WE wanna have fun NOW!" Jesse sneered. She cupped her right hand, and Dark energy formed. She chucked it at Sonic, and its jagged path made it hard to counter.

"Sonic watch out!" Maya said, but it was too late. The dark energy smashed Sonic, and the blue hedgehog was sent fifty feet.

Sonic cursed and recovered. "ARGH! That was the last time!"

"We'll see about that," Jesse taunted as she threw another Shadow Ball, but Sonic already had an idea.

Ducking to avoid the energy Sonic then hopped up and raced around in a tight circle. Eventually the smoke was absorbed in Sonic's newly formed tornado. Weezing was sucked in, as well as Wobbuffet, and James could only stare in horror. "My Weezing!" he cried.

"Curse you!" Jesse roared as she charged Sonic. The blue hedgehog coolly clotheslined Jesse and flipped her on the floor. She instantly recovered.

"I HAVE FURY!" Jesse bellowed. Sonic easily dodged the giant Shadow Ball and swept Jesse again. Maya sneered as she took on Meowth.

"I'll own you!" Meowth said as he used Crunch.

Maya back-flipped and kicked Meowth away. Sonic chucked James into the tornado, which was still going strong, and it eventually picked up Jesse and Arbok as well. Sonic stood back and admired his handiwork.

"Sweet, no?" he grinned.

"I'll make it sweeter. THUNDER!" Maya shouted, shocking all inside the tornado. Team Rocket's squeals could be heard as the lightning pierced their hides, and the tornado stopped, blowing up Team Rocket for no apparent reason.

"You may have won this round, but we'll be back!" Jesse cried weakly.

"It's too late to assist your Keyblade master, in truth, we WON!" Meowth cackled.

"It looks like Team Rocket is blasting off once again!" They all cried as they disappeared with a *ding* ("Wobbuffet!" Wobbuffet added.).

Sonic saw Nurse Joy, who had calmly watched the battle tied to a chair. "Thank you for rescuing me, but I'm afraid this whole center is in danger!" she said as Sonic easily sliced off the blades.

Sonic also rescued Professor Oak. "A girl named Clara had been taken to the back room, and the Pokémon here have all been looted by Team Rocket! Please save them!" He cried.

"I think Rob's on it, ma'am," Maya said. "But we'll clean up what he leaves behind!"

"You're okay, right?" Sonic asked both Nurse Joy and Professor Oak, who nodded. "Okay, I bet Rob, Tifa, and whatever Pokémon that are left need our help, and FAST!" Sonic grabbed Maya and zipped away.

****

Rob tore through the back halls of the large Pokémon center. Here he could see strange men in suits with a red letter "R" stealing Pokéballs and hacking data off of computers. Rob desired to stop their evildoing ways, but the most important thing on his mind was Clara. Unfortunately, he wasn't exactly silent.

"It's the kid, GET HIM!" the Rockets bellowed.

Rob had no time to fool around with these losers. He snarled and smacked two away with his Keyblade and flipped another.

"Rob, watch out!" He heard Tifa. He whirled around just in time to dodge a real rocket from one of the grunts. The explosion shattered a bit of the wall and produced think smoke.

Big mistake.

Tifa hopped right in with a flying kick and broke the grunt's jaw, sending him some good fifteen feet away. Rob sliced through a wave of grunts. "Let's go, Tifa..." he picked up her hand and sped away into a back room, where he saw the man he had chased finally come to a complete stop.

And there, sitting bound and gagged behind him, was Clara.

"You... who are you?" Rob sneered.

"I am an important man around these parts," Giovanni grinned, still not revealing his name. "But of course, what you REALLY want to know is why I have your precious friend, and most yet, how do I KNOW that she is one of your precious friends..." Giovanni stepped forward. "But if you truly want to rescue your friend... you will open your Heart to the Darkness, and tell me how to control these new... Soulless..."

"You think I know?" Rob shot back. "I DON'T! The answers lie within this Keyblade, and you sir, are not destined to wield it!" He held up the Keyblade as he said this, and it glimmered.

In the distance, Giovanni saw something... spinning out of the window, like a pinwheel, and heading straight towards them. It shattered the glass and opened up right in front of Rob. The towering creature had six arms, two large, hooked swords, a cobra's head, and a large, mechanical body. Near the bottom of its torso, a cloth showed an unusual crest... the SAME crest as Rob wore on his right hand. The biomechanical creature roared and came to face Rob and Tifa.

(Keyblade Master... you finally show yourself,) it said. (Allow me to test your powers...)

"I'm sort of in the middle of a conversation here?" Rob gestured.

"No... go on! This is most interesting... I'll just sit back and watch the show..." Giovanni grinned.

The creature raised its two swords and roared again.

A name came to Rob...

"You must be... Kurt Zisa..." Rob whipped out his Keyblade, and leapt up to attack.

Kurt Zisa twirled one sword and sliced the air, and Rob could barely block the blow. Tifa rolled under the second swipe it made and punched it square in the gut. It bounced backwards, but used its swords to smash her away. When Rob swept in to attack, Kurt Zisa twirled its swords around itself in rapid fashion like a fan, and Rob was also knocked away.

As Rob struggled to stand up, Kurt Zisa raised its swords. Rob back-flipped just in time to avoid being smashed by the weapons. It hopped into the air and crashed next to Tifa, who took advantage of its recovery time and smashed it with a Dolphin Punch.

(AUGH! URRGGHGH... That's cheap!) It snarled, as it twitched like a malfunctioning robot. Tifa leapt up to hit it again, but Kurt Zisa grabbed her by the arm at the last minute. It slung her away and she crashed head first into a wall. Tifa fell unconscious.

"Tifa!" Rob shouted.

(Do not worry... she's alive... This was supposed to be a fight between you and me anyway...) Kurt Zisa lunged at Rob, who jetted backwards to avoid being hit. Rob then reversed direction and smacked it in the face. Kurt Zisa launched a direct combo with its swords and Rob strained to parry them all. Rob hacked at the creature's stomach again, but Kurt Zisa simply picked him up and threw him in the sky.

(Surprise,) The monster fired a white beam from its mouth at the airborne Rob.

"Ay, CRAP!" Rob jerked his body and the attack missed by only millimeters. As Rob began his descent to the ground, he whipped out his Keyblade again and held it tight. "Here goes..." He began to pour on the speed, and landed a strike right on the back of the creature. He landed, and looked back to observe Kurt Zisa.

The creature staggered and turned around. (Amazing... just one full day on the job and you're already that strong... you truly are worthy of the Keyblade you hold.)

"What IS it with people trying to see if I'm worthy of the Keyblade?!" Rob asked.

(I can see I wasn't the first... but I won't be the last... This man still has questions to answer, but I can't do much to help you here... But mark my words... I'll be back...) Kurt Zisa turned into a pinwheel and flew away. Rob blinked, and went to Tifa.

"Interesting... so that Keyblade attracts Soulless, hmm?" Giovanni stood and walked back to Clara. "But what if... someone was MADE Soulless... how does that Keyblade react THEN?" Tifa began to stir. Rob did NOT like how Giovanni kept glancing between him and Clara. Giovanni continued. "I believe a test is in order."

A pool of darkness formed. And from that pool of Darkness, one being emerged.

Darkside.

"Father..." Rob gripped his Keyblade.

(We meet again... Tell me now... do you know the full powers of your Keyblade?) Darkside rose to his full height-quite difficult but still possible in the building. (We will see... test this... what is... a mindless Soulless? We shall find out,) Darkside suddenly whipped around and poked a finger right through... Tifa. Rob could only watch in horror and shock as Darkside ripped out... her soul.

"WHAT?! NOO!" Rob turned from shock to anger and he tore straight to his dad like a bat out of hell. "GIVE THAT BACK!" But Darkside predicted this, and smashed Rob away with his other hand.

Darkside held the Soul. He only watched as Tifa's body became completely white and elastic, and her body and Heart began to fade away. Her Heart still fading, a white creature emerged, its head covered in a white cloth and the Soulless symbol right on top. The "evil" Soulless had emerged.

Giovanni only laughed cruelly. "Ah, what a sight THIS is... you've already given up?" He looked at Tifa, or what was left of Tifa. "Look at this, I think she's becoming an INVISIBLE!" He continued to laugh cruelly.

Rob fell. But a voice sounded.

(You're not fun anymore, Bob.)

"Huh?" Rob said as a reaction.

(It's not too late... Destroy that thing, and reunite Tifa's Heart with her body. I can't have you an emotional wreck before I take your blood...)

"CHARLOTTE?" Rob roared.

(Time is not on your side, Bob...)

"YOU WILL NOT CALL ME BOB!" Rob roared as he ruthlessly attacked Tifa's former soul. The creature's elastic body made it hard to hit, it kept stretching out of the way. But Rob stopped and focused, pretending it was Charlotte, still messing with him. He swung his Keyblade out. "YOU..." He struck again with each syllable. "WILL... NOT... CALL... ME... BOB!" The last blow destroyed the creature, and the soul flew away. Rob could've sworn he heard "I never called you Bob, you ugly freak!" before the soul completely escaped. Rob touched Tifa's Heart with the Keyblade, and gently melded it inside of her body.

Giovanni blinked. Did he really pass that test?

Darkness formed under Clara, and STILL bound and gagged, she sank into it.

"AIEEE!" Rob dashed to save her, but that same voice echoed in his head. (I think she is a much safer damsel-in-distress with me. Until I have your blood, I'm keeping your girlfriends out of the battlefield. Farewell, Sir Bob...) Rob stopped stomped his foot and comically cried and bit his shirt in frustration.

Giovanni looked on at Rob's now pathetic state; Tifa's solid form now had a small Soulless crest emblazoned on her forehead. "A most... interesting change in events," he looked to see that Clara was now gone. "Now I see what the Soulless are... ROB!" Rob stopped crying and leered at Giovanni with a straight face, Keyblade in hand. "I think we can call this one a draw... I got what I want, you received what YOU wanted... for the most part. I have a feeling we shall meet again..." Giovanni sank into darkness, and only Darkside remained.

(You hold a power in your hands... not unlike my own...) Darkside spoke, but Rob dared not attack. (Pure control over both Heart and Soul, as long as they have not been touched by me... You have yet to develop these powers, but as they grow, your side will become clearer... You cannot deny destiny...)

"But whose side will I be on?" Rob asked coolly.

(Either complete light or complete darkness... your mother might know what side SHE wants you to be on... She knows not all the answers...) Darkside sank into the ground in another pool of Darkness, and he was gone.

Rob thought... is there something my mom isn't telling me?

"ROB!" Sonic burst in, looking around. "What happened? Who's CLARA?! She one of your friends?" Sonic looked at Tifa. "What happened to Tifa?" Maya walked in, dizzy from Sonic's super speed.

"Team Rocket's gone now!" She slurred before fainting.

Rob looked at his sister emotionlessly as he answered Sonic's last question. "Tifa?" Rob asked, as if the name meant nothing. "Tifa... she's... Soulless now..."

(I MUST stop there, you might get reader's sickness from that one! Want some answers? Hang on to your shorts, the next episode's even LONGER!)

** Wanna know why Wobbuffet always interjects TR's motto? Wobbuffet's Japanese name loosely translates to "That's right."

The Prophet

18th June 2003, 07:38 PM

Hehe, this is a fun humor fic. I like your concept of Soulless and Rob's party. Sora's also pretty cool, but I wanna see Riku. A LOT.

Legends-Kuja

20th June 2003, 02:06 PM

Episode 5: Voice of the Forest

(A/N: Don't own Pokémon 4ever or anything from it! I just rearranged the plot to fit the story! As I edited this, I STILL don't have all the translations right...)

"So I've... lost my soul..." Tifa stated plainly.

"Yes..." Rob answered. The team of six had finally boarded the ship after assisting repairs to the Pokémon Center. They waved bye to Professor Oak and Nurse Joy as Rob continued. "Aside from the fact that you are now immortal in a way, I've no idea what to say..."

"I don't... feel that much different. Am I... supposed to?"

"My sister and I were born Soulless, so we can't tell..." Rob answered. Suddenly, an idea popped into his head. "WAIT! Don't take off yet!"

"What?" Tails asked.

"I need to speak with someone..." Rob quickly hopped on top of the ship. He raised his Keyblade into the air and it quivered. The Kurt Zisa creature didn't show up, but Rob was pleased when Guard Armor crashed down in front of him.

(You called?) It asked.

"How do I get to the Heart of Darkness? I want to speak with my mom and introduce a... new Soulless..." Rob groped for the right words.

(EASY!) In one fell swoop, Guard Armor knocked Rob, Tifa, and Maya unconscious. Ignoring the shocked faces, Guard Armor put Rob back in the ship and said to Tails, (I love doing that. You can take off now, I SWEAR they're okay.)

****

Rob came to in the Heart of Darkness... the Dream World. "Ow..." he complained. He looked around. He remembered this place... when Darkside sank him, he came here although he body wound up in Traverse Town. He saw Maya in a corner, punching the wall and marveling at its bouncy resilience. Tifa simply stared as Rob came up to her.

Tifa blinked. She then turned to Rob. "This is the Dream World?"

"Guess so... HEY YOU," He switched his attention to Guard Armor, who was staring down Kurt Zisa, while a man with spiky blonde hair, a red cape and a demonic appearance simply shook his head. He got the attention of all three. "Nice way to send us here!" He snapped at Guard Armor.

(Hey, I was NICE,) Guard Armor said. (Kurt Zisa probably would've killed you.)

Kurt Zisa simply stared at Guard Armor and his preposterous claim.

(Now boys, play nice...) Ms. Benton's spectral form appeared. Having the vague outline of a human bathed in darkness, she looked at her son with adoring yellow eyes. (I know all of you came for answers... or as best answers I can give you...)

"Hi mom!" Rob returned happily.

"Hi mom!" Maya added.

"Isn't this heartwarming..." The blond man remarked in earnest. He however, stepped up to Ms. Benton. "However, what I came to ask, is what does it mean to be Soulless?"

Tifa looked back at the blond man. "Could it be...?"

(Soulless... those without Souls... just as Heartless are without hearts. I must explain the spiritual body first. The human existence is split into four sections: the mind, the body, the soul, and of course the Heart. Normal humans, when they die, their body ceases to exist, the soul imbibes the knowledge within the mind and both the soul and the heart is carried away by the Heartless... this was back before they were corrupted.)

"So that's what I heard," the man said.

(Yes... The Heartless are pure darkness... created to carry out task without emotion, like robots. However... somehow, evil seeped within them and now they crave hearts to give them power. As they flood and destroy planets, we the Soulless are trying to stop them.)

"But... I have seen evil Soulless..." Rob stepped up. "Mom... what ARE they? It's the reason why Tifa... became like us in the first place."

"Tifa..." The man chanted her name, as if trying to remember what it meant.

(I should've told you this a long time ago... It was something your father knew before I did... These... evil Soulless have minds, but they are under the control of someone who desires to flood the universe in light... too much light is just as dangerous as too much darkness. Those who lose or shed only their soul become Soulless... those who shed both Heart and Soul... become something like your father...)

"WHAT?!" Rob and Maya blinked, utterly shocked.

(Yes... he does have his heart, but it is lost in darkness... I have suffered a similar fate... it is why I too have the appearance of a Heartless, even though I am only Soulless. You wondered how your father managed to transform Tifa's soul into that thing, did you not?)

"YOU SAW THAT?!" Rob's jaw hit the floor, and she nodded sadly.

(We are still connected.)

"If that's so, then why aren't you evil? ARE you evil?" Maya asked.

(I'm not evil only because we have trusted each other with our Hearts... I can't say anymore now, but it will come to you soon.)

"I see... so far..." Rob said.

Ms. Benton suddenly turned her attention to the blond man and Tifa, even though they were apart. (Sir Cloud... Tifa... you two are new, aren't you? You'll find that although you do not wield Keyblades, being Soulless has benefits on its own... including semi-immortality and perhaps some new powers... that which you must discover yourselves,) Cloud turned to see Tifa, and Tifa back to Cloud.

"It's you, isn't it?" Tifa said.

"Tifa?" Cloud asked. They hugged fiercely, and Ms. Benton had to smack Guard Armor for making excessive gagging sounds. "How long has it been?"

"Too long... did you ever find Aeris?"

"I did... but we were separated again..." Cloud stepped out of the embrace. "I lost my soul trying to save her from those evil Soulless..."

Tifa simply hung her head. Cloud simply said, "But I'll find her... and we will meet again... the three of us," A portal opened, showing Cloud's body resting on a couch. He stepped in and disappeared.

"We gotta split," Maya said, noting the portal. She saw Sonic and Tails pointing excitedly and Dr. Eggman was trying to awaken the sleeping group. "Bye, mom! See ya next time!" She hopped in.

Rob shook his head at his carefree twin. "Hard to believe she's my twin, at times..."

As Rob began to leave, his mother echoed... (You share a destiny with your sister... don't forget it...)

"I won't... farewell... mom..." Rob left in the portal.

****

"Wake up, Rob! We've spotted a source of Dark activity!" Rob came to as he heard Dr. Eggman talk excitedly.

"Good..." Rob said.

"Where is it?" Asked Tifa.

"The location is the Ilex Forest!" Tails chirped. "We're all the way in Johto now. Supposedly the forest protector visits here most often. Unfortunately I detect Heartless activity down here. And I think Team Rocket might be out here, too."

"We can take care of those idiots." Muttered Rob.

"This might be a piece of cake... too easy!" Sonic grinned and did leg stretches.

The group landed on the outskirts of the forest. Tails said, "We're stayin' here again. Heartless are a bit stronger here, and we need to defend the ship."

"At least you got a legit excuse THIS time..." Sonic muttered.

"Sonic... shut up."

Rob hopped out of the ship with Maya, Sonic, and Tifa. "Let's go then." He commanded.

****

"So... THESE are your Pokémon, are they not?" A tall man with slightly tanned skin and armor leered at the old hunter as he pointed to the three Pokémon trapped in cages. Giovanni was with him. "I hear you used them to pursue a legendary Pokémon 40 years ago."

"I know nothing of the sort... Although those are my Pokémon," the hunter hissed in response. The three Pokémon trapped in their cages all shared worried looks.

"Hmph... you won't talk then?" Giovanni smiled evilly. He handed a Dark Ball to the man in armor. "Here..." the man grinned and whistled.

"Sneasel!" The armor man commanded. He looked about between the three Pokémon-a Scyther, a Houndoom and a Tyranitar. "Break the Tyranitar's cage."

The Sneasel did so. The iron man wound up as Giovanni explained. "This is my new invention... the Dark Ball. Want to see how it works? Watch..." The Dark Ball captured the Tyranitar in a volley of Darkness and purple sparks flew from it as the ball settled. Sneasel handed the ball to Giovanni. The Team Rocket leader slammed the ball on the ground, releasing the Tyranitar. This Tyranitar lacked the worried look on its face, and instead showed one of pure evil. "If you will not tell me the location of the legendary Pokémon Celebi, then you shall watch the destruction of your home... and your life. Tyranitar... destroy everything." Giovanni and the man in armor laughed evilly as Tyranitar fired Hyper Beam after Hyper Beam, destroying the man's house and the surrounding area. One blast destroyed the Houndoom's cage, and the dog Pokémon escaped in a mist of darkness. The anguished hunter's screams of agony synchronized with that of his Scyther's like a nightmarish opera. Tyranitar roared in victory.

****

"Wait! Please don't go in there!" An old woman warned.

"Huh? Why not?" A boy with a Pokémon league hat and a Pikachu turned around at the voice of the old woman. He was Ash Ketchum, a legendary Trainer from Kanto. His friends Misty and Brock were with him.

A teenage girl stepped up. "Hi... My name is Diana, and she is my mother Maki." She pointed to the woman. "Forty years ago my mom was with a boy named Sammy, who disappeared when he went beyond that log you're going into."

"Hmm... really?" Ash said. "Well... maybe I can find him!" He turned around and left into the forest anyway.

Misty and Brock reluctantly followed behind him.

"But wait...!" Maki began, but Ash had already gone.

****

"Dammit, these Heartless are persistent!" Sonic yelled as he used Super Peel Out through a whole row of them. "What's with them and this place, anyway?"

"Looking for a Heart to take over, maybe?" Tifa suggested, as she launched a powerful kick against a Large Body. She blinked it utter amazement with herself when said Large body flew fifty feet into the air and crashed, dying instantly. "Wow... was THAT what Rob's mom meant?"

"This should end it!" Maya yelled. "THUNDER!" Lightning fell from the heavens and wiped out the last of the Heartless.

"Piece of cake, too easy!" Tifa boasted with her best impersonation of Sonic.

"Speak for yourself... I'm pooped," Maya sighed.

After some further silent trekking they head to find a shrine in the middle of the forest. "What is this?" Asked Rob.

"I believe it's the shrine dedicated to the protector of the forest Tails talked about," Sonic said as he wandered behind it. He spotted two boys and a girl tailing a yellow mouse. At this the forest began to glow blue and the group stopped in their tracks.

The mouse began to chatter in what sounded like "Pika pi!" and pointed to the shrine behind Sonic.

"Huh?" the shortest boy in the lead said. Sonic thought the mouse pointed to him, and obviously, so did the group. "What's that?"

"Who're they?" Sonic asked, and Rob and the rest of the group circled back behind Sonic. However, between them, two figures appeared out of the blue. A small, green Pokémon and a boy fell to the ground, unconscious. The green Pokémon awakened and hovered away. Rob came to the small boy, as the group ran to him.

"Who is this?" Rob asked.

"I don't know..." Ash pondered as he tried to shake the unconscious boy awake. "Hey, wake up!"

"He's too tired..." Rob noted.

"Let's take him back to the village."

"What village? We didn't see one here..." Rob asked, slightly confused,

"You must've come from the other way, then." Ash concluded. "Come on, let's help him."

Ash gave the limp boy a piggyback ride and Rob and the rest followed. "So... who are you guys?"

"My name is Rob... Rob Benton."

"I'm his younger sister, Maya," Maya said.

"Sonic, Sonic the Hedgehog!" Sonic showed off, as usual.

"Are you a Pokémon?" Ash asked.

"NO DAMN WAY!"

"Sonic!" Tifa reprimanded. "Well... my name is Tifa."

"I'm Ash Ketchum!" Ash introduced himself.

"I'm Misty."

Brock wasted no time in grabbing Tifa's hands with his own and looking as if he wanted to propose. "I've seen beautiful women, but you take the cake and eat it too! My name's Brock!"

Tifa blinked as Misty smacked him with a mallet and dragged him away. She forced a smile as she asked, "So... are you from around here?"

Rob and his group looked at each other. "Nope! We're all from Kanto!"

"So are we!" Ash smiled.

"Pika pi!" Pikachu added.

At last they arrived at the small village. Upon arriving at the bottom, however, the boy known as Sammy woke up. "Huh... where am I?" he looked around. Not seeing Celebi, he wondered if this small group did anything rash. "Where's Celebi? What have you done to him?!" In a blind rage, he attacked Ash.

"HEY!" Ash cried as he dodged several blows.

Rob pulled out his Keyblade, wondering if the Heartless-or the Soulless- somehow corrupted him.

"Sammy! Calm down!" Maki came back, obviously glad to see he's still alive. "Whatever happened, it's not their fault."

"Huh?" He stopped attacking Ash. "Who are you?"

"You don't remember me?" Maki asked. "I'm Maki."

"I'm sorry... but I don't recognize you." Sammy held a puzzled look on his face. Obviously, so did Rob.

"Hmm... come to my hut... I have something for you..." She turned around and left, and the large group followed her. Upon arriving at her hut, she immediately started digging around, looking for something. At last, she pulled out a sketchbook. "Here... I believe this is yours."

Sammy took it. "This... this is my sketchbook! I can't believe it!" he gasped. He looked through the pages. "Unreal... I've gone into the future, and I still have this..."

"So THAT explains where he came from," Maya said.

"Sent from forty years in the past!" Brock concluded.

A large metallic crash came from outside.

"I need to find Celebi!" Sammy quickly hopped up.

"Okay... we'll help!" Ash said.

The group stepped outside. However, before they were out of earshot, Maki yelled, "You be careful, all right?"

"Don't worry! We will!" Sammy yelled back.

Not far on the trail, however, several Heartless emerged.

"AAAIIIEEE!!" Misty cried.

"What're those things?" Brock panicked.

"Are they even Pokémon?" Ash looked at these strange creatures with more curiosity than fear.

"No... they are Heartless." Rob hissed.

"And they're all over the place!" Tifa shouted.

One Heartless lunged, but it met Rob's Keyblade and died instantly. Sonic buzzsawed through a couple of the smaller Soldiers.

Several Blue Rhapsodies emerged and began to fire Blizzard spells at the group. Maya countered with a Fire spell, however. "ROAST BACON!!" Yelled Maya, as the fire spell scorched the Heartless mages.

Sammy got the message. He pulled out his old-fashioned Pokéball, made out of wood. "Charmeleon! GO!" he threw it, and out emerged the fire Pokémon. "Roast them with Flamethrower!"

"CCHHHAAA!" Charmeleon finished off the rest of the Blue Rhapsody.

"They can be defeated by Pokémon means." Sammy explained to the puzzled Ash.

"Yeah... but what ARE Heartless?!" Ash asked.

"You'll hear the WHOLE story... but later!" Rob said, noting the metallic footsteps coming their way and pulling out his Keyblade.

The metallic clanging belonged to a huge spider mech, piloted by the man in armor. "Who are YOU twerps?"

"You're talking to-" Ash snarled, but Rob clapped a hand over his mouth.

"Why should we tell who we are to someone who's about to have his butt handed to him?!" Rob sneered.

"Ah... Such pompous words coming from the Keyblade master and the supposed legendary Pokémon master! Jesse, James, and the Boss have told me MUCH about you two monkeys. Why, you're ruining his plans for world domination!"

"Who are you, and where is the rest of Team Rocket?" challenged Ash.

"They'll be planning your funeral shortly," the man sneered. "But I am the Iron-Masked Marauder, but you can call me Vicious. You twerps know anything about Celebi?"

"Even if we KNEW where he is, we won't tell you jack!" Sonic spat.

"Ah, a new rare species of Pokémon, I see. Boss would be pleased."

"WHAT was that?! I... am NOT... a friggin... POKÉMON!" Sonic lunged at Vicious' machine.

"Sonic! Don't do anything rash!" Maya shouted.

Sonic took heed to these words silently. At the last second, Sonic came to a stop in front of the spider mech.

Vicious pulled out a Dark Ball. "You're MINE!" he threw it at Sonic with amazing speed.

Sonic, however, sawed right through the contraption, causing dark energy to explode from where Sonic destroyed the Dark Ball. Sonic then delivered a Smash Kick to Vicious' head.

"OUCH!" Vicious turned around. "You'll PAY for that!" Cannons came from the mech and fired at Sonic, who easily dodged. Sonic smashed Vicious again. "Argh! That's IT!" He released the largest cannon. "Cannon, FIRE!" Sonic for once wasn't fast enough to move out of the way. Instead, he smashed into the beam as best he could and took the blow.

Sonic flew backwards into a tree.

"Sonic!" Rob shouted.

"THIS TIME I won't miss..." Vicious pulled out another one. However, just as he threw it, a Houndoom came out of nowhere and destroyed the ball with a single Crunch.

(Remember me?! I want REVENGE, *******!) Houndoom used another Crunch on Vicious' machine.

"Yach!" Vicious cried as the machine began to short-circuit. He pulled out two Pokéballs. "Sneasel! Scizor! GET THEM!" he threw them out, and the Pokémon emerged.

"Heh, these chumps aren't any problem." Rob smirked.

Too bad an entire Heartless legion emerged with them.

"On second thought, maybe we should RUN!!" Rob panicked and began to jet on his shoes. Sonic recovered and helped the slower guys move faster.

However, upon appearing in the forest, Misty falls from Sonic's grip and hurts her knee. "Ah!" she cries.

"Misty!" Cries Ash.

The group stopped to help up Misty, but the Heartless appeared, led by Scizor and Sneasel.

"Crap..." Rob gripped his Keyblade.

"We're cornered..." Maya whimpered.

But out of nowhere, Celebi emerged. From everywhere vines ensnared the Heartless and squeezed them to death, causing them to evaporate in mists of Darkness. Scizor and Sneasel cowered, but the vines ensnared them too and tied them to a rock.

Celebi fell, enervated form the huge effort put to defeat the Heartless.

"Celebi!" Ash and Yukinari cried.

Even in its weak state, Celebi was far too afraid of Ash to let him get near, so a blast of psychic power sent him back, along with Sammy. (Stay back...) Rob heard.

The Houndoom that followed them stepped wearily towards Celebi. Dodging vines summoned by the Pokémon, Houndoom carefully picked it up. (You chill out... I'm not hunting you anymore.)

(You... why?) Rob heard Celebi ask.

(Kindness... be kind to Celebi, it won't fight back.) Houndoom announced. The Soulless of the group were the only ones who understood this, so Maya translated.

"He said if you're nice, Celebi won't fight."

Ash came to it. "Don't worry... I won't hurt you..." Celebi drifted into Ash's arms. "He's a bit weak. What should we do?"

(Pure water should help.) Houndoom suggested, and Maya translated his words.

"Where would pure water be?" Tifa asked.

As if on cue, a Teddiursa and an Ursaring appear. Houndoom and the two Pokémon talk for a bit, and then Houndoom turns to the gang and instructs, (Follow them.)

The two Pokémon lead to a Stantler. The Stantler resumed the path, and ran into a Furret, who concluded the journey to the pure lake. Sammy took Celebi from Ash and laid him down in the lake. After a short while, Celebi glows and recovers. (I feel better!) It cried.

"It's recovered!" Sammy said happily.

"Yeah!" Ash cheered. The two pursued Celebi underwater, where a lot of Pokémon had gathered to see his recovery. Ash and Sammy don't last long underwater, so Celebi helped them out with psychic powers. They flew with Celebi over the heads of the rest of the gang. It touched Misty's knee and healed it instantly. Rob tried to use his shoes to fly, too, but crashed into a tree branch, which promptly summoned a pack of Mankeys to come out and beat the crap out of Rob.

When they landed, Celebi came to a berry tree. It took a bunch and ate them in one fell gulp. The group also began to eat these berries. At this, Maya asked Houndoom, "Why did you say you wouldn't chase Celebi anymore?"

Houndoom explained its story of how he chased Celebi forty years ago in his youth, along with a hunter and a Scyther. Not too long ago Vicious came by and turned his friend Tyranitar evil, causing the large Pokémon to destroy Houndoom's home... and his friends.

"I don't like that guy," Ash said. "I think he has something to do with those Heartless things that attacked us earlier, too."

(Heartless... beings without heart.) Celebi began, with Rob translating. (From the shadows. Take hearts. No emotion. Extreme power. Planet has heart. This planet... many hearts. Heartless take hearts... planet explodes... dies. Attracted to those with darkness in their heart. Everyone has darkness. Those of evil nature more so. Lack knowledge of good and evil. Do it only to survive and prosper.)

"So they do this just to survive?" Misty asked.

"Yeah, as far as we know," Sonic answered.

"What do you mean?" Sammy asked.

(Some darkness isn't evil... note Dark Pokémon,) Houndoom explained, Rob still translating. (There is a balance. Between light and dark, that balance maintains the universe. The side of light is represented by the Soulless...)

"...Soulless?" Brock asked.

"Like us..." Rob answered. "A Soulless is one without soul. Some Soulless are good, like us," Maya showed a cheesy grin at those words. "But some are evil. They seek to flood this universe in light just as the Heartless want to flood it in darkness. Oddly enough, we haven't seen the evil variety around here."

"You're... Soulless?" Ash asked incredulously.

"Some of us, anyway," Tifa said.

"If you're Soulless then..." Ash answered. Suddenly, he grabbed Rob and started shaking him. "IS THERE ANY WAY TO GET THE HEARTLESS TO STOP?!"

"Chill out! We're gonna find out how!" Rob said, a huge sweat drop forming on his head.

"I'm tired..." Tifa said, setting up a sleeping bag and falling out in a matter of seconds.

"Yeah... me too," Misty said, yawning.

(Rest well, friends,) Celebi chirped.

(Nighty night... sleep is for wimps. I'm staying up to be on guard for Heartless.) Houndoom snorted and stalked off.

"Good night, everyone!" Maya chirped.

"Good night!" Sonic yawned as he noticed the night Pokémon awakening. He had a feeling that the Heartless won't be disturbing their sleep anytime soon.

****

Early that morning, before the sun rose, Sammy had his sketchbook. Observing the sleeping forms of Celebi and Pikachu cuddled with each other, he began to draw the two of them. Not soon after he had finished the drawing, he heard the eerie, yet lonely howl of Houndoom.

"The poor guy lost all of his friends... his trainer, too," Ash came in front of Sammy.

"Ash? Did Houndoom wake you up?" Sammy asked.

"Nope... been awake," he answered.

"I haven't been able to sleep... I mean... I'm FORTY years in the future, and I have no idea how... can I ever get home?"

"Don't worry..." Rob showed up. He looked like he had been in a brief scuffle, with his victory, of course. "We'll find a way."

"Houndoom wake YOU up?" Asked Sammy.

"Yup... good thing, though, a couple of Heartless were trying to kill some of those monkey Pokémon back there. Same ones that kicked my butt yesterday. I finished the Heartless with ease."

At this, Pikachu woke up. Gently setting Celebi's head down on the ground, Pikachu scurried behind Ash. Celebi woke up anyway and tailed Pikachu.

The sun began to rise. Ash, Rob, and Sammy saw several Metapod beginning to hatch into Butterfree. The sheer beauty of the Butterfree amazed the trio, as well as the entering Celebi and Pikachu.

"Wow..." Rob marveled, amazed at the sheep beauty.

"Simply beautiful..." Ash added.

(Beauty... hope. Hope beyond darkness. Hope IN darkness.) Celebi said.

"Man, I wish the others could see this..." Sammy said. "No wait... they can!" he pulled out his sketchbook and drew the scene of the hatching Butterfree.

After the scene was over and Sammy finished, Rob concluded, "Let's go get the others."

"Right..." Ash agreed.

****

"Our job's not done here yet..." Rob announced.

"That Iron-Mask freak is still on the loose!" Sonic added.

"Well... where IS he, anyway?" Asked Ash.

"RIGHT HERE..." Vicious returned in a new Spider mech. "Celebi shall be mine... and the hedgehog will be my blue plate special!"

"Come again, Iron-Man?" Sonic challenged. "You can't even make good jokes, let alone good machines? What have you THIS time?"

"I think I'll let THE BOSS tell you that," Vicious smirked. At that, a pool of darkness formed, and out emerged... Giovanni. With him were Jesse, James, Meowth, and Umbreon.

"I think we rather LIKE our new style of transportation!" Jesse beamed.

"Team Rocket!" All of our heroes exclaimed.

"You twerps 'll never learn!" Meowth crowed. "For today's the day we sink yous into darkness!"

"Rob... So we DO meet again," Giovanni smirked. "In the end we decided that flooding the worlds with light wasn't our style. But we'll figure out a way to get rid of them... But you WON'T survive. The evil within shall have you all." He pulled out a Dark Ball. "There are other Team Rocket plans that we must attend to, but I'm pretty sure the Heartless that assist Vicious will be more than enough to kill you all." Giovanni kept his smirk, and to add insult to injury, Meowth gave the group the finger (if that was even possible). "Farewell." Giovanni handed Vicious the Dark Ball and all the villains sank into the darkness, leaving only Vicious.

"Meet your death... go, TYRANITAR!" Vicious threw out the Dark Ball containing Tyranitar. The mighty Rock/Dark Pokémon roared, and everyone got ready to fight.

"Tyranitar! DESTROY THEM ALL! " Vicious commanded.

Vicious also chucked a Dark Ball to the side. However, nothing happened, at least, nothing obvious happened.

Tyranitar launched his first Hyper Beam.

"WHOA!" Ash barely dodged the blast. "I think he needs a bit of rearrangement! Bayleef! GO!" He threw out the Pokéball with Bayleef. "Bayleef! Razor leaf!"

Bayleef used the leaves to tear through Tyranitar. It roared in pain.

Winged Soldier Heartless formed from the ground.

Dodging the attacks, Rob and Sonic sliced through the group of Heartless. Pikachu hopped off of Ash and sent one sailing over the horizon with a well-placed kick.

Tyranitar stomped the ground and caused a massive earthquake. Rob and friends took damage.

Tifa snarled and reared back her fist. "I hate this thing... Dolphin Punch!" She aimed and let loose with the watery punch right on Tyranitar's face. It reeled back in pain but whipped around to smack Tifa with its tail. Bayleef came back and used Vine Whip, holding it down with thick vines.

Tyranitar however, grew wiser of this and picked up the vines. It began to sling the vines around, and Bayleef could do nothing as it became Tyranitar's next discus.

"No!" Ash cried.

Tifa slung a Winged Heartless out of the way to assist Bayleef. She launched another Dolphin Punch and smashed Tyranitar with it. Bayleef withdrew its vines and used Razor Leaf again. It struck Tyranitar, crippling it.

However, Tyranitar wasn't done yet. Another Earthquake stunned Bayleef and Tifa. It prepared yet another Hyper Beam when it was silenced by a sudden Crunch attack.

(SNAP OUT OF IT!) Houndoom roared. He used a tail lash and smashed Tyranitar across the forest and near the pure lake they had been earlier. He ended the onslaught with a steady Flamethrower that caused Tyranitar to sink into the water. Houndoom sank into the ground, not only tired but upset. (Forgive me...)

"Bayleef, return!" Ash said, returning Bayleef to her Pokéball.

"CELEBI!" Sammy cried. During the fight with Tyranitar, Celebi was being swallowed by darkness!

Sammy tried in vain to rescue it, but his efforts failed. Celebi fell deep into the darkness. "NOO!"

"My plan was a success!" Vicious cheered. "Now, Celebi! Show them your new moves! DESTROY THEM!"

"What?! That previous fight was only a distraction!" Rob snarled. "AND Celebi's gone evil!"

Celebi emerged out of the darkness, a look of pure evil on its face. The Heartless insignia was engraved on its chest.

"Its heart has been taken!" gasped Misty.

"THAT'S RIGHT, and now watch as he takes YOURS..." Vicious sneered. Celebi used a huge psychic blast that sent everyone flying back. "Celebi... augment your darkness." Vicious commanded.

Suddenly, several trees were uprooted and drawn to Celebi. Masses of dead and living trees swirled towards Celebi, forming something.

A sudden tree branch ensnares Misty.

"AAAIIIIEEEEE!" Misty cried.

"MISTY!" Yelled Ash.

"*******!" Rob bellowed.

"She's being drawn in!" Brock yelled.

The tree branches formed a horrible monster. This monster, however, was reminiscent of Celebi itself. It had the appearance of a giant, demonic version of Celebi.

"Curse our bad luck..." Rob readied his Keyblade.

****

Suicine dashed through the mountains nearby. A particularly odd group of humans caught his attention today, and he was heading in their direction to check them out. However, he felt a high surge of darkness in that direction. Sensing something totally wrong, Suicine picked up the speed and dashed in the direction of the evil.

****

Seeing the flying tree branches from the village, Dr. Eggman became worried. "This does NOT look good."

"Heartless activity is off the charts!" Tails exclaimed.

"Sammy and the others went that way!" Maki panicked.

"We need to investigate!" Diana added.

"Let's go, then," Dr. Eggman said.

The four of them hopped on the ship and blasted off in the direction of the tree branches.

****

"Its power is amazing!" Sonic gasped.

"It has Celebi's heart... not to mention it also has Misty's fear." Maya answered. "We'll have to give Celebi its heart back to destroy the monster!"

"Expose the Heart... return it to Celebi," Rob instructed to everyone.

"We can do that," Ash and Sammy said.

"We'll fight it, then." Rob stepped up to the rampaging monster.

"Why, you're making yourself fish in a barrel!" Vicious gloated. "Fry 'em!"

"NOT so..." Rob jumped up to attack.

The Celebi-demon smashed Rob backwards, but Rob landed on his feet. Rob snarled.

"Here, try this!" Maya shouted. "Fire!" She shot Rob's Keyblade with the flame. Rob got the idea and slashed them monster for heavy damage.

"Watch out for Misty!" warned Brock.

The Celebi-demon fired a dark beam, barely missing the group.

"I don't like this freak!" Sonic snarled. "Sonic Wind!" The blue whirlwind smacked the monster, but it only appeared to be annoying it. "Aw, man!" He dodged another dark beam from the monster.

Dodging several beams of darkness, Rob came up and used another fire sword against it.

The monster flinched, and Celebi's heart was exposed.

"AAIIIEE!" Vicious panicked. "Celebi, hover over water!"

The Celebi-demon hovered backwards and over the lake. "HAAA! Can't get me now! But I can get YOU!" Another dark beam fired, but it also missed.

"We can't reach it now!" Ash complained.

(Now you can...) Suicine showed up in a flash.

"Suicine!" Ash recognized the creature. "I KNEW I saw you earlier."

(No time... Hop on.)

"You know what to do, right?" Rob said.

"Yeah," Sammy said. Both Ash and Sammy hopped on Suicine and the Pokémon dashed off on the lake.

Crawling in the depths of the monster, they found Celebi's heart. Ash picked it up, surprised such a spiritual thing could be held physically. They also saw Misty.

"Misty!" cried Ash.

Sammy tried his best to untangle the vines that ensnared Misty; after a while, however, he freed her.

"Thanks..." she gasped.

"Come on!" Ash hurried up to where Celebi sat in the monster's head. Ash willed the heart to Celebi. The Heartless insignia faded. However it was still attacking.

"Celebi! STOP!" Ash cried.

Celebi stopped for a moment. Its memories drifted back to the time they revived him.

"What're you DOING?!" Vicious cried. "ATTAAAAACK!"

Celebi struck again.

"Celebi! Please stop!" Misty pleaded.

Celebi stopped and clutched its head, remembering the time Rob got his *** kicked by a group of Mankeys. Oops, wrong memory.

"HEY!" Rob shouted outside.

Celebi went back to attacking the rest of the group.

"Celebi! Stop! You can't be consumed by this evil!" Sammy cried.

Celebi cried and clutched its head. The memory of watching the Butterfree hatch consumed his mind. At last, he made the connection between his heart, and the darkness abandoned him.

Celebi was no longer evil.

"HHEEEYY!" Vicious cried. "That's it!" He swooped down from atop the now docile monster and kicked Ash away.

(I had enough...) Suicine smashed Vicious with a bubble beam. Crumpled to the ground, Vicious could do nothing as Suicine took the other four out of the Celebi demon. Once safe on the ground, Suicine instructed Rob, (Finish it!)

"All right!" Rob prepared his Keyblade.

(Roast him for me... for US...) Houndoom powered up Rob's Keyblade with a Fire Blast.

"Fire!" Maya added more power.

"And now..." Rob rushed up to the beast while Vicious was still inside. "Cease the evil... in darkness," Rob took a mighty slash, destroying the beast with one fell slash, overheating it and causing it to fry to death.

Vicious ceased to exist.

****

A group of Mankeys was watching the entire fight. When Rob slashed the monster down in half, the ensuing blast nearly hit them. This pissed them off. They went to declare war when a passing ship came by. They hitched a ride on the flying ship...

****

Silence fell in the forest as Celebi crumpled again tired from the fight.

Rob felt the water. "It isn't pure. The debris from the monster soiled it."

(I can fix that...) Suicine answered, and he began to glow. Jumping from place to place on the lake, Suicine recovered the water to its original state. Sammy put Celebi in the water again. It took much longer than last time and our heroes worried.

But Celebi began to recover. Its eyes blinked.

At this, the ship containing everyone else arrived.

"Eggman!" cried Sonic.

The ship stopped. A crowd of Mankeys hopped off and beat the crap out of Rob. Before Rob could even counter, they ran away. Dr. Eggman and Tails emerged, but so did Maki and Diana. "Sammy!" she cried.

"Maki..." he hugged her.

"Well... Our job is done here..." Maya said.

(Sammy... phone home!) Celebi giggled.

"I'll miss you all," Sammy said. He gave Ash a hug. "For friendship." He also gave Rob a hug, and he said, "For showing the light in darkness..." He turned to everyone as Celebi touched his shoulders. "I have to go home... Farewell..." Yukinari said, as he and Celebi disappeared. Suicine bode Rob farewell and dashed off. Everyone waved to the disappearing guests.

"Is this the last time we'll see you guys?" Ash asked Rob.

"Maybe... maybe not." Rob answered. "But remember this... keep true to your heart, no matter how much darkness rests in it... its your greatest weapon against evil."

"Farewell," Sonic waved.

"Bye!" Everyone from the planet waved as the six heroes climbed on the spaceship and blasted off.

****

Near the lake that very night, Houndoom howled again. It would forever remember his new friends, it would forever remember Rob and most of all, it would remember Tyranitar... his old friend who tragically fell to the darkness. Houndoom howled in tribute once more, and then set off to find Rob.

Back in Viridian City, Professor Oak hung up the phone. He consoled Ash, who had been made slightly miserable by the farewell of his friends Sammy. "You must always keep your friends in your heart, no matter where they are," he had said. When Ash said bye, enlightened by this information, Professor Oak hung up and headed off into a separate room. All of his most important stuff had been moved here, after he and Delilah had escaped Pallet Town to avoid Heartless invasion. From these things he saw his old sketchbook. He picked it up and looked inside. The very same pictures Sammy drew were in this book.

"It feels just like yesterday..." Professor Oak said, a tear of happiness in his eye.

(A/N: You like? I know it's not directly the movie, but I saw a summary of such, and made it a tribute, since I wouldn't be caught dead visiting it in theatres. Sora and friends get next chapter, guaranteed!)

The Prophet

20th June 2003, 02:38 PM

Roast bacon? Heh. Another good chapter. By the way, are the Unknowns/Non Existant Ones going to make an apperance? I JUST LOVE THOSE GUYS....

Legends-Kuja

22nd June 2003, 06:16 PM

Episode 6: Sora's New Groove

(A/N: Deeply surprised that no one's crossed over with this Disney Movie (I DON'T OWN) yet...)

"Sara, WHAT are we doing on this world?" Sora asked, looking at the vast valley in the ancient Inca world.

"The emperor here has promised me a rare gift," Sara answered, flittering her single right wing.

"What kind of gift?" Sora asked.

"He promised me some rare magic I could merge with my sword, since I fed his egocentric mind a most wondrous idea...a birthday resort," Sara responded.

"... Okay... but what are we doing out here in the middle of a field?" Sora asked.

"... this is where the portal led us..." Sara blinked.

"And you've BEEN HERE before?"

"That's not important right now... But I WILL say that after Hollow Bastion fell, I fashioned myself a traveler of worlds, just like my father."

"HEY! I see someone!" Sora saw a large man sitting on a rock, in the middle of the pasture. He sat, feeding and caring for a group of llamas. "Let's ask him for directions!"

Sora and Sara ran up to the man, who was talking to the llamas about someone. "I just know he has some good in him!" He seemed sane enough, so obviously, he was simply talking, not expecting any conversation. He then noticed Sora and Sara. "May I help you?"

"Yeah, we're looking for the emperor at his Kingdom..." Sora began.

