KINGDOM HEARTS III: Final Mix
Disclaimer: I do not own the story or characters featured in this story. They are the sole creation of the Walt Disney Co., PIXAR, Tetsuya Nomura, and Square Enix. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy.
WARNING! Contains story spoilers for Kingdom Hearts III, so read with caution if you haven't played the game yet.
Chapter 2: One Town, a Million Troubles
Up in the clouds of Mt. Olympus...
The Earth continued to rumble as the Rock Titan's steps grew closer and closer. At this point, it became loud enough to catch the attention of the messenger god, Hermes who peered down from his lookout to see what the commotion was about.
"ZEUS!" the Titans roared angrily as their march continued undeterred.
"Oh, we're in trouble! Big trouble!" Hermes yelped as he flittered away as fast as his winged shoes could take him. Eventually, he reached Zeus's throne room and began to break the news in between gasps for air.
"M-my Lord, the Titans have escaped, and they're practically at our gates..." Hermes panted, as Zeus's expression shifted from surprise to a serious scowl.
"Sound the alarm!" Zeus ordered. "Launch an immediate counterattack! Go, go!" Hermes then gave off a salute to the King of the Gods before trumpeting out a warning for all the other Gods to prepare for a grueling battle to protect their domain.
Over in the city of Thebes...
Now, at first glance, you'd think Thebes is just a typical city perpetually down on its luck, and for the most part, you'd be right. This is very apparent by the grieving of some citizens after a fierce fire engulfed and damaged the majority of the city.
"It was tragic! We've lost everything in the fire," one woman exclaimed.
"Everything, expect for faithful ol' Snowball here," one man covered in soot remarked, holding up a cat with singed black fur, coughing up smoke.
"If Hercules weren't around however, it certainly would've been worse."
"True. Say, I wonder what where our hero is right now," another citizen pondered out loud.
As a matter of fact, Hercules was up standing by a nearby temple after having cleared away debris from the previous fire when he heard the screams of Sora and the others hurtling through the sky. Without a moment's hesitation, Hercules leapt into action, catching Sora and Goofy, holding them between his arms.
"Well, we found him." Sora remarked cheerfully.
"A-hyuck! I'd say this counts," Goofy added.
"Get me down!" Donald cried as he hung by the tooth of a lion statue.
"Sorry! I'l be right over," Hercules apologized to the duck, as Donald squawked angrily until his quacks simmered down to unsatisfied grumbles. "I'm glad you three are here, Sora, Donald, Goofy."
"Thanks for helping us out, Herc, but what happened around here? Things look pretty bad," Sora asked.
"Take a guess; it starts with an H," Hercules responded.
"Oh, him. We actually ran into him on the way over here."
"He said somethin' about conquering the whole cosmos," Goofy added.
"All of it, huh? Nice of Hades to show some self-restraint. But what brings you all here? I don't think it's for the feta and olives," Hercules said.
"Sounds like somebody forgot," Donald snickered.
"I was getting to it, okay?" Sora rebuked defensively. "Herc, remember the last time we were here? You were feeling down and out, and I was wondering how you managed to get your strength back, when you jumped in to save Meg?"
"Well, I know she was danger, and I wanted to save her with all my heart... but it's not that simple to really explain. Why do you ask?" Hercules replied after taking a moment to ponder over the matter.
"Something happened, and I lost all my power too. I was hoping you'd be able to tell me any advice on how I could get it back."
"I'm sorry, Sora," Hercules answered sadly. "But I don't think I'm the guy who can help with that."
Donald and Goofy sunk low in disappointment for Sora, until Donald saw fireballs raining from the sky.
"Incoming!" Donald cried out, as the fireballs crashed into the pavement and opened up to reveal themselves as Heartless, or more precisely, red-hot Heartless known as Flame Cores.
