CHAPTER 9
The Master Thief
Per usual, like every time after visiting a new world, Sora returned to Traverse Town, ready to hand over the jewel that was found in Oddworld. Rosalina was happy to release the soul trapped inside of it right away, waving her wand around it, freeing whoever was inside.
After the bright light faded, nearly everyone was surprised at the result this time around. Rather than someone armed and ready for battle, whether it be man or woman, instead there was a cute, burlap sack of a doll. It didn't appear to be confused about the current circumstances either, as instead, it was scared before laying its eyes on Sora and his friends.
Once the Sackboy made eye-contact, it began smiling, overjoyed to be free. "Uh, hi there?" Sora greeted, only to be met with a wave from the Sackboy. It seemed that it wasn't capable of speech, but some sort of grid, looking like a menu appeared over it. The Sackboy scrolled through its options before making a large sign appear, with the words "thank you" written on it.
"Aww, seems like a friendly little guy." Luigi laughed.
"We'll fill him in on what has been going on in a moment," Rosalina said. "Sora, I must thank you for freeing all of these lost souls with strong hearts. I still sense there are only a few left, and I assume you may already know where two of them are, and hopefully you will find them at long last."
Come to think of it, Sora hadn't found any of those gems when visiting Steve, or Kratos for that matter. Rosalina must've been hinting to that, no doubt, although neither of them could be certain that they were even there. On that note though, Sora did have an excuse to see Steve again, and perhaps finally find the one who had gotten lost in his world. Then he remembered something important. "Dr. Light, is it possible to bring me to the same point as the weapon?" Dr. Light thought for a moment. "It's possible. If I send you first, I can lock on to your coordinates and send you the weapon there."
"Great." Sora was already walking into the transporter. "And thank you."
Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvrrrrrrrr!
_
Sora stood for a moment, anxious about the delivery. A wave of relief washed over him when he saw something materialize next to him. Picking it up, it appeared to be a sword of some kind. Sora began to understand why Steve wanted it safe. It looked like the mightiest of his weapons, and definitely the one needed to bring peace back to this world.
"Sora!" Sora jumped at the yell, turning to see Steve heading to him. "You got the Sword!"
"Yes, I didn't let it out of my sight, just as I promised!"
"Excellent! Now hand it over!"
"What?"
"What, you deaf? I said hand it over! How am I going to defeat the final boss without it?"
Sora noticed that his friend was acting strange, and took a closer look. A moment later, he instantly jumped back.
"What is your problem?!"
"You're not Steve!"
"What?"
"You are not my friend."
"You got proof? Otherwise, you just got dumber than usual."
"Steve is not rude, and would never say those things to me! Also, his eyes are not completely white!"
"...Drat. So you were sharp enough to notice. Not that it's going to help you now! GIVE ME THAT SWORD!"
"SORA, MOVE!"
Sora rolled to the side as a few arrows flew between him and the imposter. Relieved to see the real Steve, he ran towards him while the imposter was kept at bay. "Good to see you for real this time. And I got the sword too! Anyway, who is that?"
"The most dangerous person in this entire world…..Herobrine." At the mention of his name, Herobrine drew out a sword of his own. "I was hoping to leave you defenseless, then strike you down with your own blade, enjoying the irony of your end. Of course, there's no shame in doing it the old-fashioned way." Taking the Sword form Sora, Steve got ready for battle. "Sora, no matter what, do not interfere. This is something I have to do alone."
Before Sora could object, Steve ran forward, doing a mighty swing of his sword. Herobrine was able to block it, though it knocked him back a few feet. The next few minutes were filled with the clanging of swords, neither combatant giving an inch. The tension was broken for a moment when Herobrine spoke up. "Do you know what your weakness is, Steve?" Herobrine pulled out a pickaxe from behind. "You're tied down with honor." Herobrine swung the pickaxe, knocking over Steve and making him drop the sword out of reach. Before Steve could move for it, Herobrine got between him and it, pointing his sword at Steve's chest. Bringing it up, he gave an evil grin. "This world…..IS NOW MINE!"
CLANG!
Herobrine was knocked back when he was repelled, both he and Steve surprised to see Sora standing over Steve, blocking the sword with his Keyblade. "Sora? I thought you were to stand back. I said - "
"Yes, you did, but I didn't say I would. There was no way I was going to abandon you, because you're my friend! And we're going to take him down together!" Sora charged forward, releasing a wave of blows to Herobrine, who was unable to block them all. His situation got worse when Steve got his sword back, leading to a double assault. Herobrine brought his pickaxe back out, but Sora grappled it with his Keyblade and pulled it out of Herobrine's hand. The distraction that provided allowed Steve to knock away Herobrine's sword, leaving him defenseless. As he fell, Steve prepared the final blow, but Sora stopped him. "What are you doing?!"
"That's enough, it's over."
"It won't be over until he is!"
"If you do that, you won't be any better than him!"
"I don't care! He must fall for peace to come back!"
"Then if you have to strike him down….." Sora moved in front of Herobrine. "...Then you have to strike me down as well."
Steve just stood there for a minute, sword raised, looking into Sora's eyes. Slowly, the anger left his face as he dropped his sword. He leaned around Sora, looking at Herobrine. "You are beaten. Return where you came from, and return there." Herobrine quickly scampered off, irritated at his humiliation, but could not do a thing about it. "Thank you, Sora, for saving me from myself."
"It wasn't just me. Someone else said something similar when I was about to cross the line. And it's about time to get back to him. He still needs help where he is."
