nightelf37: Sorry I didn't update sooner. I was working on my other stories. By the way, about the Black Coat, I will not use it in this story. And I have a confession to make; Django was just an excuse to make my character as I needed a 'veteran' for the Guns of Light; my 'counterpart' for the Keyblade. And since his gun is the GunDelSol, well… he may end up as an AU Solar Boy. Anyway—
Aang: The plot and OC belong to him! And everything else belongs to their respective owners/companies.
nightelf37: You're not in this story, Aang!
Aang: Sorry.
nightelf37:
Chapter 54: Everything Unfolds
Part I. Xemnas and Black Ranger
The Lumus Squad, Mickey, and Django continued deeper into the Great Maw, where tons of Heartless stood idle.
"I'm telling you, your entry concerning Hayao is a fallacy.", I Jiminy.
"I'm sorry, okay?", the cricket said. "I'll correct it as soon as I could."
"Good."
Just then, Django and Mickey slid to a stop.
"What's with them?", Fiorina asked, confused. Just then, Gregorio saw something up on the cliff and gasped, catching our attention.
A man appeared in a black cloak. Next to him was a figure Fiorina, Yoris, Gregorio, Ilsa, and I knew all too well; Black Ranger. The first figure then took off his hood, revealing his silver hair and amber eyes.
"It's the guy who's NOT Ansem!", Donald said.
"You mean it's his Nobody!", Goofy corrected.
"The leader of Organization XIII…", Pollonaire concluded.
"And the Black Ranger would be Anarchy Force's leader, right?", Ilsa said.
"Wait a minute. Now I remember!", Django exclaimed.
-flashback-
The Solar Boy and the King were standing in Ansem's Study, in front of a man sitting in his chair, eating sea-salt ice cream. This man wore a periwinkle lab coat and underneath this, he wore a dark grey vest, white collared shirt, as well as a violet ascot, and black pants and shoes. He also draped a red sweater or coat of some sort over his shoulders. His hair was blond and worn long and slicked back and he also sported a short mustache and goatee. This was Ansem (Heartking) the Wise. Around the room, there were several tanks containing hearts.
"Wise Ansem. We're here to seek your advice.", Mickey said.
"I'm glad we have the opportunity to speak like this, my friends.", Ansem said. "I'm intrigued by your hypothesis…and I'm finding it difficult to stave off the urge to test it. Still, I'm concerned about the stability of the worlds."
"Uh-huh, that's what worries us too.", Django remarked.
"The doors that appeared. The place the Heartless seek. I fear my research may have brought this upon us…"
Ansem rested his arm on the table, his hand on his forehead. There was a knock on the door. Ansem looked up and his guests turned around. A man in a lab coat with white hair opened the door and walked in. He bowed slightly.
"Master Ansem.", the man said. "Regarding the experiment I presented the other day… With your permission, I'd like to proceed—"
Ansem stood up and declared, "I forbid it!" He also pounded un the door to point how angered he was. "Forget this talk of doors, and the heart of all worlds. That place must not be defiled!"
"But, Master Ansem! I've been thinking…"
Ansem shook his head and said, "Xehanort…Those thoughts are best forgotten."
Xehanort restrained himself, bowed again, and left, closing the door.
-end flashback-
"Now we remember!", Django finished. "Xehanort! Ansem's apprentice! The leader of Organization XIII is Xehanort's Nobody!"
I then said, "Reminds me, how'd the two of you meet?"
But they said nothing, pulled out their weapons, and ran up the cliff.
"Let's go!", Sora said, but before we could proceed Heartless quickly surrounded us. As we readied for battle, we saw that there were thousands all around us. "Move it!"
"We can't let Xehanort get away!", Donald said.
"Right! But there's too many!", Gregorio complained.
"We'll have to split up.", Fiorina declared. "We'll cover more ground that way."
"No. we'll have to stick together.", Kairi protested. "We have a greater chance of survival."
"What about we split up into teams?", Vitri suggested. This earned him an angry look from Pollonaire. Then to his surprise, the Shoyru smiled and said, "For once, I agree with you."