"You're looking at what's left of that emperor!" They turned to see a llama much thinner and darker than the rest of them. He staggered over to the man. "Pacha... I... I'm sorry."

"That's okay, Kuzco," Pacha, the man answered.

Kuzco cried. "I don't wanna be a llama anymore! WAAAHHH!"

"Well then, I suppose I'll help you back then."

Kuzco noticed the duo. "Hey, who're you guys?" however, after staring at Sara, he recognized her. "Oh, HI, Sara! Listen, I'd love to give you that magic, but I'm sorta FARRR away from my castle right now, not to mention I have to deal with Yzma... Who's the kid with you?"

"I'm no kid! I'm SORA!" Sora boasted. "But who's Yzma?"

"Perhaps we should explain," Pacha answered. "You see Kuzco used to be the emperor until he got turned into a llama by Yzma, his advisor. She had her henchmen try to kill him, but they failed. We got to get back to the castle and change him back!"

"Yeah!" Kuzco confirmed. "At first, Pacha wouldn't help me because I was gonna destroy his village to put in my new birthday resort, but I decided to reconsider!"

Sara rolled her eyes. WHY did she give him that idea?

"We'll get some supplies at my house quickly before we head back." Pacha said.

"All right then," Sara said.

They head past the hills to Pacha's village. However, before they could get inside, Heartless emerged.

"It's those shadow creatures again!" Kuzco whimpered.

"Heartless!" Sora snarled and began to attack. He easily sliced through a couple, but Sara simply curled up, as if gathering power.

"I had enough of this..." her voice echoed as she unleashed her full power, several blasts of shadow magic coming from the earth and wiping out the Heartless.

Sora snapped, "AWWW... COME ON! Why do you always DO THAT? I can't get any experience points if you keep blowing them all up!"

"Well sheesh, I though if you at least WATCHED me, you'd rack some experience points." Sara snickered.

"WELL... uh, let's just keep going." Sora turned away and began to run up the hill in the village.

As the foursome ran up the hill, two villagers yelled out to Pacha, "Hey Pacha! Your great, great, great, great aunt is at your house!"

They stopped. Pacha came back. "Describe this woman to me. Was she-"

"Scary beyond all reason? Yep!" said one of the villagers.

Pacha and Kuzco turned to each other. "That's Yzma."

"That can't be good..." Sora muttered. "We'll have to sneak in."

Running up to the house, the group stopped and sneaked around to a window.

****

"And you are?" Pacha's wife raised her eyebrow. (A/N: At the time I edited this, I STILL can't remember her name for the life of me, or the kids! Bear with me, she'll be referred to as Esmerelda for now on.)

"Why, I'm Yzma, and I'm Pacha's father's great, great aunt, twice removed!" Yzma answered. Obviously, she fit the bill of being scary beyond all reason, not to mention being OLD beyond all reason, but I guess being hideously ugly covers your age somehow. "I'm looking to do business for him!"

"He's not here right now..." Pacha's wife answered truthfully.

"Well, when will he be back?" Yzma pleasantly ventured.

"I don't know!" Esmerelda returned pleasantly, but then she noticed Pacha silently knocking on a window outside. "Hold on," she nervously said. "I think I left something burning, I'll be right back!"

She dashed to the window, while Yzma walked over to Krunk, who was now playing jump rope for the kids. "Krunk... what're you doing?" Yzma hissed dangerously.

"Hey Yzma!" Krunk happily answered. "I'm playing jump rope, do you wanna play? We'll switch on the count of three."

In a matter of seconds, Krunk was turning the rope while Yzma was hopping. "KRUNK... We don't have time for this! We MUST find Kuzco!" she hissed.

They switched positions; now the kids twirled the rope and Yzma and Krunk jumped in the center. "We need to search the house, she's probably hiding something!" she whispered.

Meanwhile, Pacha and Esmerelda exchanged harried whispers, "You mean those crazy people in there are trying to kill the emperor?"

"Yes, they turned him into a llama, and now they're trying to kill him! Listen, we need to get some supplies and escape, can you help?" Pacha pleaded.

"Yeah, could you-" Kuzco began, showing up.

Esmerelda, horrified at the sight of Kuzco the llama delivered a single punch and knocked him out.

"Umm... that was him," Pacha said.

"Whoops, sorry!" she blushed. "The kids and I will let them tour the house. Hurry and get going!" they gave a quick kiss.

"Hi!" Sora hopped in and dashed up to their room. Esmerelda asked, "Who's he?"

"I dunno, some kid who fights off those shadow creatures we've been seeing lately." Pacha answered as Sora quickly gathered supplies. They hopped out the window and Esmerelda walked back to deal with Yzma.

****

"HEY! LET US OUT!" Yzma complained.

"Try jiggling the doorknob!" Esmerelda instructed.

"There IS no doorknob!" Yzma complained. The kids giggled. "Let us out at ONCE, and I'll burn your house to the ground!"

"Isn't it OR?" Krunk meekly suggested.

"Oh, right," Yzma said. "Let us out NOW OR I'll burn your house to the ground."

"All right, we're ready!" One child chirped.

"Krunk, on the count of three, we're going to ram this door down. ONE... TWO..." At this, Esmerelda inserted the missing doorknob. "THREE!" Yzma charged, but with good timing, Esmerelda opened the door, allowing Yzma to careen right out of the closet. Krunk for once wisely did nothing. Yzma slipped on the waxed floor, sailed right out of the house, doused in pillow feathers, got her face stuck in a beehive, and with incredible force replaced a piñata in which several kids were already striking. If she wasn't scary beyond reason by then, she SURE DAMN WAS NOW!

"I don't suppose I'll be seeing you for a while will I?" Krunk asked Esmerelda.

"Maybe, maybe not! Hopefully soon after this emperor mess is sorted out." She answered.

"KRUNK!" Yzma yelled as the kids battered her.

"I gotta go. Nice seein' ya!" Krunk saluted her and dashed off to help Yzma.

After shooing away the kids, Yzma noted the four heroes escaping. "They're escaping! Let's get them!"

Sora made a face at our antagonists and Sara flipped them off.

Not long after, the four of them were running through the hills, with Yzma and Krunk in mad pursuit. They came across a ledge. Pacha shot an arrow to another tree on the other side, tied the other end of the rope to the tree next to them, and used his shawl to ride to the other side. Kuzco did the same. Sora hopped on top of it and grinded down it instead. Sara snorted at the other three and simply made a powerful leap from one end to the other.

"You HAVE to teach me how to do that!" Kuzco's jaw dropped.

Sora only grumbled. Sara snickered and used her sword to cut the rope to keep Yzma and Krunk from using it.

Speaking of such, the two just arrived. Seeing that there was no way across Yzma ordered Krunk to leap. At first, our heroes laughed, but then as Krunk leapt, a hang glider appeared on top of Yzma's tent! They sailed towards our heroes, who panicked and ran. However a stray thunderbolt zapped them for no reason, and they fell to the ground below. Somewhere above them, a Zapdos laughed maniacally.

Our heroes arrived at the palace. "Yzma sure changed the place!" Sara muttered.

"I don't like it one bit!" Kuzco complained. "Quick, let's find Yzma's lab!"

Unfortunately, they were greeted by several Heartless. These new guys looked much like the ancient guards that protected Kuzco.

"Aww man! Now there's new breeds!" Whined Sora. He attacked one with a combo, killing it.

The others started to attack Kuzco and the others, but they dodged and ran off, while Sara easily sliced them. She dodged the spear of one of the creatures, flipped up, and smashed it with her left foot, sending it spiraling to its death.

"WHAT'S THAT?!" Pacha exclaimed, pointing his finger in a random direction.

The Heartless that was about to attack him looked in that direction in utter confusion as Kuzco rammed him, sending him right into the path of one of Sora's attacks.

"FORCE!" Sora shouted, using Graviga on the hapless Heartless. When the fight was all over, Sora looked confused. "What WAS that?"

Sara smacked Sora and grabbed him by the ear. All four headed off to the switchboard, with Sora whining all the way. Sora recovered and spoke first. "Okay, which one takes us down to Yzma's lab?"

"I think this one..." Sara grabbed one lever and pulled it. Sora and Kuzco fell through a hole into a crocodile pit. "WRONG LEVER!!" Sora shouted.

Sora and Kuzco came back, shaking off several Ferliagatrs on their feet. "Okay, WHO made that lever?" Kuzco complained. Pacha pulled the RIGHT lever this time and all four fell onto a roller coaster buggy.

"Please fasten your seatbelts," said an automatic voice.

The ride began.

Although Kuzco and Pacha simply cowered in fear because the coaster was going too fast, Sora was having the time of his life. "WOO!" he rooted, throwing his hands up.

A sudden crash sent the four of them careening out of the buggy and onto the science floor, donning lab suits. Pacha was too fat for his, Kuzco couldn't even wear it, and Sara's got stuck on her wing.

Sora, however, managed to get his on just right. "I feel... intelligent," Sora boasted.

"SHUT UP, SORA," the other three growled at him.

They threw off those clothes and began to look through the potions that could turn Kuzco back. "Frog, Monkey, Eagle, Dragon... hey, the human one's gone!" Sora exclaimed. "Where is it?!"

"Looking for THIS?" YZMA, the scariest woman in the universe, held the potion. "I suppose you would like it, eh? Like my new castle? Soon, it will be breeding ground for the Heartless!"

"The HEARTLESS?!" Sora exclaimed.

"The shadow critters?" Kuzco gasped.

"Yes, you stupid boy, the HEARTLESS. Once I kill Kuzco, I won't be challenged for the throne and I shall raid this world for hearts! And when my contractor alerts Hades of my success I SHALL RULE ALL OF YOU MONKEYS! MWAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Hades?!" Sora snarled. "They're STILL in on this?!"

"Why, you KNOW them?" Yzma gasped with mock surprise. "Well, well! They told me ALLL about you Sora, and I hear you're quite strong. But let me tell you now, you WON'T succeed against me-OWWW!" Yzma dropped the potion, as Kuzco bit her. Pacha grabbed the potion, only to receive a kick in the face from Yzma, who snatched the potion back. "KRUUNNNNK!"

Krunk crawled through, tired. "ARRGGHH... WHO MADE that lever?!" he shook off yet another Ferliagatr. "Okay, help?"

"Help me KILL THEM!"

Krunk flinched. He didn't particularly want to harm them. However, Angel Krunk and Devil Krunk appeared. Devil Krunk says. "YESSS... help her kill them! Evil rocks!"

"But I refrain," said the Angel Krunk. "They're the good guys, and you don't even LIKE Yzma. Do good, because evil is stupid."

"Is NOT!"

"Is too."

"Is NOT!"

"Hey, hey, guys! Chill out," Krunk said to the two of them, ignoring Yzma's shouts of "KRUNK!" as Kuzco, Pacha, and Sora were beating her to a pulp. Sara, however, noted Krunk's dilemma, and was quite amused by it. "I'm not so sure about this, I mean, Yzma is my job. But I don't like her uhh... attitude!"

"KRUNK," Yzma had somehow fought off Sora and the others, most notably because they were staring at Krunk. "Why do I even bother. I have to work with an idiot. An idiot named KRUNK!"

"Oh," Krunk raised his eyebrows, offended.

"What was that?" Devil Krunk snarled.

"And I never liked you Spinach Pastries! NEVER!" Yzma crowed.

Krunk began to slightly cry. Angel Krunk comforted him. "That was cold..." he remarked about Yzma.

"That's it," Devil Krunk armed his pitchfork. "She's goin' DOWN."

Sora blinked. For some odd reason, he could SEE the Krunk consciousness-es. The Devil one appeared extremely pissed off. Sora grinned and dashed to the potions. "Lesee... Extract of dog, squirrel, Pikachu?" He raised his eyebrow. What were Pokémon forms doing here? But that didn't matter. "AHA!" he grabbed the potion he was looking for and dashed back.

"DEVIL KRUNK! CATCH THIS!" Sora chucked the potion over to Devil Krunk, who amazingly caught it. To everyone else in the room, it appeared that Krunk developed psychic power, but Sora knew better.

"Use this!" suggested both sides.

"Krunk, WHAT are you DOING?!" Yzma roared, not noticing Sora's growing grin.

Krunk said, "What you told me to do..." Krunk pretended to throw at Kuzco, much to everyone's horror, but then at the last second he repositioned his aim and it hit Yzma instead! A blast of smoke filled the room. Krunk caught the human potion, but then, everyone heard demonic laughter.

"HAHAHAHAHA!" Two devilish eyes glared at Kuzco and Sora. However when the smoke cleared, there stood... a kitty. "Meow?" the confused kitten muttered.

"Ha, it worked!" Sora cheered. Unfortunately for him, the cat realized this and grew angry. Yzma the kitten attacked Sora on the face. "OUCH! GETITOFFAMEEE!"

A very irritated Sara punted the kitten off of Sora, but then it attacked Krunk.

"AAIIEE!" Krunk whined, before Sara punted the kitten off again. The tired kitty landed in the middle of the room. It wearily stood and yelled in a high pitched voice. "YOU CAN'T BEAT MEE! EEEK, is that my voice? Is that MY voice? OOOOH, you'll pay! RIDLEEEEYYY!!"

"Whaddya want?" A HUGE purple dragon flew in the room. Although bone thin, the dragon looked like it could devour a whole army. "OOOO! It's the KEYBLADE master!" Ridley cheered.

Pacha and Kuzco's eyes bugged out. "What... IS... that thing?" they whispered.

"RIDLEY..." Sara growled.

"Why HELLO, Sara! Nice to see you here!" Ridley sneered. "Look, as tempting as it is, don't mess with Yzma, okay? You gotta go through ME first!"

"Once Ridley smashes you to a pulp, I'm going to take that potion, and when I turn back to my BEAUTIFUL self, I shall KILL YOU! MWAHAHAHAHA!" Yzma the kitten cackled.

"Just bring it then, Ridley!" Sora bellowed.

Kuzco, Pacha, and Krunk cowered in a corner.

Sara snarled, and both attacked as Ridley swooped down to strike. Sora tried to smash him, but Ridley swiftly dodged and smashed him down with his tail. Sara sliced him with her sword, although it didn't do much to his armored skin.

"Hey, how about some bad breath?" Ridley cackled, sending fireballs at Sara. She dodged and struck again, constantly trying to pierce his armor.

Sora recovered, and caught Ridley off guard with a leap slash to the back. "OWW! You're gonna pay for that, Bigfoot!" Ridley snarled as he moved in for a wing attack. Sora snickered and aimed his Keyblade to the sky.

"THUNDER!" commanded Sora, as electric bolts struck Ridley's wings. Ridley seemed affected, but not painfully.

"Izzat supposed to hurt?" Ridley cackled.

"No, but THIS IS!" Sora blasted his chest with a Firaga spell and then moved in for a combo.

"Smart move," Sara gave a slight grin. She struck once more, causing Ridley to flail back.

Ridley curled and dashed PAST Sara, whipped around, and shot a Flamethrower at her. Sara leapt back as Sora charged and performed a Sonic Blade. Ridley dodged the move but met Sara's blade, crashing onto the floor.

"You can't beat me!" Ridley roared. "YOU JUST GOT LUCKY!" He beat his wings, and a vicious wind tore through, smashing Sara against a wall.

She snarled, "My dad would kill me..." she fell, defeated.

"Sara!" Sora cried. Ridley simply laughed. Sora's face contorted in anger and he crashed against Ridley.

"You're pissed, now," Ridley said, tauntingly, as he dodged an attack from Sora. "Being outraged in fights makes you stronger, but way too damn predictable!" he smacked Sora away, but Sora came back and tried to combo him. "I can see your every move now. You can't win," Ridley smashed Sora against a wall. Ridley roared in triumph, and flew over to the cowering trio. "Hey, dudes, you can either die, get murdered, or kick the bucket! Which one do you wanna choose?"

"I'd rather kill YOU," A sudden blast to Ridley's back made him flinch in utter surprise and pain.

He whirled around in outrage to stare down his worst enemy. "SAMUS!"

"Why Ridley, it's nice to see you," she taunted. "YOU'RE MINE, YOU FREAK!"

"Ridley, who is this woman in a metal costume?" Yzma the kitten asked.

"Umm..." Ridley had a giant sweat drop. WHY did Samus have to find him now?! "That's like Samus, my greatest rival..."

"Awww, isn't the kitty cute?" Samus purred as she stuck her face in Yzma's.

Yzma attacked Samus's face.

Big mistake.

Being completely unaffected by Yzma's attack due to her metal visor, Samus just stood there. "That's too bad." She blasted off Yzma the kitten with a single missile.

The kitty's smoking body landed in front of Ridley, who scooped it up.

"I hate you, Ridley. You made me murder an innocent kitten..." Samus fired more missiles at Ridley, who turned tail to run.

"Gotta go! Can't stick around! SEE YA!" Ridley flew off.

"COME BACK HERE!" Samus roared, but remembering that temper isn't gonna kill Ridley, she calmed down and simply muttered, "Figures." She walked over to Sora. "You all right?"

"Uhh... yeah..." Sora sighed. "Who are you?"

"Name's Samus Aran. Many people that don't like me refer to me as The Hunter. I've been hunting down Ridley for months, and lately I've seen his connection to the Heartless." She answered.

"I'm Sora. This is my... partner, Sara," Sora ventured. "I've been fighting of the Heartless for three years now."

Samus tapped something on her helmet and stared at Sara for a moment. She then said, "Thought it was you. So, you're the daughter of the One Winged Angel?"

"Yes..." she answered.

"Hey, HEY! Hold on a minute." Kuzco came out of his hiding place. "Can we talk about that later? I'm confused beyond all meaning! First there was Sora, then there was that giant dragon thing, and now there's a girl in a metal suit from space, talking about the Heartless! There are too many things to do at the moment for me to become confused! Pacha needs to know the fate of his village, Sara needs that magic stuff, and I need to become human again! I can't do any of that if I'm so confused! So... can I become human now so I can do things for OTHER people?"

"Wish granted," Krunk handed him the potion, and he drank.

****

"You lied to me," Emperor Kuzco, now human, leered at Pacha.

"What?" Pacha looked at him, surprised.

"You said when the sun hits those hills just right, they're supposed to sing. Well listen here, buddy. I was dragged ALL OVER those hilltops, and I didn't even hear one note! I'm putting my resort somewhere else. It looks like you're stuck on the tuneless hilltops forever, sonny. Did you guys hear any singing?"

"Nope!" Sora answered.

"Nothin'!" Sara added.

"Don't look at me, I wasn't even here," Samus muttered.

However, Krunk said, "It was in squirrel."

They all looked at him. "It doesn't count, right?" Krunk ventured.

"NOPE!" Kuzco announced, taking the model of Pacha's house and putting it back on the hilltop in which it belonged. "And AS FOR YOU..." he dashed off. There were several noises of pots clashing. He then came back holding a magic orb. He handed it to Sara. "A gift from my kingdom to yours."

Sara grafted the power onto her sword. "Thanks... it's stronger now."

Upon that, a flash of light appeared on Kuzco's throne.

A keyhole appeared.

"Huh?" Kuzco looked at it.

"It's a keyhole. I can seal it, and prevent the Heartless from attacking here." Sora said. He stepped up to the throne and pointed the Keyblade at the Keyhole. It sealed the keyhole away.

"WHOOHOO!" Kuzco cheered.

"We can rest easy now that they can't steal our hearts," Pacha added.

"We're off," Sora said. "Farewell."

"Hey, you know a lot about the Heartless, would you two like a ride?" Samus offered. "Consider yourselves lucky, normally I don't do spaceship-pools."

"All right!" Sora cheered.

"I suppose," Sara agreed. "We can sort out all we need to know."

"Bye!" Everyone waved, and they disappeared from the save point.

****

"That's just too bad..." Kagato shook his head. "The incompetent fool Yzma, she didn't even fortify her defenses."

"Yet another folly on the villain ring, I see," a man, completely wrapped in bandages had stepped in. He wore what looked like a blue toga, and he held a large sword. The pack of villains turned to this new face. "Hades told me all about the plan with the Heartless. I wish to join the fun," This man smiled evilly.

The villains eyed this newcomer, but Hades flared in and whipped up a flashy introduction. "All right, LADIES AND GENTS! INTRODUCING the world's most ruthless man-slayer, a man that's got almost more fire in his eyes than I do, MAKOTO SHISHIO!"

The villains clapped, and Bowser stepped closer to the mummified man. "You got what it takes?" Bowser snarled, testing to see if Shishio was easily intimidated. Shishio didn't even flinch at Bowser's bad breath.

"Perhaps more than you," Shishio's grin grew wider, and Bowser was taken aback.

"A most interesting character," Giovanni mused.

"You are one of GREAT evil!" Aku proclaimed to Shishio. "Why, your skills could easily match that samurai who always bothers me. It is why Hades and I let you in."

Kraid roared.

"Interesting characters," Shishio noted as Kraid lunged down to attack. Shishio parried the bite of the gigantic creature.

"NO FIGHTING!" Aku boomed.

"You see, that was our problem LAST TIME," Hades explained, as Shishio and Kraid settled down. "Everyone didn't get along, everyone kept going by ourselves, no one listened to the EXPERTS, and we all kept fighting, and Keyblade boy just made it all go BOOM. NOW, if we WORK TOGETHER, as painful as that sounds, we can own those miserable fools before they even get started!" Hades cheered, his hair flaring. Jesse and James sneaked in, whispered to Giovanni, giggled evilly as he gave commands, and scampered off.

Shishio watched with interest as the crew already showed signs of teamwork. Hades began, talking in his quick fashion. "All right, here's the breakdown of what's happening next. Kuja's off to Gotham City-"

"No one CARES about Kuja," Aku interjected slowly.

"Yeah, that's right, he's a loser, I forgot. Maybe Darkside can keep Rob out of the way, huh?"

"Captain Hook told me he wanted to get something more on the Soulless or something," Bowser said.

"That's right," Giovanni added. "I've picked up word of a top secret project in the works of Mossdeep City which Jesse and James just informed me of. Until then, I wanted them to assist some of my free agents in one of their missions off the coast of Johto. With any luck we'll find the location of Earth's main keyhole by then."

"Around that time I'll put cards in to play..." Kagato sneered.

"Your turn, Shishio, will soon come..." Aku stated.

"I'll be waiting until then," Shishio smiled.

All the villains laughed evilly.

****

"Gawrsh, Donald, why are there so many... Pocket Monsters here?" Goofy looked about the landscape of the Palma Islands (A/N: Place where Palmtree Panic took place in Sonic CD), staring at the various Pokémon wandering about.

"I don't know, Goofy, I thought they only resided on Earth," Donald said. "But that's not important right now! We need to find the king and Riku!"

"But where's Riku?" Goofy asked. "He could be anywhere on this planet! Let alone THE KING!"

"You don't have too much to search," answered a voice behind them. They turned to see an older teenager with red, spiky hair and wearing a blue karate gi. However, he was also wearing what looked like a Heartless tattoo on his right hand! "This is a fairly small planet. The only problem is the TIME period. You'll have to wonder through three different ages."

"Is that a Heartless tattoo?" Goofy asked with a shaky voice.

"Sort of..." The teenager said. "There's both good and evil in darkness and light... We were up against a demon of great light, so we shed our hearts and came forth as heroes of shadow...I can assure you though, I'm not evil."

"You aren't huh? Who are you then?" Donald leered at him.

"Excuse my rude manners. My name is Crono." The youth extended his hand. "I know where Riku is, and I just might know where King Mickey is..."

"So who was thish evil guy with light you fought?" Donald kept leering at him.

"His name was Kuja... but I don't think we know each other well what are YOUR names?"

Donald heard something about Kuja, so this Crono guy was legit after all. "Donald Duck!" The duck crowed.

"Goofy! I guess you aren't bad after all!" Goofy shook hands. Donald reluctantly did the same. "So can you help us find our king and Riku?"

"Of course..." Crono obliged.

"Wait! One more thing before we go," Donald interrupted. Surprised Goofy didn't ask this question, Donald ventured, "You know what those Pocket Monsters are doing on this planet?"

Crono looked back. "This is what I know so far. A strange virus has run about the worlds. They cause indigenous animals of various worlds to mutate into Pokémon, much like what you see here. It doesn't make them any more violent than normal and no outside force seems to be controlling them...yet. But it is said the Pokémon are linked to the Heartless in someway, so this could be bad news."

"Wow..." Donald blinked. All this information was nearly making him loose track of what he came here to do. "BUT... let's sort all that mess out once we find THE KING!" Donald marched towards the rest of the islands, with Crono and Goofy snickering behind his back.

(A/N: OLD SCHOOL CHARACTERS! Didn't expect that, did YOU? Small hints of what our heroes are up against next...)

Legends-Kuja

24th June 2003, 09:49 PM

Episode 7: Keen Titans

(Disclaimer: No ownage of the Teen Titans (Cartoon version)! No ownage of the Four either--they're a group of four chaps in dedication to my online friend. Chill out and enjoy the show)

"Where are we going?" Asked Sora as he watched Samus put the ship on auto-pilot.

"Earth. That's where all the action is. You mean you haven't heard?" Samus stared at Sora incredulously.

"No... I haven't paid any attention to the Universe News lately, Sara and I have been too busy searching for lost friends," Sora sighed. He missed Kairi. He could only imagine how much Sara missed Mary. Yeah, that's the name of that girl Sara talked about. Hopefully we'll find them soon, Sora thought.

"I think it's time you learned, then. The Heartless are all over the place down there. It's a wonder the planet hasn't been destroyed already, but people have managed to put up a resistance, thanks to the mysterious notes being left by a man named Ansem."

"ANSEM?!" Sora gasped. "THAT GUY IS THE SOURCE OF THE HEARTLESS! IS HE ALIVE DOWN THERE?!"

"Keep your voice down!" Sara snapped. "Some people need sleep between planets."

"Some people report than Ansem *is* alive, but Sara's right! Keep quiet!" Samus added tersely.

Sora began to babble in panic, " I CAN'T PIPE DOWN WHEN THE SOURCE OF THE HEARTLESS IS STILL ALIVE TO BRING DEATH AND DESTRUCTION TO ONE OF THE BIGGEST PLANETS IN THE UNIVERSE!"

"Wait a minute, why do you say he's so evil?" Samus asked.

"If you answer her question, will you stop yelling?" Sara grumbled.

"YES!" Sora cheered, simply doing so to get on Sara's nerves. He cleared his throat and spoke seriously. "Ansem wasn't evil before I met him. Back on his home planet, he was a kind king who craved knowledge. However, when he did research on the Heartless, they corrupted him. To this day he is still evil, although I thought the Door to the Light killed him."

(That was a plot device!) Yelled a Heartless who somehow wound up on the ship.

"SHUT UPPPPP!" Sora yelled, killing it with a Keyblade stab.

Suddenly, Samus heard an intercom beep. "Samus, incoming transmission!" An automated voice alerted.

Samus rushed to the cockpit to see a screen of a man in a leather jacket, undershirt and jeans. "Well, well. Ms. Aran. What brings you to these parts, darlin'?"

"Marshall James Raynor...," Samus said slyly, "You bastard. Where the hell have you been?" She laughed a bit.

"In Traverse Town," Raynor replied. "And that's Commander Raynor now, sweetheart."

"Don't even start with that, James," said Samus, quickly losing her jovialness.

"Aww, c'mon now, lighten up," replied Raynor, "Anyways, we were shootin' a couple of those things you call Heartless. Damn, those little bastards are more annoying than the Zerg! Siege is collecting data so when we find 'em anywhere else, we know what kills them. Say, darlin', have you heard anything about a so-called 'Keyblade of Darkness'?"

"You're risking it with the 'darlin'' thing," Samus replied. "And no, I haven't."

"Hey!" Sora dashed in. "I have! I think it's this weapon of evil that's used by the Heartless! The one who wields it is probably possessed by it, and could be tearing apart planets right now."

"Hey, you look familiar, kid!" Raynor said. "I think we saw you in Traverse Town!"

"Name's Sora," Sora pouted, having been referred to as a kid again.

"Well, Sora, I think we can help you track this thing down. Siege just found a hell of a lot of dark energy", Raynor said, "Strange thing is that its all in one place. Accordin' to him, its heading towards Earth. Gotham City, to be exact."

"Hey, how about we meet in Gotham City and talk about it when we get there?" Sora said.

"Good idea. Meet us there at 1900 hours." Raynor signed off.

"Umm...what time is that?" Sora asked, confused.

"7:00 P.M, moron," Sara snarled before she went back to sleep. It was 3:00 there at that time, so they had plenty of time, as they just arrived near Traverse Square.

****

"Okay, so what's next?" Rob asked as he sat down in one of the seats.

"Whoa... get this," Tails answered, pointing to a map of the U.S/Kanto. (Kanto is in essence, the U.S) "A serious source of... light. Ever heard of Gotham City?"

"Gotham City... don't you mean New York?" Maya tilted her head in confusion.

"They're the same thing," Rob said. "But that source of light... could it be the evil Soulless?"

"Beats me." Sonic checked his palm and then hopped in a chair. "We've got ourselves a situation, then!"

"I bet..." Rob rolled his eyes.

"In that case, we might have another challenge on our hands then, eh?" Sonic slapped Rob's back. "Chill out. If it comes to that, we need the experience, there's probably a lot more stronger bad guys elsewhere!"

"You're right," Rob gripped his Keyblade. "But I hope that whatever's here isn't too much to handle."

"I guess we're going in then?" Tifa said.

"Prepare yourselves, everyone!" Eggman boomed and he put the ship at a slower rate to prepare for arrival.

****

"The Keyblade of Darkness is coming this way..." Ansem noted, staring into the night sky with his neon orange eyes. "I can meet the wielder at last," Ansem held his own Keyblade on his shoulder. Although it wasn't a true Keyblade, it was forged for him to show his true and permanent allegiance to the side of good. With any luck he can find what the Keyblade of Darkness unlocks, although he already had a fleeting suspicion. He hopped down the building and ran down the side, Sonic style. He snarled as he felt another familiar presence headed this way.

****

"Here we are. Gotham City!" Tails announced as the ship came to a stop on a flat building.

Rob hopped out the ship first. "Reminds me of home," he said. "Except bigger."

"You came from a city? Didn't say," Sonic hopped out next.

"Yeah, this DOES look like Chicago, doesn't it?" Maya asked.

"Never seen a city like this before, aside from Traverse Square..." Tifa leapt out the ship.

"We'll try to land this ship somewhere safe," Dr. Robotnik said. "We'll regroup later."

"All right," Rob nodded as Dr. Robotnik closed the hatch and the ship rocketed away. Rob stared at where the ship left for a moment before turning to see his friends, but they were oddly in fighting stances.

"What?!" Rob looked from Maya to Sonic and Tifa, noting that they kept leering at something. Rob turned around to see a familiar face.

"Charlotte?" Rob asked.

The girl in question wore a Heartless uniform (A/N: What Riku wore when Ansem possessed him.), but the white Soulless crest was on her chest instead. Angelic white wings extended and flapped slowly behind her. Her blond, almost white hair blew in the wind.

Charlotte spoke, or rather thought. It appeared like she had two voices. (Not quite... I am Oni, or what I am better known as... the Holy Darkness. I share a body and mind with this girl. If I remember correctly... you share a deep rivalry with this Charlotte...)

"What?!" Rob blinked, this thing not making sense. "Let Charlotte go!"

(Fool... she cooperates with me,) her wings spread out, making her look even more threatening and elegant. (She willingly gave me this body... the two of us are fated to battle you. You want to know why?)

"Is it the same reason you want my blood?!" Rob shot back.

(Maybe... maybe not... fight me and find out,) Her wings quivered and she fired a wicked blast of scattering holy light, forcing our heroes to jump back.

"Oh CRAP, she's lost it!" Maya shouted, using a Thunder attack. Oni took the shock and moved in firing a direct blast to Maya's stomach. She flew back and crashed into the rooftop.

"Maya!" Rob shouted, dodging a wing swipe.

"Eat this! Sonic Wind!" Sonic shouted, as the whirling blue tornado knocked her around a bit. Rob flipped Sonic in the air and the blue hedgehog slammed into Oni with perfect form.

"Allow me to try something new I learned..." Tifa pumped her fist and aimed. "Meteor Punch!" Tifa's move hit Oni dead on, although she blocked the move. The power of the punch rendered her guard useless, though and she took damage anyway.

(Not bad...) Oni smiled and flew upwards. She then began to dive-bomb Sonic, who crashed painfully into the ground as a result.

"AUGH!" Rob's jaw hit the floor as Sonic struggled to recover. Oni also dive-bombed Tifa, who could barely guard against the attack.

"Wait for me!" Maya finally recovered and unleashed a Blizzard spell. Oni stopped to block the move, but Maya kept grinning. That's when Rob made his move.

Rob leapt in and smashed her with a combo. "Let's try THIS!" Rob lifted his free hand into the air. "Dark Bomb!" A blast of dark energy shook Oni with incredible force. Oni recovered and smashed Rob with a hand slap. Sonic shook himself and used a homing attack to counter a blast of a combined holy/dark ray. She whipped around and smashed Sonic away.

Sonic recovered and spat blood to the side. "Ugh... she's pretty strong..."

Rob whirled around and leapt back up. "So we're fated to battle, huh?"

"Come again?" Oni slammed the ground and dark energy erupted. Our heroes barely dodged, and Oni flew up and attempted to crash Sonic with another holy/dark ray.

"Not that again!" Sonic sneered and grabbing Tifa's hand, he swung her to deliver a smash kick to her face. Rob leapt in and did another combo.

"Let's try that again!" Rob announced, whipping around to fight. Sonic used another homing attack and missed again, being rewarded with a wing attack to the stomach.

"Again and again!" Maya cheered, using a Thunder spell over and over. Tifa grumbled something under her breath about again being used AGAIN and dodged a holy judgment onslaught. Rob bellowed and smacked her with another combo.

(...Truly fascinating... This is going to be enjoyable.) Oni/Charlotte suddenly flew back, and our heroes stopped.

"What? Have enough fun?" Rob taunted.

(No... someone else has come to crash the party...) Oni/Charlotte flapped her wings steadily as they heard "Titans, let's move!" The mystic angel dodged a green blast and avoided the swift attacks of a green bird.

"It's you again..." Rob turned to see Cloud, walking slowly unlike the rest of the people charging in. His cape blew in the wind.

Tifa, recognizing the voice whirled to Cloud. "Cloud?"

"Nice to see you, Tifa, but I wasn't talking to you," He acknowledged her as he walked past, until he was beside Rob. "I've seen this girl before."

"Oni/Charlotte?" Rob looked at Cloud, recognizing him from his meeting in the Heart of Darkness.

"Yes, if that's her name. I believe she's behind all the Soulless attacks on this city," Cloud said.

"Just as Tails suspected..." Rob said, but Oni, after barely blocking a HUGE blue beam sent to her by a cyborg-looking teenager, flew up out of range.

(I did not summon these things... it would be a waste of my time...) Oni/Charlette boomed. Rob then heard Charlotte's voice alone. "Did you ever wonder why we just fought you?" She laughed as she began to levitate into the sky and disappear.

"Wait! Why...?" Rob asked.

He then heard the other voice, the voice of the Holy Darkness alone. (Because I made... the Heartless... AND the Soulless...)

"YOU WHAT?!" Rob shouted to the sky, but nothing came back.

"Is she a schizo or something?" The bird landed and formed into a green-haired kid with green skin, elf-like ears and a thin body decked in black and purple. "That girl is weirder than any villain we've ever faced!"

"I think Mad Mod takes the cake on that one, Beast Boy," the group's apparent leader spoke. He was the one who shouted the first lines they heard. He had slick black hair, a thick black cape, a black eye mask, and green tights with a red shirt with a yellow utility belt and small matching "R" on his shirt.

"Mad Mod is stealing pastries? But I thought he was in jail!" A red-haired girl piped in, floating in the air. Her innocent face made her green eyes and pale-yellow skin shine even brighter.

"It's a figure of speech, Star," Beast Boy said.

Rob blinked at this odd team. Personally, he was also confused. Who were they? What was going on with the Soulless? How'd Cloud wind up here? He was about to ask these questions when Maya hopped up and roared, "I'M HUNGRY!"

The leader snickered. "All right then, why don't we head to the pizza place and get to know each other there while we get some food, huh?"

"Yes!" Maya bellowed.

"Fine with me," Rob said, glaring at his twin sister.

****

It was 7:00, and Sora and friends sat in the pizza place. Samus had arrived without her suit, dressed casually yet nicely. After getting over the initial shock that Samus was in fact a girl (funny, everyone seems to do that. Although Sora even heard her true voice.), Sora calmly asked who were the five guys that Samus knew.

"Heh, these are friends of mine. ," Samus began. "They're a mercenary-bounty hunter group called 'The Four.'"

"Four? But there are five of them." observed Sora.

"Oh, this guy?" Jim said, looking over to the tall, pink, alien-like creature, "This is Majin Buu. He's with us. I'm Commander James Raynor, captain of the battlecruiser Hyperion and leader of this little group."

The Blastoise with the cybernetic arm introduced himself. "Master Sergeant Siege Mortar. It's a pleasure."

"The name's Beelzemon," said the tall, pale, demonic person dressed in black with a small black leather jacket with a fur collar, resembling a biker. "I'm a Mega level Demon Lord-type Digimon."

"Not sure if they understand that, buddy," said Raynor.

"Eh, let 'em figure it out," retorted Beelzemon.

"Ehhh...Hi," said the innocent-looking red squirrel. "I'm Conker. Any of you kids over 21? 'Cause I wanna head to a tavern if this place don't sell any pints."

Raynor smacked Conker upside the head. "Your not goin' no where, shorty. Beer or no beer."

"Argh! Stop introducing! We're in a pizza place and I'm hungry!," Majin Buu said. (This is SUPER Buu, by the way)

"What the hell? You just ate a moment ago!" said Raynor.

"It was a small lunch. I ate it too quick!"

"You were eating it fairly slow, Buu," said Siege.

"Not slow enough!" replied Buu angrily.

Siege cocked a non-existant eyebrow, "You're still eating it." Siege pointed out the half-eaten sandwich in Buu's hand.

Buu quickly shoved it in his mouth and swallowed, "Graaaah! I don't care! I'm hungry! Let's get some food already!" Buu began to pound his foot on the ground, causing an earthquake from the force of the pounding, "Come...on!"

Everybody started screaming at the quake until Jim calmed Buu down.

"Buu! Cool it!" he exclaimed, "You'll get your food." He went aside to Sora.

"Sorry about that. Buu...err...likes food too much, and he's also strong as hell, so he gets a little out of control sometimes. You're ok, though, right?"

Sora gave a big nervous smile and nodded. Sara simply raised an eyebrow.

"So... what have you heard about the Keyblade of Darkness?" Sora asked.

"It's puzzling, actually," Siege said. "They say the Keyblade of Darkness is in truth the key to unlocking the balance between light and darkness. If the wielder is evil, they can mess up this balance at will... if they're good, however... they are the key to restoring it."

"We wanna find this guy and turn him in. Wonder if there's a large bounty on him..." Conker contemplated.

"I bet we'll probably get some action along the way, too!" Beelzemon said.

"All I want out of it is food..." Buu muttered. With some luck, their pizzas arrived just as he said this... all ten of them.

"We ordered ten pizzas?" Sora asked, blinking.

Buu then picked up about eight of them and ate them whole. Siege muttered, "Knew he was gonna do that."

Sora could only stare in shock as Buu rubbed his belly contently. He looked, however, as the door burst open and a strange cast of characters zoomed right upstairs. However, what caught Sora's attention is that one of them held a *Keyblade*. And he could've sworn he also saw Cloud among them.

As everyone bickered amongst themselves Sora meekly said, "Guys... hey guys... I just saw another Keyblade."

"What, where?!" The whole table asked collectively.

"They just went upstairs... I wasn't sure but I think that was the Keyblade of Darkness!"

"We'll go check it out... Let's move, boys!" Raynor instructed as the eight of them moved their stuff out.

****

"We're the Teen Titans," the leader introduced. "My name is Robin."

"I'm Beast Boy," Beast Boy crowed. "I can change into any animal. I'm also very popular with the ladies," he grinned. Maya got close and giggled maniacally.

"I'm Cyborg," The biggest of the group stood up and shook hands with Rob. He had a huge body, with half of it being robotic and clear blue. His left eye was completely red.

"Raven..." a dark-haired girl spoke in soft monotone. In stark contrast to Cyborg she was very small and frail looking. A blue cape covered most of her body and a red jewel shone on her forehead.

"My name is Starfire, I am very pleased to meet you," Starfire gushed loudly as she shook hands with Rob. "I like to fly and recite poetry. But please, don't make me angry," Her eyes became fully green as she got into Rob's face. "You will not like me if I am angry."

Rob simply nodded, a HUGE sweat-drop forming on his head. Starfire backed away and sat down again as about eight people appeared on the rooftop and sat down not too far away from them.

"My name is Maya!" Maya chirped.

"I'm Sonic the Hedgehog," Sonic said, "You probably know about me, due to the fact that I saved the world...twice." Sonic gave a proud grin. Robin smirked.

"Yeah, I saw you on T.V once!" Robin added.

Sonic just kept grinning. "My name is Tifa. Some of you already know me..." she looked at Cloud.

Rob recovered, "My name is Rob... I wield the Keyblade of Darkness... So how did y'all meet Cloud?"

"It was weird!" Beast Boy said. "We were fighting off a round of those Soulless things and he just pops out of the sky, swinging his sword. We at first thought he was with them because of that mark on his forehead," Cloud cleared his bangs, and sure enough, there was the Soulless crest. "But we saw he was *fighting* the Soulless and not sending them to kill us!"

"I emerged from Hollow Bastion on that portal... I was actually chasing down some of the creatures that took one of my friends," he looked at Tifa, as if to silently say *you know who she is. * "But I couldn't find her. I exhausted myself defeating a wave of those monsters, so that's how I fell asleep and met you at the Heart of Darkness..." he looked at Rob.

"Whoa, wait a second, " Cyborg interjected. "Did you say, 'Keyblade of Darkness?' 'Heart of Darkness?'"

"Yes... As far as I know, it's the key to stopping both the Heartless and the Soulless," Rob said. "I'm pretty sure Keyblade of Darkness sounds really evil, but I assure you, I'm not!"

"No man, that's good! You might have better luck beating those elastic creatures than we do!" Cyborg said. Their pizza arrived. He began to eat. "So far, only Raven's managed to defeat them with ease!" Raven slightly blushed at this comment.

"Yeah," Robin agreed, as he stuffed his face full of pizza. "But I gotta ask, how'd you know that angel girl?"

"She was... a friend of mine..." Rob answered. "Apparently, she's possessed by something, or someone, hence the double-voice and the apparent schizophrenia..."

"I wish to speak about that later," Starfire kindly interjected. "All I want now is to have this delicious pizza!" She poured mustard on her slice and began to eat. Everyone else grew silent as they began to eat as well.

"I eat this with them every day and I *still* can't get it right..." Cloud muttered as he tried to clean the cheese that fell on his shirt.

****

"So that IS the Keyblade of Darkness..." Sora said. "But he says he's not evil." He destroyed the last of his crust and stood up. "I'll wait for him outside... if we wind up fighting anyway, I'd rather not have it on this rooftop." He went back downstairs.

"Suit yourself," Sara said she got up. "He's surrounded by friends, and someone I recognize... I think you might need help." She left after him.

"We'll all wait outside, then, huh?" Samus stood up. The rest of the crew left the table, and Siege left the check.

****

Beast Boy rubbed his stomach. "That was sweet!" he sighed happily as the three left the building.

"Yeah... Loved it," Rob added. "But when's the last time you guys saw a Soulless?"

"We fought some just this morning..." Raven answered in her smooth, monotone voice. "They're getting stronger."

"Not good!" Sonic's eyes bugged out.

"But that's only just the beginning," a voice added, and everyone whirled to see a silver-haired man with tri-spiked hair and dressed in black, with gray gloves. "The journey ahead is only stronger."

"Who are you?" Rob asked, feeling a sense on benevolence from this man.

"I am Ansem..." the man bowed. "So you are the one who wields the Keyblade of Darkness."

"So YOU'RE Ansem?" Rob and Ansem shook hands. "You're the one who does all the research on the Heartless and Soulless?"

****

"He shook hands with Ansem! He's gotta be evil!" Sora whispered.

"He looks kind to me," Samus rolled her eyes.

Sora sighed and shook his head. "Yeah, but I just can't believe he'd change sides so quickly. I mean... what is he really up to? And what's Cloud doing there?!"

"Yeah, that's him, all right," Raynor said. "We don't know if he's good or evil. He's either being honest or he's deceiving them. Want to go find out?"

"Yeah," Sora answered, pulling out his Keyblade. "Why don't we go see..."

"I'm ready," Beelzemon said, holding his arm out as a large arm gun materialized on it.

"Let's go, then," Sara pulled out her sword. She whispered, "En guarde, fools..."

****

"So I see... You seek to redeem yourself from the crimes you committed, right?" Robin asked Ansem.

"That is true," Ansem said. "There is still more to be done, and in fact I feel I can't do enough to repay for my sins. If what you say is true, this Oni person can only complicate things. Still, there's a lot to learn and figure out. I never knew that my greatest motto would come back to haunt me. Remember, those who know nothing understand nothing."

"I understand. I know this won't be the last time we meet. I look forward to your next research entry," Rob shook hands with Ansem again. "Farewell."

"So long!" Sonic happily waved as Ansem left. "Did he seem like a former villain to you?" he asked to the group.

"Nah, I think that feeling comes from the silver hair," Beast Boy chuckled.

Everyone seemed to pick up his or her pace except for Rob. He slowed down and suddenly stopped, pulling out his Keyblade.

"What is wrong, Sir Robert?" Starfire asked.

Rob whipped around to see an intimidating group of eight leering at him. The kid in the front, however, held a Keyblade.

"Where's Ansem?" the lead kid with spiky hair (Sora) asked. "Tell me... is he truly not evil anymore?"

"What do *you* want?" Rob stalked bravely towards the eight. "I feel that way... why don't you?

"Because not too long ago," answered Sora. "Ansem nearly destroyed us all. And I feel that same aura from him now."

"That's too bad," Rob smirked. "*I* don't feel any sort of aura like that... in fact, NONE of us do... Right?" He looked at his team.

They shook their heads. Cloud said, "People change, Sora."

"Yeah, I thought it was you, Cloud..." Sora answered. "And yes, they do... but with a heart so evil, how could that have happened?"

"I honestly don't know... the fact is, it did," Rob said.

A crash was heard somewhere in the distance. Something beeped on Robin.

"Soulless!" Robin cried. "Let's move!"

"How about this... Many people have tested me to see if I was worthy of my Keyblade... allow me to test if you are still worthy of yours..." Rob got into a fighting stance.

"Really?" Sora began to get slightly angry, but kept his cool. He pulled out his Keyblade. "How about we find out? Everyone else, go help Cloud and his friends. I need to settle this by myself."

"Go on, Robin, I have this," Rob said.

"All right then, Titans! Go!" Robin dashed away, followed by everyone except Rob and Sora. The two stared at each other as the wind blew. Those who witnessed this battle could've SWORN they saw tumbleweeds go by and the music "Dance of Death" (A/N: Think that's the title of the music that plays when you fight Magus in Chrono Trigger) played.