"Before you go, take this." Steve handed Sora what looked like a gem. "Herobrine dropped this. I think it might be more useful for you." Sora took the gem, having a good feeling at what it was. "Thank you. The danger may be gone, but let's hope we can meet again." Sora and Steve waved goodbye as the portal home opened up for Sora.
_
When Sora returned with the dark blue gem in his hand, both Dr. Light and Rosalina were thrilled to see him with the jewel, and they all prepared to unleash the one with a strong heart trapped inside. It seemed like soon, the patterns would be ending, with them all closing off with a gem being the prize for Sora's patience with his new friends. Willing to go out there and make new ones, and help those who were in need.
It felt good. In turn for helping Steve, Sora was going to help whoever was sealed inside, but he couldn't do any of it alone.
Toad, Luigi, Rosalina, Dr. Light, Steve, Kratos…
Sora would be stuck at square one if not for working together. And teamwork was something valuable to the one in the gem as well, as Rosalina proceeded to free him.
A grown man, a bit shorter than Sora. His armor was blue, much like Mega Man, but it was the armor of a knight's rather than some kind of android. His helmet had horns on it, and his face was completely obscured. The most peculiar thing about him though, was the weapon in his hand, which happened to be a shovel.
"Zounds!" He exclaimed. "What is this place? These mechanical creations, are they the work of Tinker Knight!? You there, where have you taken me? What have you done with Shield Knight?" The knight took a moment to absorb his surroundings, and Sora wasn't exactly sure what to say in response.
"Uh, I'm Sora. You're in Rosalina's observatory right now. We don't mean any harm, and we don't know where this Shield Knight person is." Sora explained to him, hoping to calm the knight down. "What's your name?"
Realizing that this boy wasn't hostile, the knight lowered his strange choice of weapon. "I apologize for jumping to conclusions, they call me Shovel Knight." He replied, striking his shovel to the ground. "Shield Knight is… a dear friend of mine. We had gone through a perilous battle, and I attempted to catch her, when suddenly everything had gone black."
"Your friend vanished also?"
Surprisingly, Mega Man had chimed in. "Sorry for eavesdropping, but my sister vanished also when things went black for us. Right Dr. Light?" The doctor remembered that day rather vividly. He was still amazed that he had somehow gotten out of that safely, and so did Mega Man, which made him worry for Roll even more.
"What? So this is something that is common?" Shovel Knight wondered.
"Yeah, Sora and his friends promised to find Roll, safe and sound. Maybe they can help find this Shield Knight person for you also! Right Sora?" Mega Man suggested to him.
Being put on the spot wasn't too great, but Sora definitely wasn't going to complain about people trusting him. "You can count on it! Leave the mystery of disappearing friends to me!" Sora couldn't help but find it funny how at the start, he was asking others to help him find Riku and Kairi, but now, others were asking him to find those they cared about.
"Your generosity is greatly appreciated, Sora. Please, allow me to aid you!" Shovel Knight said, before being held back by Mega Man.
"He can just call upon you if he needs help, like he does for a lot of the people he's helped." Mega Man laughed. "By the way, I like your armor! Fan of blue also, huh?"
No point in interrupting the bonding of two short friends in blue armor. Sora left the observatory, making note of the new friend he could call upon. He would most definitely be needed for where they were heading next, back to where Kratos was.
_
The trip back to Kratos took longer than they thought, mostly because Luigi was able to get a head-start in hiding the keys. After chasing him down, they had to tie him down before they could finally lift off. Halfway there, they (mostly Toad) upgraded to a gag to silence his fear-filled complaining. They let him loose after they landed, as well as after they secured the keys in Sora's pocket.
Heading to the arena, they were welcomed by a figure that was both welcome and unwelcome at the same time. Shao Khan, standing in front of his throne, the very air around him brimming with his self-confidence on his assumed victory. "So you actually did appear. I commend you on your bravery, foolish as it was."
"The only fool here is you, for challenging us!" Sora got into a battle stance, as Shao Kahn just laughed. "Then let us commence! But first, we need an audience to serve as witnesses." Shao Kahn gestured with his hand, making a curtain fall down, revealing people being hung up by the wrists. The trio gasped in horror as they recognized Liu Kang, Raiden, and a few others. Even Shang Tsung was among them. "Yes. All of the fools who defied me and failed me are here, to watch as I crush their last hope. And as they fall into despair, the darkness will overtake them, and I will have a legion of powerful Heartless to command. The Spartan got away though, but he will join my ranks soon enough. Though it was a bit strange seeing him hold hope in your arrival. A bit out of character, I suppose, but there is only one way to determine a warrior's strength. And that is through battle. So come, show me what you are made of!"
Shao Kahn jumped down, making a small shockwave as he landed. He immediately delivered punches that Sora and the others were able to block, but they were still sent back, and shaking at that. This was going to be one of their toughest fights yet.
The effort they put up was admirable, but nearly futile. They were unable to land a significant blow on Shao Khan, and his impressive strength was putting them entirely on the defensive. It got worse when Shao Kahn summoned his hammer, blowing them all away in one blow. Sora slumped to the ground, dazed. Shao Kahn raised his hammer for the final blow.
His attention was quickly grabbed, however, by a pair of swinging blades from the side. He leapt to avoid it, only amused at who arrived. "So, the cowardly Spartan returns. Will you actually fight, or will you run away again?" The only answer came in the form of a battle cry as Kratos lunged forward, actually able to push Shao Kahn back. Their parrying led the two of them out of the arena and towards a nearby cliff. "So, you try to make me fall? I overestimated you, Spartan."
