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, Marvel Comics, 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 11: A New Recipe & Yozara's Plight
After some time passed wandering through the underground, Sora and his friends eventually made it back to the Tram Common, running past the bistro when a familiar voice spoke to them.
"Well, bless me bagpipes! It was you ladies who rescued my chefs," he called out.
"Ah, Uncle Scrooge. It's great to see ya!" Donald said with a smile to the dapperly dressed elderly duck.
"Scrooge is here? But I thought he sold ice cream in Hollow Bastion," Sora questioned Goofy.
"He does, but Scrooge is not only a world traveler like us, he's also a professional business opportunist," Goofy replied.
"Oh, cool," Sora remarked as the group greeted Scrooge.
"Oh, 'ello Sora. You're looking rather hale and hearty. I heard word you're on another adventure with these two, so I must ask that Donald isn't causing trouble out there."
"Oh, he's been a total handful," Sora answered as Donald frowned in dismay.
"Why did you have to say that, Sora?" Donald lamented.
"You've been giving me flak ever since Olympus," Sora whispered to Donald. "This is just to make us even."
"So, Scrooge, what were you saying about a chef?" Goofy asked, to change the subject back to a more pleasant one.
"Right; the cooks of me bistro wanted to show ye their appreciation, so they made this for you," Scrooge explained as he handed Sora a small white package, which the group happily opened and saw it contained a fruit-adorned pastry inside.
"It looks delicious! This whole thing is for us? What exactly is it?" Sora asked, as something seemed to jitter underneath Scrooge's hat.
"Allow me to explain," the man the group met before in the forest said as he stepped forward. "Our esteemed chef wanted you to have this tarte aux fruits with a dulce de leche cream finish as a token of our gratitude."
"Aye, Ignis, but I think our chef himself wants to talk with them personally about it," Scrooge added, as he removed his hat as the rodent from before hopped out on top of it. "May I formally introduce to you... our Little Chef."
"Oh, it's you!" Serah spoke up as she recognized the rodent from before. "So this is your bistro?"
"Yes, me fair lass," Scrooge began to explain. "It began one day when I was enjoying one of the best meals of my life, and when I asked to meet the chef, I came across this wee genius and his keepers. He wanted to expand his culinary horizons and so I financed this business expedition to make it all possible. Now that brings me to our chef's request: to find as much ingredients as you can, especially anything out of the norm, because the mark of a great chef is innovation! Can ya be sure to keep an eye out?"
"Yeah, Uncle Scrooge! That sounds like fun!" Donald replied as Hayner and Olette came back with an armful of posters in hand.
"Boss, we finished setting up!" Hayner told Scrooge, as he unraveled the poster to show a film advertisement entitled 'Giantland'. "The posters are all ready for the theater."
"Theater?" everyone else asked. "You set up a movie theater too, Scrooge?"
"But of course! Who could resist dinner and a movie?" Scrooge continued. "After patrons eat the quality food at our bistro, they can then relax over at our theater for a series of movies. It's like printing out money!"
"Say what you will about Uncle Scrooge, but he certainly knows how to run a business," Goofy told Sora.
"Yeah, I'm no business expert, but I'd hate to be one of his competitors." Sora replied. "That reminds me, Hayner, Olette, there's something I should warn you about. Those creepy monsters might come back, so stay on your toes."
"Are you saying you have to go again?" Olette said sadly.
"I'm afraid so; we still need to find a way to save Roxas. But can you do us a favor and wish us luck in bringing him back?" Sora added.
"No problem, I'm practically wishing right now!" Hayner remarked cheerfully, as the group was unaware that the Organization was watching after them from afar.
"The boy never would've gotten our message if we didn't spell it out for him," Ansem remarked to Xemnas. "But we must be cautious. He's ruined our plans more than once."
"That is why we have more contingency plans at hand," Xemnas replied deviously.
After finding enough ingredients, Sora went in with Little Chef to begin working on the meals.
"Is it all ready yet?" Sora asked, only to find little to nothing already set up for cooking, failing to take notice of the tiny chef scurrying up Sora onto his scalp and pulling him by his hair. "Whoa- hey! You're gonna make me cook?"