They each took fighting stances.

"You're MINE," Rob growled.

"I hope you like the taste of justice, because you're getting A FULL COURSE MEAL!" (Lame-o-meter: 5.0) Sora roared and the two Keyblades clashed. Rob and Sora struck with everything they had, with Sora having a slight advantage due to experience.

"I just ATE, you friggin' monkey!" (Lame-o-meter: Perfect 10) Rob countered as he dealt another blow blocked by the Keyblade. "And I can take my OWN medicine, thank you!" (Lame-o-meter: 8.8)

"I don't see YOU in the doctor's office of justice!" (Lame-o-meter: 8.5) Sora quipped as he swung the Keyblade in a might arc, nearly knocking Rob's out of his hands.

"Yeah, and you make the prescriptions," (Lame-o-meter: 6.5) Rob snarled in sarcasm as he dodged another blow from Sora.

"BINGO!" (Lame-o-meter: Perfect 10) Sora lifted up his Keyblade, and Rob barely dodged the thunder that issued form it.

"I thought only old fogies played that game," (Lame-o-meter: 9.7) Rob quipped as he smashed into Sora again.

"Sure, but justice is a game for all ages!" (Lame-o-meter: Perfect 10) Sora shot a Firaga blast, but Rob dodged it.

The two continued to fight, shouting lame quips and comebacks in their enraged fight for justice, completely oblivious to the silver-haired spectator, who laughed at their silly quotes. "The best of luck," He flicked back his silver hair and adjusted his feather. "When justice can't get along, it's evil's turn to play," He cackled and disappeared.

****

"Whoa..." Sonic stepped back and his eyes bugged out as they came face to face with what seemed like an entire army of them. The strange white creatures looked like white taffy demons as they stretched out of control and leered at our heroes. "Think we can take 'em?" He looked back on the now sixteen-strong group.

"Majin Buu can take on about half this army," Beelzemon said, "But the rest is up to us!"

Sonic now saw that there were even spider-looking Soulless, and the army had conveniently split itself up. "Split up!"

The group scattered and launched an attack. The Soulless fought back with raging claws, and the spider-Soulless used their large jaws. Sonic twitched and saw one suddenly run away.

"He's MINE!" Sonic roared as he chased it up a building. Raven flew up after him as the Soulless uniquely stretched itself, hopping around to flee. It kept well ahead of Sonic and Raven until it suddenly dived between two buildings. Sonic and Raven stopped, and without warning, they saw what looked like a really large, multi-stringed blue scarf rise up... along with the same Soulless they were changing.

Only now... it was much bigger.

It lacked its stretchy appearance and had the look of a large, armored knight with a broad chest. The Soulless crest stood boldly where its face should've been. Its sharp claws had increased in size.

Sonic growled, and Raven stepped forward. It was now or never-big and ugly was going DOWN!

Raven began to chant... "Nazrath metrion SINTHOS!"

(For those who saw the KH2 trailer (not Deep Dive or ASAS) guess who Sonic and Raven are fighting. Oh well, what did YOU think was the lamest quote by Sora or Rob?)

Legends-Kuja

27th June 2003, 04:19 PM

Episode 8: Not By a Long Shot

Rob's body whipped around and crashed into the street painfully. Sora stood back, Keyblade ready. Rob struggled to recover. From what one could tell, Sora owned Rob's sorry butt.

"You must be joking... test ME for MY Keyblade?" Sora asked. "You're nowhere near bad, but I've had three years on you!" He pointed the Keyblade at Rob. "Do you give up?"

"No... not by a long shot..." Rob snarled before spinning again and using a well-placed Fire spell, catching Sora by surprise and sending him backwards onto the floor. Rob stood up, leering at Sora with his neon orange eyes. "I figured I had magic..."

"Ansem... had those same eyes..." Sora recovered and leered at Rob. "How... can he not be evil?!"

"The same reason we both have Keyblades... it was meant to be," Rob answered, not letting his eyes off Sora.

(The Keyblades meet... just as Kuja predicted...) Rob whirled around to see the large, imposing Darkside. The giant creature formerly known as Rob's father simply stared down. Being a unique version of his "species," Darkside had never seen Sora. But he had also remembered that almost all the Darksides sent against him never lived to tell the tale. (So this must be Sora...)

"What a strange place for a Darkside to show up..." Sora walked closer to it. "But that doesn't matter... I'll beat you like all the rest!"

"Problem, Sora," Rob warned. "He's not your average Darkside..."

"So? I've fought worse... if he's better, there's not much I can't expect, can I?" Sora got his Keyblade ready.

(So you will fight me?) Darkside rose. (You will not succeed...)

"Yeah, right!" Sora lunged, expecting Darkside to practically ignore his hacking and slashing as he focused on his dark powers. However, Darkside caught Sora by complete surprise when he floated up into the air, dashed away at amazing speed, and then turned around to smash the earth, causing Sora to bounce up painfully. While Sora was still in mid-air, Darkside clapped his hands on Sora and slammed him.

Rob could only stare in shock. Darkside hadn't shown this kind of power when HE fought him... granted, Rob had a speed advantage and wasn't shocked by the speed, but he noticed Darkside's arms never moved as nearly as fast as he did... Did he only toy with him when they first fought? Was he only toying with Sora?

Darkside ignored Sora as he turned to Rob. (So you know of the original Keyblade now... as well as the evil of light. Kuja's folly to think a large army of Soulless could obliterate the likes of you... You're the one who wields the power to control them all.)

Rob eyed his father suspiciously. "Is this another marketing ploy?"

(I'll only say this once... join me or die,) Darkside rose and got into a fighting stance.

"Yep... another marketing ploy. Kicking the bucket seems nice, though," Rob cracked as he prepared his Keyblade. "DIDN'T I GIVE YOU MY ANSWER ALREADY?!" Rob lunged, but Darkside simply set out his hand and flicked Rob away, who crashed into the ground and rebounded just in time to avoid a smash from Darkside.

Sora rose from the crater he made and eyed Rob and Darkside fighting. Struggling to keep standing, he cast Curaga on himself and began to walk towards the fighting duo. How had Darkside gotten so fast?! Rob seemed to be doing a better job than he did, but didn't he just beat the crap out of Rob? He clenched his teeth and went after the giant form. This could get ugly...

****

Raven and Sonic dodged the first punch by the giant Soulless that attacked them, which they dubbed, "Lightside." Lightside wasted no time in shooting a huge ray of light at Sonic, who back-flipped away from the blast and came back. He used a Provocation (A/N: My term from now on meaning said character spanks his/her own rear, pulls down one eye with a finger and stick out tongue.), and tauntingly said, "I've seen old people shoot faster than that!" Raven shot a blast of dark energy, causing Lightside to flinch.

"He's powerful, but far too slow..." Raven used her dark energy to repel another blast of light.

"I've got an idea!" Sonic said, dodging a large swipe from the creature. He rushed to Raven and whispered in her ear his idea. She nodded. Chanting her famous three words, Raven surrounded Sonic in Dark energy. The hedgehog then rushed forward, curled himself into a buzzsaw of death and swept upward on the creature's armor. Lightside flinched, but Sonic wasn't done yet. Before the dark energy faded, Sonic used another homing attack and smashed into Lightside's head. "You've been royally owned, ugly!"

Lightside answered only with a smash to the rooftop, and Raven flew to avoid the blast, but the creature took advantage of the reaction, firing a direct blast on Raven and sending her sprawling on the ground.

"Raven!" Sonic panicked. By now, Lightside had gone on a shooting frenzy, and Sonic dashed to Raven, picking her up and running away before Lightside could fry her with a beam of light. Raven recovered and floated out of Sonic's hands. The two flipped back to avoid another shot, and Sonic nodded to Raven.

She surrounded Sonic with more dark energy, and Sonic curled into a ball. However, this time he zoomed right towards Lightside's stomach and sawed right through it. Sonic landed, striking a cool landing pose as Lightside crumpled and fell back down, disappearing in a blast of light. Sonic rose and faced Raven, who smiled slightly at him. Without a word, they raced back to the rest of the action.

****

Robin whipped out another bird-a-rang and threw it, allowing it to slice through the two spider Soulless. He dodged the stretch attacks of the taffy demon Soulless and ran by Starfire, who was putting up a defensive round with Beelzemon. "Are you guys all right?!" He asked.

"We are fine, Robin," Starfire answered, shooting down another Soulless with almost no luck. "These creatures are tough in such large numbers!"

"These guys are annoying, I'm havin' to use all of my abilities just to kill 'em! CORONA BLASTER!" Beelzemon shouted as the "mouth" on his arm gun opened up, firing a powerful positron beam, wiping the floor with the Soulless Robin and Starfire couldn't kill.

The three were then greeted with the sound of silence. It felt weird, since five seconds ago they were in an endless war with some of the most ruthless creatures alive...

Jim Raynor showed up, followed by Conker, Siege, Cyborg, Beast Boy, Samus, Cloud, Tifa, and Maya. Sonic and Raven appeared, looking around to see what just happened. "Wow... just like that, they're gone..." Beast Boy blinked. "Hey, where's the pink dude?"

They looked over to the side to see Buu, his stomach overly large. He burped loudly, patted his belly and said, "Oh YEAH, that feels GOOOOOOD..."

"Knew he would do that..." Siege muttered again.

"Ah... so this is the cavalry..." the team turned to see a silver-haired man smirking at them. His weird clothes consisted of unusual armor, silver sleeves what appeared to be a black kilt and dress shoes, and even a visible thong(?!). "You must not be aware that this last attack on you was but a stalling tactic. I am ready to kill you all..."

"Real smart coming from a guy outnumbered sixteen to one!" Sonic shouted.

"Yes, but I have the proof to back it up," the man smirked. A huge blast of light exploded like a bomb, and the ensuing light blinded everyone.

****

Darkside stood facing Rob and Sora. So far, the battle had been a stalemate, neither side had gotten a hit in edgewise. Sora leered at Darkside, not knowing what to expect.

(This... is a waste of time,) Darkside stood impassively. A sudden blast of light was seen in the distance. (Now is not the time to deal with you two...) Darkside whipped his right hand around and slammed the ground again, sending both Rob and Sora airborne before they crashed into the ground.

Sora easily recovered, but Rob strained against the crater he made. Rob whispered, "Maya... remember... the Keyblade..." he dropped it out of his grasp and it disappeared, and Rob promptly fainted.

Sora looked in confusion and sadness. "What... did he just do?" Sora remembered that he DID beat Rob pretty badly, and perhaps he had been straining the whole time just to stay out of Darkside's wrath. What... was he then? Why did he still feel loathing for this strange kid? Although he still didn't like him, Sora decided to at least lay him down SOMEWHERE where he wouldn't be road-kill. He scooped up the fallen boy and walked away.

****

Maya stood up, the first to recover. The light was almost poisonous to her body, and had it not been for the strange barrier of darkness surrounding her, she may have been still blind.

Raven walked close to Maya. "This is Kuja's doing..."

"Kuja? That's the name of the freak who just blinded us?" Maya asked.

"Yes..."

"How'd you know?"

"That... is not important right now... what is important... is that we stop him."

"I guess we can't hide forever... but when the light is too strong, do we hide in the shadows or dim the source?" Maya asked rhetorically. Raven didn't answer. The two simply walked towards the demonic being of light.

Beelzemon emerged, looking about and walking towards Raven and Maya. "What... the hell just happened?"

"The light is too strong for everyone else!" Maya answered. "We must defeat Kuja before he blinds the universe!"

"Man... he must be the cross-dressing freak we just saw..." Beelzemon snarled as he walked.

The three approached the accused Kuja. The cross-dresser simply smirked as the three walked towards him. "What's the matter? Looked at the light too long? It won't matter, soon, it will be all you see. How you three managed to survive this long is still beyond me. So I guess I'll have to crush you..." Another Lightside appeared, and Kuja hopped on top of it. "You will soon see..." he fell IN the giant creature, and it took his form. Now he was a GIANT cross-dressing freak. "... the incredible power of LIGHT! Prepare for the long road to hell, kids!" Lightside Kuja laughed maniacally as he tried to pound the three of them with one fist.

"Nazrath metrion SINTHOS!" Raven chanted as she fired a blast of dark light. Kuja flinched and tried to smash Raven out of the sky.

Maya jumped up and shouted, "THUNDER!" The flashes of lightning, however, were barely seen, and it seemed to have no effect at all.

"What was that?" Kuja laughed. "Your magic is weak. NOW TASTE MINE. THUNDAGA!" Huge blasts of thunder, barely visible to the eye in those conditions, blasted Maya away. He swatted Raven away but failed to smash Beelzemon.

The demon Digimon was sorely pissed by now. "You freak! Darkness Claw!" Beelzemon reared up as his claws glowed with the same purplish-pink energy as his arm gun's attack. He then slashed downward, his claws followed by streams of energy forming a slash mark, wounding the giant Kuja, who stumbled back before recovering...

And raging. "You dare insult my beauty?! Taste this!" A psychic wave distorted the atmosphere, and Beelzemon could barely keep his ground as the Psychic power grew in strength. "It's all over for you now!"

"Don't think so... Corona Blaster!" Beelzemon shot Kuja dead on with a blast from his positron gun. Beelzemon easily dodged the Firaga blast that served as Kuja's retaliation. Lightside Kuja fired a now invisible ray of light, but Raven blocked it with a shield of Darkness. Kuja snarled and fired another one, but Raven dodged it easily, despite the light.

Maya charged again, bringing out her twin daggers. Someone she knew was here, is this why she was being pushed away every time? Her bad luck grew worse, as Kuja simply smacked Maya away without a thought. "N-no!" Maya cried, tears threatening to fall from her eyes. "I won't let you win!" She raged, but Kuja once again easily smacked her away, despite his fending off attacks from Raven AND Beelzemon. As Kuja continued to fight off the other two, Maya twitched and recovered, her blood boiling. Somewhere in her Heart, she saw a light... a different sort of light.

It was here that she conjured the Keyblade. She grabbed it... and felt her brother's power. This was only the second time she wielded it, but she felt enough rage to more than make up for it. "C-c-curse you!" Maya ran to Kuja and took one mighty slash, knocking him DOWN. "Curse you and YOUR LIGHT OF EVIL!" She slashed him again, and hacked the strong armor of Lightside Kuja.

It was here that she recognized the other presence at last. "...Father?" No wonder Kuja had so easily beaten her before!

"You make me sick..." Kuja quivered, catching Maya in the chest with a blast of light. Maya crashed into the ground and tried to recover. Darkside or more appropriately Lightside spit out Kuja from his form. The light faded and everything was visible again.

As Maya was about to stand, a kind voice said, "Save your strength, your father probably wants a rematch..." she looked to see a man putting a hand on her shoulder. She couldn't believe who it was. The man walked over to Kuja.

"I found you... FAKER," this man sneered. "So picking on innocent little kids is your new repertoire?"

"It's YOU!" Kuja gasped.

"Correction, it's YOU," Kuja stood face-to-face with himself, or rather, his heart. "I'm your good side. From what I remember, light is supposed to save us from darkness... but when it sheds harsh judgment instead of refuge, what can we turn to?"

"That's not important!" the dark Kuja spat. "The light shall clean all!"

"Light is not a refuge for evil," the good Kuja smiled. "And I, despite my sin, will try to keep it that way... It's time we were one again. It's time the evil within us is destroyed."

"WHAT?! NOOOO!" Dark Kuja screamed in horror as the other Kuja pressed his hand to him. The dark one started burning away as the good Kuja became more solid. The evil form disappeared completely, and the other one rested his hand.

"What just happened?" Beelzemon stared in disbelief.

Darkside rose. (Big mistake... Kuja actually weakened me...) He changed back to his natural form.

Maya felt the healing bells of Curaga as the calm Kuja cast it on her. She rose, refreshed and pointed the Keyblade at her father.

(Didn't know I could do that, could you?) Darkside flew closer to Maya. (But that is not important... Just like your twin brother, I will only ask this once... join or die.)

"Join what? The Peanut Gallery? No way, José!" Maya grinned and chuckled maniacally as she dodged the first punch from Darkside. She felt... stronger, somehow, and figured she was ready for the next level. "THUNDARA!" Maya bellowed, raising the Keyblade in the air. Darkside flinched from the lightning, but Maya was hit with a stray bolt as well.

"You need more practice," Kuja chuckled.

"Maybe later..." Maya sighed as Darkside kneeled down and began to fire blasts from his chest. She flipped away from the energy balls of darkness and took a direct slash on Darkside's left arm. Darkside stopped firing and immediately tried to slam Maya, who dodged out of the way just in time. Darkside dived his hands into a pool of Darkness and pulled out a Shadow Ball, which he chucked at Maya. She avoided the move and tried to slash him again.

Big mistake.

Darkside wasted no time in smacking her away like a Ping-Pong ball and sending her crashing into the ground. He was about to lay the finishing blow when he heard, "Lay off!" and a huge blue beam seared his right arm.

Cyborg was back, and so were the rest of the heroes. Darkside realized he was outnumbered and outclassed. (Perhaps a better time will hand me your fate...) Darkside flew up. (For you too must make the decision.) He disappeared.

"Glad that's over," Jim Raynor looked at where Darkside disappeared. "Are you alright, darlin'?" he asked Maya, who was standing shakily.

"Wow... I can't believe it... I survived! I will survive..." She began to sing before she fell over.

"Maya? Maya!" Maya heard Tifa before the world went black.

****

The world was no longer black. Maya blinked, and awakened. She saw Cyborg look her over and cheer, "Yep! She's awake now!" Maya sat up and saw the other seventeen faces that sat around the living room. Samus was having a talk with Jim, Beast Boy was questioning Sora on how he got in the Titan's base ("I told you, YOU HAVE NO SECURITY SYSTEM!" was Sora's only response.), and Cloud was easily beating Robin in a practice battle. Sonic and Buu were having an eating contest, with Buu easily winning, of course, and most everyone else was either watching Cloud own Robin or discussing today's events.

Maya, however, was wondering where one person went. "Where's Kuja?" She asked.

"Good question," Beelzemon responded. "I don't know where that cross-dressing freak went, or why he even changed sides on us. How'd that even HAPPEN?"

"Maybe Ansem could have a theory on that," Rob suggested.

"That's the last person I'd ask," Sora muttered.

"HEY, no one *cares* that you hate Ansem anymore, okay?!"

"Who asked you?!"

"By *your* attitude, I'd say YOU!"

"I think I should adjust yours!"

"I'd love to see you try..."

"Please, stop arguing, it is not very nice," Starfire said. "You two should be friends, and not let your opinions on Ansem get in the way," she hugged them both together. "Doesn't that feel better?"

Sora and Rob just grumbled. Sara laughed openly at the two of them. "Ha, you two are complete morons!"

"OH REALLY?!" Both of them got in her face.

She only laughed harder. "You prove my point. You go for each other's throats, yet when someone insults you, you both gang up on them..." She rolled over uncontrollably. Sora and Rob just stared at each other and gagged, which sent the entire house laughing at them. Rob grumbled and hid his head under a pillow. Sora walked out of the room, noticing that Raven was suddenly nowhere to be found. Intrigued by this, Maya tailed Sora.

****

Raven sat alone on the rooftop, meditating. She figured this was the only spot that the ten million guests the team suddenly had wouldn't intrude, but it turns out she was wrong even in this assumption.

Sora walked on the rooftop, puzzling over his next move. So far, his visit to Earth hadn't been a pleasant one, with the constant battle against that annoying Rob kid, and his turmoil ridden mind, wondering just what happened between him and Ansem. He was absolutely sure Ansem was pure evil with no intention of going back to good, what could've possibly happened?

Just then, Rob's twin sister hopped up on the balcony. She paced a bit before approaching Sora. "I want to know... What happened between you an Ansem? Why do you hate him so?"

Sora snarled at this subject. "Would you like me to tell about how he possessed my best friend, or should I tell about how he doomed his own kingdom just to pursue knowledge?" Sora sighed. "I just don't know anymore..."

"In that case, I don't know what I'm fighting for then," Maya stated as if she reached a conclusion. "To ponder ulterior motives is to drive yourself mad with distrust. You know, my brother does the same thing..."

"He... does?" Sora looked at Maya incredulously.

"Yeah... he often thinks of who tells the truth... between my mother and my father... so far, he's listened to my mom, but the stuff father says sometimes gets to him..."

"Your mother and father... who are they?" Sora asked, wondering just how Rob could be in such torment over the advice of his parents...

"Our father may have been human at one point, and so was our mother... Now he is Darkside," Maya answered.

"Darkside?!" Sora gasped. "That giant thing was once your dad?!" Maybe that was why Darkside was so tough... unlike the rest of them he was a human at one point. Maybe that's how he's stronger and faster than the other Darksides he fought.

"Yeah... He killed our mother, or took her soul, one of the two..." Maya answered, thinking. "She's now in the Heart of Darkness. My brother suspects she could be still with our father somehow, although he can't figure out why..."

"Whoa..." This news definitely disturbed Sora.

"But Ansem... he seems like he's REALLY TRYING to fix the mess he made... I can sense it from him," Maya smiled lightly.

Raven, who had finished meditating, jumped in the conversation. "I'm not even aware of what evil Ansem has done in the past, but like Maya, I too can sense he's trying," she added. "I'm guessing he really messed you up for you to still hate him."

"Yeah, he did," Sora said flatly, feeling guilty over the talk of redemption.

"'It takes time to heal wounds,' Mr. Mira would always say," Maya chirped. "I guess maybe one day it'll all make sense."

"Yeah..." Sora saw the moon in the sky. He yawned. "I'm tired... I think I'll take a snooze when Samus leaves..." he left.

Maya and Raven looked at the moon together. Maya began, still staring at the moon, "I often wonder... that Kuja said that Light shouldn't hide evil. If that's true, should darkness not show good?"

"I often thought that kind of view was one sided," Raven spoke. "I'm a crime fighter, and I wield powers of the occult darkness... All this fighting the Soulless seems to prove my point..."

"Yeah, I'm glad you think so," Maya gave Raven a cheeky smile. "One can only wonder why this strange war brings out so much talk on the metaphysical..."

"Yeah... I bet," Raven looked at Maya, and then began staring at the moon again. However, she twitched when she felt another presence nearby. She whirled to see Kuja staring at the moonlight as well. "Kuja?"

"Amazing, isn't it?" Kuja said before one of them could even open her mouth. "The moonlight. It stands a beauty in the dark of night. One can often surmise what it stands for. Is it the light, which guides you in darkness? Or is it the good, which resides in any darkness-even those of evil spirit? It's a mystery I still ponder as I wonder why I'm still alive."

"How'd you get here?" Maya asked.

Kuja smiled and wagged his finger in a Sonic-like manner. "If I told you that, that'd ruin the magic, now wouldn't it? Now I *can* tell you how I split in two and became one again... It all began on a planet called Terra. I was... made there. My father was a ruthless man, tasked with the survival of our race, the Genomes..."

"I shoulda brought popcorn if I'd known it take THIS long..." Maya sighed. "But go on, Kuja, it's interesting."

Kuja continued. "My brother Zidane and I were one of the few Genomes with Souls, Hearts, or even Minds... most everyone else in the Genome world were only bodies... Garland said I was an angel of death, but when Zidane was made, he said I was now useless. Craving to be different and seeking a purpose, I took to look like I do now, and I took Zidane to Gaia... Garland's first target. He desired to fill the empty bodies of Terra by taking the souls of the dead from Gaia. He nearly wiped out the summoner race that lived there, but they grew wiser and managed to evade him. (A/N: Before you complain, this is an AU, You'll see why in Season 2) I said I could do a better job than either he or Zidane... so I left my brother on Gaia and went to build up my power elsewhere... Ironically, Zidane became the prince of the first kingdom I planned to usurp in my power. Awfully suspicious of me, he summoned some of friends of his to defeat me. When I learned the power of trance, I destroyed my homeland Terra and threatened to wipe out all of existence on Gaia... until Zidane changed my heart. My soul was still that of great evil, but my heart was not... it was then I became two instead of one. My soul craved the light... almost in fashion of the Soulless. He was stopped by some people who were Heartless in the same fashion that Maya is Soulless... But I guess you know the story from there," Kuja ended.

"Wow..." Maya and Raven blinked.

Kuja noted a ship coming in the distance, and said, "I think your ride is here," The ship came closer and landed on the rooftop. Maya saw the ship was now much bigger, with a sleeker design as well. Eggman and Tails opened the ship and hopped out.

"There you are!" Tails declared. "We went to go get the ship modified, but when we came back we saw that the Soulless problem is already taken care of!" He looked around. "Where's Rob?"

"They're all downstairs," Maya answered. "Is it really time to go?"

"Yeah! We can't burden these people with a place to stay, can we? They're probably packed!" Tails said, looking at Raven.

Raven, however, smiled. "I think we can make room."

****

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY BED?!" Beast Boy yelled at a cozy Sara, who was cuddling her sword in a Sephiroth-like fashion.

"What does it look like?" She said in an innocent voice. However, her voice dropped. "Disturb my sleep and I shall make you die slowly and painfully." She went back to sleep.

"If you get anywhere near Tifa, I'll rip you to shreds," Cloud eyed Sonic as he held his sword.

"What would *I* do, I'm her *friend!*" Sonic shot back.

"AHA! PICHU *CAN* OWN YOU!" Rob bellowed as he whipped Cyborg, Eggman, and Beelzemon in another round of Super Smash Brothers Melee.

"Fool, you got lucky that time," Eggman muttered.

"Naw, man! How could Samus lose?!" Cyborg complained, as Samus stared at the four of them, highly amused.

"This is gonna be a looonnnggg night..." Robin muttered, shaking his head.

****

That morning, everyone barely moved. Nineteen people staying in one house tended to lead to excessive partying, yelling, and general chaos. In other words, everyone stayed up too late. Only Sara, Sora, Raven, and Maya had enough energy to move, since they all went to bed early.

"Where are y'all going?" Maya asked Sora as he helped Conker into the Hyperion.

"I don't know yet, but it won't take long to find out..." Sora answered. He noticed Maya was dragging her twin brother into their ship. "You take care... You're kind and sweet, unlike your annoying brother..."

"What?!" Rob yelled sleepily, as he heard the insult. "You take that back!"

"Hey, it's not my fault your sister is ten times less annoying than you are!" Sora taunted.

"Shut up!" Rob yelled as he stumbled.

"What's the matter, had too much to drink last night?!" Sora cracked.

"I DON'T TOUCH ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES!"

Sara wasted no time in silencing the argument by knocking out Sora cold and taking him in the ship. Maya dumped Rob inside. "You take care of yourself, all right?" Sara asked.

"I will!" Maya chirped.

Kuja and Cloud came out from below. Kuja walked out and headed towards Maya. "You know... I wish to join you... I've no place to go, and I don't think I will be received well in this city..."

Maya, feeling awfully agreeable, simply said, "OKAY! We've just made this ship a whole lot roomier, too!"

"Whut?" Sonic slurred somewhere, too tired to object to Maya's decision.

"I think I want to join you, too," Cloud said. "I'm thinking I could find Aeris if I travel with you... I think I can find more answers to the Soulless question," Cloud looked at Maya.

"I'm pretty sure Tifa would enjoy your presence!" Maya chirped. "Go on, you two! Get in, before Sonic gets angry and kicks you out!" She punted both of them in the ship. She was about to step in herself when she heard Raven.

"Farewell..." Raven said. "I'll remember this..."

"Bye, Raven!" Maya said. "I will, too!" She shut the door to the ship and the heroes launched away.

(This ends episode 8. VIVA LA KUJA!)

The Prophet

28th June 2003, 10:37 AM

EMPEROR'S NEW GROOVE! YEAAAAAAAAAH!

Eh, hehe...

Good couple of chapters. Never seen Smallville, though. But fun. Lame-o-meter, heh.

VIVA LA KUJA!

Legends-Kuja

1st July 2003, 10:05 PM

PG-13 content for some perversion >XD

Episode 9: Not Another Pokémon Adventure

(A/N: After a LOOOONG hiatus, IITTTS BAAAACK! And YES, this will be the last Pokémon movie I integrate... Note that I watched this movie RAW, so I may not have the words right, but translated names I received before I began this piece... As I edit this, I realize the dub names for the girl and Mario reject were WRONG and I had the TR ladies switched! I'm switching the names back but I'm not touching the other ones-the dub names are HORRIBLE.)

"A long time ago, on an island called Alto Mare, there lived an old couple. One day, the couple found two injured kids on the beach. Thanks to the medical expertise of the couple, the kids recovered. Suddenly, a fierce darkness covered the land, swarming all over the island. However, just as this darkness was about to completely destroy the island, the kids transformed right in front of the old couple's eyes. They were the Eon Pokémon, Latios and Latias. They called their friends. Using a mysterious power, they erased the darkness from the island. That darkness never came into the island ever again. That power was said to come from the 'Soul Dew'. The Pokémon and this Soul Dew were said to be hidden in this land."

The two thieves closed the book. Both dressed alike in black shirt, black leather pants and silk white gloves. As they heard a policeman sweep the area, they snuck off with the book upstairs to a window. All the policeman saw was a single rose, and a card with two lipstick marks-one pink, the other purple. He could only stare in shock as the thieves made their escape.

There stood a metal cord connecting the walls of the library to a tree nearby. Both thieves grabbed a hook and slid down the cord with speed and grace, landing in a conveniently parked car. Both ladies strapped themselves in, and the purple-haired thief started the car.

The other thief, with her hair styled in two blond buns, said, "But isn't it just a legend?"

The driving thief simply answered, "That book contained the legend of Latios and Latias, as well as the mysterious Soul Dew." She drove the car with incredible speed, and eventually they drove straight off a cliff, only for their car to turn into a flying jet (yep, you can smell the spy movie action). The jet streaked the night sky towards their destination.

The blond hugged the book. "I don't care. All I want is that shiny jewel."

"That jewel contains unimaginable power. It should be ours!" The two spotted an island city in the distance.

Both smirked. "Alto Mare."

****

"Heh, THIS is interesting," Tails noted as he read a computer map.

"Hmmm? What'd you catch?" Dr. Eggman asked, as he fiddled with a book called Lord of the Flies.

"This place I'm tracing seems to be HEARTLESS FREE! HECK, they can't even touch a ten mile radius of this place!"

"What is that place?" Tifa walked next to Eggman, tilting her head to read the map. This forced a very irritated Eggman to tilt his head to avoid Tifa's. "Alto Mare? Never heard of it!"

"That's too bad, I heard that place is perfect for seeking the love of your dreams," Kuja grinned, flicking his hair back.

"Heartless free?!" Rob asked. "You got my attention!"

"An odd sort of power resides there," Tails said. "I don't know what it is, but it seems to be that power that keep out the heartless. No dark readings ANYWHERE.."

"That's interesting," Cloud said. "We should look into this."

"Sound idea!" Dr. Eggman agreed, sounding like a Britain.

"Shouldn't we split? Maybe we can cover more ground!" Sonic asked Tails.

"Good idea, but just don't run into any moron trainers..." Tails trailed off.

"WELL THEN, I'm free fallin' to the town! Rob! Betcha can't catch me!" Sonic made a face at Rob and then dived off the ship, shooting like a bullet once he landed on the water.

"Cheap bastard," Rob snarled as he made chase. He too leapt out of the ship, the sheer speed of his fall whipping his shirt like a fierce wind. Rob activated his jet shoes and sped off towards Alto Mare. "Wow..." Rob marveled, noting the town's similarity to Venice, Italy. "Cool," Rob grinned as he streaked through a canal, marveling at the town's Italy-like appearance. Jetting through another canal, he flew past several shocked faces and Pokémon. "Pokémon?" Something clicked in Rob's brain. "Oh, NO, not another Pokémon movie..." Rob sighed, and then he picked up on a familiar presence.

"Hmm?" He dashed over, to see a familiar face.

Ash Ketchum.

The kid was in a life vest and swim trunks, cuddling a sullen Totodile, which was likely his. Pikachu comforted it, Ash said some encouraging words, and Totodile gained its happy spirits. Ash turned around. "Rob! Short time, no see!"

"Fun. What happened here?" Rob asked.

"Totodile and I were in a race with a bunch of water Pokémon trainers. Thanks to a mysterious force, we took the lead but we were lead right off track. At least Totodile tried. So what're you here for?"

"A complete lack of Heartless activity here, and that's a GOOD thing," Rob grinned. "I'm trying to find out what's responsible."

"Speaking of that, never seen any Heartless around," Ash said. "Come on, let's find the others!"

****

"And your name is...." Misty began with a sweat drop, staring at the odd, cross-dressing, silver-haired man and the demonic-looking spiky haired man in front of her.

"Kuja, miss," Kuja bowed.

"My mane's Cloud," Cloud said. "I'm an old friend of Tifa's."

However, Maya shoved the both of them out of the way, seeing Misty's apparent weariness.

"They're weirdoes, don't mind them," Maya chattered. "So how have you guys been?"

"Great! I won the race!" Misty puffed up proudly.

"That's awesome!" Tifa said.

"Let's not let that get to your head, Misty..." Brock muttered under his breath.

"WHAT WAS THAT?!" Misty roared.

"Nothing, I swear!" Brock chuckled nervously. He then noticed Tifa. He grabbed her hands, "Oh, how I knew the love of my life would return!" he crowed happily.

Clod, noting Tifa's embarrassed smile, simply pointed his huge sword at Brock's neck. "I don't think she likes you," he deadpanned.

Brock turned around slowly and saw Cloud. He sank in rejection. "You must be her boyfriend..."

"Not exactly, but I've known her for ages, and I can tell when she doesn't like company, men, me, or otherwise," Cloud simply said, not putting his sword down.

"Cloud..." Tifa began. Cloud lowered his sword, and Brock simply slid behind Misty.

"Hey guys," Sonic zoomed to the group, followed by Ash and Rob. "How's it going? Wondered what took you so long."

"You are SO amusing," Kuja deadpanned in thick sarcasm. He then changed his tone. "Well, we're going to tour this city."

"So are we!" Ash added. "Wanna join us?"

"SURE!" The Soulless gang interjected.

"Let's go!" They all rushed into the heart of the maze like city. However, Pikachu stopped, noticing something. He ran back to another corridor, where a fountain was. A woman had just finished letting her Vaporeon a drink of water. The electric rat felt horribly thirsty, and Pikachu rushed to the fountain, but by that time the water stopped. Pikachu sighed sadly, its thirst still eating at its tiny throat. But what the heck was THIS? The water turned back on! Pikachu rejoiced by happily drinking the gushing water from the fountain, nodding his head in thanks to a mysterious redhead girl with odd spikes coming form her hair. The kind girl smiled at Pikachu, not minding his rabid thirst. Pikachu replied with a happy "Chaa!" and drank more.

"Pikachu!" Ash came back towards Pikachu, with Rob behind him. "Oh," he said, seeing what Pikachu was doing. However, the girl noticed him, and started staring at him intently, as if he were an alien object. She noticed Rob and also stared at him, circling around the two like a curious... child. She then ran off, leaving Ash and Rob to blink at each other in utter confusion. Pikachu didn't give a crap-it was too busy enjoying its water.

****

"What a lovely place..." Annie commented as they took their speedboat through Alto Mare, her blond hair blowing in the wind. "The Soul Dew is bound to be here, and the mysterious Pokémon as well."

"Yeah, but can't they disguise themselves as humans?" Oakley asked, fiddling with her purple hair.

"That's why we have THESE..." Annie grinned, showing off some strange sunglasses. "These detect body heat within people. Pokémon disguised as humans lack this body heat, so we'll know when we've got the right one..." Annie handed Oakley hers, and she put on her own.

The speedboat carried them through the canals of the city, and Annie and Oakley continued to monitor for one of the mysterious Pokémon, unaware of their being watched by Jesse and James.

"Those two are rather impressive!" Jesse commented.

"Boss would be pleased. I smell an encounter with the good guys soon, we'll see what they're REALLY worth," James added, smiling evilly.

Some time later, their boat slowed down, eying a young girl with odd spikes. Annie put on her glasses. The glasses revealed her true form-a Pokémon!

"As I thought," Annie muttered with a snide grin. "Oakley, we've hit jackpot!"

"Hmm? Oh!" Both girls turned to the young girl walking along the path. "Oh little girl, are you lost..."

"Latias," Annie grinned, holding a Pokéball.

The girl began to panic, and she ran off.

"Espeon!" Annie threw her Pokéball out, and the psychic Eeveelution emerged.

"Ariados!" Oakley threw hers, and a giant orange spider with a spike on its head emerged as well, shaking itself. "Get her," stood Oakley's command.

Both Pokémon made pursuit.

****

Ash and Rob waited patiently for Pikachu to finish his water. However, the electric rat sensed something, and let out a "Pikapi!" before motioning Ash and Rob to follow it.

"Something's wrong!" Ash said.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious...." Rob grinned as they tailed Pikachu.

"Shut up!"

****

"URGH! Where's Rob!" Sonic cursed to himself. Suddenly, he felt something, and his instincts told him to head towards another river. Using quick speed, he dashed off.

****

The girl, known now as Latias, continued running. Ariados and Espeon continued to make chase, and Ariados snuck by. Crawling on a bridge, Ariados hopped off and landed in front of Latias, blocking her exit. She whirled around to see Espeon had also sealed her exit. She shivered in fear, but Espeon wasted no time in using a Disable attack to cripple Latias, and Ariados used String Shot to wrap her in a sticky web.

Annie and Oakley arrived on their speedboat. It slowed to a stop and both hopped off to inspect their new capture. "We're good," Oakley bragged.

"Yes, and now we're gonna be rich too." Added Annie, leering at the stunned Latias.

"Hey YOU TWERPS! Stop RIGHT THERE!" The girls turned to see two boys and a Pikachu glaring angrily at them. One boy held what looked like a giant key.

"You let her go!" Ash shouted. The Pikachu agreed.

Annie and Oakley looked at each other. Who were THESE jokers?

"Didn't yo mamma tell you that kidnappin' little girls is wrong?" Rob snarled.

Sonic, at this time, dashed in just as Rob said his comment. "Yeah, what he said," Sonic pointed to Rob, agreeing.

"Hi Sonic," Ash and Rob sweat-dropped.

"Oh, and we're supposed to feel guilty?" Annie raised an eyebrow and grinned at Ash.

Oakley mock pouted. "And I thought I was doing the right thing..." She then sneered. "Maybe it's time I taught you to meddle in our business? Espeon?"

Espeon fired a Psybeam on all of them. Ash and Pikachu flinched, Rob and Sonic laughed.

"Widdle psychic powers are supposed to hurt us?" Sonic laughed.

"Yeah, try that on someone who actually-" Rob also laughed but then he made a huge mistake.

He looked at Oakley's chest.

At once, his nose started bleeding. "AUGH! My nose! It's BLEEDING!"

Ash was dumbfounded, but Sonic smacked his own head. Poor Rob.

"Oh?" Annie raised her eyebrow. Then, spotting why, she then grinned. "I think we have a pervert!"

"How about we kick his ***?" Oakley grinned. "Espeon?"

"Ugh... You SUCK..." Rob wiped his nose and pulled out his Keyblade.

"Pikachu!" Ash shouted, getting into a battle stance.

"Wanna dance?" Sonic growled.

"Sure," Annie lunged for a kick, but Sonic was too fast and circled behind, doling his own kick.

Pikachu fought Espeon. Both Pokémon danced with agility, and Pikachu kept using Thundershocks to Espeon's psychic blasts.

Although Sonic owned Annie, Rob was having too much difficulty focusing. He dodged another kick from Oakley and another String Shot from Ariados. But he couldn't bring himself to attack Oakley. "Oy, what's the matter?" Oakley taunted. "Too busy *fantasizing* to fight?"

"Shut up!" Rob roared. "Man, I wish I could use magic..." he muttered. Then he stopped. "Hey waitadamnminute... didn't I use magic earlier?"

He remembered when Sora had cast Thunder magic, and he had to stop the attack by putting his own Keyblade to the air the same way. He also remember how he surprised Sora with his own Fire attack.

"Rob! WATCH OUT!" Ash shouted. Rob snapped back into reality just in time to dodge a vicious kick to the groin by Oakley. Oakley back-flipped and tried to smash him from the air.

"It's time I try something new... THUNDER!" Rob shouted, pointing his Keyblade just like he did before, and a small bolt of lightning struck Oakley in mid-air, negating her air attack and dealing good damage.

"Wow!" Ash said. "Rob, keep away from the chicks and use your magic!"

"Bingo," Rob heeded Ash's words and danced around Oakley, using Thunder every time she went airborne. Ariados used a Shadow Ball, but Rob simply swatted it back on the creature and knocked it away. Rob leapt up to cast another Thunder...

...And it didn't work.

Rob cursed... "Curses. Out of MP..." before falling flat on his face. Oakley laughed and stomped on Rob's back... painfully.

"You're outta luck kid," she sneered.

Seeing the fair lass they were supposed to free was now... free thanks to Ash, Rob motioned for Ash with his left hand to get ready to run. "Nah... I still got some LEFT!" he smacked Oakley's leg off of him and pounced away.

"Sonic! Ash! LICKETY SPLIT!" He commanded.

Sonic, who had just finished owning Annie, kicked her into the canal and ran off. Ash guided Latias away, and Pikachu stopped fighting Espeon and ran off as well.

Annie growled as she crawled out of the canal. "Espeon! GET THEM!"

Espeon heeded her command, and Annie told Ariados to follow.

Rob skated in a frenetic madness, leading Ash, Latias, and surprisingly Sonic to safety. Alto Mare's mazelike pathways only became even more confusing.

" I get the nagging feeling we're lost..." Ash began.

"Heh, but we lost the loser Pokémon..." Rob answered. They all slowed to a stop, trying to get their bearings straight.

"This place is... HUGE," Ash sighed. "Where can we get to everyone else?"

Latias suddenly smiled. She grabbed Sonic's hand and started running in another direction. And for such a girl, she was quite fast. "Whoa!" Sonic shouted as she darted around from path to path, leading everyone else. Up a flight of stairs, she suddenly let go, and Sonic, Ash, and Rob were now over looking a balcony. "I remember this place! Thanks-" Sonic whirled around, but the little girl was no longer there.

"She's gone..." Rob sighed.

"Pika pi..." Pikachu sighed.

"Why is everyone sighing?" Ash sighed.

"HEY, LOSER BOYS! WHERE WERE YOU?!" They looked down to see Maya, Cloud, and a smirking Brock. Maya was speaking. "You missed the lifetime opportunity of the world's best ice cream!"

"Ice Cream?" Sonic and Rob looked at each other. Some time ago, Rob had told Sonic about the time his sister laid hands on some ice cream. His life was forever scarred. Sonic and Rob paled. "Oh, no..."

"I WANT SOME!" The now ecstatic Ash dragged Sonic and Rob by surprise and sprinted downstairs, Pikachu tailing along.

****

"What is that?" asked Ash as he pointed to two grand pillars, with two crude carvings of what looked like a strange hybrid of cute dragon and an airplane styled bird. He, Cloud, Rob, Misty, Brock, and Maya had taken a boat and promised to meet everyone else at the museum.

"THAT, is a carving of the eon Pokémon, Latios and Latias..." Their tour guide began. "There stood a legend about them..."

"What kind of legend?" asked Rob.

"It was said that they once saved this town from a nightmarish darkness many, many years ago. Using the power of the Soul Dew, they kept this town in great harmony to this very day."

"Interesting..." Cloud noted, not bothering to look at it again.

"Be nice to meet a Pokémon like that..." Brock added.

****

"Wondered what would take the great Sonic the Hedgehog so long to find two meddling kids," Kuja raised one eyebrow and grinned.

"Shut up, it's not my fault two ladies decided to attack us! Not to mention Rob is a pervert!" Sonic shot back.

"I'm NOT a pervert! For the LAST TIME, I've been raised in a church for my whole life, and I had NO IDEA that happens!" Rob complained.

Maya could only giggle. That was NOT the first time she heard reports of Rob's nose "donating" blood every time he had met a lady in a compromising situation.

"I saw you earnestly trying to fight them, but that nose bleeding never helped matters much," Ash snickered.

Rob sighed. He'd NEVER be able to live this down...

"Let's get on with it, shall we?" Kuja opened the door, and the ladies entered first. Rob gaped in marvel at the huge museum. It housed an odd machine in the large center, and several windows of painted glass lined around the building. Near the other side on the second story sat various works of art.

"Welcome to the museum," greeted an old man. He had a blue shirt and red overalls, and was somewhat chubby. His nametag read: "Hi, my name is Lorenzo." Lorenzo began, "This museum houses not just works of art, but also this ancient machine. No one knows what it does."

Ash's alert eyes spotted a young girl finishing a painting. She wore a small white hat, but she was dressed and even looked like the same girl they rescued earlier... "Huh?"

Noting Ash's distracted look, Rob also looked up and saw this girl. "Isn't she the same girl we rescued earlier today?" He leaned on the machine for a closer look.

"Don't touch the machine!" Lorenzo sharply scolded.

"ROB!" Maya snapped.

"You didn't see anything! I mean, I'm sorry!" Rob rubbed his neck, embarrassed.

"Listen, Rob and I have to go check something out! We'll meet you guys later!" Ash said, noting the girl was leaving. "Pikachu!"

"Pi PI pika!" the mouse responded.

"What, and leave me with these losers? No way!" Sonic tailed Pikachu and Rob, with Ash in the lead, out of the museum, ignoring the perplexed faces of their friends.

Ash flew down some stairs, but Rob simply jumped and boosted over them, and Sonic grinded down the rail. Pikachu had to use agility just to keep even with Rob and Ash. Chasing the girl down an alley, Sonic dodged passerby and avoided angry Pokémon. They moved on, unaware of being spied on by Annie and Oakley's small camera device.

When they reached a bridge, Ash saw the girl crossing the other end. "Hey!" he shouted. "Aren't you the girl we rescued earlier today?"

"I don't know what you're talking about..." the girl responded, a slightly snobbish look on her face, and she continued on her merry way.

This only baffled Ash. "Huh?! HEY!" he started running again.

"She spoke for the first time..." Rob noted.

"Yeah, ain't that weird?" Sonic questioned as they tailed Ash. However, upon running some more, they found that Ash had run into a four-way alley.

"Which way?" He pondered.

"Pi PIKA!" Pikachu went straight, and Ash had no choice but to follow. Rob and Sonic tailed as well.

Another bridge, but this time they saw the girl. This girl lacked the hat Rob saw, and he felt this time they chased the right one.

Latias grinned, but Ash picked up a slight temper, "Hey, what's with the games?!"

She simply wagged her finger in a Sonic-like style, motioned them to follow her and ran off.

"She's toying with us...." Sonic muttered.

"Never mind that! Let's GO!" Ash followed Latias's trail.

After several turns and bridges, Latias led them into a small area with an unusually smooth wall. Smiling, she went in, the wall rippling as if she entered water.

Pikachu followed.

"Guess we should go in..." Ash said. The three of them walked in, walking what first seemed like darkness, then a small, temple like room. At last, they reached outside to hear Pikachu babbling excitedly.

"WHOA!" Rob marveled. Their eyes viewed one of the biggest gardens they've ever seen. Beautiful trees dotted the landscape, and several Yanma gathered water. "Yeah, I feel it now... the power that puts the Heartless to rest... the balanced power. It's somewhere in here!"

