Terra found himself wandering through The Lanes Between once more. He was allowing his heart to guide him, hoping it would help lead him to where Vanitas was lurking. The young man was still determined to reach the creature of darkness first. At the very least he had to get to Vanitas before Ventus did. He still worried that if the two clashed again, something dangerous could occur. While not an expert on such specific and unusual matters, he imagined there could hardly be any upside to clashing with the literal manifestation of one's inner darkness.
Once more, he passed by several worlds. One seemed to be made entirely of metal, with futuristic cities dotting it. Another looked like it was essentially one giant swamp, with marshes all over and no signs of civilization. A third was very dark and what little he could see was covered in ice save for seven towers, each one a different color of the rainbow.
Eventually, he felt pulled to a certain world. It seemed fairly normal compared to the others he passed by. There were cities and town dotted about, fields and a desert and a looming mountain that seemed unusually ominous. His heart pulled him towards this world, or at least something did. There was some kind of force present, but he couldn't quite understand what it was…
Still, Terra decided to land down there. He went into a forest nearby one of the towns, noting how modern it seemed compared to the others he had seen so far. There were cars and train tracks he had spotted from above. As always, he dismissed his armor and glider before exiting the woods, seeing a sign welcoming him to town of Podunk.
The young man walked about, taking the town in. Things seemed relatively normal. At the very least, people were out and about, unlike in Radiant Garden. Could be the Unversed had yet to touch this world. Terra still had an unusual feeling, like there was something looming overhead and watching him. Yet whenever he looked up, he didn't see anything.
What really made his head turn was overhearing a conversation between two elderly ladies waiting at a bus stop.
"…and my son's house was in tatters. His poltergeist was really violent!" One said.
"Yours too? My daughter's house was attacked, but it only broke a few things." The other replied.
"She should consider herself lucky. I heard someone had an arm broken from theirs…" The first woman said with a solemn shake of the head.
Poltergeists? As in…ghosts or spirits? From the way the two were talking, it seemed like it was some sort of epidemic! Terra wondered if it was linked at all to the odd feeling in the air. He was about to ask the old ladies for some more information, but a scream from ahead and around the corner go his attention first.
Getting Earthshaker ready, Terra charged around the corner, passing a fleeing man along the way. There, in the middle of the road, was a boy surrounded by three Scrappers! He was young, no older than twelve, and he wore a blue and yellow striped shirt and a red hat worn sideways. Armed with a baseball bat, the boy didn't seem alarmed at all. In fact, when one of the Unversed launched itself at the boy, he fearlessly swung his weapon, sending the Scrapper flying backwards and reducing it to mist.
Terra gasped out and ran forward to help out when the remaining two Unversed attacked at the same time from opposite sides of the boy. Before the young man could reach the scuffle, he stopped in his tracks when a barrier formed around the boy and stopped the Scrappers in place. When the shield dropped, the boy quickly dispatched of the foes with his bat, just like the first one. When it was over, he looked around for more enemies and then gave a sigh of relief when he saw none.
"Hey, are you alright?" Terra felt the need to ask, approaching the boy.
The boy looked up to Terra with a grin and gave a nod. "Me? Sure, mister! These things aren't too bad. Not as bad as those stray dogs that attacked me earlier." He said it in an almost nonchalant manner.
Terra supposed that, since poltergeists were apparently attacking all over, a few dogs wasn't much of an issue. "Well, I didn't expect to see you had powers like that. It was pretty impressive."
"Oh, those are my PSI abilities. Had 'em all my life." The boy explained with a grin as he rested his baseball bat on his shoulder and stuck out his free hand. "Name's Ninten, by the way. What's yours?"
He had no idea what PSI meant, but Terra supposed it hardly mattered. Dismissing his Keyblade, he shook the boy's hand. "Name's Terra. You can just call me that instead of 'sir'. Say, I'm pretty new around here. Have those creatures been around long? They're called Unversed."
Letting go of Terra's hand, Ninten shrugged. "I think they're pretty new, I didn't know they had a name. My dad told me all sorts of strange things are popping up all over. I was attacked by a poltergeist yesterday. Animals are acting weird, especially at the zoo apparently, and I heard the dead are stumbling around the cemetery! That's where I'm heading next."
"Wait, why are you going? It's dangerous!" Terra said, though he figured that Ninten was handling himself pretty well. Poltergeists, animals, even Unversed…and it didn't seem like he even had a scratch on him.
"Well, a girl that lives by my house named Pippi is stuck there. Her mom asked me to go help." The boy replied like it was the simplest answer in the world. Apparently he wasn't nervous at all!
The kid certainly had a good heart, that much was certain. "Mmm…How about I help? I couldn't let someone go somewhere so dangerous alone." Who knew, maybe Vanitas was causing some of these things to happen. After all, it wasn't as though Terra, or anyone fighting against the Unversed, really knew the limits of the creatures and their abilities. Who could say they weren't able to dismantle homes and drive animals crazy? The raising the dead seemed extreme, though…
"No fooling? I'd really appreciate it. C'mon, I'll lead the way." Ninten declared, starting to walk south through the streets. Around, people were looking at where the fight took place and mumbling to each other. They seemed startled, but not too terribly shocked at what unfolded. "So, where are you from?" The boy asked, looking up at Terra as he walked next to him.