"All right.", Sora proposed. "Donald, take Gregorio and Yoris with you to the west. Goofy, Vitri and Pollonaire to the east. Kairi, with Ilsa and Fiorina to the south. Rael and I will charge north."
"Agreed!", we all chorused, then did as instructed. Just as our comrades split up, Sora and I charged valiantly against the Heartless horde we decided to face.
Part II. Septimus, the Seventh
After, like, twenty minutes, everyone has finally cleared the Great Maw of Heartless. We had finally gathered where we thought Mickey and Django ran off, but there, we saw a Crescent Unit atop a tremendous quadrupedal tank-like creature. It had turquoise-colored, discus-shaped main body serving as its head, and its legs branched out to give the impression of a mechanized arachnid. This creature had a metallic cross adorning its face diagonally between its two red eyes, resembling both metallic "eyebrows" and a metallic "mustache."
"Another Pokémon.", I muttered. "And owned by the Crescent Alliance at that."
"Hello there, Lumus Squad. *cough*.", the Crescent Unit announced. "I am Septimus."
"The seventh of the Seven Crescent Commanders?", Goofy asked.
"Yes. *cough*. After hearing that my pesky, battle-incapable brothers have been wiped out by you guys—"
"Most of us didn't even know they were killed.", Sora protested. "I, for one, did not see a single Crescent Unit in here other than your leader, Xin, and his right-hand man, Autumnus."
"Whatever. No matter who has killed my brothers, I will avenge them by taking down the Lumus Squad *cough* one by one in a duel."
"You sure you're healthy?", Yoris asked, putting his "Rayman Hands" behind his back. "Because I think you're a little sick."
"*cough* Never mind that. The first I will battle is you!"
Septimus pointed his halberd at me, and then I was pulled toward him by some invisible force. Seconds later, I heard a Beehive Barrier (I will call it that from now on) materialize.
"One-on-one?", I asked. "It's not fair since you have your Metagross."
"So you know this *cough* Pokémon?", Septimus said.
"What's going on?", a voice said. I turned to see that Kairi had managed to be within the Barrier's range before it materialized.
"Oh well.", Septimus sighed, then said to Kairi. "You will engage my Pokémon, while your *cough* boyfriend deals with me."
"He's not my boyfriend!", Kairi retorted.
"Yeah!", Sora called from outside. "I am!"
"Whatever.", Septimus said, then, hopping down from Metagross, scattered some powder into my face. I happened to be allergic to it, whatever it was, so I sneezed.
"Ha-ha. Now you're under the same handicap as I. *cough* "
"No.", I protested, secretly summoning ASIMO. "I've been at this handicap long ago. You just made it kick in after I had two years travelin' without it."
"All the better.", Septimus said in an 'evil smile' tone. "Metagross, attack the girl. *cough* Start with a Bullet Punch upon approach."
As Metagross headed for Kairi, I whipped out my DirLuxGun and fired away at Septimus. The Crescent Unit spun his halberd and deflected each blow, and then he aimed for me with the back end of his halberd. Naturally, I held up my shield and blocked each strike. I then performed a Solar Bouncer, which Septimus was about to defend against. But he was interrupted by his…ahem…cough. This cost him a second, a second he could have used to dodge the attack, but he took it full force. I was about to cast a Thunder spell when I got the urge to sneeze. I resisted it, which cost me a couple more seconds, which Septimus used to try and skewer me, which I barely had time to block.
(A/N: Why is it in any fiction, no one is handicapped by common sicknesses in battle? This is what I suffer. And, in-story, I had been taking "lagundi leaf" capsules to inhibit the colds. By the way, the herbs I mentioned exist in real life.)
