DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING EXCEPT THE PLOT AND MY ORIGINAL CHARACTERS!
A/N: HELLO THERE, AND WELCOME BACK - FOR THE /REAL/ CHAPTER 24!
Yet, the thing is,... this is the Last Chapter for the world of MIDDLETON and Kim Possible. Of course, that does not mean it isn't full of EXCITEMENT!
So, I do apologize for taking SO LONG to write This Chapter. I have been held up by school, major projects, and some other things. I also temporarily lost interest in writing This Story. I am still not quite sure how THAT happened. I ended up writing nearly eighty pages for a "ONCE UPON A TIME" Storyline Summary instead. I also found myself starting a Storyline Summary for another Kingdom Hearts Story I have in mind to start sometime in the near future; it might be closer to this Fall or the Spring of 2017.
To hopefully encourage you to look forward to what lies up ahead in this KH Series, I decided to add the Tentative Titles for this story's sequel and the "spin-off" I started planning out. You can view them on my Profile Page.
Let me know if you would like to see these stories yourself! I shall be pleased to start them - once I get more of THIS Story done!
That aside, keep in mind this is the FIRST CHAPTER FOR 2016! YIPPEE! HALLELUJAH! HIP-HIP-HOORAY! HIP-HIP-HOORAY! YES!
Okay... That was a little TOO Much excitement for one day. We have not yet reached the halfway point of This Story as it is.
In addition, I also included another "SUMMON" somewhere in This Chapter. SEE IF YOU CAN SPOT IT!
That all aside, IT IS TIME TO READ TO YOUR HEART'S CONTENT! PLEASE DO /NOT/ FORGET TO REVIEW, TOO! PLEASE!
CHAPTER 24
Saving The World — Again
The road was rather unsteady. Every few feet, another bump caused Ron's scooter to bounce a little. Sora continued to hold on; he could feel Amemi's hands wrapped tightly around his neck. He knew Goofy, Launchpad, and Donald were situated behind her. Sora himself had his arms wrapped around Kim's torso, just in case he lost his usually steady balance.
It was dark out and the long street seemed to go on for miles and miles. In fact, the only light source outside of Ron's scooter's headlight was the moon and a few stars. The sound of rushing wind flooded his ears as Sora felt his teeth start to shatter, a little. The rocket-powered scooter was well on its way to Bueno Nacho Headquarters.
Sora's mind went back to what had happened shortly after he and his team had returned to Kim's house. One look, and it became clear the Possible house was severely damaged. As Sora and Amemi had followed Kim inside, it had become clear how much devastation the giant Diablo robots had caused. The entire living room was in shambles. The front door was gone and a gaping hole was in its place. Kim had raced to her room and into her closet.
What had caught Sora by surprise was a fake wall in the back of the room; it was controlled by a handprint-detecting device. Kim used her hand to activate it. The wall slid to one side, revealing a white body suit with bluish gadgets on it. As Kim slipped it on over her dress, Wade came in on her bluish device. "Kim," he had declared. "The battle suit is still just experimental."
"It's about to get a road test," Kim had stated. When she'd asked how far Bueno Nacho's headquarters were, Wade informed her they'd have to travel nearly one hundred miles to get there.
One hundred miles… it seemed like such a long way. Fortunately, thanks to Ron's now-rocket-powered scooter, the trip was taking much less time than expected. As a matter of fact, that was one of the things that had surprised Sora. He glanced at his cellular phone. Despite the cracked screen, he could still make out the time on it. The downside was, it had shifted to the twenty-four hour clock. The time now read "22:40". He wasn't exactly sure what time that was.
"Hey!" Goofy suddenly shouted. He pointed straight ahead.
Less than a mile away was a large, tan building with some red, zigzag lines on part of it. There was a section shaped exactly like a taco shell on the far left, including the tomatoes, lettuce, and cheese. On the far right, the building looked just like any ordinary office building. In the middle was tower with a sombrero-shaped roof; it reminded Sora of the Bueno Nacho restaurant back in Middleton.
"Must be the place," Launchpad pinpointed. "It has a giant taco outside… with lights on in it. Are the tomatoes the power?"
"Then that's where Drakken, Pete, and that other guy are," Sora declared. "C'mon! We've gotta stop them!"
"Pick it up, Ron!" Kim told her friend.
"Way ahead of you," Ron announced.
With a revving on the scooter's engine, the group shot across into the building's parking lot. The vehicle came to a halt moments later. Using a red hair-dryer-like gadget, Kim shot a grappling hook onto a railing on the building's upper floors. She started to climb the rope dangling from the hook. Ron was next, followed by Sora, Amemi, Donald, Launchpad, and Goofy. At one point, Donald looked down and started to quiver with fear when he saw how high up they were. Launchpad grabbed him and had to carry the duck up the rest of the way. "Put me down!" Donald kept shouting as the group continued to climb.
When they finally reached the rooftop, Sora had Goofy clamp his hands over Donald's bill. Donald fought the knight, but he was powerless against Goofy's strong grip.
Kim flipped on her device. "Okay, Wade. We're going in."
"Yeah," Sora agreed with a nod. He noticed Amemi taking a few moments to catch her breath. Launchpad was doing the same. All the seventeen-year-old young man could do was shake his head and smile before he turned his eyes back to Kim.
"Check your backpack," Wade recommended.
Ron reached into Kim's backpack. He pulled out a hand-sized container. "Knock gas that looks like lip gloss, or lip gloss that looks like lip gloss?" he asked.
"Wait, Ron," Amemi said. She reached out her hand towards him as if trying to warn him. Sora was starting wonder why when Ron opened the container. A foul stench came drifting out. Within seconds, the blonde-haired young man was in a daze and seemed to have lost consciousness.
Sora had to shake his head. This reminded him of the time Donald, Goofy, and him were in a place full of Darkness. When Donald had noticed a stranger in a black-hooded coat, he had rushed over and found a box. When Donald had started to open the lid, Goofy had muttered, "Are ya sure you wanna open… that?"
Fortunately for Goofy, the box hadn't held anything dangerous; just an ice cream bar and a photograph. Sora was still reminiscing about this event while Amemi held her breath and closed the lid on the container in Ron's hands.
Ron immediately came to. "Knockout gas," he concluded.
"Thanks for checking on that," Kim told him.
Next, Goofy reached into Kim's backpack and pulled out a sheet of paper covered in neat handwriting. "Gawrsh, what's this?" he asked. "Looks like some sorta secret code."
Kim snatched the paper back from Goofy and stuffed it into her pocket. "History homework."
Goofy stared in surprise. "A-Hyuck!"
Donald reached into Kim's backpack. He pulled out a bluish gadget resembling a plastic, toy pistol. It contained a single bullet with a reddish tip. "What is it?" he inquired.
Launchpad bent down to take a closer look. "Is it a gas-gun?" he asked. "Sure looks like something DW carries."
"KP," Ron spoke up. "Since when are you packing?"
Kim took a moment to examine the gadget herself. "It looks like a, uh… toy?"
"Whoa," Sora awed at the sight of the gadget in Donald's hands. Goofy was also admiring it. The spikey-headed youth paused for a moment. "What is it?"
"Oh, this is no toy," Wade explained on Kim's bluish device. "Well, not since I modified it. It's an Electromagnetic scrambler."
"What's it do?" Goofy wondered aloud.
"It'll shut down Drakken's whole system," Kim stated. She took the gadget from Donald and placed it into a light-blue holster strapped on around her waist.
Sora gave a nod. He gazed at the nearby doorway leading into the building. He was certain that, somewhere inside the maze of hallways and meeting rooms within this place, were Pete, Drakken, the anthropomorphic red wolf-man, Shego, and probably several dozen Heartless. He was also sure they would be expecting the group, so they needed to prepare in case of an ambush.
"Let's go in," Sora stated. He headed for the doorway. Donald, Goofy, Amemi, and Launchpad followed quickly. Kim and Ron were not too far behind.
As he was about to step through the doorway, Sora spotted a small item lying on the floor. He scooped it up in his hand. It was a round object, similar to a coin with a brownish color. One side showed a sketched thunderbolt. The other bore a name written in a foreign language (as far as Sora could tell). He shrugged and simply placed the item into his pocket.
Deep down, he wondered if he'd just picked up another summon….
The inside of the Bueno Nacho Headquarters was dark. So dark, Kim and Amemi were using flashlights to lead the group along. Sora had his Keyblade in hand — just in case Pete, Shego, or some Heartless happened to jump into view. He knew anything could happen at any moment. He felt a little like a hero venturing into the villain's lair for the final showdown….