Terra dreaded being asked that each time he visited a new world. There weren't many satisfying answers to give, sadly. "I'm from pretty far away. I actually just arrived here in Podunk today."
Ninten stared intently at Terra. Not out of annoyance at his answer or anything, but like he was studying the older boy. "The Land of Departure? Never heard of that."
That made the Keyblade wielder flinch, staring down at Ninten. "How did you…? Wait…your PSI powers, right? Did you just read my mind?"
Terra got a bit of a mischievous, toothy grin in response. "You bet! I got a bit curious, so I only took a small peek."
"Well, I'd rather you not do that." Terra replied, a bit annoyed. He really didn't like the idea of someone else rooting around in his brain. Not even if that someone was just a kid. "To tell you the truth, I'm supposed to be keeping things a bit of a secret."
Rubbing the back of his neck, Ninten seemed a bit sheepish at the response. "Sorry. I was just curious! I promise I won't take another peek. Are you here about those things I fought? The Unversed?"
No real harm being done, Terra let the sleight go. Ninten was just a kid, after all, so the older boy couldn't exactly hold a grudge. "That's right. I'm trying to stop them. Does the name Vanitas ring a bell? He wears a mask and is connected to the Unversed."
"What a funny name! But uh…no. I haven't heard anything like that." Ninten responded as the two started to approach the city limits. There was a stone-walled area outside of town with a large metal gate. Tombstones were clearly visible even from afar.
"I see…well, I'm hoping to find him and put a stop to him." Terra declared. "If we run into him, just leave him to me. I know you're pretty strong for your age, but Vanitas is a lot more dangerous than those Unversed you fought." Though Terra never actually encountered the masked boy, if he was able to escape capture from Master Xehanort and generate so many monsters, he had to be strong…
"Wow, really? That's something! But alright, if we run into him, I'll let you handle him." Ninten promised without fuss.
The rest of the walk was spent in silence, the duo prepared for more Unversed to pop out, though no such thing happened. When they approached the gate to the cemetery, they stopped and looked within. Even though it was the middle of the day, there was certainly an eerie atmosphere. Something seemed so…off…but putting it into words was nearly impossible.
"Do you really think the dead have risen?" Terra asked, looking through the bars. Everything seemed pretty calm.
"With everything else I've seen since yesterday; it wouldn't shock me!" Ninten replied. "Besides, if Pippi is trapped in there, there's gotta be a reason."
"Right…" A fair point. With a nod, Terra took the lead and opened the gate, allowing the two to enter. Right away, the young man summoned his Keyblade, looking about for signs of zombies.
Ninten glanced at the weapon, his baseball at the ready to smash into any foes that came their way. "What is that thing? It's a pretty odd looking weapon…"
"This is a Keyblade." Terra replied, deciding he might as well be honest. He was sure Ninten wouldn't read his mind again, yet the young man felt paranoid he may do so anyway. The telepathy went entirely unnoticed the first time, so Terra knew Ninten could read his mind at any time in secrecy. "I call it Earthshaker."
"Looks really heavy…I bet-" Whatever Ninten was going to say was interrupted as a groaning sound echoed amongst the tombstones. Seemingly from nowhere, several figures shambled towards the two boys. They were disheveled and scrawny people wearing tattered clothes and vacant, dead looks in their eyes. "The undead! They're real!"
Terra wasted no time in attacking first. His opponents were slow, and he was able to ignore how humanlike they were knowing they weren't really alive. He sliced at the nearest one and found his Keyblade went through it very easily, bisecting the zombie before it had a chance to do much of anything.
As it happened, the zombies were all very slow. At least half a dozen of the undead shambled towards the two, but none of them were effective in combat. Ninten charged forward without fear, hitting the legs of the nearby zombies, and bringing them to the ground before he finished them off. The rest got swept up by Terra with ease. Turned out slow moving foes with fragile bodies made for a pretty uneventful encounter.
"How is this even happening? Did you hear anything about a cause?" Terra asked as the last zombie went down.
Ninten shook his head, taking a look around at the cemetery. "No…I just heard the undead had risen, that's all. Between that and the animals and poltergeists, I wonder what else is going on nearby…"
As the two discussed this, something else emerged from behind a large tombstone. This wasn't a zombie, however. It was a child, a little girl! She couldn't have been older than seven, with a pink dress and red hair with pigtails. "H…Hello? Ninten, is that you?" The girl called out.
"Pippi!" Ninten replied, going over to the girl. "I was worried you'd be hurt or something!"
The girl came out into the open, seeming relieved. "I thought I heard your voice! And…who are you, mister?" Pippi asked, looking to Terra.