"No. The final blow is not mine to make. It is those will bring back the light, whose time I have bought." Realizing what he meant, Shao Khan turned to see a recovered Sora walking towards them. "The difference between you and me, is that I have friends I can always count on. Including the one that I called in."
"What are you - ?"
"HAVE AT THEE!"
Shao Kahn barely had time to look up as Shovel Knight started to bounce on his head, his shovel hit him right in his helmet. The initial shock took Shao Kahn off-guard long enough to allow quite a few bounces in, though it was a fleeting moment. Shao Khan was able to grab the shovel and throw it with its owner soon enough, breaking it in the process. "Oof! I fear that I cannot continue."
"Don't sweat it. You did great. We can take it from here." As Shovel Knight teleported away, Sora pulled some Pokeballs. "I found these on the way here. And they're willing to help." Tossing them, they let out the Pokemon in a one-by-one attack against Shao Kahn. The first one, identified as Hitmonlee, landed a flurry of kicks before jumping back. From behind him revealed a Pokemon that was flexing his muscles to build up his power. Sawk, as he was called, let loose with so many blows that they could barely be seen. And when he backed up, the final one, Kommo-o, fire a pulse of pure energy from its mouth, hitting Shao Kahn square on.
When the dust finally settled, Shao Kahn was stumbling. "It appears, that I am nearing my end. As promised, I will tell you how I know of your friends. There are a group of us working together, to control the Heartless and take over all the worlds by claiming their hearts. When we heard of someone opposing our plans, we took every piece of information we could get, and then some….."
"Then some, what do you mean?"
"You friends are closer to this than you think, and you will not like the answer why! And while you may have defeated me and the others, final victory will be his!"
"You know where they are?! Tell me!"
"Farewell, Keyblade warrior!"
With one final step, Shao Kahn fell over the edge of the cliff, falling out of sight, and leaving Sora's question unanswered, a small victory that he could still claim. As Sora stood there silently, Kratos, and well as Toad and Luigi who arrived, knew better than to approach him. Sora turned to walk back to the Gummi Ship, his friends following behind.
As he passed Shao Kahn's throne, a strange light started to gleam from it. Turning to it, Sora saw the Keyhole appear on it. Raising his Keyblade and locking it, he started to calm down. Sealing the Keyhole reminded him of what he was fighting for, and who. He will find Riku and Kairi, no matter what, whatever it takes. Turning back to Kratos, he said his thanks and farewells, as they were now done with this world, news that Luigi was overjoyed to hear. Smiling, all three of them headed for the Gummi Ship, ready for the next world. Their mood raised some more as Toad pulled out a summon gem, revealing he saw it where Shao Khan fell, most likely dropping it after he was beaten. So a side trip to Traverse Town was needed to free another brave warrior.
_
The gemstone found was of a peachy, pinkish color. Toad was the one to bring it up to Rosalina rather than Sora this time around. "Here you go, Rosalina. One trapped hero, ready to be released!" Toad exclaimed, handing it over to her. "I bet considering how many times we've visited that brutal place, it's gonna be someone really strong and menacing!"
Toad seemed absolutely certain that would be the case, but when Rosalina began waving the wand around and the lights blinded them all, the reality of who was sealed inside, did not meet Toad's expectations at all. Standing tall, wearing a white suit that made him appear to have bulging muscles, the character had blue gloves, a ray gun, but the strangest thing about him was his head.
The brave warrior that Sora and Toad had anticipated, had the head of an earthworm. Luigi was relieved that it wasn't a menacing warrior at all, but was still surprised by what he was seeing. "Groovy! Finally out of that dark place!" The earthworm cheered. "I thought that Queen Slug-For-A-Butt had me for a moment and that I was a goner, but it looks like I was rescued after all!"
"Queen what now?" Sora questioned.
Realizing the situation he was in now, the earthworm checked his surroundings. "Oh no, don't tell me that your after my suit too!"
"No?" Sora replied. "What suit are you talking about? The one you're wearing right now?"
The earthworm allowed his guard to be lowered, just for now, since it seemed the kid before him didn't know what he was talking about. "Uh, yeah, my super suit! It gives me the strength I need to fight the bad guys. Without it, I'm just a regular earthworm!" Sora and the others were only more confused by it, but decided to take what the earthworm was saying at face value.
"I'm Sora, this is Luigi, and Toad!" Sora introduced everyone. "Behind you there is Rosalina, and we all helped free you. Don't worry, we don't have any plans to take your suit, I promise." Relieved to hear this, the earthworm settled into his surroundings.
"So, there's no sign of Psy-Crow or Queen Slug-For-A-Butt around here? That's a well-needed break!" Holding out his hand to shake Sora's, the earthworm smiled. "Nice to meet you by the way, I'm Earthworm Jim!"
Toad couldn't help but laugh at those names when they were repeated. "Nope, we don't know anyone like that, nor have we ever met anyone that would even fit those kinds of weird names. Anyway, you said you fight bad guys, right? So you can help us! We kinda do the same thing here on our end. Fight bad guys, protect lands, and assist others in need!"
Despite Toad's enthusiasm right now, Earthworm Jim didn't seem completely swayed. "What? I was gonna take a long vacation, and I was really looking forward to it and everything! Don't we get a break from all the crazy villains running around the universe!?" Sora couldn't help but agree with him on that last part, if anyone wished the weird villains would halt, it was him.
"You can still be on vacation, Jim. We would only ask for help when you really needed it, through the use of a teleporter." Sora explained further, directing him to it. "And don't worry, it's not like we're going to abuse your help or anything!" It sounded promising enough to Jim, since he really needed a break, but shouldn't let himself get rusty either.