…Which was exactly what he was doing! The last time Sora had gone into a real villain's hideout was when he, Donald, and Goofy had brought down Xemnas and the rest of Organization XIII in The World That Never Was. At the time, Sora had been so worried about Kairi's safety, the moment he had stepped into the castle, he had shouted, "Kairi! Where are you?!"
King Mickey had ordered him to remain quiet since they had been inside the Organization's stronghold. The result had been lots of Nobodies swarming over to them. Sora now wished he had never yelled inside the enemy's lair. It would have prevented so much trouble….
Unlike the blank space and walls of The Castle That Never Was, the Bueno Nacho Headquarters was nice and cozy. Of course, it still had the style expected for a corporate building. Waiting chairs… plants placed alongside certain doors… signs for each office and/or meeting room… walls painted like the company's logo and theme… photographs showing the company's history… tinted windows all along the far wall… and light-fixtures tucked neatly into the ceiling. Since the lights were all off, the shadows were immense in the flashlights' beams.
At one spot, Sora thought the wall beside him was moving like a rotating backdrop at a movie studio. Then again, the wall was curved, which made it a little difficult to see normal shadows alongside it… or was his mind starting to mix things up?
All of a sudden, Ron stopped before a large, framed, black-and-white photograph. "The original Bueno Nacho," he declared. "Where it all started."
Sora, Amemi, and Kim all turned their eyes to the image. The photograph was of a small building roughly the size of a one-story house. It had a gigantic arch on either end, and a tall sign that read the name, "BUENO NACHO".
"Looks nice," Goofy remarked.
"I thought it was McDonalds," Launchpad added. "Until I saw the sign."
Donald rolled his eyes at the pilot's comment. Amemi shook her head. Sora had to give a sigh. Ron, Goofy, and Launchpad were all getting distracted by one thing or another.
"Ron," Kim spoke up. "Keep your head in the game."
"Worry not," Ron replied. "I'm ready for anything."
"I'm sure you are," Amemi teased. She turned to her brother. "Why haven't we seen any Heartless?"
Sora gave a shrug in return. "No idea," he admitted. "But I'm sure there's some around here… somewhere."
No sooner had the words left his mouth did the room start to shake. Everyone swung their attention down the hall. Just up ahead was a rather large area. There was a set of escalators, a number of restaurant banners, and a few signs here and there. Standing near the base of the escalators were a group of silhouetted figures. One of them strongly resembled an oversized cat.
"Pete!" Sora, Donald, and Goofy exclaimed all at once.
A sinister laugh Sora knew could only belong to Pete was heard. "What'cha gonna do now?" a voice said.
The cat-man stepped out from the shadows. There was Pete, giving his unique form of an evil grin. "Here youse all are, hanging around with them losers. It's beautiful! The key-brat turns to helpin' girls instead of fightin' them Heartless."
Sora was furious. No one — especially not Pete — mocked him for helping someone. With a dark glare evident in his eyes, Sora charged at Pete and slapped his Keyblade against the villain's rear end. Pete yelped in total astonishment. Sora turned to face the other silhouettes; it was a horde of Large Bodies, Air Soldiers, Shadows, and a new type of Heartless. The new ones were shaped like tiny rabbits with enormous teeth; they were a dark-blue color with yellow eyes and claws. The Heartless emblem was evident on their chests.
Sora rushed into the horde and started slicing, slashing, and simply smashing his way through. As if on cue, Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad, all hurried over to help. Kim and Ron continued to scowl at Pete when Amemi pointed to another figure hidden up high in the room. "Look!" she called out.
With the Heartless taken care of, Sora and the others all looked straight up. Standing up on a ledge high above was a young, green-skinned woman sporting long, black hair. It didn't take Sora two seconds to realize it was Drakken's sidekick, Shego.
"You know what I really hate?" Shego said as she looked down at the group. To Sora and Amemi, she seemed surprisingly calm. It appeared she wasn't looking for a fight. This didn't make any sense to Sora. Every enemy he'd met before had always been looking for a fight of some sort.
Kim gazed straight at Shego. "When somebody kidnaps your boyfriend?" she asked.
Shego's hands lit up with her green, glowing powers. "When somebody doesn't know when to give up," she stated.
Before Sora and the others had a chance to react, Shego sent what appeared to be a ball of green fire at them. Sora leapt out of the way while Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad scattered. The green ball struck the floor, inches from Donald. The duck mage was sent flying through the air. He landed onto Goofy; the knight was lying flat on the floor, covering his head with his hands.
Kim jumped to an upper beam and raced towards Shego. As she did so, Shego sent a few more glowing balls of flames flying. One of them nearly struck Amemi. Sora was appalled at this sight. He glared at the villains. "That does it!" Sora yelled.
He positioned his Keyblade into his battle stance and raced to the wall. Without another thought, he started running vertically up the wall. His Keyblade dragged a little behind. The blade started to slice along the window, sending a shower of sparks raining down. By the time Sora reached Shego's ledge, Kim was already there. The two started to fight Drakken's sidekick.
As Sora sliced his weapon at the enemy, Shego blocked him using her green powers. The villainess threw a ball of green fire at Kim. Reacting swiftly, the cheerleader cupped her hand, caught the flame, and sent it flying back. There was a huge explosion when the flames collided with the wall behind Sora and Shego.
"Ooh!" Shego muttered. "Kimmie got an upgrade."
"Not bad, huh?" Kim questioned.
"Yeah," Shego admitted. "But still not in my league."
"Shut up, Miss Go!" Sora shouted. "You're going down! School's boring anyway."
Shego swung her attention to Sora. The young man successfully dodged a sudden attack from the young woman before he slammed his Keyblade onto her right arm. Shego flipped back before she rushed at him. Kim jumped into the middle and got her arm sliced into by Shego's green powers.
Sora was startled. Kim's sleeve had been torn and something red was visible inside. He wondered if her new battle suit was failing. "Kim!" he shouted.
"Like I said," an amused Shego stated. Out of the blue, Kim's sleeve fixed itself. "What?!"
Kim returned to her feet and beckoned Shego over. "You were saying?"
An outraged Shego charged at Kim all over again. Sora hopped over and struck a blow against the villainess from behind. Shego flipped around and sent a ball of green flame at Sora. The brown-haired young man leapt to one side and timed his swing. His Keyblade slammed into the green ball and sent it flying straight back at Shego. Shego tried to evade it, but she was struck. The villainess was thrown back and rapidly landed back onto her feet. "Ha!" she called. "You're not bad — maybe you two really stand a chance. Too bad I won't let you find out!"
Sora and Kim both retained their glares and continued to battle the dangerous woman.
Down below, Amemi watched the battle as it seemed to go on and on. Flying balls of green energy flew through the air. The bluish tint of Kim's battle suit against Shego's attacks was clearly visible. So were the flashes of Light that appeared each time Sora scored a hit.
Secretly, Amemi wanted this to end. While it reminded her of her favorite show, WordGirl, the display made her feel very uncomfortable. True, she did like this stuff being on an animated show. Yet, what was happening before her eyes was real — not made up. She wished it would be over soon — especially since her older brother was in the middle of it. She just wanted it to end… and as speedily as was possible.
She was so busy worrying, Amemi did not see someone approaching her from behind. Before she could turn around, she was grabbed by some giant hands. "Got ya!" a familiar voice declared.
Amemi struggled to break free, but it was in vain. To her horror, she was now in the hands of Pete. The villain gave a sinister laugh. "You remind me of Queen Minnie," he said. "She always loved ta struggle every lil' time I captured her."
"Let me go!" Amemi shouted.
Pete just laughed all the more. "How's 'bout this?"
He started squeezing his hands tightly. Amemi struggled all the more, but she was completely trapped.
"Hey!"
Amemi and Pete spun their focus over to Ron. The young man was scowling at Pete. He looked ready to fight. "No one squeezes girls around the Ron-star!"
Pete dropped Amemi onto the floor before marching up to Ron. "Why, yer just a lil' pip-squeak," Pete said.
Ron spun his fist around before slamming it straight into Pete's stomach. "Yeow!" the villain screamed in agony. He fell over backwards. The impact created such a shaking, a piece of tile from the high ceiling fell down and crashed onto his head. Stars, planets, hot dogs, and comets hovered around Pete's head.
"Boo-ya!" Ron declared in triumph.
Amemi ran up to him and gave him a hug. "Thank you."
Ron was a little uncomfortable for a moment. "Awk-weird," he mumbled under his breath.
"Yeah," he declared once Amemi had let him go. "The Ron-dog came to play!"
Ron struck a pose. Amemi suddenly gasped and covered her mouth. It appeared she was secretly smiling and maybe… giggling? Ron looked down. "Aw man…. "
It was taking all Sora had to keep Shego at bay. Kim helped out quite a bit. Every time Sora missed his target, Kim was there to strike in. Each time, Shego seemed to get more and more frustrated with them both. Her attacks were becoming more frequent and she often sent fiery green balls soaring every-which-way.