"The name's Terra. Are you hurt at all?" The Keyblade wielder asked, wondering how she managed to stay okay with the zombies about.
"I'm okay. I just want to go home!" Pippi remarked, smiling at Ninten. "You sure were brave to come get me, you know."
Ninten shrugged. "Yeah, I guess it was." He admitted.
Pippi laughed. "Don't get so swell headed!" She teased, seeming a lot more chipper. "Come on, let's get out of here!"
As the girl said this, another, larger zombie sprang out from behind her. It was a large thing that used to be a man, donned in a suit and a hat with bullet holes riddling its torso. "Pippi! Look out!" Ninten called.
Before the boy or Terra could do anything, the Gang Zombie lunged at the girl. Pippi screamed and lashed out in desperation, punching the creature in the gut. The shock of Ninten and Terra, the zombie was sent flying backwards, lying stunned on the ground from the single attack.
"What the heck…?" Ninten murmured, brows raised. "Why did she need us, again?"
"That was so scary!" Pippi exclaimed, apparently not hearing Ninten. "Come on, let's get out of here!"
Terra just shrugged off what happened as he helped escort Pippi out of the cemetery. Thankfully, nothing else attacked them on their way out, or on their way back into town. "It's a good thing you weren't hurt. Things have apparently been going pretty crazy around here." The young man noted.
"Yeah…I've heard all sorts of things." Pippi remarked as the three of them got into the heart of the town itself. She paused and took a breath. "I can make it home from here. I don't need my hand held the entire way!"
Ninten seemed hesitant, but then shrugged. "Well, alright. You gave that one zombie a pretty mean punch…"
"That was a pretty lucky shot, yeah." Pippi said, seemingly unaware of her immense strength. "Come by my house and visit soon, okay Ninten? Oh. Wait…" She reached into her pocket, handing the boy an item. A round object with a lightning design. "Here, wear this Badge as a gift! It'll be sure to protect you!" Without waiting for a response, she ran off north, seeming rather chipper.
"She's a bit eccentric, huh?" Terra asked, watching Pippi until she was out of sight.
Laughing a bit, Ninten nodded as he pinned the Badge to the front of his shirt. "She's always been like that. In any case, I'm going to the zoo next. Are you coming there too?" He asked, looking up at Terra.
The young man recalled Ninten mentioning the animals there had gotten out of control. Slow moving zombies were one thing, but dangerous animals were another. "Yeah, I probably should. Lead the way."
"Great! Thanks!" Ninten chirped, practically marching forward with Terra in tow. This time, going to the northwest.
The atmosphere in the town really felt a bit heavy. People were going about their daily activities, but Terra noticed a lot of them had an air of worry about that, and he spotted a few looking over their shoulders as if expecting something to pounce at them. He supposed the people of Podunk really remained stubborn, still going on with their lives even with poltergeists, zombies, and Unversed about. He wondered if they too felt the sensation of being watched that Terra did.
"So, are there a lot of people with powers like you?" Terra asked, a bit curious. Ninten spoke about his PSI so casually, it made the outsider wonder if it was just common in this world.
"Not that I've met, but I can't be the only one." Ninten replied. "After all, it's got a proper name. Maybe I'll meet another user on this journey." He pondered, sounding a bit hopeful.
Terra couldn't help but admire Ninten's positive outlook on things. Reminded him of Ventus a bit. "You never know. It could happen." He kept quiet for a bit as the two exited the town and made their way through some grassland, going over a bridge and across a river. Up ahead, the two could see a zoo, the area surrounded by brick walls. "Hey, do you…feel that in the air? Ever since I arrived here, I've felt like I'm being watched."
"You feel that too?" Ninten asked, a bit shocked. "I thought it was just me because of my powers! What do you suppose it is?"
"Wish I could say. I've never felt anything like it before…" Terra mused, wishing he had more information or could give a clearer answer.
Before Ninten could respond, the two boys suddenly started to hear a horrible, shrill tone echoing in the air. It was constant, and seemed to be coming from the zoo, as it got louder as they approached the structure.
"No wonder those animals are going crazy!" Ninten remarked, wincing at the noise. "I'd go nuts too if I kept having to hear that!" The two rushed to the padlocked gate leading into the zoo, wanting to solve this issue as fast as possible. As they got to the entrance, the grew instantly grew worried.
Through the bars, Terra and Ninten saw that not only had the animals started to go nuts, but they had escaped confinement! Elephants, gorillas, alligators, and other animals were out and about. They were roaring, grunting, bellowing, and making other agitated noises. A few snipped at each other as they moved about but seemed to oddly leave each other alone. There were no humans visible, so apparently all the guests and zookeepers had escaped.
"Look…Ninten, I know you want to help, but I think you should just stay out here!" Terra said, having to nearly shout over the noise of the animals and that awful tone.
"No way! I can't just let you go in there alone! I gotta help!" Ninten argued, readying his bat as though it were enough to take down some of the large creatures in there.