Meanwhile, Kairi would've been pummeled by Metagross was it not for ASIMO who stood in the way, took the blows, and 'copied' Metagross's powers along the way. It then pulled its right arm back, which then glowed, and then it slammed its arm on Metagross. Kairi, pulled out her Keyblade (which was currently the -fan-made- Topgun Spinneret) and cast Fire on the Pokémon. Apparently, Sora had been teaching her magic along the way. As Metagross and ASIMO exchanged punches and Metal Claws, Kairi leaped onto Metagross and drive the Keyblade into its back. (The Topgun Spinneret's ability is to enhance stabbing attacks by spinning its 'top' edge.) The Keyblade dug into the Pokémon's metal plating, and Metagross screeched in pain.
At that time, Septimus has decided not to risk doing prolonged attacks and went straight with striking at me with his halberd, coughing all the while. I was defending from each strike, looking for an opportunity to counter with a Solar Saber. On occasion, I managed to find chances to bash him with my shield. And not just front bashes; I also did 'uppercut' and 'hammer' bashes, swinging up and down respectively. Finally, I caught my chance and took it. I swung my Solar Saber at him, but I only managed to scratch his right leg.
Speaking of legs, while Metagross has already shook off Kairi, ASIMO (having 'tagged' Kairi moments before) was hacking away at the Pokémon's front ones. This resulted in Metagross being unable to keep itself upright. Frustrated, Metagross used Confusion, 'catching' the little robot, then 'tossing' it right into the barrier, where it was 'dismissed'. While it was at it, Kairi decided to switch targets and head for Septimus, who was currently backing away from my (slow) advances; I was hindered by another sneeze. Quickly, she did a Thunder at point blank range, with the tip touching his armor. This resulted in Septimus being zapped with the voltage of an electric chair.
(A/N: Apparently, Thunder attacks are low in voltage when from a distance. And Kairi happened to hit a critical spot as well.)
I, in turn, switched targets and tossed one of those special Pokéballs the Mushrooms XIII gave me and tossed it at Metagross. The ball caught the Pokémon on impact, and dropped onto the ground. As usual, the ball shook a bit, then it finally stopped, and then it disappeared.
"Another one down.", I remarked as the Beehive Barrier dissipated.
"I wonder where the King and the Solar Boy are?", Ilsa remarked.
Just then, Gregorio perked his ears and pointed.
"That way! Follow me!", he said as he ran off. Naturally we followed.
Part III. Turning the Tables
A minute later, we finally saw who we were looking for as they recently dispatched an Armor Knight. As we caught up and called up to them, we saw Black Ranger and his partner standing, facing a dark castle ahead. Naturally, they faced away from us.
"Xehanort!", Mickey called.
"Black Ranger!", I called.
"How long has it been since you abandoned that name…, comrade.", Black Ranger said to the cloaked person.
"Out with it, you two!", Pollonaire called.
"Where's Riku!?", Sora demanded.
"Where's Windelle!?", Fiorina called.
"If you want to know where they are…", the cloaked man said as he turned around. "Perhaps you should ask your king."
"And the Solar Boy.", Black Ranger said, turning around. "They should have some answers."
Sora looked from them to Mickey and Django, and everyone else did likewise.
"Hold it!", Django called as the two figures began to disappear into a dark portal. The King and he jumped in just before the portal closed.
"He's gone…", Sora muttered as he slumped to the ground and slammed his fist into it. Goofy puts a hand on his shoulder
"Sora.", Gregorio muttered, putting his javelin after he had shot Trackers on the Solar Boy and the King moments earlier, then muttered to himself. "More data gathered on the dark portals."
"What's goin' on?", Goofy asked.
"Way to fall right into their trap.", said a familiar voice.
We turned to see (for some of us) a(n) (un)familiar figure leaning against a rock.
"C'mon, it's a set-up by Organization XIII.", the redhead figure said. "Xemnas is using you to destroy the Heartless—that's his big master plan."
"Xemnas?", Yoris asked.
"The guy you just saw with the Black Ranger. He's their leader. Got it memorized? X-E-M-N-A-S."
"Organization XIII wants to get rid of the Heartless?", Vitri asked, confused.
"Man, you're slow.", the redhead said as he pointed to the Keyblade. "Every Heartless slain with that Keyblade releases a captive heart. The Guns of Light have that power, too. And that is what the Organization is after."
