A/N: Thanks everyone for you patience! I had a hard time getting this chapter done-thanks to NaNoWriMo and all the holidays. The former tends to screw up my entire writing process and writing style, so... it took a while to recuperate from that (but I did win ;D). But here we are! :D I hope you enjoy this chapter! And thanks also for all the recent reviews! You guys are too kind xD Hopefully, I can keep up with your expectations! Thanks for reading!

Also, reviewer Raikouga made a very good point in regards to Chapter Nine, and I sincerely thank you for that! I will be going back and editing the last section of that chapter to fix that up. With such a wide universe I'm writing in here, there's sure to be some stuff I get wrong, so I deeply appreciate any corrections/criticisms like these. Thanks again! :D


"Get. Off!" Pit shouted as he tried to shake off his attacker.

A monkey Heartless had landed on his back and was currently trying to pluck all the feathers off of his wings. With enough jerking, the angel finally managed to dislodge the creature, yet he didn't get a moment's reprieve before a thick beak fell towards his head. He crossed his bow blades in front of his face just in time to intercept it, but the giant bird's momentum pushed him back. Unexpectedly, he found himself tripping over the very Heartless he had shaken off.

The angel landed on his back with a grunt. Things… were not going as planned. Pit had tried to give Donkey Kong some back-up, but this second wave of Heartless was proving more difficult to dispatch than the first. Under the direction of the Tiki creature, they were moving more intelligently. The second the angel tried to shoot at the apparent boss, the Heartless had turned and rushed at him, leaving him no room for his ranged attacks.

Between all the beaks and claws, Pit only caught glimpses of how Donkey Kong was faring. The giant ape was still standing, bashing aside the enemies with his thick fists, but even he could only do so much.

Before the angel could move, black talons pinned him to the ground. He glanced up to see the thick-beaked monstrosity of a bird peering down at him, cocking its head from side to side. Just behind it, the cart of bananas was rising up into the air.

"DK!" Pit shouted out. "The bananas!"

Not half a second later, he heard the ape's bellowing roar. Heartless were thrown about with renewed fervor as DK tried to power his way to the ascending cart. Likewise, Pit mustered up his strength. Kicking at the bird Heartless, he freed his hands and plunged his blade into the creature's chest. He didn't stick around to watch it disintegrate. Rushing forward, he dodged a flurry of swipes from an attacking monkey and barreled into another unsuspecting bird, pushing through it with his weapon until it dissolved.

When the darkness cleared, he could see Donkey Kong clearly—and he could see that he wasn't going to make it. Already, the blimp had pulled the cart high above his head, out of the Kong's reach. From on top of the pile of bananas, the floating Tiki head was waving his tiny fist triumphantly as if it had already won.

Pit scowled. There was no way he was going to let it get away that easily! The Tiki was his target, too; until it was defeated, the Heartless would continue to plague this world. Not to mention that they would eat all of DK's bananas. That wasn't cool at all.

Rushing past the remaining Heartless, Pit called out for Donkey Kong once more. "I got it!"

By the time the ape turned to face him, Pit was already climbing over him. Leaping from the Kong's head, Pit pulled back on his bow and took aim at the Tiki. He charged up his bolt of light for as long as he could, then, as gravity began to reclaim him, he released. The arrow streaked towards the Tiki, who ducked at the last second. Instead, the projectile sliced through one of the ropes.

The blimp wobbled unsteadily in the air, spilling some of the bananas into the jungle; however, it kept rising. Soon, it drifted out of their sight.

Donkey Kong caught Pit before he could crash back onto the ground. The ape set him back down safely before looking at him with obvious concern.

"I'm fine," Pit grumbled, dusting off his chiton. "But your bananas…"

A sound from behind them quickly stole their attention. DK and Pit whirled around, expecting trouble. They saw the horde of Heartless stare at them before their forms quivered and dissolved into shadow. Once again, the jungle was silent and empty.

Grumbling, Donkey Kong abruptly turned back to the direction that the blimp had disappeared. He hooted and beat his chest.

