Camp

An orange sun peered over the Porters' campsite, which had been slightly rebuilt with a few provisions and set up as a temporary resting place until the end of the day before their departure, and sent its rays into the newly refurbished tent.

"How could you do such a thing?!" Jane yelled, as she pointed a harsh finger at the bewildered Clayton. Everything had spiraled out of control since the debacle in the nesting ground; the gorillas were threatened, their home was destroyed, and as Alzack and Bisca suspected and revealed following Wrecker's defeat, Clayton had thrown in his lot with the enemies responsible. "You conspired with Wrecker and his men! You brought them here! Not only that, you were trying to shoot—"

"Now, Miss Porter," Clayton tried to defend himself. "As I told you, I have no involvement with these people. And couldn't you see the murderous look on the beast's face? He had gone out of control, so I had to act!"

"He only wanted to protect his kind," Carla pointed out. "Is it our fault nobody can see that?"

"But that's no reason to shoot him, you jerk!" Sherria frowned. "He's one of them! You almost turned him into a fur coat!"

"I had to do something!" Clayton reasoned. "I'm not trying to—"

"Don't try to cover it up with your lies," Alzack countered. "The fact remains that you and Wrecker are partners. You two were plotting behind the scenes. We heard you mention his name, just as he mentioned yours."

"We saw you raisin' up the gun. We all did," Bisca added. "You wanted to shoot that gorilla on purpose. It just goes to show that you're eager to hunt 'em down as much as Wrecker was. Guess dirty minds think alike."

"I can't believe it," Professor Porter shook his head. "Mr. Clayton, you played us all for fools! Your plan all along was to lead those poachers into the nesting ground so that they could capture those innocent creatures!" He turned to the veteran hunter with a disappointed look, "Is this how you repay us after we put our trust in you? For shame, Mr. Clayton. For shame."

"You are not to go near the gorillas again," Jane crossed her arms sternly. "And don't even think you'll receive the payment my father promised you when we get home."

"All because of one mishap?" Clayton smiled weakly. "Come, now..."

The veteran hunter's attempt to soften the group hadn't worked at all. Everyone in the tent glared at him, their faces only hardening with frustration and disappointment. Wendy spoke up, "Why should we listen to you after what you did? You've been lying to Jane and her father all this time! You ruined our chance at befriending the gorillas!" She narrowed her eyes, "But now we know. We don't have to listen to your lies. Not anymore."

Alzack suggested, "Do us all a favor and back off."

Bisca nodded, "You try anythin' funny, you're messin' with the wrong guys."

Donald barked, "Scram!"

Clayton was outnumbered by the number of people expressing their anger at him for his treacherous deed. Realizing that he could no longer keep up the façade of a bodyguard assigned to protect the Porters for the duration of the expedition, he slowly backed out of the tent, laughing nervously. But only when he was outside did his face twist maliciously, as he took out the rifle and gripped the barrel in his hands.

"What am I doing with these imbeciles?!" Clayton growled in frustration. "I should've gotten rid of them when I had the chance!" He then calmed down a bit, "Nevertheless, I know where to find the gorillas' nests. I'll track them down, and they'll all be mine!" He lowered the rifle, releasing his left hand from the barrel and letting it reach his back pocket. "But Miss Marvell and her friends may attempt to interfere again. I'll have to deal with them somehow. I'll stake my life on it." He took out a pipe similar to the one Wendy and company found before fighting Sabor. But before he could wrap the flit around his lips, a different thought came to mind. "But first, I'll have to check on Mr. Xalemon." With that, he left for the bamboo thicket.

Inside the tent...

"I can't believe this..." Jane muttered. "We hired him as a bodyguard, and he's been deceiving us since the beginning of this expedition! I should've known that bringing him along was a bad idea."

"Don't feel bad, Jane," Porter comforted. "If it weren't for our friends from other worlds, we never would've found out." He turned to Alzack and Bisca, "Mr. and Mrs. Connell, did you know from the beginning that Clayton was in league with the dark guilds?"

"We weren't sure at first," Bisca answered. "But hearin' him and Wrecker say each other's names is the evidence we needed."

"The other evidence is Clayton trying to shoot the gorillas' leader," Alzack added. "I disarmed him before he could fire a bullet."

"It would appear that the nesting ground's wretched state provoked that large gorilla," Porter theorized. "If it weren't for Tarzan, we would've suffered the wrath of that gargantuan. He is very overprotective of his kind, I must say."

"In any case, the expedition is over," Carla confirmed. "Seeing the gorillas is the focal point, and you've completed the objective."

"That's what you wanted, isn't it?" Sherria asked. "You got to see the big family of cuddly apes, so you must be very happy."

"Not really," Jane shook her head. "As Wendy mentioned earlier, our intention was to befriend them so that we could learn more about them. We didn't expect it to end this way, nor do we want to." She added with a regretful sigh, "We were so close."

"At the very least, we can record all our research in a detailed report when we leave tomorrow for home," Porter suggested. "We can still make it sound good if we write about what we've experienced."

"Wait a minute," Wendy interjected. "What about Tarzan?"

"The last time we saw him, he was holdin' off that scary gorilla," Goofy recalled. "He gave us time to skedaddle outta there."

"Tarzan..." Jane lowered her eyes at the mention of the ape man who stalled Kerchak so that everyone could escape.

"Before Wrecker attacked, Tarzan and Jane were talking to each other," Wendy recalled. "When he taught her to speak gorilla, it sounded like he's convincing her to stay in the jungle with him. I was there when it happened." She turned to Jane, "What do you think, Jane? Do you want to stay, or do you..."

"I really can't," Jane replied. She seemed composed, but just barely holding herself together. The choice between staying or leaving continued to gnaw at her heart. "You know why I had to leave. My place is with civilized society, with people like you and my father. I just hope Tarzan will understand."

"Tarzan..." Wendy thought out loud. She knew Jane was pressed with a hard choice, and seeing the way things had transpired, Tarzan had to make his own choice too. She felt that it was time to appease their troubles, starting with her jungle companion. "Don't worry, I'll go talk to him!"

"I'll go with you," Carla offered. "The jungle is obviously no walk in the park for a child. If we take to the skies, we can easily detect Tarzan's presence."

"Right," Wendy agreed. She and Carla made their way to the flaps and exited, leaving the others to ponder the situation.

Porter placed a gentle hand on his daughter's shoulder. "Jane, dear, is there anything I can do for you?"

Jane had no answer. She stood in silence as thoughts of Tarzan swirled inside her mind. She then gave her response with as much dignity as she could muster, "No thank you, Daddy."

Goofy stated, "Sure looks like Jane's caught between a rock and a hard place."

Bisca nodded, "Yeah, I said that before."

Alzack implied, "That's the problem with making a choice; sometimes you need to put a lot of thought into it."


Bamboo Thicket

Wrecker Xalemon rested himself at the mound, his stomach bandaged and still searing from the pain of the wound inflicted by the Keyblade, coupled with the bruises he received from Kerchak. He felt as though he had a fever; his face was pale and shiny with sweat, and the injuries provoked him to pant continuously. "Damn that little brat, making a fool out of me by locking away my magic, leaving me to suffer at the hands of an animal..." Wrecker snarled. "I swear, when I get back, I'll grind her down to the very last bone, even the maggots won't want her..."

At that moment, Clayton emerged from the bamboo stalks, walking humbly as he smoked from the pipe fastened around his mouth. When he approached Wrecker, he removed the pipe, allowing his lips to curl into an smile of amusement. "My, what happened to you, Mr. Xalemon? You seemed to be having fun with your new friends."

Wrecker growled, "Spare me the dramatics. You should've killed the maggots when they're at their most vulnerable."

Clayton frowned, "A blasted gorilla stole my rifle! I had to chase her around the nesting ground to get it back! Meanwhile, what have you been doing? You have all that magic, and you couldn't deal with a little girl!"

Wrecker bellowed, "How dare you say that to me! I won't be judged by someone less than a man and no more than a weasel!"

Clayton retorted, "Well, I warned you that I am not responsible for you if anything were to happen to you. I said that to you before it all started."

Wrecker muttered, "You never said that."

Clayton shouted, "Well, I'm saying it now! I won't waste anymore time with those fools! Once I deal with them, there will be nothing left to stop me from finding the gorillas!"

Wrecker rolled his eyes, "Again with the dramatics..."

Just then, the stalks rustled again, and two Sleepy Hollow wizards flooded in. "Commander Xalemon, sir!"

Wrecker asked, "What's the matter?"

The first Sleepy Hollow wizard blurted out, "Bad news! The entire Poacher Fang guild... Most of our guild's forces... They're all wiped out!"

Wrecker exclaimed shockingly, "WHAT?!"

The second Sleepy Hollow wizard reported, "While pursuing Wendy Marvell, we checked on the status of our unified troops. Approximately 90% of our battalion disappeared without a trace. Some of us went out to look for any survivors, and we found none. Worst of all, more than half of our ships were destroyed."

Wrecker demanded, "Who could have done this?!"

The first Sleepy Hollow wizard replied, "We don't know, sir! Our vessels had been sabotaged! We can't explain why!"

The second Sleepy Hollow wizard added, "But we've found something from the wreckage. It's Camouflage, Poacher Fang's guild master. His corpse was stained with scratch marks, and there are blood stains on the metal. Some wild animal must've torn him to pieces."