"So what are those guys gonna do with the hearts?", Donald asked.
"I'm not telling."
"Tell us!"
"You…you're the one who tried to kidnap me!", Kairi gasped.
"Bingo. The name's Axel.", the man introduced. "Got it memorized?"
"Yeah.", I said. "Seven of us met you at Castle Oblivion with the Red Ranger."
"And four of them I see right now, you, the duck, Sora, and the dog-face who is not orange." (Vitri is the dog-face who is Orange.)
"And the three you did not mention are right here.", Fiorina said, showing her RefLuxGun. Gregorio twirled his javelin, and Yoris showed off his bazooka.
"Well, well. I've heard people change in time, but this is ridiculous."
"Cut the small talk, Axel!", Sora said. "Why'd you try to kidnap Kairi?!"
Axel just scratched his head.
"Tell me! Why?!"
"Look, about what I did…I'm sorry."
"Axel!", a voice said. An instant later, Silver Ranger and his elven-eared companion appeared in a dark portal between Axel and us.
"Uh-oh!", Axel gasped as he began to disappear. As Axel started to vanish, Sora tried to run to him, but the two of them held out their arms and stopped him.
"We'll ensure he receives the maximum punishment.", said the elven-eared man. By then, Axel was already gone. "We have a few friends of yours, by the way."
"I don't care about any of that!", Sora said to them, "Just let me into the realm of darkness, okay!?"
"If it's about those friends we've mentioned you're worried about, don't. We're taking very good care of them.", Silver Ranger assured him.
"Take me to them.", Sora pleaded.
"Are they that important to you?"
"Yeah. More than anything. At least Riku."
"Show me how important.", the elven-eared man said.
Sora thought about it, then knelt on the ground, much to his comrades' surprise. I, on the other hand, was using the Delta Device on them, to see if they were telling the truth.
"Please.", Sora pleaded.
"So, you really do care for them.", Silver Ranger said. "In that case…the answer is—"
"No.", I finished, showing my Delta Device, which showed a green circle, marking "Innocent". "You don't have our friends as hostages! You don't even know where they are to begin with!"
Sora jumped up in anger, shouting, "You rotten liars!"
"Are you angry? Do you hate us? Then take that rage, and direct it at the Heartless.", Silver Ranger told us.
The elven-eared man snapped his fingers and some Armored Knight Heartless appear behind them. As he and Silver Ranger looked toward the sky, they said, "Pitiful Heartless, mindlessly collecting hearts. And yet they know not the true power of what they hold. The rage of the Keyblade releases those hearts."
The elven-eared man then held up his hands and continued, They gather in darkness, masterless and free…until they weave together to make Kingdom Hearts. And when that time comes, we can truly, finally exist."
"What in the world do you think you're prattling on about?", two other familiar voices said.
In green flames, Maleficent and Xin appear behind the Lumus Squad.
"Kingdom Hearts belongs to us!", they said. "The heart of all kingdoms, the heart of all that lives. A dominion fit to be called Kingdom Hearts must be OUR dominion!
"Maleficent, Xin, no! Enough Heartless!", Fiorina demanded.
"We do not take orders from you!", Xin talked back as they summoned Soldier Heartless around the Organization member and Power Ranger.
"Fools…", Silver Ranger muttered as he snapped his fingers. Nobodies appeared and took down the Heartless, including the Armor Knights they summoned earlier as Maleficent took control of them upon appearing. The Nobodies then turned their attention to us.
"Bloody murder!", I gasped. Just then, Maleficent and Xin appeared between us and the Nobodies. Maleficent glowed with a green aura and spread her arms out. A wall of flame emerged to block them from us.
"While we keep these creatures at bay, you devise a way to vanquish them—forever!", Xin ordered as he fought them off valiantly.
"Xin, Maleficent…", Sora muttered.
"Do not misunderstand us.", said the witch. "We shall have my revenge on you yet."
The Dusks overtook Maleficent and she was pulled down beneath their weight. Eventually, Xin fell, too.