"Yeah, I didn't care much for that guy, either," Pit agreed. With a frown, he added, "You know, with that rope sliced, they probably won't be able to make it very far. They'll have to land soon to fix it."

Snorting, the ape stormed forward.

"Hey, wait!" Pit started after him. "I want to help!"

Donkey Kong jerked his head in a curt nod, but didn't pause for a moment. He wanted those bananas back, and he wanted them now.

"Not one for small talk, are you?" Pit frowned, jogging to keep up with him. He glanced back hesitantly over his shoulder.

Still no sign of Lucina.

He wanted to look for her, but at the same time he wanted to help DK—and take that Heartless Boss out as well. Maybe once the Tiki was out of the picture, it would be easier to find her. Maybe Donkey Kong would even lend him a hand. Hopefully, she could hold out until then.

"Hang in there, Luc," he muttered before running to catch up.


For being such a big guy, Donkey Kong could sure move quickly through the jungle undergrowth. Admittedly, Pit wasn't sure if it was because he was fast, or if he could cover that much more ground in a single stride than the tiny angel. Either way, the Centurion's captain was having difficulty keeping up, even after the Kong found reasonable trail through the jungle. At some point, the ape grew impatient and scooped him up onto his back.

The race from then on became much more exciting.

Donkey Kong powered through the jungle at full speed, deftly dodging obstacles with relative ease. He didn't even skip a beat when their path was impeded by ruins or large gaps; the Kong simply leapt over them, finding new paths over treetops or boulders, even leaping onto ancient rooftops from time to time. Pit couldn't help but hoot and holler with giddiness at every extreme stunt he pulled. Hands down, this was much more exciting in person than it was playing on a video game. It felt like a roller coaster ride with no seat belts and no rules. Was this how Diddy felt all the time?

Eventually, Donkey Kong coasted to a stop. Ahead was nothing but air; the earth ended abruptly in a steep, drop-off that gave them a clear view of an extensive canyon below them. Tooth-like rock formations jutted out from the ground between the canyon's walls, but they looked too far to reach by jumping. That in and of itself was discouraging, but at least they could see their target. The banana-ridden blimp was descending through the air to the other side of the canyon, just past a grotesque monster face carved into opposite cliff wall.

"It looks like they might be landing over there," Pit mused aloud, watching the blimp's gradual descent. "If we could cross this canyon, we might could… Wait, what are you doing?"

The ape had started backing up, hunching his shoulders as if bracing himself.

"Oh, no," Pit paled, realizing what he was thinking. "You're not going to… But how will—"

Before Pit could stop him, Donkey Kong surged forward and jumped.

"I CAN'T FLY!" Pit hollered.

Donkey Kong glanced over his shoulder, his eyes growing wide as he let out a rather befuddled grunt. Together, the duo turned their attention back to the ground, which was approaching them at an alarming rate, and screamed. He knew it would make no difference, but Pit still tried digging his hands into DK's fur and flapping his wings with all his might. His best efforts didn't even slow them down.

Closing his eyes, Pit turned his thoughts to his Goddess, praying that somehow she'd be able to reach them in this crazy jungle. Only then did he remember: she couldn't save him. If he got Finished, he was dead. He was going to die. An unfamiliar feeling washed over him, and he opened his eyes again in a panic, just in time to see the jungle canopy rise up all around them. Leaves and branches lashed at them as they passed through, until Donkey Kong managed to catch a hold of one.

The ape came to an abrupt halt, although the sudden jerk caused Pit to lose his grip. Giving a frightened yelp, the angel continued falling—but not for very long. Something soft and spongey cushioned his landing, hissing out air in his ear at impact. The cloud of dust that followed obscured his vision momentarily, at the same time catching in his throat.

Pit sat up, coughing roughly to clear his lungs. When the dust settled, he realized that he had landed on a bed of gigantic mushrooms. Which meant that the "dust" wasn't really dust. He tried not to give it too much thought. Shakily, he rose to his feet and checked himself over, finding himself alive and whole.

The branches above his head suddenly shuddered. Pit glanced up to see Donkey Kong drop from canopy, landing with a heavy thud beside the angel. For a minute, the two stood and stared at each other, until Pit broke the silence with a frustrated growl.