Wrecker asked, "Did you get anything from Camouflage?"

The first Sleepy Hollow wizard responded, "He didn't tell us directly. But apparently, when we asked, he said in his last breaths, 'We've been deceived.'"

Wrecker's body was shaking from the shocking news as he began to growl in frustration. He found it hard to believe that his combined army of Sleepy Hollow and Poacher Fang wizards were wiped out due to a strange occurrence. But seeing that the gravity of the matter had sunk too deep, he was forced to make a difficult decision. "Gather all remaining forces. Withdraw immediately."

Clayton yelled in shock, "WHAT?!"

Wrecker repeated, "Withdraw from the Deep Jungle! This has become a war of attrition! Retreat!"

The duo of Sleepy Hollow wizards complied, "Yes, sir!"

Clayton interrupted with a loud voice, "Wait a minute! We can't leave now! We still have to hunt the gorillas!"

Wrecker snarled, "Who cares about the gorillas?! The situation has become more severe! Until we figure out how to deal with it, we must withdraw now!"

Clayton bellowed, "No one leaves until every gorilla is put in their cages! This is a hunt to the bitter end! And that means it won't be over until they're all brought down!"

Wrecker argued, "The bitter end? You're taking this too far!"

Clayton sneered, "I'm the hunter, and the hunter makes the rules. Only I will decide how far is too far."

Wrecker roared, "Look around you, you simpleton! We lost a lot of men, our ships are damaged, and I'm grievously hurt! You can't force us around in a time of crisis! Don't you understand?! The mission is lost! We need to regroup!"

Clayton said coldly, "Watch your words, Mr. Xalemon. You seem to forget that you're speaking to a member of the council controlling the Alliance of Evil, a man who can take away everything you got with one little snap of a finger."

Wrecker rolled his eyes, "Give me a break, Clayton. How did the Alliance of Evil end up with an egoist like you?" With a raise of his left hand, he motioned his minions to help him up, and they complied by hoisting him off the mound. "If you want to hunt gorillas so much, why don't you do it yourself?" With that said, Wrecker and his subordinates turned for the path separate from the one leading to the camp. He took one last glance at a baffled Clayton, before he scoffed and turned away with contempt. "Hmph!"

The veteran hunter seethed with resentment. For a second, he wanted to rush at Wrecker and hurt him for his ignorance, but he suddenly calmed down, and he seemed to have come up with other ideas. "You're right, I should." Clayton took out his rifle, and fired two rounds at the Sleepy Hollow wizards. They crumpled to the ground, their chests laden with bullet holes.

It didn't take long for Wrecker to take notice, and his disdain was replaced with shock. "Clayton! What are you doing?!"

Clayton growled, "I'm doing something that should've been done a long time ago!" And just like that, an aura of powerful darkness emanated throughout his body. Every bitter and resentful thought of being denied his greatest prize, his frustration at the lack of success, and the fury at being abandoned by his associates- Those feelings finally burst their boundaries and poured out of him, turning into a stream empowering his being.

Wrecker was standing there with his mouth half-open, clearly stunned at the flicker of darkness running deep within the veteran hunter. "It can't be! That's...!"

Suddenly, black dust emerged from where the bullets struck the Sleepy Hollow wizards, and the corpses melted into puddles. The liquid substances rose into the air and took the shape of two simian-like creatures. When the darkness cleared, two Powerwilds took the place of the deceased wizards. At that moment, they were joined by dozens of Powerwilds and Bouncywilds popping from dark portals. They stood alongside Clayton, who stared at Wrecker with murderous intent.

"Clayton..." Wrecker shuddered at the stunning revelation. "What have you done?!"

"I transformed every Sleepy Hollow and Poacher Fang wizard into Heartless," Clayton explained. "With a single shot of my rifle, they turn into my minions, and they do exactly as I say!" He then smirked, "You had your chance to fight Miss Marvell, Wrecker. But now it's my turn."

Two Powerwilds grabbed Wrecker, and four Bouncywilds flung their slingshots. The projectiles bounced against his bandaged chest, prompting a scream of pain from his mouth. His pants came heavy, and his face was sickly pale. Wrecker croaked, "W-Why... How could you... do this...?"

"Consider our partnership terminated," Clayton declared. "Your promises of money are very tempting, but I'll be getting twice that when I take over the Alliance of Evil. Once I'm finished turning every gorilla into Heartless, I'm going after Maleficent! The Alliance will be mine, and with it, all the wealth in the universe! It will be mine! Mine! MINE!" By looking into Clayton's eyes, Wrecker saw that he had changed for the worst. The suave, charismatic hunter was dead, consumed by the terrible darkness manifested by greed and lust. The eyes spat cruel vengeance, because they no longer knew how to do anything else.

"You... traitor..." Wrecker hissed, lifting his face to level his eyes with Clayton's. Before he could act, the treacherous hunter brought up his rifle and slammed the butt against his face.

Then dark.


Tree House

Nighttime had descended upon the Deep Jungle, the great river of trees touched by the eerie moonlight. Jane and her father had gone to sleep in order to recover from the recent chain of events, while the others decided to use the remaining time left to peruse the campsite's contents for their own comfort. Only two had left the campsite with the objective of finding Tarzan and speaking to him out of concern for his conflicting decision. Carla had taken Wendy up in the air with her wings as a means to search for any trace of his whereabouts from a wide view. The hours were long, but the task of finding their jungle friend was of utmost importance. Carla asked, "Have you found him?"

Wendy attempted to scope her eyes through the leaves of the treetops, hoping that Tarzan's presence was beyond the green. But he was nowhere to be seen. "No, not yet. But we have to keep looking." As she looked up, a gasp escaped her mouth. Widening her scope, she discovered a black dot standing at a familiar wooden house secured at the top of a giant tree. "Over there! I saw something at the tree house!"

Carla questioned, "Could it be Tarzan?"

Wendy suggested, "Let's check it out!"

The two glided towards the tree house, staying far above the trees below. The wind howled in Wendy's face, and she held her hair down to keep it from whipping behind her. They reached the balcony, where the Sky Maiden suspected that the object or person was positioned. As soon as they landed, Wendy and Carla were surprised to find that it was Tarzan standing on the balcony... and he appeared entirely different. He was wearing actual clothes! Tarzan's new attire consisted of a dark blue suit with equally dark blue pants, a red vest, a white button-up shirt secured by a tie, and black boots.

Wendy breathed, "There you are! Carla and I have been looking for you. There's something we've been meaning to tell you about Jane. But..." She paused to examine the outline of Tarzan's new clothing, and her relief turned to confusion. She decided to change the subject, "Where did you get these clothes?"

Tarzan heaved a deep sigh, before he gave his explanation. "My mother. She..." He hesitated a bit, and then he pressed on, "She told me everything."

Wendy's eyes widened in surprise. "What?"

Tarzan gestured to the tree house's interior, the windows and holes quietly lapping the room with moonlight, shooing away the darkness. "This is where she found me. Where I came from."

Carla rubbed her chin, "In a sense, Kala revealed to you the secrets of your origins. When you were a baby, you were abandoned in this tree house due to unknown circumstances."

Wendy guessed, "So, your real mother and father are..."

Tarzan sighed sadly, "Now I know."

Carla assumed, "Your adoptive mother must've been deeply concerned for your troubles. She had to do something to make you feel happy, whatever you decide." She then looked over the dark blue suit Tarzan wore, "Speaking of, it seems clear to me that you've decided already."

Wendy gasped softly, "You're really doing it? You're gonna..."

Judging by the look on Tarzan's face, they could tell that his mind was made up. The moment Kala uncovered the truth of his past was the time he decided to don the suit to make himself look human, which he actually was. He was ready to leave with Jane and take his rightful place among mankind and its flourishing society. But the memories of his adoptive gorilla family, all the times he spent with them and the dangers they faced together, would never fade away. Without a word, Tarzan departed from the balcony and walked down the house branch. Wendy and Carla stood in silence, watching their friend vanish into the darkness.

"Let's go," Carla told Wendy. The two followed Tarzan down the tree house, until their presence was no longer seen against the dark blue. Unbeknownst to them, Kala observed the rest of the scene with tears forming in her eyes. She knew that someday, her adoptive son would leave to be with his own kind, but seeing him depart from her life was heartbreaking. Although he was human, Tarzan was the closest thing she had to a son, and she sheltered him from the dangers of the jungle all his life. But those happy days were coming to an end. Right after he got dressed, Tarzan gave Kala one last embrace and promised that no matter where he went, she would always be his mother. He would never forget her, as she would never forget him.

"Goodbye, Tarzan," Kala whispered as tears fell. "You will always be in my heart."


It was the break of dawn, and the Porters were preparing to leave for home. It seemed to happen so fast that Jane and her father had to leave the gorillas' nesting ground so quickly following the intense battle yesterday. As a result, Clayton's involvement with the Alliance of Evil was exposed, though that didn't stop him from carrying out his obsession. Disposing of Wrecker was only the first step; he had to get Jane, Professor Porter, and especially Tarzan and Wendy out of the way. It seemed at first the group of heroes was already gone, but Clayton knew they would return if the gorillas were facing another crisis. Just in case, he had his rifle loaded.