"Alright then— holy cow! What is this crowd over there!?" Earthworm Jim yelled, which Sora and the others quickly took notice of.
Ash, Pikachu, Samus, Marcus Fenix, Tracer, Mega Man, Sackboy, and Shovel Knight were all hanging around, chatting to each other, a turn of events which Dr. Light didn't seem to expect, as even he was surprised about it. "Well, you've been freeing so many souls Sora, that they realized just how crowded it was becoming, so they decided to socialize about their ventures," Rosalina explained to him. "Jim, you're welcome to join them if you so wish."
"Well, it looks like a party over there, so don't mind if I do!" Trotting over to the crowd, Jim nearly tripped on himself while walking, and introduced himself. He was nearly met by Ash throwing a Pokéball to his face, but thankfully, Samus stopped Ash.
Now finally, Sora could head for their next destination, and maybe for once, he could have a break from some bad guys.
Very doubtful though.
Upgrading the Gummi Ship more and more made things much easier for Sora's trip lately, something that he was very happy about. On the way though, Luigi couldn't help but notice something, that appeared to be a space ship. He wanted to call Sora's attention to it, but it didn't look like it was bothering anybody or anything. It was just floating there, like it was patrolling the area.
Once Sora entered the new world, it appeared to be nighttime. They landed the Gummi Ship on top of a building, hoping that no one would find it. The first thing that caught their interest immediately, was someone standing, using their binoculars to stare at what looked to be a police station, judging by the sign.
"Le Police?" Sora muttered. "We're in a French-speaking area?"
"Sssh, be quiet! That guy may hear us!" Toad chimed in.
The character's shape became a bit more apparent to Sora and friends, appearing to be a raccoon with humanoid posture, wearing blue clothes of the sort. He appeared to be speaking into a device, unaware that he was being watched. "Sly, come in! Sly! Do you read me?" A nasally voice called out to him, though Sora could just barely hear it.
"Yeah. I read you. Loud and... very loud." The raccoon replied.
"Sorry, I'm a little nervous. Trying to break into Police Headquarters does that."
Wait, breaking into Police Headquarters? Did Sora hear that right?
"Get over it, Bentley. You're safe in the van. I'm the thief here, I've got to steal that file from Inspector Carmelita Fox." The last part made Sora cautiously lift his Keyblade, knowing that they had just caught a criminal in the middle of preparing a heist it seemed.
"Well, count on me to be your eyes and ears, buddy! Got their security system totally scoped."
"And don't forget you've got me at the wheel, Sly." Another voice called out to the raccoon. "All you gotta do is grab the file and get back to the van, then we'll do the rest!"
Yep, this sounded way too skeevy for Sora to ignore. The moment Sora decided to try to stop the thief though, he ran off and jumped for the vent, sneaking inside. Of course, that plan changed when Sora took notice of someone on the streets, taking care of a crime down below it looked like.
A fox? Very different from how Fox and his one friend looked, with her dark blue hair and such. She appeared to be wearing a police uniform, and while chasing after that thief would be preferable, Sora didn't want to get in trouble for any crimes he didn't commit. "Come on, let's inform that officer, before that robber gets away!" Sora exclaimed, running down the building's fire escape.
Just before the fox could throw the criminals in the back of the van, her ears perked up, hearing footsteps approach her. "Excuse me, officer!" Sora called out to her. The fox turned around, her hands on a pistol, ready to fire until she saw the boy. "I don't mean to alarm you, but I just witnessed a burglar planning to attempt to break into Police Headquarters."
"Breaking into Police Headquarters?" She questioned. "What did he look like, did you see him?"
"It looked like a, uh, raccoon?"
"Cooper," the fox muttered, "I will take care of it, thank you, young man!" Jumping onto a cop car and then climbing up to the building, the fox appeared to know exactly where the robber would go, almost like she could predict him. Sora meanwhile, distracted by the Pokéballs laying near the arrested criminals, took them into possession for safe-keeping. Flicking open the Pokédex, Sora saw that they were known as Kecleon, Murkrow, and Purrlion.
"Hey Sora, I wanna see how the rest of this cops and robbers game turns out, c'mon!" Toad exclaimed, running off. The three of them, including the very hesitant Luigi, walked over to the Police Headquarters, witnessing the thieving raccoon jumping out of a window, with a folder in his hands.
"Criminal!" The fox shouted, pointing her pistol at the raccoon. "You foolish raccoon, I've caught you red-handed!"
"Ah, Carmelita, I haven't seen you since I gave you the slip in Bombay."
"Which reminds me, you need to return the Fire Stone of India to its rightful owners."
"Aw, and I was going to give it to you as a little token of my," he then paused, "hey, you know that bazooka really brings out the color of your eyes. Very fetching!"
"You think so? This pistol packs a paralyzing punch, you ought to try it." Firing an electrical blast at the thief, he narrowly dodged it. "Might snap you out of your crime spree!" After that, the thief began running down the stairs, trying to avoid the barrage of electrical fire coming down his way. Near the group of police cars, Sora saw a van, which appeared to belong to the thief, and he ran towards it, with Toad and Luigi close by.
They had to at least make an attempt at stopping him! Sora raised his Keyblade at the raccoon once he came dashing towards the van, and Luigi launched a fireball at the thief, hoping to stop him in his tracks. "Whoa now, we got some heroic bystanders here?" The raccoon questioned. "Sorry, but I can't babysit right now, talk to you later." Yanking the Keyblade out of Sora's hands with his cane, the raccoon tossed it.