"Why did you do that? You could have gotten us killed!"

The ape narrowed his eyes, reaching over and gently tugging on the boy's wings.

His face grew red. "H-hey! I tried to tell you! I can't fly. Seriously."

The Kong frowned and tugged on his wing again.

"Stop that!" Pit flicked the feathered appendage free before crossing his arms in frustration. "They don't work right, okay? I couldn't fly even if I wanted to."

Donkey Kong heaved a sigh, shaking his head from side to side. Glancing around, the ape seemed to gather his bearings before ambling off once more.

Grumbling, Pit followed. As his embarrassment simmered down, he took in their new surroundings. This section of the jungle floor was nearly pitch-black. The thick canopy above blocked most of the sunlight, choking the feeble life on the ground. Nothing really grew here other than mushrooms, which coated the air with the odor of decay.

They made a steady climb upwards, winding their way through stone outcrops until Donkey Kong led them into a small cave not even fifteen feet deep. Pit frowned, seeing no possible way forward.

"Where are we supposed to go now?" he wondered out loud.

In response, Donkey Kong pounded at the ground below them. Pit hadn't even realized that they had been standing on wooden slats until they splintered beneath the ape's fists. The drop into the tunnel below wasn't very long, but it still took Pit by surprise.

"Could you warn me before you do something like that again?" he complained after landing safely on his feet. "I know we're working with a language barrier here, but still!"

Donkey Kong shot him a look that might have read, "You talk too much," before sliding down the tunnel's deep slope. Pit sighed with exasperation before sliding down as well. At the bottom, he saw something that might have given him a thrill any other time.

Carving its way through the underground was a set of rusty iron tracks, with a single dented mine cart resting before them. Donkey Kong jumped in without a second thought, then glanced over his shoulder at the hesitating angel.

"Ooo," he grunted, patting the side of the cart with his massive hand. Pit, however, stood stock-still at the edge of the tunnel.

"Er… You should know, I've had some bad experiences with these things," he said, thinking of all the times he had killed the Kongs on the mine cart levels in Donkey Kong Country until he rage-quitted.

DK batted the cart again, hooting confidently.

Pit scratched his head with a sigh. "Right. You probably know what you're doing…"

Steeling himself, the angel climbed in next to Donkey Kong. As soon as he was seated, the wheels on the cart screaked into action. Pit gripped the side of the cart as it slowly rolled towards the edge, where it hesitated for the briefest moment before plummeting down the sharp slope. For an old, rickety hunk of metal, it sure could accelerate quickly, though it was a cake-walk compared to the Lightning Chariot. In time, Pit relaxed. Once or twice they took a sharp corner that made the cart tilt dangerously, but they had yet to encounter the gaps in the rail he truly dreaded.

With everything going as smoothly as it was, Pit began to wonder if the gaps in the video games were just an invention of the developers, or—

"Oh, no," Pit paled. Just up head, the tracks had been torn asunder, the metal jutting out at twisted angles. At the rate they were going, they would reach it in seconds.

"No, no, no, no!" the angel held on for dear life.

Ignoring his panicking, Donkey Kong grabbed the sides of the cart and suddenly jerked the whole thing upwards. Pit's yelling echoed through the cave as their ride jumped the tracks, sailing through the air briefly before landing perfectly on the tracks on the other side. They continued rolling on as if nothing had happened.

Shakily, Pit sat up straight. "Please tell me that that was the only—"

"Ooo," Donkey Kong interrupted, leaning forward. Pit followed the ape's gaze and saw another cart sharing their rail—but riding straight towards them. Purple and black in color, the front end had been crudely cut in half to form a jagged-toothed mouth that actually seemed to open and close on its own accord. Mirroring the cart's vicious grin was its driver: a lanky, dark-skinned figure with a hardhat complete with a headlamp over its round yellow eyes.

"Heartless?!" Pit yelped as he caught sight of the emblem on the cart's front. The creature in the cart jumped up and down in excitement before leaning forward, pressing its demented ride to go faster. Pit gripped the side of their cart, his knuckles turning white. "It's gonna ram us!"