Clayton continued to mask his dark intentions as the rowboat from the ship arrived to collect him and the Porters from the jungle. Jane made her way to the beach wearing a yellow shirt with a purple necktie, green skirt, purple stockings, and gray ankle boots with her hair tied in an elegant bun. She wanted to wear her yellow dress, but thanks to Tarzan's gorilla friend, it was ruined and she couldn't do so.

However, just as they were about to board the rowboat, a figure wearing a bluish black suit emerged from the trees.

"Tarzan!" Jane beamed. "You're coming with us?"

The ex-wild man's only response was a nod. He followed Jane to the rowboat, and it sailed away for the ship. Tarzan was excited of being with Jane in the civilized world, but he couldn't help but feel that he was leaving behind the only home he ever knew.

By the time the rowboat was beyond reach, Wendy, Donald, Goofy, Carla, Sherria, Alzack, Bisca, and Asuka burst out of the trees. Wendy and Carla informed the rest of their friends about Tarzan's decision to leave with Jane, and they hurriedly stormed onto the beach to see them off. "Tarzan!" Wendy called out, but her voice didn't reach as the rowboat was already far ahead.

Donald groaned, "Aww, phooey! We're too late! I can't believe he left us like that!"

Alzack stated, "His mind is so focused on Jane that he really wanted to get on that boat with her."

Bisca noted, "Now that he's discovered his roots, he's let it all in his head."

Donald grumbled, "If you ask me, that's just plain rude ditching us without saying goodbye. I guess he's too big of a gentleman now, like a sissy—"

Carla said dryly, "If you're comparing me to Tarzan, duck, you're sorely mistaken."

Donald raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean by that? I'm not talking about you."

Wendy suggested, "There's gotta be a reason why Tarzan had to leave. When I looked into his eyes last night, they were filled with sadness and guilt. His decision was a tough one, but he felt he was doing what he believed was right, even if he had to give up what he treasured the most." She paused to let it sink in, "Even his friends and family."

Donald said angrily, "That's the thing! He's turned his back on us! On his gorilla family! Ever since he dressed himself up in that groomy getup, he only cares about leaving the jungle, just so he can be with Jane." He calmed down a bit, "To be honest with you guys, I like it better if he's living a life in the wild. It suits him."

Carla guessed, "In a sense, you prefer him as a wild man than a gentleman. When did you come up with that opinion?"

Donald answered, "It's like Alzack and Bisca said; he handles the jungle like a pro. He can swing vines, climb trees, talk to animals... I really like this guy! He's a natural! He's the king of the jungle, unlike that big scary gorilla."

Goofy interjected, "You know what? I like the old Tarzan best, too."

Sherria agreed, "Me too! What's wrong with wild men? Wild men are the greatest! They're full of wisdom and experience!"

Alzack nodded, "Yeah, we all agree Tarzan's a nice guy. We like him for who he is, being a proud man of the wild and all. That, and he's a role model for the gorillas, somebody they needed for protection."

Wendy thought out loud, "Well, the gorillas are his friends. They're the best family he ever had. Even though he's different, they accept him as one of their own, and treated him with love and kindness."

Bisca said, "It's the same thing Fairy Tail did for kids like us who lost their way. Times were tough, but we've stuck together, 'cause that's what families do."

Wendy wondered, "Leaving a family behind for a better life out there... Did Tarzan make the right choice?"

Donald said bitterly, "You know what? He chose wrong."

Wendy tried to explain, "He only made that choice because—"

Donald shot an angry glance at the Sky Maiden, "What? So he can play Twister with his girlfriend and abandon the wildlife where he belongs?"

Wendy reasoned, "Donald, Tarzan's not like that! He's our friend."

Donald folded his arms and glared down, "Not anymore, Wendy." And in that instant, his voice was tinged with anguish. "Not anymore..."

Wendy said sympathetically, "Donald..."

Being the only one oblivious of Tarzan's motivation for leaving the jungle, Asuka turned to her parents and asked, "Mommy? Daddy? Where is Tarzan going?"

With a sad sigh, Alzack knelt alongside Asuka and wrapped his arm around her. "I don't know, sweetie. I don't know."

Bisca followed suit with her husband, "If only we knew..."

Just then, Wendy and company heard a splash in the water. They turned to see Terkina throwing a couple of rocks in a fit of rage, though deep inside, she was pained by the departure of her best friend. She, too, caught wind of Tarzan's intention to abandon the jungle, and she did not take the news lightly. Everybody couldn't help but feel sorry for the poor gorilla. "Good riddance, you bald ingrate! Who needs you, huh?! Go on, get outta here, bald boy! Go!" At the end of her rant, she sat beside Donald, who blinked at her in confusion. Terk stared back, "Hey, what are you lookin' at, feather boy? Can't you see I'm grieving?" Pushing away a webbed foot in frustration, she walked back into the trees, mumbling to herself.

Sherria stated, "That cute little gorilla took it the hardest. It broke her heart to see him go, and the others will follow..." She added with a deep sigh, "She misses Tarzan. We all do. We didn't even get to say goodbye..."

Donald frowned, "Well, good riddance! Now that he's living the fancy life, we can just forget it! Who needs him, anyway?" With one last glance at the ship, he turned for the trees. "Come on, guys. Let's head back to the Gummi Ship."

Bisca asked, "The Gummi Ship? You're talkin' about the vessel that lets you and Wendy get to other worlds?"

Donald nodded, "That's right."

Sherria questioned, "But how are we going to find it when we don't know where it is? It crashed somewhere."

Donald reminded, "Did you forget the Gummi Ship has a teleportation system? Goofy has a watch that takes us back to the ship in a flash, no matter where it is or how many people we bring."

Sherria confirmed, "Oh, right. We know that."

Goofy interjected, "But like you said, it crashed." He unwrapped his right sleeve to reveal his watch, which was beeping with a red light. "The teleportation system won't work unless the Gummi Ship's 100% repaired."

Sherria exclaimed, "Repaired?! So we're stuck here?!"

Goofy clarified, "Don't worry! The Gummi Ship also has an auto-repair function installed. It does all the fixin'."

Sherria smiled, "Well, that's good news. Is the ship fixed already?"

Goofy answered, "Do ya see the red light on my watch?" He held up the device for the others to take a closer look, "If it's glowin' red, the ship's not fixed yet. But if it glows green, it's already fixed." He then examined the statistics shown on the watch's small monitor, "The watch says it's 86% fixed, so it's gonna take thirty minutes before we teleport."

Donald complained, "Thirty minutes?! We've been in this jungle for a long time, and our ship hasn't been fixed?! There's nothing left to do here! We're not needed anymore!"

Alzack confirmed, "Well, the only thing we can do to pass the time is to explore the jungle a bit more. If we're lucky, we'll find what we missed."

Bisca nodded, "And when the ship's rarin' to go, we can get to the next world."

Carla affirmed, "Hopefully, we can find more of our Fairy Tail friends there."

Donald sighed, "I think I'm gonna take a nap at the bamboo thicket instead. If anyone needs me, I'm there."

With that decided, the group turned from the sight of the ship and retreated into the trees. Only Wendy remained to stare at the steel behemoth floating at sea one last time, as thoughts of Tarzan replayed in her mind. The wind swept up the ends of her hair and set it aflutter. "I'm worried about what you're getting yourself into. Just be safe, okay?" The wind stole her whispered words, hoping that in some way, Tarzan would receive her message.

Sherria called out from the clearing of trees, "Come on, Wendy!"

Wendy reluctantly complied, "Right..."

Meanwhile...

The rowboat docked next to the ship, and the sailors lowered the rope ladder for the passengers to climb up.

"Oh, Tarzan, you can't imagine what's in store for you!" Jane was getting Tarzan excited about the journey back to the mainland, not only because of how people would react once they see him, but also the fact that him coming along was enough to make her smile. "You're going to see the world and everyone's going to want to meet you!"

"Yes!" Professor Porter agreed, as he climbed up the ladder. "They'll be absolutely delighted to meet someone of your stature!"

"And I'll be with Jane?" Tarzan asked hopefully.

Those words made Jane blush deeply; her cheeks lit up as she tried to look away, though she couldn't. Tarzan was more than just a wild man, and they both knew it. "Yes. With Jane," she chuckled, before losing a bit of balance and grasping the ladder. "Slippery."

As soon as he helped Jane up the ladder, Tarzan took a few steps up, but stopped to take a final glance at his former home. This would be the last time he would ever see this place, but he already made his decision. There was no turning back now. He climbed the rest of the steps, ready for what could be his inevitable destiny.

Once Tarzan reached the top and set his feet on the surface, he was met with an unexpected scene.

The Heartless had invaded the ship! Powerwilds by the dozens flashed their claws menacingly, with Bouncywilds readying their slingshots. Tarzan's eyes widened in shock upon seeing the captain and his crew handcuffed and tied up, while Jane and Porter were being dragged away. By the look of things, something told him that this wasn't a pleasant welcome. "TARZAN!" Jane screamed, trying to break free from the combined grip of three Powerwilds. The Bouncywilds fired their slingshots at Tarzan, who climbed up a pole to dodge the rocks flying at high speed. "TARZAN!" Jane's screams resounded, and he looked down to see her, her father, and the sailors thrown into the ship's cargo hold.