"Let's look a bit, first!" Sonic smacked Rob and marched by, looking about the garden.

Ash looked further and saw Latias swinging on a swing set. However, some wind chimes twirled, almost as if they were an alarm system.

At this, an invisible being emerged from the water and dashed towards our heroes, ready to decimate them.

"Pika!" Pikachu panicked.

"What the..." Ash looked to see a shape swirl around the trees and begin to dive. "Pikachu!" he pointed to the invisible being. "Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu fired one, but the being swiftly dodged, and then proceeded to smash Pikachu in the gut. "PIIKAAAAA!" Pikachu fell over.

"Pikachu!" Ash comforted his fallen Pokémon, who recovered and began to growl.

"This thing...!" Sonic jumped into the air and used a homing attack, smacking the being away. But the collision of both forces felt too strong, and Sonic hit the dirt.

Rob pulled out his Keyblade. However, before he could unleash an attack Latias appeared in front of him and blocked the way from the creature.

The creature turned visible, turning into a bird/plane/dragon thing that Ash had remembered...

"Latios!" Ash gasped.

Latios snarled and motioned for Latias to get out of the way, but she just shook her head. Latios kept motioning, but Latias still held fast. Sonic, Ash, and Rob could only stare until someone they recognized walked in.

"Hey!" said the girl who looked just like Latias. "How'd you find this place?!"

"Oh... YOU," Rob snarled. "I knew there was a faker."

"FAKER?"

Ash did a double take. WHY did two girls look alike? Are they twins?

"What are you doing in this garden anyway?" asked the girl.

Ash panicked slightly. "Uhhh... SHE lead us here!" he pointed to Latias, the girl without the hat. "And I'm Ash, and this is my Pikachu, this is Rob, and the blue hedgehog is Sonic!" Ash introduced his team.

"Regardless of whether Latias lead you here or not... intruders aren't allowed in this garden..." the girl took a straight standing pose. "Latios!"

Latios rose to attack. Rob snarled and pulled out his Keyblade, Ash nearly wet his pants, and Sonic looked up from his book on How to Save the World and took a lazy fighting stance.

"That will be enough," Latios stopped and turned to see his other guardian...

Lorenzo.

"But Lorenzo..." the girl began.

"Bianca, Latias led them here, apparently they're good enough not to have disturbed this garden," Lorenzo responded, looking at our heroes with a slight smirk.

"Weren't there two?" Asked Sonic.

Lorenzo's grin grew bigger. "Latias, why don't you show them your true form?"

"True... form?" Rob clenched his teeth and a sweat-drop formed. Too late. Latias grabbed his hand and led him to the swing she was on earlier. Ash and Sonic followed. Rob was pushed on the swing, and Latias hopped on, standing on it and using her feet to push. Rob pondered nervously, "What is this, true form?" Latias swung harder, and at this, she changed into a mythical Pokémon, a red version of Latios. Ash's eyes grew wide; Pikachu and Sonic marveled.

Rob surprisingly kept his cool, despite the surprise on his face. He then grinned. "Makes sense. So YOU'RE Latias." Latias smiled and whirled around him, cooing.

"These guys are the guardians of this town, and this is their home," Lorenzo explained.

"Gee, they've guarded this place for AGES?" Ash asked.

"Yep."

Rob hopped off the swing and walked to our heroes. Latios landed near Pikachu. At first the mouse panicked, remembering his fight with the legend. However, Latios licked him, and Pikachu realized he was now friendly. Pikachu hopped a ride, playing with Latios and Latias, while our heroes walked.

"I felt a power in this garden..." Rob began. "Is this what keeps the Heartless out of this town?"

"We believe so," Lorenzo said. "Despite all the Heartless attacks on earth, we haven't seen a single one within a ten mile radius of this town."

Rob smirked, remembering Tails's words earlier. However, one stare at Bianca, and he snarled again. "Hmph. Faker."

"Hmph, LOSER." Bianca snarled right back.

"Faker."

"Loser."

"Faker."

"Loser."

"Faker."

"Loser."

"Faker."

"Loser."

"Oh shut up," Sonic pretended to slap their argument away. "We all know you're both fake losers."

"WHAT?!" The offended roared in unison.

"Heeheeheeeheeeheeheeheeheehee..." Sonic gloated, ironically much like Eggman. Too bad Bianca and Rob double-teamed him and he got two punches in the face. Sonic promptly crashed.

At last they arrived at the top of a staircase. The deck spanned about 30 square feet, and several tiles depicting the legend of Latios and Latias were organized in front of a medium sized fountain, with a glistening jewel that seemed to fuel the very waters of the town.

"These tiles depict the legend of Latios and Latias as they appeared in this town," Bianca said pointing to them. Explaining the story (A/N: Look at the beginning of this chapter to read it.), Bianca pointed to the tile the corresponded with what she said. Eventually, she pointed to the Soul Dew tile. "This gem is what gives the Latios family power... it also keeps this town's water flowing..."

Rob pointed to the gem in the fountain. "That must be the Soul Dew..." he walked up to it, and he touched it with his Keyblade. "This is it... the balanced power! But I can't take it for many reasons... but I can copy its powers into my Keyblade, and help this earth..."

Latios flew by him, and it nodded, agreeing.

"So if you 'copy' enough of this power, you can chase out the Heartless from this planet?" Ash asked.

"Yes... the evil Soulless too. It's not accomplishing my true goal, but it makes that one step closer," Rob grinned, but he lost that grin and clenched his fists. "I honestly don't know who's controlling them, but whoever they are, they're going to stop this Heartless control madness..."

"HUH?!" The Pokémon, Lorenzo, and Bianca gaped.

"YESSSS... the Heartless aren't even evil... they're lost, thanks to some freak, and now they're attacking everything."

"But yet we still have to fight them..." Ash trailed off.

"They're mad... until we can stop whoever's behind this, we'll be forced to exterminate them... and if all the Heartless cease to exist... or the Soulless... the balance will be toast..."

"It's all over my head..." Bianca swooned as if she were about to faint.

"No worries, faker. Stay here where it's safe, and eventually it'll all be over..." Rob walked over to the Soul Dew. "Apparently, this power protects from the terror of darkness and the harshness of light... The power of good that will shelter all who stay here from all evil," Rob felt these words and spoke them, as if they were not his own. He touched the Soul Dew with his Keyblade, and an odd sort of power rushed through him. When it ended he heard two voices.

(You accept your destiny...)

(To be the leader... of both worlds.)

(But with light and darkness at war, you must choose a side...)

(The decision will destroy you if you do not.)

"My... Parents..." Rob muttered.

"Parents?!" Sonic asked, knowing Rob's whole story about his father and mother.

"No-never mind..." Rob shook his head. He had to have been dreaming... did his parents anticipate that move?

Latias swooped and picked up Ash, who began to panic. She carried him over the fountain and into the "lake" where Latios rose from earlier, and dropped him, giggling all the way.

Latios just shook his head and caught Ash; Pikachu shouted in Pika-nese, worrying about its trainer.

"I forgot to mention... Latias is a practical joker..." Bianca giggled.

"Nice you tell me that NOW..." Ash grumbled.

The sun began to set. "Let's get to the Pokémon center. The others must be waiting for us," Ash said.

"I can take you there much faster," Lorenzo offered.

"Thanks!" our heroes said in unison.

They walked off, and Latios and Latias began to wave goodbye before chasing each other.

All were unaware of the small spy camera watching them.

"When the losers go away, it's OUR turn to play," Annie sneered.

"Correction, when the losers go away..." Annie and Oakley turned to see Jesse and James, menacing smiles over their faces. "The Heartless shall come to play," James spoke. "You two are most impressive. Now... you get powers and riches, we get darkness all over the world... what do you say?"

Annie found herself a bit reluctant. "Why would you want to help US?"

"We have our own reasons," Jesse grinned. "Our bosses like you. We can get rid of the brats for you if you agree..."

"Hmm..." Oakley said.

"You let us catch our gold ALONE, but it's a done deal otherwise," Annie shook hands with James.

"Trust us... it was the way we wanted it," James agreed. "The power is all ours..."

Maniacal laughter echoed through the rising night.

CLIFFHANGER! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

The Prophet

2nd July 2003, 07:42 PM

He he he! NOSEBLEED!

Great chapter, by the way. I wouldn't really mind if you did an adaptation of the sixth movie when it comes out... (KYOGRE AND GORUDON! WOO!)

Legends-Kuja

6th July 2003, 10:00 PM

Episode 10: Darkness Heroes

In a large tree, Latios and Latias slept. Their peaceful slumber noted the only noise in the entire garden. However, their rest was soon to be disturbed. The wind chime whirred, noting the presence of an intruder. Latios rose. Who would come here this time of night? He lifted gently, trying not to disturb his little sister Latias's slumber. Too bad... Latias woke up anyway. She looked at him.

(What's wrong?) She asked, in her own language, of course.

(People here... I don't think they're friendly.) Latios responded.

The two flew over to see the two thieves Annie and Oakley had arrived! Snarling, Latios led in for an attack.

"Aren't we the uninvited guests?" Oakley snickered as both she and Annie cartwheeled away from Latios's attack. Latios simply swirled around and attacked a second time, but they easily dodged.

(They're too swift!) Latias panicked.

(Time to play Faint Attack...) they both turned invisible.

"They've gone invisible!" Annie shouted.

"Thanks for the warning," Oakley's smirk only grew bigger. Latios dived at Annie, who flipped out of the way using keen skill.

(Faint attack MISSED?) Latias though hard, waiting for the moment to strike.

Oakley scrambled back to Annie, and they stood back to back, putting on their special glasses. Now they could easily see the Eon Pokémon. Oakley saw Latios swoop again and commanded Espeon, who stood by her side. "Espeon SWIFT ATTACK!"

Espeon shot stars from its mouth, dealing a painful blow to Latios's stomach.

Latias roared and smashed Espeon away. Annie saw this and pointed for Ariados. "Ariados, Shadow Ball, NOW!"

Ariados launched the jagged ball and smashed Latias... hard enough to lose her invisibility. He launched another without Annie's command and smacked Latios, making him temporarily out-of-sync and unable to fly fast.

"This should work!" Annie threw an electric net, which expanded and captured Latios in a shocking wrap.

Hitting the ground hard, Latios struggled to get free. Latias, seeing her brother, only grew enraged as she dove towards Espeon.

Big mistake.

"Espeon! Psybeam!" Oakley commanded.

Espeon let loose a beam of mighty power, and although it didn't do much to Latias, it was enough for her to crash into the ground.

Latios wasn't liking this, but for both to be captured... (GO!) he called to Latias.

(Latios! I can't leave you!) Latias cried, recovering.

(NO... GO! Don't let them catch YOU! GO!)

Oakley made pursuit of Latias and threw another net, but Latias dodged. Latias sighed sadly and ran away through the waterfall, as Annie and Oakley watched her escape.

"How odd... I thought they'd never leave each other..." Annie said.

"No matter... we got one, and the Soul Dew is OURS!" Oakley ran up to the fountain and grabbed the magical sphere. After a few tries, she finally wrenched it free from the holding place.

"Look at it... it's so magnificent!" Oakley cooed. They paid no attention to the fact that their deed dried up all the water in the park...

"Come on... According to the legend, there's a machine at the museum powered by this thing! Let's GO!" Annie dragged Oakley away, unknowing of the unspeakable horror they were about to unleash...

Heartless.

****

Cloud looked on in the night sky. He, Tifa, and Maya had chilled out on top of the roof that night, not feeling sleepy in the slightest. Rob simply decided to be anti-social and opted to stay in the room. Everyone else was fast asleep. "It's peaceful out here," he said. "Reminds me of the days back at home."

"Yeah," Tifa sighed. "I'm so glad you came with us, Cloud. I feel much more peaceful now that you're around."

"Am I gonna hafta leave you two alone for a romantic moment?" Maya asked.

"Don't think so," They said in unison having heard questions like this before. Cloud continued. "We're too good of friends to consider romance, and all we want now is for Aeris to be with us," he gazed at Maya before looking at the moon again.

"Oh, is THAT so..." Maya rolled her eyes. However, she twitched when she noticed something. Several Soldier Heartless emerged. Her eyes widened as she avoided the first swipe of one of their claws. "Heartless?!"

"What?!" Cloud pulled out his sword, and Tifa back-flipped out of the way from a rush from another Soldier. Cloud took a wide sweep with his sword and easily killed three of them. Tifa used a roundhouse on one, countering its attack and killing it. Maya kicked one and stabbed it with one of her daggers, causing it to crash before disappearing into a black mist. Cloud slashed another one that was about to jump on Tifa, and they stopped. "They aren't supposed to be here."

"Something's wrong... dead wrong..." Maya shook her head. "It can't be this way! I'm going to find the *source* of this problem!" She hopped off the roof and sprinted away before Cloud or Tifa could do anything about it. Tifa nearly went after her, but Cloud laid a hand on her shoulder.

"I think she'll hold her own," he said calmly. "And besides," he noticed a shape land right on their balcony and enter inside. "We have company."

****

"Lorenzo! What happened?!" Bianca rushed to Lorenzo, who was gaining consciousness.

"Urgh..." Lorenzo stood up. "Bianca... I was in the boat shop, when this Espeon came through, and the next thing I know, I'm unconscious..."

"Lorenzo! These guys must've been looking for Latios and Latias! We've got to go quick!"

The two ran into the garden... and to their dismay, Latios and Latias weren't there...

And neither was the Soul Dew.

"They took the Soul Dew!" Lorenzo gasped. "Without the Soul Dew these waters won't flow... They must've seen that machine in the museum..."

"Oh no! We've got to get there, and FAST!" Bianca and Lorenzo rushed to the museum, unaware of the shadows that formed behind them...

****

Rob snarled. Being a Soulless, sleep eventually became less and less important, until you could get by without it, and not even lose your temper. However, he began to miss sleep... the boredom threatened to devour him. He envied Ash, who seemed to sleep like a rock. However, he couldn't shake a feeling that Ash's... Heart was hiding something.

His Heart seemed awful strong for an ordinary human.

NO matter. Without warning, Latias appeared in the window in human form. This caused practically EVERYONE in the room to stir and awaken. Ash spoke first. "Latias... what's wrong?"

The girl ran to him and cried silently on his shoulder. Everyone but Rob, Ash, and Sonic seemed horribly confused in the matter, so Ash told her to sit down.

Eventually, Ash began to introduce everyone to Latias. Nervous waves and laughter showed everyone's only response. However, Kuja smirked, but in a more reassuring way, obviously knowing more than anyone else, save the trio.

"Latias... show them your true form..." Ash trailed.

Latias focused, and to everyone's (everyone being the people who didn't go to the garden, sans Kuja) surprise, she formed into a Pokémon!

****

At the grand museum, in the darkest of night, Annie, Oakley, and their Pokémon walked in, carrying Latios. They laid Latios on a small circle. At this, it glowed white, and the ancient machine's guardrails shrank into the depths. Several twisting spheres emerged, capturing Latios inside.

What looked like an odd crane emerged. The center "ball opened to reveal a seat and a wide, blue "screen." However, Bianca and Lorenzo dashed into the main area.

"STOP!" Lorenzo shouted. "What're you doing?"

"What does t LOOK like we're doing?" Oakley snarled. "We're going to OWN this world."

"Espeon! Put them away," Annie smiled.

Espeon fired a Disable attack at Bianca and Lorenzo, shocking their bodies and knocking them unconscious. "Good night!" Annie sang.

***

Maya dashed through the alleys, smelling trouble closer and closer. With the Soul Dew in this town, not even those Soldiers should've shown up. But this must've signaled that the Soul Dew must've fallen into malignant hands! "I've got to find it!"

"Find what, little girl?" she heard. Whirling around, Maya came face to face with none other than Jesse and James. "You won't find ANYTHING."

"Team Rocket!" Maya hissed. She drew he daggers. "Always ones to stir trouble..."

"Make that double," James sneered and launched a kick to Maya's stomach. Maya curled in pain, but James wasn't finished yet. James smashed Maya with yet another vicious kick, forcing her on the ground. "Heartless shall overcome all this land. We can't have such a power like the Soul Dew around. We won't let you find it! You're finished." James took a fierce fighting pose, ready to attack, but soon an invisible force punched his face and sent him rocketing past Jesse.

"What the... stop cheating, little brat!" Jesse contorted in rage and leapt towards Maya, but the force struck Jesse as if she were nothing, and she crashed as well.

"I wasn't... cheating... you were," Maya snarled, trying to recover. "Keyblade..." She summoned Her brother's Keyblade. Once she gripped it, however, the same force Rob felt now surged through Maya, allowing her to ignore the pain. "Whoa... what did Rob DO to this thing? No matter!" She used a demonic grin that would've made the devil look tame and shouted, "FORE!" knocking Jesse and James away.

"ARGH!" Jesse twitched. "This doesn't matter. Once again we proved ourselves wonderful stalling tactics," she straightened her hair.

"We'll destroy you later," James cackled before he dropped a rose, and they both ran away. Maya however, wondered what repelled the two of them when they attacked her earlier.

(The matter with you?) A voice said, unveiling a giant chameleon with the Soulless crest. (You all right?) That answered her question.

"Thanks... I'm okay now... who're you?" May asked.

(Stealth Sneak, at your service,) the chameleon said. (I came here smelling an unbalanced power. I bet that's why the Heartless are here.)

"Thing is, they're not supposed to be here in the first place!" Maya said. "I think that 'Soul Dew' Team Rocket mentioned is the problem... it's in the wrong hands!"

(Let's put it back in the RIGHT HANDS, shall we? Hop a ride,) Stealth Sneak offered its back, and Maya hopped on. (Let's go.) However, two Sneasels hopped in, leaping for an attack. Maya saw something she didn't see before...

"Heartless crests!" Maya shouted. "No wonder some Pokémon attacked and others don't!"

(THEY are malignant,) Stealth sneak used his tail and smashed the two Sneasel away. (Let's move, before EVERY Dark Pokémon gets malignant.) They sprinted away. Maya dropped the Keyblade and it disappeared.

****

"She's... she's that legendary Pokémon?" Misty gasped.

"Bingo," Kuja answered.

"What's wrong?" Ash queried.

Latias sighed and closed her eyes. Then, she opened them, and everyone was no longer in the room. Rather they stood in a vision of the museum, where Latios's eyes glowed as well.

"They keep a psychic connection together," Kuja explained.

"This is... the museum!" Ash said.

"And look!" Brock pointed to a giant spider web, holding two people wrapped inside. "There's Lorenzo!"

"Those two thieves we encountered at the canal... they've activated that machine!" Sonic gasped. "We don't know what the hell that thing does..."

The group heard Lorenzo shout to the duo, "You'll destroy the whole city!"

Oakley stepped in the "ball" of the crane. "Never mind THAT, old man. We'll be able to control THE WHOLE WORLD from here!" Annie cackled madly.

"I'M TELLING YOU, FOR THE LAST TIME! THAT MACHINE IS THIS TOWN'S DEFENSE MECHANISM!"

Oakley sweat-dropped. The Pokémon sweat-dropped. The group sweat-dropped. Everyone sweat-dropped.

Everyone promptly crashed into the floor.

Oakley rose and corrected herself. "No matter! I'll CONTROL THE WHOLE WORLD ANYWAY! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" She rose up on the crane, and at once the waters began to rumble. "I have control of this city's very waters. Soon the world will BE MINE..." she began to "type" in the air. "Reanimation... Aerodactyl, Kabutops... find Latias!" Oakley cackled.

"They have the Soul Dew..." Rob pointed out. Latios felt a shock, and the vision ended. Latias dropped, but recovered "And if THEY have the Soul Dew, that means-"

"The Heartless are here..." Cloud and Tifa dropped in, slightly tired.

Rob missed nothing. "Where's my sister?"

"She ran off, looking for the Soul Dew..."

"Figures," Rob snarled, before his face changed to worry. "Maya, please don't get yourself killed..."

"We've got to stop them!" Ash said. "But... why are the Heartless here?"

"Those two are filled with horrible greed," Kuja took an angsty stance to make himself look cooler. "Their evil corrupts the Soul Dew, making it a Heartless magnet instead of a Heartless repellent. We must move out now before their power destroys this city."

Rob and Ash wasted no time in hopping out the window. Kuja moved as well, and Cloud hopped right after him. However, when Sonic began to race, Kuja said, "Sonic, stay here with the others!"

"What?!" Sonic's jaw hung open in rage. However, he noted Tifa, Misty and Brock, and he understood Kuja's request. "Okay... don't take forever!"

Latias flew out, and Ash noted rising gates sealing the alleyways. "They're trapping us!" Ash, Cloud, Pikachu and Rob jumped out just in time, however Kuja couldn't make it out without getting a severe cut due to the sharp edges forming on the gate that would've sealed them inside.

"Kuja!" Ash exclaimed.

"Heh... I've suffered worse... and lest we forget, I'm a red mage..." Kuja cast a Cura and removed the wound. "Come on... Let's go..."

"The canal ways should lead us to the museum!" Ash instructed as Latias nodded and led the way. Rob skated, Ash and Pikachu grabbed Rob's hand, and Kuja simply cast float on himself and Cloud, proving them to be quite speedy in the air. "Nice moves, Kuja." Ash gave Kuja a thumbs-up.

"Thanks... Heartless Ahead!" Kuja stopped as several Shadows and two Sneasel hopped up to strike. Pikachu hopped off Ash and struck with a quick Thunderbolt, smashing them away. Cloud flipped away from a sneak attack and slashed two Shadows easily. Rob whipped out his Keyblade and went for the Sneasels, dodging a weak Blizzard attack and smacking them with his weapon. Ash punched a Shadow, and they stopped.

"Heh..." Ash grinned.

The group moved forward again, not noticing the flying shape heading towards them. Only when it was too late did Rob note a swooping Aerodactyl landing to attack. It grabbed Latias, and tried to carry her away.

"****!" Rob exclaimed.

"PIKACHU!" Ash shouted as he made a futile leap on the creature to try and apprehend it. "THUNDERBOLT!"

"Thundaga," Kuja commanded, as Pikachu joined in and both sent huge blasts of lighting on Aerodactyl. The bird cried and flew away, but Latias panicked.

"Latias!" Ash cried as she put on her invisibility and flew away. Aerodactyl swooped back to smash the other guys with a Hyper Beam. "LATIAS!"

****

"I can't wait around here any longer!" Sonic paced. "I'm feeling something awful, and I just can't sit on my butt all day!"

"I feel the same way," Misty added, "But we can't get past those gates!"

"Leave that to me," Tifa grinned and cracked her knuckles and Sonic smiled at her. He easily ricocheted off some neighboring walls and landed on the ground on the other side. She went to Misty and Brock. "Hope you aren't afraid of sudden heights," She picked up Brock first and chucked him over the gate. Sonic caught him and set him down. Tifa did the same to Misty, and then Sonic jumped back, threw Tifa over, and zipped back to catch her. The four of them bolted down the steps and headed over to the museum.

****

Ash came to. Somehow, he wound up in the canal. As his sight returned though, he saw Latias shaking him awake, and Rob, Cloud, Kuja and Pikachu walking alongside. "Latias..."

Latias cooed happily in response.

"Those Pokémon... they're controlled by the Heartless, aren't they?" Ash pondered.

"I can attest to that!" the group heard. Ash turned his head a bit to see Maya riding on... thin air? "The Pokémon have Heartless crests on them!"

"MAYA!" Rob, not caring about his image, embraced his sister. "I was worried about you..." He smacked her with his Keyblade. "NEVER DO THAT AGAIN!"

"Gimme a break..." Maya massaged her aching head.

"What the hell are you riding on, anyway?"

(You mean you don't recognize me?) Stealth Sneak faded into view, surprising Ash and nearly forcing the boy to wet his pants. (Heh, I came this way to help out.)

"You must be Stealth Sneak..." Kuja said.

(A psychic, huh...) Stealth Sneak noted. (Nice...)

"Very perceptive," Kuja commented. "But we've got business to attend to."

Stealth Sneak noted Aerodactyl swooping in the distance. (Let's LOSE them...) Maya hopped back on, and the crew now raced on the streets of Alto Mare.

Aerodactyl made chase, but most everyone was faster with Ash now riding Latias. Aerodactyl promptly crashed into a wall, fainting. Ash made a face at it and Rob gave it the finger, making fun of its less-than-dramatic exit. The group sped on, but a giant, speedy shape began its pursuit. Kuja knew it to be Kabutops, and advised the group to make more turns to confuse it. However, the vicious Pokémon was not one to be duped, and it kept up easily with them. Rob turned to the others.

"I'll take care of THIS!" Rob whirled around and charged, pulling an upward sweep, driving right through Kabutops's thick armor and knocking it down. Rob added insult to injury by plunging his Keyblade through its stomach, causing it to convulse and then sit still. The Heartless crest faded from its head. Ash and Latias came back. Rob gave a thumbs-up. They raced on.

****

Latios strained in pain. Oakley's mad drive for power harmed his very *soul* and sapped him of energy. Oakley's growing frustration at failing to stop Latias and Ash only angered her. Bianca and Lorenzo only stared, pure horror etched on their faces. Oakley's face then twisted to a grin, calling the screen to monitor the charging group. "Perhaps... I'll just summon the very water they tread on them," Oakley's mad cackling rang through the museum, unaware of the twisted evil that besieged her heart. She then began to control the water...

****

"The museum's right there!" Ash pointed. Latias swerved and headed for it.

"It's too quiet..." murmured Maya.

"What the..." Rob turned to see a huge tower of water flowing towards them. "RUN!"

The team turned tail and tried to evade the chasing tower of water, but it proved faster. Water streaked across the wide floor, trapping our heroes and allowing the water tower to consume them. Our heroes struggled for air, the rushing water denying them oxygen. Latias panicked, but then clamed down and saw only one way out.

There was no other choice.

Her eyes flared, noting the psychic burst of power.

The Soul Dew shattered.

The water dropped away at once. Kuja smacked himself to get rid of the water in his throat, and Pikachu jumped on Ash's stomach to squirt out the water in his stomach, although one would suspect more homicidal reasons...

The group wasted no more time and rushed in the museum.

By now, Oakley saw the error. The Soul Dew was destroyed! The complete lack of power suddenly drew the crane into a state of madness and it went haywire, trapping Oakley inside and driving her mad.

As Rob and the crew entered, they surveyed the chaos before them. The ancient machine had gone haywire, and everyone else, Pokémon included, could only watch in utter confusion. Annie noted the arriving heroes and summoned Ariados and Espeon.

"Get them!" Annie commanded.

Stealth Sneak, however, made quick work of them. Sending an energy blast through his claws, the chameleon sent Ariados packing with one blow, and a simple Faint Attack knocked out Espeon. Annie could only stare in shock, until Maya dashed over and kicked her in the stomach. Then she could only keel over in shock.

"Are you two all right?" Ash said, trying to peel away the webbing trapping Lorenzo. However, he couldn't peel it fast enough, so Cloud came over and easily tore through it with his sword, freeing the two.

"We're fine... rescue Latios!" Lorenzo exclaimed.

Rob had already set foot towards Latios with Kuja. Rob tried to smash the barrier with his Keyblade, but his efforts proved futile.

"Let's see if THIS will work," Kuja lifted up a hand and said, "Dispel." The barrier cracked, slowly but surely, and almost like glass, it shattered. Latios fell to the ground, exhausted.

Latias, seeing that Latios was free happily circled around him.

"As much as I like happy reunions, we're not finished yet!" Rob pointed to the machine. "The machine's haywire!"

True to Rob's word, the machine was still going awry, Ash narrowly dodged getting smashed to death by the crane's "ball." Latios looked over to the holder where the Soul Dew once sat, a white orb of electricity in its place. Latios nodded towards it, and Rob knew what to do.

Bringing his mighty Keyblade, Rob slammed it into the orb, ignoring the great shocking pain coursing through him. Reaching his limits, Rob finally forced the Keyblade completely down, destroying the orb and silencing the machine.

The crane slowed to a stop, opening on the ground and revealing Oakley, lifeless and unmoving.

Annie rushed over to her fallen friend, cradling the purple-haired woman like a baby. "Oakley? Oakley!" She shook her gently, and the body stirred. Oakley awakened.

"Annie?" She whispered.

"I... I''m glad you're okay..." Annie smiled weakly. "I think it's all over for us."

"I hope you learned your lesson!" Ash suddenly said, catching them off guard. He boldly walked over to them. "This is what happens when greed becomes you!"

"Evil overtakes your Heart, and you attract the Heartless, and you nearly put this town in grave danger!" Lorenzo added.

Annie stared at the angry crowd of heroes and Pokémon in sadness. All they wanted was the high life, to have the thrill of thievery and own the world... and this is what they get? She bowed her head in shame. Oakley turned her head and weakly said, "Please spare us the moral reminder, we just had... everything... you just said... and are about to say... shoved into our heads in about five seconds by... these events."

"I guess people change, huh?" Ash said.

"Not a bad idea," A slight smirk appeared on Cloud's face. Latias studied Annie and Oakley and flew around them, wondering why they had such a sudden change in morals.

As Latias finished her investigation, Ash continued, "In any case, you'll still have to go to jail, but I see that you have at least had a change in heart... the town's back to normal, I guess."

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed.

Just then, Tifa, Misty, and Brock rushed in. "Is everything okay?!" Misty asked.

"It's all settled now," Ash said, with a soft smile towards the two lady thieves. "Where's Sonic?"

"Umm... guys?" Sonic walked in, his pupils having shrunk to the size of a small speck of dust. "We have a problem... go look outside..."

The entire group sprinted outside, Annie and Oakley included, and the team came face-to-face with a giant, black form, leering down at them.

"Not DAD again!" Rob groaned.

"That's your dad?!" Bianca gasped.

"Believe it, faker!"

Bianca promptly fainted.

(So, you absorbed the balanced power, didn't you?) Darkside continued staring impassively. (In any case you can't stall any longer. If you don't accept me I will destroy you.)

"What do you mean?" Rob raised an eyebrow. "I've survived you plenty of times."

(Choose a side... Darkness or light...)

"So this is what this was all about..." Rob readied his Keyblade. He smirked. "I can't. Not while YOU TOLD ME THERE WAS A BALANCE!"

"What's this supposed to mean? We can't choose one!" Maya stared at her father curiously as she walked evenly with her twin brother.

(Your mother sure doesn't want that balance. But neither do I. You can't deny us both any longer...)

"What's going on here?!" Ash asked, looking frantically.

"What?" Rob held a flummoxed look. "What do you know about mom?"

(That doesn't matter...) Darkside sank his hands into the ground and pulled out a Shadow Ball. Several Shadows emerged. (Now you meet your fate.) Darkside hurled it, and Rob barely dodged. He went in for a slash, but Darkside easily dodged and slammed the ground. Rob and Maya managed to jump, but everyone else was struck.

"Augh!" Ash cried as he crashed into the ground.

Darkside aimed his fingers and shot a piercing blast of Darkness, blowing Rob and Maya into a wall. Maya recovered and launched a rain of thunder, distracting Darkside for a short while.

Ash recovered. "Sorry Rob, but this guy's gonna take all we've got!" Ash sent out Pikachu. "Anyone who can, please help!"

Even Annie's Espeon assisted Pikachu as everyone capable of fighting launched themselves on Darkside (In Sonic's case, literally.). Espeon and Pikachu used a wicked Psybeam/Thunder combo on Darkside's left arm, and Cloud hacked on Darkside's face. Unlike last time though, Darkside didn't cower at the large group. He slashed back, and Sonic hurtled into the ground, Espeon and Pikachu nearly ate rock, and Cloud had to make the world stop spinning before he could rejoin the fight. Darkside gathered some dark energy and hurled a mighty Shadow Ball. As it failed to hit Maya or Rob, the rest of the heroes scattered before they could join the blast of dark energy into non-existence.

"This... is absolutely insane..." Oakley struggled to get up. "Ariados... help them out..."

Ariados launched a volley of black lightning right onto Darkside's face. It didn't hurt but it was a long enough distraction for Pikachu to climb up Darkside's arm and concentrate its Thundershock attack into a small and highly painful ball, which he used to land a nasty critical hit. (A/N: Think Super Smash Brothers Melee for that attack.)

Darkside sent a large dark wave, knocking our heroes back. (This is a waste of time... I'll destroy this place...) He powered a HUGE shadow ball and launched it. Although Rob tried to block it, he only succeeded in smashing himself into the ground.

Cloud brought forward his sword to try and stop the massive Shadow Ball from destroying them all, but after about ten seconds, he too couldn't hold it. Sonic and Maya's attempts failed miserably as well.

"We... can't die this way..." Misty gasped sadly as the giant projectile picked up momentum and drew closer to smash them into oblivion.

The exhausted Latios rose and charged towards the giant Shadow Ball.

"What're you DOING?!" Maya shouted.

(NO!) Latias cried, realizing what he was about to do.

Latios glowed white, and as he floated right in front of the Shadow Ball, he began to flicker. The white orb he became expanded and engulfed the Shadow Ball, reducing it to nothing.

"Latios..." Ash panted. "LATIOS!" he saw Latios was no longer there. He ceased to exist.

(Memento...) Latias sighed, as Maya picked up on her words. (Sacrifices your life to render any attack or opponent useless...)

"You're gonna regret that, POPS!" Rob snarled as he launched another attack. He leapt up and twirled to strike, but a booming voice interrupted him.

(STOP!) Rob heard the voice of his mother.

"Mom?!" He gasped. Darkside took swift advantage of Rob's distraction and smashed him into the ground. Rob grunted and groaned as he said... "No way... I could've ended it..."

"I can't take this anymore..." Ash snarled, filled with a sort of rage he had rarely felt and a power that he had never known before. This battle was destroying Alto Mare, and most of all I had already destroyed Latios. His Heart had grown stronger, just as it had the previous times he had to save the world. "I can't!" He rashly charged towards Darkside, disregarding the protests of his friends and reared back his fist. Pikachu naturally hopped on Ash's arm and began to charge. "This ends NOW!"

"Pi KAAAAAAAAAAAAA CHHUUUUU!" Pikachu powered up Ash's punch, flooding Darkside with over 10,000 volts of electricity, and the whole world flooded with white light and shining Thunder.

Ash fainted from all the power.

****

"He's coming to!" Ash heard, almost a distant voice.

The boy opened his eyes. Everyone had crowded around him, with Misty up front. "Ash, are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah..." He grinned weakly. However, he looked around. He saw he was back in the hotel/Pokémon Center. "What... did I do? I never... felt that... *powerful* before... something... *unlocked* inside of Pikachu and me."

"If I'm not mistaken, I'm not the only one who saved the world," Sonic said with a small grin. "It takes a special kind of Heart to have that much bravery, power, and even stupidity-" Ash twitched at the last comment. "-to be able to save the world... Ever wondered why you felt like a 'Chosen One'?"

"I... guess that makes sense." Ash got up. Apparently, he didn't break anything. "But I've never felt that kind of power before..."

"You can blame Pikachu for that," Rob stood in the corner, glaring at Ash with his neon orange eyes. "that much lightning shoved through your body would've killed anyone else, but you share a special bond with your Pokémon... Your Heart is wicked strong, that's for sure..."

"Oh ASH!" Misty, not caring about the large crowd, glomped him. "I was so worried about you!"

"Aw Misty..." Ash blushed, and Brock, Rob, and Sonic snickered. The hedgehog twitched and dashed off. However, he turned to Rob. "Did... what happened to Annie and Oakley? Latios?"

"Latios is gone..." Rob sighed sadly. "He used that Memento attack knowing he wouldn't survive. He had to forge a new Soul Dew... that could only be done by sacrifice... On much better news, my dad is gone, and Annie and Oakley are both no longer consumed by any evil. Well, almost. That Oakley chick scares me," Maya and Ash snickered at this comment, knowing Rob's bad luck with Oakley. "And this place is Heartless free again!" Rob dropped his happy tone. "But on a second note... I heard my mom's voice..."

"Your mom?" Ash asked.

"She was the one who helped me start this adventure... and my... father killed her. But yet she stopped me from attacking him that last time... why?"

"I don't know," Ash sighed sadly.

"Maybe I'll find the answers..."

"Rob..." Ash began, looking at Misty and Brock. "I wanna ask you something."

"Yeah?" Rob answered.

"This is gonna be difficult..." he continued to steal glances at Misty and Brock. "But... can I come with you? I wanna understand all this, the Heartless, the Soulless, the Pokémon... Everything, and I can't do it on a normal journey..."

Rob's smirk returned. "Heh, why not? The problem is, will your friends let you?"

"Ash..." Misty's eyes watered, and she glomped Ash again. "I'll miss you!"

"I'll miss you too, Misty..." Ash hugged back.

"Ash," Brock said in a serious voice. "On your new journey, there's one thing I request of you..." he gave Ash a pen and a notepad. "Could you get girls to write down their phone numbers here and bring it back?!"

Everyone crashed. Misty smacked Brock over the head with a mallet.

"Well, for safety reasons, I'll stay here," Brock came back to his senses. "Good luck Ash."

"Farewell, Brock..." Ash nodded.

Sonic dashed back in. "Tails and Eggman are back! We can go now!"

"Bye, everyone..." Ash waved. "Pikachu!" Pikachu came by and faithfully perched on his shoulder.

"Bye!" Misty cried, tears in her eyes.

"Bya!" Brock waved.

"Don't worry..." Rob said, "*We shall meet again*..." The group left.

****

"Huh?" Sonic looked in the distance. "Isn't that Latias?" he noted the girl running by them as the group headed to wards the shore.

"Or is it faker?" Rob grinned.

Latias came to Ash. She held a painting in her hand. Ash received it, and opened it.

Inside was a detailed picture of Ash, Rob, Pikachu, and Sonic, chilling out in front of a large tree.

"Wow..." Ash said, not expecting an even bigger shock.

Latias pecked him in the cheek.

"Lucky bastard..." Sonic muttered under his breath.

Latias ran back. Lorenzo showed up in the distance. "Goodbye! Thank you for everything!"

"No problem!" Ash saluted, and the group all boarded the spacecraft.

"Wait, does this thing have a name?" Ash asked as he came inside.

"I prefer the name 'Nevershadow'," Tails came into view. "Hello, Ash Ketchum. My name's Miles Prowler, but you can call me Tails!"

"Hi Tails!" Ash shook his hand. "So... where we off to?"

****

"WE'RE GOING TO HOENN/JAPAN! YEAH!"

"Pika PIKA!"

(Nice ending note, don't you think? Too bad next episode doesn't follow them! Sora and The Four are next... Better stick around, more surprises are in store!)

The Prophet

7th July 2003, 07:44 PM

YAAAAAAY! RIKU-KUN! ^_^
Good chapter... poor Latios, though... ;_;

Legends-Kuja

13th July 2003, 06:17 PM

Episode 11: Mansion of Souls

(A/N: No ownage of KH, Poké/Digimon, whatever… My character, Daniel, or “Taz” is mine, although his name is not.)

“This all makes sense now!” Siege typed furiously on his computer.

“Too bad I still can’t make sense of this…” Sora added, falling on a bed in the Hyperion. “So now there are two sides, light and dark. Each side has two evil minions, Heartless and Soulless. But NOW PEOPLE SAY SOME EVIL MONKEY IS MAKING THEM GO ALL MAD!’” He roared. “Oh… now I’m confused! Are we supposed to destroy the Heartless or convert them? And what about the Soulless? Darn it, Sara, come BACK already!”

“It’s been two damn hours…” Conker hissed in annoyance.

“Yeah… so WHAT’S taking her so long?”

“I don’t know…” Siege answered. “She said she needed to take care of some business. And Sora…your temper is becoming more like Beelzemon’s each day. Aren’t we the angsty teenager today?” Siege gave a quiet smirk.

“AND WHAT THE HECK DO *YOU* KNOW ABOUT ANGSTY TEENAGERS?!” Sora roared.

“EVERYTHING,” Siege gave a cheeky grin, making Sora roll his eyes. “Including the fact that you are one.”

“Sorry for being a jerk, but I’m so frustrated…” Sora sighed. “Everything I fought for could’ve been in the wrong direction.” Sora blew a strand of hair from his face, and got up. “I’m going in after Sara, I’ll talk with Jim and see what he says.”

“You go on and do that,” Siege’s grin fell, but didn’t disappear. “I’m still researching the matter. I don’t know what Sara knows…”

Sora nodded and walked off.

Jim Raynor sat in the control room with Beelzemon and Buu, playing some sort of card game. Buu snarled. “Got any sixes?”

“Go fish!” Beelzemon grinned.

Jim was more perceptive than his teammates, “Sora! What’s eatin’ ya, kid?” Jim’s outfit was more comfortable; From first glance, he almost looked like Han Solo with a Marine haircut. Beelzemon and Buu didn’t change looks. However, they did glance at Sora.

“I’ve decided,” Sora said. “I’m going after Sara.”

“Somehow I knew you’d say that,” Beelzemon stated. “But she ain’t been that long, has she?”

“Two hours?” Sora tried, raising his eyebrows.

“Argh… got me…”

“Where’d she say she was going?” Buu asked.

“It’s called the Mansion of Souls,” Jim said. “Sara knew about it, said it was connected to this ‘Mary’ she talked about, and I’m sure as hell she’s not talkin’ bout the Virgin Mother, either. She also said it’s connected to those Soulless we’ve been hearing about.”

“If she found Mary, she probably wanted a private moment,” Sora said, bowing his head in reverence. Everyone else did, as well. Then Sora grinned. “BUT WHO CARES?! Most likely she didn’t and it’s safe, so we should make sure ‘tough girl’ didn’t get into any trouble. So who’s with me?!”

“Not me, I’m afraid…” Samus walked in, wearing her full suit. “I’ve got a small recon mission to accomplish. I’ll see you later, Sora,” She dashed off, and Jim smirked. Pushing a button, Jim opened a hatch on the Hyperion, allowing Samus to leave.

“Hmm… I don’t think I can join you this time around, kid” Jim said. “We’ve just got updated on a Heartless attack nearby here, and we’ve got to get down there and assist. But I bet ol’ Beelzemon will help you! Won’t you, Beelzemon?” Jim flashed him a cheeky grin.

Beelzemon raised an eyebrow and looked at Jim. “Hey! What about everyone else?”

“Conker and Buu have to go with me to stop that mass of Heartless nearby, and Siege is still doing research on the damn things. Sora can’t exactly rough this alone, and if anyone here can do anything about darkness better, its you. Am I right?”

“Yeah, but…”

“Good! I knew you’d agree with me…”

“Hey, don’t you pull that sh-…”

“Come ON! I don’t have all day!” Sora picked up Beelzemon and dragged him off the ship. “And besides, if you wanna help everyone else, we need to find Sara quick!”

****

“Things are going quite well today!” Captain Hook grinned, swinging his new sword around. “Peter Pan and his annoying friends are nowhere to be found, the Heartless siege is sure to distract any would-be heroes, and on top of that this HUGE, BEAUTIFUL mansion will be MINE for the taking! OH SMEEEEE!”

“Yes, Cap’n?” The bumbling Smee skittered over to Captain Hook.

“We’re going to claim our new home! FORWARD!”

“Yes, Cap’n!” Smee smiled as he pushed his small, floating Heartless Airship towards the giant Mansion of Souls.

****

“Whoa…” Sora gaped at the grandness of the mansion.

“It’s big,” Beelzemon stated the obvious.

“Yes… but HOW big?”

I’ll answer that question. The Mansion of Souls stood about the size of a small island, dwarfing poor Sora and Beelzemon to look like ants approaching a school building. The entryway stood about 14 feet tall, adorned in red with the Heartless and Soulless crests upon it (The Soulless cross stood inside where the X on the Heartless would normally be.)

“Damn, that’s huge,” Beelzemon gaped. “But we got no time for sight-seein’,” he punted the giant door open with ease, and yelled, “Come out, Come out. Where-...-ver…you...” Beelzemon was struck dumb. To his and Sora’s surprise, about 150 Heartless, doing such activities like playing cards and arm wrestling, ceased all action and stared at them.

Beelzemon managed to finish his statement, still amazed, “...are”

(Whaddya want?) A Bouncywild looked at them, titling her head in—to Sora’s surprise yet again—confusion.

“Just, no.” Sora blinked disbelievingly. He was outnumbered. BIG TIME. And he wasn’t even sure if they were malignant. He decided to test them and see if they were evil.

“DIE HEARTLESS!” He contrived a threatening, yet fake yell, and watched carefully on how they would respond.

They looked at each other. Then the Heartless started laughing.

“AUGH! I thought Heartless were emotionless!” Sora looked around, and the many denizens of the mansion were now pointing and laughing at Sora’s less-than-brilliant outburst. Even Beelzemon had trouble keeping a straight face.

(You don’t need a Heart to laugh,) A Pirate Heartless said between guffaws.

“You thought WRONG, moron!” Sora reacted just in time to block a powerful shotgun blast to the chest. Appearing in the distance was a teenage youth, but his features were blurry. His Southern accented voice boomed. “Hey, next time you try murderin’ Heartless for no reason, you should check if they’re tryin’ to steal your Heart or communicate with ya!” the teen landed in front of Sora, and his features were revealed. He had red hair with yellow highlights, short enough to keep neatly on his head, and a striped black-and-white shirt and jeans. He wore a blue jacket with the combined Heartless/Soulless crest on it. He was built slightly like a football player, surprising Sora with his agility. “My name is Daniel, but you can call me ‘Taz.’ I’m the guardian of this here place, and I won’t be beaten easily.”

“So they aren’t… evil, are they?” Sora breathed, quite shocked at all this. He quickly composed himself, and said, “But if it’s a fight you want, it’s a fight you’ll GET.”

“Don’t leave ME outta this!” Beelzemon pulled out his guns, crossing his arms over his chest. “This is just what ive been waiting for!”

“A demon…” Taz looked at Beelzemon, leering with his small eyes. “You’re not that different from Heartless, are you? This’ll be interesting, I’ll take you BOTH on!”

“Fine! Let’s DANCE,” Sora dashed in for a first attack. He slashed with his Keyblade…

He missed.

Taz proved faster than Sora thought. Barely blocking another round of shotgun blows, Sora charged through and tried to slice again. Still a miss.

Beelzemon aimed his Berenjenas. “Double Impact!” He shouted, firing the weapons. Taz also dodged this, but Beelzemon easily dodged the return fire. Beelzemon moved in and smashed Taz with a Darkness Claw, drawing some blood.

“Yeah!” Sora rooted, smacking Taz while he was still recovering. Taz, however, whipped around and beat Sora with his shotgun. Before Sora could even hit the floor, Taz smacked another round of shotgun bullets, one which grazed Sora’s stomach.

“AUGH!” Sora fell to the ground. However, there wasn’t evidence of his wounds. *These must be magic based bullets!* he thought.

“Hey, do you EVER run out of bullets?!” Beelzemon complained to Taz.

Taz smirked. “Of course, this is a MAGICAL shotgun, no?”

“Right,” Beelzemon back-flipped out of the way of another round of shotgun bullets.

“Blizzaga!” Sora shouted, catching Taz with an unexpected blast of piercing cold ice. Taz fell back, and Beelzemon struck with a roundhouse, painfully reversing Taz’s direction. Taz wasn’t fully defeated; he caught Beelzemon in surprise with a magic bullet to the chest in mid-recovery.

