Card 9: Derezzing Setchnux

-Floor 11: Twilight Town-

(Field Theme: Afternoon Streets)

Kioku, Spongebob and Patrick found themselves in a town where the sunset was permanent and the air was calm. They seemed to be in front of a station, where the very large clock tower was. It looked bigger than what Kioku imagined. The three of them took in their sights for a while to try and figure out where they were. "Wow, the sunset is pretty." Patrick gawked. "Hey Kioku, is this your home world? This is place is constructed from your memories right?"

Kioku shook his head. "Nah, this isn't Tranquil County. Besides, I don't understand how this place is from my memories, and I've never been here before." He rubbed his chin in thought, trying to think of a reason. "Maybe it's because we've gotten so far in the castle, that I've forgotten this place too."

Spongebob looked around. "It might just be another one of that guy's tricks." He huffed. Kioku looked up at the tower, gazing at the large clock which was stuck at "XII" permanently. Kioku couldn't shake the feeling of nostalgia. "I—I can't help getting a familiar feeling from this."

The three continued further into town, Spongebob and Patrick occasionally asking Kioku if any memories came back to him. Overtime, Kioku had began to believe that maybe this was indeed one of Setchnux's tricks. After minutes of walking, they came to a market area where a trolley circled around the area slowly. Kioku spotted a large hole in the wall on the far side of the marketplace. Curious, the three ventured into it and found in a dark forested area, patche of sunlight staining some of the grass around them.

"You remember something yet, Kioku?" Spongebob asked. Patrick joined in, "Yeah, how 'bout it Kioku?"

Kioku shook his head. "No..nothing at all. It all still feels familiar."

"I remember about Zafira." He clenched Zafira's charm, "This has got to be one of his tricks.." They soon hit a dead end as they reached a locked gate that lead to a big mansion. Kioku shook the gates in hopes of them opening, but to no avail, they didn't. He sighed sadly and looked up into the sky. The three then heard laughter and spun around only to see Setchnux grinning at them. "'Remember'? You are already a slave to your memories."

"You are bound by the chains called 'memories', pitiful lost child." Setchnux chuckled. "If you couldn't already tell, this town is a memory from the depths of your heart. Your heart knows where this is."

Kioku pondered. "Depths of my heart?" he repeated. He then shook his head, "No, I don't know this place!"

Setchnux shook his head in pity. "Do you not understand what I mean? Tch, the Keyblade master's own heart is completely emotionless itself." Setchnux laughed maniacally. "I just knew it, it was AeraxkFowsh's overestimation!"

"You are nothing but a puppet being manipulated by the memory of Zafira!" He shouted, pointing a finger at Kioku, which made the boy ball his fists and argued back.

"I'm not being manipulated, what's so strange about saving a friend?!" Kioku asked angrily.

Setchnux laughed again at his statement. "You idiot! That's what you call being manipulated!"

"You should learn that everything has a side you can see, and another that you cannot." Setchnux glared. "You do, and so does my Yoru. Your existence is worth NOTHING, your heart is worth nothing either! You should just throw them away and become a lifeless puppet!"

Setchnux materialized a series of wires that were dangling from both of his wrists. The wires crackled and buzzed with electricity. Kioku gave Setchnux a puzzled look, just before lowering his head.

"Your—Yoru, worth nothing?" Kioku gritted his teeth and whipped his hand out as the Keyblade appeared in a flash of light. "I just knew it! You did something to Yoru! Stop telling me lies!"

"And why in the hell would I throw away my heart?!" Kioku shouted, anger fuming from him. He's always kept a cool head most times, but as he's progressed throughout the castle he's lost his cool way too many times. He took a stance with his Keyblade. "I'm gonna smash your face in and save Yoru and Zafira if it's not the last thing I do!" The teen cried out in pure rage and charged at Setchnux.

Spongebob reached out to Kioku. "Wait!"