"Jane!" Tarzan yelled. His leg was caught by a Powerwild's claws before he could make a jump for the cargo hold, and he was forced to kick it off. With more Powerwilds swarming the masts, he took a huge pounce in the air and grabbed the edge of the ship's funnel. However, the giant steel pipe proved to be highly resistant, considering Tarzan was not accustomed to climbing steel objects. Eventually, his fingers slipped, allowing him to crash into a stack of crates, scattering the wood into little pieces. Tarzan groaned from the intense pain, and when he tried to stand up, he was quickly forced to submission against the wall by four Powerwilds. He struggled to break free when a gunshot rang throughout the air.

"That's enough, boys!" The booming voice belonged to Clayton, who fired his rifle to catch the attention of every Heartless minion present on deck. Soon, the commotion was silenced.

"Clayton?!" Tarzan exclaimed. In an instant, the emergence of the Heartless and their kidnapping of the passengers made complete sense. The Powerwilds and Bouncywilds responded obediently with a single shot of Clayton's rifle, hence revealing him as the mastermind behind the setup.

"Why, hello, Tarzan," Clayton greeted casually. "Quite a lovely outfit you're wearing. You're just in time for the party." He walked over and stopped to look down at the baffled ape man, "Where are your otherworldly friends, I wonder? Have they come to celebrate as well?"

"Wendy!" Tarzan gasped, looking back to the view of the jungle. The last time he saw Wendy was the night at the tree house, and the following morning, he was so focused on preparing for his departure that he barely had time to speak with her. He figured that the Sky Maiden and her companions were still in the jungle or had left somewhere else; they were lucky to have been spared from Clayton's wiles. Tarzan was both relieved and worried at once; he thought that Wendy was unable to come to his rescue. If he had stayed a bit longer and informed her, even let her come along, he would've easily averted that hostile reception.

Clayton chuckled in amusement, noticing that the ape man couldn't find an answer to his question. "How disappointing that they weren't here to partake in the festivities." He brought up Tarzan's chin with the tip of his rifle, "They probably abandoned you and left in their own ship, thinking that their business in the jungle is concluded. This is exactly the opportunity I've been waiting for!"

The cruelty in the veteran hunter's voice was so great that it turned Tarzan's shock into fire. He broke his chin away from the rifle's barrel, then narrowed his eyes. "Clayton, you..." A terrible desire festered inside Tarzan, compelling him to lash at Clayton for his deception. "YOU—" He was suddenly jabbed in the gut by the rifle's back end, forcing him on his knees. The Powerwilds released him, allowing him to clutch his stomach.

"So sorry about the rude welcome, old boy, but I couldn't have you or your friends get in the way when I turn your furry friends into Heartless," Clayton smirked, as he put his rifle away.

"Turn them into Heartless?" Tarzan struggled to ask his question, as the pain inflicted by the rifle continued to swell in his chest. "Why?"

"Why? For power, control, and a fine feed of boundless riches! Actually..." Clayton knelt down to Tarzan's level and placed a hand on his shoulder, giving him a mocking smile. "...I have you to thank, my boy. Couldn't have done it without you."

Tarzan was shocked, both from his own action and from the fruit of Clayton's scheme. He had been tricked into revealing the location of the gorillas' nesting ground, and left it vulnerable to outsiders. Because of his terrible mistake, he had deliberately led his adoptive family to certain doom. Now, he wished he had listened to Kerchak.

"With you and those magical degenerates out of the way, nothing will stop me now! No one! NO ONE!" No sooner had Clayton stood up to his feet than the amassing darkness seeped in his skin, responding to the insatiable greed in his heart. The surface of the ship vibrated where he stood, the dark energy grew into an aura. His voice boiled into lust, and it only added more fire to the darkness.

"Clayton...?" Tarzan stared incredulously at the transformation. He began to realize that Clayton had been poisoned, corrupted, turned into something he was not. It looked like he had discarded his heart for absolute power. He thought he could control it, but in reality, that power was controlling him. It was not the heart that compelled Clayton to commit such treachery, but the overwhelming darkness within. His shock turned to desperation, Tarzan attempted to pry himself from the Powerwilds, crying out with a long inarticulate scream to the sky.

Back at the jungle...

The ape man's shout sent a powerful transmission that echoed all the way to the heart of the Deep Jungle. Fortunately, the piercing cry of distress made its way to Wendy and company, who left the beachside to traverse the ocean of trees. "Tarzan?!" Wendy immediately stopped as a gasp escaped her mouth, her eyes widening in surprise upon recognizing the tone of the message.

The Sky Dragon Slayer's reaction had not gone unnoticed by Donald, Goofy, and Carla. The white Exceed was the first to respond, "What is it, Wendy?"

Wendy asked, "Did you hear that?"

Goofy questioned, "Hear what?"

Wendy answered, "That voice, it sounded like Tarzan. And he sounded like..." She added with uncertainty heaving at her chest, "...like he's in trouble!"

Carla questioned, "Are you sure about this?"

Wendy replied uneasily, "I don't know. But it sure sounded like he needs help."

Donald answered sarcastically, "Yeah, well, why doesn't he get his new friends to help him? I don't care." He then turned away, not caring about the state the ape man was in at the moment. "If he wanted help, then he shouldn't have left us. Am I right, Wendy?" He paused to hear the Sky Maiden's response, but when he received none, he asked again. "Wendy? Wendy!" He turned around to see Wendy charging out of the trees at breakneck speed, carried by Carla's wings, much to his dismay. "Wendy, wait!" But it was too late, as the two were approaching the large vessel just a few miles away. All Donald could do was stare helplessly. "Wait for me..."

Goofy worried, "Gawrsh, I just hope Wendy knows what she's doin'!"

At the ship...

"Hurry, Carla! We have to get to that boat!" Wendy called, and her white Exceed companion responded by keeping up the pace. Upon approaching the surface of the ship from above, their worst fears were confirmed as they saw Powerwilds and Bouncywilds prancing along the deck as they pleased. "It's the Heartless!" Wendy cried. "How did they get here?"

Carla guessed, "I wager they sabotaged the ship. Tarzan's cry for help proved to be accurate. To ensure the safety of those aboard, we must defeat them all."

The two made their descent towards the ship's surface, the Blue Mistral gripped firmly in Wendy's hand. With a powerful bang, the Sky Maiden plummeted her Keyblade against the floor, emitting a shockwave that pushed away five Powerwilds. Carla morphed into her human form and sided with the young Keyblade wielder in a fighting stance. Unbeknownst to them, Clayton had already departed from the ship in a boat operated by several Heartless pawns, grinning evilly at the jungle as he traveled to claim his prize.

The Powerwilds and Bouncywilds surrounded Wendy and Carla, all of them respectively flashing their claws and slingshots. Wendy determined, "You're trying to hurt Tarzan and Jane, are you? Sorry, but we won't let that happen!" Three Powerwilds came rushing at her, but Wendy easily responded with a Sonic Blade, tearing them apart and sending three hearts flying into the air. Three more rushed at her from behind, only to have Carla do a White Moon maneuver to distract them, allowing the Sky Dragon Slayer to dispatch them with 3-hit Keyblade combos. Looking to the left, the two saw five Bouncywilds beginning to fling their slingshots. Carla performed a series of lightning fast kicks that deflected the projectiles, while Wendy cast Sky Dragon's Roar, taking them all out. Four more Bouncywilds scurried around the deck, leaving behind banana peels in an attempt to have their enemies drop their guard. But before any of them could react, Wendy ran up to them and destroyed two Bouncywilds with 3-hit Keyblade combos, one with Sky Dragon's Claw, and the last with Sky Dragon's Crushing Fang. The rest of the Heartless came after Wendy and Carla, but they fared no better against their combined teamwork and well-timed accuracy. Within two minutes, the deck was cleared of Heartless after Wendy cast Sky Dragon's Roar on the last three Powerwilds, destroying them while inadvertently tearing away the large cage securing the ship's cargo hold. Though the battle was arduous and the numbers countless, she and Carla gained satisfaction from their victory.

Wendy confirmed, "I think that's the last of them. Where are Tarzan and Jane?"

A myriad of voices echoed from where the Sky Dragon's Roar struck the cage.

Carla responded, "They may be in there. Let's go."

Walking over to the huge hole in the steel hatch, the two peered down into the darkness, and much to their surprise, they found Tarzan, Jane, Professor Porter, and the ship's crew trapped inside. Tarzan had a wide smile across his face upon seeing his rescuers. "Wendy!"

Wendy cried happily, "Tarzan! Jane! You're okay!"

Jane smiled, "You came just in the nick of time! Thank you so much, Wendy!"

Porter asked, "Excuse me, Miss Marvell, but do you mind if you give us a lift?"

Wendy offered, "I've got this! O swift winds, send speed to the heavens... Vernier!" All of a sudden, magic circles appeared underneath those held captive in the cargo hold, and they began to float in midair, encased in orbs of light. Soon, everyone was whisked out of the brig, though some were a bit startled by the Sky Maiden's enchantment. The captain, the sailors, and the only three passengers on the ship were all gathered, expressing relief for their freedom. Tarzan appeared before Wendy and Carla a tattered mess, no longer wearing his blue suit and tie, his white button-up long-sleeved shirt ripped apart as a result of enduring torture from the Heartless. Wendy asked, "What's going on? What happened to all of you?"

Tarzan looked over at the others, his face grim. "Clayton."