“Agh…damnit…” Beelzemon winced at the pain, trying to recover.

“Beelzemon!” Sora cried.

Taz stood up. However he shocked Sora when, instead of taking aim, he helped up Beelzemon. “I had enough. You ain’t out to kill them, I hope, and you ARE worthy adversaries. So… prepared for a little school lesson?”

“A… school lesson?” Sora raised his eyebrows. “Sure.”

****

“Heh, we’re at Chaos City (A/N: Collision Chaos, Sonic CD!) now,” Crono smirked, leading Donald and Goofy. “Some friends of mine are here. I think someone you know will be here, too, I think.”

“THE KING?!” Donald asked in hopefulness.

“Not quite, a silver-haired lad…”

“Aww… but that’s RIKU! Where ish he?”

“Come on…” Crono and friends headed off to a small, campsite-looking place overshadowing the huge lake. A face popped out one of the tents, a blond girl with shining blue eyes. Upon seeing Crono, however, she squealed with delight.

“WWOOWWW! CRONO!” the girl viciously attacked Crono in a bear hug. Donald and Goofy just looked at each other.

“Marle… please… let me breathe!” Crono choked.

“Oh all right,” Marle seemed sad she couldn’t squeeze more life out of him. “Say, who’re these guys?”

“The duck is Donald, and the dog is Goofy. Don’t be fooled by their looks, they’re quite strong,” Crono introduced the duo. “They’re looking for King Mickey and Riku, have you seen them?”

“Oh, Riku left!” Marle chirped.

“Wh-WHAT?!” Crono, Donald, and Goofy gasped.

“Riku was turning fitfully in his sleep,” another girl, wearing an odd green helmet and thick glasses, as well as what looked like hiking gear. Her hair was oddly purple… “He said he had to ‘assist Sora, lest he’d never hear the end of it from that girl’ he said,” she sighed. “Peter Pan left with him, apparently he knew a quick way back to Earth…”

“Aw man, Lucca!” Crono groaned.

“No problem!” Marle beamed. “King Mickey came by, expecting you to drop by here, and left a note!”

“HOORAY!” Donald and Goofy cheered.

“I wanted his autograph,” Crono grumbled kicking some dirt.

“King Mickey pretty much says that he knows you guys are seriously worried, but he has some business to take care of... namely, finding an upgrade for his Keyblade,” Lucca said calmly. “But you guys should stay here… not much is going on, and King Mickey might come back.”

“All right,” Donald sat down. “I’m quite curioush; what made you guysh demi-Heartlessh anywaysh?”

“It all began when a man named Kuja tried to smash Little Planet…” (A/N: Brief account of this was on episode 3!)

****

(The Darkness… it is one…) A Heartless, a Soldier began.

(To be Heartless… is ONE with the darkness!) Another Heartless cried.

(All Heartless… think as one.)

(As all Soulless.)

(But no free will.)

(To lack a Heart meant to lack free will.)

(We, the Heartless… carriers of the undead, mindless… yet peaceful.)

(Then… he came.)

(Ansem. Seeker of knowledge. Soon, seeker of Darkness.)

(He touched one of us… we took his soul; his heart. We then knew free will!)

(We would steal the Hearts of living creatures, using the corrupt to spread our darkness, those who could not use their darkness properly.)

(Those who claimed Hearts still could not see free will.)

(From his dark prison, Ansem controlled us. Made us blind to our own darkness.)

(Believed all was futile; life would soon end in death.)

(But he saw he was WRONG when Sora defeated him.)

(The TRUE source… we flow from the Holy Darkness, and the Dark Light, our creators.)

(Ansem saw this… he let go of the darkness.)

(From here, we could react truly to our Hearts, and the Soulless re-emerged.)

(Our rivals… the ones without a Soul.)

(To them… the Soul is needed for freedom.)

(This causes the un-balance… the war against light and dark.)

(But we want free will. So do they. That is why some still fight. Some still bleed in darkness… and evil.)

(But we saw the truth… the MIND gives us our freedom! That is why we are not mindless or evil.)

“The Heartless… they fight for FREEDOM?!” Sora gasped.

“Yep! The Heartless you see here, have won,” Taz smirked. “They’ve used their Hearts properly, and don’t feed of the Hearts for energy. In other words, usin’ the Heart right allows them to grow a brain.”

“So, why do people turn Heartless?” Beelzemon asked.

“Of course, their Hearts are flooded with Darkness. Heartless are actually renegade Hearts... just as Soulless are renegade Souls. If the Soul is flooded with light, it leaves the body and becomes a Soulless.”

“If a Heartless used its Heart, wouldn’t it be Soulless?” Sora asked, the question having bugged him since the explanation.

“I’m afraid it’s more complicated than THAT, my friend,” Taz laughed. He leaned down low, as to whisper a secret. “It’s a little known fact, even among fellow Soulless, that the demi-Soulless DON’T really lack souls. Said souls are FAKE. It’s linked by Darkness, thus the light-wielding Soulless are connected to the balance. The demi-Heartless are ones that have a fake Heart with light… You can’t exist without both of them, lest you become a mere shell.”

“A mere shell…” Sora said, remembering his confrontation with the Enigmatic Man. “Another question… If there’s war against Darkness and Light, why do I never see them fight each other or even in THE SAME PLACE?”

“Har,” Taz smirked. He continued in his slight Southern accent. “If they’re not in the same place, you haven’t been lookin’ good enough. But they don’t fight each other because they’re fighting for Hearts and Souls. Taking a Soul from a body without a Heart is tough if not well nigh impossible. That’s why they say they’re rivals.”

“My last question… the Soulless are light… how can light be evil?”

“Light and Dark are powers!” Beelzemon boasted. “How you USE them is what makes somethin’ good or evil!”

“Demon dude’s right,” Taz’s smirk stayed on his face. “There are such people that wield light for evil and darkness for good. It’s all part of the balance man!” Sora remembered the girl known as Raven back on Earth. “But here’s the *special* part. Some Keyblade wielders have the power to manipulate that balance for the greater good. The guys distinctively *made* to help them out are called ‘Messengers.’”

“Messengers?” Sora and Beelzemon asked.

“Yep. All other Keyblade masters, special heroes…”

Sora twitched and thought out loud for a moment. “I remember that Ansem had his own Keyblade even though he possessed Riku while using it… No wait… that Keyblade I had to use to free the Hearts of the Princesses was HIS, and when it disappeared… that power wasn’t destroyed was it? That means ANSEM IS A MESSENGER?!” Sora roared in shock.

“Very good, Sora. It seems that you DO know something now,” Sora turned slowly around, the shock on his face growing wider as he came face-to-face with the one man who struck him of great evil, “But do you understand it?”

“Ansem…” Sora growled, his features etched in hate. “It’s… not possible… one tainted in such darkness such as yourself… how can you be—”

“A messenger, my boy?” Ansem smirked. Ansem regarded Sora in high respect, but he still hated his guts. “The Keyblade, of course. I still had mine. I reclaimed it when I emerged from hell.”

“And why aren’t you still down there?” Sora hissed.

“I redeemed myself. Took eons, really, but I’m now a Messenger. And so is Riku... Messengers for the Keyblade Masters… luckily for you I’m not YOUR messenger,” Ansem smirked and Sora groaned, clutching his Keyblade. Ansem continued, “It’s required for the balance of Darkness and Light, good… and evil. Without that balance, all of existence would be warped in complete chaos, or horrible meaninglessness… Apparently, one named Aku is leaning for the former…”

“Hmph…” Sora sighed. “Redemption brought you back… your drive to redeem your wrongdoings did this…”

“My grandson is out there,” Ansem said. “I learned of his existence in hell. I knew then I could not fail him like my son did. I would not allow him to stand without a father figure… I’d give him all the help he needs. I WON’T be corrupted anymore,” he turned to Beelzemon. “You are an interesting tale. Like me, you sought to atone for your sins, too.”

“Yeah…” Beelzemon said. “I… did too many bad things in the past…” Beelzemon told his tale, too. His evil wrath with the other Digimon…his absorption of Leomon’s data, and how he changed, and met Jim Raynor. Sora realized his almost similar tale to Ansem.

“You guys… change…” Sora fell at a loss for words. “Aw man!”

“People DO change,” Taz smirked. “Sometimes for the worse, sometimes for the better. *I* changed. Just three durn years ago I was a normal kid… Until a fateful night that actually happened TWO WEEKS ago changed me forever and sent me back in time. That’s why this mansion is here.” Taz looked around. The Heartless seemed to make the place much darker and yet… more alive. “YOU change, Sora. Maybe when you grow a brain, it might be for the better.”

“WHAT?!” Sora took offense.

“You know it’s true,” Taz taunted.

“Yeah, whatever… WAITAMINUTE, WHERE’S SARA?!”

“You mean that One Winged Angel chick? I… locked her in a closet.”

“WHADDYA MEAN YOU LOCKED HER IN A CLOSET?!”

“SHE BEAT ME, ALL RIGHT?!”

“Figures…” Sora rolled his eyes. Right out of the corner of his eyes, however, he saw Ansem leave. “HEY, where are YOU going?”

“I have to teach Rob a new technique, I’m pretty sure you can live without my help. Why, what’s it to you?” Ansem’s neon orange eyes twinkled. He vanished in a flash of Darkness.

Sora put his gray matter to work. Ansem had neon orange eyes. Oddly enough, he remembered Rob having neon orange eyes as well. And Ansem talked about a grandson.

Sora thought out loud, “Could he be… NAH!” Sora turned and chased Beelzemon and Taz.

****

“So… Sara’s in THIS closet?” Sora asked.

“Yep!” Taz said.

Beelzemon kicked down the door, and found…

Nothing.

“She WAS in there!” Taz complained as Sora and Beelzemon gave him demonic looks.

“Did you try… looking somewhere ELSE?” They heard a snide voice, and they whirled around.

“Captain Hook!” Sora recognized the villain instantly. Captain Hook stood on a statue, holding a long sword in one hand and dangling a rope on the other. On the end of this rope dangled…

“SARA!” Sora gasped. Sara, tied and gagged, didn’t look fearful at all. On the contrary, her cheeks flushed from embarrassment, and once Sora saw this, she gave him and Taz a death glare that would’ve melted lesser men.

“Why, HELLO, Sora!” Captain Hook evilly greeted. “Been ages since I’ve fought the likes of a scurvy dog like you. But *I* have a new sword,” Sora noted his new sword; it looked much like a defined version of his old one, with flowing darkness and a Heartless symbol upon it. “And YOU don’t stand much of a chance! With all these Heartless here, I’ll make this giant mansion a new home! I’m surprised you didn’t go to the Heartless siege I planted!”

“That was YOUR idea?!” Sora shot.

“OF COURSE, Sora boy! But that’s just fine and dandy, because now I can test my NEW SWORD ON YOU! OH SMEE! Distract his buddies!”

“Yes Cap’n!” Smee ran in, wildly shooting. Taz and Beelzemon leapt on a banister and began to return fire to Smee.

Captain Hook raised his sword and attempted to slice Sora. The nimble boy dodged, and attempted his own slash. Captain Hook dodged easily and leapt to the side, using a four-hit combo Sora could barely parry. “You’ve gotten stronger, me laddie, but so have I!”

“All right, let’s REALLY PLAY! Thundaga!” Sora raised his Keyblade and strong thunder poured from the heavens. However, Captain Hook absorbed the blast by twirling his sword. “Ah, on of the fine features of me sword, I can absorb magic!” Captain Hook raised his sword and used a powerful swipe, now loaded with lightning. Sora leapt out of the way, but took quite a shock from the lighting.

“AUGH!” Sora cried.

“Hang on, Sora!” Beelzemon shouted as he dodged another round from Smee.

“Damn, Smee may be a clumsy oaf, but he’s an excellent marksman!” Taz barely dodged another shot from Smee.

“Why thank you!” Smee happily reveled in Taz’s comment.

Taz simply sweat-dropped. He shot two rounds, knocking Smee back. He then took another shot and Hook flinched, allowing Sora to rake in a Ragnarok combo.

“Nice one, Sora!” Beelzemon cheered, using his guns to ward off a recovery shot from Smee.

“Hey, no cheating!” Captain Hook sliced the air with his sword, and a dark wave sliced Taz, drawing a bit of blood. Taz crumpled, but stayed conscious.

“TAZ!” Sora cried.

“Oh, stop whining, I’m alive!” Taz clutched his wound, and a Green Requiem dropped some green powder. Taz’s wounds faded away. Taz bounded back up, and grinded down the banister, shooting at Smee all the way. Beelzemon simply leapt off the second floor and smacked Smee away.

“But soon YOU won’t be!” Captain Hook cackled, and sent another wave at Sora. Sora jumped it, and super glided towards Hook, finally hitting him with another combo and a prod to the stomach.

“What was that?” Sora taunted.

“Sora, watch OUT!” Taz warned, but it was too late. Captain Hook used his hook and stabbed Sora in his left shoulder. The blood gushed out, and Sora screamed in pain. Captain Hook, being a sadistic bastard, pulled it out, causing more pain and Sora to fall.

“Sora!” Beelzemon cried.

“Whoops! Not defeated yet!” Smee cheered. He shot at Taz and Beelzemon, frustrating them and causing them to return serious fire.

Sora fell. He could barely glance up, as Captain Hook prepared the finishing blow.

“Ay AY, Captain Hook!” A piercing arrow made of light knocked Captain Hook off of the second floor, making him fall to the first floor. Captain Hook rose in anger, ready to take on this figure when he realized who it was.

“PETER PAN!” Captain Hook gasped.

“Nice powers, huh?” Peter Pan flew down to where Captain Hook stood, arrows in hand. “I’m against the power of the Heartless! That means I can use the powers of light, and YOUUUU can’t!” Captain Hook was surprised to see that Peter Pan had grown older by about three years.

“Your maturity hasn’t aged at all, I see,” Captain Hook sneered.

“Or course not!” Peter Pan laughed and took the insult in stride. They began to cross swords and bows.

Sora struggled to get up, but a firm, healing hand told him otherwise. “Friends are always there for you… no matter what,” His hook wound was gone, but his shoulder was still smarting. Sora looked up to see a person he didn’t expect.

“Riku?” Sora gasped. Riku had changed. His hair had grown thinner, he had grown much taller (and even got some muscles), and he now oddly wore a blindfold. “Thanks, Riku. What’s the blindfold for?”

“Being in darkness for a year tends to do nightmares for your eyesight. Luckily, I have much more developed senses better than sight,” Riku turned to Sora, and grinned. “Now stay here until that shoulder of yours recovers. I got this.”

Riku leapt off of the second floor, and joined Peter Pan against Hook. He pulled out his trusty sword (A/N: the one you see him with on that artwork and the one he fights Parasite cage with) and struck, knocking Hook by surprise. Both easily dodged the returning swipe Hook sent, and smashed him again.

Peter Pan got an idea. “Oh Captain HOOOOK! Catch!” he threw something at Captain Hook, and he caught it in confusion.

“A ketchup bottle?” the good guys raised their eyebrows in confusion.

“Observe,” Peter Pan held a confident look on his face. “HEY, PIKACHU! HE’S GOT YOUR KETCHUP!”

An odd, Heartless version of the yellow rat appeared and looked at Captain Hook for the moment. Then he started trying to tug the ketchup bottle.

“That’s MY bottle!” Captain Hook said, angry and confused.

“Pika PIKA!” The Heartless Pikachu shouted.

“You’re a goner, Hook!” Peter Pan said with a confident smirk.

By now the Pikachu got angry. “PIIIII KAAAAAAAA CHHUUUUUU!” Captain Hook got the shock of his life. Pikachu then used a Seismic Toss and threw Captain Hook well out of the house.

“SMMEEEEE!” Captain Hook cried as he disappeared in the night sky with a *ding*.

Beelzemon smirked and quickly mode changed to Blaster Mode, giving him wings and a large positron arm gun. He held it up and yelled “Corona Blaster!” blasting the gun at Smee’s feet. Smee went flying out the same trajectory as Hook.

“I’m coming, Captain!” He cried as he disappeared with a *ding* as well.

Everyone looked at Peter Pan. He just smirked. “Never stand in the way between a Pikachu and his ketchup!” The Heartless Pikachu agreed and started licking the blood-red goodness.

“That’s Anti-Pikachu…” Taz looked at it. “Every unique living animal or human has one. This Anti must be the strongest of its kind. I could tell because it likes ketchup, just like the strongest Pikachu in the world does…”

“Excuse me, what’s an Anti?” Beelzemon raised his hand slightly, as if trying to stop someone.

“An Anti represents your maximum powers. It’s your Heartless equivalent. Apparently, you get a HUGE power increase if you defeat yours,” Sora didn’t remember this happening when he beat HIS Anti. “But here’s the trick: you have to defeat it by yourself. And in a fistfight, it’s impossible to defeat your Anti alone.”

“Oh! Is MY Anti here?” Beelzemon grinned.

“Probably. All the Antis came to this mansion after Ansem was beaten…”

“Awesome! Let’s find him! Forget the Heartless war! Jim probably beat them all already!” Beelzemon gibbered as he raced off into the deeper parts of the mansion.

“I wonder if there’s a SOULLESS Anti running around here…” Sora thought out loud, but when he saw Beelzemon run away, he shouted, “Beelzemon! WAAAIT!” and raced after his friend.

“Heh, I MUST see this!” Peter Pan raced off. Taz shook his head and followed.

Riku stood alone. It was there he saw the angry Sara, apparently mad that Sora forgot to untie her, or maybe angry because she missed the opportunity to kill him. Riku took a quick motion and sliced the bonds off of Sara, and she removed her own gag.

“I am going to KILL Sora, and I’m going to KILL Taz… TWICE,” she turned around to see the smirking Riku. “Who’re you, faker?”

“I see that insult is quite popular now,” Riku’s smirk grew wider. “You do look quite like me…”

“How the hell can YOU tell, with that blindfold and all?”

“I have senses better than sight, and beauty only grows stronger than that.”

Sara caught onto his cryptic compliment. “You think I’m hot, do you?”

“Why not? You look like me…”

“So frickin’ vain, I see,” Sara now shared Riku’s smirk. “How’d you get here?”

“To tell you the truth, this mansion is in fact, Kingdom Hearts. It has doors to many worlds. Since Ansem’s defeat, we sat in Kingdom Hearts for quite some time, until Taz showed up, wondering ‘what the blue hell we were doing in his closet,’” Sara snickered at this. “Turns out his ‘closet’ is the Heart of this mansion, and this Mansion is the Heart of all the connected worlds. The End of the World strangely ceased to exist, replaced by this Mansion after Ansem’s defeat. It’s like Traverse Town for the good-natured Heartless. They travel though the worlds; they protect this Mansion. Taz is the only being who knows EVERY hallway in this mansion. It’s his, after all. Little Planet is one of the worlds. I ought to tell Sora he can look for Kairi and King Mickey from this mansion.”

“Not yet…” Sara walked to Riku. “He should look for Kairi first. The king will return in good time… Say, wanna help me kill Sora?”

“Why not?” Riku darkly grinned, clenching his teeth. “Monkey didn’t even remember what he came here for in the first place!” They ran off together.

****

The green-haired woman crashed into the ground, hopelessly bound and gagged by tape. The observers in the dark room looked at her in great curiosity.

“Are you sure she was the one Oni requested?” A silver-haired man in a flowing kimono asked. “She is only an ordinary human.”

“Yeah, so? What’s your point?” The person who brought her here said simply, her messy cyan hair and evil grin accenting her demonic looks.

“That was BEFORE you became a demi-Heartless,” A strange turtle-dragon said, his shocks of blue hair going in two directions. “As cheap as it looks, going that direction is no easy feat, we just got lucky…”

“I’m pretty sure Oni will prove her purpose soon,” Another green-haired woman giggled, calmly licking her own hands. “Why else would she go after a normal human?”

“One thing’s for sure,” A blue haired man said, stroking his chin. “She won’t be normal anymore when this is over.”

(So you brought her,) The five characters in the room heard Oni/Charlotte’s voice and whirled to see her form. She grinned as she looked at the assembled group. (Now understand… every Heart is unique, just like every Body, Soul, and Mind. Each is destined to forever connect with the unique set given with it. The power of this connection is strong enough to sense its separated parts. In other words, if you lose your Heart, you and you alone have the power to sense where it is… It's like a magnet. As well, any Heart not possessed by a Heartless seeks its deepest desire and resides there. Now I will demonstrate…) Oni/Charlotte walked over to the fallen woman and picked her up.

Oni/Charlotte reached inside the woman, amidst her gagged screams of anguish. No one in the room flinched as they grew louder. At last her hand reappeared, the Heart intact. The girl’s body began to convulse, but Oni/Charlotte pressed it gently but firmly, and it stopped. The woman seemed to growl a bit before her eyes watered, and she stared evilly at the cyan-haired one. Oni/Charlotte continued, letting go of the Heart and letting it float away, (Naturally, she will be able to find it… she will not be complete without it… Just as you all are…) She leered through the five of them. (I see all of you have already let go of your Hearts one way or another. Your Hearts will find what you seek, and you can find your Hearts there. But you must do something for me.)

“What we really came here for in the first place… what is it?” The cyan-haired demon/human asked.

(All of you shall assist me in my quest to prepare the Keyblade Masters for their final battles…) Oni/Charlotte stated. (And I will give you your Heart’s deepest desire.) She stood and began to recognize each of them. (Sesshomaru…) she looked at the silver-haired man. (Ludwig von Koopa…) she turned to the turtle-dragon. (Ryoko…) she turned to the pale-skinned woman. (Morrigan…) she turned to the green haired woman. (Magus…) The blue-haired man looked up at Oni/Charlotte. (And our newest member… Kiyone Hakibi,) Oni lifted up the green-haired woman again. (We have destiny ahead of us.)

(This marks the end of another Sora adventure. Sora and Rob will clash again soon, as well as King Mickey makes his first appearance. Oh, and ROB LEARNS SUMMONING! WHEEEE HAW! This was an important episode, but if the explanations are confusing, tell me so, and more succinct ones will appear in future episodes.)

The Prophet

13th July 2003, 07:46 PM

RIKY! ^______^

Plus some major CTness! When ya gonna put in Frog and Magus? (If you have to pick, put in MAGUS! Oh, and Zeal... and Janus... and Alfador... and Schala... and Dalton...)

Oh, and sorry to be a bit nitpicky, but it's called a Green Requiem.

Yay! Mickey the Jedi mouse! WHOO!

Oh, ya gonna put Kefka in here somewhere? Kefka OWNS.

Legends-Kuja

24th July 2003, 06:09 AM

Hang on to your SHORTS!

Episode 12: When Kagato Attacks

"Yes, we're in Hoenn!" Ash cheered. "I heard there's all sorts of new Pokémon here!" The group of five (Ash, Rob, Maya, Sonic, and Tails) arrived at the foot of a rather large hill. From the looks of it, the stone steps leading further up and the signs pointed to the fact there was a shrine nearby. Everyone else had decided to take the Nevershadow around Japan to see if there were any Heartless or Soulless running around.

"Oh, great," Sonic rolled his eyes in sarcasm.

"WHY are we here in the first place?" asked Maya.

"First off, I think Ash is too obsessed with Pokémon," Tails walked along with them. "We have to stick to our mission. Secondly, we're here because Dr. Eggman and I have picked up word on a secret project that endanger this continent and maybe even the world!" Tails then stopped and started rubbing an index finger under his nose cockily. "And lastly, I'm here because I want to fight this time."

"Tails, are you sure about that?" Sonic suspiciously eyed his friend. "It's been a while since you actually fought by hand!"

"You think Eggman and I did nothing the entire time you've been away on those missions?" Tails countered. "Even HE knows how to defend himself, even if he does use technology to help him."

"With Egghead as a training partner, I doubt you could've improved much," Sonic rolled his eyes. But with a sudden flash of darkness, a group of Heartless emerged. These Heartless looked like taller, more evolved Shadows. "What are those?" Sonic leered at them.

Rob gripped his Keyblade. From it he could decipher the names of most Heartless for some reason, as well as people connected to his Heart (as seen by his effort to rescue Clara). "They call themselves Neo Shadows..." Rob said. "Get ready!"

"All right Tails... show us what you got!" Sonic took a fighting stance.

"You're on!" Tails leapt up towards the first Neo Shadow, dodging a mid-air slash, and sliced right through with his tails. He followed up with another slash and destroyed the Neo Shadow.

"Not bad," Sonic gave Tails a thumbs-up as he smashed into another Neo Shadow. The Heartless got right back up and kicked Sonic away, but the hedgehog recovered and flipped away before he could be smashed.

"Take THIS! Cyndaquil!" Ash threw out the Pokéball with the creature inside. A small, black and tan creature, with a small fire on its back, rose. "Flamethrower attack!"

Cyndaquil blew a steady stream of powerful flames, and five Neo Shadows met their end.

"Cool!" Maya chirped. She joined in with a shout of "ROAST BACON!" and fried more Neo Shadows with Cyndaquil.

"There's more..." Rob panted as he twirled to block a surprise attack from a new group of Neo Shadows. Rob swung his Keyblade through the attacker and killed it instantly. However, three others jumped at him and Rob was forced to retreat.

Ash and Cyndaquil's luck ran out. A Neo Shadow smashed Cyndaquil with a fierce kick, knocking him out and into Ash. Tails and Sonic still had to furiously dodge the attacking group.

"Crap..." Rob deadpanned, as the group of five huddled together, weary of Neo-Shadow attack. But a piercing voice changed all that.

"LIGHT RAY!" At this, piercing rays of light fried the entire group of Neo-Shadows instantly. Rob blinked, not believing his eyes. He turned slowly around to see two faces. One looked like a Japanese teenager, but the other was a friend he hadn't seen since his hometown fell. Rob's jaw smashed the floor with Sonic-like velocities.

"What am I, the Abominable Snowman?" Ken Mira cracked.

"KEN!" Rob and Maya wasted no time in crushing their old friend in a bear hug.

Rob asked Ken, "So, you've been here the whole time?"

"Yup!" He answered. "I've been with Tenchi over there ever since I emerged from that dark stuff. I wanted to go find my parents, but there's been so many Heartless around here I've just hung with them and fought 'em off! Yeah, I like my new holy powers!"

"Powers?" Maya asked. "Where'd you get 'em from?"

"Not a clue: I've had 'em since I woke up..." He answered, shrugging.

"Who are you?" Sonic asked Ken's friend.

"My name's Tenchi Masaki," Tenchi bowed. The taller of the two boys wore a simple white shirt and brown pants, and he clutched what looked like a light saber, its blue light retracting and disappearing as he put the hilt away. "So you guys must be good at fighting the Heartless..." He saw Rob's Keyblade. "You're a Key bearer?"

"Yes I am," Rob nodded.

"Maybe now... we can find Ryoko," Tenchi stated darkly.

"And my parents!" Ken added.

"Yes," Rob answered, "But from what I recall, Ken saved US, not the other way around. We need more training before we can go on a hunt mission..."

"Not really," Tails started rubbing under his nose again. "They're just good strategists. That Light Ray attack is more effective than any Keyblade trick-or anything we currently had. Some new moves should do well."

"Good idea, Tails, but I'm tired! You guys mind if we stopped by your place?" Sonic asked.

"All of you are welcome to stay at my place for a while!" Tenchi beamed. But then he sweat-dropped. "But I'm not sure how my other houseguests will adapt..."

****

"Hi Mr. Sonic! Hi Mr. Tails!" A cute human girl said. Her long, aqua hair was done neatly in pigtails and I nearly touched the floor. She wore a long, flowing kimono.

"What's your name?" Sonic asked.

"My name is Sasami," she beamed.

"Who else lives here?" Sonic asked, looking around.

"Oh... there's my big sister Ayeka," Sasami began listing people off the top of her head. "There's also Mihoshi, and Ryoko and Ryo-ohki used to be here... But they left... Then Mr. Ken came by! Ken helps us fight off the Heartless, and he's fun to play with, too! I miss Ryoko and Ryo-ohki though..." She sighed.

"Don't worry, we'll find them," Sonic rubbed Sasami's head affectionately.

"Nice to meet you," Tails said happily.

Rob did not like this "princess". She seemed suspiciously nice... TOO nice. He knew something was hiding under that kimono-coated, beautiful, purple-haired exterior. As he ignored the endless babbling of his sister with the blond one named Mihoshi, he continued to glare at the woman known to him as Ayeka.

"I don't see why Tenchi wants to find Ryoko... I understand he has concern, but HONESTLY, it's been much better here without her!" She said. "I'm pretty sure she's all right."

"Says YOU. WE don't know that," Rob coolly challenged.

"You must be good," Ash commented as Lord Katsuhito trained Tenchi in the art of sword fighting. "Is it possible to train me in your ways, Lord Katsuhito?"

"You are not ready yet... I admire your dedication, but you still have much to learn," Lord Katsuhito returned calmly as Tenchi missed and nearly got smashed with the wooden sword his grandfather had.

"Aww man!" Ash sighed.

"There's always next time," Ken suggested.

Tenchi and Lord Katsuhito stopped. "You have done well for the day." The elder said.

However, a light snow began to fall.

"Snow?" Tenchi asked.

"Been ages since I've seen any..." Ash trailed off. "Come on, let's get back inside."

Everyone in that group walked back towards the house, unknowing of looming danger...

****

"Ah... so the Keybearer of Darkness is at the Masaki shrine, hmm?" Kagato observed, looking through a sort of viewing portal. "I think I'll pay him and his friends a visit."

"Fine with us, but we're off to unlock the DNA project," Sirius stated. "In fact, going to attack them is a grand idea because, even if for some pathetic reason you fail, it shall give us enough time to unlock its powers before the heroes have a single clue." The white robot extended his wings and flew away. Giovanni gave Kagato a small grin.

"At the very least, you'll make very nice cannon foddler," said Giovanni in the same smug tone. Kagato snarled as he teleported away to the Masaki shrine.

****

Rob sighed. Guessing that is only misgiving about Ayeka the whole time was her dislike towards the missing Ryoko, he was actually wrong about this princess.

She was just as kind as they come.

Sasami and Maya continued playing, as Rob kept answering Ayeka's questions, "I haven't seen anyone affiliated with them. My only experience with the Soulless come from the good guys, and two attacks on Kanto."

"All I've seen are Heartless down here... the Soulless were the ones who consumed Jurai... left it as a ball of light..." Ayeka sighed sadly. "I was told Yosho had come to this planet... perhaps he could find some way to defeat these warring creatures... But he's dead... Tenchi is his descendent. He wields the ancient sword that once belonged to Yosho."

"I see," Rob said. Mihoshi and Maya were now rabidly devouring ice cream with Sasami and Rob shook his head.

"They're all so innocent," Ayeka observed. "Even Mihoshi."

"Yeah..." Rob agreed. Without warning, however, his Keyblade began twitching, and he sensed a presence of great evil. A green orb appeared in the house, and Rob snarled. The green ball swelled and cracked with blackness, and a figure floated out. He was wrapped in a green cloak, his gloves, hair and face pure white. Yellow eyes with red pupils glared at the small group of people before him. "So this is where you've been hiding, Keyblade master?" The one known as Kagato answered.

All the girls in the room screamed. Their only answer was to throw various objects at him, which he dodged, highly annoyed, by simply tilting his head to the left.

Rob wasted no time in lunging at this new enemy and tried to slice him. Kagato dodged and whipped out several blasts of green energy, which missed Rob and scored direct hits on the furniture, reducing it to dust. The sinister man, however, used a sort of psychic attack right as Rob connected with his Keyblade... and the boy received an awful shock. Rob roared in pain but continued to try and force down the attack. Realizing he'd kill someone he wanted to capture, Kagato disappeared in a green flash, along with Rob, and a green orb flew away.

"Who was that?!" Maya cried.

Mihoshi suddenly became serious. "That was Kagato!" She shouted. She, Maya, Ayeka, and Sasami sprinted outside.

Sonic and Tails dashed in just in time to miss the action.

"What just happened here?!" Tails gasped.

"I don't know!" Sonic answered. "But we've got to find out FAST!"

****

"Notorious Space Criminal Kagato! Come out!" Mihoshi bellowed, aiming a gun and leering cautiously at the snow. They had come across to an ancient tree, one that seemed to grow right in the middle of a small lake. The snow continued to fall slowly, as the all female group huddled together.

A green orb slammed into the ground, and Rob bounced out of it and smashed into the ground. The green orb then floated upwards about three feet and expanded, cracking like glass and ripping open a black hole. Kagato emerged, and leered down at the now large group.

"Now doesn't this feel better? I must say, snow's beautiful!" Kagato commented lightly. Rob just groaned and tried to stand up.

"Kagato! You are under arrest," Mihoshi began bravely, aiming the laser gun at him. However, she continued on shakily. "Anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law..."

"Oh please, Mihoshi, don't make me waste my time. All I've come for is a little talk with the princesses, and maybe a word or two with the Keyblade master." Kagato simply grinned. "Besides, you're too incompetent to hurt even a fly."

Mihoshi growled and fired several blasts, but they simply bounced off of Kagato and broke various objects in the house. Kagato laughed at Mihoshi as she fired, and laughed even more evilly as she ran out of shots and cowered behind Rob. Kagato simply smiled and said, "You know, I could just kill all of you and be done with it, but what's the fun in that? If you're not a pain, I can just take you to my ship, the Soulja..." he drawled smoothly. However, several people caught his eye. "Why, who's this?"

Ash, Ken, and Pikachu stood in fighting stances. "I don't know what you're doing here, but you'd better leave!" Ken threatened.

"Ah, so now we have degenerate 3rd grade youths in this house, hmmm? That's too bad, I thought the Key bearer would be enough childishness to deal with, but that's no matter. Go home to your parents and I won't have to shed your blood," Kagato sneered.

"I've fought WORSE THAN YOU!" Ken bellowed. "Who are you?!"

Pikachu snarled, his cheeks gathering electricity.

Noting Pikachu, Kagato's grin grew wider and he said, "My, I think I've ran away and joined the circus! The Keybearer has rather pathetic friends."

"WE'LL SHOW YOU PATHETHIC! Pikachu! Thunder Attack!" Ash commanded.

Pikachu charged and unleashed a volley of lightning, but Kagato's barrier easily reflected the attack, and Pikachu narrowly dodged tasting his own lightning. Ash let out a sound of shock.

Ken aimed his finger like a gun. "LIGHT RAY!" He shouted and fired a blast of light. The barrier simply nullified the attack, and Kagato laughed. "It's going to take more than a holy blast of light to defeat me!" He fired three green blasts, each knocking Ash, Pikachu and Ken away. They crashed into the ground, too pained to recover. "You kids should just stay out of the way... Now Keyblade master!" He turned to Rob, who had risen to face him. "If you want all of your friends to live, I suggest handing over that Keyblade of yours!" Kagato said to Rob.

Kagato noted yet again three people ready to fight him. Tenchi stood ready, holding his beam sword Tenchi-ken. Sonic and Tails stood at either side of him.

"I'd be more careful with the king's property if I were you!" Kagato admonished Tenchi.

"What do you mean... what king?" Tenchi asked, strained.

"You do not know the powers of the sword you hold? Give it to me, you are not worthy of it..." Kagato sneered and formed an energy sword.

"Over our dead bodies!" Sonic shot.

"That can be arranged," Kagato grinned and he dove in for an attack. Sonic flipped back and ripped a Sonic Wind. Kagato guarded against the attack, and swooped down to slice Tenchi, who could barely block the attack. Kagato ignored the offenses of Sonic and Tails and continued to try and hammer Tenchi. Tails whipped his tails and slapped Kagato in the face.

"You got lucky, fox boy," Kagato remarked coldly as he blasted Tails away with a single green-energy-shot to the chest.

Tails was down, but not out, "That's my name, don't wear it out," He slinked back to nurse his wounds.

Sonic dodged another shot from Kagato and pushed Tenchi out of the way of a third. Kagato showed his right hand and a fierce wind began to blow from it. Tenchi struggled to keep even with the ground, as did Sonic. However, Tenchi stiffened himself and stopped blowing backwards.

Kagato sneered and talked softly, "Don't waste your life, boy, now hand over that sword..." His glove began to move towards the sword, but not if Sonic had anything to say.

"SONIC WIND!" Sonic bellowed. The attack whipped Kagato in the face, forcing him to stop his wind/blizzard attack. Tenchi then took advantage of Kagato's lapse and landed a direct slash to his face.

"What?!" Kagato gritted his teeth, noticing he now had a small cut. In furious rage, Kagato whispered, "Test you NOW," and landed several powerful slashes on Tenchi, all which Tenchi could barely block. He twirled his sword and landed a final, powerful smash that knocked Tenchi right into Sonic, knocking both into the water. "Pathetic..." Kagato muttered, his anger abating as he reached for Tenchi's sword...

And received a direct Keyblade attack to the face.

"AUGH!" Kagato flew back to see Rob, Keyblade in hand, with a devilish grin. "You disgusting-"

"Guess who's back, gramps?" Rob's grin didn't waver. He picked up Tenchi's sword and tossed it back...

...to Lord Katsuhito, who coolly grabbed it in his right hand.

Kagato raised his eyebrow at this maneuver, but then grinned. "SO! If it isn't Yosho, the first crown prince of Jurai!" Ayeka gasped at this. "Nice showing yourself after all these years!"

"I could say the same about you..." Lord Katsuhito, now also known as Yosho, "Why do you try to take things that aren't yours?"

"The sword and the Keyblade unlock secrets... Secrets I could use to *own* this universe. I can spar e your life if you divulge this information..." Kagato's grin grew malicious.

"That sort of power I will not nor cannot hand over... even if it existed, its powers cannot be grasped by humans." Yosho raised an eyebrow at Kagato.

"Then what would it take to unlock these powers? Perhaps blood? Jurai royal blood?" Kagato fired a green blast, but Rob tilted his head down and Yosho tilted his head to the left, and the small ray harmlessly blew up in the background.

"You'll have to spill yours first, you old speck of dust," Rob snarled. His grin returned, and he continued in thick sarcasm. "Now let's fight like 'civilized' men, as we are all 'civilized' men here," Rob tightened the grip on his Keyblade and Yosho made the light appear on his saber.

Yosho lunged first. Rob simply ducked and skated right behind him. The elder man brought down his saber on Kagato's green blade, making sword-like clashes as they attacked. Rob jumped over Yosho and brought his Keyblade down with the force of fury, Kagato blocking with a psychic shield.

Yosho whooped and grunted as he brought his sword to counter the various attacks Kagato sent his way. Rob decided to try another approach and swept behind Kagato; aiming his Keyblade in the air, he shouted "Thunder!" The attack gave the off-guard Kagato a shock, and he twitched as Yosho swept him with a powerful sword swipe.

"You got lucky... but direct sword attacks will not kill me so quickly," Kagato fired several rays, forcing Yosho and Rob to dodge and back away. Kagato dashed forward to attack Rob, his energy-forged blade in position to slice. Rob swung his Keyblade swiftly to counter the attack, and strained to hold his ground. "You can't win boy..."

"Says who?" Rob retorted as Yosho leapt over him and took a slash at Kagato. Kagato could barely block the attack as Yosho completed the sweep maneuver and landed. Rob then leapt over Yosho and took to attacking Kagato with a single strike as well. Yosho and Rob leapfrogged each other in this manner, taking a single swipe over each other and then landing to let the other strike Kagato again.

Kagato suddenly backed away, and Rob and Yosho ceased their offensive. Kagato flew back and calmly halted, leering at our heroes. "I believe I've had enough... If the power you hold will not be given to me, I guess I shall take it instead..." With a lightning quickness, he swept over Ayeka and Sasami, and grabbed the latter, the young girl screaming in horror.

"Sasami!" Ayeka cried.

"If you fools so wish to either divulge the secrets or waste your lives rescuing this little girl, you shall find me on my ship, the Soulja... you can even skip the space travel and head directly to my lair. Farewell..." Kagato laughed evilly and disappeared into a green orb, along with Sasami. It disappeared, and a smaller one floated down, coming to rest about a foot off the ground in front of the great tree. It continued to glower, as if it were waiting to take someone someplace.

Ayeka, although worried about her younger sister, wanted some questions answered first. She dashed to the old Lord Katsuhito and began to shake him. "Yosho... you're my brother Yosho! But why... why did you leave our planet so long ago?"

"There was a great... racial intolerance on our planet... I could not bear it an longer." Yosho answered surely.

Ayeka began to cry. "But I thought... the Jurai Royal decrees... made it legal to mix with the blood of other planets..."

"That was true, but that did not stop the great prejudice that consumed our planet..."

Rob, at these words, nearly shook with rage. Racism, the awful, disgusting, putrid stench of evil was not limited to his home planet. The fight against the stupidity of the idea of racial superiority had expanded to new levels. All of his education under the Mira family, may be put to the test throughout the whole universe now... But Tenchi interrupted his thoughts.

"So the stories and legends you told me... they're all true!" Tenchi softly exclaimed. "But... What does that mean for me now... Why... why did I fail to... protect her?" Tenchi staggered, and Sonic caught him. Tenchi nodded his thanks to Sonic and stood up on his own. "I stood no chance against Kagato... can I really rescue her?"

A terrible silence ushered its wrath on the remaining group, each of them seemingly marred with the failure to protect Sasami... But Yosho sent a fierce reprimand Tenchi's way. "Silly boy! Now is the time to face your future!" He threw the sword into the tree, and the hilt crackled with electricity. "If anything, only your mind has kept you from reaching your full potential. Do you feel ready?"

"I..." Tenchi began, but fell at a loss for words. He didn't quite manage to strike Kagato down, but... Rob, Keyblade in hand nodded. "Trust in your Heart." Rob advised.

"I'm ready," Tenchi boldly stated.

"Head forth and accept your birthright... accept the Tenchi-ken!" Yosho said, and Tenchi walked over and approached the tree, stepping away from the portal and grabbing the hilt. Electricity surged through his body, but Tenchi gripped the sword, ignoring the searing pain soaring through his body. Eventually, the shocking stopped, and Tenchi easily pulled out the sword from the tree. The beam retracted, much to Tenchi's chagrin, and he was unable to make it appear.

"The sword is accepting him as its true master," Yosho explained to an amazed crowd. "So... still think you can take Kagato's challenge, Boy-Who-Has-Not-Quite-Mastered-His-Sword-Yet?"

Tenchi nodded with an affirmative grunt.

"I'm going to help him!" Rob said.

"Me too!" Maya chirped.

"As Galaxy Police Officer, I will be glad to assist Tenchi," Mihoshi said.

"We'll stay here... Protect Ayeka, and check up on Eggman!" Sonic said, nodding to Rob. Ken smiled.

"Please return Sasami!" Ayeka cried.

"We will..." Tenchi affirmed. The power of his sword suddenly seemed to flow through him, and his old clothes disappeared, replaced with an ornate brown Juraian battle outfit.

"Ready?" Maya asked.

"Yeah," Rob pumped his fist. Mihoshi, Rob, Maya, and Tenchi touched the green orb, and all four were engulfed in the might of the green light. They disappeared.

****

A lone figure walked the streets of Stardust City (A/N: Stardust Speedway, for the Sonic CD Literate!). He didn't look like much, as he was bi-pedal mouse wearing a mysterious coat that shaded his bodies. His eyes seemed to radiate themselves from under his hood, and his pupils darted about, constantly on the lookout. However, it wouldn't be wise to engage this mouse for a fight. You see, he was not only a king, but a Keyblade master as well. And for a mouse, he sure knew how to kick butt and take names if he had to.

King Mickey gripped his Inverted Keyblade. As far as he knew, this was one of the strongest Keyblades on the planet, and it alone held the key to unraveling the mystery of the balanced power. He, with the help of Riku and Sora, had sealed Kingdom Hearts, but it turned into that HUGE mansion, and now the Heartless were back. Seemed like they never died in the first place. They'll exist as long as humankind has darkness in their hearts.

"Lost, Mr. Mouse?" Mickey turned to see a tall, green man, with bug like wings and an odd head-crest. Mickey took a fighting stance; he was NOT in the mood for sarcastic villains. However, the guy didn't change movement at all. "I assure you, I have no desire to fight you, or it would've been over already."

Mickey sighed. "Lost in more ways than one..."

The figure stood up. He doubled Mickey's size. "I understand the feeling. You must be that King Mickey. Ansem mentioned you..."

"So he changed back, huh?"

"Yes... he wasn't very fond of what he was, and he's trying every trick in the book to undo all the wrongdoing he caused..." The figure calmly looked at the sky.

"Who are you, anyway?"

"My name is Cell. I inspired Ansem to do more research and figure out what the Heartless are REALLY after."

"Hmmm... I never knew this," King Mickey pondered. "I've heard serious rumors of a 'Keyblade of Darkness'. You know anything about it? If something just rose about it, it must be different than the Keyblade Ansem used while possessing Riku."

"Keyblade of Darkness..." Cell mused. "Ansem said something about it being the key to solving the balance..."

"That's what I wanted to figure out!" King Mickey said. "As of late, I've heard of evil beings of light, and how both the Heartless and these new creatures are a result of a misbalance between Darkness and Light... So there is no way to truly get rid of the Heartless?"

"Can't get rid of them really. As long as there is Light, there will be Shadows behind it. As long as there is Shadow, Light will strike where it cannot. Ansem believes there's some sort of balance between the two, and if there's to be universal peace, we're gonna have to restore that balance."

"Just as I suspected..." Mickey sighed again. "Looks like we've got a long way to go..."

"You shouldn't worry. Progress is moving faster than you think... Keyblade of Darkness wielder is learning the ways of the good guy." Cell started walking. "I'm going to find some place to chill out. You should too..."

"First things first..." King Mickey said. "If this new wielder's a real Keyblade Master, he must journey through Castle Oblivion, just as Sora did. Otherwise he might not reach his potential."

"I see..." Cell began. However, an orange ship flew in, and with tough maneuvering, it landed right in front of the two of them. From the ship, Samus Aran emerged, helmet off, and extended a hand to King Mickey.

"King Mickey... I've come to escort you to the Mansion of Souls."

****

"All's silent on the home front..." Dr. Robotnik twiddled his thumbs idly as Kuja and Cloud looked out a window. Tifa tilted her head and walked to Eggman.

"You haven't found anything?" She asked.

"Nope! Not a thing!" Eggman sighed. "I believe the cat hasn't gotten out of the bag yet, which is why we've yet to see much anything. That means we'll have to touch base on Mossdeep City and take a lookout from there."

A beeping noise nearly made Tifa jump back in fear, and Kuja and Cloud raised their eyebrows. Dr. Eggman pressed a button, and Sonic came on screen. "Sonic! What's going on down there?"

"Rob's having to escort a friend of ours to take care of a villain in space. We're staying here to keep an eye out! Found anything?"

"No! We're going to Mossdeep City to see if we can pick anything up there," Dr. Eggman looked around. "When all's said and done, I'll sweep back here to pick you guys up."

"WHAT?! What are you DOING?!" Sonic glanced off-screen in shock and slight rage. "What the- WHOA!" Sonic dodged a blast of some sort. "Eggman!" He shouted. "I got this, if Rob calls, tell him to be wary! Oh sh-" The com link suddenly snapped off, and Eggman stared in shock.

"Sonic? SONIC! Dammit..." The doctor swore silently, pounding his fist.

