This, Highwind mused to herself, was most definitely not interspace.
Clue number one: everything was stupid far apart. Like, seriously. If it wasn't for her Navigation Gummis and her Warp Gummi, it would have taken her forever to get anywhere. Ugh. No thanks!
Clue number two: no Heartless or Nobody ships in here. Instead there was... there was...
"What are you again?" She asked the thing with too many teeth zooming towards her with a screech.
"Zerg die for the swarm!" The worm-with-teeth-and-wings that her Scan Gummi was saying was called a Scourge screeched.
Right! Zerg. Which were like Heartless, only way grosser.
Had she ended up on the Other Side? Master Yen Sid said you needed the Power of Waking to get here... maybe she'd followed Sora here by following his Heart? That sounded like a thing that could happen.
Well in that case, she wasn't going to lose here! She had to find Sora!
"Firaga!" Highwind grinned impishly, a ball of fire appearing in one hand. "Thundaga!" A ball of lightning appeared in the other.
The red and yellow gummi bracelets turrets on her left and right wrists sides glowed with magical power, the spells erupting out as blasts of fire and beams of lightning that blasted the Scourge apart with elemental fury.
Highwind didn't relax there though – she didn't need her Scan Gummi to know that that was only one Scourge of very, very many. She only had to look forward to see that much.
But she wasn't worried, even as her Teeny Ships made worried noises.
No, this ship ran on happy faces.
"Firaga! Thundaga! Firaga! Thundaga!"
The Booster Gummis on her shoulders ignited, propelling her forwards to meet the screeching challenge of the swarm. Firaga and Thundaga Gummis fired continuously, a curtain of fire and lightning cutting a path though, the Teeny Ships adding their own more meagre (but no less appreciated!) Bizzara spells.
Her freckled form covered in gummi blocks - firm, rubbery things that stuck together naturally and tasted suspiciously like gummy candy when licked - Highwind's brightly coloured armour made her look a lot like a schoolgirl wearing a Gundam Mobile Suit Halloween costume. She was sure Jack Skellington would have approved.
Caught a bit of a Devourer's acid on her Shield Gummi – don't worry about it! Huge swarm of Scourges flying her way with intent to blow? Blow them all away before they can get close! Highwind's grin grew wider and wider, and she laughed in honest delight as she did what she did best, her song soaring in her heart.
Dashing under a Brood Lord's vomit projectiles, Highwind drew an Excalibur Gummi in her right hand and a Masamune Gummi in her left, quartering the Brood Lord in two swings.
It was only when her Shield Gummi failed and the Mutalisks started swarming in that she realised she might be in trouble.
Oh. Right. This isn't interspace, and they aren't gummi ships. No gummi blocks for me to repair myself with.
Where's a Full Life Gummi when I need one?
Highwind's smile became slightly strained, but the curtain of magical firepower kept up.
A deep roar that seemed to echo in her brain told her she'd found the boss of this route.
About 7ish kilometres tall long, the Zerg Leviathan absolutely dwarfed Highwind, who was only about 30 meters or so. The two Teeny Ships with her were only about 2, and they both looked about ready to wet themselves.
But Highwind's grin just gained a mad edge to it. "Come on, girls!" She laughed. "We've beaten way bigger things than this!"
Though admittedly she'd beaten the Nobody Dreadnought by blowing it up from the inside, which she really hoped she didn't have to do here. Being eaten by Monstro was gross enough.
Dipping deep into her bag of tricks, she remembered a Gummi that she was pretty sure even Cid had forgotten about, given she hadn't used it in years. Oh well, no time like the present!
"Draw on the strength deep within your Heart!" Highwind cried. She didn't have a Wayfinder, nor Drive Forms, but she did have a Transform Gummi.
In a flash of light, Highwind changed. Her gummi armour slimmed down, the Booster Gummis on her back moved down, and the weapon gummis on her arms changed from red and yellow to black and white.
"Meteor! Ultima!" Highwind roared, dozens of powerful magical beams surging out from her and seeking out vulnerable spots on the Leviathan.
If the Zerg was bothered in any way however, it didn't show it. Roaring it's own challenge back, missile-like bile swarms began to erupt out of it to target Highwind, who dashed like crazy trying to throw them off.
"Meteor! Ultima! Meteor! Ultima!"
Spamming what on the ground would be encounter-ending spells, Highwind could do little more than keep the Leviathan engaged. Duck under a grabbing tentacle. Blast away a launched swarm of Scourge before they could blow themselves up in her face. Not quite evade a bio-plasmid discharge...!
Gasping for breath, Highwind looked over to see that most of her right side was gone.
The Leviathan gave a deep, throaty chuckle. "Soon." It boomed. "Soon little ship will become part of swarm, and swarm will grow. Swarm will be strong."
Dazed, Highwind could do little more than look up as the Leviathan's tentacles moved in to grab her.
Sora... Donald... Goofy…
Then her eyes turned red as the Berserker Mode kicked in. "I won't let down my friends!" She roared, and this time the Teeny Ships roared with her.
Without thinking, she thrust her one good arm behind her, and grabbed something that shouldn't have been there. Swinging the pole-like object forward, not thinking about what this being here would mean, Highwind pointed it dead into the centre of the Leviathan.
"Zettaflare!" She screamed, light erupting from the object.
The Leviathan's eyes bulged out of their sockets, and bile erupted out of its throat. A hole had been punched through the ship, from its front to its back, wide enough for Highwind to fly through.
Adrenaline fading, Highwind felt the Berserker Mode fade away to be replaced by a bone-deep tiredness. She let go of the object, which disappeared into particles of light. Her Teeny Ships pushed anxiously on her, trying to keep her awake, but Highwind couldn't fight the darkness of sleep any longer.
Sorry Sora, sorry Donald, sorry Goofy... she thought, a small, sad smile appearing on her face. But I think I'm going to be late catching up to you.
The last thing she remembered was triggering her Warp Gummi, hoping she'd end up somewhere safe.
Mission clear. Rank: B.