Wendy and Carla exclaimed in unison, "Clayton?!"

Jane admitted, "Clayton finally lost his mind. He is more determined than ever to hunt down the gorillas. He locked all of us up to ensure no one would interfere with him." She then smiled, "But you saved us all. And those orbs of light that surrounded us and swept us upward... Another magic spell in your disposal, I take it?" A nod from Wendy answered her. "Again, thank you so much."

Wendy questioned, "What were the Heartless doing here on the ship?"

Jane asked, "You're referring to the simian-looking creatures that appeared on deck. Well..." She then gave Wendy a serious look, "Would you believe me if I told you they're Clayton's minions?"

Wendy's eyes grew wide, "What?! They're..."

Porter nodded, "It's true! We saw it with our own eyes! Those monsters obey his every command. For instance, they immediately responded to him when they heard his gunshot."

Jane added, "And it just got worse; before we were locked up, we saw his body exploding with some form of dark magic."

Carla gasped, "Dark magic? How did he come to possess it?"

Porter shrugged, "I'm not sure, my dear. But I dread Mr. Clayton may have changed for the worst."

Wendy wondered out loud, "Dark magic... He can control Heartless, too?"

Carla confirmed, "If that's so, both Clayton and Wrecker share the same purpose. I suppose this means Alzack and Bisca were right."

Wendy tapped her chin, "The Alliance of Evil..."

Jane confessed, "This is all my fault, everyone. I should've realized this sooner. This wasn't supposed to happen."

Tarzan shook his head, "No, I did this." Remorse for his role in assisting Clayton weighed heavily in his heart; his decision to leave the jungle had led his gorilla family to become easy prey. "I betrayed my family. Kerchak was right."

Wendy shook her head in refusal, "You're wrong! It wasn't your fault! It was Clayton. He tricked you into leading Wrecker to the nesting ground. You didn't know what was going to happen until now." She added with bright encouragement, "But it's not too late. We can fix this. So don't blame yourself for what happened to your family."

Tarzan looked up to the Sky Dragon Slayer with hope. "Wendy..."

Wendy assured, "We'll do whatever it takes to keep your family safe from evil men like Clayton." She took Tarzan's hand and held it in both of hers, "That's what a Fairy Tail wizard is all about. We make things right for everyone. And we do it together."

Tarzan whispered, "Together..." He placed his hand on top of the pile, his chest rising with the comforting words Wendy filled him with. In an instant, all his worries and insecurities were washed away. There would always be a friend to turn to when times are filled with obscurity, and he was lucky to have found someone like Wendy. At that moment, he looked back with a confident expression.

Wendy cheered, "Yeah, that's it! You can't give up yet. You would never turn on your friends, just as you would never turn on your gorilla family, right?"

Tarzan nodded happily, "Right. Thank you, Wendy. We can save gorillas. We can save everyone."

Wendy commented, "You know, when I first met you, you were very brave in the face of danger. You would do anything to protect others. That's what I saw in anyone who joined my guild." She then giggled, "And I owe you for saving my life back then. I thought I was done for when Wrecker almost had me. But now, I'm gonna return the favor by helping you save the gorillas."

Tarzan agreed, "Yes. We must save gorillas."

Wendy nodded, "Right!"

Jane suggested, "There's still time if we get to the gorillas before Clayton does. We must help them in any way we can!"

Porter shuddered, "Oh, the thought of those magnificent creatures becoming trophies for evil men... What is this world coming to?"

Wendy vowed, "We'll protect the gorillas. We promise you!" She turned to Carla and Tarzan, "Come on, guys!" The white Exceed carried the young Keyblade bearer upward with her wings, and the two flew back to the beachside. Not ten seconds later, Tarzan discarded his formal clothing and returned to his original jungle attire. Ignoring the bewildered looks from the sailors, he leapt over the railing and dove into the water, trying to keep up with Wendy and Carla. Now Jane, Porter, and the ship's crew remained on the deck.

The captain turned to the Porters, "Professor, Miss Porter, what are you planning to do?"

Jane proposed, "My father and I will go as well. We have to help somehow."

The captain responded, "Leave it to us! We'll lower a boat for you!"


Normally, the gorillas would relish in the bosom of their nesting ground after the destructive conflict yesterday, but seeing as how Wrecker Xalemon reduced it to ash, they were forced to move elsewhere. The hours were extensive, but the gorilla troop succeeded in finding another safe place in the jungle. There, they would nest, raise their young, and hopefully find shelter from vicious predators, the worst being the strangers who invaded and trashed their last nesting ground. Today, the morning was young, and the gorillas continued to live their lives peacefully in a paradise untouched by man (recently), overseen by their strict and proud leader, Kerchak.

However, Kerchak sensed that all was not well in the new nesting ground. He turned to see a nest quite distant from the rest of the family, and saw Kala resting on it. She was still depressed following Tarzan's departure that not even the comfort given to her by some of her kind was helping. Her adoptive son had left, but at least he was with his own kind. Kerchak sighed heavily. He certainly didn't want his mate to be sad.

The bliss was shattered when a swarm of Heartless popped out of nowhere, having tracked the gorillas' trail through Clayton's findings. Some gorillas hooted in fright, while others held their offspring defensively. Kerchak stared at the intruders with contempt.

Then it was chaos.


As Wendy and Carla landed on the sand, and Tarzan emerged from the water after a long swim, they saw Donald, Goofy, Sherria, Alzack, Bisca, and Asuka waiting for them. The Sky God Slayer looked at the three and said, "Hey, Wendy, Carla! You're back! And Tarzan, too!"

Donald demanded, "What's going on here? Where have you been?"

Wendy explained, "It was Clayton. He captured everyone on the ship, and there were Heartless everywhere! Carla and I flew over there to rescue Tarzan, Jane, her father, and the crew."

The group gasped at the revelation that the veteran hunter was up to no good again. Alzack spoke his reaction first, "Clayton did this?" His answer was confirmed by three collective nods.

Bisca crossed her hips, "Dang, I never thought he'd stoop so low. He's in league with those heart-eatin' freaks of nature?"

Carla nodded, "Correct. He associated himself with the Heartless, as Jane and Professor Porter feared. It would appear his madness has been taken to an entirely new level."

Sherria frowned, "He really is a monster, just like that big bully Wrecker Xalemon."

Goofy worried, "He's goin' after the gorillas again, isn't he? We gotta stop 'im, quick!"

Donald interrupted, "Wait just a minute! Before we get started, I just wanna ask something." He walked over to Tarzan and stared at him suspiciously, "What got you into coming back here all of a sudden? You changed your mind? Or do you still wanna go on a tropical cruise?"

Wendy cleared her throat, then gave her explanation, "Tarzan realized he made the wrong decision. If he left the jungle, he would've turned his back on everything that mattered to him the most, just to live a different life out there." She gestured to the view of the ship to make her point. "But with what's happening right now, he remembered what's really important. He knew what he had to do to make it right. That's why he came back."

Donald's eyes widened, "Huh?! You don't mean..."

Wendy said happily, "That's right. The jungle is his one true home, and the gorillas are his one true family. This is where he belongs." She turned to Tarzan, who nodded with her in compliance.

That statement brought elation to Donald's heart, as he began cheering and jumping for joy. "Oh, boy! The king of the jungle is back! It's about time you got that straight!"

Sherria followed suit, "Alright! It's good to have you back!"

Goofy beamed, "Well, I'll be! Tarzan knows where he truly belongs! And it's right here!"

Alzack smiled, "Just what we'd expect from the best friend we can turn to in the wild."

Bisca quipped, "Hey, it doesn't matter if you're human or wild. We like you just the way you are."

Asuka cheered, "Yay! Tarzan! Tarzan!"

The compliments continued to shower on the ape man, and they filled his heart with a comforting warm glow. That moment of bliss was only brief when they heard a rustling from the trees, accompanied by a series of hoots. They all turned to see Terkina popping out of the bushes, crushing Tarzan in a tight hug with tears bawling out of her eyes. "It's Terk!" Wendy recognized.

"Oh, Tarzan!" Terk sobbed. "I thought I'd never see you again, and here you are!"

"Terk!" Tarzan responded in gorilla language. "Of course I came back. I'd never abandon the family, would I? Especially my best friend."

"Yeah, I get ya," Terk grinned, releasing the hug and wiping away the last tears running down her face. Seconds later, her relief was instantly replaced with alarm. "We've got a major problem, T! The bad guys forced everyone out of our new nesting ground! They're cornered in the cliffs!"

"The cliffs?!" Tarzan exclaimed.

"What's wrong?" Wendy asked him.

"Gorillas are trapped," Tarzan interpreted Terk's message in English. "In the cliff near waterfall. Terk ran."

"We gotta hurry!" Wendy insisted. "Tarzan, lead the way!"

"Suppose you got room for one more, huh?" Terk smirked. She took hold of Tarzan's arm, catching his attention. "You're gonna need a sidekick." Staring into the female gorilla's face of resolve, the ape man was compelled to admire her dedication to see it through, and he accepted with a nod. Terk then turned to Donald, "Oh, and thanks for bringing him back, Mr. Feather Guy." Led to believe that the duck was somehow responsible for bringing Tarzan back to the jungle, she ruffled the feathers around his exposed butt.