To make matters worse, a large, pink hippo took ahold of Luigi and Toad, tossing them both with all his might. "Hurry up, Sly! Let's get outta here!" Both the hippo and the raccoon rushed back into the van, slamming the back door behind them, and floored the vehicle, dashing out of the scene. The fox continued firing at them, despite them being far too fast to catch up to.
"You can't escape me, raccoon!" She shouted, before giving up for the time being. Glancing at Sora and his friends, she put her weapon aside. "You three, I thank you for trying to help, but next time, please leave this dangerous work to the police. You're too young to be risking yourself like this!"
"Hold on," Sora stopped her, "we still want to help. I mean, I feel like it's my fault since I didn't stop him sooner. Is there anything we can do to recover the files he just stole?" The fox stood there for a moment, thinking it over.
"No doubt, Cooper was after information regarding the Fiendish Five. I bet my paycheck that he's most likely heading after the Isle of Wrath first. I can easily pursue him in a helicopter if I must." Before leaving, the fox turned around one last time, then sighed. "I know you feel partly responsible for Cooper getting away, but do not worry about it. This is something I can handle." With that, she left without another word to the group. It was only fair in hindsight, since getting bystanders involved probably wasn't a good idea.
"Well, what do we do now?" Toad asked, only for Sora to glance back up at the Gummi Ship.
There was most definitely a way to track them down in a short amount of time, and Sora would make sure that the thief got captured! That, and the keyhole for this world would be found.
"We're going to learn about this Fiendish Five group ourselves, and then track down that thief!"
—
"So this vixen here that was walkin' around in the town, she wasn't one of them chosen dames that we were lookin' for?"
The blue, female fox began to wake up, startled by her surroundings, wondering where she was. Just minutes ago she was wandering Traverse Town, since Fox had asked her to find Sora, but now, she was trapped somewhere. Her main weapon, a staff just out of reach.
Before her was an alien, talking to a young man with silver hair and puffy pants…
Wait, silver hair and puffy pants? Wasn't that boy, Sora looking for someone of that description? What was his name again, Riku? Why was his heart so dark? Even though the fox was telepathic, she could somehow feel darkness within this boy.
"There's seven of them, and Dracula says that she's not one of them."
"You gotta be kidding me! Both of ya said it was a fox chick with blue hair!"
Not one of them? The blue fox sighed in relief, knowing that they meant her. What are the chances of there being another fox with blue hair though?
"The maiden we're looking for has the heart of pure determination, she never stops. And this girl isn't her." Riku explained to Crypto, the alien. "Just be glad I caught you making the mistake before it got really bad. Dracula told me before how you accidentally picked up that one knight with the shields instead of the robot girl. Now you don't have to worry about him chewing you out later. We're gonna leave all the dead weight behind in this place, including her."
"First of all, Drac's descriptions are terrible!" Crypto yelled. "He told me it was a blonde chick, wearing red, and may or may not have been armed. He didn't mention that Roll girl being artificial! Second of all, we went through all that trouble, can't we at least experiment on the freaks we kidnap!? Thirdly, just what the heck is Drac planning?"
"Who knows?" Riku answered. "As long as it means getting Kairi's heart back, I couldn't care less."
Kairi? That was the girl Sora was looking for also!
"You are only wasting your time!" Pox sneered. "Those Heartless have surely devoured her heart, it's more lost than anything that gets dropped into a black hole!"
"I'll find it," Riku retorted, "no matter what."
The two aliens, irritated, looked over to the prisoner. "Oh snap, how long has she been awake? You don't think she heard all that, do ya?" Crypto asked, mildly worried.
"Who cares!? Knock her back out and drop her someone, as soon as possible!" Pox demanded.
The blue fox gasped, being zapped by a peculiar device, which knocked her out cold once again. She had to simply hope for now that she would get out of this, and inform Sora of what was going on.
Riku meanwhile, began pondering to himself…
One maiden of beauty, one maiden of artificial creation…
One maiden of courage, one maiden of nature…
One maiden of wisdom, one maiden of determination…
One maiden of pure heart…
All of them were devoid of darkness, and Dracula wanted them.
—
Much to Sora's luck, Otacon had quite a bit of intel on who the Fiendish Five were. They were a group of, well, five criminals that were up to their own schemes.
There was Sir Raleigh, a froggy fellow bored with his rich lifestyle that took to the thrill of piracy, sinking hundreds of ships in his time. Muggshot, a hound in charge of a large, gambling empire in the west. Mz. Ruby, a gator mystic who plans on unleashing voodoo terrors upon the world. And the Panda King, who was planning to cover a village with snow by using fireworks to set off an avalanche.
"I can't find any information on the fifth member, I'm sorry Sora. Nothing is coming up."
"That's okay Otacon, that was still a huge help!"
"Hey, I'm glad to still be of some use. Let me know if you need anything else!"
With that, the codec call ended, Sora had to make a decision on where he wanted to go first. Carmelita said that he would be heading for the Isle of Wrath first, but even with the locations Otacon gave, he said that it would be impossible to navigate, due to the storms that were there.
So instead, Sora made the careful decision to plan a course to Mesa City first, and just deal with Muggshot. That way, they could be one step ahead of that thieving raccoon!
They landed right outside the giant casino, and stepped right inside. The thing that stood out the most was the image of Muggshot himself, plastered on an entrance that said "Boneyard". It appeared to be locked up, but the simply solution of the Keyblade could solve that problem, couldn't it? The theory proved correct when Sora was able to bust off all the locks on a nearby panel, revealing a lever for him to pull.
"Look at the ugly mug on that door!" Toad said with disgust. "That's where one of the Fiendish Five guys must be hiding, just to stroke their ego a bit more, huh?"