At once, Kim and Shego clashed straight on. Sora stood on the outskirts, ready on a second's notice. "Hey, Erik's cute," Shego smirked at Kim. "Once you're out of the picture, maybe I'll date him."
Kim was beyond angered. She snarled and broke away from the clash. As Shego started straight for her again, Sora ran over and delivered a swipe at the villainess's feet. Shego tripped over the Keyblade and was subsequently punched in the face by Kim. The impact sent Shego flying back. She slammed into the far wall between the glass windows. Before Sora and Kim's eyes, Shego fell from the wall and landed onto the floor — hard. She bounced around a little before coming to a stop on the floor.
Sora allowed his Keyblade-arm to relax. He wiped some sweat off his forehead. His stern look remained on his face. "That's that," he finally said.
Kim nodded.
"Wow," a familiar voice called from behind. "Didn't know you cared that much."
Sora and Kim spun around. Coming down an escalator was none other than Erik. The handsome young man was giving a huge smile. Kim was beyond pleased. "Erik! You're okay!"
As she ran up to Erik, Sora had to grin. He let his Keyblade disappear. His hands flew behind his head and he relaxed a little bit more.
"Kim," Erik said as he and Kim embraced.
"Erik," an overjoyed Kim said.
"Actually, here, I'm known as 'Synthro-Drone 901'."
Before Kim could react, a surge of electricity shocked her. She fell unconscious in Erik's arms. Sora's mouth fell open. Had Erik just injured Kim? His feelings of dread were confirmed when Erik's outfit transformed into a one-piece red-and-black body suit. The young man's smile changed into a sinister grin.
"Kim!" Sora declared in alarm.
Erik dropped the unconscious Kim onto the floor. He then turned to face Sora. Without a word, Erik raised his right arm. A number of Soldier Heartless and rabbit-shaped Heartless appeared. Sora glared at him and re-summoned his Keyblade. He rushed over and started to eliminate the Heartless. At the same time, Donald, Goofy, Launchpad, and Amemi hurried to the scene.
When she saw Kim out cold, Amemi scowled at Erik. "What did you do to her?!" she demanded to know.
When Erik refused to answer, Amemi pointed her slingshot at him. Each time she fired, Erik easily dodged. Amemi then ran at him and tried to shove him to one side. Erik reached out and grabbed her. He threw the sandy-haired teenage girl over his shoulder. Amemi landed onto the floor beside the escalator. She was not moving.
"Amy!" an alarmed Sora shouted. He rushed over to her.
Erik leapt away to where Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad were quickly being overpowered by the Heartless. One of the rabbit-shaped creatures snatched Donald's wand from him. "Give that back!" the duck snarled.
Erik kicked Donald in the tail, sending the duck flying onto the floor near where Pete was rising to his feet. The villain was still rubbing his head like he was in a slight daze. Goofy rushed at Erik, only to have Erik evade him. Goofy lost his footing and fell onto the floor. His shield went flying and bounced onto his head, knocking him out. Launchpad tried to shoot Erik using a gas-gun, but he was knocked into a nearby wall when Shego suddenly rushed at him from behind. The pilot hit the wall so hard, he left a small crater. The now-dazed Launchpad fell to the floor beside Donald and Goofy.
"Donald! Goofy! Launchpad!" Sora yelled. He watched as Ron came charging at Erik. The young man was tripped by Shego and landed hard onto the floor. Ron did not try to get up; he was too far in a daze.
"Oh no!" Sora realized. It was now up to him. Unless he did something, Shego, Pete, and Erik would win. Clutching his Keyblade as tightly as he could, Sora charged at Erik. The young man simply stepped to the side as Sora jumped and swung his Keyblade. The weapon ended up slapping Pete's side before Sora lost his balance. He tumbled onto the floor. Sora's head slammed into something hard. A ceiling tile fell to the floor and landed onto his head.
As everything started to go dark, Sora took note of a laughing Shego standing with Erik. Pete was rubbing his side and snorting with a stern look. Sora found himself drifting off into a daze….
When his eyes reopened, Sora's vision was quite blurry. He could make out a number of tan objects alongside red, green, and grey objects. He started to nod off. Shaking himself awake, Sora looked around. He was now in a small storage room with various Mexican-designed props. Among them were curvy, green cactuses, a few tacos with lettuce and tomatoes, and a few rolled tortillas. A banner was dangling in the room,
"EVERY NITE TACO NITE!"
He heard groaning to his right. Sora gazed in said direction and found Ron regaining consciousness. The blonde-haired young man was tired to a green cactus prop. "Is this heaven?" Ron asked.
Sora looked down and realized he was also tied to a prop, only his was a giant taco. He looked around the room. Kim, Launchpad, and Goofy were tied up on the other side against some green cactus props. Donald was tied to a small, short tortilla prop lying on the floor. On the far wall to his left, Sora noticed a large television monitor hanging from the ceiling.
"Donald!" Sora declared as his teammates each regained consciousness. "Goofy! Launchpad!"
"Where are we?" Goofy asked as he looked around the room.
"Let me go!" Donald snapped at the tortilla behind him.
"KP!" Ron suddenly yelled across the room as Kim came to. "I thought you were down for the count."
"Why couldn't I see that he was a fake?" Kim sighed.
"Yeah," Launchpad agreed. "He seemed so sincere."
"He said he was a 'Syntho-Drone'," Sora indicated. "What's that?"
"It's complicated," Kim replied.
"Yeah," Ron nodded. "Just know, you don't get much faker than a Syntho-Drone."
Sora gave a nod. It was then Ron's eyes suddenly went wide and filled with disgust. "Oh, you kissed a Syntho-Drone!"
"I never kissed him," Kim stated. She gave a deep sigh. "But wanted to."
This made Sora, Donald, Goofy, Launchpad, and Ron all feel a tad uncomfortable. Sora did not need to know such things about Kim's "love life". He had his own life to worry about. "Okay," Ron finally said. "Too much info."
"Yeah," Donald nodded in agreement.
"Too bad. It was just starting to get juicy."
Sora and his companions all swung their eyes in the direction of the voice. There stood the anthropomorphic red wolf Sora had suddenly recalled was named "Don Karnage". "Glad to see you've awakened in time," Karnage said as he removed a knife from his mouth.
Sora took another look around the room and realized someone was missing. His sister! He glared at the villain. "Where is Amy?!"
"So, you do know that annoying little girl?" Karnage said. "Such a sad story this reminds me of. Good thing I only care about treasure and plundering more and more of it."
Without another word (other than a sinister laugh), Karnage turned and strolled through a nearby doorway. He shut the door behind, but did not bother to lock it. "They will never be able to escape that room," he told himself. "Those ropes were made on the Iron Vulture. No one can break them without a pirate's sword."
Still in the room, Sora and the others watched as the television monitor flipped on. It showed a newsflash from somewhere distant. Sora could tell it was far away since it showed a completely different city than Middleton. The text at the bottom of the screen read, "DIABLO TOY RAMPAGE".
"This just in," an anchorwoman declared. To Sora's surprise, it was the same reporter that had been in the Bueno Nacho broadcast. Her blonde hair was a little messy and there was concern showing through her teal eyes. "The Little Diablo toys are out of control. They have transformed into giant robots and are creating havoc all over the world."
A recording of a pair of giant Diablo robots appeared on the screen. Some thick clouds of Darkness were gathered around the robots' feet. Before Sora's eyes, a handful of Shadow and Neoshadow Heartless appeared from the Darkness and started to chase the people already running and attack those who were in hiding. "Somebody please help us!" a teenage girl no older than Amemi screamed.
Sora was appalled. The rampaging was so immense, he could clearly tell the world was in serious trouble. The danger, he was sure, was that this world was on the verge of being lost to Darkness. It didn't matter if Middleton had been lost before. There was no way Sora would allow any world to be lost to Darkness. Not on his watch!
"Everyone is asking," the anchorwoman added. "'Where is the famous teen-hero, Kim Possible, and her unknown sidekick?'"
"Why is it no one can remember my name?!" Ron yelled in irritation. "It's not that hard of a name to remember!"
"Gawrsh!" Goofy muttered aloud. "I thought it was 'Ron Stoppable'."
"Thank you!" Ron yelled in a sarcastic tone of voice.
"Let me go!" Donald complained the wooden tortilla he was tied onto. "Let me go!"
Launchpad struggled to break free. He wobbled around and tried to get his arms loose. The wooden cactus where he was attached wobbled back and forth before the whole prop fell over. Launchpad chuckled after he saw his beak and slammed straight into the floor. "I meant to do that," he commented.