Seemed like he was stubborn like Ventus too. "Even if I go in on my own, you'll just follow me, won't you?" Terra asked, not really having any way to keep Ninten from doing just that. Sleep spells weren't Terra's specialty…and he was also worried about an animal getting over the wall and attacking the kid while he was out.
"Nope! I'm going in, one way or another!" The boy said with a toothy grin. He spoke with a lot of confidence, clearly exceedingly brave for someone his age.
Terra couldn't help but crack a small smile. "Alright, alright." He said, getting Earthshaker ready. "But stick by me, alright?" After Ninten gave a nod, Terra lifted his Keyblade towards the padlock. A light sparked forth from the tip of the weapon, and the padlock suddenly unlocked, allowing Terra to open the gates easily.
"Wow…that's some weapon!" Ninten pointed out, following Terra into the zoo proper. They closed the gates behind them, for what little that would do to contain the animals.
It took little time for the animals to realize that they weren't alone. A few of the alligators sprinted at the two as well as a fully grown tiger. Right away, Ninten erected a barrier to stop the reptiles in their tracks, the frantic animals bouncing off the shield in shock. The tiger went for Terra, who smacked it with the flat of Earthshaker, sending it to the side.
Terra was pretty hesitant to use his full power against animals like this. They were vicious and trying to kill him and Ninten, but a lot of it was the tone that was screeching into the air. He'd certainly avoid killing any if possible! The tiger wasn't down for the count, and rather than run from an opponent that can easily knock it out of the air, it kept attacking in its maddened frenzy.
Ninten, meanwhile, was still fighting against the alligators. As it turned out, a wooden bat wasn't the best weapon to combat such animals. He could hit them just fine, but the blows were shrugged off with little worry. The boy started to wait until they charged him, erecting his barrier so they would ram into it and hurt themselves.
The Keyblade wielder was doing a much better job. After fighting Trinity Armor or Braig, a simple tiger was a cakewalk. If anything, Terra had to worry not to go too hard on it. He dodged around its swipes and lunges, counterattacking with relatively light attacks from his Keyblade. It wasn't long before it was knocked out, allowing Terra to help Ninten out. Unlike the boy, Terra had the strength and the right weapon to pierce through the defense of the large reptiles, knocking them out with a single attack to their noggins.
"You alright, Ninten?" Terra asked, the two of them starting to run through the zoo to find the source of the noise.
"Yeah! You're real strong!" Ninten praised before pointing to a large building. "Maybe signal's coming from in there! Let's take a look!"
As they went, they had to dodge around a number of attacking animals, choosing to run instead of fighting them all off. It got a bit harder when a fully grown elephant rampaged at them down their only path.
"Let me handle this one!" Terra yelled, kicking off hard into the air. Holding Earthshaker with two hands, he slammed the weapon down on the elephant's head as hard as he could. The rampaging beast staggered with a groan before collapsing to the side.
"What the heck do you eat?!" Ninten exclaimed as he ran passed the fell elephant, the two quickly entering the building and shutting themselves inside. Thankfully, none of the animals had gone into the building yet, and the tone was louder than ever.
"It's a lot of training!" Terra responded, feeling an awful headache coming on. "Let's find the source of that noise!"
The duo made a rapid search throughout the building, not even sure what exactly they were looking for. They supposed it was just some machine making the sound…but what? Before long, they entered a nearly empty room with a very unusual sight.
Floating in the middle of this room was what appeared to be a pill, half blue and half white. It was large, larger than Terra even. The two were cautious as they approached, flinching as the device opened up.
Out came an unusual entity. It was humanoid, standing about Ventus' height. It was a reddish color with few features aside from some black markings on its chest and a black visor. It kept its hands on its hips and seemed to stare down the two boys.
"It's like some sort of space man!" Ninten exclaimed, readying his bat. "Looks like something from a comic book!"
"I am no space man!" The creature replied, its voice sounding robotic. "I am a Starman! Starman Junior!"
Terra had no idea what that even met, but the thing didn't seem friendly. "You're making that noise, aren't you? Turn that thing off!"
The Starman Junior just laughed before vanishing. One second it was there, and then it was just empty space.
By instinct, Terra turned around to see the alien creature was behind them! Instantly, the Keyblade wielder attacked. Raising Earthshaker, he shot a fireball at the opponent. Apparently, it wasn't expecting such an attack and the spell hit in the stomach, flames washing over its torso as it yelled out.
Ninten charged forward, striking at the alien with his bat and then yelling out as he was knocked back into a wall from a flash of light.
"Lower lifeforms! How do you have such a power?!" It shouted at Terra, teleporting around the room an in an effort to confuse him.
The Keyblade wielder was reminded of Braig and how he was able to seamlessly warp about the area. This Starman Junior did it a lot faster, though. Terra wasn't able to keep up with it, before he was able to even get a swing in with his Keyblade, it'd suddenly be somewhere else!