"You may be right," Sora agreed, as the lever was pulled, opening the entrance to Muggshot's domain.
Sitting there in his chair, was a giant bulldog, with ridiculously oversized arms, small legs, and a mustache. He didn't appear at all too happy about the sudden break in. "Hold on, hold on! You don't come to straight to the boss to gamble your money away, go play in the casino! Hey, wait a sec, you're a kid!" The dog snorted at Sora. "Listen, there are no minors allowed in this casino, now scram!" Before he could say anything else though, Sora raised his Keyblade at the hound.
"We're only here to corner another thief and have him right where we want him, we heard you have something he wants!" Toad retorted, also putting up his shields.
"Well, I'll give you this, kiddos, you got some guts, I admire that!" Muggshot laughed, taking out his guns. "I'm guessing it has to do with the Thingus Raccamagoocus pages I've been holding onto for so long? Nice pictures, but way too many big words. Sadly, I'm not giving them up to any bandit, even if they're worth my salt, these things are a trophy for me!"
Clobbering Luigi and Sora out with his bare hands, Muggshot prepared to throw the two of them out of the casino, until noticed Toad standing there, unharmed. "As for you, mushroom kid, I'll just squish you, how about that?" Muggshot growled, only to be met with a kick to his shins.
"No way! I can take you on my own!" Toad shouted, lifting his shields. "Just try me, I'm not afraid of how big you are! I've met with worse, and uglier!" Laughing more at Toad's moxie, Muggshot pointed his guns, which got Toad to start running around the area. Giant crystals were the most notable thing, as were some mirrors which surrounded the weird crystals.
Having an idea, Toad knocked on one of the mirrors with his shields, noticing how they were reflecting the sunlight bouncing off the crystals to give off brighter lights. It was a stretch, but Toad wasn't sure how to physically harm Muggshot, so disarming him with a flash would be just as good perhaps. Getting close enough to Toad, Muggshot fired a few rounds at him, but Toad managed to successfully block them off with his shields, which he then used to flip more of the mirrors over.
"Take that!" Toad yelled, making all the lights point at Muggshot. Burning his hands with the heat lamps, the guns ended being melted, like a magnifying glass burning ants.
"My beautiful guns! Good thing I got a spare in—" Before Muggshot could finish that sentence, Toad jumped in the air, and bashed him over the head with his shields, knocking him down for the count.
"Large guy, but soft brains!" Toad said with a laugh. "The bigger they are, the harder they fall as it goes! Classic case scenario of the little guy coming up on top, yup! Are you proud of me, Sora?" Remembering that they were also unconscious, Toad ran up to them, and used his healing magic in hopes that they would become conscious in a short matter of time. "Hey, you two, you missed it!"
Sora and Luigi quickly came around, feeling their heads throbbing. "What happened?" Luigi asked. "Huh? Why is Muggshot down on the floor?"
"It was all me! I avenged you both!" Toad cheered.
"Really? All by yourself? Great work, Toad!" Dusting himself off, Sora looked around the area. "Now then, that thief was after the Fiendish Five for their treasure, so Otacon said, but what could that be?"
"Lookie here!" Toad chimed in, yanking some old papers off of a bulletin board. "That dog there mentioned pages or something, maybe it has to do with these? Something about a Cooper in here too!" Handing the old papers over to Sora, he looked at the pictures.
"So Cooper is a line of notorious bandits!" Sora exclaimed. "I think it's about time that this line of crime came to an end then, what do you say guys?"
"To the next Fiendish fella?" Toad asked.
"You bet! We're going to get these, and then ask that one thief what this is all about!"
—
Sora made a quick trip on the Gummi Ship all the way to a disgusting swamp, which Otacon was able to pinpoint for them. The place reeked of death, the water was muddy, filled with bones and those who had lost their lives. Some Wight Knights were trudging about, along with Search Ghosts, which was enough to make Sora's skin crawl.
"The Fiendish Five criminal here was Mz. Ruby, a mystic who manipulates the dead," Sora gagged, while Luigi immediately jumped back into the ship. "Luigi, what's the problem? You can't seriously be scared, not when we've been coming so far! This is only just as bad as Oddworld and the Shadow Temple."
"I'm really afraid of ghosts!" Luigi cried out. "I didn't mind those-a Heartless ones so much, since they were just Heartless, but I can't deal with an actual haunted place! And we were only in the Shadow Temple for a short time!" Continuing to cower, Toad yanked him out of the Gummi Ship, and they made their way through the haunted swamp, carefully to not fall into the disgusting water below.
Sora then hesitated when he saw something the muck surfacing, reaching his hand out to grab it. "What are you doing!?" Toad exclaimed. "That's gross, Sora! What if those are someone's eyes?" Looking at the spherical objects, Sora swallowed his gut, and put his hand over the objects, taking them out of the muddy water.
Pokéballs, just as he has assumed— though there was an eye mixed in, just as Toad suggested. Sora, disgusted, threw the eyeball back and wiped the Pokéballs off on his pants. Scanning them really quick gave Sora the information on what these Pokémon were. Sableye, Krokorok, and Spinarak. Sora couldn't help but pity these poor things, being stuck in such a disgusting place.
"Mmm, I feel that outside vibe comin'," a woman's voice chanted, "most distastefully bad juju. That's right, I know you annoying guests are here. I've seen it in the stars!" Laughter soon followed, echoing throughout the swamp, as Sora came face-to-face with the voodoo mystic, a large alligator with a red bandana and dark hair.
"This lady gives me the creeps!" Luigi stammered, screaming at the sight of all the ghosts and Heartless surrounding her. "Are you controlling those-a Heartless!? That's-a dangerous!"