"Xin ! Maleficent! ", Sora called.
"Leave! Now!", Xin shouted.
"We don't take orders from you!"
I grabbed Sora and said, "Sora! C'mon! I'd say the same thing, too!"
"But…what about…", Sora protested in worry.
"If they survive, we'll see them again! If they don't, all the better!", Vitri argued. "At least we'll have one less enemy faction to worry about!"
Nearby, the flames died down and Maleficent and Xin were gone.
"Now then. Where did we leave off?", Silver Ranger spoke up, keeping his calm tone.
He snapped his fingers and the Dusks disappear, Armored Knights taking their place.
"Which side are you guys on anyway?", Sora complained.
"The Heartless ally with whoever has the strongest heart in darkness.", answered Silver Ranger.
"But, you guys don't have no hearts.", Goofy argued.
"True, but there is one member in the Organization who isn't like the rest. He has a Heart. And we Rangers aren't Nobodies, so we do have a Heart."
The two flicked out a hand toward us, and the Heartless attacked. Sora knocked them away, releasing hearts into the air. Fiorina and I shot more of them down, but hearts were released as well. Kairi took one down too, with similar results. The organization member smiled.
"Yes! Extract more hearts!", he goaded as they and the hearts vanish.
"No! The hearts!", Kairi lamented.
We were still surrounded by Heartless, and Surveillance Towers arrived, too, blocking any chance of escape. As an Armored Knight slammed its saber down at Sora, he blocked with his Keyblade.
"Maybe everything we've done… Maybe it was all for nothing.", he wondered out loud. "What am I supposed to do if I can't use the Keyblade!?"
"Imbeciles!", a voice said. "You can't be trusted to do anything!"
"Huh?", I gasped.
Just then, a black pool of darkness appeared underneath us and we were all pulled down into it.
Part IV. The Realm of Darkness.
Upon regaining consciousness, we found ourselves surrounded by blackness, though we could still see one another clearly.
"What's this place?", Gregorio asked.
"The Realm of Darkness!", Pollonaire answered, fright evident in his face. (Remember, he has been here before).
Sora and Fiorina looked around, seeing nothing.
"Riku!"
"Wizard!"
Meanwhile, Donald spotted a silver-colored Power Ranger. He did not bear a Roman Number on his chest, so we knew this was not one of Anarchy Force.
"Who's there!?", the duck asked as he ran over, but the person disappeared, leaving the box. We the rest of us caught up with Donald as he picked it up.
"What is it?", Ilsa wondered.
"Are ya sure you wanna open that?", Goofy asked.
But Donald already opened it before Goofy could finish. Inside the box were a photograph and a sea-salt ice cream bar. I picked up the photo and handed it to Sora.
"The guys from Twilight Town.", Kairi gasped. "There's Hayner, Pence, Olette, and some other guy we haven't met."
"His name is Roxas.", Sora answered.
"You know him?"
"No… The name just popped into my head… This is Roxas."
Donald held the ice cream bar and tasted it before Goofy could say, "Are you sure you wanna eat that?"
Donald pulled it out of his mouth and remarked, "Salty… No…sweet!"
Suddenly, it glowed, and next thing we knew, Sora, Fiorina, and I performed the "Opening of the Gate" one more time. This time, however, the 'lock' was stronger and Kairi had to help out too. Finally, we saw a portal of light, and we crossed it.
There was a great flash of light, which Luxiere, Minerva, and Kunsel saw from the outskirts of town.
"No! Guys!", Luxiere gasped.
"Relax.", Kunsel said with a face of assurance, turning to leave. "The Lumus aren't going down that easily."
"The Keyblade's chosen one… He's a lucky kid.", Minerva remarked, following Kunsel.
The light turned into a long beam shooting into the sky, and Luxiere said, "See you soon." before following his friends back to the Headquarters.
Part V. Gummi Ship Time: What Now?
Back in the Gummi Ship…
"I guess sometimes help comes from unexpected places.", Sora wondered.
"Sure does!", Donald agreed.