(Battle Theme: 13th Dilemma)

Kioku's swing were constructed from pure anger and rage, which only led him to being whipped and slapped repeatedly by Setchnux's electric wires. He felt his skin ring in pain as welts from the wires began to form and redden on parts of his body. Despite Spongebob and Patrick's pleas to stop attempting to fight Setchnux out of anger, but he couldn't hear them and didn't want to. Kioku flipped around and swung his Keyblade, but no matter how many times he swung at Setchnux he wasn't able to hit him at all. His anger was getting the best of him and if he didn't calm down anytime soon, he would be facing great danger.

Setchnux laughed as he swung his wires and entangled Kioku in them. The boy struggles, trying to free himself from Setchnux's wires. "Ngh! Let me go! I'll kill you!" The teen shouted.

"How about a CHARGE?!" Setchnux gritted his teeth and used his wires to channel heaps of electricity into Kioku's body, shocking the poor boy into near death. Patrick drew his shields and entered the fray.

"Get off of him!" Patrick hopped in the air and tossed one of his shields at Setchnux, who only smiled and produced an electric barrier around both him and Kioku, and continued to electrocute the boy farther. "Your friends will witness the end of your pitiful existence!" He laughed as Kioku's body jittered and twitched wildly as electricity coursed throughout his body quickly. As Patrick collected his second shield, he proceeded to punch at the barrier in an attempt to shatter it and save Kioku, but as a result he was bounced back away from the two and hit the ground. Patrick climbed up to his feet and tears welled up in his eyes.

"Spongebob! If we don't stop him, Kioku's gonna be killed!" He shouted.

Spongebob's body quivered, "I-I'm on it!"

The sponge summoned his staff and shot a few Firaga spells at Setchnux. The flames engulfed the barrier and shattered, making Setchnux stagger backwards. The wires that once held Kioku untangled and his limp body started to fall to the ground. Patrick quickly rushed over to catch Kioku's body, only to wince in pain as he came in contact with his charred skin, and saw blood leaking from his mouth and tears streaming down his face. He was still alive, but was barely clinging onto his life.

"Oh no!" Spongebob stuttered as he ran to Kioku's aid. He raised his staff into the air. "HEAL!" he chanted, casting a Curaga spell on the boy.

Green light warmly washed over Kioku's entire body, reverting his charred skin and everything else back to normal. The boy sniffled and grabbed Spongebob and held him close. Spongebob was nearly on the verge of tears himself, as he nearly lost one of his best pals. Setchnux shook his head, coming back to his senses and looked at the two tending to a well revived Kioku. He growled and roared, channeling as much electricity he could into himself so that he could end them all. Kioku readied his Keyblade, this time he was calm and could focus on his attacks.

"Die!" Setchnux cried as he quickly charged at the three of them.

"Time! Stop!" Kioku shouted, pointing his Keyblade at the scientist. A clock materialized in front of Setchnux, the hands spinning rapidly and he was frozen in place. "10 seconds..." Kioku muttered as he looked at Spongebob and Patrick and nodded, suggesting that they ready themselves. "9 seconds.."

The three had then zipped towards Setchnux and proceeded to wail on him with a series of synchronized attacks, "7 seconds.."

Patrick swung his shields around, pummeling the scientist mercilessly. "6 seconds.."

Spongebob twirled his staff rapidly and unleashed as many spells as he could muster. He scorched him with Fira spells and froze him with Blizzara. "4 seconds..."

The two had then dashed out of the way as Kioku came charging in and started to wildly swing his Keyblade at the frozen Setchnux, his weapon becoming nothing but a mere blur as a result of how fast he was attacking. "2 seconds." He uttered again. Kioku backed up, charged again and slashed the man again for the final time. He took a few steps back and rested his Keyblade on his shoulder. "Time moves again." He smirked.

After that, Setchnux returned to the flow of time, and multiple cuts and slashes appeared all over his body, his coat nearly ripped to shreds. His wires were also cut and he was left with no way of generating power to strengthen himself. He was blown back as he finally felt the full force of the combined attacks. He rolled up to his knees, panting and wheezing in pain.