"WAK!" Donald squawked in surprise, and jerked his head to see Terk circling her paws around his butt. "G-Get away from me!" He inched himself away, never noticing Goofy and Sherria snickering at his misfortune. Afterwards, Donald straightened himself and turned for the trees. "Let's get going!"

Tarzan's focus was set on the pathway leading back to the Deep Jungle. He trotted his way into the green abyss, with Wendy, Donald, Goofy, Carla, Sherria, Alzack, Bisca, Asuka, and Terk following close behind. "Wait!" Everyone stopped in their tracks upon hearing a familiar voice, and they turned to see Jane and Professor Porter making their way back to the beachside on a small rowboat operated by a sailor.

"Jane! Professor!" Wendy spoke up. "You're coming with us, too?"

"Tarzan's not the only one who played a role in Clayton's scheme," Jane said firmly, as she and her father walked over to join them. "We're going after him, too. Our minds are made up."

"We may not be of much help, but we're behind you all the way," Porter spoke with confidence. "Let's settle this matter with our former associate, shall we, our friends from other worlds?"

"Jane..." Tarzan said softly. He looked Jane straight in the eye for a moment, gazing at the slight determination burning within her pupils.

"Alright," Wendy accepted with a nod. "But you have to be really careful, okay? It's gonna get messy."

"Rest assured, Miss Marvell, we're a family of professional explorers," Porter grinned. "We're more than capable of holding our own."

Suddenly, huge dots of black stained the jungle, creating ripples against the green. Everyone turned to the trees, and through the leaves, they saw a horde of Powerwilds and Bouncywilds blocking their path.

"Goodness!" Porter gasped, backing away with his daughter. "It's those dark simian creatures!"

"They're coming to get us!" Jane worried. "What are we going to do?"

"The only thing we know how," Wendy replied bravely, summoning her Keyblade. "Cut our way through!"

With strong hearts and fierce determination, the Sky Maiden and her friends charged against the maelstrom of Heartless infesting the jungle, with Terkina, Jane, and Porter catching up with them. Despite the increase in numbers, the Powerwilds and Bouncywilds fell just as quickly as they tried to land a hit; the team of heroes, utilizing full use of their weaponry and magic, were like an unstoppable force against an endless swarm of flies. Wendy and company would sometimes stop to take a short break and restore their energy after cutting through so many. But they kept pressing on, never to rest until they reached the cliff area. There, the final battle for the Deep Jungle would begin.


Cliff

The gorilla troop in its entirety was rounded up into a small area completely sealed off by cliffs of dirt and rock, leaving only a few escape routes. The stone walls flourished with growths of ivy and other kinds of vegetation, and the roots of trees protruded from within the earth. Leaves and branches of trees were seen, but not much light managed to reach this far to the ground; any glimmer that illuminated the cliff area came from the other side of one of the higher dirt walls, which was almost impossible to scale due to the lack of footholds or handholds.

The gorillas all huddled together, shaking in terror as they stared at Clayton and his horde of Powerwilds hopping up and down in place, their glowing yellow eyes locked. The evil hunter reveled in the moment of his greatest triumph, thinking that Tarzan and the others were locked in the brig back on the ship, while Wendy had left the Deep Jungle. This would set the stage for his ultimate ambition to rebel against the Alliance of Evil and pursue his own agendas. Stepping forward, he loaded and cocked his rifle, aiming it at Kala. She appeared to be paralyzed, her feet to the ground, her body quaking. She looked to the others, but couldn't even find her voice to call for help. "I think this one will be the first to fall," Clayton hissed. Kerchak roared at this offense, and before he knew it, a group of Powerwilds pounced in the silverback's direction. The rest of the gorillas screamed and hollered, pounding their massive fists against the dirt and baring their teeth.

The hunter's finger began to slowly pull the trigger. One shot, and Kala was history...

"Sonic Blade!" Wendy destroyed the Powerwilds before they could make a landing on Kerchak with a supersonic Keyblade thrust.

"Goofy Bash!" Goofy turned his shield into a spinning disc that flew towards Clayton, who ducked to avoid it, only to have his rifle knocked out of his hands.

"Blizzard!" Donald shot an icy crystal from his staff, and it struck Clayton in the back, shoving his face against the dirt.

Soon, the rest of the group assembled to confront the villainous hunter. They had arrived just in the nick of time! Clayton looked up to see Wendy and company drawing their respective weapons and magic, and banged his fists in frustration, realizing that his plans were now at risk of being ruined.

"You came back..." Kerchak looked at Tarzan with wide eyes. He couldn't believe that the ape man would return to save the family after he had renounced his respect for him for what happened the other day.

"I came home. And I brought help," Tarzan clarified. He thrust his arm to Wendy and the others, who nodded in assurance.

"They're helping us? Are you sure?" Kerchak asked incredulously, gazing at the group of strangers. "I never knew they could-"

"No time to explain!" Tarzan insisted. "Get the others to safety! Now!"

"Everybody!" Terk hollered to the other gorillas. "Run for the trees!"

Not wanting to argue, all of the gorillas retreated into the higher reaches of the area, from the trees to the tops of the cliffs. Kerchak hurried to Kala's side and examined her quickly, before looking back to Tarzan and his allies, feeling a hint of confidence for their resolve. He gestured his mate to follow him, and she obeyed almost immediately. Asuka, Jane, and her father also took shelter in one of the cliffs, watching from the sidelines and wishing the heroes good luck.

"Can we leave this to Miss Marvell and her friends, dear?" Porter asked his daughter.

"Absolutely. I'm sure they'll settle the scores a lot more than we can," Jane nodded.

"Go, Mommy! Go, Daddy! Get the bad guy! Get the bad guy!" Asuka cheered.

Baffled at how everything had spiraled out of control, Clayton stood up and grabbed his gun. He eyed the team of Wendy, Donald, Goofy, Tarzan, Carla, Sherria, Alzack, and Bisca, seething with wrath. "You meddling brats! I was this close to becoming the greatest hunter that ever lived, and you ruined it. You shouldn't have come back."

Wendy shouted, "Clayton! What you're doing is wrong! You and Wrecker were trying to hurt the gorillas!"

Clayton smirked, "How thoughtful of you, Miss Marvell. You and your friends guessed right; Wrecker Xalemon and I were partners, and our objective was to turn the gorillas into subservient Heartless. I've been keeping an eye on you from the very beginning, waiting for the right opportunity to strike." His voice became tinged with anger, "This would've been easy if it weren't for your persistence! I should've known that oaf wouldn't have the spine to finish you!"

Bisca glared, "So you finally admit it, huh? Too bad Wrecker ain't here to help ya."

Alzack taunted, "How can you expect to win when the odds aren't in your favor? Just stand down."

Clayton just chuckled, as if he wasn't intimidated by Alzack's threat. "Is that what you think, Mr. Connell? That I don't stand a chance? It won't do you any good, I'm afraid. You failed to realize that you were all trapped like mice in a cage."

Carla raised an eyebrow, "I beg your pardon?"

Clayton continued, "I knew that a certain Keyblade wielder would rise to ruin my plans. You know far too much for your own good. So I came perfectly prepared..."

Wendy asked, "Prepared? What are you talking about?"

Clayton explained, "I thought you'd never ask. For too long, people have denied me my dream of scoring the most vicious animals in the wild. Not a day goes by when those unappreciative of my talents mocked me, jeered at me, shut me out. That's when I realized..." He then put his head down, "...that the most efficient way to carry out my dream is to surrender to a power beyond imagination. The power of darkness." Without warning, the aura of darkness pulsated around his body, causing the earth beneath him to shake. Clayton looked back up and sneered at the group with eyes that were as black as a crow, driven by the instinct to peck upon the flesh of an innocent bystander and savor every last moment of it. Everyone was stunned at the hunter's attempt at doing something so absurd. Wendy and Tarzan, on the other hand, knew exactly what that meant. "Darkness is the ultimate weapon. A weapon so great, it shrouds all from existence. I've been granted this power so that I'll rid myself of any vermin crossing my path. I can even turn any living creature into a Heartless with a single shot of my rifle!" His voice grew emotionless and cold like a rock, "I let the darkness engulf my being, my very entity... for the power I needed to take you down. But in order to do so, I threw away the only thing I did not value..." The last words came in the form of a menacing roar, "My heart!"

Wendy screamed in disbelief, "You WHAT?! How could you throw away your heart? Just so you can use a dangerous power like that?! How selfish can you be?" She stopped to look into the darkness empowering Clayton's figure. All at once, she sensed something within the terrible emptiness: the greed, the lust, the rage, the jealousy, and an all-consuming void. The heart was something everyone cherished, and just throwing it away like a piece of trash was the lowest thing anyone could possibly do. Without a heart, you can't feel, and Clayton had no qualms casting it aside. After much deliberation, Wendy narrowed her eyes at him. "No... You're not..." A brief pause, and she tightened her grip on the Keyblade. "You're not Clayton at all. You're different."

Tarzan cried out, "Not Clayton! Ee-ooh-ooh-oo-ah! Not Clayton!"

Watching from one of the cliffs, Jane and her father were in disbelief to have seen Clayton's true nature; a heartless and cruel man twisted by the darkness. If they hadn't hired him for the expedition, things would've been different.