"I see your mouth movin', Italian, but all I hear is blah! Blah! Blah!" Mz. Ruby taunted, and with her mystic power, she captured Toad and Sora. "A hero with a heart, and a fungus! Just what I need to add to the pile of shiny bones in my brew!" Gasping at the sight of his friends captured, Luigi began to cower even more.
He couldn't leave them, but he was too scared to move. Luigi just knew that if he tried to fight this woman who controlled the afterlife and Heartless, he wouldn't stand a chance without his friends. "Sora, Toad! What do I do now!?" Luigi cried out. "I can't do this without either of you, no way, no how!"
"Yes you can, Luigi!" Sora called out to him. "Just face your fears, the only thing you need to be afraid of, is the fear you got for these ghouls!"
"If I could take down Muggshot despite my size, you can take on this hag despite your fears!" Toad encouraged. "Go for it, we both believe in you!"
Gulping, Luigi stepped forward, but then saw Mz. Ruby disappear with her army of Heartless. "Come back here!" Luigi shouted. "Don't you run from me! You're going to give my friends back, even if it means you have to do your worst!"
"You want your friends back so badly?" Mz. Ruby chuckled. "Then I'll have my friends bring you over here, so we can play a little game, which I share with all my intruding guests?" She suggested, making a turtle rise from the swampy waters. Luigi took a moment, then stepped on it, no different than a Koopa.
"What kinda game?" Luigi wondered.
"I'll unleash my new army upon you," Mz. Ruby explained. "If you pay attention, you'll dodge them just fine!" Chanting some magic without any warning, some Search Ghosts swarmed towards him from the left. Rather than attack, Luigi leaned towards the right, knowing he wouldn't be able to fight them with a mystic powering them up.
Then they came from the right, then the top, but Luigi avoided them all with no issue. Mz. Ruby changed the pattern up, frustrated at how nimble this man was. Not only that, but he was doing such a stupid, reckless thing, for his friends. Something that Mz. Ruby never had growing up, and it made her heart darken even more. The swarms of Search Ghosts soon became more random, but Luigi could still see them coming, anticipating each and every one that came forth.
Once it was over, Mz. Ruby blanked out. Her heart was gone, and there was nothing left she could do when Luigi launched ice magic in her direction, freezing her body. Once she was frozen solid, the Heartless lost their source of power, and both Sora and Toad were released.
"You did it!" Toad cheered for Luigi, who was surprised at himself.
"I knew you could do it," Sora said.
"But I couldn't have-a done it without your support," Luigi replied.
"All for one, and one for all!"
Once they were done, the group of them ran up to the book of voodoo magic, having a feeling that some of the other pages the thief was looking for would be stored inside. The theory proved correct, as pages dating back to a bandit in ancient Egypt was documented.
Soon enough, they would capture the master thief, and corner him about what his master plan could be!
—
Things changed once Sora and company flew all the way to China, where it was snowing. A stray firework nearly hit the Gummi Ship, forcing them to park the thing sooner, otherwise they would no doubt be caught in the Panda King's explosives. "Ugh, it's freezing!" Sora complained, stepping through the snow.
"Attention, valued employees." A voice spoke over an intercom, echoing throughout the mountains. "It has come to my attention that a thief is loose somewhere inside the firework production facility. Please do your part to pitch in by killing this intruder on sight. Thank you, that is all."
Great, so Panda King was aware of the intrusion. "Well, at least he sounds polite to his employees, even if it had to do with killing us." Toad said. "That and there's the staff about making avalanches, that's messed up too. Best if we find him now!"
Sora recalled Otacon stating that his explosive factory resembled a temple, and headed in the direction of the large one… which could only be accessed by the use of a bottle rocket, sending the three of them straight to the Panda King's temple. They dropped themselves onto the ground below before the rockets could explode, albeit, not with the most graceful of landings.
The room was calm, the large Panda King was sitting there, drinking tea, puzzled at the visitors before him. "Are you here to pay for avalanche protection? There is still plenty of time, before I bury most of the villages in snow. I am willing to offer refuge, for a price." His voice was calm, much different than Muggshot and Mz. Ruby, which caught Sora a little off guard.
"No, we're the intruders— well, visitors, but you probably think of us as intruding, as we are kind of." Yup, so off guard, that Sora ended up making himself feel awkward. "We're here for the pages, so we can capture Cooper, and figure out what's going on!"
"The Cooper ancestry?" The Panda King blinked, putting down his cup of tea. "I have held these for ten years, as a mark of success, and a piece of history. However, each time I look at it, I also feel sadness. To give it to a stranger, it would not only remove a burden, but it would also destroy the pride I had been building! Why would I throw away the respect I have gained?"
"Respect? No, people are cowering in fear down there probably!" Sora retorted.
"Insolent child!" The Panda King got up, irritated now. "If it is these pages you so desire, face me alone, without your allies, so we can see who is worthy of holding them." Raising his hands, they were lit on fire. Sora looked back, and nodded to Toad and Luigi, knowing he had to fight the Panda King on his own.
He would make the Panda King listen to reason, even if it required a few beatings first. "Fiery wheel!" The Panda King yelled, raising his hand, then spinning in a circle while standing on his head. Sora was caught by surprise and knocked back. "I have only recently just mastered the art of Flame-Fu, child. Witness this firework technique." The Panda King then unleashed fireballs at Sora, who had to make sure to avoid them, or he would be toast.