Sora struggled to get his right arm free so he could summon his Keyblade to help. It was no use. The ropes were bound too tight. Jiminy Cricket hopped out of his pocket and tried to chew through the ropes. The cricket spat out what he'd chewed.
"You can forget this rope," Jiminy said. "It tastes like seawater."
Realizing they were tightly bound to the props, Sora turned his eyes to Kim. "Got any ideas?" he asked her.
Kim's eyes were downcast. "Sora," she said. "I… I got nothing."
"That's my line," an unimpressed Ron stated. "And what's worse, that's quitter talk!"
Kim gave a deep sigh. "Drakken finally won. I should have stuck to baby-sitting…. "
"Why?" Goofy inquired. His query went unheard.
Sora could not believe his ears. Kim was ready to throw in the towel. He shook his head at the thought of any of his friends just giving up. He recalled how Milo Thatch had been ready to accept failure after Rourke and Helga had left Atlantis with the Crystal. He remembered how upset Pocahontas had been after John Smith had been captured and it became apparent war was seemingly inevitable. Quasimodo had nearly given up hope of saving Esmeralda — twice; first time before heading to the Court of Miracles, the second being just before he and Launchpad had stopped the executions in the square… at least, that's what Donald and Goofy had reported to Jiminy. Sora himself knew he had encouraged all of them to not give up without a fight. He was certain he could still convince Kim Possible it was not over.
"C'mon," Sora told the red-headed teenager. "It's not all over. No one has won, no one has lost. So you were tricked — we all were. I've been tricked too many times to count."
"What a surprise," Donald murmured in a soft voice.
Sora ignored the duck's remark and continued. "But that doesn't mean I gave up. I kept trying. It wasn't long before I won. You shouldn't just give up just because Drakken tricked you with Erik."
"He's right," Ron added. "Drakken played you, Kim. Now it's payback time."
"Yeah," Goofy and Launchpad declared together.
"You said it!" Donald cheered.
Ron seemed to blush a little. "And, you know… There are guys out there that are better for you than Erik," he told Kim.
"Yeah," Sora agreed. "Real friends — not some clone… or whatever you called Erik."
Kim looked up a little. She seemed to smile. "You think there's a guy out there for me?"
"Out there," Ron said. "In here."
"Maybe," Sora added. "You'll never know."
"Oh," Kim said in surprise. She smiled. To everyone's astonishment, she seemed to be looking straight at Sora. "Really?"
Sora rapidly shook his head. "Not me," he proclaimed. "I already have someone."
Goofy stared at the brown, spikey-haired Keyblade wielder. "Ya mean 'Kairi'?"
"I knew it!" Donald shouted. He seemed to be hiding a snicker using his hands.
"I thought she liked you," Launchpad pinpointed. "She kissed a-ya, remember?"
"Cut it out!" Sora snapped. When Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad all started laughing, he slammed his eyes shut and winced in embarrassment. Why did they have to keep on reminding him of that small incident? All Kairi had done was give him a tiny peck on the cheek. It wasn't that big a deal. It did not mean anything… did it? He hoped not!
Ron gave Kim a nod. "Sure. You know, guys like…. "
"Hi," Rufus announced as he climbed out of Ron's pocket.
"Rufus?" Ron asked in surprise. It seemed the young man had completely forgotten about his pet.
"Rufus?" Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad all repeated.
"Rufus!" Kim gasped in realization. She beamed with delight. "You can save us! My backpack!"
"Use the lipstick, Rufus!" Ron instructed.
Rufus jumped to the floor where Kim's backpack now lay. He reached inside and pulled out a container of red lipstick; some of it was now smeared on his face. Sora shook his head, recalling how his sister sometimes wore this exact shade of lipstick.
Kim was not amused. "The other lipstick."
Rufus put the original lipstick away and reached into the backpack again. He pulled out a case of lipstick and switched it on. A reddish laser flew from the case and cut clear through the ropes holding up Kim and Ron. Next, Rufus used the laser to set Sora free. Sora then used his Keyblade to free Launchpad and Goofy. Rufus set Donald free.
"Badical!" Ron declared.
"Yeah," Sora nodded.
"Finally," Donald remarked.
Kim grabbed her backpack and pulled out the electronic scrambler gadget. She placed into the holster on her battle suit. "Let's go," she stated.
"Right behind you, KP," Ron said.
"Let's stop Drakken, Pete, and Karnage," Sora declared.
Within seconds, Sora ran to the door. Finding it unlocked, he led Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad into the hallway beyond. Kim and Ron were running alongside the whole way. They hurried down the hallway and soon found a doorway guarded by several Heartless. Using his Keyblade, Sora helped Kim clear the way. Once the monsters were eliminated, the group opened the doorway and headed upstairs. It would not be long before they would finish foiling Drakken, Pete, and Karnage's plans to conquer the world.
The central control room was located in a former employee's lounge. Following their hostile takeover using the Heartless, Pete, Drakken, and Don Karnage had decided to re-design the entire room. The windows had been boarded up on the inside and the far wall was now lined with digital screens. Computer stations were located on the tables lining the room. The layout resembled the technician stations at a space center. The main difference was the screens showed major cities across the world rather than outer space.
The clock had just blinked to midnight — five minutes ago. At that time, a sinister chuckling Pete had pressed a button on a control panel. The result had been a soaring transmission tower on the roof coming to life. This had resulted in a command signal echoing all across the landscape. On the screens, Pete, Karnage, and Drakken watched as Diablo toys all over transformed into enormous robots and started terrorizing people. To top it off, the robots unleashed thick clouds of Darkness, causing Heartless to spring up all over the place.
Drakken showed a sinister grin. Everything was going perfectly according to plan. It was only possible without Kim Possible to get in his way. "Nakasumi's toy design," he said in an excited, proud voice. "And dear Daddy Possible's cybertronic breakthrough."
He glanced back where Shego and Erik stood near the doorway. "And to really stick a pin in it, one made-to-order syntho-hottie."
"And he does not need a heart," Karnage beamed. He quivered a little with he saw Erik frown in his direction.
Pete gave a nod in return. He glanced at a nearby wall. There was Sora's little sister. The sandy-haired fourteen-year-old was stuck in a corner with her hands and feet tied. She was blindfolded and had duct-tape over her mouth.
"Wait," Shego suddenly blurted. "So you three weren't just making it up as you went along?"
Drakken, Pete, and Karnage all whirled their attention to the green-skinned woman. "And you questioned our research," the former stated. "We discovered Kim Possible's weakness."
Pete laughed. "And now we've got that runt with the Keyblade outta the way!"
Karnage pointed his sword at Shego's neck. "No thanks to you, teacher's pet!"
Shego glared at the anthropomorphic red world. "What did you say?!"
With a slash of her green plasma powers, Shego knocked Karnage backwards onto the floor. The villain was a little stunned, but he quickly came to and scowled back. "Obviously, you are a very tough lady."
Shego frowned at Drakken next. "Your research made no sense. The slumber parties? Come on!"
"Ah!" Drakken retorted. He waved an index finger at his sidekick. "But I discovered Kim Possible's weakness — boys, boys, boys! 'Who should I go to the dance with?' 'Who's the perfect boy?'"
At that precise second, the doorway to the control room slid open (it was an automatic door). In stepped Sora, Kim, and the rest of their group. Drakken, Pete, Karnage, Erik, and Shego all stared in complete shock and question.
"How'd youse get out?!" Pete exclaimed.
"You're right, Drakken," Kim said with a firm grin. "Boys, dating, it's hard. But this is easy!"
With a simple thrust of her leg, Kim kicked Drakken back into a control station. The blue-skinned man slammed into a curved chair and knocked the whole seat onto the floor beside him. He was dazed for a brief second, only to find the whole room had flipped upside-down. In truth, he was the one who was topsy-turvy. Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad burst out laughing at the sight. "Shego!" he shouted.
"Get them!" Pete yelled as he pointed at Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad. A swarm of Heartless appeared at charged at the group. To Sora's surprise, among the creature were several Defenders, Air Soldiers, and dozens of Shadows.
"Let's do this!" the spikey, brown-headed youth declared. He rushed at the enemies. Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad held up their weapons and dashed into the swarm.
As he slashed and sliced his way through the creatures, Sora spotted Amemi tied, gagged, and blindfolded in the far corner. "Amy!" he shouted.
Sora hurried across the room to his sister. As he drew close, a sharp, curved blade cut him off. "I don't think so," Karnage said. "We have a score to settle, key-boy."
"You're going down!" Sora yelled. He positioned his Keyblade to fight.
Karnage gave a dark grin. He swiped his sword at Sora. The young man hopped back a few inches before leaping into the air and swinging his Keyblade at the villain. Karnage was unable to defend himself and was knocked backwards into the floor. Sora then turned his attention back to Amemi.