"We'll talk later, once we deal with these creeps!" Sora called out to Hercules as the team began to fight. Sora decided to take the opportunity to utilize some techniques he carried over from the Mark of Mastery, by swinging around a marble pillar to sweep up a few of the Flame Cores with a Flowmotion attack. Donald and Goofy both took down their fair share of Heartless with a Tornado Spin and ice magic. Hercules assisted by hurling boulders from the ground at Heartless until the bad guys were eventually cleared away.
"Hercules!" a voice called out to Hercules as the group was catching their breath. As Hercules turned around to see who it was, Pegasus made his landing with Megara and Phil riding on his back.
"Meg, thank goodness you're okay." Hercules remarked in relief.
"I'd imagine doing cleanup for all this doesn't seem real fun," Megara observed.
"It rarely is with the Heartless involved. We're just lucky our friends came along."
"Well, how about that? Sora, Donald, Goofy, I guess we owe you a thank you."
"Hey, it's no big deal, really," Sora told Megara trying to be modest.
"It's because we're heroes!" Donald chirped in.
"Unless Phil has anything to say about it, that is," Goofy asked, with the trio's attention turning towards the tiny satyr.
"Listen kid, after everything you guys had done last time, there's nothing left to prove for me. It's the rest of the people in this town that'll need more convincing though. A couple of stiffs around these parts still think I can't strike lightning twice with a new set of heroes."
"That bad, huh?" Donald questioned.
"But that shouldn't be too hard for you three! This is a city of turmoil, so you'll be just what the doctor ordered. Also can you do me a favor?" Phil explained.
"What is it?" Sora asked.
"There's a garden not too far from here, and somewhere in there, they built some statue of my one pupil Achilles. Before Herc came around, he was the closest to a successful hero for me."
"What happened with him?" Goofy wondered.
"Two words: that blasted heel of his! Haven't you read your history? If he gets nicked there just once, then ka-boom, he's history! I bet I'd sleep a little more soundly if that eyesore is gone." Phil answered in frustration.
"I guess we'll keep an eye out then," Sora pondered out loud.
"Anyway, Phil, you should make sure Meg gets somewhere safe. The city isn't really stable right now, and the four of us will search around to find anyone else and get them clear from the fire." Hercules asked his teacher and friend.
"You've got it, champ!" Phil replied, as he hopped back up on Pegasus's back.
"Just be careful, Wonderboy," Megara told Hercules as she and Phil prepared to fly off to higher ground.
"I will, I promise," Hercules assured Megara before the steed flew away. After Pegasus left, the group heard a voice cry out for help from far away.
"Help me, I'm stuck! Somebody call IX-I-I!"
"Herc, I think I hear a voice, coming from that way!" Goofy spoke up after a split-second of silence. Hercules peered over towards where Goofy was pointing, and saw a young girl clinging desperately against a wall while standing on a mound of rubble.
"What are we waiting for, then?" Sora cried out as he started to run ahead.
"Sora, wait! We'll never reach her in time on foot!" Hercules warned.
"Then what can we do?" Sora asked, as Hercules surveyed for whatever was nearby, taking notice of the giant statue of himself that the townspeople erected in honor of his heroism, now lying on the ground, toppled over admist the previous fight.
"I have an idea! Get on the back of that statue," Hercules suggested as the others climbed on.
"Do you think this is safe, Goofy?" Donald asked his partner.
"I hope so, Goofy replied with an air of uneasiness.
"Hold on tight!" Hercules told the trio, as he swung the statue skyward with all his might.
"Wait, Herc, I'm not so sure this is a good ideaaaaaaaaaaa-" Sora screamed as the statue was already sent flying towards where the girl was waiting. The statue made impact hard, as Sora hugged the girl tight against him as they were sent tumbling into the ground.
"Thank you for saving me," the girl told Sora cheerfully, as her hero staggered around in a daze.
"No problem," Sora responded groggily, watching as the girl scampered off to a safe spot. "I think I'm good traveling completely on foot for a while, guys."
And that finishes this another chapter. I hope you enjoyed it, and remember to leave a review!