At one point, he lost sight of it and instantly spun around. Once more, it was behind him, but it attacked before he could. A beam of energy shot out from its visor, moving too fast for Terra to dodge. Instead, he was barely able to raise Earthshaker to block the attack. Even though the energy beam struck his weapon, the force still knocked Terra into the air, making him slam into the wall.
Ninten had gotten up by this point, readying his bat and charging at the alien. It turned its gaze towards him and fired another beam. The attack moved too fast for the boy to put up his barrier and it struck him in the chest!
…In fact, it hit him right on the Badge that Pippi had given him. With a brilliant burst of light, the beam was shot right back at the Starman Junior, who was so shocked by the development that it didn't dodge, getting hit right in the visor, causing it to yell out as the visor itself cracked.
"That Bade really worked!" Ninten exclaimed, looking down at the object pinned to his shirt. It wasn't damaged at all!
Terra recovered from his attack, gritting his teeth. He felt an anger towards the Starman Junior, the feelings amplified by the horrible ringing in his ears. No wonder it drove the animals crazy! Raising his weapon, he aimed it right at the alien and unleashed a Dark Volley at the opponent, orbs of darkness pouring forth and striking the opponent numerous times.
"Not good!" It exclaimed, teleporting back to its capsule. "You weird lower lifeforms are no joke! I've got to get out of here!" Once more, the Starman Junior was encased in its capsule. The blue part of it flashed red and it flew to a nearby window and out of it, shattering the glass. The vessel then soared up into the sky, taking the weird signal with it.
Sighing, both in relief that the battle was over, and the noise was gone, Terra turned to Ninten. "You okay? You took a nasty hit." And he himself had used darkness. It actually…didn't feel so bad. After the talk he had with Master Xehanort, Terra found he felt a great deal less guilt. Maybe it really was okay to keep using it…
"I'm alright. Just a bruise or two." Ninten said, looking down at his Badge again. "I'm just surprised this actually helped. I gotta repay Pippi someday." He looked up at Terra. "That noise is gone too, thank goodness! But hey…you didn't tell me you knew PSI!"
"I don't. I think what I have is a bit different." Terra said, avoiding the subject as best as he could. "But hey, let's go out and check out the animals."
Ninten, thankfully, dropped the conversation and the two went outside, weapons at the ready just in case. Thankfully, when they left the building, they saw the animals milling about. They were not only calmer but seemed exhausted. This allowed the two to walk about without worry.
On their way to the exit, they passed by an exhibit that still actually had animals in it. They were so preoccupied with the escaped ones; they barely gave this one a look. It was an exhibit with half a dozen monkeys milling about. "I wonder why they didn't escape. Monkeys are smart, aren't they?" Ninten asked.
"Maybe they're too close to people?" Terra wagered a guess, having no idea how the signal worked.
One of the monkeys looked over at the two, seeming more interested in Ninten. Without warning, it leaned its head back and opened its mouth wide. The monkey then sang out five beautiful notes, which seemed to echo through the air without effort.
"Wait…this is the third…" Ninten murmured to himself, seeming startled by the song.
"The third? The third what?" Terra asked, looking from the monkey to Ninten. It was certainly a strange tune. It didn't seem complete…but then again, it was sung from an animal. He wanted to dismiss it as just noise, but it sounded like much more than that…
Ninten looked to Terra. "I've heard two tunes since the poltergeist attacked my house. They didn't seem complete, just like this one. I can remember them so clearly…" He cleared his throat and started to whistle, going through a short melody that ended with the five notes the monkey had sang out. "I don't know what it all means, though."
Terra was stumped. With no advice to offer, he shrugged. "I'm sure it'll become clear. Should we keep going? I'll stick around a bit longer." He didn't want to dismiss the idea Vanitas could still be around quite yet.
"Sure, alright. I don't know where we're going, though. I'm going a bit blind from here." Ninten said as the two left the zoo.
"You and me both…" Terra murmured, only having his heart to guide him at the moment…
Ventus felt rested from his nap, and a bit energized due to the ice cream treat. It had been some time since he had gotten to eat, not having had too much to eat since leaving The Land of Departure. At this point, he just wished he knew where to go.
The teen still wished to learn more about friendship. It felt like it was the only thing he could do at the moment. Of course, he would stop any Unversed he came across, and if he found Vanitas he'd take him down for sure! Aside from that, however, his path felt almost aimless.
He very quickly came across a new world, deciding to venture towards it. It seemed very normal, with oceans and numerous continents spread about. Ventus went down to a random landscape and towards a large, technologically advanced city. It had tall buildings that tired to kiss the sky along with cars and trains going about. He quickly ducked into an alley to shed his glider and armor, hoping not to be seen.
When Ventus went out onto the sidewalk, he glanced about, and it seemed no one noticed him. What the teen himself noticed, though, was it wasn't just people in the city walking about. Alongside the regular citizens were metallic people! Robots!
Master Eraqus had taught his three pupils about many things that could appear in other worlds. He had told them that in many worlds, technology had advanced enough to create artificial beings known as robots, and that was surely what Ventus was seeing at the moment.