Kioku walked over to Setchnux, looking down on his elder with cold, merciless eyes. Even though he was weakened drastically, Setchnux worked up enough strength to chuckle. "Even at the mercy of your memories, you are strong."

The teen shook his head at the statement. "None of that matters. Just put Yoru back the way he was." Setchnux laughed at Kioku. He struggled up to his feet, making Kioku back up and put up his guard.

"The Yoru you speak of—only has one fate. And it is to sink into the darkness.. and you too will share that fate!" Setchnux grunted in pain. "If you continue to seek Zafira, the shackles will tighten and you'll lose your heart. You'll just end up becoming one of Aeraxkfowsh's puppets!"

Just as Kioku was about to question Setchnux, a large guitar came spinning passed him vertically. The sharp end of the guitar struck Setchnux in the shoulder, making the man yelp in pain, and dragged him to the ground. The guitar was plunged deep into the ground, restraining Setchnux so that he couldn't escape. Kioku, Spongebob and Patrick turned around to see Rembex wave at them.

"Heya Kioku," Rembex winked. "Sorry to crash the party, but I need to talk to my buddy Setchnux for a second." Rembex strutted pass Kioku and his friends and deepened her glare on Setchnux, who was trembling in fear. "N-n-No..Rembex.."

"Freakshow's orders." Rembex sight with a careless shrug. "Sorry old timer, but your time has officially run out."

"No—no please! Ahh-AArrgh!" Setchnux screamed in pain as Rembex extracted her guitar from his shoulder. She got a good grip on it and looked down at Setchnux for the last time. "For the sake of the show, we gotta cut your circuits." She lifted and guitar into the air and smashed it into Setchnux's chest. Slowly, Setchnux faded back into darkness with a loud cry a pain that was soon to fade out. Signaling that he had fully disappeared.

Kioku was at a lost for words. He didn't understand what just had happened. He was mostly afraid at how Rembex just simply murdered another one of her comrades without any regret. He looked at Rembex with fear in his eyes, "Y-You killed him. Wasn't he your friend?" He paused and then shouted out a question to Rembex. "What the hell are you people anyway?!"

Rembex's guitar disappeared in a flurry of green flames. "'Killed'?" She laughed. "For us, disappearing means nothing since we're 'Nobodies'." She took out a card and twirled it in her hand and walked towards Kioku.

Kioku balled his fists. "What do you plan to do with Zafira?" he asked. She handed him the card, and Kioku took the card from her and looked at it, his eyes growing big as he became familiar with the world he would going to next.

"Find out yourself, Mr. Hero." Rembex said, opening a corridor of darkness behind herself. "But don't forget. This is a place where you lose in order to gain."

She turned her back and walked through the portal, soon leaving the three alone.

-Castle Oblivion: Zafira's Room-

"Excellent work, Rembex." Freakshow praised, sparing a few claps for the girl after successfully assassinating Setchnux . "You gave a wonderful audition and you've definitely got the part." Residexe smirked at Rembex, folding her arms. "Well, I guess we'll let you in as our comrade."

Rembex raised an eyebrow. "Comrade?"

Residexe waved her hand, giving the younger girl a stare. "Don't pretend like you don't know." It was rather funny since Rembex in fact didn't know what she was talking about. Freakshow had began to explain to a confused Rembex.

"If the three of us are here, taking over the Syndicate will be a cinch." Freakshow chuckled. "Soon, Kioku will become ours. And when that happens, we'll say goodbye to this old cramped place for a new castle that'll fit my tastes." Freakshow walked towards Zafira, who was sitting at her table like always. He gently placed a hand on her shoulder, making her wince timidly in response.

"And perhaps a new room for you, my dear?" he said softly. Zafira looked away, trying not to make eye contact.

Freakshow lightly tapped his cane on the floor and summoned a Corridor of Darkness. As he got ready to leave, Residexe threw him a question. "What do we do with Besworx and Ghost?"