The Kong snorted, looking hardly concerned. As the mine cart Heartless drew near, he seized the sides of their ride and forced it to jump the tracks again. Their cart sailed through the air, landing right on top of the startled Heartless. The enemy dissolved completely—even down to the cart itself—allowing the two heroes to continue unimpeded down the tracks.

"Okay…?" Pit let out a weak laugh. "That wasn't so bad, I guess."

Turning to see what was coming, however, Pit's smile quickly faded. Ahead, the mine rail had been divided across several broken tracks, each with more mine cart Heartless patrolling to and fro. Many rose and curled in a rollercoaster-like fashion that would have made no sense in any sane mining facility. Seeing the obstacle course that awaited them, Pit let out a low groan.

"I just had to open my big mouth." Slinking back into the cart, he grumbled to the Kong, "Let me know when it's all over…"

At least they didn't have to look for KONG pieces in this mess…


Rays of sunlight pooled around the pair of travelers as they emerged from the underground caverns, taking them up in its warm embrace. Diddy wandered ahead, chittering contently while Lucina took a moment to catch her breath. The climb out had been quite the physical excursion, compounded by the humidity she was so unfamiliar with. Her monkey guide had led her over and under stone, once even climbing up a vertical wall of vines. She was relieved when the scenery changed around them, turning into thick forested undergrowth instead of cold, hard rock.

Diddy held a hand up over his eyes, apparently scanning the jungle ahead. He turned back around, hooting as he held a thumbs-up to her. Lucina returned the gesture with a weary smile.

"I owe you my thanks, Diddy," she said. "I doubt I could have found my out of there on my own."

The monkey rubbed at his nose with his thumb, looking rather smug.

Lucina took a few steps forward, observing their new surroundings. They had come out near one of the waterfalls that spilled into the underground, with the area surrounding rising in gentle hills. Not too far ahead, she could see the face of a sheer cliff wall rising high above the jungle's crown. Frowning, she turned her back to it.

"Now," she turned to Diddy, "where can we find Pit…?"

Almost on cue, an off-key holler echoed through the air. Lucina and Diddy both glanced up in time to see something silver streak down the slope of a steep hill at incredible speed. Two figures seemed to be riding inside: one massive and brown, the other screaming at the top of his lungs. In their speeding silver chariot, they plunged down the trough before launching off the next rise—leaving the ground completely.

Lucina could distinctly hear one of the riders cry out, "PALUTENA!", before the cart disappeared back into the jungle. The princess and her guide stared after the oddity in a long moment of silence. Eventually, Lucina glanced down at Diddy, who could only offer a shrug.

When the shock wore off, she felt a mixture of concern and annoyance replace it. Growling the angel's name under her breath, she raced off in the direction they had disappeared, with Diddy hot on her heels.

They didn't get far before the air suddenly shuddered. Orbs of darkness flickered to life, spewing out a number of Heartless—including a new variety resembling a giant bird.

"Not now," Lucina winced, skidding to a halt. She drew Falchion, and this time, the legendary blade would taste battle. But would it be enough? She glanced at her newest companion, who had nearly tripped over his own tail back-pedaling. She wasn't sure she would be able to protect herself and Diddy against this swarm.

The monkey narrowed his eyes, but didn't back down. To Lucina's surprise, he withdrew a pair of wood contraptions from thin air and pointed them at the Heartless. Giving a yowling battle-cry, the chimp fired some kind of projectile from the contraptions, which promptly exploded in the monsters' faces. Lucina wasn't sure how it worked, but it did. The Heartless stumbled back in pain, giving her an opening.

No time for questions. They needed to end this quickly, for Pit's sake. Rushing forward, Lucina swept her Falchion through the first rank of Heartless.


Pit wasn't sure how Donkey Kong was able to navigate through all the obstacles, but he was sure about one thing: the mine cart ride didn't end soon enough. After being jerked back and forth, smashing Heartless and jumping between tracks, the ride finally escalated in one final flight. The jump carried them so high into the air that the jungle canopy looked like a lush green carpet beneath them. As gravity began drawing them back to the ground, a curious sense of weightlessness washed over Pit, and he felt himself rising out of the cart.