"What else did you expect?" Ignis remarked as he stepped into the kitchen, adjusting his glasses and stepping aside against the wall. "Our Little Chef believes that those he deems special enough to help him take a more... hands-on approach. But fear not, I shall assist you on any of the more complex dishes should the occasion arise."
"Aren't you forgetting about another experienced chef in this kitchen, Monsieur Ignis?" a woman who was also cooking in another part of the kitchen called out to Ignis.
"Apologies, Colette Tatou. I didn't know you were prepping the food right now."
"Colette? I didn't know-" Sora began before Colette cut off his line of thought.
"That there was a woman chef here?" Colette accused, as she caught Sora's shirt sleeve with a knife. "As much as I respect McDuck for giving me a position in this kitchen, it doesn't change that it is still bound by rules made by stubborn old men, making it impossible for someone like me to serve as this bistro's Sioux chef. And yet, here I am. Pray tell, how do you think this happened?"
"Hey, I wasn't judging you! I was only going to say-" Sora tried to set the record straight.
"It is because I am the toughest cook in this kitchen! Be certain you can work your way around this bistro, or you won't even last an hour in this line of work," Colette concluded, removing the knife free from Sora's sleeve. "And another thing: be sure to keep that station of yours clear, or else things will get lost quick."
"Okay, then let's get cooking!" Sora exclaimed as the chef assisted him with cutting up pears, apples and apricots to make a platter of fresh fruit, as Sora also came up with an idea to carve a smaller chunk of the apple into a decorative flower shape. "Manufique!" Sora laughed as they celebrated the success of their preparations. They then proceeded to filet and scale a Sale fish and garnish it with pepper, parsley and caviar eggs after grilling the fish up. The team then enjoyed their meal of Sale Menuiere and fresh fruit before they bid their friends farewell and set out to explore the next world.
In a forest hidden away someplace where time has no meaning, Sora's friend Kairi was busy writing a letter to her friend to let him know about the fruits of her training.
"Dear Sora," she began. "I'm sorry I left without saying goodbye. Did Master Yen Sid tell you? I'm training to become a Keyblade wielder like you. That's right; no more waiting for you to come back from your adventures. I want to do my part to help you out, so Merlin brought me to his home of Avalon, where we can take as long as we need to complete our training. He truly is an amazing wizard. Lea is also with me training, and he keeps telling me how sorry he is for everything that happened last time. He stares deeply at me sometimes and when I ask why, he insists that nothing's wrong. Anyway, I hope to see you again soon. Tomorrow me and Lea are sparring with our new Keyblades. With love, Kairi."
Meanwhile, in a land far away, a teenage boy and his two companions were rushing through a gauntlet of rogue Imperial soldiers and giant mechas in a large city.
"Yozora, stay focused! I've got these pesky Gigas on the ropes; now go save Stella!" a red-haired boy wearing a fedora exclaimed as he cast a plasma attack on enemy soldiers so his friend could advance, while another friend used a claymore weapon to cut down one of the so-called Gigas.
"Thanks, Magia! Now it's time we settle this once and for all," the boy, Yozora called out to his partner Magia. "Aegis needs some help too!"
As a young woman, Stella, used as much of her power to try and undo the damage the Gigas were causing, she was eventually snatched by the head elite Gigas armor, held in a vice grip to keep her from screaming for help.
"No..." Yozora murmured sadly before pulling out a crossbow. "I've had enough of th-" However, this epic scene was cut short as it was revealed to be merely an TV advertisement for a game in another world, being watched by a plastic green dinosaur and a rubber piggy bank until a cloth and felt cowboy named Woody stepped on the off button to the TV remote.
"Hey, it was just getting to the best part, Woody!" the dinosaur complained.
"Sorry about that, Rex," Woody told the dinosaur. "But this is no time for television."
And that finishes this another chapter. I hope you enjoyed this little update, and please remember to leave a review! See you all next time, and may your heart be your guiding key.