When he reached her, Sora swiftly removed the duct tape over his sister's mouth. He then removed her blindfold. Amemi started to kick towards him when she realized it was her brother. "Sora!" he declared in an astounded voice. Her eyes grew wide and she gasped. "Look out!"
Sora whirled around in time to see Karnage about to deliver a chopping attack from above. Sora leaped to his feet and used his Keyblade to slice the ropes binding his sister's hands. Amemi then tore off the ropes around her legs with haste. She was on her feet in time to see Sora and Karnage facing down.
With a deep breath, Amemi scowled and raced up to the villainous anthropomorphic red wolf. She jumped and slammed her right foot straight into Karnage's face. The evildoer was shoved back and slammed straight into a computer station seven feet away. He fell to the floor, totally dazed.
Sora was startled. "Whoa! Amy! Where'd you learn to do that?!"
Amemi flexed her left arm. "You didn't inherit everything, Sora!" she responded. "Only half of it."
Sora gave his sister a nod. He recalled his Biology class last semester. The instructor had gone on and on about heredity. He knew his mother was a strong, possibly victorious, woman who could easily win against any opponent she came across. Clearly, Amemi and him had both inherited their mother's courage, self-determination, and even her strong sense of justice.
The two glanced around the room. Everywhere they looked was full of chaos. Kim and Shego was battling each out near the doorway. Launchpad was using his gas-gun on the Heartless. A stray bullet from the pilot's weapon hit Pete and knocked the villain out cold. Donald and Goofy were taking out Heartless side-by-side.
On the opposite side of the room, Ron was trying to duel Erik. The problem was Ron was missing every time. At one point, Ron managed to punch Erik in the face, knocking the latter's head backward. Erik reached up and spun his head back into its proper place. "Eew," Rufus winced from Ron's pocket.
"That is so sick and wrong!" Ron declared as he winced at the sight.
Sora and Amemi exchanged looks of shock and disgust. Amemi pointed to the doorway. "Look, Sora!"
Sora spun around in time to see Kim racing out the door. Shego was directly behind her. The latter's hand were glowing green and she had a snarl written upon her face. Sure this meant only trouble was up ahead, Sora readied his Keyblade and made a dash for the door. Amemi was seconds behind.
"Sora? Where ya goin'?" Goofy asked when he took note of the Keyblader and Amemi hurrying out of the room.
"They need help!" Donald announced. He sped out of the room. His feet were a complete blur of movement.
"What for me, Donald," Goofy called as he gave chase.
Launchpad watched the two leave. "Heh, heh. Don't leave me out of the fun!" he shouted after them.
As the pilot raced out the door, Ron did the same. Erik glared towards the blonde-haired young man and hurried out the door. Drakken, Pete, and Don Karnage all nodded at each other. They marched through the door in a right hurry.
Sora and Amemi found themselves sprinting up a flight of stairs after Kim and Shego. Heartless dotted the way, so they had to clear them out. When they pushed open a metal door and stepped through, the two sibling were taken by surprise. They were now on the rooftop of the Bueno Nacho Headquarters. The sky was filled with dark clouds and the occasional flash of lightning. As Sora took a step outside, drops of rain hit him in the face. He could not believe his luck.
It was raining. To make matters worse, the sky was also filled with lots of Diablo robots soaring overhead.
Towards the middle of the roof was an extremely tall communication tower with red rings placed at regular intervals. A low-pitch pinging sound filled the air. Sora's eyes lit up. It was the same command signal he'd heard earlier. He knew there had to be a way to knock out the tower and the signal with it.
All of a sudden, a bolt of lightning struck the communication tower. Sora and Amemi froze in alarm. The tower glowed for a moment, but the signal still continued. "There has to be another way," Amemi said. "If lightning can't take that signal out, what can take it out?"
It was then Sora remembered the electronic — whatever the modified toy gadget Wade had provided Kim with for this mission. It was designed to shut down Drakken's entire system. He knew he needed to find Kim and help her knock out the tower using the whatever-the-name-is gadget.
At that precise second, Donald, Goofy, Launchpad, and Ron all rushed out onto the rooftop. "KP!" Ron declared.
"Sora!" Donald shouted.
"Amemi!" Launchpad yelled in turn. He yelled so loud, Donald had to cover his ears.
"What's this?" a voice said from nearby.
Sora and the others spun their focus to a spot across the roof. There was Kim facing down Shego. The two were looking at each other with hatred inscribed in their eyes. Shego was holding Kim's gadget. Kim kicked the device out of the villainess's hand. It went flying through the air and ultimately landed on the roof a few feet away from Ron.
"I got it!" Ron declared as he raced and slid up to the gadget.
Just as Ron was about to grab the gadget, a figure burst through the roof and snatched it. "Nice try, loser," the figure said. To Sora and the others' horror, it was Erik. "And by the way, a naked mole rat is not cool. It's gross."
Ron and Rufus (who was perched on Ron's shoulder) both glared at the [fake] young man. "Don't be dissin' the Rufus."
Rufus growled in anger.
It was then Drakken, Don Karnage, and Pete all showed up on the rooftop. "There they are!" Karnage declared. He pointed his sword in the direction of Sora's team.
"You mugs won't be gettin' away again!" Pete yelled.
With a whistle, Pete summoned a swarm of Heartless that resembled smooth-faced dragons. Sora recognized this type of Heartless. It was called a "Wyvern"; he had not seen one since his first quest. It might have had something to do with the fact those Heartless had only appeared in Hollow Bastion.
Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad all went after the Heartless and Drakken, Karnage, and Pete. When he saw the three coming at them, Drakken turned and ran down the roof. Karnage was moments behind. Pete held his ground and continued to summon Heartless to fight as Donald zapped several Wyvern Heartless out of the air. Goofy tossed his shield and smacked Pete in the side of the latter's face. Launchpad kicked a few Heartless aside before using his gas-gun.
Close by, Ron and Rufus were chasing a swift-moving Erik around. Seeing all this happening at once, Sora and Amemi knew they needed to help Kim. The two hurried over to where the red-headed teenager and Shego were only starting to duel.
"We'll help!" Sora announced as he ran over and positioned his Keyblade for his typical battle stance.
"Everything will turn out right in the end," Amemi added as she pointed her slingshot at the villainous Shego.
Shego shook her head. "You don't know when to quit."
"Neither do you," Kim countered.
Shego gave a dark smile. "Got that right, princess," she taunted. She signaled with her hand for the group to approach. "Think you three can handle losing?"
Kim gave a determined smile of her own. "Try me."
Sora and Amemi both nodded.
Shego charged at the group. Sora blocked her by raising his Keyblade. Amemi jumped back and fired her slingshot at the enemy. Shego tried to slash through Sora's defense, only to have Kim punch her back. Shego then went after Kim and jumped into the air. As she was about to land on the young woman, Kim jumped to one side and Sora rushed forwards.
"Fire!" Sora yelled. A ball of flame struck Shego in the face and knocked her back onto the roof. The woman leapt back to her feet and continued to glare. She went after Sora, only to have Amemi pelt her with a side attack. Shego stopped where she was.
"You're gonna pay," Shego shouted as her arms glowed brighter. Before Sora, Kim, and Amemi's eyes, Shego sent a series of green plasma bolts flying around.
"Look out!" Sora yelled in alarm. He barely evaded a plasma bolt flying straight at him.
Kim raced up at Shego and delivered both a punch and a kick or two. Shego blocked the punch, but she was knocked back by the kick… or two. That was when Sora ran up and sliced his Keyblade through the villainous. Shego winced at the pain for a brief second before she sliced her green plasma powers through Sora. "Hee-yaw!" she shouted.
Sora was thrown back into the air. He flipped quickly and delivered a counterattack. He swung his Keyblade straight at Shego and sliced straight through her left shoulder. Shego spun around in a circle and smashed her left hand into him. Sora was struck by the green plasma and knocked onto the roof.
"Sora!" Amemi sped over to her brother. She pulled a potion out of her purse and threw it to him. Sora caught the item and drank it like it was the first drop of liquid he'd had in months. In the blink of an eye, Sora was back on his feet.
By this point, Kim was directly battling Shego. Every time Kim made an advance, Shego blocked it. Each time Shego made a move, Kim was ready to defend. To Sora and Amemi, the whole display was a complete standoff.
Determined to end things once and for all, Sora pulled out the orange and brown charm he'd found earlier. "Power!" he declared.
At once, Sora felt a presence directly behind him. "Sora!"
Sora looked back. To his surprise, there was an extremely muscular young man standing there. He had medium skin, light-red hair and eyebrows, and blue eyes. He was dressed like a warrior from Greek Mythology.