"What just happened?" Cloud asked.

"Sonic's in over his head. I'm going to drop you three off at Mossdeep, and I'll circle back to pick up Sonic's body parts..." Dr. Eggman put the ship into full drive and sped off towards the city.

****

The ship's walls intimidated the four of them. Tenchi, Rob, Maya, and Mihoshi looked around, observing the grandness of Kagato's ship. They paced wearily, unaware of Kagato watching them through a screen.

"Here they come, the fools," Kagato murmured. "They've come to throw away their lives, just to rescue a little brat like you," He looked at Sasami, who simply shivered in fear. A sort of power radiated from her; Kagato had taken much of that power for himself, in hopes that he wouldn't have to waste it all on the Keyblade Master. "Hmm... But wait until they realize that I've seen the light... literally. The Heartless serve me no use any longer." Sasami shivered; Kagato stole the powers of Tsunami...

"I guess we head forward..." Mihoshi said, the four of them walking steadily. An alarm sounded.

"Aw man, defense systems!" Rob complained. Several metallic faces, each seemingly resembling Kagato's own mug, formed in front of the group. Their mouths opened, and several energy blasts were launched at our heroes.

"Let's GO!" Tenchi yelled. "HAAA!" He sliced through two faces easily, and they fell apart in bright red explosions. He then began running through the white halls as other faces materialized and began firing as well.

"No time to play!" Rob swung his Keyblade in front of him and aimed it like a gun on the faces. "FIRE!" He shot the burst of flame, and it collided with a face, making it explode.

"Wrong, my brother! There's LOTS OF FUN TIME! THUNDER!" Maya screeched as several lightning bolts seared the brown, metallic faces and caused them to explode.

"Excuse me... but please keep out of my way!" Mihoshi fumbled as she nervously shot down the faces and made them explode.

More running brought the four of them to a large wall. The faces had stopped attacking them, so they simply stared at the strange, liquid wall. Rob gripped his Keyblade tightly, and began to approach the dark wall. It felt watery to the touch, and braving his instincts, Rob stepped through. Tenchi followed suit, also cautiously stepping through the liquid wall.

Mihoshi and Maya began to step forward, but Mihoshi's cube popped out and fell on the ground. In a matter of seconds , it tapped the ground, and the two of them were now... upside down. However, they still stood in front of the great liquid wall. "Wait for us!' Maya shouted as they sprinted towards where they thought they would be lead to Tenchi and Rob...

****

Rob and Tenchi stood in a grand room. It was a single, long path leading to a large, throne-like seat, accented by a marble floor and evenly spaced pillars. There, they saw Kagato playing a strange tune on a grand organ. Sasami was encased in a glass tube above the organ.

"Sasami!" Tenchi called out. Kagato stopped playing on the organ, and rose slowly, turning around to greet them.

"You have come this far... I admit, even though I made it rather easy, I'm mildly impressed. But this ends here... Keyblade Master!" Kagato leered at Rob. "You have dealt with darkness... but can you stand the light?" Kagato began to rise. "I've found the power I need through this little girl, who holds the power of the Light Hawk Wings! COME FORTH TO ME NOW, SO I CAN CRUSH YOU FOR THE MONKEYS YOU ARE!" Kagato summoned great orbs of light around him, rising steadily.

Rob rose using his jet-boosted shoes. "Takes one to know one, you ugly-*** baboon!"

****

Maya and Mihoshi rushed to find that they weren't anywhere near Rob or Tenchi. The room they entered was a blue room, coated in marble. In the back stood a capsule of some sort, having encased a girl with messy pink hair.

The eerie silence walked with them, as Maya and Mihoshi wearily approached the encased prisoner, looking around to avoid any trap that might leap out and attack.

Maya, reached out a quivering hand, and touched the glass/ice. At once, time seemed to freeze, and a voice echoed through her head. (Do you know the power of chaos?)

"The power... of chaos?" Maya asked, as she and Mihoshi whirled around to see a hooded figure, calmly approaching them. "Where'd you come from?"

(That doesn't matter...) Maya heard in her head, and the figure swept past her. (I have found her. She knows the power of chaos.)

"Excuse me, but what is the power of chaos?" Mihoshi inquired.

(One of 2 beliefs... There is order in disorder, or all life is meant to end...) This Enigmatic Man pressed something, and the ice/glass cracked. Slowly, but surely, the ice began to crack and fall apart. (To end darkness and light, there must be a greater power...)

The last of the glass fell away, and this messy-haired girl/woman awoke. "Not the most pleasurable nap, but I guess it'll do!" Looking around like Christmas came early, she spotted Maya. "OOO! Would you like to be my guinea pig?"

"Uh... Am I doomed?" Maya asked, completely flummoxed.

(You know what I seek... My superior awaits you.) The Enigmatic Man motioned to Washu.

"You seek the knowledge of chaos, do you?" The woman asked the Enigmatic Man. "I will give it to you... and your boss... but only if you let me have fun first!" Washu stretched herself. Maya and Mihoshi continued to stare in complete confusion. "Now you two..." she turned to Maya and Mihoshi. "I'll give you the once-in-the-lifetime chance to see the powers of chaos I have collected before Kagato kidnapped me!" She whipped away her old clothes to reveal a black trenchcoat and white pants-just like Ansem's. Her necklace was a weird symbol of two 6s linked together, rather than Ansem's crest. In her best impersonation of the former evil Ansem, the girl bellowed. "SUBMIT TO WASHU!"

Mihoshi and Maya screamed in horror as this Washu lady cackled madly, summoning a power foreign to Darkness or Light...

****

Tenchi lunged, tearing through the mad bursts of light as he tried to swing his blade on Kagato. But the wicked being brought a barrier of light, and Tenchi's blade was negated. Rob tore through, trying to get in a hit as well. Kagato formed his green blade, now pale and strong with the power of Tsunami, and whipped it to counter Rob's blade. Kagato summoned more orbs of light, and Rob swerved to avoid them. Snarling, Rob used his free hand to summon a spell.

"Dark bomb!" Rob shouted, and Kagato slowed to a halt, the dark energy harming him. Tenchi leapt up with a yell and brought down his blade with all of his might. However, Kagato still caught it with his bare hands.

The blade retracted. Kagato simply smirked. "What you do not know is that your sword has the same power source as mine! YOU CAN'T HARM ME!" Kagato laughed as he used a burst of psychic power to blow Tenchi away.

"But *I* can," Rob swung his Keyblade right through Kagato, and Kagato twitched as Rob continued to hammer him with the legendary weapon. Kagato yelled and knocked Rob back with a burst of light. Rob strained as the energy grew stronger, and he pushed his body to oppose this growing force of possessed light. Rob roared and summoned another blast of Dark bomb, but Kagato had effectively reduced the damage.

Tenchi stood up. This was it. He was finished. He wasn't sure how long Rob could hold out, but Kagato's strength grew by the minute, and Rob wasn't exactly prepared to wage war against a growing force of light. He bowed his head in shame. "I'm sorry... I could not protect you..."

"Have faith in yourself... Trust your Heart," He heard a familiar voice, and a familiar face appeared beside him. Her cyan hair and her black-and-red clothing accented her demonic grin, but Tenchi knew her all too well to be afraid. "The power of darkness is not an evil thing when used correctly..."

"Ryoko?" Tenchi asked, completely confused.

"Shh... I'll explain later..." Ryoko placed her hand on Tenchi's chest, and a dark power radiated through him. His light saber now had a black tint to it, and the blade had grown much bigger. Tenchi also noticed, out of the corner of his eye, a green-haired woman, fiddling with a cube familiar to Mihoshi's. Pushing her into the back of her mind, Tenchi took his newly powered sword and rushed towards Kagato.

"You can't win, Keyblade Master!" Kagato's voice grew malicious and evil. "You're finished!" He shot another huge blast. Rob braced himself for pain and possible death, when an orange energy shot collided with it and smashed it away. "What?!" Kagato leered to see Ryoko. "You! It's YOU!"

"Long time no see, Kagato," Ryoko chirped cheerfully. "Now let Tenchi show you how it's done!" Tenchi stepped forward, new weapon in hand.

"You can't stand a chance!" Kagato bellowed, sending various blasts of light Tenchi's way. However, Tenchi easily swatted them away. Through the explosions, Kagato charged through, ready to attack. "You're mine!"

"Not a chance..." Tenchi took his blade. Both warriors charging, they sliced across each other so quickly, it was as if both had missed.

That, of course, was only the case for Kagato.

Tenchi had sliced right through Kagato. Turning back towards his enemy, Tenchi said, "Whether it be darkness or light, the power through friends can never be defeated..."

"You've won, boy..." Kagato gave a soft smile, as *pieces* of him began to tear and fade away. "Tsunami's powers have fallen back to the girl..." He had faded away completely, and Kagato was gone.

****

"OPEN YOUR HEART TO WASHU!" Washu bellowed, as Mihoshi and Maya panicked and dodged yet another freaky wave of energy. However, she suddenly stopped. Mihoshi and Maya wearily turned to the elder scientist in the child's body. "That is the product of many years of study under the theories of creation and destruction. The things I made..." She recited dreamily. "I made this ship, I made Ryoko, I made Ryo-ohki, I made so many things... But unfortunately all life inevitably comes to an end... Even my own. In my recent years, I discovered the power of chaos... the power to... end!" Washu laughed.

"Why do you want it... to end?" Maya asked, concerned for the mad scientist.

She stopped. "End all suffering... why not?" She seemed to detect something. "Kagato is gone... Tell Ryoko... I'm going soul searching..." Washu turned away to join the Enigmatic Man. "You're expecting me?"

Maya heard a voice as she sank into the normal side of Kagato's ship. (You understand so little. Regardless, this will make sense. We shall meet again...) The last thing Maya saw before she returned to the normal side was the Enigmatic Man and Washu leaving...

****

"Tenchi!" Sasami hugged the boy and nuzzled him. "You rescued me!"

"It was nothing..." Tenchi said humbly.

Ryo-ohki hopped out of nowhere and perched on Sasami's shoulder. "Ryo-ohki!" She cheered.

The cabbit meowed happily.

Sasami turned to Rob and Ryoko. "Thank you too..." she nodded to Rob. "And Ryoko... where did you go?"

"I had to take care of some business... But I'm back!" Ryoko responded. Maya and Mihoshi appeared, tired but very happy. At this, the green-haired woman suddenly swept away and left, and Mihoshi flinched in slight pain, although she couldn't figure out why.

"Wow, I am such an idiot!" Rob smacked himself amusedly. "I didn't realize you two were gone!"

"Well, that's not a surprise, but..." Maya began, when out of the blue, Ken Mira ran in.

Barely catching his breath he panted, "Attack... Masaki shrine... wicked Pokémon..."

"WHAT?!" Rob gasped.

The ship cracked.

"Um... I think when we killed Kagato, the ship also split... or something," Ryoko said. "So unless we get out of here now, we're all doomed."

"HOORAY, WE'RE ALL DOOMED!" Maya cheered.

"FORGET THAT, LET'S GET OUT OF HERE!" All the boys bellowed in panic. They ran for their lives, unfortunately hopping out of the frying pan and into the fire...

(That's too bad... when I said Ansem would teach Rob summoning, I lied (next episode!). I also lied when I said I wasn't doing any more Pokémon Movie adaptations, but don't worry, I only pick the movies that don't suck.)

Next Episode: Rob alone must duel with a vicious psychic that launched an unexpected attack on the Masaki shrine. And what happens when Sora goes home?

The Prophet

24th July 2003, 08:07 AM

PWNAGE! MICKEY!

I'm still hopin' for a bit of Magus and Kefka, though... (nudge nudge)

Legends-Kuja

27th July 2003, 11:10 AM

Darkness Hearts

Episode 13: The Rise and Fall of Friendship

"What's going on here?!" Tenchi cried, looking frantically at the mess at his home. His house had many holes, obviously made by battle scars, even comparing to the destruction Ayeka and Ryoko used to reap whenever they fought each other. Rob noticed many craters on the earth too, as Tails crawled out of one.

"Aggh... terrible... creature... inside..." Tails began, but he fainted.

"Sasami, stand back!" Tenchi instructed, as Rob and Ken sprinted up the outside stairs and into the Masaki home. Ryo-ohki hopped back on Sasami's shoulder as Tenchi ran in and Ryoko flew in the house straight after Rob. Maya and Mihoshi stayed close to Sasami, weary if the source of this destruction would fly out here.

Rob had sprinted halfway through a hallway when he heard a very faint "Rob... wait!" His sudden stopping caused Ken to trip on an outstretched foot and crash face-first into the floor. Rob turned to see Ash and Pikachu in just as bad shape as Tails. He spoke weakly. "Please... help that creature inside... he's an... old friend..." Ash fainted, and Tenchi, just having arrived, scooped up his fallen body and placed it gently to the side. Ken recovered, and the four of them moved on.

Rob and Ken came to a stop in the living room, where the lone Ayeka shivered in fear, looking at a creature above. Seeing Rob and Ken, she simply let out a small whimper of "Help..." Before fainting.

Tenchi dashed inside, but upon entering the living room, he crashed into an invisible barrier. "What?!" He tried to hack the barrier, but his sword only bounced off. Ryoko had no better luck, but she quit long before Tenchi had stopped.

"I guess we can't interfere because this is part of his training," Ryoko smiled and shrugged. "Oh well!" Tenchi smacked himself and groaned in frustration.

"Oh boy," Tenchi sighed deeply as he watched Ken and Rob deal with the strange mutant.

The figure that stood above, twirled in mid-air and chuckled maniacally. The being had the appearance of a bi-pedal cat with only smooth, white skin and no hair. Its tail and torso were purple, and a sinister Soulless symbol lay engraved on its stomach. Looking like an alien from a really bad sci-fi movie, the mutant seemed to gather power to engage with these new trespassers.

The being flew in for an attack. Ken flipped out of the way. Rob swooped to dodge and came back to strike...

But only struck thin air.

The being appeared out of this air and began to chuck Shadow Balls at him. "He teleports!" Rob shouted. Rob dodged and tried to strike again, but failed.

"Not my cup of tea..." Ken dodged a Shadow Ball that collided with the living room table. The shards of the table flew everywhere, and Rob had to hold his Keyblade out in front to avoid letting the table splinters smack him. He saw Ayeka's unconscious form in a corner. "Distract him! I've got to get Ayeka out of here!"

"Fine by me!" Rob sliced a Shadow Ball that came his way and landed several direct blows on the creature, each one being countered by a psychic shield. Ken picked up Ayeka and sprinted back to where Tenchi and Ryoko were. He foisted Ayeka into Tenchi's arms with a "watch her, please!" and went back to the fight.

Rob whipped his Keyblade around and threw it like a boomerang, but the creature simply teleported out of the way.

The being showed up once more, and aimed a HUGE shadow ball towards Rob. Rob dodged right...

And saw his HUGE mistake.

The being had a pink bubble surround him while Rob was distracted. As soon as Rob cleared the shadow ball, the strange psychic cat crashed into him painfully, launching Rob back quite some distance. It twirled and chuckled again, as if to taunt Rob.

"GRRRRR..." Rob wasted no time and charged.

Ken beat Rob to the punch. "LIGHT RAY!" He bellowed, piercing the mutant with a fierce blast. It flinched, and Rob launched a combo on him successfully. "HA!" The fourth blow dealt quite a bit of damage, and the being teleported again.

It reappeared, and its eyes glowered blue. Rob felt it... unusual, as beings of darkness are mostly immune to psychic power. An invisible force smashed Rob down into the floor, and the being appeared in front to spike him down further. Rob barely blocked the shot; this fool knew what he was doing!

Ken whipped out and used a punch to smash the creature in the face. However, it used a psychic blast and smashed Ken into a wall.

"Ken!" Rob shouted. The creature began its evil chuckle-and-twirl routine, and Rob smashed into it with a slicing combo once more, letting his rage accent his power. The being disappeared and rematerialized on the second floor, hurling more Shadow Balls. Rob dodged them once more, and waited to get smacked by the bubble attack.

Once again, the bubble attack bounced Rob away, and once again he returned the favor, this time with a shout of "Dark Bomb!" and a flash of dark energy.

Ken recovered and ran back as the being teleported away.

Now the mutant's power surged. Floating high above Rob and Ken, it charged a Shadow ball in its usual fashion, but herein laid the problem: it wasn't planning its usual attack.

"Ummm... this doesn't look good..." Ken began.

Faster than one could say "Booyah!" the being raced towards them with an incredible Shadow Punch, and Rob and Ken could barely block the attack, as they strained to fight against the powerful attack.

"Can we... make it?" Rob strained.

With perfect timing, however, a fierce strike destroyed the blast, and the being hovered back suddenly. "Well then... I guess it's time you learned something new?" A figure stood there, having silenced the attack. Our heroes looked to their left to see that he was dressed in black and wearing white gloves.

"Ansem!" Rob exclaimed.

"I love plot devices!" Ken grinned.

"Nice of you to show up, but we're sort of busy. Did you noticed the big mutant trying to murder us?"

"Of course I did!" Ansem grinned. "That's why I came to help. It's time Rob learned something new." He walked to Rob, and calmly handed him a small jewel. It was completely black, shaped much like a skull. Once Rob held it, a name crashed into his head.

Lone Hound.

"Remember the name that comes to you... it is key for summoning help."

"Summoning?" Rob asked.

"Yes... Hold the charm and your Keyblade, and point it up. Now say 'Darkness... Give me Bravery'..."

Rob did as told. He pointed up his Keyblade. "Darkness... give me Bravery..." Another name came to him, and he couldn't suppress the urge to call it out. "Houndoom!"

Rob swung his Keyblade in a wide arc and pointed to the moon, somehow still visible in the house. The moon flared in full, and an eerie howl echoed throughout the house. Rob could barely see him. "Houndoom... It's the same Houndoom back from Johto..." Houndoom leapt down and belched hot flames, piercing the psychic and knocking him down. The flames from Houndoom's attacks died down once the Soulless crest cracked and shattered into a million pieces, and the rottweiler Pokémon looked at Rob.

(Rob... we meet again.) Houndoom walked over to him. (I've nothing to lose... I'll be joining you... remember the charm you have, and I'll be there,) Houndoom gave what appeared to be a smirk, and disappeared into multiple specks, which flew off into the atmosphere.

"There are other gems to be found around this world. Seek them out, and use them to remember friends no matter how far away. Friendship IS KEY to your survival!" Ansem poked Rob in the chest. "Remember that," and with that, Ansem turned away and walked off.

"I will..." Rob chanted softly.

The mutant was far from finished, however. It rose slowly, folding its arms and leering at Ken. "It's still not down?!" Rob said, shocked.

Ken, however, seemed irrationally calm. "I can finish this thing... just hand me the Keyblade."
****

Riku could only laugh at the hospital wing.

So many people were recovering there, and all of them he knew.

After Riku and Sara beat Taz and Sora to a pulp, the latter two were sent here. Beelzemon had failed spectacularly to beat his Anti, and also was sent here. Peter Pan simply checked himself in to make sure Hook didn't leave any lasting wounds on him. And then Beelzemon's buddies showed up, and Buu's Anti single-handedly beat all of them to chewing gum, no pun intended against Buu.

"WHY? Why the hell did I have to get my butt whipped so soundly? I thought it was like shadow boxing, but then he had to split in three! Nobody told me Antis could do that!" Beelzemon complained.

"I was TRYING to warn you of that," Taz snarled. "But NOOOO... RIKU had to show up and BEAT ME TO A PULP!"

"Grrr...He beat me...He makes me mad! Just like that boy! No one beats Buu! RAAAAAAGGHH! " Buu growled in fury, remembering back to when he was beaten by an Elder Kai-enhanced Gohan. (A/N: Stop the whining about universe policies. Since Super Buu never regressed and Goku never wished to reincarnate him, Mystic Gohan beat him, and then he went to reform himself. So there.)

"Oh MAN! All of that data I just got might make my head explode!" Siege whined as he still typed furiously on his arm computer (remember kids, right arm is cybernetic!). "I like it!"

"So... how's the hospital wing treating you folks?" Riku smiled.

"Shut up, Riku," Everyone responded. Sara giggled.

****

Some time later, Sora walked outside the Mansion. "RIKU!" He shouted back to the jolly blindfolded teen. "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME there was a DOOR to this mansion that led to DESTINY FREAKING ISLANDS? HUH?!"

"I WAS going to tell you, but then you pissed me off. And besides, with the huge glomp Kairi's going to give you, I wanted you to recover first," Riku huffed.

"Now boys, don't be rude," Jim Raynor walked outside. "I could use a nice vacation home. Your whinin' isn't gonna help nothin'."

Both sighed and turned to Jim. "Interrupt our "family" reunion, and you will BE IN PAIN, GOT US?"

"Whatever you say, kid," Jim said, smirking. Their threat didn't seem to phase him.

Sora walked outside. This place hadn't changed. Not in three years. There was still the giant tree house, in all of its vibrant wood colors, and there was still the dusty shed. There were still the vibrant waterfalls. And at the edge of the island, there were still the only Paopu Trees on the island.

And there was still Kairi...

She stood alone, gazing into the orange sunset. Her hair was longer now. Much longer, Sora noted. Her attire had changed, she still wore a white shirt outlined in pale blue, but now she wore jeans instead of those shorts. She sat on a low-lying Paopu tree.

"I... I don't know what to say!" Sora whispered to Riku in a panic.

"Go on! All she needs to know about me is that I'm alive, well, and got a new girlfriend. So take it anyway you wish. She'll be too damn happy to care you're a gibbering idiot!" Riku whispered back.

Sora sighed. This was GOING to SUCK.

Sora walked softly to the ridge where Kairi relaxed. Hoping God Himself answered his prayers and this was no illusion, Sora called out, "Kairi... Kairi!"

She turned around. "Sora? SORA!" In about the span of one second, Sora was having his lungs squeezed out, and Kairi's tears of happiness fell onto him. Sora's face went several shades of red. "Oh thank GOODNESS, Sora! It's REAL! You're BACK!" She kissed him on the mouth.

Hard.

Sora blushed even harder.

"DANG, she's liberal!" Riku gaped.

"Riku!" Kairi gasped.

"Oh boy..." in less than one second, Riku also lost his air supply. Luckily, she didn't kiss him.

"Sora... Riku... you're finally back..." Kairi wiped her tears. She looked at both of them, noting the changes in each. "Sora... you haven't grown much in three years..." She was in fact, taller than Sora, although only by one inch. "Riku... What's with the blindfold?"

"Everyone asks me that. Try staying in utter darkness for a year."

"Me? I was in Magic Kingdom for two years, so I didn't age..." Sora sighed.

"But... I missed you two." Kairi said, hugging Sora again. "It been peaceful through the last three years... mostly..." She let go of Sora and stood back. "Recently, it hasn't been so well..."

"What do you mean?" Riku asked.

"Princess Aurora... she's... gone."

"Gone?!" Riku and Sora gasped.

"Yes... more specifically murdered..."

"WHAT?!" Sora's jaw smashed the ground. "Even the villains had SOME sort of respect for the princesses... Who would... do such a thing?"

"I don't know... the princesses are worried, not for their own lives but they fear something wicked may become of this..." She took out a small charm, one that looked like a heart. She gave one to Sora and another to Riku. She was already wearing hers. "It was so I could always know where you are. Forever in my heart you two will remain... and Sora... my... hero," she kissed him again. "Where have you been?"

"There's still war on the Heartless..." Sora answered. "We've been fighting."

"There's more to this story than Ansem, we've found," Riku said.

"The princesses told me that the war wasn't over..." Kairi sighed. Before she could say anything else, however, she spotted Jim. "Who's he?"

"Jim Raynor... a buddy of mine," Sora said. "He found this place to be a vacation spot..."

"Not for long..." Kairi noted, as Tidus and Wakka appeared. Spotting Jim, they attacked... with pillows.

"HEY! That was OUR spot!" Tidus shouted. Sora noticed the boy had grown much older, and his normal attire expanded to fit him, as Wakka. Their voices were deeper as well.

"Whoa! For God's sake, calm down!" Jim shouted, dodging the pillows.

"Where's Selphie?" Riku asked.

"She went to some place called 'Balamb Garden'... or something like that..." Kairi said. "It's been just me, Tidus, and Wakka, and they've grown homicidal in their days," the three watched as Tidus challenged Jim to a sword fight with red poles. Jim accepted, and they now started fighting, with Wakka yelling on the sidelines. "How'd you get here?"

"We... uhhh..." Sora and Riku looked at each other. If she found out there was a door to a huge mansion that led to millions of worlds, there's no TELLING where'd she go...

"I hope you realize that there's a large door in that cave over there that leads to Kingdom Hearts?" The three turned to the voice of another stranger that appeared on the island. Sora didn't recognize the silver-haired man with a crescent moon on his forehead, but he did know he wasn't very friendly. "This world is easily accessible to anyone with the desire to travel." The man said. "The great mansion is easily reachable, except to those who are totally corrupt of heart. Luckily for you and me, I am not."

"Who are you?" Kairi asked.

"I am Sesshomaru. I have come to test the Keyblade master," Sesshomaru lifted his right hand, and pointed his index and middle finger up, and swirled it around. A poisonous yellow whip emerged, and it lashed out at Sora.

Sora blocked. He danced to the side, dodging the whip. "Can't let him touch Kairi!" he hissed. Jumping and ducking, using the Keyblade, Sora used every skill available to him to dodge the yellow whip of death.

"Attack, you moron!" Riku yelled.

"I can't just attack! He'll rip me apart!" Sora shot back.

"Fine!" Riku leapt in, trying to slash down the demon with his sword.

Sesshomaru saw the move coming, however, and stopped the whip. He readied his claws as powerful poison exuded from them. Riku received a punch to the gut, the poison adding to the pain.

"Riku!" Sora shouted. Snarling, Sora leapt up and cast, "Firaga!" The jet of flames knocked Sesshomaru back, and Sora hit him with a four-hit combo.

"I have no intention of involving your friends, but I see that the thought of them being in peril makes you stronger." Sesshomaru moved with blinding speed and punched Sora away. Sora snarled.

"You sadistic little..." Sora started.

"I'm not done yet!" Riku recovered.

Sora charged. Sesshomaru dodged with ease, and came back for the attack. However, Sora anticipated this, and simply jutted out his Keyblade. The hit sent Sesshomaru back quite a bit, and Sora completed another round of attacks.

"Heh, you can't just leave me out of this fight..." Jim Raynor pulled out a futuristic-looking sub-machine gun(A/N: not his standard weaponry, I know!) and began shooting at Sesshomaru, who blocked the shots. Sesshomaru pulled out his whip and slammed it near Jim, who scarcely dodged the blow.

"I have no intention of killing anyone unless it is necessary. Now stay out of this fight." said Sesshomaru calmly, landing a whip in front of Jim, sending him and the war hungry Tidus and Wakka away.

Sora jumped in to attack.

Big mistake.

A poisonous punch rockets Sora right into Riku, and both crumple to the earth.

"You shouldn't make yourself so predictable." Sesshomaru advised.

"SORA!" Kairi cried. She turned to Sesshomaru. She didn't want to show her new skills so early after being united with her love, but...

*To save his life...*

"Sora... stand back..." Kairi walked forward slowly.

"It is not my desire to fight you, but I cannot back down from a challenge." Sesshomaru readied his poison whip.

Kairi answered by pulling a Keyblade out of thin air. However, she took its hilt and easily split them apart, becoming TWO Keyblades. The Divine Roses Kairi had glistened in the evening light. Sora and Riku, who had finally managed to stand up on their feet, had dropped their jaws in shock and fainted instantly.

"I WILL protect Sora... as he has protected me..." Kairi got in a battle stance.

"Hmmm...interesting. Let us see how a Princess of Heart fights..." Sesshomaru struck, but Kairi blocked the blow. Twirling both blades like a dancer, Kairi leapt in for an attack.

Sesshomaru dodged the first round, but took quite some damage from the second wave of attacks. He fell, barely able to stand.

"Where did all of that strength come from?" Sesshomaru asked, surprised by his own weakness.

"As I am a princess of Heart... I have also trained to fight... my power beats inside the heart of my friends..." Kairi set her Keyblades down, and since neither she nor Sesshomaru had the desire to fight, they disappeared.

"Yeah, Kairi! Show 'im how it's done!" Tidus cheered.

"Kairi..." Sora stood. Riku stood as well. Their eyes had tears flowing like a river, and they smiled. They both hugged Kairi. "How'd you DO that?!"

"Sora..." Kairi whispered. "Princess Jasmine taught me how to fight... And Belle crafted my Keyblade... I owe them a lot."

"Friendship..." all turned to Sesshomaru. The sword on his hilt pulsed. Kairi tilted her head in confusion. During their entire fight, he had never used that sword. "Why?", she thought. Suddenly, Sesshomaru's wounds disappeared. The sword must have healing properties, she thought. "So, that is what makes you strong. You'll need more than that. The group of villains you know of is heading towards Japan on Earth. They have detected the world's keyhole. You must do what you can to stop them.

"Japan..." Sora said.

"Fate awaits you there, Keyblade Master," Sesshomaru walked away to the cave, where he disappeared.

"Japan, eh?" Sora turned to Jim. "Well, if Mr. What's-his-name is right, we'll need to get there fast."

"Right," Sora agreed.

"I wish to come, too," Kairi said. "I cannot rest in peace, knowing the Heartless are still out there. And Sora... I won't leave your side... EVER. This time... I'll fight..."

"Tidus? Wakka?" Sora asked.

"Someone's gotta stay here and protect this island... might as well be us!" Tidus said. "And besides... there's more to this world than our home," Tidus winked.

"Well, it's about time we headed back." Jim walked in the cave. "It's too bad, though. This place was pretty nice."

"You've only been here for 20 minutes!" Riku yelled.

"Yeah...must mean it's good, now, I'n't it?"

****

"What?" Rob blinked.

"Hand over the Keyblade... I can defeat this thing!" Ken paced towards Rob.

"Why do... YOU want the Keyblade?" Rob asked, backing away from Ken, detecting something wrong. His Keyblade shook slightly.

The creature leered at Ken. (You... will not shadow my mind with your light.) It floated down, preparing itself for a fight.

"Rob! ROB!" Sonic dashed back in the house. Running smack into the barrier around the living room, Sonic nevertheless recovered and started shouting. "Don't give him anything! KEN MIRA IS A TRAITOR!"

Rob hung his jaw in shock, and nearly dropped the Keyblade. Rob knew Ken had holy powers, but would those powers somehow influence him to think Rob was evil? Ken's face expression changed to that of a mixture of sadness and anger, but to Rob, he looked more menacing. "I didn't want to do this... but you leave me no choice..." Pointing a single finger, Ken shot a thin, direct blast of light... *right at Rob's Heart.*

Rob fell over, not from the pain, but from the utter shock of Ken's actions. Ken was one of Rob's best friends... why... why would he do this? He struggled to get up, but the foreign light in his heart was eating away at him.

"ROB!" Sonic screamed. In a furious rage, Sonic tore at the barrier again, but to no avail.

Ryoko simply grabbed him and said, "This is his fight... let him be..."

The mutant teleported over to Rob, and gathering some dark energy, shoved it into his heart and balanced it again. Rob rose. "Thank you... but who are you... really?"

(I am Mewtwo... this "friend" of yours took advantage of me when I was weakened.) the mutant said. (He...forced me to fight the both of you, and bring waste to the inhabitants here.)

"How come that Mewtwo guy gets to help him?!" Sonic roared at Ryoko.

"You just chill out, hedgehog boy," Ryoko still held Sonic. "Just know that Rob will have to trust more than his BEST friends if he wishes to come out of this alive..."

Rob didn't hold his Keyblade anymore, and searched for it in his heart...

And couldn't find it.

"Looking for this?" Ken twirled Rob's Keyblade. "I managed it to plant it in my heart while you were distracted..." Rob noticed, much o his horror, that his Keyblade now had turned completely white; so white that the rest of the room seemed to fade into darkness. "Now hold still... this will only take a minute..."

"NO!" Rob bellowed, dodging the lunge Ken made at him. "The light you wield is of great evil!" Ken nevertheless kept trying to slash him. Mewtwo teleported out of the way of another slash, and hurled a Shadow Ball at Ken's back.

"I don't think that's gonna stop me..." Ken slashed the Shadow Ball out of existence and lunged towards Rob again, but Rob was ready this time.

"Dark Bomb!" Rob shook Ken with an explosion of Darkness. Ken staggered back, but the Keyblade grew brighter, and his vitality returned.

"Nice one, but you won't win this time..." Ken slashed at Rob again, and Rob dodged out of the way. Mewtwo appeared by his side.

(He has too much vitality. Aim for your Keyblade.) Mewtwo advised. He teleported away and threw another Shadow Ball at Ken, who easily knocked it away. Ken failed miserably in slicing Mewtwo to ribbons; he kept teleporting all over the place.

"We can end this now..." Rob said softly, and everyone stopped. Ken walked over to Rob slowly, wondering just why he stopped.

"Have you truly come to your senses?" Ken asked with concern.

"Stab me and find out..." Rob simply answered.

Ken reared back with the Keyblade...

... Sonic bellowed, "ROB, NOO!"

... Rob braced himself...

... and Ken stabbed him in his heart.

Rob could feel the foreign light destroying him, but he remembered the Darkness still in his Heart. He grabbed the Keyblade, trying to flood it with all of the power he had...

"What... what're you DOING?!" Ken cried.

The painful light stopped, and Rob held his familiar Keyblade once more. "This... is MY Keyblade. MY FAMILY'S Keyblade. *You can't have it.* I cannot allow for... your light of evil to terrorize this planet anymore... Be GONE, TRAITOR!" Rob sliced at Ken, but he missed.

Ken flipped back, and seeing that his plan failed, sighed. "I've... failed. Not just my mission... but my friendship too..."

(I did not mean for you to sever your ties with your friend, but it must be done,) A childish yet mature voice echoed. (Fear not, for he will see the light.) Ken, motivated by these words, gave Rob a soft smile before curling up and flying into the stratosphere.

"Ken..." Rob breathed sadly. The barrier finally snapped off, and Sonic wasted no time in getting free of Ryoko and dashing in front of Rob.

"Hey, are you okay?!" Sonic asked, concerned.

"I just lost my best friend to the light... Of course I'm not okay," Rob answered monotonously.

"I was afraid of what Ken Mira might do to ya..." Sonic said. "I suspected something was up when he used those light powers..."

(I was simply seeking someplace to call home, when I encountered the one you call Ken. I had just fought a wave of Heartless, and I was weak... He sought to attack your friends when they figured out he was not as he seems.) Mewtwo floated calmly to the rest of the gang, who entered upon seeing Ken fly out of the house.

Ash had finally recovered. Walking slowly into the room, he recognized Mewtwo and spoke first. "Mewtwo... are you all right?"

(I am feeling much better now,) Mewtwo said. (but I have no time to waste here. There is much more I need to understand about our enemies...) He turned to Rob. (I appreciate your help. We will meet again.) Mewtwo teleported out of sight.

An awkward silence filled the room. Everyone stared at each other for a short while, until Sasami piped up. "Tea?" she asked.

****

Everyone decided to set his or her stories straight. Back when Jurai was still standing, Ryoko had attacked it many years ago (700 in fact, causing our non-Juraian heroes to fall out in shock. "I was under the influence of Kagato! I SWEAR!" Ryoko said.), prompting Yosho to chase her down. During Ryoko's onslaught, Sasami, who was a mere 3 years old then, had fallen and NEARLY died, had it not been for Tsunami. Tsunami merged with her, and basically saved her life. Kagato had usurped her hidden power until Tenchi fried him and returned it. Ayeka spent nearly 700 years in cryogenic sleep while her ship looked for her brother (our non-Juraian heroes sighed in relief). Not too long ago, the Soulless had destroyed Jurai, which prompted the ship to wake her up... that, and she had detected Ryoko. The girls all met Tenchi, and Rob added, "We all know the story from there."

"But Ryoko... why'd you let Rob fight on his own?" Sonic asked. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say YOU put up those barriers, didn't you?"

"I can't say everything, I'm afraid," Ryoko said coyly. "But I will tell you this: I work for a higher power. This power has asked me as well as few others to ah... 'sprinkle' help on Rob every once in a while, and test him..."

"What's with everyone testing me?" Rob queried in irritation. "First Tifa, then Kurt Zisa, and now there's a whole... GANG out to test me! What for?"

"Oh... you'll see!" Ryoko chirped.

"What?!" Rob hopped over the table and began to stretch Ryoko's face. "TELL ME NOW!"

"Never, shrimp!" Ryoko threw him away, and they began to mock-fight, much to the amusement of everyone else.

****

"Dr. Eggman!" Tails saw the familiar scientist in the Nevershadow. He didn't see the other three, however. "Where's everyone else? What took you so long? Don't tell me you turned them into your robotic slaves and plan to backstab us like Ken did!"

"I didn't do anything to them, foxboy!" Dr. Robotnik said in annoyance. "Everyone else, as you so delightfully refer to them, is at Mossdeep City. I'm glad to see that's you're all still alive."

"Staying alive's not the hard part," Ash said, with a "Pika!" from Pikachu, showing his agreement.

"Yeah, our adventure was exciting!" Maya chirped. "First this old guy comes and then there was a sword fight, and it was really cool, and..." Maya talked at about 100 words a second, up until she summed up Ken's betrayal. "AND WE WERE ALL DOOMED! HOORAY!"

"All it takes is ICE CREAM..." Rob shook his head and continued. "And my sister becomes a Grade A Psycho..." He turned back to say goodbye to the Masaki family. "Hey, where's Ryoko?"

"She's gone... again," Tenchi sighed.

"But at least she left Ryo-ohki!" Sasami chirped. The cabbit happily meowed as it sat in Sasami's hair.

"We enjoyed your visit..." Lord Katsuhito said. "Please come back some time."

"Don't worry, we'll be back!" Ash said as everyone went inside the ship.

"Farewell..." Rob said, giving Tenchi a small salute, as the Nevershadow took off and headed for Mossdeep City.

(Well then! Shocked? Yes? No? Be prepared, I've got more surprises, as the next two or even all last four episodes will encompass HOPEFULLY the last Pokémon movie I adapt. If you wanna hint on which one, I'll give you just one: It's not out yet >=).)

The Prophet

27th July 2003, 07:35 PM

Kairi with two Keyblades? Mewtwo? SWEET!

Sucks 'bout no Kefka or Magus, though...

Speaking of Mewtwo, whatever happened to The Normal Life of Mewtwo? I LIKED THAT FIC....

Legends-Kuja

31st July 2003, 06:58 PM

Episode 14: Mossdeep in Trouble

(A/N: Okay, taking some personal liberties here. The movie I speak of does NOT take place in Mossdeep as I originally thought. BUT I’m going to do it anyway, because Mossdeep is much more familiar to me than LaRousse—the only thing I’m borrowing from LaRousse is it’s high-tech look. If you haven’t guessed by now, it’s the legendary 7th movie not even out in Japan: Visitor of the Space Fissure. You’ll just LOVE who shows up here. I’ve also gotten legitimate complaints that my OC’s are too powerful—I’ll fix that >=).)

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Are we there yet?"

"NO."

"Are we there yet?" Maya asked.

"FOR THE LOVE OF CHAOS, NO!" Dr. Eggman roared. Maya let out an evil-sounding laugh.

"Wow…” Tails plastered his face into a window like a curious child. “Look at that!”

“Whoa!” Sonic gaped at the massive sight before him. The technological feat before his eyes didn’t cease to amaze him, even though he’s ran through many high-tech places before. The sidewalks were automatic, the skyscrapers had futuristic looks to them, and the entire city’s auspicious design shone of technological marvel.

“Cool!” Ash added.

“That’s right…” Dr. Eggman said. “Welcome to Mossdeep City. This place rivals even what *I’m* capable of…”

“I see…” Rob trailed off. “Where are the other three?”

“Cloud, Tifa, and Kuja promised to meet us at the Mossdeep City gym. They say they may have a lead on something.”

“A Pokémon gym?!” Ash exclaimed. “It’s been ages since I fought in one!”

“We’d love to let you go defeat the resident fools in those gyms,” Dr. Eggman began. “But we’ve got business to attend to. Your Pokémon battles must wait.”

“Awww…” Ash pouted.

“Who needs Pokémon battles when we can have DOOM!” Maya exclaimed, laughing maniacally. She ran to the back of the ship, while everyone stared at Rob.

“Don’t ask me. She just had ice cream!” Rob snarled, not wanting to both with these imbeciles, he stalked off behind his energetic sister.

Dr. Robotnik blinked. “What’s with him?”

“I’m thinking he’s still souring over Ken… and Maya?” Sonic whispered in Eggman’s ear, as if to deliver a juicy secret. “She’s just in denial.”

Dr Eggman face-faulted.

****

"Now WHERE are we heading?" Riku asked Siege again.

"We're picking up all sorts of crap in this high-tech city. I think that should be our first stop. Then from there we should seek out enemies," Siege answered. “I believe it’s called Mossdeep. Taz mentioned something about it and how this crazy turtle thing kept telling him about some… ‘Project of DOOM’.” He typed again on his cybernetic arm. “I hacked into the technology systems in the Space Station down there and they’ve found some activity on a meteor rock that crashed down there four years ago. Apparently, there was once a powerful life form on that rock…”

"So if that life form returns, it’ll bring chaos and destruction?"

“Likely. Hell, we might even need Buu to bring it down.”

“At LAST… some ACTION!” Buu stamped a foot in excitement.

"Try not to bust the ship, okay?” Siege admonished. “We’re gonna be there in short time…” Siege typed some more, and the ship began to slow down. However, something beeped, and he looked at something. “Whoa, what’s THIS? Some Soulless are running around in that city!”

“What’re we waiting for then?” Sora ran in, Keyblade ready. “LET’S GO!”

****

“Rob… what’s the matter?” Ash and Pikachu walked in on a somber Rob, who had sat down and gazed sadly at his knees. His eyes looked desolate, as if there wasn’t a glimmer of light.

“You know… back when I lived at the Crying Church… we used to travel…” Rob looked up at Ash. “All of us. Me, Maya, Clara, Taz, Ken, Charlotte, Christie, and Mr. and Ms. Mira… We’ve been all over the U.S/Kanto region. We used to spend so much time together… I hoped that when I found all of my friends, we could all stop the evil versions of the Heartless and the Soulless together… But too many times, that dream has been denied…” Rob rose. “I’ve been acting all hard and bold, mostly because it’s been two years since I went on my last travel with my family, and I let my drive for justice shadow out my fears… but all of this is just too much… we’re all going apart, and I may never see my friends again…” Tears began to fall from Rob’s face. “DAMMIT!” He punched a wall in fury, but he only hurt his fist, making him cry even harder—and more comically.

Ash unfortunately had to stifle a laugh from Rob’s tragic rage. “I’m sorry Rob. But you can’t give up hope now,” Ash put his hands on Rob’s shoulders, therefore cutting out his need to laugh at Rob’s situation. “And besides, even though those seasoned heroes like Cloud and Sonic don’t seem to show any fear doesn’t mean every big monster that comes our way doesn’t scare them out of their wits. To tell you the truth, I’m scared too. I don’t know what losing your heart or soul is like, but I’m afraid I might find out. But we gotta hold strong, no matter what! Here!” Ash gave Rob a key chain that had a pokéball design dangling from one end. “I heard these give wonderful strengths to the Keyblade, you should have one.”

Rob smiled at these words and accepted Ash’s gift. “Thank you Ash… But just one question…”

“What’s that?” Ash let go of Rob.

“Could you check the back of your pants? I think Maya just put melting ice cream down there…” Rob pointed meekly. Ash looked at his butt to see an upturned ice cream cone and melting vanilla all over his pants.

Ash panicked and tried to get it off, amidst the howling laughter of Maya. Rob shook his head, laughing, and escorted Ash to go request Eggman’s help before they leave the ship.

****

“Long time, no see key boy,” Kuja grinned as he greeted Rob. The ship had landed right in front of the Mossdeep City gym, amid the amazement of a crowd. On foot, the city was even more impressive, since the tall buildings made our heroes feel eve more like ants. Kuja continued. “Have we made use of the hanky?”

“Of course…” Rob sardonically replied.

“What did you guys pick up?” Sonic asked.

“The Mossdeep Space Station at the top of the hill has some scientists doing research on that meteor we’ve heard about,” Tifa reported. They all glanced over the ten-story building perched neatly on the top of the hill, blocking the way to some heavily guarded hangars. “They SAY that it’s heavily guarded and won’t let any thieves get a hold of it, but we don’t trust that…”

“Hey, why don’t we just hang around nearby and prove them wrong when some nightmarish villain freak comes by to steal it?” Sonic asked.

“Not a bad idea,” Cloud said. “The problem lies in the fact that we’ve got no idea what to expect from this meteor OR the villains…”

“So Sonic’s idea is our best course of action?” Dr. Robotnik asked.

“I’m afraid so,” Kuja said nonchalantly, grinning at the knowing responses.

“I WIN!” Sonic cheered.

“You got lucky, hedgehog,” Dr. Eggman muttered as our heroes went off to tour the city.

****

Deep inside the basement of the Space Station, several scientists studied, typed, and scribbled notes in very dim light. This meteor was most perplexing. It had not shown activity in four years, not since it crashed into the Arctic. The lone survivor of that crash was a young kid by the name of Too’i, who had apparently seen something horrific and has never spoken a single word since. Further studies had shown that the life form inside was a virus of some sort; upon that discovery there were immediate instructions to seal away the bottom half of the space station with *heavy* security to avoid any sort of thievery.

Unknown to the scientists, a dark mist had formed in a nearby soundproof room, and out emerged a demonic black life form with literally fiery eyebrows, having the appearance of a really evil wizard/dragon. Aku glanced around, not seeing a single life form in the room. Giovanni and Sirius emerged as well. The white robot Sirius motioned his right hand, and several ugly, alien creatures emerged as well. Each of their thin, green bodies was outfitted in various weapons and armor. The familiar and now apprehensive Jesse, Meowth and James emerged as well.

Aku took to the reigns. “All right, Space Pirates. Silence everyone in the station, and be quick about it! Destroy nothing but human life and any Pokémon that get in your way,” He commanded. The Space Pirates snuck out to wreak havoc, leaving only the other six.

“It looks like I was right… Kagato was only cannon fodder after all,” Giovanni stated. “He wasn’t even good at *that*. Chances are the good guys will notice us, no matter how stealthy we are.”

“So what do we do?” James asked.

“Do not panic…” Aku stated silently, as hard as it was to imagine his booming voice quiet. “The Key bearers despise each other… I will con them into destroying each other.”

“Surely the other fools with them will pose a problem?” Sirius queried. “I suggest I distract the others… Team Rocket and the Space Pirates could surely unlock the life-form without our help…” He opened a finger and a small device moved slowly from it. He handed the pen-sized device to Giovanni. “This will unleash the life-form. I believe that’s all you’ll need from me,” Sirius flew out, no longer fearful of discovery—the Space Pirates already killed everyone on that floor.

“Soon this world will be ours…” Aku sank down into the darkness, his harsh laugh echoing as he disappeared. Giovanni was now left with Jesse, James and Meowth.

After staring each other down (more like Giovanni staring and the other three shivering in fear), Giovanni barked to his minions, “What are you fools waiting for? Get moving!”