"Leave them alone, as there is nothing else we can do. They only have minor roles in our act." Freakshow addressed as he walked through the corridor and took his leave. Residexe opened up a corridor of darkness of her own and turned to Zafira.

"How exciting, Zafira. Soon, you'll finally be able to meet your long awaited Hero." Residexe smiled. "I'm oh so happy for you." And with that Residexe walked through the corridor and left Rembex and Zafira alone.

-Basement of Castle Oblivion-

Besworx and Ghost Writer sat in the basement of the castle, doing nothing. Ghost had his feet kicked up, reading a novel. While Besworx sat on the other couch idly.

"Seems like Setchnux has disappeared." Ghost spoke up, looking up from his book. Besworx clenched his fists at the news he had just heard. A comrade eliminating another comrade. It nearly made his blood boil. The same memory had started to replay in his head.

"People with the same existence are supposed to work together. How despicable.." Besworx snarled. Ghost sighed and closed the book, sitting up and then setting the book down on the table in front of him. "I hear ya," Ghost shrugged. "Seems like Freakshow wants to take the Syndicate for himself. And if we don't get serious, we'll disappear too. And since you're new, we can't have that."

Ghost pushed his glasses up the brim of his nose. "New task. I want you to capture Yoru. This oughta give you some exercise, big guy."

Besworx nodded and stood up. In his hand, he summoned a large spiky hammer in a combustion of flames. He started up the stairs that led to the first floor in the basement. Even though his mission was to capture Yoru, he couldn't shake the feeling of him even being alive. He's never met the boy, but something inside of Besworx's head wants him to destroy Yoru. He knew he'd be defying Ghost and would probably be vanquished for it. But if killing Yoru meant quenching his anger, so be it.

-Castle Oblivion: Floor 12-

When they got to the twelfth floor, Kioku was more eager than ever. The next world from his memory was his home world, Tranquil County. After he meets with his memories from that world, he'll take down any remaining bad guys and save Zafira. His mind was made up and it wasn't going to change. However, Spongebob and Patrick were a bit more concerned and thought Kioku should slow down.

"What, are you saying to just leave Zafira alone?" Kioku shouted in anger.

"No, it's not that. It's just.." Patrick sighed. "It's just a little weird."

Kioku huffed glared at Patrick. "What?!" he shouted.

"You and Yoru have the same memory. And you saw it, that fight from earlier." Spongebob explained. "We're just worried about if it's okay to do what they tell us to do."

Patrick nodded in agreement and added in, "Yeah. And on top of that, we're worried about your well being. When you were fighting Setchnux back there, you nearly died!"

Kioku growled in anger, his blood boiling. He didn't seem to like what his friends were telling him. Spongebob continued. "Look, you've become very serious when it comes to Zafira."

Kioku shouted louder than he's ever had before, startling the two. "SHUT UP!"

He spat at their feet, "You know what, screw you guys! If that's how it is, then you two can stay here!" Kioku made a dash for the next floor. "I'm going to see Zafira, and ain't nothin' gonna stop me!"

Spongebob reached out to Kioku, calling his name and telling him to come back.

-Zafira's Room-

A small monitor was set in front of Zafira, her face presenting nothing but pure sadness. The screen cut to the scrambling sounds and images of static. Rembex looked over at the girl.

"He's only looking forward." Rembex commented. "Only you can save him."

For the first time, Zafira spoke a sentence. Her voice was both soft and innocent. She gulped and opened her mouth to speak. "What should we do?"

"I wonder where they went.." Rembex said, sarcasm dripping from her voice as she referred to Freakshow and Residexe. "Aw, and no one's standing watch either? Tsk..Tsk.."

Rembex and Zafira's eyes locked, and she made a gesture towards the door. "Do your best."

She curved her lips into a smile, "If you don't, it won't be very interesting, y'know?"

With quick movements, Zafira made a dash out of the door, her feet clopping against the floor as she ran as fast as she could. She had to do something about Kioku, and she had to do something fast before anything happens.