Yelping, he latched on to DK's arm and watched as the ground rose up quickly up to meet them. With a heavy thud, the cart landed perfectly on yet another set of tracks.

"Is it over yet?" the angel asked wearily, refusing to let go of the giant ape.

Donkey Kong responded by prying him off his arm, and grabbing him by the scruff of his neck. Next thing Pit knew, they were leaping out of the cart, which plummeted into a seemingly endless pit while they landed safely on the other side of the chasm.

Setting the angel back on the ground, the ape grunted as if saying, 'Yes, we're here.'

"Land!" Pit collapsed, showing the dirt with kisses. "I never thought I'd be so happy to see you again!"

The angel's companion grunted again, this time rolling his eyes. He trudged along down the edge of the chasm a ways before stopping and pounding his chest. Glancing up, Pit saw what got the ape's attention. Masked beneath the tangled undergrowth of the jungle slept a sprawling mess of ruins. Behind a broken wall, he spied the top of the Tiki's blimp resting near ground level.

"We caught up to them? Already?" Pit stood with a frown. "Guess mine carts really are the way to get around here. …Not that I want to try them again any time soon. Well, DK—let's go get your bananas!"

Donkey Kong screeched in agreement, a fierce glint in his eye.

They navigated through the ruins, ducking through and under moss-encrusted stone, until they came upon a nearly intact building hidden beside a rocky outcrop. A single archway led inside, but it was difficult to see what waited inside beyond its dark corridor.

"I'm getting major boss vibes from this place," said Pit, anxiously spinning his bow in his hand. "What do you think, DK?"

"Ooo, ooo," the ape grunted in agreement.

"I saw we show 'em who's really boss!" Pit pumped his fist. "We're getting those bananas back!"

Donkey Kong pounded his fists against his chest before barreling in through the archway, Pit right at his side. The corridor quickly spat them out into a wide, sunlit area walled in by stone bleachers. The seats themselves were in the darkness, but Pit could discern small creatures occupying them—more Tikis, like the one they had encountered earlier. They were making a cacophony of bizarre noises, though a hush fell through them as they caught sight of the intruders. Every wooden head turned to look their way.

A growl from Donkey Kong brought Pit's attention back to the ground. Across from them, a massive, dopey-looking beast was mowing through a pile of yellow mush. At the sound of the Kong, it slowly turned around, revealing a wide, frog-like face with a toothy maw dripping with mashed bananas. Pit curled his lip, disgusted by its repulsive appearance.

"Didn't anyone teach you to chew with your mouth closed?" he asked.

The beast continued chewing contentedly, Pit's words bouncing off him completely.

A commotion up in the bleachers stole their attention. Pit glanced up to see a familiar face glaring down at them—the Tiki who had controlled the Heartless. It curled its tiny hands into tight fists before suddenly relaxing. Lifting its arms, it began waving them back and forth, just like before, and Pit tightened his grip, preparing for trouble; nearby, he could sense DK doing the same.

A pool of darkness collected beneath the banana-eating beast, who stood there dumbly until the darkness rose and encased it in a purple-black cocoon. When the shadows dispersed, it revealed a transformed creature; still fat and pudgy in shape, looking like a fouled-up cross between a dinosaur, a frog, and a rhino, the beast now featured yellowish spikes protruding from its blackened hide that matched the crooked fangs in its wide jaws. Its lamp-like eyes focused on Pit and Donkey Kong hungrily.

The Tiki drifted down from the bleachers, and merged with the creature, disappearing from their view. Behind them, a gate slid into place, locking them into the arena.

Pit took a minute to process what had just happened. Finally, it clicked:

"It… It's a Heartless!" he spat out. "That Tiki-thing turned it into a Heartless!"

In response, the frog-rhino Heartless roared and charged. Pit and Donkey Kong leapt out of its way, but it kept going, eventually ramming into the stone wall. The force of the impact put a good-sized dent in the rock, but the Heartless merely turned about face, hardly fazed by the damage.