Clayton licked his lips in pleasure, "It doesn't matter how you think of me. The only thing I care about is darkness, and darkness has rewarded me for fulfilling its payment! Allow me to give you a proper demonstration..." Gripping the rifle in one hand, he raised the other and snapped his fingers. Another horde of Powerwilds emerged and rushed to his side, drawn by his lust for power and the incorrigible darkness in his heart. "You made a foolish choice to face me, but you have made your decision... or you would've realized only a humiliating defeat will await you."

Wendy gritted her teeth, "You've gone too far this time... You've become no different than the Heartless. I don't know how many more people you need to hurt before you're satisfied, but it ends now." She pointed her Keyblade at him, "We're gonna take you down!"

Clayton laughed evilly, "Well, won't this be fun? Very well... If that's how it is, I'm ready for you. I'm going to make you all my trophies!" With a motion of his arm, he gave an order to the Powerwilds. "Get them!" They immediately leapt into action, their claws set on tearing their enemies apart. The gorillas shrieked and pounded their fists excitedly against any flat surface they could find, as they watched the battle about to ensue.

"Here goes nothing!" Wendy called to her friends.

"Yeah!" They all shouted in agreement.

Let the battle begin! Wendy dispatched the first wave of Powerwilds with Keyblade combinations, having focused her Sky Dragon Slayer Magic on her arms and legs to boost herself. Donald destroyed a few more with various Fire and Blizzard spells, Goofy with Goofy Tornado and Goofy Rocket, Tarzan with his spear, Carla with her kicks, Sherria with Sky God's Boreas, Alzack with Guns Magic: Spark Shot, and Bisca with Guns Magic: Wide Shot. A minute went by from eliminating countless Powerwilds, and Tarzan bounded towards Clayton, slicing through a few Heartless with ease. Wendy followed him after blocking and pushing away a Powerwild with Sky Dragon's Crushing Fang, the steel of the Blue Mistral flashing in the dim light.

"We'll cover you, Wendy! Blizzard!" Donald shot another crystal, freezing three Powerwilds in place, turning them into blocks of solid ice. Carla delivered a series of kicks that shattered the frozen statues into pieces. "Thanks for the assist."

"No thanks needed," Carla replied. "But we need to focus on the battle."

"You got it," Donald agreed, returning to his focus on the remaining Powerwilds. Without enough time to cast a spell, he slid over to the left, dodged a Powerwild's claws, and bashed it on the head with his staff. "Thunder!" He then shot out a thunderbolt from the sky, frying the Heartless to bits.

"Sky God's Bellow!" Sherria conjured up a powerful gust of black wind, incinerating six Powerwilds in one blast.

"Guns Magic: Blast Bullet!" Alzack and Bisca fired in unison multiple bullets composed of a blue-colored flame, taking out six more Heartless.

With Donald, Goofy, Carla, Sherria, Alzack, and Bisca holding off Clayton's army of Powerwilds, the veteran hunter was forced to deal with the two problems that could prevent his quest for domination. The gorillas continued to holler, jumping slightly in place as they watched. Kala looked out over the battlefield, her eyes wide with worry for her adopted son. But she wasn't the only one; Jane, Professor Porter, and Asuka were wondering who would win in the end.

Clayton glared at Wendy and Tarzan, "I knew you were trouble from the very beginning, you little pests..." He raised his rifle, and instead of taking aim at either of the two standing before him, the barrel was focused on Donald, much to their surprise. "Letting you live was the worst mistake I ever made." Slowly, he began to pull the trigger, "Time to say good—"

"Sonic Blade!" Wendy lunged the Keyblade against Clayton's chest in a speed so unbelievably fast, that it caused him to raise the barrel upward. His finger squeezed the trigger, and a gunshot rang in the air. The Sky Dragon Slayer followed with five consecutive thrusting attacks, the last blow sending Clayton flying with his back behind the nearest cliff. She declared, "You won't shoot anyone! Not while we're around!"

"Ugh...! You're tougher than I expected," Clayton muttered, taking out a Potion from his pocket and drinking it to restore a portion of his health. Throwing the bottle aside, he aimed the rifle at Wendy and Tarzan. "I shall dispose of you quickly, and then go after your friends."

"That's not gonna happen! Sky Dragon's Claw!" Wendy flexed her wind-pulsated legs, kicking the conceited hunter in the chin and sending him flying in the air.

"Yaaahhh!" Tarzan charged and swung his spear repeatedly, swatting Clayton in midair.

"Sky Dragon's Crushing Fang!" Wendy jumped and scratched her wind claw across the chest.

"Ragggh!" Tarzan delivered a kick that sent the evil hunter crashing to the ground.

"Sky Dragon's Roar!" Finally, Wendy summoned a mighty gust of wind that smashed Clayton against the cliff with great force. He slumped with his back on the stone wall, moaning in pain.

The gorilla troop cheered loudly at Wendy and Tarzan's victory. The ape man looked up to see his adoptive family praising him and his allies for their valiant effort, with Jane, Porter, and Asuka joining the applause. Even Kerchak and Kala were impressed, their jaws dropping open slightly. Donald, Goofy, Carla, Sherria, Alzack, and Bisca joined the others, having defeated the last of Clayton's Powerwilds. For a moment, it seemed as though the battle was won.

Alzack asked, "Did you get him?"

Wendy gestured to the weakened hunter slouching against the cliff, then nodded, "No worries! We got him cornered."

Bisca grinned, "Serves him right for tryin' to mess with a kid! Chalk another one for Wendy!"

Donald stated, "You handled that grubby poacher with style."

Goofy added, "And you've done it good!"

Sherria admired, "Nice work out there, Wendy!"

Carla informed, "We're not finished yet."

From the cliff, Kerchak examined the result of the battle with curiosity brimming in his psyche. He thought to himself, "Those strangers... They're fighting with Tarzan, and they don't seem to mean us no harm. Can they be trusted...?"

Terk whooped, "Go, Tarzan, go! This ain't the time to relax just yet!"

Kala prayed softly, "You can do it, Tarzan. I believe in you."

Gathering every ounce of strength in his body, Clayton hoisted himself up, using his rifle for support. He looked up to see Wendy and company surrounding the stone wall, blocking any chance at escape. To them, this was going to be an easy win. Wendy registered her demand to the defenseless hunter, "It's over, Clayton. You've got nowhere to run."

But instead of admitting defeat, Clayton let out a sadistic chuckle. Apparently, he was unfazed by the group's intention to wear him down. The blackness in his eyes still remained, and his smirk continued to fester. "Really? Are you sure?" He pulled the rifle away and rested it on his shoulder, as though he had something else planned. The group stood their ground, expecting the worst from the villainous hunter.

Suddenly, the large stone wall behind Clayton exploded, as though dynamite had been set on the other side, sending large chunks of rock flying out in multiple directions. A menacing screech was heard from within the cloud of dust, but as soon as it cleared, there was nothing to be seen, except for a large hole at the center. Another chuckle managed to escape Clayton's mouth. Tarzan, unable to continue staring at that ugly mug of his, clenched his teeth together and made a charge with his spear.

Wendy felt her stomach harden as she watched her jungle friend going on the offensive. Something was not right... She could tell by the foul stench she picked up with her nose that Clayton wasn't alone. Looking back to her friends, she saw that they had the same suspicions. Tarzan leapt into the air, preparing for his attack, and Wendy anticipated the trap. She cried out, "Tarzan, no!"

At that moment, Tarzan felt an invisible force smacking his body. He was sent flying back, colliding with the hard ground and rolling a few feet from the group. In an instant, a new wave of fright overcame the cliff area. Wendy and company hurried over to Tarzan, concerned for the well-being of their jungle companion. The gorillas hooted in disapproval, while Jane, Porter, Asuka, and Kala looked on with worry. As for Kerchak, his intuition was telling him that Tarzan needed help. For a second, he wanted to rush at Clayton and break his body in half, to stop him from laying further injury.

Wendy bent down and placed a gentle hand on Tarzan's shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Tarzan managed to stand back on all fours, rubbing his back. "I'm fine."

Goofy wondered, "What's goin' on?"

The clicking sound of a gun being reloaded was heard, followed by the most unusual animal noise ever heard. Wendy and her friends turned around, and were dismayed to find Clayton floating in midair. Was he levitating? Soon, the mysterious screech filled the air once more.

Donald said nervously, "I have no idea, but something tells me it's not a very good sign for us!"

Sherria asked, "When did Clayton get to float in midair? He is using some kind of magic?"

Alzack shook his head, "That's not magic. That's an invisible creature!"

Bisca pointed out, "Clayton must've called it here to help him fight!"

Wendy realized, "So that's why I was able to pick up that awful smell." She paused to sniff the foul air again, allowing it to fill her nostrils. "Why does it smell... familiar?"

Carla advised, "Brace yourself, everyone! This must be another one of his tricks!"

Clayton laughed in triumph, "Now do you see the power I possess? It brings death to all who oppose me, and you can't even see it! Now, let us begin the real challenge!" He aimed his rifle again, "After I get rid of you all, rounding up that little ape family will be ALL TOO EASY!" Without a moment's hesitation, Wendy and her companions readied themselves.