"Herc!" Sora realized in a split second. He could not believe his own eyes. Here was his friend, Hercules, ready to help out.
"Sora!" Hercules said with a smile. "You need some help from a True Hero?"
"Yeah!" Sora gave a nod. He pointed into the direction of Shego. Drakken's sidekick seemed to be winning against Kim.
Hercules gave a pleased grin. He charged at Shego. The villainess did not see him until the last possible moment. With a shout, Hercules sent Shego flying backward into the air. She flipped several times before crash-landing close to the edge of the rooftop. "Don't mess with a True Hero!" Hercules declared.
Sora beamed and gave his friend a thumbs-up. "Thanks a lot!"
"I'll be ready when you need me," Hercules said before he glowed an orange color. Within seconds, he had vanished — just as rapidly as he had first appeared.
Sora was a little stumped. Had the whole encounter with Hercules simply been a figment of his imagination? A dream? Had he started to lose his mind? No! That was impossible! It had to have been real. He looked down at the charm in his hand. He wondered… had Hercules showed up the same way the little girl, Joy, had?
He decided such pondering could wait for another time. He calmly placed the item in his hand back into his pocket.
"Kim!" Ron shouted from across the rooftop. He threw her gadget. It flew through the air and ended up in Donald's arms. The duck tossed it over to Goofy. Goofy, in turn, handed it to Launchpad. The duck-pilot shrugged before casually throwing it into the air.
The object would have ended up in the Heartless's claws had Amemi not jumped and caught it. She then threw it to Kim. As if acting on cue, Kim pointed the gadget straight at the communication tower. She pulled the trigger, sending the reddish bullet straight at the tower.
"NO!" Drakken shouted in alarm when he saw the bullet approaching the tower.
Moments before the bullet could make impact, Erik jumped to the top of the tower and caught the bullet. "So sorry, Kim," he smirked.
Drakken let out a sigh of relief. Karnage wiped his forehead. Pete fainted from "near-shock".
"I really hate you," Amemi snapped at Erik. All Sora did was glare at the villain on the tower. Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad had just finished destroying all the Heartless. The three of them stared at the tower in complete bafflement.
Kim seemed relatively calm considering the situation. "You know," she said. "Rufus did not appreciate that crack."
"The little dude holds a grudge," Ron nodded in agreement.
"Huh?" A puzzled Erik looked down. There was an outraged Rufus on his foot. The little critter chomped down onto the evildoer's ankle, causing a cascade of oozy slime to come pouring out. "Oh, no!" Erik exclaimed in alarm. "NOOOOOOO!"
Before Sora's sickened eyes, Erik seemed to dehydrate before a cloud of Darkness formed around him. It cleared up a second later, revealing a Neoshadow Heartless. Sora threw his Keyblade straight at the Heartless. At the same time, Rufus jumped from the tower and landed in Ron's hands.
The Keyblade struck the Heartless, wiping it out of existence. The creature's claws were gone, allowing the reddish bullet to fall onto the tower. A surge of electrical power could be seen as the tower zapped out of commission. The pinging sound vaporized in an instant. The entire building started to rock violently beneath everyone's feet. A serious of powerful explosions could be heard from inside.
Sora barely kept his balance. His eyes were wide with concern. Was the whole building about to collapse?!
The building settled. Sora gave a deep sigh of relief. He was about to calmly put his Keyblade away when he saw Kim approaching Shego. The woman was rising to her feet from the other end of the rooftop. Sora nodded and decided to follow Kim.
Drakken could not believe his eyes. The transmission tower had been shorted out. To top it off, Shego was nowhere in sight. Erik was no more. The control room downstairs had probably been blown to pieces.
To make matters worse, little Diablo toys were now raining from the sky along with the natural raindrops.
Drakken looked around. He noticed Pete was shaking with fear in his eyes. Don Karnage was staring in total alarm. Drakken himself felt no different. Anxiety was flooding his mind. After all, his teenage arch-nemesis had stopped him, again. Even with the Heartless on his side. Even after several hours of pleading to join Maleficent's Council. Even after working alongside Pete and Karnage. Even after discovering Kim Possible's weakness and capturing her, not to mention apprehending Sora and his friends.
He gave a deep sigh. He could only reach one conclusion. "Okay," he muttered to himself. "Maybe she is all that."
He started to walk away. A webbed, brown foot stuck out into his path. Drakken found himself tripping over the foot. He landed face-first onto the drenched roof. "Huh?"
He glanced back. There was Kim's sidekick, along with two of Sora's friends — the tall dog and the duck-pilot. The latter two were scowling with their arms crossed. Kim's sidekick was glaring. "Taking over the world is one thing," the blonde-headed young man stated. "But you ruined Bueno Nacho. You're gonna pay."
Drakken scowled at him. "You can't be serious."
"I've never been more serious in muh life," the tall dog said.
"Should I trip him again?" the duck-pilot inquired.
Kim's sidekick pointed at his face. "Note serious face."
Drakken gulped. There was no way he was going to let these three beat him up. Clearly he had ruined their favorite restaurant. He wasn't sure how he had ruined it. The business had held together rather well while he was in charge. Perhaps, after all this was cleared up, he could start a business of his own? Maybe one involving… cupcakes?
At the moment, he still could not allow the group to hurt him. "Please," Drakken pleaded. "The name escapes me. Oh, I beg of you!"
Kim's sidekick grabbed Drakken by the latter's collar. "Say my name," he demanded. "Say it!"
Drakken gulped. What was Kim's sidekick's name? "Uh… It's… oh… uh… Stoppable."
A flash of lightning filled the sky, making the display resemble a scene from a horror movie. It was accompanied by a sharp crack of thunder.
The blonde-haired young man grinned and released his grip on Drakken. "Boo-yah."
"A-Hyuck!" the tall dog agreed.
"You sure said it!" the duck-pilot added. "Even if I'm not sure why we're sayin' 'it'."
Sora and Kim ran up to where Shego was. The dark-haired woman seemed to be walking around quite casually considering what had taken place. When she saw the two before her, Shego gasped in surprise. Her expression swiftly transitioned into a serious, though calm, look.
Sora had his Keyblade in hand, ready for any sudden attacks. "I don't think you'll be working at the school anymore," he said.
Shego's hands flew to her hips. "So you knew it was me?"
Sora had to shake his head. "It was too obvious. You have green skin, black hair, and glow. Besides, I saw you talking on your phone behind the desk. You once said, 'no phones in class'. That's the same rule back home on the islands."
Shego crossed her arms. She rolled her eyes. "Smart kid," she murmured in a soft voice.
Kim gave a grin. "You know what I really hate?" she asked.
Shego held up her hands in case this was the signal for another fight. "That your date melted?"
"Nah," Kim shook her head in reply. "You."
With a thrust of her leg, Kim sent Shego flying straight into a nearby communication tower. The moment she landed, the green-skinned woman was zapped by what might have been two hundred volts of electricity. Her collision was plenty to cause the tower to topple over and crumble. Kim gave a smile full of determination.
Sora was startled. He had not anticipated his friend kicking her opponent like that. He wondered if Shego was still alive. After all, she had been hit with enough electricity to short-circuit Riku's PlayStation game system. All he could say was, "Whoa!"
Donald ran up him. "Hey! What happened?" he asked.
Sora could not respond. He was still a little shaken up, and he was not quite sure why. Even when Amemi came hurrying up to him and asked what had caused Kim to knock Shego into the tower, all Sora could do was shrug.
"I have no idea," he finally admitted.
Through the corner of his eye, Sora noticed a dark portal opening. Pete and Don Karnage rushed inside before it sealed up. All he could do was shake his head a little.
Less than an hour had passed since Drakken had been stopped. A large squad of police officers equipped with state-of-the-art crime-stopping equipment had arrived and apprehended Drakken in no time. They'd also retrieved Shego from the tower wreckage. The green-skinned woman's hair was tangled up badly and she had a bad cut on her cheek.
"This is not over!" Drakken shouted as the officers placed him into a police van with Shego. "Oh, this can't be over!"
Ron slammed the door shut. "Deal with it, dude," he stated. "It's over."
The police drove away. As they left, Sora gave a sigh of relief and wiped some sweat off his forehead. He relaxed and placed his hands behind his head. He smiled. At long last, the Heartless situation had been cleared up. Drakken and Shego were going to prison. Pete and Don Karnage had left the world, hopefully to never return and cause more trouble.
Either way, Sora knew the world he was in was now safe and at peace. He looked up into the sky. The stars were back and the moon seemed a little on the blue side. The storm was over.
Kim turned to Ron. "You know, Ron, we'd better hurry."
Ron looked perplexed. "Hurry where?"
Kim smiled. "You'll see."