Alright, Pit began his analysis. What would Lady Palutena say about this guy? Spikes—definitely ouchy. Thick skin… and a thick head, apparently. Experimentally, he drew back an arrow and fired it. The arrow glanced harmlessly off its armor before fizzing out of existence.

"Frontal attacks are no good on this guy," Pit muttered. "But he's gotta have a weak point somewhere…"

The Heartless bellowed and charged again, lowering the spikes around his head. Pit and Donkey Kong side-stepped once more, leaving Pit with another observation.

"It can only charge in one direction!" The angel felt proud of his own deductions; however, the Heartless had one more surprise for him. Just as Pit was preparing another bolt, the creature hopped up high into the air, floated for a few seconds, then belly-flopped to the ground. The surprised angel managed to roll away before the Heartless could turn him into a celestial pancake.

"What kind of an attack is that?" he barked incredulously. "How are you even doing that?"

The Heartless didn't seem to care for logic, as it proceeded with another floating belly-flop attack. When it came down, Donkey Kong came up from behind and brought his fists down on the creature's rump. Pit shouted at the ape to warn him about the spikes, but to his surprise the attack actually worked. The Heartless yelped, retreating to the opposite side of the arena with its stubby tail between its legs.

"Wait," the angel put the pieces together, "so it's weak point is his… Hey! Just like Cragalanche! Of course!"

Separating his bow blades, he shouted at the Heartless, "Hey, ugly! Over here!"

The Boss jerked its head towards Pit, its empty eyes zeroing in on the angel. Roaring, it ripped at the earth with its front claws before charging. Pit waited until the last second before dashing to the side, following up a flurry of slashes at its behind. He was rewarded with another yelp from the beast, who quickly tried to retreat. One thing stood in its way—Donkey Kong. The ape leapt over the creature, landing solidly on the exposed weak point.

The Heartless roared in outrage. Shaking off its attackers, it retreated back to the wall, where the shadow began gathering around it. More spikes grew from its dark hide, which slowly changed colors from yellow to orange. With the minor transformation complete, the Heartless charged again—this time, moving noticeably faster.

"Phase two!" Pit shouted, dodging around the creature. "We're really making him angry, now!"

He went to slash at the creature, but it whirled around in an instant, knocking the angel aside. Seeing him in trouble, Donkey Kong rushed in to distract the Heartless. It turned on him and met the ape head-on, opening its jaws wide. Donkey Kong skidded to a halt, throwing his hands up to intercept its falling teeth. The two grappled back and forth while Pit recovered his footing.

Wincing while muttering something about unfair spike attacks, the angel reformed his bow. The Heartless was moving quicker now, thus melee attacks wouldn't be so smart. Hopefully, the Kingdom Bow's ranged attacks would make up for that. Carefully picking his way around the creature, he pulled back on the bow's ethereal string.

Donkey Kong stumbled backwards, shoving the Heartless into the ground. However, the creature swiftly got back on its feet, retaliating by ramming into the ape with its horns. DK's shriek sounded in Pit's ears, stirring him to action.

"Pick on somebody your own size!" He fired arrows at the Heartless' backside. Realizing what he'd just said, however, he faltered. "Um, actually… I guess DK is more your size… But—"

The Heartless yelped as the bolts hit their target.

"I think you see my point!" the angel smirked.

Snarling, the enemy redirected its attention to Pit, charging forward in a blind rage. He side-stepped and retreated back a few steps, keeping his distance from the spiky beast. Though it collided with the wall again, the Heartless shook it off and roared. Pit braced himself, anticipating another charge, but at that moment something crackled and hit the beast in its face. Pit blinked as he saw tiny wooden shells fell to the ground.

"…Peanuts? …Peanuts!" Grinning widely, Pit glanced up to the bleachers. Standing on the arena's wall, holding up his wooden pistols, was a monkey dressed in a red shirt and cap. All around him laid a mess of incapacitated Tiki creatures.

"Diddy Kong!" Pit cheered. The Heartless, however, was less than enthused. Growling at the intruder, it leapt at the wall, snapping its wide jaws despite the distance between it and the monkey. Hardly intimidated, Diddy leapt from the wall, extending his jump with a front flip before leveling his pistols at the beast. With a sound snap, more exploding peanuts were fired at the Heartless, this time finding its weak point.