They were men, and seemingly women too, made out of metal! These robots were humanoid in shape, for the most part, but were very explicitly inhuman. Some had blocky sorts of shapes, some had antenna or wires sticking out of their heads, he spotted one that had no legs, but instead tire treads instead, one was a robotic dog that a child was walking, and some had fewer humanoid features such as one that was basically a floating cylinder.
These robots seemed to be fulfilling several roles. Some were chatting merrily with people as if good friends. Most, however, seemed to be serving some sort of task. A few of them were holding bags or other materials and trailing behind humans like servants. Ventus went about further into the city and saw a construction sight manned almost entirely by hulking robots carrying around steel girders like they were nothing.
"Pretty amazing, huh?" A voice said from behind Ventus, causing him to jump lightly. He turned to see a boy about his age with spiky black hair and blue eyes. His clothes were blue as well, with grey shoulder pads and a sword on his back. "The robots, I mean. I can tell by how you're gawking you're new here. They're pretty numerous around here…"
Ventus got over the light startle and nodded. "Yeah…I just got here, so I'm still a bit turned around."
"I had a feeling! I was the same way when I first arrived here in Metro City." The stranger replied, seeming rather chipper. "The name's Zack, by the way. Zack Fair!"
"My name's Ventus, but you can call me Ven." The Keyblade wielder greeted. "Hey, why are you carrying a sword around like that?" It seemed a bit out of place in such a technologically advanced society…
"Well, I'm here to sign up for a tournament around here." Zack explained, grinning and apparently pretty happy that Ventus asked. "Normally it's for robots only, but I made an arrangement and they're letting me compete."
A fighting tournament for robots? The idea sounded pretty unusual, but Ventus supposed it made sense. Apparently the robots in this world came in all sorts of shapes and sizes, so they could offer a lot of entertainment. "Wouldn't it be easier to fight in one with other people?"
Zack nodded. "You're right. It would be, which is the problem. I'm trying to grow and prove my strength, and to be like someone I look up to."
Ventus could relate to that…he had wanted to impress Terra, Aqua, and Master Eraqus by growing stronger, even before this whole Unversed mess. "I know how that feels. Oh, by the way, have you seen anything strange going on around here?"
"You mean the weird creatures that have been popping up? Yeah, those are annoying, but I'm not scared. The police even have special robots on the lookout for them." Zack replied, almost nonchalantly.
Those had to be Unversed! Apparently the police were doing a good job suppressing the Unversed if he spoke about it so calmly. That and the other people going out and about made it seem like there was hardly a problem at all! "How about a strange boy in a mask? He goes by Vanitas…ring any bells?" Maybe he'd actually be lucky and run into him in this very world. The chances were slim, but still…
"Nah. Sorry, never heard that name before. I'll keep my eyes peeled on the way to the arena. Hey!" Zack suddenly exclaimed, starting to do squats for some reason. "How about you come with me and check it out? Do you fight at all?"
Trying to ignore the squats, Ventus thought it over. He should stick around and see if Vanitas was hiding somewhere. Though things seemed relatively calm within the immediate area. Something drew him to this part of the world, though. "I mean…sort of. I'll come with you, sure." He was actually pretty curious to see what fighting robots could look like.
Stopping his squats, Zack beamed at Ventus. "Alright, great! Let's get going!" He exclaimed, starting to walk down the sidewalk, Ventus going right beside him. "Isn't it crazy how advanced things can be? A lot of these robots I've talked to are just like people!"
"They're that advanced?" From what Master Eraqus told them, robots were supposed to be simple and were there to follow orders.
"Seems that way. I think they're still just machines. Not like real people, you know?" The black haired youth replied. "They can't hurt people and exist to make people happy. At least that's what I've gathered. I'm pretty new around here myself."
Well, that didn't sound right if they were like people, was it? Did they not have hearts of their own, or were they just empty vessels? "Wait…then how are you going to fight them?"
"Oh, that. Well, someone made some kind of device that'll put out waves making the robots think I'm one of them. Someone named…what was it…? Dr. Ochanomizu, did all the work on it."
Now that name was a mouthful! "And he made all these robots?" Ventus couldn't help but be interested in all of these. To put it simply, the robots looked…cool. A part of him wanted to see them fight more and more as he and Zack talked.
"I don't think so. I remember some people mentioning someone named Dr. Tenma, but I don't think he invented robots or anything, but he seemed pretty important." Zack sighed, shaking his head. "All this memorization isn't my strong suit! I'll probably forget all this in a week, honestly."
"Uh…right…" It didn't seem that hard to memorize, but it made sense if Zack wasn't from this world. He seemed kind of out of place, but Ventus wasn't sure how to word a way to ask it without drawing suspicion to himself.
Before too long, a large stadium of sorts came into view, Zack pointing it out. "That's the stadium! Come on, let's go!" Without waiting for Ventus to respond, he ran onward.
