Kingdom Hearts: Daybreak Academy
Chapter 8: The Dive
The rush of wind blasted against Galeo's face as he plummeted through a void of darkness. His black locks whipped wildly behind him and the poncho around his neck fluttered with equally chaotic movements. He had experienced this odd sensation before. No. There was weightlessness to what he had felt before on another occasion. This was a free fall and it was exhilarating.
The darkness soon began to fade into dark blue hues with silhouettes of house-like structures flying by. Warm golden lights seemed to shine through the windows of these houses.
After a few more moments of falling through the vertical shadowy city, something came into view from the corner of Galeo's eye. It was a small bat with several colors on its fur and wings and deep blood red eyes. The bat fluttered its wings wildly as it approached the falling Keyblade wielder during his descent. With its fangs bared and an alarming screech sounding from its mouth, the bat seemed ready to attack.
Galeo summoned his Keyblade in his right hand and rolled in the air to dodge the aerial attack. He tucked underneath the bat's underside and sliced through it with a wide swing. The bat exploded with a flash of purple light. When the glowing violet sphere faded, the bat was nowhere to be seen.
Galeo continued his drop through the void and as he did, the space around him began to brighten into a flare of vibrant magenta. Everything seemed to be consumed by fire as the silhouettes reddened and golden light peeking through the windows did so as well. More bats came at Galeo, but he dealt with them as he had the first one.
The colors then changed again as he plummeted through the odd sky. The houses had gained details to their appearances with door handles, window panes, and shingles becoming distinctly noticeable. The same city he fell through appeared down below him. It lit up with bright glimmering lights scattered throughout.
Before Galeo knew it, a white light consumed his field of vision. When the blankness faded, he found himself in the center of a shopping center at night. The street lamps spread throughout the area offered plenty of warm light that gave the floor and buildings an orange hue. A deep red light came from the windows of nearby buildings.
"Wow!"
The boy stepped forward with a wonderstruck gaze as he took in the enviance of a town he had never seen before. It was the second one he had seen in the matter of a few days, leaving him in breathtaking bewilderment.
His daze was only momentary. It faded when Galeo turned around to ask Dani a question but she was nowhere to be found.
"Uh…Dani? Dani?" He took a few steps forward, looking left and right slowly. "Dani? Where'd you g–ah!"
Several clouds made up of lavender hearts appeared all around him and from them sprang brightly colored creatures that Galeo had never set eyes upon before. His immediate reaction was excitement as he gazed upon their colorful furs. That initial amazement quickly faded once he realized the threat they posed as the bat-like monsters from earlier were among them.
"Looks like, there's more of you monsters," Galeo said to them as he materialized his Keyblade once more. The weapon's brightness faded into the cool nebula of space on the blade.
The monsters began their assault, all stampeding toward Galeo at once. The bats opened their mouths and let loose an obnoxious screech. Galeo tried to move out of the way, but found it near impossible to take a step without stumbling. The boy fell to his knees as a bear-like creature cast its large shadow over him, crashing into him with a brutal body slam. Galeo flew backward, crashing into the outdoor area of a nearby cafe. Chairs and tables tumbled down, leaving the patio a mess.
The large beast revelled in its successful attack, cheered on by its colorful companions. Their celebrations were cut short, however, when the debris shifted. Galeo slowly pulled himself up with the edge of a toppled table. His head still spun from the disorienting screech, which made it difficult for him to stand upright. He had enough sense to react to the incoming palm thrust, rolling away just in time as the bear's paw crushed the wall behind him. Pieces of rubble exploded off the wall, crumbling onto the ground. Despite its size and build, the bear was incredibly mobile.
The bat's mind-numbing song rekindled, making it difficult for Galeo to keep his balance. Once again, he fell to a knee as his head throbbed from the sonic attack as the bear pulled its fist out of the wall. Even more of the wall crumbled apart as the bear set its sights on Galeo once more. The boy pressed his Keyblade against the ground to support himself. It was a struggle just to keep himself from collapsing onto the ground and it became even more difficult as one of the other creatures, a ball of spiked indigo fur with a feline face, slammed into him. The needle-like hairs pricked Galeo's skin, digging into and scraping against the side of his face. The impact knocked him over, making him an easy target for the three spiked creatures among the group of enemies.
The ringing in Galeo's ears only grew stronger as the bats drew nearer. They felt more comfortable now that he was down and being jumped on by the furry morning stars.
"Water!"
A splash of cool water trickled over Galeo's skin as several blasts of water burst against the monsters around him. First the screeching had stopped and then the pounding and prickling sensation ceased. As the enemies were knocked away by the water spell, Galeo could see something falling above him. It was the bear plummeting down from a great height. Just in the nick of time, Galeo rolled out of the way once again, but the shockwave from the impact sent him whirling several yards away.
Galeo groaned as he struggled to pick himself back up. Despite the terrible sound ending, he was still feeling the effects. The tip of his Keyblade pressed against the cobblestone floor, catching against the edge of one of the stones as he pushed himself up to a knee.
"Pitiful."
Galeo's eyes widened as he realized he was not alone. He had not realized that someone had helped him until then. When he turned his gaze to the person on his right, he was shocked to find Astrid in her fighting stance.
"Oh hey! It's y-ngh!"
Galeo could not exert much energy in his current state. His head spun.