"I'm sure Maleficent and Xin have their reasons.", Vitri argued. Pollonaire just rolled his eyes.
"A photo and some ice cream? Hmm.", Fiorina thought out loud. "Wonder if they're some sort of clue. And who would've left 'em for us, anyway?"
"Riku?", Sora suggested.
"Ya think?", Goofy asked.
"Just this feeling I got."
"I recognize that Power Ranger.", I muttered, taking a "lagundi leaf" capsule.
"Where?", Sora asked.
"I saw him on TV back in my world, along with other Power Rangers."
"There are more Rangers?!", Donald gasped.
"Yes. But of all Ranger set's I've seen, only Anarchy Force is the all-out evil one."
(A/N: I have not watched Power Rangers Lost Galaxy™ and all series before it. I did see the movies, though.)
"Look! We're almost there!", Gregorio called, who was piloting the ship.
"Hey, what if the Heartless are back again?", Sora said, concerned. "I can't use the Keyblade—that would only help the Organization."
"Yeah.", Fiorina agreed. "I thought only the Keyblade releases hearts, turns out the Guns of Light can, too."
"As well as the swords of Leon, Cloud, Kunsel, and even Sephiroth.", Yoris added. (We saw them through Shinra's screens.)
"But guys, I think ya have to use it.", Goofy replied to Sora, Fiorina, Kairi, and me. "If we don't fight 'em, the Heartless'll keep on hurtin' folks."
"Yeah, you're right.", Sora answered.
"Who knows?", Ilsa asked. "Maybe Riku and Wizard are already preparing to backfire the Organization's plans. But first…"
"We're here!", Gregorio called out. "In Land of Dragons!"
"Land of Dragons?!", I gasped. "Shouldn't we be at Twilight Town to look for clues about the ice-cream and the photo?"
"Sorry, but Twilight Town disappeared again from the map."
"All right.", I sighed. "Let's go."
Kingdom Bites Remake: Materia
Sometime in the HBRCHQ…
I was sitting around, arranging the Materia to use for the next mission. Just then, Yuffie came over.
"Are those Materia?", she asked.
"Well… I call them that.", I answered. "Why?"
"At what worlds are you able to use them?"
"Just about any world, I guess."
"Then that can't be Materia!"
"Well… I did say I call them Materia.", I retorted. "I didn't exactly say they are such. What's your problem anyway?"
"Well…", Yuffie said as she sat down next to me. "Back in our world, we also had Materia. I still have a few with me, but they don't work."
"Why not?"
"Well, I think it's because real Materia draw their power from our world, which we called The Planet. Since this is a different world, the Materia I have with me have no power."
"I never wondered about that when I used the spheres Merlin gave me, and those I looted from the bosses."
"…"
"…"
"Are you gonna keep staring at me all day?"
Primus
One of the Seven Crescent Commanders. Bit of a showoff. Led to his downfall.
Secundus
One of the Seven Crescent Commanders. A teleporter like Bing, a foe we met in the past. Was a big problem for (____), but two strangers rescued him each time.
Tertius
One of the Seven Crescent Commanders. Quite the monologuer. Met his end in a land mine.
Quartus
One of the Seven Crescent Commanders. Wielder of the notorious Shockwave Pulsar spell. Perished from (____)'s Matra Magic.
Quintus
One of the Seven Crescent Commanders. Has a tendency to fight in fight clouds. Was sent into space by Ilsa's uppercut.
Sextus
One of the Seven Crescent Commanders. A quite capable fighter in his own right. Ended up as fodder from a Shockwave Pulsar from (____).
Septimus
One of the Seven Crescent Commanders. Rode a large blue four-legged metal something. Had a fit of colds. Shocked to death by a close range Thunder by Kairi.
-fallacy correction-
Hayao
sirius-blackx2 from DeviantArt (2009)
The Lion of Wind. He also happened to witness the stamped that killed Mufasa and disgraced Simba. He defended Simba from another disgrace attempted by Scar when he was asked to tell who was responsible for Mufasa's death.