“Yes boss!” They quipped in fear, running out in anxiety. Giovanni simply looked on and fingered the device, which was a laser. Only if he knew how to work it…

****

Sora glanced cautiously around him. Night had fallen on the technological city, and even though the city’s bright lights and several friends accompanied him, the feeling that something wrong was about to happen kept knocking on his mind.

“You’re tense, Sora, you should relax,” Beelzemon gave him a hardy pat on the back. He, as well as Jim, Buu, Conker, and Kairi, had accompanied Sora, and were also on the lookout for possible attacks. However, all they saw were the dazzling lights, the technological wonders, the Soulless possessed dragon Pokémon*, the endless amounts of cake (which Jim had to use all of his strength to keep Buu from eating.)…

The Soulless possessed dragons?!

Sora conjured his Lionheart Keyblade and turned to face what appeared to be strange, green bug-like creatures that resembled dragonflies. Their wings, however, were green and sleek, and they were much bigger. Soulless crests lay engraved on their stomachs.

“I knew something was wrong!” Sora exclaimed. “But what are these things…? Oh yeah, I’ve got my Scan ability!” Sora simply gripped the Keyblade and “read” what came to his mind. “These guys are called Vibrava… They’re speedy little dragons that use their wings to send ultrasonic waves to defeat their opponents…”

“Then Let’s get ‘em!” Kairi lunged first, bringing out her Divine Rose and splitting it in two. She brought it down with considerable force, and the first Vibrava exploded in a flash of light. The others ignored Kairi and shot towards the others.

“Bah…” Buu simply pointed a finger and used a weak beam, instantly frying two Vibrava. The other Vibrava started flittering their wings, letting their ultrasonic sound wreak havoc.

Jim pulled out his sub-machine gun again and let the bullets fly. The Vibrava sank under the firepower and disappeared before they could intensify their sounds. Conker shot down the last one with his pistols. Cockily blowing out the smoke form his gun, he asked, “That was it?”

“I’m afraid so… that’s too bad,” Our heroes saw a young girl, dressed in all white—her white shirt, skirt, and boots matched—even the bandana, with a Soulless crest was a pure, milky white. Her hair fell at her side in two odd rolls. “The Heartless have already eaten this planet a lot… but I’m pretty sure the boss will fix that.”

“Who are you?!” Conker asked, aiming his pistols at her.

“Why is my name important? It’s not like you know anything from it…” She smiled coyly. “But if you insist… my name is May.” She wagged her finger. “But I can’t take all of you on… maybe it was wise to let the Heartless destroy you after all…” She pointed a finger on the ground. “LIGHT RAY!” The blast of light shook the earth, and May disappeared from the flash before our heroes could react.

Sora blinked. “Why was that kid playing with Soulless power?” He asked.

“Another mystery for Siege, I’d say,” Jim said. “I ain’t got the slightest.”

“I could’ve had LUNCH!” Buu stamped his feet in rage, apparently having failed to launch a certain attack.

“That light bringin’ chick would’ve disagreed with your stomach, Buu,” Beelzemon replied. “Stop belly-achin’ and let’s GO.” The six of them ran on, hoping to find what was going on with this city.

****

Cloud, Eggman, and Kuja continued to walk throughout the city. The calm atmosphere of the night helped them to relax…

Well, almost.

“Why do I get the nagging feeling I’m missing something?” Kuja asked, gaining the attention of Eggman and Cloud.

“Don’t ask me, maybe you need to wear something over that thong,” Cloud remarked. “There are MEN that give you suggestive looks. I thought you liked ‘the ladies’ as you put it.”

“I’m inclined to agree,” Dr. Robotnik added, stifling a laugh.

“You two can’t talk,” Kuja countered Cloud’s words as the blond man grinned and Eggman tried his hardest not to snicker. “Last time *I* checked, you two haven’t attracted any ladies at all…” However, he suddenly stopped, and cursed. “****…”

“What?” Cloud asked spitefully. “Did your thong break?”

“No… we’ve been idiots! The villains could’ve swept right under us!” Kuja shot back.

“And sweep right under you we have!” The three whirled around to see a bold white robot staring down at them form the air. His knight/eagle-like design suggested that this robot was designed to fight and destroy… and fight and destroy it would. His blue eyes glowered, and a fierce and robotic B-movie voice echoed from the robot. “HA HA HAAA! You stand no chance against me, Sirius!”

“Wanna bet?” Cloud said coolly, pulling out his huge sword.

“I don’t think you can live up to such a claim!” Dr. Robotnik pulled out a remote, pressed a button, and a mech rose and unfolded from the ground. He hopped right in and galvanized the machine. “Especially since you don’t know who you’re dealing with!”

“Bold words, fat man,” Sirius aimed a fist. “But you shall not win!” Sirius fired a volley of bullets. Dr. Robotnik reacted quickly and pressed a button on his mech. A shield materialized and negated the shots, deflecting them into uselessness. The shield disappeared as Eggman aimed his own weapons at Sirius. He fired, launching a volley of rockets.

Sirius simply flew away and pierced the rockets with a laser. He shifted directions and flew towards Eggman…

Only to run right into Cloud’s sword. Barely blocking the blade with his bare, metallic hands, Sirius strained to fight the blade…

And reversed it successfully, slamming Cloud onto the ground. However, a sudden shock of Thundaga temporarily messed up Sirius’s systems, and the robot turned slowly with great irritation…

… to Kuja, who grinned at his enemy. “Say hello to those idiots you work with when I send your scraps back to them. I prefer the good guy life, thank you!” Kuja raised his hands. “Thundaga!”

“You will not defeat me, traitor!” Sirius snarled as a second round of thunder ripped through his body. “DIE!” The gold visor above his eyes lifted, and a single, slow-moving rocket fired. Kuja laughed and easily dodged it, but took a horrible surprise when the rocket blew up right behind him. The sheer force of the attack wiped not just Kuja but Eggman and Cloud off their feet as well. Kuja groaned as he tried to recover. “You are a spineless inferior! Now prepare to suffer the full wrath of Sirius! HA HA HAAA!”

Sirius aimed a single finger at Kuja, and was about to fire when he heard, “Darkness… Give me bravery! HOUNDOOM!” Sirius stopped focusing on Kuja and looked to his left to see the full moon—and a nightmarish looking dog leering at him from it. This dog proceeded to run down and sprint towards the robot, and about five seconds later, it unleashed a power Crunch attack, bringing the full force of its dark teeth on the robot. Sirius flinched, his circuits crackling with electricity.

“Augh… infernal creature… who summoned you?” Sirius flew back to see the summoner…

Maya.

“Don’t you like it? I stole this trick from Rob!” She boasted. “Now you can see your DOOM!” Maya conjured the twin Keyblade she shared with Rob, and took to delivering a roundhouse slash at Sirius’s armor, damaging it heavily. Unfortunately, she didn’t have perfect form, so she crashed into the ground ungracefully.

“I shall deliver the doom here!” Sirius rose. “Now you will fall and grovel before your new master, or perish under the darkness!”

“Don’t think so,” Cloud readied his sword. “You’re as good as dead.”

Maya recovered from her embarrassing crash and conjured the Keyblade, Kuja stood back up, and Dr. Eggman deactivated the shield he hid in and loaded his weapons. “Because we all have strength… as a team… we’ll RENDER YOU SCRAP METAL!” Dr. Robotnik roared.

****

The other team had wasted no time in tearing towards the Space Station. Although the city itself was still peaceful, they knew that hell and turmoil awaited them if they didn’t get to the Space Station. According to reports from Eggman, the other four were under attack—the villains were already working out their plans to destroy the city and maybe the world! Once they arrived though, they saw that it was too late to save the scientists inside—the Space Pirates had already messily murdered them all, and they looked eager to hand our heroes the same fate.

“Totodile! Pikachu! Spray the freaks down and give ‘em thunder!” Ash commanded his two Pokémon. The blue crocodile Pokémon wasted no time in issuing a blast of water towards the Space Pirates, drenching them. Pikachu then powered up and let loose with a fierce blast of lightning, killing the Space Pirates.

However, more of these dreaded creatures appeared, their laser guns blazing. Ash, Pikachu, and Totodile dived out of the way to avoid becoming Swiss cheese.

“They’re way too strong, we can’t get close enough!” Ash shouted.

“Anyone got any distance attacks?” Tifa asked between the group.

“Unfortunately, all of our distance attacks are only effective against one person,” Tails calculated. “And only Sonic and Rob are fast enough to turn around to counter them without being shot, although Pikachu and I could chance it. In any case…” A sudden explosion totaled the pillar they hid behind, and put all of them out in the open. The Space Pirates stopped shooting and simply aimed their weapons at the group, waiting to see if there were any other commands to arrive at other than to “kill them all.”

“We’re all doomed,” Tails finished his thought from earlier.

The team tensed for the inevitable. Huddling together with their backs towards each other, they tensed and leered at the advancing Space Pirates…

…Only to find themselves now preparing for battle with about five pounds of Space Pirate Candy.

The transformation had been so sudden; our heroes hadn’t even seen the other group come in. Led by a hungry Buu, who messily devoured the now doomed team of Space Pirates, Rob came face to face with Sora and his familiar crew. The only person Rob didn’t recognize was the redheaded girl wielding two Keyblades.

The first to speak was Sonic, who proclaimed, “We could’ve handled it!” All he received from everyone else were blank stares. “Or not…” Sonic grumbled.

“Miss us?” Beelzemon greeted the team. “Hey, who’s the kid with the Pikachu?”

“My name’s Ash and I’m from—”

“Yeah, yeah, heard of ya,” Beelzemon dismissed Ash’s introduction.

“Who’s the girl with the Keyblades?” Sonic asked.

“My name is Kairi,” Kairi bowed slightly. “I’m a princess of heart and Sora’s girlfriend. Speaking of Sora…” She saw that he was now angrily pacing around Rob, and vice-versa.

"YOU..." Sora growled, pacing around equidistant from Rob. "While you're on you so-called 'righteous' quest to control the Heartless, they're fighting for FREEDOM!"

"WHAT?!" Rob snarled back.

"Yeah, that's right. The Heartless DON'T LIKE YOU," Sora got in Rob's face. "Right now they're all deranged because they want FREEDOM, and your quest ain't helpin' in that matter!"

"Oh like YOUR noble quest to destroy them is any better?"

"I'M NOT PLANNING TO DESTROY THEM!"

"OH YES YOU ARE!"

"NO, I'M NOT!"

"ARE TOO!"

"ARE NOT!"

"ARE TOO!"

"ARE NOT!"

"ARE TOO!"

"ARE NOT!"

"ARE TOO!"

"ARE NOT!"

"ARE TOO!"

"ARE NOT!"

"ARE TOO!"

"ARE NOT!"

Sora and Rob lunged at each other, ready to rip each other to shreds, when a sudden, booming voice rang out “FOOLS!”

The two crashed into the floor in mid-leap. “Ow…” they both groaned. They turned to see a gargantuan black form staring coldly at them.

It said in its booming voice, “Why do you waste your time fighting in here… When there is a nice ARENA to vent your grievances?”

“Because this annoying little whiny BRAT is trying to keep me from saving the world!” Rob shot back. “And… who are you anyway?”

“My name is not important,” The loud being spoke slowly. “In any case, you two must end this feud once and for all, and I know just the place.”

“They’ve got no time to battle!” Tifa shouted at the being.

“Oh, I believe they do,” It laughed slowly as a swarm of Team Rocket members and Space Pirates swarmed around everyone. The snarling Sora and Rob, with no choice but to comply with this specious and obviously evil being, snarled at each other as a swirling darkness encircled them and carried them away to a place unknown.

****

Sora and Rob suddenly found themselves within a basketball-styled arena. Only the arena itself was illuminated—the rest of the room was only bathed in darkness. The mysterious demon appeared between the two of them. “This is a Smash Brothers arena. Here you can vent your grievances not just with your Keyblades, but various items as well. Go forth. Fight to your heart’s content!” He disappeared, and Sora and Rob pulled out their Keyblades. Sora still hand his Lionheart, but Rob’s Keyblade had changed greatly. The navy blue/black was now gone, replaced by shining gold. The key hilt didn’t have the normal jagged edges at the end—a sharp Pokémon League insignia replaced it. The hilt had the shape of a Pokéball, as did the dangling end of the chain.

Rob and Sora bared their teeth, ready to destroy each other.

“Ready…” the demon being began. “FIGHT!”

Sora and Rob leapt at each other with amazing speed, clashing loudly with the Keyblades. There were no incredibly lame jokes traded this time, they focused instinctively on ripping each other to shreds. Rob brought down his Keyblade in a furious slam, but Sora parried the blow. Sora chanted, “Power!” and unleashed an Ars Arcanum. Rob dodged every swing except for the last, which hit him square on his side, and he tumbled backwards and crashed into the floor. Strange… he saw a Pokéball, and picked it up.

“What’s this doing here?” He asked himself.

“Use its power… anything is fair here!” The demonic presence’s voice echoed, its harsh voice laughing slowly.

“Put down the ball, pansy! Nothing will save you!” Sora shouted.

“Wanna bet?” Rob grinned evilly. He had seen enough Pokémon battles to grasp how to throw them. “Pokéball, GO!” Rob threw it at Sora, who stepped back and let the thing fall at his feet.

Big mistake.

A red dragon-looking thing emerged. Its height, flaming tail, and threatening wingspan intimidated Sora, but nothing like its powerful roar. However, this’ creature’s bite was far worse than its bark.

“Charizard,” Rob grinned. Charizard roared and snapped at Sora with his jaws. Sora dodge-rolled out of the way and continued his assault on Rob, figuring he couldn’t harm Charizard. Rob flipped back and struck Sora’s Keyblade, causing the brunette boy to stumble back…

… Right onto Charizard’s flamethrower. The flames burnt Sora’s butt to a crisp, causing the poor boy to run around in panic, and Rob to issue howling laughter. Charizard snorted triumphantly before disappearing.

“ARGH!” Sora roared in pain. He clenched his Keyblade and began to stalk towards Rob. “You… are SO dead.”

“Likely threat, loser,” Rob snarled as he swept his Keyblade to counter Sora’s attack. Sora jumped over Rob and tried to attack him from behind, but Rob had yet again parried the attack down. They clashed blades several times before Sora suddenly jumped back. Rob gripped his Keyblade in anticipation—this couldn’t be good.

“I wanna show you something cool…” Sora smirked evilly. He held his Keyblade in the air. “FORCE!” Before Rob knew it, a dark energy had expanded all over him. He suddenly felt 2000 pounds heavier, up to the point of incredible pain. By the time the spell was over, Rob had been flattened into a pancake. Evil grin still plastered on his face, Sora picked up Rob the Pancake and tossed him out of the ring. “I WIN!” He yelled, celebrating.

Rob-the-Not-a-Pancake-anymore grimaced as he crawled back into the ring. “I… want a rematch.”

“I’ll beat you anytime,” Sora responded cockily.

******

Round 2

******

Round 2 went largely the same as Round 1, but Rob suddenly had an idea. “How about I introduce you to a friend of mine?”

“Why not?” Sora sneered.

“All right…” Rob twirled his Keyblade. “Darkness… give me bravery…”

Oh no, Sora thought. He’s got summons! I should’ve figured his powers were similar to mine!

“HOUNDOOM!” Rob bellowed. However, only silence followed Rob’s ritual. Rob stood frozen in his final pose for about 25 seconds before Sora burst out laughing. “What?! What happened to my summon?”

“You call THAT a summon?!” Sora continued laughing. However, he suddenly stopped and grinned evilly. “Meet MY summon… Courage!” Sora felt the energy in his heart, and twirled his Keyblade. “SIMBA!”

The sun pierced the dark arena, and a full male lion, complete with a red, shaggy mane and powerful claws, walked slowly onto the arena. It roared triumphantly, and Rob nearly wet himself. “Give me strength…” Sora said as Simba wasted no time in mauling a squealing Rob to shreds. Simba then spit out Rob’s carcass out of the ring. “I WIN!” Sora cheered again.

Rob crawled from out of the darkness… again. “I hate you.”

“The feeling’s mutual,” Sora flashed Rob a cheeky grin. Simba disappeared.

*****

Round 7

*****

“AHA!” Rob shouted, as he suddenly stopped fighting Sora. “You won’t beat me with THIS!” He grabbed a HUGE black mallet. “This is none other than the Super Smash Bros. Mallet of death! Just two hits and you’re HISTORY!” Rob laughed maniacally as he uncontrollably swung the hammer and ran towards Sora.

Sora, however, kept his calm, and just as Rob was about to rush him, he simply sidestepped and tripped Rob, causing the kid to crash into the ground.

However, he was still holding the hammer, only now he was bashing his own brains in uncontrollably. “I WIN!” Sora cheered for the 7th time. “You know, I don’t think that’s ORIGNIALLY from that game… I saw it was from Donkey Kong. You should stop hitting yourself,” Sora grinned. “Stop hitting yourself! Stop hitting yourself!” He mocked.

“I… OW hate… OW you…”

*****

Round 54

*****

Just his luck.

After receiving nothing but a Goldeen and several small foodstuffs, Rob felt sincerely doomed. Sora would win again. For the 54th time. Rob couldn’t let this happen. He was fed up of losing. Just because he was based on a ruthless self-insertion didn’t mean he had to get his butt owned every time he faced the main canon character to balance out weakness! ARRRGGHHH!

“Come back, Rob, all I want to do is BE YOUR FRIEND!” Sora taunted, laughing. Having grabbed a Starman, Sora now flashed with invincibility. He ran towards Rob with the intent of destruction. Rob tensed and got into a fighting stance. He was tired of fighting, losing, and getting to angry to give it up, but…

A sudden dark bolt of lightning crashed in front of Sora, forcing him to jump back and defensively ready his Keyblade. Both fighters watched in awe as the lightning formed a pale, blue-haired man. He carried a wicked scythe, and his cape covered most of his body, although his pants were visible. He calmly looked at the other two. “So you fools waste your time like this? I guess the Keyblade Masters aren’t as responsible as I thought.”

Sora unknowingly Scanned this new arrival, anxious only to figure out who he was. He snapped out of a trance he was in and came to his own defense. “Not exactly our fault! This demon came by and took advantage of our rivalry! I haven’t figured out how to make that other loser stop!”

“You shut up!” Rob countered.

“Silence!” The blue-haired man commanded. Rob and Sora did so, but only because they were fearful of what he was capable of. “Aku has certainly put one over you two… you realize now that he has won the battle… the one known only as Deoxys is free?”

“Deoxys?” Rob asked. “Is that…”

“Yes… the thing you BOTH were trying to stop from being revived… but you let your own bickering stop you, and now you’re trapped fighting each other for eternity…” Magus, as Sora now knew him then walked back at bit so he was equidistant from both. “But to undo Aku’s little curse, there is only one thing you both must do…”

“What’s that?” Rob and Sora asked.

“Lose simultaneously,” Magus extended his hand, and a wave of fire radiated from his hand, simultaneously knocking Rob and Sora out of the ring, and into oblivion—or back to the Space Station, at least. Magus smirked. Seeing his job done, he left back to where he came from in a flash of darkness. He’d fight the both of them later.

****

This was when all chaos erupted.

Sonic and Ash had split to go find the meteorite and somehow seal it before Team Rocket could unleash whatever it was inside. Because of the huge swarm of Space Pirates engineered to specifically distract/deal with Buu, they knew they had to act fast before even the pink being would tire out from the battle.

“Pikachu, finish them quick!” Ash shouted as they ran towards a group of Team Rocket members. Pikachu quickly charged up with a “Pi-KAAAAAA,” before letting a fierce volley of thunder blow the Team Rocket members away. Sonic took advantage of the fallen defense and raced ahead into the dark lab room.

Giovanni had not yet figured out how the laser was supposed to react to the meteorite. It was still charging for power when he noticed Sonic sprint in. He turned his head in annoyance. “Go away, blue menace. You are too late. This laser is well on its way to reviving the life form Deoxys. This being is capable of far more power than even your Majin Buu.”

“Oh really?” Sonic asked, getting ready to make a dash for the gang leader. “Question is, will that thing live to see the light of day?”

“Of course it will!” Jesse’s voice caught Sonic by surprise. A sudden clamp smashed Sonic’s foot, forcing him to eat the floor. Sonic turned around in irritation to find himself gazing into the eye of a different snake. Its huge, purple jaws had missed him, but apparently its mouth was strong enough to hold Sonic down. “Meet my NEW Pokémon, Seviper! He’s the coolest new Pokémon to DIE for.”

“The laser is done charging now…” Giovanni aimed at the meteorite. “Now watch, blue hedgehog, at the formation of a new life that will spell your DEATH!”

”NO!” Sonic bellowed, knocking away Seviper with his foot.

But the laser struck—the damage was done. Giovanni had succeeded, all because Sonic wasn’t fast enough (At least, that’s how Sonic felt…). Ash and Pikachu came in, but then they saw that they were too late. As Team Rocket celebrated and mocked Sonic and Ash for their failures, the laser began to take effect on the meteor. A silver blob appeared on the top of it, slowly mutating to take a definite form. When it was completed, the horrified Sonic and Ash now found themselves staring at the world’s official worse sci-fi creature ever.

And that was the least of their worries.

The world’s worst sci-fi creature in question had a futuristic-monkey-like appearance. Its ears were bronze half-discs, that partially resembled a chimp’s. It’s two hands were a sickly green, contrasting to its bronze skin. The mutant eyes, gazing at them, were cold, navy blue dots. A blue orb stood at its chest, crackling with dark electricity. It lacked feet; the legs ended with two sharp points. The creature shrieked as its hands briefly turned into tentacles and back into hands and lunged towards everyone.

Everyone in the room, even the bad guys, only had one word in their minds.

“****…”

(At loooong last… it’s complete! Note that once I get a complete synopsis of the movie, this episode and episode 15 will be edited for accuracy. Be patient… other players in this game will be mentioned in the next episode! How will our heroes deal with the new virus Deoxys?

*I know I said the Steel Type was it in Episode 4, but I thought the dragons might fit better. Word on how this will change soon)

Legends-Kuja

31st July 2003, 07:01 PM

Episode 15: Here Comes Ayeka!

(A/N: Dis/claimer: I don't own Tenchi Muyo, Yu Yu Hakusho, or much anything except Rob, Maya, the plot, and Sora's last name :D. In case you're wondering why some things are happening much differently than what they were supposed to be, it because it's slightly Alternate Universe. kaybye.)

"You've got to be kidding me..." Sora sweat-dropped.

"Nope! That's why we have to split... NOW," Ryoko answered. The fierce description of this Ayeka woman scared even Yusuke and Rob... not a good sign. Who had Kagato latched on to?

"How are you sure she's under Kagato's influence?" Rob asked, slightly suspicious.

"I had an ancient grudge with the woman... something the old fogey would sure to capitalize on since I 'failed' him!"

"That explains the panic," Tenchi rolled his eyes. "But we need to engage this new enemy! Anyone got a ship?"

"I DO!" Sora and Rob bellowed at the same time. Realizing that point, they stared at each other and started growling.

"My ship is better!" Sora immaturely crowed.

"Yeah right! MY ship is better!"

"It probably isn't even your ship!"

"I admit it! UNLIKE YOU, you probably got lucky!" Rob argued, not realizing how right he was.

"DID NOT!"

"DID TOO!"

"ARRRGGGHHH!" Both started fighting and comically biting each other. Everyone else sighed.

Conker put up his hands. "I got this. HEY CLOWNS! We're using the Hyperion! Neither of you two dip****s even HAVE a ship!" Conker unknowingly gave the victory to Sora.

Sora stopped fighting and stuck out his tongue at Rob, an immature smile on his face. Rob cursed and bit his shirt, having lost the fight. The large group ran to the ship.

****

"WOW, this ship is HUGE! I must have the data on this technology!" Tails marveled.

"I agree!" Dr. Eggman marveled as well. "*I* built a ship this big and I never seen such wondrous works!"

"Heh, if you'll follow me, I'll show you the data bits of this entire ship..." Siege led the giddy techno team to the front of the ship.

"Not even TAILS sided with me," Rob grumbled, while Sora mocked him with silly faces. "That's what I get for not knowing when my rival has a bigger ship..."

"So, YOU'RE the so-called Soulless leader?" Rob saw a silver-haired girl, dressed in full black. "Heh, expected you'd look like that."

"Like what, a loser?" Sora laughed.

"Shut up," the girl smacked Sora away into a window, where he was reduced to pudding. "Ignore the monkey. My name is Sara."

"Rob Benton," Rob shook hands.

"You got any idea where we're going?"

"This woman named Ayeka is after us... So we're going to bring the fight to her ship."

****

A nearby ship floated in the vastness of space. A center, red core resembling a UFO floated in the middle of an ornate design of wood, which served as the barrier to the ship. Inside this ship, a large tree stood, surrounded by two small lakes and a waterfall. In front of that stood a grassy plain overlooking space.

A door on the tree opened. out stepped a purple haired woman, dressed in a teal kimono. An ornate headdress covered her hair and most of her body. Most of all, a Heartless crest stood engraved on her kimono. She opened her eyes.

"Where are we?" She asked.

Two sentient logs floated down. One stood with a blinking red orb and its name, Azaka engraved in red Japanese writing below it. (A/N: Forgive me if I mess them up.) It answered. "We are in the air space of planet 0324... Earth."

The second log, Kamidake, glowered in blue. "We have found something of great interest here."

"The man named Kagato mentioned something to me about this place..." the woman said.

"Lady Ayeka! We have found reports of the great space pirate Ryoko in the vicinity!" Azaka reported. "Kagato reported that vicious criminals Rob Benton and Sora Ultima are in league with her!" The window overlooking the field came alive with the pictures of the three of them.

"That's it! We have to apprehend these evildoers! For the sake of Jurai!" Ayeka crowed. "Azaka! Kamidake! Can you give me the coordinates of their current location?"

"They are less than two light seconds away from here, Lady Ayeka!" Kamidake reported. "And they're getting closer!"

"Ryoko must have anticipated my arrival... All right then, prepare the ship for capture/battle mode! Get the Galaxy Police Officers Mihoshi and Kiyone ready at once!"

"Yes Lady Ayeka!" Azaka and Kamidake activated the ship.

****

"****..." Ryoko twitched. "She's on to us!"

"I figured that--this ship is too big NOT to be detected by radar," Siege answered. "We should wait for her to make a move to capture us, then we invade the ship."

"I wanna teach this lady some manners!" Yusuke pumped his fist.

"Sorry, Urameshi, but you know me, I don't fight girls!" Kuwabara put his hand to his heart. "I live and die by honor!"

All the girls on the ship looked at Kuwabara. They all laughed.

"WHAT?!"

"Ryoko! Rob Benton and Sora Ultima! Hand yourselves over now!" Came a loudspeaker that echoed through their ship.

"Who the hell does she think she is?!" Yusuke bellowed. "The great cop?"

"I have top-notch Galaxy Police Officers with me! Don't make this difficult!"

Yusuke crashed.

"That answers your question!" Beelzemon pumped both fists. "She's gonna blast us to smithereens unless we invade her ship. NOW."

"All right! You asked for it! We're going to FIRE!" The loudspeaker bellowed. Everyone who happened to be near a window saw the sky light up with enemy fire.

"SIEGE! GET *CLOSER*!"

"I'M *TRYING*, DAMMIT!" Siege maneuvered the ship.

"WHHHEEE!" Ryoko cheered. "I feel ALIVE again!"

"Not me..." Kairi cowered in a corner.

****

"They're evading our fire and getting CLOSER!" Azaka warned.

"Lock them!" Ayeka commanded.

"There are so many inhabitants, and all with great power. It would expunge more than 90 percent of our psychic power!"

"Hmm..." Ayeka used her own psychic power, looking for someone with similar powers. She found one. "I got an idea."

****

"Umm... what are those logs?" Tenchi noted the floating logs surrounding the ship.

"I don't know..." Siege looked at them. "I cannot identify them."

"****!" They turned their attention to Kuja, who crumpled as if he were suffering a horrible headache. Logs began to surround him.

"That's Ayeka's psychic power! She's using Kuja's against him to capture all of us!" Ryoko panicked, only to have logs surround and bind her as well. "AUUUGGGHH! AAAAHHHHH!"

"No one told me she was psychic!" Sora yelled, but logs surrounded him as well. "Oy VEY! AUUGGHH!"

"Sh-sh-****..." Rob tensed, pulling out his Keyblade.

Everyone, save Tenchi, soon was bound with the psychic power. Tenchi looked in panic as two giant logs began to appear and suck everyone inside of them.

"What... I've got to do something!" Tenchi held up his sword, which floated and electricity crackled from the hilt. Ash was freed from the grip. Ash back-flipped and smashed Siege, who fell free from the grip. Siege, in turn, smacked Tails out, who freed Sonic, who freed Yusuke, who poured out Spirit energy to revive Rob and Sora.

Buu came in, angrily munching on logs he turned into candy. "What the hell IS this?!" he roared. "It tastes like cardboard ****!"

"Buu! Keep everyone else in here!" Siege said. "Brat's already got Ryoko! I'm sending six guys in!"

Buu nodded, still angry, and threw a candy log at one of those giant logs. The log conveyed what looked like shock as Rob, Sora, Tenchi, Yusuke, Sonic, and Ash leapt in. Buu powered up, putting a force to keep everyone else from being captured.

The six warped to the alien ship...

****

"What the hell IS this place?" Yusuke looked around. "It looks like a forest!" True to Yusuke's description, the place had the appearance of a forest.

"Looks much like the trees back on Earth," Ash commented. "What kind of ship IS this?" Ash used Extrasensory. He blinked. "Wow... Planet Jurai, eh?"

"Planet Jurai?" Sonic asked. "WHAT?"

"Planet Jurai... according to this ship, is a planet that thrives on trees and the power of flora... but..."

"FREEZE!" The six turned to see two guns trained on them. They saw two policewomen, one with a determined face, the other looking like Christmas came early.

The determined face came from the green-haired woman, apparently with enough good looks to put ten supermodels to shame. A Heartless crest sat engraved on her shirt.

The giddy face was a frizzy-haired blonde, though not as beautiful as her partner, still could put eight supermodels to shame. Her face held innocence--shocking for one possessed by the Heartless.

Ash noted this. "The blond looks... innocent. How the heck could there be a Heartless grip on her?"

The blond turned to her partner. "Kiyone, are you SURE they're the criminals? They look like kids to me!"

The other girl boiled. "OF COURSE, Mihoshi!"

"MOVE NOW!" Yusuke sprinted, dodging the furious fire of Kiyone.

"I'm not liking this!" Ash bellowed. "Pikachu! Thunderbolt!"

"Pi KAAAAAA CHHUUUU!" Pikachu called a blast of lightning, but Kiyone back-flipped out of the way.

"What, these stupid cops wanna play guns?! I'LL SHOW THEM GUNS! SPIRIT GUN!" Yusuke fired his spirit gun right at Mihoshi.

The blond showed uncharacteristic cleverness by dodging at the last second.

"Wow! They're trying to kill us!" Mihoshi beamed, shooting at the panicking Yusuke.

"Keep your eye on the fools, Mihoshi," Kiyone said calmly, trying to shoot down Tenchi.

"Why am I even playing?" Sonic dashed, easily avoiding the laser fire from the girls, and dashed over to Mihoshi, tripping her with one foot and smashing her with the other.

Big mistake.

"MIHOSHI!" Kiyone took serious advantage and pierced Sonic with a single shot. Sonic turned red from the heat before crumpling in serious pain.

Mihoshi stood up again. "I'm alive! I'm okay!" She started firing at Yusuke again. "Wow! Look at his face! Isn't he funny?"

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN I'M FUNNY?!" Yusuke roared as he made comic faces, trying to avoid death by shooting.

"Surprise," Rob and Sora whispered, as they raised their Keyblades to attack.

Big mistake number two.

Kiyone whirled around and kicked Sora right in the gut, and Mihoshi did the same to Rob. They both crashed into the ground in pain.

"Kiyone, we're out of bullets!" Mihoshi whined.

"ENERGY, you mean? Oh well, time to use our new powers..." Kiyone chucked away her gun, and Mihoshi threw hers at Ash, beaning him in the head.

"HEY, WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!" Ash bellowed, mollifying his aching head.

"You can't shoot me, and I can't use anymore Spirit Guns, but I WON'T MISS THIS TIME! SHOTGUN!" Yusuke bellowed, putting his hand into a fist and firing multiple rounds of energy.

Kiyone and Mihoshi evaded, multiple after-images taking the shots.

"WHAT?!"

"They can use Pokémon attacks?" Ash raised his eyebrow. "Either that, or they just learned Double Team!" Ash scanned them in his Pokédex, and the move downloaded into his brain. "At least now *I* can use it..."

"You know, we can get new tricks with these Heartless things and all," Kiyone said. "How about you take your own medicine, kid?" She aimed her index finger like a gun. "Spirit Gun."

Yusuke went berserk trying to dodge their new attacks. "ASH, TENCHI! DO SOMETHING!" Comic tears streamed down his cheeks. "YOU SEE I'M DISTRACITNG THEM!"

"More like dying," Ash muttered under his breath. "Tenchi?"

Tenchi shook in fear. Why had his life changed? However, his mind drifted back to a couple of words his grandfather imparted on him.

*Remember, Tenchi. Fear is never meant to interrupt destiny.* He handed Tenchi the sword... his inheritance. *Remember... bravery is not the absence of fear, but the willingness to overcome it. As you overcome more fear, this sword will grow in strength to share your bravery. Remember that.*

"Tenchi?" Ash's voice brought him back to reality. Tenchi straightened.

"My grandfather was right... I can't let fear get the better of me. The stronger and better of heart I become, the stronger that sword becomes..." Tenchi cleared his mind and gripped the sword. His school clothes disappeared, replaced by a flowing, brown vest and a brown suit, surrounded by flowing brown (you get the picture by now, don't you?) ribbons that circled his clothes, seeming to float.

The sword grew wider in width as well. Tenchi's face became etched in determination. Tenchi turned to Ash, who twitched in slight fear of this new Tenchi. "Ash, please distract them for me. I have a plan," Tenchi said in earnest.

"All right." Ash grinned, and used his newly acquired double-team attack. With Mihoshi trying to fry Yusuke and Kiyone failing to destroy the 100 Ashes' running around, Tenchi made his move.

Using his new sword, Tenchi twirled it around and sliced off the Heartless crests on the two women. Their eyes flickered and they fell to the ground, blinking as if their eyes deceived them.

Mihoshi was the first to stand. "Wow! I don't remember a thing! First we were on that escort mission, then we got cornered by that Kagato guy, and next thing we know, we're being free from his awful control by this guy right here!" Mihoshi glomped Tenchi. "Oh thank you for rescuing us!"

"You're... welcome..." Tenchi struggled to breathe.

"WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO REFRESH YOUR MEMORY?!" Yusuke bellowed.

"Huh?" Everyone looked to see a young girl. Her teal hair matched her kimono, her pigtails going far past her shoulders. She was holding a most unusual creature that seemed like a cross between a cat and a rabbit. (A/N: I'm going with a combination of the OAV and Tenchi-in-Tokyo, where the young girl owns the cabbit instead of Ryoko.)

Kiyone recognized the young girl. "Princess Sasami! Please forgive us!" She and Mihoshi bowed.

"That's all right!" Her young, yet mature voice answered. She walked past them to Tenchi. "You... you helped them didn't you?"

Tenchi nodded. "Me.. and my friends," Tenchi refused to hog the credit.

Sora and Rob recovered, standing straight. Rob saw Sonic. "Sonic... he's still hurting."

"He can stay with us until he recovers!" Mihoshi chirped.

Sora had his hands on his chin, thinking. Suddenly, he jumped up as if enlightened. "I GET IT!"

"Huh?" Everyone stared at him.

"I get it now. When we freed Ryoko, she hardly changed in personality, only in loyalty! Those gripped by those Heartless crests only lose free will! It's like the Heartless curse for those with Hearts!"

"Yeah, that's why Mihoshi seemed so innocent, even though she was trying to kill us," Ash said. "The Heartless crest only strips you of free will and if you're lucky, your conscience. The bad guys see it more effective to keep their victims unique as to not interrupt their powers, especially with emotional opponents."

"That must be why my sister is so scary now, even though she hasn't changed a bit!" Sasami's eyes watered. "Please, you guys, free my sister from that man! Please!" She cried, and Kiyone hugged her. The cabbit hopped off and patted Sasami on the back. Ash gave a slight smile, remembering how Pikachu would most likely act the same way if he were the girl.

The heroes nodded. "We won't fail," Rob pumped his fist.

****

"So, RYOKO," Ayeka pleasantly sipped tea, "It's been ages."

"Years do that to ya, eh?" Ryoko cracked. She hung upside down between Azaka and Kamidake, as if they held invisible hands.

"Enough of the witty banter," Ayeka kept a slight smile on her face. She walked over to Ryoko. "Tell me, who are these people?" She opened a screen, which appeared out of thin air, and a picture of five people running through the halls showed. "And how is that earthling boy, the one in brown, holding the sword of Prince Yosho?"

"Your first question: Let them come in and find out!" Ryoko flashed a cheesy grin. "Your second question: The kid's the descendant of Yosho! Why else would he be powered up by that sword?"

"No way!" Ayeka shook her head. "There's no way..."

"Yes way! Yosho's dead, that kid's picked it up from the family line!" Ryoko slightly lied.

"ARGH! SHOCK HER!"

A blast of lightning shocked Ryoko, but the girl seemed to be giggling. "Stop! STOP IT! You're making me all fuzzy inside!"

Ayeka blushed, picking up on the hidden meaning. "Masochist, eh?"

"Actually, I'm more of a sadist... BUT WHO CARES! My love has come to rescue me!" It was Ryoko's turn to blush, as with perfect timing, five people charged into the main room.

"Stop right there, evildoer!" Ash crowed.

"Who are YOU to call ME an evildoer?" Ayeka blinked and put her hand on her chest.

"You're the one with the Heartless crest."

"GRRRRR!"

"You ought to control that temper, young lady!" Yusuke mocked.

"Hmph!" Ayeka regained her composure. "As a princess, I am gifted with beauty, intelligence, AND LOTS OF POWER!" A sudden power boost stripped Ayeka of her kimono, leaving her in a suit identical to Tenchi's only in black and pink instead of brown. Tenchi saw the similarity. Could it be...?

From out of nowhere, Ayeka pulled a scythe and zipped to Rob with light speed, bringing it down in full force. Rob could barely block--Ayeka was right in his face!

"Feisty *****, aren't we?" Yusuke grinned. "Too bad! SHOTGUN!" Yusuke aimed his fist and blasted, but Ayeka twirled her scythe, absorbing the shots. "WHAT?! My shots are useless!"

"Too bad," Ayeka smirked. Rob lunged in for an attack, and Ayeka could barely block.

"Funny, how karma is?" Rob smirked, being in Ayeka's face. Sora launched his own attack, catching Ayeka in a combo.

The Heartless seal cracked.

"That thing's going to take more than just a sword swipe to take down!" Yusuke growled. He dodged Ayeka's lunged and planted a punch loaded in spirit power onto the crest, causing another slight crack. Yusuke danced as Ayeka twirled her scythe and attempted to attack him.

"My turn!" Tenchi ran and his sword pulsed in power. He slashed directly at Ayeka, knowing for some reason he couldn't directly harm her with it.

"You know you can't hurt me with that sword. That's Prince Yosho's property! You don't deserve it!" Ayeka pressed on with her power, having blocked the sword with her bare hands.

"Snap out of it!" Tenchi said through strained teeth. "I know I can't harm you!" Tenchi's mind flooded. This sword... it's not of Planet Earth, is it? Tenchi thought. I am from earth, and yet...

Something hit him.

As Rob and Sora danced about Ayeka, trying to break the seal, Tenchi began to put two and two together. That sword had no effect on her. She knew of the legend of Yosho... that suit looked just like his when he powered up. He came from Earth, but...

Then he knew.

He's got an alien bloodline.

*His ancestors hail from Jurai.*

"AYEKA! Tell me this..." Tenchi bellowed. Everyone stopped. Ayeka looked at him. "Why did you betray Planet Jurai... OUR planet?"

Everyone's eyes bugged out and jaws dropped, except for Ayeka's.

Ayeka's eyes watered. "I had no choice! Kagato would've... killed Sasami..."

The Heartless crest shattered into a million pieces.

"I figured as much... that stupid crest could only be broken by severe emotion..." Rob said.

"Tenchi... so you descend from Jurai's royal blood... but Jurai is no more... destroyed by the Heartless," Ayeka wept on Tenchi's shoulder. "And it's all my fault!"

Tenchi hugged back. "It's all right..."

The logs freed Ryoko, and she rushed to glomp her hero, but stopped, seeing Ayeka's state.

Sasami, Kiyone, Mihoshi, and Sonic came in, Sonic leaning on Sasami for support. "Tenchi..." Sasami said. "We owe you so much!" Ignoring Ayeka and Sonic, the three girls rushed to hug Tenchi, and Ash had to catch Sonic. Ryoko joined in on the great bear hug that threatened to squash Tenchi.

"Hey, what about us?" Sora, Yusuke, and Rob whined.

"We're sorry!" The girls all hugged them, too, making them wish they simply were satisfied with saving the day.

Tenchi stepped up. "I owe you guys the most. I wouldn't have done it without you," Tenchi gave Rob a strange gem, which looked like a tree, with a four-point star engraved inside. "You can use that to remember us by... We've got our own quest, but you can always call us if you need our help," Tenchi winked. "We're not weaklings, you know."

"I'll remember to call ya when we're about to kick Kagato's ***, all right?" Rob gave Tenchi a thumbs-up. "You take care, protect these lucky women, and *figure out your past,* all right?"

Tenchi nodded.

"Let's get back already! I don't think we made any headway into figuring out where the hell that keyhole is!" Sonic said.

****

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" All the villains pointed and laughed at Kagato. Kagato simply hung his head in shame, a huge sweat-drop hanging on his head.

"Kagato had a soft spot for cute girls, didn't he?!" Bowser choked between guffaws.

"You should've killed the brat if you wanted Ayeka's barrier to be invincible," Aku said in earnest, not laughing, which was quite unusual for a villain who loved to gloat.

"Hey," A man completely wrapped in bandages, with only his mouth, eyes, and some blackened hair visible crowed. "At least the cute girls *I* have a soft spot for are LEGAL!" All the villains laughed harder.

"I FORGOT, OKAY?!" Kagato bellowed in his defense.

"So now you're saying instead of being a good guy in disguise, you're suffering Alzheimer's?" Giovanni grinned. "You're worse than Senor Signor Senior!" The villains laughed hard again.

Kagato smacked himself several times. He stood in the corner, with all the villains still mocking him, save the white robot, Sirius, and Aku.

"I got a plan," Sirius whispered to Aku. "And I know a way for old Kaga-toes to redeem himself. Once we blow Earth sky high, I'll get rid of those morons..." Sirius explained.

"Excellent. Get into position, I will tell you when you can launch..." Aku answered, and Sirius flew off. Aku then stared at Kagato. He wondered why he didn't gloat much any more...

****

"Yo, Yusuke Urameshi!" Siege the Blastoise called. "You got a message!"

"What?" Asked the Spirit Detective. He, Rob and Sora came back.

"I'll show it to you," Siege typed a bit on his computer, and a screen popped up. A short guy with jet-black clothes, matching spiky hair, a white headband, and a scowl that could dampen the mood of MIHOSHI appeared. A tall man in a lavender suit like Yusuke's school outfit and red hair stood by him.

"Hiei! Kurama!" Yusuke recognized the duo.

"Nice to see you, Yusuke," Kurama, the taller one, greeted. "Koenma asked us to come get you."

"Yes," Hiei added with an uncharacteristic smirk. "He said in these exact words," he put a pacifier in his mouth and mimicked the prince's toddler voice exactly. "Yusuke, get your *** in Spirit World RIGHT NOW!"

Yusuke, Rob, and Sora snickered as Hiei's impersonation. "Is Hiei or Koenma always this comic?" Rob asked.

"This ain't Hiei to be mocking people," Yusuke answered. "But he sure got Koenma's description right to a T!"

"Anyway, Koenma's in a big rush, because he just ran across some huge power source that could very well blow him to smithereens," Hiei went back to his scowl.

"On a more serious note, Yusuke, we just found your girlfriend, Yusuke," Kurama said. Yusuke's eyes bugged out. "She's been kidnapped."

(Cruel, isn't it! Just one more episode to go until the big season finale! What can Yusuke do, with his girlfriend kidnapped by one of the fiercest, sexiest demons (or more accurately succubuses) in the known universe? And what will our heroes think of a new appearance by Oni?)

The Prophet

1st August 2003, 10:40 AM

Cool! Sora's the Ultima Weapon!

Anyway, great chapters.

Legends-Kuja

2nd August 2003, 07:36 AM

Episode 16: Into the Mansion of Morrigan

(A/N: Hey, I'm SORRY for the complete lack of Heartless in the last chapters! This one should more than make up for it, as well as our favorite Darkside. Enjoy!)

"KEIKO! WHERE IS SHE?!" Yusuke shouted at the screen.

"Yusuke, you'll wear out your voice with all that barbaric screaming," Hiei said, no change in his emotion.

The entire crew showed up to see what the Spirit Detective was yelling about. Siege noted the large crowd and quickly turned back around to Yusuke.

"But I WANNA KNOW! WHERE IS SHE?!" Yusuke demanded.

"Barging into the bad guy's lair won't help you much," Hiei remembered Yusuke's near loss to him when he tried the same trick. "Calm down, you fool. Oh, and Koenma also wants to see that loser right there," Hiei pointed him out.

"I'M NOT A LOSER!" Rob bellowed, Sora cackling.

"Oh, and that buffoon right there as well."

"I'M NOT A BUFFOON!" Sora whined, making Rob laugh.

"Choose some other people to assist you, Yusuke, and meet us at Koenma's office," Kurama said.

"How am I supposed to get THERE?" Yusuke asked.

"Take a chill pill and watch the experts!" Tails stretched his fingers and typed madly. "Once you've decided your team, Urameshi, go to the warp pad below here at the bottom floor! It'll take you straight to Spirit World. You can't miss it!"

"We'll be waiting," Hiei and Kurama shut off the link.

"Spirit World?" Penny tilted her head to one side. "Charlette mentioned she was unable to go there..."

"You know of Spirit World?" Yusuke asked.

"Not much... But I wish to go. I don't know what Charlette wants of this place."

"Count me in! I want action!" Beelzemon pumped his fist.

"You know I gotta go," Kuwabara said.

"All right then. Let's get to Spirit World!" Yusuke pumped his own fist and ran down a flight of stairs, the rest of the chosen team following.

From out of nowhere, Kairi tackled Sora in a bear hug. "You take care, all right?"

"I... will..." Sora gasped. He got free. "Kairi... do me a favor. Take Riku and Sara back to the Mansion of Souls. Then find Little Planet. King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy are there. Please find them, and smack Sara for me if she protests, all right?"

Kairi slowly nodded. "I'll miss you, Sora!" She kissed him.

"Hey, don't worry! As soon as this is over and I seal that keyhole, I'll come find you, and THAT'S A PROMISE!" He pounded his chest.