Managing to dodge every fireball that came in his direction, Sora got back up close to the Panda King. "Fiery Wheel!" This time, Sora jumped over the attack, which the Panda King anticipated, as he prepared his next move. "Palms of Thunder!" The Panda King raised his arms and then slammed his hands down, but Sora held his position rather than moving into them, managing to stay away from the flames.
"Booming Chop!" Lifting his right arm, the Panda King tried to strike Sora where he was, but Sora moved out of the way in time, and gave the Panda King a finishing blow to the gut. Holding his body in pain, the Panda King fell over to the floor. "Your skill is incredible, for that of a child, such a force to be reckoned with at your age, is worth so much respect." He coughed.
"Listen, Panda King," Sora started, "people don't respect others because of their strength, but for how they act! My friends and I respect each other for who we are, and for aiding each other. And you don't seem like a bad guy maybe, but you need to break off from the Fiendish Five and stop this avalanche plot!"
"Years ago, I was humiliated," the Panda King muttered, "despite my admiration for the art of fireworks, pouring my life into it, noblemen turned me away. My attire was deemed shabby, despite my years of dedication. I had to have revenge."
"But you can be better than them, you don't have to do something like this to earn respect! And if they turn you away for your appearance, then you shouldn't even be bothering with them!" The Panda King lifted his gaze to Sora. "I've heard the way you talk to your employees, you don't threaten them, you're calm and polite. I know you're angry about what happened, but I know you can be a better person!"
"I have done many things," the Panda King muttered, "and I'm afraid I cannot turn back now."
"That's not true!" Sora yelled. "If you keep going this path, you'll lose your heart to the darkness, and this life of crime, won't it affect people you know? What will they think if they lose you one day, because of the life of revenge you've chosen!?"
The Panda King's eyes widened at Sora's words.
"Jing King," the Panda King whispered.
"Who?"
"I," he stammered, "I am, terribly sorry, my child. You only speak the truth. This choice I have made, all just for my selfish desires. I have done such horrible things, that cannot be forgiven. My daughter, I would not be surprised if she hated me for these atrocities that I commit. But now, I can see the light. How foolish of me, to pursue what I wanted, when I already had what I really cared for!"
Sora tried to help him back up to his feet, but since he was quite heavy, Toad and Luigi had to help him. "Your daughter will forgive you, so long as you never lose your heart, keep believing in your family, and what you really—"
The heartwarming moment was immediately ruined by someone diving in, tackling the Panda King back to the floor. "There's no room for sympathy on this frustrated firework artist turned homicidal pyromaniac." Sora gasped when he saw who it was standing there, the raccoon from before, who Sora had been tailing after. "Sir Raleigh gave us a tip that you'd be hiding here, you wanna hand over the pages you stole now?"
"Hold it!" The raccoon's ears perked up, making him bring his attention to Sora. "We already defeated him fairly, and you're not getting away with taking those pages he's holding onto!"
"You again?" Raising a brow, the raccoon folded his arms. "Uh, kid, how in the heck did you get here before me?" Something then caught his eye, creating a shift in the raccoon's mood. "Wait, are those pages from the Thievius Raccoonus you're holding onto?"
"Yeah! We wanted to get them from the Fiendish Five so we could figure out what your master plan was!" Toad exclaimed. "I bet you're gonna use these documents to learn from your other generations, and become the richest thief or something! We know your game, Cooper! Give it up!"
"Uh, are you insane or something? Okay, I'm going to correct you right now, Cooper is the family name, but my name is Sly, got it?" Increasingly irritated, the thief, now known to them as Sly, began gritting his teeth. "You went, and attacked the other members of the Fiendish Five, just to get ahold of me? How in the heck did you find out about them anyway?"
"Inspector Fox told us!" Luigi replied. "We got to those Muggshot and Mz. Ruby fellows before you could take their pages!"
"What!?" Actually sounding angry now, Sly used his cane to yank the pages out of Sora's belt. "No, this is a personal mission, this has nothing to do with me being a thief! Listen, I steal from other criminals, okay!? And the Fiendish Five? What they did, made them a target of mine for years!"
"Stealing is still stealing, what did they do that—"
"They took down my father." Sly dryly said to Sora. Everyone went cold right then and there. "The Panda King? The guy you were trying to reason with? Ten years ago, he was in on it. I normally don't share that, with anyone, but he and the other members knocked my father down, stole pages from the Thievius Raccoonus, a tome passed down for centuries, which led to me being orphaned until I had grown up. Now do you get it? Why I was after them?"
"It is true." The Panda King added, shocking Sora even further. "The horrible deed I had done ten years ago, it is one I cannot take back." Once the dispute was over, Sly began to exit, not even bothering to look back at Sora. Not another word was said from him either.
Sora felt like an idiot, and there was nothing he could do. He thought he was trying to help catch a master thief, but instead, he was ruining the personal mission of someone who lost their father. The Panda King was once again, overridden with guilt, as he tried to console Sora. "It is not your fault, do not blame yourself for this happening. Only I and the Fiendish Five are to blame. You were only acting for what you believed to be right at first glance. The least I can do to atone for what I have done, is tell you the location of where he may be going. Chances are, it is where the leader of the Fiendish Five is hiding."
"Leader?" Sora questioned. "We didn't hear anything about the leader."
"Clockwerk. He keeps himself hidden by the Krakarov Volcano, in Russia. It is him who organized the murder of Sly's father. He is more than what he appears to be." Panda King then coughed, still hurt from the battle. "If you wish to make things right with Sly Cooper, in the same way you are helping me correct myself, you must be careful."
With the Panda King's advice, Sora and company knew what they had to do. Correct what they had done, and try to help Sly defeat Clockwerk.
(Chapter end)