"Sharp shooting, Diddy!" said Pit as the smaller Kong landed in front of him. Diddy grinned rather smugly before flashing the angel a thumbs-up. Back near the wall, the Heartless gave another roar of fury. Dancing a moment on its pudgy limbs, it launched itself back up into the air and started its belly-flop tactic again. Diddy and Pit had to cut their brief moment of triumphant short, jumping apart to avoid the attack.

Failing to catch any of them, the Heartless growled and leapt back up into the air. As it floated, a second figure raced out from the bleachers and flew into the fray. In a blur of blue, the figure spun through the air several times before bringing a glowing, golden sword down on the Heartless' back.

Pit brightened, feeling his worries fall from his shoulders. "Lucina!"

The young princess landed first, her sword flashing as she held it out from her side. The Heartless fell right at her feet, dazed and in pain. Growling deeply, it rose and glared at the heroes gathering around it. Donkey Kong had recovered from his attack, and caught up briefly with his little buddy. Pit notched an arrow and charged it up, aiming at its face. Lucina held the hilt of Falchion near her ear, preparing for anything.

The Heartless hissed through its teeth, then began drawing the shadows around it. Pit called out a warning as it underwent a third transformation. The crew backed up as they watched more spikes sprout from its body, fading from orange into a smoldering red. Tendrils of shadow wandered over its hide long after the change was complete. The Heartless jumped higher into the air than it ever did before, and when it landed, it sent a shockwave through the earth that brought the warriors to their knees.

Pit's charged shot flew wildly out of control, ricocheting off the arena's walls before dissipating into nothing. He scowled in frustration, hating to see it go to waste; they were powerful, but they required valuable time to get ready. Still, no use crying over spilled orange juice. Wait, was it orange juice, or…?

"Pit!" Lucina snapped him back to reality.

He glanced up to see the Heartless looming over him. It licked its chops with its wide, flat tongue before opening its jaws wide. Pit yelped and scrambled out of the way. Nearby, Diddy fired his peanut blasters at the beast in an effort to distract it. He didn't have much success. The shells bounced harmlessly off its thick hide, and the Heartless continued chasing after Pit with its mouth wide open.

Donkey Kong finally came to the rescue, kicking the foe in the side with both feet. The assault knocked it off its feet, giving Lucina the opening she needed. She jumped, raising Falchion above her head before bringing it down once again on its weak spot. The Heartless yelped. Spinning around, it knocked the blue-haired princess aside and charged towards Donkey Kong. It moved faster than ever, taking both the human and the ape by surprise. The latter, however, managed to evade the attack by leaping over it.

The Heartless skidded to a halt—right before the point of Pit's charged-up arrow.

"Sorry, ugly," Pit smirked. "Angel's not on the menu tonight!"

He loosed his hold on the arrow, letting it explode in the monster's face. It reeled, stumbling backwards on its gimpy hind legs. From behind, Diddy started another round of firing, getting another good shot at its rump. They had it, Pit thought. With all four of them on the Heartless at once, it stood no chance.

The Heartless made one last attempt to fight back. Leaping into the air, it prepared for another desperate belly flop attack.

"Oh no, you don't," Pit growled, drawing back another arrow. Keeping it pointed at the ground, he started running towards Donkey Kong. "DK! Toss me up!"

The ape seemed to understand immediately, and cupped his hands together at ground level. Pit stepped right on to them, then found himself rocketing skyward. He passed the Heartless on its way down, and at the peak of his flight, he took aim and fired. The arrow found its target before it landed—backed with force, it rammed the creature into ground, creating a small crater.

When the dust cleared, they could see tendrils of smoke leaving the creature until nothing of it remained—expect for a single, disoriented Tiki.

DK bellowed and dashed towards the Tiki, pummeling it with his fists at incredible speeds before launching the creature into the sky with a powerful uppercut. Soon enough, it was completely out of their sight.

The second Heartless Boss was annihilated.