"Hey, you're holding up traffic!" Yusuke complained.

"I'll be back, Kairi. Count on it."

"Bye..." Kairi ran back up the stairs. Sora walked on the warp pad, and the six of them warped to Spirit World.

****

"What took you so long?" Hiei snarled.

"HIM," Everyone pointed to Sora. "HE GAVE A MISSION TO HIS *GIRLFRIEND.*"

"HEY!" Sora protested in defense. "It WAS IMPORTANT!"

"Never mind that," Hiei led the team through the halls of the palace. The floor was blue marble, with red carpet in the center. The pillars and ceiling were white.

They arrived at Koenma's office. Rob saw a desk with thick stacks of papers. To the right of that desk stood an ogre, blue with a yellow horn on his head. He only wore a loincloth. To the left of the desk was a beautiful young woman with blue hair and a pink kimono. Looks could be deceiving though--this lady was once the grim reaper.

The stacks of papers were suddenly kicked aside, and Koenma revealed himself. Standing barely two feet tall, even with his ridiculously large hat, the toddler wannabe in blue was sucking on a pacifier of some sort. He actually looked a bit intimidating. "YUSUKE!" Koenma bellowed. "What took you so long!"

"What took ME so long? I TOLD them, it's SORA'S fault!" Yusuke pointed to Sora. Sora twiddled his fingers and giggled nervously.

"So, YOU must be the Keyblade master!" Koenma hopped off the desk and paced around Sora. "Don't look like much, but I felt your energy before you even arrived! What is it with kids being the ones having to save the world? No one trusts adults anymore, not that it's a BAD thing, but still," Koenma hopped back on the desk, then noted Rob. "And YOU must be the OTHER Keyblade master? You two are polar opposites! I think there's a reason for that!"

"Yeah," Rob rubbed his neck.

"Well, if you'll direct your attention to the T.V screen behind you!" Koenma pointed, and everyone turned around. "YUSUKE! STOP SCRATCHING YOUR ***!"

"I'm NOT scratching MY ***!" Yusuke complained, having done nothing but be the victim of Koenma's "humor."

"ANYWAY!" The T.V screen turned on, and a face appeared. This face backed up and revealed a woman, with looks shockingly similar to Kiyone's. Her green hair was off set by two tiny bat wings. Her "dress" was black, offset again by purple skintight pants and black boots. Bigger bat wings sprouted from her back. Apparently, she could put TWENTY supermodels to shame. "That woman you see there is Morrigan! She's a succubus that hails from a whole 'nother dimension! Apparently she left YUSUKE a message."

Morrigan began to speak. "Hello, Yusuke Urameshi. You see, I have a problem. These creatures called Heartless have invaded my mansion. Because they are denied their desire to visit Spirit World, the Heartless have made their way through my grand halls. They seek the great keyhole of Earth, which can only be accessed through Spirit World," Penny and Rob's eyes bugged out. "But Yusuke..." Morrigan continued, "I have heard much of your legendary skills as a Spirit Detective, and I wish to engage you in battle," The screen panned out, and to Yusuke's horror, Keiko was there, dangling on a rope, bound and gagged. "If you win, you may have your girlfriend back."

"You want a fight? You GOT a fight!" Yusuke answered.

"But what's with the Heartless?" Sora pondered.

As if on cue, Morrigan answered Sora's question. "Rid my house of the Heartless, and I will appear, Yusuke. I await you," The screen shut off.

"Charlette was trying to get to Spirit World!" Penny gasped. "You think she's part of this?"

"Maybe..." Sora answered. "The bad guys want the Heartless to blow up Planet Earth, and at this rate if they're flooding that mansion, they'll put an end to both Earth AND Spirit World! We've got to stop them!"

"Right!"

****

The thunder boomed and tore at the red sky. Rob, Yusuke, Sora, Kuwabara, Penny, and Beelzemon stood before the great door. Sora and Beelzemon looked up at it. "This looks AWFULLY familiar."

"One question..." Rob turned to Yusuke. "If that hole Penny fell into led to Spirit World, why couldn't I enter at first?"

"Going to Spirit World like that is the equivalent of taking a one-way ticket into hell," Yusuke answered. "I guessing your Keyblade thinks you're too holy for that."

Beelzemon pulled the same stunt he did at the Mansion of Souls. Kicking down the door, he bellowed, "HONEY, I'm HOOOOMMMEE!"

This got the attention of three ghoulish beings, all having the appearance of a floating grim reaper. Each had a glowing Heart with a different color.

"The Phantom?" Sora asked. "No... They're weaker. I think they're called Phantom Juniors. They are immune to physical attacks, unless their Hearts are white. Hit their hearts with matching color magic!"

"Let's DANCE, then!" Beelzemon pulled out his Positron gun and started firing. "I know I'm not doing crap, but watch!" The Phantom Juniors evaded and attempted to slash down Beelzemon. He kept firing, eventually, their Hearts changed color.

"Their Hearts are white now! Smash them with one swift blow!" Beelzemon bellowed.

"I can deal with THAT!" Yusuke bellowed, sending a powerful punch and knocking the spiritual heart into oblivion. The Phantom Junior fell and faded away. Rob crashed through one, and Kuwabara sliced the other with his Spirit Sword.

"Right on!" Penny cheered.

A great howl was heard.

A pack of ferocious wolf-like creatures, having the appearance of gray wolves coated in black fur, charged.

"MIGHTYENA!" Yusuke wasted no time in kicking them away.

"Aren't those Pokémon?" Beelzemon raised an eyebrow.

"WATCH OUT!" Penny warned. Beelzemon turned to see a Mightyena lunge at him, but Penny put up a barrier. The dog-hyena hybrid bounced off, and Beelzemon shot it, destroying it.

"Ay, these Pokémon want freedom just as much as the Heartless do!"

"Guess that's why they join the Heartless so easily," Penny sighed.

The team bound up the main stairs and took a left. The radical blue Sneasels launched at attack.

"Allow me," Rob activated his jet boosters, and flew by them, casting Fire furiously. The Sneasels fell, defeated, with a little help from Sora and Yusuke's punches.

"Ha, losers!" Kuwabara gloated, as the team trekked further into the reaches of the mansion.

Heartless in what looked like Middle Eastern clothing pulled out their swords and headed up the stairs towards the group.

"Bandits!" Sora said. "Grind down the stairs!"

Everyone, even Penny, hopped a ride on the rails and slid past the Bandits, Yusuke smashing a few heads.

Big mistake.

The Heartless anticipated such a trick. Several Mightyena, Shadows, and Singuards landed on the other side of our heroes, trapping and surrounding them.

"This is not good!" Kuwabara shivered.

"Not ****, Sherlock!" Beelzemon readied his gun.

"No sweat... we have friends," Rob said. He lifted up his Keyblade. "Darkness... give me Courage!" Rob twirled the key, first to his right, then to his left, then slammed it three times in random spots. "TENCHI! RYOKO! AYEKA!"

From the sky, the royal Juraian ship cruised through the heavens. Inside, Tenchi, in his Juraian suit, smirked. "You rang?" Ryoko and Ayeka shared his smirk. Ryoko grabbed the other two and teleported to the scene.

Tenchi unsheathed his sword, Ryoko formed an energy sword, and Ayeka glared with some psychic power.

"LET'S GO!" Yusuke struck down a Singuard to his left and Tenchi sliced his sword through several Heartless. A more experienced Tenchi sliced through Heartless like a knife through warm butter.

Ryoko laughed insanely as she shot down several Mightyena and Shadows. All the Heartless near Ayeka were lifted, swirling in psychic power before being slammed down, making them disappear instantly.

Sora bellowed, "Thundaga!" Using the blast of the thunder, Sora destroyed the Bandits.

"Thank you, Tenchi," Rob nodded.

"Farewell," Tenchi nodded, and he, Ayeka, and Ryoko, disappeared in a wave of specks.

The deafening silence nearly threatened to shatter Rob's ears. The mansion, or what he saw of it, was clean.

Not exactly.

Penny had backed away into a corner. After about three steps, her right foot sank down. Three words flooded her head.

Ay crap. Charlette.

About to let out a scream, Penny panicked when nothing would come out. And the rest of the team was right in front of her! She struggled, but she realized the darkness was binding her! Slowly the darkness overcame her. She could've sworn she saw Charlette, glaring at her, and then looking at her team. Both Penny and Charlette faded into darkness.

Yusuke looked about nervously. Kuwabara looked about as well. Rob gripped his Keyblade, sensing the worst test was yet to come.

The team heard slow, rhythmic clapping. They turned their attention to the large table in the center of the room.

There, in all of her glory, sat Morrigan. Casually licking her hands and body, she looked innocently at Yusuke. "Thank you for ridding me of the house pests. I believe you owe me a match," Morrigan snapped her fingers, and Keiko, still tied and gagged, dangled from the ceiling above.

"All right, demon-lady! You want your match, you got it!" Yusuke bellowed. "Everyone else stand back!"

"For YOUR information, I am a succubus... Allow ME to show you the difference," Morrigan leapt up off the table and smashed the floor, barely missing Yusuke. Yusuke twirled around and aimed a fist. However, Morrigan grabbed it. "A succubus is a very powerful demon," She began to tighten her grip on Yusuke, crushing his hand. "But unlike demons or humans, *my* power is not limited by spirit energy!" She kicked away Yusuke.

Yusuke groaned in pain, holding his hand. Morrigan jumped up and planted her foot in the ground again, barely missing Yusuke. The Spirit Detective aimed his fist.

"SHOTGUN!" The multiple blasts seared the airspace. Morrigan blocked the shots with fast hand movement, but Yusuke anticipated this. He aimed a punch and smashed Morrigan in the stomach.

Morrigan stood shakily. "I have to hand it to you... You're clever... but that won't save you... Feel my... REAL power..." Morrigan began glowing. Energy coursed through her.

"Ah, great. NOW she uses Spirit Energy," Yusuke clenched his teeth.

"As being in Spirit World has made me forget many of my trademark moves... but in this place, I have created new ones," Morrigan smiled. Holing her hands to harness a ball of energy, a small ball appeared. It crackled with power. "Don't be fooled by its small size. This Spirit Ball packs quite the punch. See what it can do," she launched it, and Yusuke narrowly avoided being reduced to fresh meat.

"Not bad, but can you do this?" Yusuke rushed towards Morrigan, arm reared back. "SPIRIT WAVE!" focusing his energy into his fist, Yusuke let loose the punch. Morrigan dodged, but Yusuke simply balanced the energy into his other hand and shoved Morrigan, the powerful energy damaging her. She retaliates by smashing Yusuke with a spirit-energy-loaded kick.

Yusuke growled. "I won't... fail Keiko... no matter WHAT!"

"I had enough games, time to end this match," Morrigan raged, throwing energy-loaded punches as Yusuke. Apparently, with the desire to win so thick in their minds, neither combatant bothered to block; they simply kept punching each other's lights out.

"Urameshi!" Kuwabara worried.

"Kick through in the clutch, Kuwabara," Yusuke whispered. Morrigan threw a much larger Spirit Ball, its Shadow Ball like trail difficult to pick up on. However, Yusuke used all the energy he could muster, blocking and putting a full reversal on the energy.

"I'll show you the true meaning of reversal!" Yusuke bellowed as the Spirit Ball smacked its sender. "SPIRIT WAVE!" Yusuke then focused the move onto his feet, and smashed the succubus back some 30 feet.

Yusuke won.

Too bad he had used so much energy on that final punch, he also fell, too tired to stand. "So much for the victory dance," he mumbled.

"Shut up... at least you can move..." Morrigan groaned.

"Oh, Yusuke!" Keiko was already free and trying to help up her hero.

"Wait a second... how the heck--" Rob looked on Keiko's shoulder to see... "Pikachu?"

Pikachu was happily chatting to Keiko, ignoring the fat she couldn't understand a thing. He had gnawed the ropes to free Keiko while Yusuke was fighting.

"If that's Pikachu," Rob said, "Then I know that--"

"PIKACHUUUUU!" Ash came in, followed by a kid with a blue jacket and a shotgun. "Oh there you are!"

Taz saw Morrigan. "What in the bloody BLUE hell are you doing in MY mansion?" He aimed his shotgun and shot at Morrigan, who leapt out of the way just in time.

"You won't let me live here because I broke a cheap table?" Morrigan remarked calmly, licking herself again.

"THAT WAS MY POKER TABLE, YOU ARROGANT *****!" *BLAM*

"You're no fun, Tazzy boy," Morrigan sat on a statue of a gargoyle, licking herself. *BLAM*

"I'll show you fun! I'll make you a Holy Bartender!" *BLAMMITY BLAM BLAM*

"BLAMMITY?" Sora asked.

*BLAMMITY*

"NEVER MIND!"

"Well done," Everyone stopped to hear yet another round of slow clapping. Rob turned to see Oni crouched on a pedestal, clapping calmly. "As much as I didn't anticipate the arrival of Taz, I could say everyone's ready for a REAL battle, hmm?"

"ONI! YOU *****! PREPARE TO BE DESTROYED!" Rob boldly shouted.

"Such brave words coming from a boy with so little understanding of his powers," Oni taunted. "I want a match with you and Sora."

"So what's with the Yusuke thing?!" Yusuke yelled, with as much voice as he could muster.

"Aside from the Keyblade Masters themselves, you were the strongest. In essence I had to wear you down, since you were also the most likely to interrupt me should this fight get ugly," Oni calmly stated. "I think Morrigan did a good job. You actually hurt her quite a bit, too."

"So, this was all YOUR doing?" Rob snarled.

"Right-o correct-o," Oni said, "Although, it was not me who summoned the Heartless... I believe a missing soul from one of your number can attest to that."

Everyone looked around.

"Huh? WHERE'S PENNY?" Beelzemon panicked.

"She was here when we summoned Tenchi..." Rob thought. However, he remembered Charlette's warning. Not to mention, he also remembered a familiar presence right before Yusuke fought Morrigan! "AY CRAP! Charlette!" Rob used the same ironic words Penny used before she disappeared.

"Hmm..." Oni shrugged her shoulders. "Oh well. Lord Sesshomaru and his friends should easily occupy your buddies."

As if on cue, Sesshomaru appeared. Tailing him were Kim and Shego.

"AY CRAP! NOT FEMALE SPY CHICKS!" Beelzemon raged. He wasted no time in trying to take down Kim and Shego with a round from his Positron gun.

"I don't fight girls! Pretty boy is MINE!" Kuwabara formed his Spirit Sword and proceeded into war with Sesshomaru.

"Ash! Get Yusuke and Keiko OUT OF HERE!" Rob commanded.

"Right!" Ash agreed, running towards the couple and aiding them in lifting Yusuke. Pikachu hopped back on Ash's shoulder.

"So... just you two and me... just how I wanted it," Oni smiled and landed in front of Rob and Sora. "Your fate is sealed."

"I'll show YOUR *** fate!" Rob lunged, and Oni dodged. Black, feathery wings sprouted from her back and she flew up, diving for Rob. Rob flipped over her and pointed his Keyblade. "THUNDER!"

The bolt hit her wings, knocking her flight pattern off a bit. Oni smirked. "Not bad." She threw a Shadow Ball at Rob, who avoided it but suffered from the resulting blast of it hitting the floor.

Sora hopped up. "Let ME try!" He smashed Oni with a Ragnarok combo. The girl flew backward, twirled, and dove past Sora, heading towards Rob.

Rob jumped up and smashed his Keyblade, but Oni blocked it with her bare hands. She flipped him and socked him in the gut, dealing major damage.

"Is that all?" Oni taunted.

"NO!" Rob came back, slashing furiously, but Oni blocked every move. She didn't, however, notice Sora until it was too late, getting hit with a fierce blast of Blizzaga.

"Impressive..." Oni said weakly. "But... you'll have to do better than that," Darkness surrounded her fist. "This, my friends, is PAIN," She belted Sora with the full force of it. Sora glowed black from all the energy, ad he crashed, writhing in pain.

"Sora!" Rob cried. "Dammit you, he's MY rival, NOT YOURS!" Rob dashed to Oni. "And your tirade, this darkness, the Heartless madness... ENDS NOW!"

Rob skewered Oni, right in the middle of the Heartless insignia on her chest. To his surprise, he could see the end of his Keyblade poking out of her back. All action ceased, as if this was the grand moment everyone had waited for.

Oni let a faint smile play on her lips. "I counted on that..." she fell limp, and a crashing silence ensued.

Rob stared. Was that it? That Oni, the one behind the Heartless and perhaps the Soulless gone? He knew this wasn't quite complete, no it wasn't. Darkness leaked from Oni's body. It flowed to the ground, and rose, forming a giant figure.

This presence of darkness was the outline of a beautiful woman with long hair, angel wings, and glowing, yellow eyes. No... Rob simply unveiled the TRUE villain!

It... she spoke. (I AM the Holy Darkness. At last... I am free from that weak body...) The shining light that overtook the room had a detrimental effect on certain people. Rob, almost like his skin as boiling, clenched his teeth, trying to ignore the searing pain. Taz twitched, but Ash and Pikachu fell to the ground, the pain so great as to nearly drive them mad. Kim and Shego twitched, being able to ignore the pain.

"It... it affects the Soulless..." Kuwabara blinked.

(Hmph... so you two are my opposites...) The Holy Darkness leered down at Sora and Rob.

"You're the Holy Darkness... You're the source of the Heartless!" Sora exclaimed.

(Correct...)

"But... why do they, and the Soulless... burn in your presence?" Sora noted Rob's agony.

(The affect I have on my own creations is there to ensure my holiness... that they do not defy me. Those used to it are unharmed, because they are either obedient, or have known of me for ages...) The Holy Darkness looked around. (Humankind is not worth this much longer... It is time to bring them to the darkness.) Her wings extended to the full wingspan, and the light from her grew stronger. (The Planet Earth is Doomed. It has six hours to live. The great Darkness will consume all, once I gain the power to shut down the Mansion of Souls. Farewell...) The Holy Darkness rose slowly to the sky, leaving everyone in shock.

After five minutes of silence, Sesshomaru proved the first to move. He walked over to the body of Oni, his sword glowing. Picking her up Sesshomaru nodded, and Kim, Shego, and Morrigan all made a swift exit into the Mansion of Souls, with Sesshomaru following.

"What... the hell... just happened?" Rob blinked, recovering.

"She... cast Doom on Planet Earth..." Taz blinked. "The keyhole cannot be sealed. Not only that, but the villains now know of the location of the keyhole," Taz added a curse before continuing. "Now it's only a matter of time before Planet Earth is crushed into the Darkness!"

"****!" Everyone cursed.
****
"Well, look at this," Shishio, the man in bandages, observed the magic screen in which they spied on the world. "Planet Earth's keyhole had been unveiled for us!"

"Let's not delay," Giovanni added. "We are to flood the Keyhole at once."

"Those meddling freaks are right on top of it!" Bowser crowed. "We'll have to lead a huge army to guarantee our victory."

"I don't think so," Hades said. He grinned evilly. "They already know the keyhole can't be sealed. We should send one man and the army of Heartless... Shishio!" Hades turned to the demonic samurai. "You're the new kid on the block! Show us what you got!"

"Gladly," Shishio returned Hades' sneer.
****

"YOU MEAN PLANET EARTH IS DOOMED?" Koenma bellowed.

"Koenma, sir!" Ogre pleaded. "Please calm down!"

"I CAN'T CALM DOWN WHEN AN ENTIRE LARGE PLANET IS ABOUT TO MEET ITS FATE!"

"Koenma, sir. You must remember that even if Planet Earth is doomed, Spirit World won't disappear!"

"Oh, that's right!" Koenma's cheery disposition returned. "On that note, who CARES?!"

"As much as I would love to see humans suffer for the worthless creatures they are, I don't think Earth going to hell is a good thing," Hiei came in. "If this destruction of Planets continue, soon all of existence will perish."

"Perhaps..." Koenma began to think. "I know! Once Yusuke recovers, send him to go with those Keyblade freaks! With their help, he can save existence!"

"That's a good idea, and all, but where are we gonna take him?" Botan, the blue-haired girl asked.

"Traverse Square is a great place to hole up base of operations, since Yusuke's not welcome in Spirit World... Botan! Hiei! Kurama! Go find Yusuke and his buddies and GET THEM OFF PLANET EARTH RIGHT NOW! YOU'VE GOT FIVE AND A HALF HOURS!" Koenma shouted.

"Yes," Kurama and Botan nodded.

"Fine," Hiei said.
****

"Huh?" Bianca looked up in the sky. Although the sky was clear, she felt a horrible sense of foreboding. The sudden flood of visitors to Alto Mare noted that the Heartless were getting much fiercer, and something horrible had yet to come.

All of a sudden, she heard inhuman wailing. It seemed to come from everywhere, most likely the earth itself.

"What's happening?" That guy Brock ran towards Bianca. "It's like the entire planet is in pain!"

She remembered reading something once about this. Once a planet wailed, its life was coming to an end. "Oh no..." she said. "Earth... is doomed."

(End transmission! This, my friends, paves the way for the season finale and the end of Book/Season/Disc/whatever One. With the earth fated to die, our heroes have only two options...

Escape or perish. )

The Prophet

2nd August 2003, 01:45 PM

*_* Cool.... EARTH-EXPLOADEY! *snickers*

Legends-Kuja

9th August 2003, 07:46 PM

Episode 17: It's the End of the World as We Know It

Mickey and Cell tore through the outskirts of Stardust City, chasing the elusive dragon Ridley. As fast as they were, Ridley proved faster. The purple dragon easily kept ahead of the other two, although unaware of their presence.

Until now.

Ridley sensed Mickey's Keyblade, and whirled his head to see the two forms after him. Hoping to distract them, he fired a searing ray of heat, busting a deep hole and nearly knocking Mickey into it.

"AUGH!" Mickey cried as he flew seemingly to his doom.

Cell WAS fast enough to rescue him, but a certain grappling beam proved faster. The beam lassoed in Mickey, and Cell simply stood back, recognizing the woman in armor. "Samus Aran..."

"I see you're chasing MY quarry?" Samus said, letting the mouse go.

"Yes, but you weren't here to chase it," Cell countered.

"Never mind that, he's getting away!" Mickey pointed, and all three made chase, with Ridley now making way into the Wacky Workbench.

****

"What's the matter?" Sara looked into Kairi's troubled face.

"I dunno... I just feel something horrible in my gut..." Kairi answered morosely.

"Could've been those hot dogs," Riku muttered. "I SWEAR those things are cursed."

"No... it's more of a feeling."

Kairi, Riku, and Sara walked on, reaching the zone known as Tidal Tempest. The water-swamped area was home to an ancient civilization that lived and worshiped these very waters. Kairi looked up to see Earth faintly in view. From here, it looked okay, but her skin prickled upon looking at its aura. An odd, pinkish light seemed to faintly surround it.

"Oh, no..." Sara caught her attention by dashing forward in front of her, looking sadly at the ground. Kairi and Riku ran beside her to see the object of her concern.

A young girl lay dying. Her blue hair and pink dress lay in blood. What seemed like a gruesome keyhole made through her rested on her stomach. "Who's the guilty **** I should beat senseless?" Riku looked around.

(From what I can tell, the closest man guilty of this murder is a dragon...) The three turned around to see a bipedal cat, lacking fur, its purple tail swishing in the air. Its purple eyes looked at theirs. (This murder is symbolic... it means Earth's keyhole has been found...)

"How is this girl connected to Earth?" Sara asked. "And who are you?"

(I am Mewtwo...) Te cat answered. (The Dragon known as Ridley killed this girl. Apparently, he left this keyhole wound to alert his buddies on little Planet that Earth's keyhole had been found. They're going to try and flood it.)

"Sora's down there!" Riku said. "Did he seal the keyhole yet?"

"Obviously NOT, dumbass, or else we wouldn't be seeing this!" Sara snarled.

"That explains the sudden lack of Heartless on this planet..." Kairi thought. "But why leave this planet to go swarm another?"

(Earth is LARGE,) Mewtwo looked at the planet. (That is why there were so many incidents of places exploding on Earth... the place has MANY keyholes. The true one for earth is actually found in Spirit World... Because of this, it would take many more Heartless than it would for a planet such as this to return Earth to Darkness.)

"In that case, I've GOT to find Sora!" Kairi looked around wildly, then at Mewtwo. "Which way is the Mansion of Souls?"

(You're not gonna get there fast enough,) Mewtwo tsked. (But I can teleport you there.)

"Okay... Riku... Sara..." Kairi turned to her compatriots. "Do me a favor... go find King Mickey for me, and bring him back to the mansion! I've got to find Sora... and if you see Ridley... give him hell for us."

Sara nodded. "Have it your way. I guess I can spend some 'quality' time with my Riku-chan," Sara rubbed Riku's chest with her finger. Riku stiffened his face, having no use for his disabled eyes. "And Ridley needs his *** kicked, too."

Kairi nodded, and looked towards Mewtwo. Mewtwo, having finished giving the girl a proper burial, cleansed himself and them touched Kairi, teleporting her away from Riku and Sara.

"Kick some ***, Sora," Riku whispered, just loud enough for Sara to hear. She cuddled with him and looked to the glowing Earth. "Promise me that."

****

"THE EARTH IS DOOMED?! We're all gonna die!" Brock screamed and ran like an asylum patient.

"Shut UP!" Misty smashed him with her hammer. "We're gonna survive. There is a way to keep the people alive if the planet falls to the Heartless, right?" She looked at Bianca, who stared nervously into the sky.

"Yes... the ancient machine..." Bianca stared back at Misty. "But the power we'll need will put a horrible strain on Latias..."

"WE'RE GONNA DIE!" Brock flailed.

*SMACK* Bianca slapped him this time. "Shut UP! We're trying to think!"

"That's true..." Misty said. "But think! All the pokémon and humans... that we can save once we activate it! I'll try to keep Latias alive! You're the only person aside form that Annie woman who can operate that thing, and Annie's still evil!"

"All right..." Bianca sighed. "I'll get Latias..."

"WE'RE DOOMED!" Brock laughed, having lost all touch with reality.

*SMACK*

****

"What the hell should we do?!" Yusuke whined, as Keiko helped him up. The shorthaired brunette etched her face in worry, her big eyes shining.

"I don't know... we're not on Earth, but there's something we can do..." Keiko sighed.

"Good news: We're not on Earth. Bad news: a hell of a planet's gonna disappear..." Taz sniffed. Comic tears fell down his face.

"Dammit, I failed to save the earth..." Rob cursed sadly.

"No... it wasn't your fault... *I* failed to find the keyhole in time..." Sora sniffed.

"It was MY FAULT, you freak!"

"No, it's MY FAULT!"

"MY FAULT!"

"MY FAULT!"

"MY FAULT!"

"MY FAULT!"

"SHUT UP!" Taz smacked both of them, still crying. "That planet was the only planet that had oranges, and dammit, they were good..."

"Yeah, I agree..." Rob sniffed. "What... WAITADAMNMINUTE..." He smacked Taz, and then went back to thinking. "Penny... she could still be on Earth... but I gotta go rescue her!" Rob darted off, leaving the rest of the pack behind.

"Penny..." Sora said.

"Didn't that Holy Darkness say that the earth has six hours to live?" Keiko asked the group.

"Yeah, and Thirty minutes have passed already! I think those pack of bad guys will be on their way by now!" Kuwabara said.

"In that case... I think that might have been a prophecy..." Sora said. "Some of us will have to stay here and stall the villains!"

"We got a ride, but it can't fit through the mansion!" Beelzemon said. "Someone's gotta warn my boys to get the hell off Earth!" Beelzemon went to Yusuke. "You're in bad shape. Come with me, you and your girlfriend. Taz should as well. Kuwabara, Ash, and Sora, will stay here..." Beelzemon took off on a flight of stairs, with Yusuke, Keiko, and Taz following.

Ash sighed. "This is gonna get ugly..."

"Hey, wait! Someone's coming!" Kuwabara tensed.

From the opposite hallway Beelzemon left, a single man stepped out, followed by a gigantic horde of Heartless. The man was wrapped much like a mummy, and his dark blue gloves glistened in the darkness. He held a sword, which Ash noted, seemed to have a grease of some sort (human body oil) all over it.

"You're Sora, aren't you?" The man asked.

"YESSS!" Sora answered indignantly. "So who are you?"

"My name is Shishio. The Keyblade master seeks fight, don't you? My blade, the Mugenjin, would be more than happy to duel with your Keyblade..."

"Yeah, punk!" Sora whipped out his Keyblade, the Ultima Weapon, and leered at Shishio.

Ash leered as Shishio, trying to use Extrasensory.

****

Rob cursed. He spent two hours looking for Charlette, and he didn't have the first clue as to where to look. Sighing about his *second* failure, Rob sat down in a defeated huff.

"What's the defeated look for?" Rob turned around to see the silver-haired Ansem. "You seem quite low."

"I failed to save the freaking Earth, and what's more, my friend Penny has been kidnapped and I have no idea where to find her..." Rob clenched his fist.

"Now, my boy, you shouldn't give up so easily. You're the key to reversing all this when the time comes..." Ansem walked to the front of Rob. "To begin the Great Reversal, you must first seek the one known as Kagome Higurashi... find her family shrine, it shouldn't be too far from here," Ansem pointed Northeast.

"But what about Penny?"

"I believe Kagome has befallen the same fate as Penny... Charlette awaits you within the Higurashi shrine."

"I guess..." Rob started up his jet booster shoes. "I can't waste time! Don't worry, Penny, I'm COMING!" Rob blasted off, seeking the great shrine.

****

A rather uneventful fifteen minutes later, Rob arrived at the shrine. Landing, he saw a sign, noting the well's name. "Bone Eater's well..." Rob read. "It is said to devour the bones of evil demons that died there. Spooky," he commented. He went inside.

The silence stood interrupted only by some muffled cries. Rob recognized those cries anywhere. "Damsels-in-distress..." He looked up. Dangling to his right was Penny, tied tightly and mouth sealed with duct tape. The girl on his left was also tied tight, but unlike the fashion conscious Penny, this beautiful raven-haired girl was wearing a meek school outfit, her skirt unfortunately revealing a bit. Rob shook this off and reckoned this girl must be Kagome.

(Nice of you to come,) Rob heard a familiar voice echo. He turned to see Charlette, standing on the opposite rail on the dark shrine. Rob noted the Heartless look-she even held the same yellow eyes. (Fun isn't it? You get to prove yourself a knight in shining armor... or do you? I used to have so much fun playing these games... I'm about to see if I still do.) She landed on top of the well. (Take a pick. Free one if you wish. Then you might increase your chances of survival against me.)

Rob snarled. He whipped out his Keyblade, and slung it back. Who should he rescue?

Penny would give him excellent defenses... but he had around three hours left, and this battle had to end FAST. Kagome... would she just flail and panic? Rob, however, felt an amazing power from the girl. Perhaps she could be more useful on the offense...

I'll take a gamble... Rob thought.

He slung his Keyblade and threw it like a boomerang. It rounded and sliced off some ropes.

Rob freed Kagome.

Rob wasn't fast enough to go catch her, so he was surprised when she landed on her feet. She ripped off the tape and stared at Rob. "You... freed me?"

"Yeah..." he answered.

(Now let's wreak HAVOC,) Charlette collected some dark energy and hurled a Shadow Ball. Rob jumped in just in time to rescue Kagome from being blown to smithereens. She threw another one. (Come on, where's the challenge?)

Rob, still carrying Kagome, hopped out of the way again. Rob looked at Kagome. "Can you fight?"

"Yes, but not with my fists!" Kagome shrieked, as Rob dodged another explosive Shadow Ball. Rob so happened to land right next to a bow and several arrows. "My archery set! I can really help now!" She hopped off Rob and picked up the bow and arrows. Using one arrow, she reared it back and fired.

Charlette was caught in the chest, falling back in pain. (AARRRGGHH!)

Rob jumped in and tried for a combo, but she deftly evaded. She dashed in for a punch and Rob leapt out of the way. Rob smirked as another arrow pierced the Heartless girl. Knew I could mount a better offense... he thought.

He strafed to the right as Charlette dashed towards him, and to the right again as she retried. Snarling, Charlette changed strategies and hurled a Shadow Ball at Kagome.

"Kagome!" Rob panicked.

Kagome shrieked and dodged, as Charlette began more maniacal laughter and hurling Shadow Balls like nobody's business. Rob roared and jet-streaked towards Charlette, bringing his Keyblade in a wide arc and launching upwards just as he connected with the blow. Charlette fell back, and then teleported to the other side of the room to avoid more damage.

"I like that move... I'll call it... the Sweeper," Rob grinned.

(I'll show you a new move I learned...) Charlette echoed, crawling and hopping about the wall like a fidgeting spider preparing for attack. (PURSUIT!) A force struck Rob so fast, so hard, he nearly lost he breath.

Kagome yelled, "I'll teach you manners!" She shot another arrow. Charlette caught it, but it pierced her hand. Charlette threw the arrow away and used pursuit on Kagome, who suffered more because she turned her back and tried to run.

"Pursuit deals more damage depending on your cowardice..." Rob noted. "How suiting. That spider crap she does on the wall is to scare us, so the move will deal more damage."

Rob suddenly got an idea. He knew how to end this fight quickly.

As Charlette hurled another Shadow Ball at Kagome, Rob grinned and gave Charlette a nasty gesture. "Hey Charlette! Wanna pursue me again? I'll run like a chicken!" Rob turned his back and imitated a chicken.

(Gladly...) Charlette began the spider dance on the wall, and that's when Rob made his move.

Speeding up, Rob launched off the ground and sped towards the wall where Charlette was gaining power. He readied his Keyblade.

"Hope this works..." He muttered.

Once he no longer saw Charlette, he pulled a full Sweeper attack. Charlette crashed up through the roof and out of the shrine. Rob smirked. It worked.

Jetting through the hole, with Kagome crawling after him, Rob looked and saw Charlette in a heap on the ground. "HA HA! Didn't see that coming, did you?"

Charlette simply moaned.

"I used my Sweeper attack to counter the velocity of your Pursuit! With you ripping through the air like that, it's like tricking you into running into a steel wall!" Rob boasted.

(I am impressed... That was fun...) Charlette recovered and smiled thoughtfully, before changing into an evil grin. (Though you won the battle, *I* have the last laugh...) She lifted her right hand and clenched it. Rob whirled to see something horrible.

Penny sank into the darkness. She struggled futilely against the darkness, but failed miserably, muffled screams adding to the scene.

"PENNY!" Rob screamed.

But it was too late. Penny sank into the darkness, and Charlette laughed. (Oh, don't worry. She's still alive. You'll meet us again, I promise.) Charlette disappeared into the darkness as well.

"ARGH... Penny..." Rob sank.

Kagome walked to him and kneeled down, putting a reassuring hand on his back. "You all right?"

"At least I saved you," Rob looked at Kagome. "We have no time to waste, we've got to get off Planet Earth!"

"Why?"

"It's gonna blow."

"EEEEEK! What about my parents?"

"Where are they?"

"They went vacationing at Alto Mare with my little brother, but..."

"They're safe. Trust me."

"If the Earth is gonna blow up, then how is Alto Mare safe?"

"Its got real good protection. I doubt it will fall, even if Earth does. But we're not anywhere near that place, so LET'S GO!" Rob grabbed Kagome's hand and skated off.

****

Shishio sneered. "Hmph. Pathetic," The Mugenjin's Homura dama, or flame, kept burning brightly. Ash cowered back, beaten, and Pikachu hissed defensively in front of him. Kuwabara lost his shirt, standing only in his pants. He gripped his Spirit Sword tightly. Sora was on the ground, down, but not out. He stood up.

"I won't... be beaten..." Sora lunged, but a powerful sword swipe from Shishio knocks him back. He lands on his feet, however.

"He can't be struck by ordinary means..." Ash muttered. "If Kuwabara does what he always does, and I distract him, then maybe Sora can land a hit..." Ash focused. "PIKACHU! DOUBLE TEAM!"

Pikachu nodded, and several after images of him spread across the room, dancing around. Ash did the same.

"Now's my chance!" Kuwabara lunged and tried to strike an unbalanced Shishio, but he blocked it.

That's when Sora made his move.

Sora leapt behind Shishio and twirled on the tip of his foot, bringing down the Keyblade in a mighty arc. Shishio whirled around and blocked it, but that's what Sora counted on. Kuwabara struck gold, having smacked Shishio directly in the chest.

Shishio jumped away from the fray in surprise, not expecting the team to have pulled together for ONE measly hit. He snarled. "No time for games any more. You'll be burned under the flames of hell!" Shishio waved his sword, smacking its hilt with his gloves and causing flames to ignite. A great, flaming tornado formed, whirling in great heat. The tornado whirled forward, and our heroes panicked as they could barely avoid the crash of flames that threatened to consume them alive.

When the tornado stopped, our heroes lay in disarray. Sora was burnt to a crisp, twitching. Kuwabara looked like roast bacon, and Ash's vest was fried. Shishio sheathed his sword. "I call that one my Kaguzuchi. Still pathetic. And I thought you were strong, Keyblade master. But I guess the flames of hell were too much for ya, eh?" Shishio let out a mocking laugh. "Well, I got a keyhole to flood. I'll chat with ya later," Shishio gave Sora a mock salute, and he and his Heartless army rushed by the fallen heroes.

****

Keiko shivered. A flood of Heartless demons, known as Invisible, danced around as Taz and Beelzemon tried furiously to take them down. One nearly sliced her short hair off. The angry Yusuke tried to harness Spirit energy, but his weak state and fluttering emotions didn't allow him to do so.

"Dammit! They keep MULTIPLYING!" Taz whined. "Don't they know any freaking division, or maybe even some SUBTRACTION?" Taz shot one and it burst.

"I'm... trying to help!" Yusuke strained. "But... it WON'T WORK!"

"Yusuke!" Keiko hugged him, trying to keep the boy from straining himself. Something clicked into her mind. The electric rat's gibberish seemed to have suddenly translated.

(Spirit Power comes from the Heart!) She remembered it saying. (I sense you have a great Heart, but one lacking its own power. That's why I'm talking to you right now! You may not understand me, but it will click! Trust me! Ash did the same! You may lack your own power, but someone close to you can let you borrow theirs! Just get close to them!) It was almost like it had seen this situation coming.

Or maybe it did.

"Yusuke! Calm down! I know how to help!" She said.

"Huh?" Yusuke looked at his girlfriend.

She simply hugged him from the back, and began to focus. Yusuke's amazing power was felt, and it seemed to resonate with her Heart, as if it "liked" her. "Maybe if I can use it..." Keiko thought, and remembering Yusuke's Spirit Gun, she aimed her index finger like a gun on the Heartless. "SPIRIT GUN!"

The resulting blast of energy shot through the wave of Heartless as if they were nothing. Yusuke nearly fainted from shock. Taz and Beelzemon couldn't believe what they were seeing and simply blinked. "Did... KEIKO do that?"

"Yes... I did," Keiko felt her cheeks flush red.

"If I knew you could borrow my Spirit Energy, I would've loaned you it a LONG time ago!" Yusuke grinned weakly.

"Yeah..."

The four of them sprinted to another exit of the Mansion, where Taz first met Sora and Beelzemon. To their surprise, Hiei, Kurama, and Botan stood there. Botan spoke first. "Yusuke! You've got to get off Earth NOW!"

"Yes, thanks to that Holy Darkness thing, the world is now doomed," Hiei stated.

"Umm guys, we ARE off Earth," Taz explained. "Our problem is that we've got a bunch of buddies still on Earth, including the other Keyblade Master. We have to get THEM off Earth!"

"Hn," Hiei understood.

"Where is Sora?" Kurama asked.

"Sora stayed to delay the villains! We had to get Yusuke outta there because he's weak in energy!" Taz answered. He gained a serious tone. "It's imperative Sora stay alive. You guys take Yusuke. I'll be heading back," Taz whirled around and disappeared in the depths of his mansion.

"I still gotta get the Hyperion off Earth!" Beelzemon ran out the door. "Don't worry about me! STAY HERE! You're safe here!"

Hiei stared on. "There's not much I can do to help that buffoon. But he'd better make it alive."

"I second that," Yusuke weakly added.

****

"Hang on, Latias!" Bianca strained at the controls. Misty watched helplessly as Latias also strained, trying to activate a barrier strong enough to withstand the darkness. Latias mewed in pain, but kept looking at Bianca to say she wasn't giving up.

Brock ran in, screaming "WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE-oh excuse me," Brock surveyed the situation. "I see things are under control... But I want to ask a question," He turned to Misty. "Even if we DO save Alto Mare, what about the rest of the planet and the millions of people who will fall to the darkness?" He looked back at Bianca's attempt to fully shield Alto Mare.

"I don't know..." Misty answered sadly. "I just hope Ash and Rob are all right..."

****

"Sora!" Kairi ran to him, scooping up the boy in his arms. Sora grinned at his girlfriend weakly.

"Kairi... I knew I couldn't trust you to stay with Riku if I got wounded... that's why I had to stay alive..." Sora coughed.

"Sora, please hang on! You're the only one who can seal the keyhole! You've got to get there quick-"

"Kairi..." Sora interrupted slowly. "I can't... save Earth. The keyhole... cannot be sealed. I'm... sorry I failed you, Kairi..." Sora fell into slumber.

"Sora! SORA!" Kairi shook him, and then felt for his pulse. It was still there. "Get your rest, Sora... Maybe there's a way to reverse all this..." she whispered. She turned to the equally bashed Ash and Kuwabara. "You two... are you okay?"

"I'll live, but I can't move..." Kuwabara answered, lying on the floor. "Don't worry about me, the mansion's safe. Get Sora to... a hospital or something."

"I can at least stand up," Ash struggled to move, with Pikachu having to help push him up. Pikachu was also injured, but he was the least injured of the group, as he did more dodging than fighting. Ash let Pikachu curl up in his arms. "Such power... I've never experienced it before... I need training," Ash said. He went to Kuwabara. "As cozy as that spot is, Taz wouldn't enjoy it if you littered his mansion with your carcass..." He helped Kuwabara up.

"Damn right!" Taz slid in pouncing next to Kairi and Sora. "I LIVE here! I gotta keep this place clean! Are you guys all right?" He looked between the fallen heroes.

"Sora needs medical attention... he's weak," Kairi said.

"I got a hospital wing, you guys follow me," Taz leapt back on the banister and led the heroes away.

Ash clenched his fists. "We may have lost this battle, but we WON'T lose this war!"

****

Siege stepped off the ship, looking around. If his radar was right, Rob should be dashing in any time now. Maybe he could explain the skyrocketing Heartless activity all over the Earth.

But to his surprise, it was Beelzemon who dashed towards the ship, screaming in panic. "GET THE HYPERION OFF EARTH NOW, DAMMIT!" He screeched.

"Beelzemon?! What the hell's going on?!" Siege asked incredulously.

"EARTH IS GONNA EXPLODE! GET THE HYPERION OFF EARTH NOW! WE'VE GOT FIFTEEN MINUTES!"

"Fifteen minutes? What?! Why?!" Siege asked as he was dragged in the ship. Just as he expected though, Rob came flying in, carrying a raven-haired girl in a school outfit.

"Siege! Doom has been cast on this Planet's keyhole. It's only a matter of time before the Earth goes to pieces. We have to get off NOW," Rob explained.

"Damn..." Siege shut the Hyperion door and followed Beelzemon and Rob. "Hey, who's the girl?"

"My name is Kagome," the girl answered. "Rob rescued me from this Heartless being, but he couldn't save his friend..."

"Nice to meet you, but we've got an emergency," Siege powered up the ship. Beelzemon gibbered to Jim and updated him on the situation. Jim immediately started to help power up the ship.

"What the hell's going on?!" Sonic, followed by Eggman, Maya, Kuja, and Buu, appeared. "The Heartless are EVERYWHERE! AND THEY'RE ON THIS SHIP!"

"WHAT?!" Siege panicked.

"Even Buu is having a time holding them back," Kuja looked disdainfully at the back of the ship. "They've busted a hole on this ship. They knew we were trying to escape."

"The villains," Rob snarled. "They planned all this..."

"The Hyperion is... doomed," Siege blinked in disbelief. "All these years of craft... destroyed."

"Hey, we still can escape alive!" Dr. Eggman said. "You got emergency pods on this ship, don't you?"

"Yeah... four of them," Siege said.

"It doesn't matter," Sonic turned his back. "Rob has to survive."

"What?" Rob gaped at Sonic. "I can't leave you guys to die!"

"As I said, it doesn't matter," Sonic clenched his fist. "Rob has to survive if this is to be reversed."

"So does Kagome," Rob stated darkly. "Ansem told me so."

"Well then, we'll get you two out of here..." Jim said, the fate of death hanging over him.

"That's our promise, our last job!" Beelzemon clenched his fist.

"Thank you," Rob whispered, tears threatening to appear. Kagome was already crying.

"I just met you and you're already throwing away your lives just to save mine!" Kagome grabbed Rob's shoulder and used it as a hanky. Rob shuddered at the possible mucus littering his new shirt.

The team wasted no time in navigating the Hyperion. Buu used his Genocide (A/N: His human extinction attack he used in DBZ, now modified to wipe out species) to floor the weaker Shadows. Rob sliced trough various Singuards, dodging through the mess of Heartless that had destroyed the Hyperion.

They saw the escape pods. Only three stood in working condition.

Scratch that. Only two. A Large Body sat on one, trying to make it work.

"Rob... you know what to do," Beelzemon directed. Rob reluctantly sat inside. Luckily, there happened to be room for more than one.

Kagome leapt inside. Rob pressed two buttons and booted up the system.

Suddenly, a Large Body smashed Sonic, who was helping with the controls.

"SONIC!" Rob shouted. Rob looked ready to hop out the ship and fight.

"Don't worry about us! GO!" Maya dealt with the Large Body by smashing it with a Fire attack.

"Start it!" Sonic said, recovering.

"Don't be freaking daring! USE THE OTHER SHIP!" Rob shouted.

Beelzemon answered. "He's right," He picked up Maya and chucked her in the other ship. Sonic was currently engaged in another fight. "Tails!"

"Sonic!" Tails panicked.

"Tails... take care of Rob and his little sister... promise me," Sonic picked up his buddy and threw him inside the spare with Maya.

"Sonic... I promise..." Tails's eyes watered.

"LAUNCH!" Siege pressed the button, and a hole opened. The two ships shot off into the sky, racing to break the demonic hold of gravity.

Rob looked down in sadness... "Argh... Why'd they go on and have to do that..." Kagome just cried again.

"Sonic..." Tails sighed.

Kuja looked on as the two ships flew away. The Heartless had gone; they were all defeated. "Farewell..." Kuja said.

"I'm sorry I failed you... Amy," Sonic hung his head. "I'll be there to see you," a tear fell.

The Heartless were no longer there. As the Earth began its plunge into darkness, it encased our heroes in mysterious eggs. The Darkness flooded the Earth.

The Earth ceased to exist.

End Season ONE

(This concludes the story. Sorry, but I can't put up a teaser for Season two... In essence, you'll see a lot of people may have not kicked the bucket yet... As well, you'll see more new anime faces than you can shake a stick at! With school beginning, my writing will slow down greatly... Better be reading. If something doens't make sense, it will be explained in Season 2. Sorry if this appears rushed.)

A request to archive this! Season one is COMPLETE!