She kept her gaze trained on the enemies in front of them, almost as if Galeo was not there beside her. Her eyes moved from one monster to the other, counting the number of foes she would have to face. There seemed to be six in total: two Komory Bats, three Pricklemanes, and one Kooma Panda.
The Komory Bats were the ranged attackers, who relied on their sonic attacks to disorient foes and leave them defenseless. They would be the most tedious to fight. The Kooma Panda would also make the confrontation difficult with its powerful charging attacks, but she could avoid them. The foreigner, on the other hand…
"You need to get out of here. Now."
Galeo was a bit unsure if Astrid was talking to him since she continued looking toward the enemies.
"Huh? You mean me?"
"Yes. Leave. You'll only get in my way."
The Kooma Panda began dragging its feet against the ground, preparing to launch itself forward with great force. Astrid noticed this and shouted, "Move!" She quickly hooked Galeo's arm with the teeth of her Keyblade and dragged him to the side as she spun on the ball of her foot, moving him out of the way as the Kooma Panda zoomed by them, leaving a trail of dust behind it.
The disorienting sound returned, this time catching Astrid in its spell. She fell to a knee beside Galeo, her body shaking from the disruption. The ball on Starlight's tip was the only thing keeping her from toppling down. Galeo turned to her, understanding what she was feeling. He could hear the Komory Bat's cry, but not like before when it had completely enveloped him. When he looked carefully, he saw it. A steady stream of odd waves were hitting Astrid.
Galeo looked up through the dust cloud to see the silhouettes of the Komory Bats just behind. As one of them flew through the brown shroud, Galeo gripped his Keyblade and swung it up, slicing through the winged monster, which lowered the bothersome noise. A dark cloud-like crystal dropped from where the bat once floated. It caught Galeo's eye, so he picked it up.
The other Komory Bat came through as well, this time using its Supersonics directly on Galeo, who was distracted by the Dream Piece that the other one dropped. The boy's knee once again met the floor along with his Keyblade, which he released to cover her ears. From this distance, the screech made his mind go completely blank.
"Ahhhhh!" Galeo could do nothing but curl up on the ground and yell as loud as he could. The pain was too great to withstand, but it soon faded and was replaced with the sensation of water droplets.
As Galeo opened his eyes, he could see damp spots on the ground below him. His head slowly lifted, finding a pair of blue-heeled ankle boots. As his violet eyes rose, he could see that it was Astrid standing in front of him.
Once again without turning toward him, she said, "Get up."
Galeo did as she ordered, pushing himself up to his knees, picking up his Keyblade, and then rising to his feet with his weapon held to his side. Astrid glanced at him from the corner of her eye and scoffed at his sloppy stance.
The two Keyblade wielders faced opposite directions with Astrid giving her full attention to the Kooma Panda and Galeo to the bouncing Pricklemanes.
Astrid told him, "I don't know what you're doing here, but you better leave now."
Galeo smirked as he responded, "I wouldn't even if I knew how."
"Tch!" That's when Astrid turned around and snapped at him. "Do you think this is some sort of game?! You could get hurt! Just what do you think you're do–"
A familiar rush of wind tickled her skin as she watched the Kooma Panda fly past her. Galeo's poncho fluttered in the wind before her eyes as they moved out of the bear's line of attack. Like a bowling ball and a set of pins, the Kooma Panda crashed into the group of Pricklemanes and scattered them.
When Astrid's feet finally touched the ground, she realized that Galeo had pushed her with his free hand on her stomach before she could even react to him. He was fast. Very fast. It had not occurred to her back in Daybreak Town when they had met, but it was abundantly clear then and there that Galeo was quick on his feet.
"You alright?" he asked with his boyish grin.
It took Astrid a second to respond, but when she did, she swatted his hand away and said, "Don't touch me! Look, just…just don't get in my way, okay?" She stepped past him and took her stance with Starlight held forward.
Galeo walked up beside her and nodded. "Alright. Come on, Astrid, let's do this!"
Author's Notes
Be honest, how many of you were expecting Galeo to show up in Astrid's dream instead of Dani's? I know no one mentioned that they predicted it in their reviews, but I'm sure it must have crossed some of your minds!
QOTC: What is your favorite District in Traverse Town? And why?
Responses to Reviews:
ShadowWolf223: What did you think of his first dive at the beginning of this chapter?
Gamegirl101: I believe you asked for a Meow Wow.
Antex-The Legendary Zoroark: A winged snake would be such a cool idea for a Dream Eater!
Silver Kitsune Lunaria: I'm glad that you, Feather, and Antex are enjoying Astrid's characterization. The whole idea for Daybreak Academy basically started with the concept of a Keyblade wielder who comes from a lineage of noble Keyblade wielders and the pressures that would come from that. It's something I wanted to explore since I don't have much faith in seeing this from Eraqus in Dark Road for several reasons.
WolfieRed23: Wow! You hit the nail right on the head when you said that these two have a loooooong way to go before they can start understanding each other.
FallenFeather92: I do not believe that there is a squirrel Dream Eater, but I could definitely see one of those. As for the fox, I actually hope that we get a Dream Eater for each union's animal. So far we have the Electricorn, but we've yet to have a representative for the Vulpes, Anguis, Ursus, or Leopardus unions.