Sora, Donald, Goofy, Launchpad, and Amemi were equally puzzled. What did Kim mean? Where were they headed? They all nodded at one another. The group climbed back onto Ron's scooter with Kim and Ron. In no time, the group was speeding down the road back to the city of Middleton.
The night sky felt so nice to see. To Sora and his sister, it felt the same as an old friend coming back. This was the same sky they'd both seen for years on the islands. The only difference was the color shade on the moon. There was also the notable absence of the sound of the ocean waves.
Ron's scooter finally came to a halt. To everyone's surprise (except for Kim), they had stopped outside the special room near the back of Middleton High School. Before anyone could ask why they were there, Kim helped Ron off the vehicle. The two headed for the entrance. To Sora's team's surprise, they were holding hands.
"Oh brother," Donald muttered.
"Gawrsh," Goofy added.
"So?" Amemi asked. "What's the big surprise?"
"Let's go find out," Sora decided. He led his friends and sister to the entrance. They all hurried inside after Kim and Ron.
Just inside, Sora and his team found Kim and Ron being cheered on by everyone inside the room. To Sora's relief, it was the same room where the Christmas Prom was being held.
"Possible shoots, she scores!" a large, blonde-haired young man declared. Sora realized it was the same young man who'd been seated at the table with Bonnie about a few hours ago.
"Straight up!" Monique cheered.
Bonnie crossed her arms. "Excuse me," she said, elbowing the young man.
The young man gazed at her. "Oh, you're excused," he said. "While you're gone, I'll hang with Monique."
Monique smiled. "Me like."
Bonnie now looked stunned. It would have appeared she was going to be speechless until she stared at Kim and Ron. Sora followed her eyes and realized what she'd been staring at; Kim and Ron were still holding hands.
"It finally happened," Bonnie said with a grin the moment all the applause had stopped. "She's dating that loser."
She glanced back across the room. "Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable are dating?!"
She gave a laugh full of mockery. To Sora and his teammates' amazement, no one else was laughing. Bonnie stopped laughing when this dawned on her. Instead, everyone burst out in applause and cheers all over again.
Sora had to smile. After all, he'd just saved another world from the forces of Darkness. He felt proud… but not too proud (mind you)!
"Attention people," Mr. Barkin said from beside the DJ. "The next song is ready to roll. Please keep it down to a dull roar."
The cheers and applause came to an end in time for the next song to start. Close to the ceiling, a disco ball starting to spin. Although he wanted to join everyone for another dance, Sora decided not to. He'd done plenty for one night.
Instead, he watched Kim and Ron as he listened to the music. "I know we've been friends forever, but now I think I'm feeling something totally new, and after all this time, I've opened up my eyes. Now I see… you were always with me."
Sora relaxed and placed his hands behind his head. His famous grin showed on his face. He thought back to how he'd been dreading being in this world from the moment he'd seen the high school for the first time. He'd found the Bueno Nacho restaurant a nice place to hang out; it was a perfect contrast.
"Could it be you and I never imagined. Could it be, suddenly, I'm falling for you…. "
Kim and Ron stopped their dancing. The two of them gazed into each other's eyes. Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad all shielded their eyes.
"Could it be you were right here beside me… And I never knew… Could it be that it's true that it's you…. "
Kim and Ron leaned in close and shared a kiss. Amemi giggled a little at the sight. All Sora could think of doing was rubbing his nose with an oversized smile on his face.
"Could it be… And it's you."
At that precise second, Sora spotted the disco ball glowing with Light. A beam of Light shot out from the object and created a Keyhole-like shape in the air. Sora pointed his Keyblade at the Keyhole. A beam of Light shot from the Keyblade and struck the Keyhole. The Keyhole unlocked, creating a dazzling display of Light to appear for a few moments.
When the Light cleared, Kim and Ron had just finished kissing. Sora had to shake his head. When the memory of the time Kairi had given him a small peck on the cheek tried to enter his mind, he immediately shoved it aside.
A familiar beeping sound came from Kim's purse. She raced over to the side of the room where Sora and his friends were. Ron was left puzzled, so he followed her. She reached in and pulled out her bluish device. "What's the sitch, Wade?" she asked.
"It's a robbery-in-progress," Wade told her. "The Federal Reserve."
Kim sighed and told Wade she was on her way. "'The Federal Reserve'?" Ron asked. "I'm in!"
After she put her device away, she turned to Sora. "The missions never end."
"Yeah," Sora acknowledged. "But as long as you have friends with you, you'll never be doing it alone."
Kim gave a nod. "You coming?"
Sora shook his head. "Sorry, but we've gotta get going. Other… places need our help."
Kim smiled. "See you soon," she said.
"Until next time," Ron said. He and Rufus high-fived everyone's hands.
With that all said and done, Kim and Ron headed out the door and over to Ron's rocket-powered scooter. At the same time, Sora, Amemi, Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad all headed outside to the front of the school.
It was there Sora noticed a glowing Keyhole on the school's sign. Using his Keyblade, he sent a beam of Light into the Keyhole. There was an audible click before the Keyhole sealed up. Sora smiled, knowing the Heartless would no longer be a threat in this world.
An image of a smiling, little brown monkey appeared on the sign. Sora stared at it in complete surprise. Why did this seem so… familiar? He did not have time to think about it. At once, the sign's display shifted to some words,
"SEE YOU SOON, SORA!"
Sora took a double-take. Was the world telling him farewell? He was not sure, and he would probably never know for certain. Using a small, grey box with a number of buttons on it, Goofy pushed a blue button and caused the group to teleport away back into Herbie.
Their mission in Middleton was now complete.
"You imbeciles!" Maleficent hollered in anger. She sent a barrage of Thunder magic raining down on the two before her. Pete and Don Karnage both quivered in fright.
Even though he was a skilled and (often) fearsome air pirate, Karnage was not one hundred percent fearless. Besides, he had not witnessed Maleficent's wrath before now. Pete had experienced it many times.
"But Maleficent," Pete gulped. "W-we was this close to success!" He showed her using his hands.
"That Drakken was being so stupid," Karnage added. "His sidekick was being too careless. It's not our fault things didn't turn out well in the end."
"Silence!" Maleficent snarled. Pete and Karnage froze in place. "I have heard enough of your pathetic excuses! Leave me — now! Or I will…. "
Pete and Don Karnage were out of the circular chamber in less than a nanosecond. Into the room strode Mortimer Mouse, Cruella De Vil, and Percival C. McLeach. Maleficent paused for a several seconds to regain her composure. She then turned her attention to the three; so did her raven, Diablo.
"Mortimer, Cruella, McLeach, I have been expecting you."
"Well, you have us," Mortimer grumbled as he crossed his arms. "What's this all about?"
"I have determined where Sora and his friends are heading next," Maleficent revealed. "If you hurry, we might be able to take over another world while they're kept busy. This will be our 'Plan B'. Leave at once, and remember… do not fail me."
"You got it, toots," Mortimer grinned.
"Yes," Cruella agreed.
"As you wish," McLeach chuckled.
The three left the room rather quickly and with some enthusiasm showing in their footsteps. No sooner had they left did Cinnamon Teal step into the room. The duck-woman looked a little bewildered. She approached Maleficent. "Pete is upset," she said in a calm voice. She crossed her arms. "So is Don Karnage. What happened in here? Did you threaten them?"
Maleficent turned around. Her back was now to Cinnamon Teal. She paused for a moment, thinking of a way to force the duck-woman away. "Leave me at once, or you shall suffer the same wrath they did."
Cinnamon Teal's eyes grew slightly wider than normal. If Pete and Karnage had faced Maleficent's wrath… she didn't want to know what that meant. She about-faced and rapidly left the room.
Now alone, Maleficent stepped out onto the balcony on the other side of the chamber. In the distance, she could see the town of the City of Light, still under re-construction. The mighty castle she'd once called her base-of-operations was under heavy construction. All the towers she'd added had been removed and the fortress was starting to resemble its former appearance. The shiny castle she'd first seen about eleven years ago….
She had hated that place! With the Heartless under her control, it hadn't been too difficult to conquer this world back then. Now, with its Light restored and even more people prepared for any advance of hers, Maleficent knew there was no way she'd be able to take control of the city, again.
She started to pet Diablo. With a deep breath, she felt her anxiety level diminish. For some reason, petting her raven always helped her calm down. It was like a coping skill, even though she wasn't sure what that meant. "Give it time," she told Diablo. "Everything shall fall into place. Soon, I will find the 'Tome of Prophecies' and create a Heartless army so vast, it will cover several new worlds. Then, all the worlds will be mine."
She felt her sinister smile returning. "If only Xehanort had known…. "
The night sky had never looked so gloomy. Even at the mystical landscape of the Mysterious Tower, Niccole felt lonely. This was something no magic could fix.