"Hey! Hold up!" Ventus called, running after Zack. Neither of them stopped until they reached the stadium, which had people crowding in front of it…but also numerous police vehicles. "Uh…is this normal?" The teen asked as he and Zack came to a stop.
"No way. Something's up…" Zack led Ventus to the police line, past the murmuring crowd. "Hey, uh…what's going on here?" He asked to one of the officers, a grumpy looking man with a very long nose with a mustache looking like a bristled brush. "Are you in charge, Mister…?"
"That's Inspector Tawashi!" The main clarified, looking the two teens over as though they were hooligans. "The arena's closed. More of those creatures were spotted inside until we can handle them."
Zack frowned heavily at that. "Well…what about those special robots that were made to take these things down?"
Inspector Tawashi made an almost amused snorting sound. "Robots…" He murmured. "If anything, these new creatures look like robots themselves. Never trusted those buckets of bolts! Either way, we're stretched thin as it is, we don't have any of those special robots to spare!"
"Sir, please let me help!" Ventus intervened, just knowing these things had to be Unversed. "I've dealt with these things before, so I know what I'm doing!"
"Are you nuts?! This is a police matter!" The inspector argued, practically glaring at Ventus. "Just go on home!"
As he said this, a few officers stumbled out of the arena's entrance, looking injured. "They have crazy firepower! The arena's owner is trapped in there!" One of them said.
"The arena robots can't even help; they say these things aren't robots so they can't attack them!" Another informed, having notable singes on his uniform.
Going against law enforcement wasn't something Ventus was keen about, but this was a pretty serious situation! Summoning Wayward Wind, he leapt over the line of policemen and rushed into the arena.
"Hey! What're you doing?!" Inspector Tawashi yelled, grunting as Zack pushed past him and followed Ventus. "Hey! Stop you two! It's dangerous in there!"
Vents had no idea where he was going, running through the stone halls of the building, and looking for any signs of Unversed. Zack caught up with him pretty easily and eventually the two entered the main arena. As the police had said, there were a number of robotic creatures causing havoc.
They floated in midair and had the distinct symbol of the Unversed on them. These ones were little more than floating bodies with laser blasters dangling beneath. Ventus and Zack watched as the Sonic Blasters shot at the empty stands and the arena itself, causing destruction to the building. Some focused on large metal doors on either side of the arena, surely where the robotic combatants came out and probably where they were being stored.
"You sure you're up for this?" Ventus asked, Keyblade at the ready. He had no idea what kind of experience Zack had, after all.
"Don't worry, I'm not scared!" Zack replied with a confident grin, getting his own weapon out. Without any hesitation, he charged forward, leaping high up and cutting off the blaster of one of the Unversed.
Ventus followed suit, running into the fray, and using an Aero spell to knock one of the Unversed out of the air before finishing it off. Thankfully for the two, these Unversed had little in the way of different attacks or strategies. Aside from firing off laser blasts, which Zack and Ventus were both quick enough to deflect, they weren't able to do very much.
Even though the Unversed all turned their attention to the two teens, it wasn't enough. Ventus barely even had to use any magic, dodging about the arena, and leaping up to slice the Sonic Blasters in two. Zack was the same way, looking as though he were having a blast as he cut down each of the Unversed. Seemed the fighting life was truly for him.
It was Zack himself that took down the last Sonic Blaster, throwing his sword into the air and watching as it pierced right through the Unversed and reduced it to a dark mist.
"I think that's the last of them…" Ventus remarked, looking around, dismissing his Keyblade. A lot of the seats were destroyed, and the floor and walls had cracks and scorch marks all over. If the Unversed had kept their rampage up much longer, the building itself may have been brought down.
"I think so too…you fight pretty well, Ven!" Zack praised, putting his sword on his back. "I'd say you'd even give me a run for my money." He teased in a friendly manner, smirking facetiously.
"Wow, thanks. I'm honored." Ventus replied, joking as well, and breaking out into a light laughter. "I hope no one was hurt, though." He went on, getting more serious. "I don't see anyone in here. Maybe everyone was evacuated during the attack…?"
As Ventus said this, one of the doors within the arena itself opened up, and a startled looking man in a rumpled suit came out. "Those things…they're gone?" He asked, looking around nervously. "You two…did you take care of them?"
"That's right, sir! It was no big deal." Zack replied with a toothy grin. "They really did a number on this place, though." At the very least, most of the damage seemed superficial.
"Don't I know it; I own this place!" The man remarked. "It'll still cost a lot to fix it up, but at least it's still standing. Thanks to you two!"
"Oh, you're the owner?" Zack replied, stating to do his squats again. "I'm Zack Fair! We talked before, remember?"
The owner seemed surprised that Zack just started doing exercises in the middle of a conversation, but quickly shook it off. "Yes, I remember you. Dr. Ochanomizu dropped off the package earlier today. Thankfully he left before all those things appeared…"
"That's good! I'm already getting pumped up!" Zack replied, clearly excited. "We're still going to have the matches, won't we?"