Here she was, sitting beside some colorful flowers she'd found growing outside the building. Their layout reminded her of a rainbow. One of the flowers caught her eye. It seemed to resemble herself, minus two years. She started to wonder what had become of Mother Flower… and all her flower friends. What about the Caterpillar? Was he still a butterfly? She wondered about the Cheshire Cat, the Mad Hatter, the March Hare, the Dormouse, even the Dodo Bird she'd met. What had happened to them over the last few years? She would probably never know.
That was usually the way things worked… in Wonderland.
Her eyes landed upon another flower. This one was silver and had long petals. To Niccole, it seemed to resemble Riku. She bent down for a closer look. The plant did look like Riku.
Niccole gave a deep sigh as she laid down in the grass and rolled onto her stomach. Her mind started to whirl backwards in time. She gave a very, very deep sigh as one very hurtful memory returned to her.
"Let me out! Let me out! I didn't do anything wrong!"
There was no answer. With a deep sigh, the teenage girl slinked to the back of the dungeon cell and sat down in the shadows. Her right side still throbbed with agonizing pain. Her left arm was also badly burned and she had a shallow cut on her forehead — just above her right eye. She hoped the blood wasn't about to touch her hair. That would really hurt!
The days turned into weeks… then into months. Being deep inside a castle like this… it made it impossible to know the time of day. It felt like three months had gone by… if that. She slowly became weaker and weaker. Tears fell from her eyes, forming a small pond in the cell. Now she really wished she'd never left Wonderland.
"Hello?" a high-pitched voice called through the dungeon. "Is someone in here?"
She gasped in surprise. She tried to speak, but her throat was too dry. She tried to stand up, but her legs were too weak. The only strength she still had was in her arms. She slid herself up to the door and grabbed a fallen piece of stone from the floor. She banged it hard against the door's window's metal poles. The noise echoed about the area.
The sound of footsteps running over filled the air in turn. She felt a calm, happy presence. A flash of Light outside the door could be seen. Then the door itself opened. To her astonishment, there was a short anthropomorphic mouse standing in the doorway. He was carrying what appeared to be a Keyblade… just like the one she'd seen Riku's friend, Sora, wielding.
With a smile, she hugged the mouse. "Thank you," she said in an atypically soft voice. Her mouth had been dryer than she'd thought.
The mouse grinned. Once she'd let him go, he raised his Keyblade into the air. "Heal!" he called.
Before she could count to two, a surge of green magic covered her. To her relief, she could feel her legs again. Her throat was no longer dry as a desert. Her arms and legs had healed and the scrape on her forehead was gone. She rose to her feet. "Thank you so much!" she said as she curtseyed.
The mouse smiled all the more. "I knew there was someone in here," he said. "I heard Pete upstairs mention someone was locked in the dungeon. I just didn't know it was a girl."
The mouse extended his hand. "I'm Mickey. I came from the world of Disney."
She smiled all the more herself and shook Mickey's hand. "My name's Niccole. Is it okay if I call you 'Michael'?"
Mickey then looked around. "Have you seen someone named 'Riku'?"
She shook her head at the very thought of the silver-haired young man. She wanted nothing to do with him. She dashed away from the cell as quickly as she could.
"Wait!" Mickey called after her. "It's not safe that way!"
She stopped when she saw a group of Shadowy creatures appear from the floor. She screamed and tried to run back, but more creatures blocked her path. When one of them tried to reach for her heart, Mickey leapt over and — using a spinning attack — eliminated all the monsters in no time.
Mickey turned to her. "You okay?"
She nodded. "Yes, I am. Thank you, again."
Mickey smiled with relief. It was then the two were approached by a tall, muscular duck wearing a pilot's uniform. "Gee, Your Majesty," the duck muttered. "This place is creepier than I'd pictured. Are there any ghosts down here?"
Mickey shook his head. "Niccole," he said. "This is Launchpad, my bravest and most-trustworthy pilot."
She waved at the pilot. "Hi."
Launchpad beamed. "Nice to meet ya! The name's Launchpad McQuack. If it's got wings, I can crash it!"
She felt a little unsteady now. It didn't help when Mickey said, "Launchpad, please take Niccole somewhere safe. Take her back to the castle. I might not be back for a long time."
Launchpad saluted. "Yes sir, Your Majesty!"
Launchpad urged her to follow. With a nod of acknowledgment, she followed. Yet, she did not follow without giving Mickey one last salute. Mickey saluted back.
Even now, Niccole still wondered what had become of Mickey during that time period. Where had he gone? Had he found Riku? What had happened? There had been a full year missing in that time table. She'd become so determined to learn what had taken place, she had grabbed a few Gummi block, built a crudely-constructed Gummi Ship, and taken off into space before Chip and Dale could stop her.
Once the worlds and walls had returned, Niccole had found herself stranded at Hollow Bastion… make that the Radiant Garden. She'd ended up living inside the foundation of the castle — again. This time, it was because there was nowhere else for her to go. After several months, she'd finally decided to take a look around the town. It was then she had located the underground corridors. Inside those passageways, she had been spotted by Lea and taken into the study. From there, the story continued on.
She'd gotten a Keyblade. She had been reunited with Riku, Michael Mouse, and had met Sora personally. She had also seen Professor Hojo. For some reason, she still did not like him. All she knew was he had done something to her mother long ago. She just did not know what he had done.
Tears started to fall from her eyes. She looked up into the sky. The stars were twinkling little by little. She still wondered what she was going to do. She'd just had a serious fight with Riku and had seemingly ended her friendship with him. It was something she now wished had never happened.
"How can I ever forgive him?!" she wept. "After everything that's happened… would he ever understand? How will I ever know?"
She wiped the tears from her eyes and gazed straight at particularly bright star. "I really wish you were here… Mother."
A/N: So,... thus endeth another world in the story of "KINGDOM HEARTS - SEASON OF LIGHT".
Yet, that only means MORE WORLDS ARE STILL CALLING FOR ASSISTANCE FROM SORA'S TEAM! STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER!
As it is, I wanted to tell you how I sometimes found it a little tricky to write this last world into This Story. The last time I had a little trouble was when I wrote Chapter(s) 13 to 16. Most of the world for "Disney's Pocahontas" was tricky to set up. I ended up putting everything together as I wrote along.
With all that said and done, I wanted to point out how I included a reference to the animated franchise, "Curious George". Did you notice it?
By the way, I wonder if you liked seeing Hercules as a Summon. Why did I do that? Well, let's just say, I have a list of characters I would like Sora to be able to summon for help in This Story. That's why I ended up including one in This Chapter.
I think I am required to say this: Hercules is from Disney's "Hercules (1997)".
Here are a few things to think about in regards to this KH Story Series.
(1.) Sora and Amemi seem to work like a little team. Don't they?
(2.) Will Maleficent succeed in finding the "Tome of Prophecies"?
(3.) How about Niccole and her flashback? What did she mean about "'Professor Hojo'"? Who is this "'Mother'" she is referring to?
The answer(s) to these questions (among others) MIGHT be revealed sometime later in This Story or its Sequel!
So, at long last, here is a "'RIDDLE HINT'" for the next world featured in THIS STORY!
HINT: "SORA AND HIS TEAM ARRIVE AT THE DOORSTEPS OF A DARK, SEEMINGLY-UNINVITING CASTLE IN THE FOREST! NEW AND OLD FRIENDS AWAIT INSIDE, AS WELL AS HORDES OF HEARTLESS... MAYBE EVEN A FEW NOBODIES! WITH THE HOLIDAY SEASON HAPPENING EVERYWHERE ELSE, THIS LAND SEEMS TO HAVE FORGOTTEN THE MEANING OF CHRISTMAS! CAN SORA'S TEAM HELP THEM REMEMBER IN TIME?"
IF you believe you know which World/Disney Movie I am referring to in there, please post your answers in the Reviews section for THIS CHAPTER!
So Then, I'll See You Next Time!
In other words, PLEASE DON'T LEAVE WITHOUT REVIEWING! THE FATE OF THIS STORY DEPENDS ON IT!
REMEMBER THIS - 240 REVIEWS ARE REQUIRED FOR THE SEQUEL! IF THIS HAPPENS, I WILL INCLUDE A "SNEAK PEEK" FOR THE SEQUEL ITSELF! HOWEVER, THAT/THOSE GOAL(S) MUST BE MET BY THE TIME THE-SECOND-TO-LAST-CHAPTER IS POSTED! THAT WAY, I WILL HAVE TIME TO ANNOUNCE WHETHER OR NOT EITHER GOAL WAS MET!
This Is SoraLego278 Saying, "See Ya Later, Keybladers!" Furthermore, "Have A ZIP-A-DEE-DOO-DAH DAY!"