"Mmm…Well, the talk of a human fighting robots really packed the place up, so it'd be a shame not to…" The owner murmured, taking another look around the place. "I think this place has seen worse days, so…I think we can manage."
Zack grinned, squatting a bit faster and getting further pumped up. "Great! Hey, my friend Ven here helped out a lot. Can he join in too?"
That took Ventus by surprise, not realizing Zack had wanted something like that. "Uh…What? Me? Why?" He wished that the two could've talked it over before he was just volunteered like that.
"Why not? I wanna see what you can really do! I know there was no way you gave it your all against those weird monsters." Zack pointed out, standing up straight and giving Ventus a knowing look.
Clearing his throat, the arena owner intervened. "As thankful as I am for your help…Ven, was it? There just isn't any room for another fighter. It took some string pulling just to get Zack here in. I hope you can understand…"
"Oh, that's okay. I wasn't expecting to participate anyway. Zack just volunteered me out of the blue." Ventus replied, glancing over at the black haired teen.
"Aw, that's a shame…" Zack mumbled, crossing his arms lightly. "He can at least stay and watch, right?"
"Mmm…That's also an issue. The arena is packed this time around. I can reserve a seat for next time, though…" The owner replied, seeming genuinely apologetic.
Zack sighed, shaking his head. "Well, I guess that's that. What a spot of bad luck!" He bemoaned, but quickly cheered up. "But hey, I'm sure this won't be my first time coming here to fight, so you can watch that time!"
"That sounds good, I want to see what you can do when you're super serious." Ventus replied with a grin, feeling bad because he knew full well he would likely leave this world soon. He just didn't have the heart to tell Zack that, and that made him feel guilty…
"Yes, well…" The owner intervened once more. "I have to get some maintenance robots to work on the area. Zack, why don't you go down below and wait. I'm sure the fights will start on time. I'll just need to go out and talk to the police…"
Oh, yeah, Ventus would probably be in a bit of trouble. Hopefully he'd be able to talk his way out of things. "Right, I'll talk to them too." Maybe they would know about Vanitas? If he was in this part of the world causing trouble, he police would know more than anyone that Ventus could think to ask.
"Oh. I forgot…we barged right past them…" Zack sheepishly admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "Just so we could help out, though, so surely they'll be willing to look the other way, right?"
"Well, I'd certainly hope so!" The owner said with a huff. "I'll really let them have it if they think they can arrest the saviors of this arena! Come on, Ven, I'll help clear this up!"
"I appreciate that, sir." Ventus said with a breath of relief. Turning to Zack, he gave his new friend a grin. It just felt right thinking of him as his friend. The two got along, and even bantered a bit. Lea and Isa did the same thing…so that was like a close friendship, right? Honestly, Ventus wasn't sure, and that's what bothered him. "You kick butt out there, I'll be rooting for you, alright?"
Zack started to do some squats again, chuckling. "Don't you worry! I got this in the bag! I've been training for months just for this tournament! I'm not gonna do down so easily! Good luck finding that Vanitas guy!"
With that, Ventus followed the arena owner outside, the teen waving Zack off as he went down with the other fighters. They Keyblade wielder really didn't like having to lie to his new friend, but he couldn't just disappoint him like that. Ventus felt like he was being a pretty bad friend if he had to resort to that. Maybe if the two ran into each other again, he could explain the situation to Zack, and all would be well…
The owner noticed Ventus' distress but got the wrong idea. "Don't worry, young man. The head of Metro City's police force, Chief Nakamura, is a pretty good guy. Even if you get into some trouble, I'm sure he'll let you off the hook."
Ventus was stirred out of his thoughts, giving the owner a polite, small smile. "Thank you, sir. I'm just glad I could help out. Couldn't let those…things keep destroying the building." He had almost slipped and called them Unversed. That'd open up another can of worms if that inspector knew that Ventus had information on the creatures. Well, just their names, really. Nothing that could actually help get rid of them.
Soon enough, the two reached the exit to the building, chatter from the crowds and the officers audible from inside the building. Taking a deep breath, Ventus followed the arena's owner out into the crowd.
A/N: It feels good getting two new worlds involved in things. I wanted to get them both put into the story quickly, so I decided this chapter and the next can just be split between Terra and Ventus. I'll try to have these visits wrapped up by then. Oh, and for those unaware, in MOTHER, if you keep Pippi around with you and level her up, her strength stats quickly surpass Ninten's, which is why I had that gag with her super strength. She's named after Pippi Longstocking, so it only makes sense.
Also, the story has a tropes page a friend of mine made. It's pretty bare bones, especially since it's in poor taste for me to make edits myself on my own work's page. This site is weird about links, sadly, so I can't just post that. If you just look up "Another Side, Another Story Tropes" you'll find it. It shares the same name as an existing trope, so you'll need to click the tab for this story on that trope's page.
Let me know what you think, all reviews are welcome.