The second round of the battle had begun! Clayton squeezed the trigger and fired a few rounds at Wendy and company, who either jumped or rolled to avoid the bullets. The invisible creature leapt in the air with the hunter's legs secured around its "back," and upon landing, it charged right for Wendy, who quickly put up her Keyblade diagonally to block the attack with a loud clang. In the process, her feet slid across the floor, her back almost reaching the nearest cliff. Just then, the Sky Maiden felt a strong gush of wind coming right at her; it instantly occurred to her that the creature was about to strike. She jerked her head left, narrowly avoiding the attack. Another gush came in, and she brought the Blue Mistral up vertically to block the attack. The Keyblade was hoisted upward, and Wendy realized that the creature caught the tip in its "claws." She struggled against the creature's hold, before she was lifted up along with the Keyblade and thrown across the area. "Gotcha!" Sherria came in time to grab the Sky Dragon Slayer's body before it could land. As Wendy regained her ground, the creature let out a soft growl.

Two small mists of energy appeared adjacent to one another below Clayton, and the invisible creature mashed them together to form an energy blast that flew in high speeds. Thinking quickly, Wendy and Sherria scooted out of the way. No sooner had the two dodged the projectile, a few more were conjured up, randomly assaulting Donald, Goofy, Tarzan, Carla, Alzack, and Bisca. They were all successful in eluding the blasts, while Goofy simply bounced them back with his shield.

In a mere two minutes, the heroes were thrown into a frenzy of sneaky attacks from Clayton's invisible partner, putting their senses and accuracy to the test. From Clayton's bullets to lunge attacks, from swipes to energy blasts, they struggled to withstand the onslaught, though some attacks managed to land a hit on a few party members. Wendy and her friends attempted at a counterattack by hitting whatever Clayton was sitting on, but to no avail; the creature's camouflage made it almost impossible to catch, and its speed even more so. Every time Wendy and company missed, they were left vulnerable to the monster's wild antics. Two minutes later, the invisible creature rammed its "head" on one of the cliffs, stunning it for a while. "You missed!" Clayton snapped at the monster. "Turn around and fight them, you stupid beast!"

"Guns Magic: Spark Shot!" Alzack shot a stream of electrical bullets that struck the invisible creature's body. As the bullets made contact with its skin, a small portion of the monster's invisibility was shed away.

"Sky God's Boreas!" Sherria summoned a horizontal tornado that tore away more of the creature's camouflage.

"Fire!" Donald added a fireball to the mix, engulfing the invisible creature in a miniature explosion. When the dust settled, Wendy and company noticed a slight distortion in the air right beneath Clayton's legs, indicating that the creature was beginning to lose its concealment.

Carla indicated, "Do you see where the air is distorted? It looked like ripples in the atmosphere. From what I can perceive, the creature can somehow manipulate the light to turn itself invisible. Whenever we land a hit..." She stopped, then came up with an idea, "That's it! The more we attack, the more it reveals its true self!"

Sherria asked, "So we gotta deal more damage to that monster, then the invisible thing stops?"

Carla nodded, "It's just a theory. But this is the best possible option."

Donald remarked, "Wow! You must be really smart at figuring things out. How'd you do that?"

Carla replied, "My intuition determines right from wrong. I often give that kind of advice to Wendy whenever she is led off the path."

Goofy stated, "Gawrsh, it's like you're the smartest gal in the Fairy Tail guild."

Carla shook her head, "It's not just me. There's Erza, Levy, and the spirit of our first guild mast—"

Donald barked, "No time to share stories! We gotta take out that thing, and fast!"

However, they realized too late that Clayton's invisible creature had jumped over them and made a charge behind them. Before the monster got any closer, Wendy's keen sense of smell kicked in. She whirled her Keyblade around and raised the tip high, hitting the creature's "chest" as a result. A direct hit! Wendy noticed that the creature was reeling back, and Clayton was holding on for dear life. She sought the advantage by executing a 9-hit Keyblade combo, a Sky Dragon's Wing Attack, and a Sky Dragon's Claw. The combination of attacks was so powerful that Clayton and his invisible monster were sent crashing to a cliff, the impact leaving behind flickers of debris. Jane, Porter, Asuka, and the gorillas cheered at this accomplishment, while the rest of the party members were impressed.

Goofy grinned, "A-hyuck, that's works, too."

Wendy proposed, "Guys, I've got an idea! If I can use my nose to pick up the monster's scent, we can find it easily!"

Carla beamed, "Why, of course! You're a Dragon Slayer, and your sense of smell can pick up the scent of any creature nearby! That can give us the edge we need!"

Goofy confirmed, "So we gotta rely on your nose to find wherever that critter's goin', huh?"

Sherria smiled, "We're counting on you, Wendy."

Wendy nodded, "I won't let you down. After all, I'm the pillar that holds the team!"

Clayton growled, "You've caused me enough trouble for the last time! Come on, you beast! Take them out!" He signaled the invisible creature to attack the group while reloading his rifle. The hunter shot more rounds, and the monster dished out more energy blasts and stealthy swipes, but Wendy and her friends were ever resilient. Thanks to Wendy's uncanny ability of smell, they retaliated with their weapons and magic, each blow shredding the fabric of the creature's invisibility. At the end, Alzack and Bisca fired their Blast Bullets, Donald cast Blizzard, Goofy executed Goofy Rocket, Sherria cast Sky God's Bellow, Carla unleashed her kicks, Tarzan jabbed with his spear, and Wendy performed Sonic Blade to destroy the last bastion of camouflage.

It was at that exact moment when a huge distortion of the light ripped a fabric in the atmosphere, that the full outline of Clayton's invisible partner was revealed: A bipedal lizard resembling a chameleon. It had a yellow body with five short spikes along its back, covered in stripes of various shades of green and yellow. Its hands and feet had four toes each, two in front and two in back, with black claws. Its prehensile tail was curled up behind it in a spiral. It had a mouth lined by short pointed teeth, a pink tongue that could extend to surprising lengths, and large yellow and orange eyes with small black pupils. It also had a large yellow horn on the tip of its snout. The most notable feature was a familiar heart-shaped symbol emblazoned on the monster's chest.

Sherria exclaimed, "A chameleon?!"

Carla corrected, "A Heartless!"

Wendy fully understood why the scent she picked up was very familiar to her. She breathed, "I knew it..."

Alzack confirmed, "Well, now that the monster has shown its true colors..."

Bisca smirked, "It's high time we give it a fair pounding."

Sherria encouraged, "Come on, let's beat Clayton and his oversized chameleon down to size!"

Wendy agreed, "Yeah!"

Clayton bellowed, "Beat ME?! You can't beat the best! My Stealth Sneak is the perfect bodyguard, forged by the fire of my utmost desires!" He gestured to the chameleon-like Heartless he rode on its back, its wildly spinning eyes fixated on Wendy and company. "It was created to erase people like you; you dared to impede my progress, and you'll be punished for that!"

Carla dared, "Try and stop us! Your arrogance will be your downfall!"

Sherria taunted, "Bet you can't hit us with your bug-eyed pet lizard!"

Clayton snarled, "You asked for it!" With that said, the Stealth Sneak was going in for the kill. With its invisibility technique disabled, it was easy for Wendy and her friends to bring it down. The Stealth Sneak lunged with his horned head, while Clayton provided assistance with his rifle. As Donald dodged the bullet, Goofy parried the lunge with his trusty shield. Wendy stunned the Heartless with a Thunder spell, and attacked with a 9-hit Keyblade combo, while Carla provided assistance with a 7-hit kick combo. As soon as it recovered from the shock, the Stealth Sneak turned itself around and kicked its legs back, shoving Wendy and Carla away. It clasped its glowing hands together, shooting an energy blast, only to have Tarzan and Sherria dodge it, and they countered with his spear and her Sky God's Bellow respectively. Clayton shot his rifle again, and the Stealth Sneak lunged again, but missed. Donald cast Fire, Alzack fired a Tornado Shot, Bisca fired a Stinger Shot, and Wendy finished with another 9-hit combo, Sky Dragon's Crushing Fang, and Sky Dragon's Claw.

The Stealth Sneak couldn't take the abuse of sustaining so many attacks, and it slouched against the ground in exhaustion. "LAZY BEAST!" Clayton yelled, trying to wake the Heartless up by pounding its head.

"Guns Magic: Homing Shot!" Locking onto Clayton with her magical sniper rifle, Bisca fired an explosive homing bullet. The blast blew the veteran hunter off the Stealth Sneak's back and sent him flying to the wall, ramming his back into it. He groaned in pain as he tried to stand up, while Bisca smirked at this. "Bullseye!"

"Nice shooting, Bisca!" Alzack grinned. "You got him!"

But the battle wasn't over yet. The Stealth Sneak managed to bring itself back to its feet, and an infuriated screech escaped its mouth, catching everyone's attention. Sherria commented, "Wow, that's one tough chameleon."

The chameleon-like Heartless stood upright and channeled energy into its eyes. When the eyes flashed, the energy converted into a series of homing lasers that approached Wendy and her friends. They dodged the stream of lasers, even deflected a few back at the Heartless, leaving a few cuts across the scales.

Alzack suggested, "We're gonna have to beat that thing first. It'll just get in the way."

Wendy offered, "Leave it to me! I'll do it in a flash! Blue Mistral Command Style: Skyward Wing!" The Crystal Wings popped behind her, having replaced the old pair of wings that had been destroyed by Wrecker, and a shining white blade took the place of the Blue Mistral. Alzack and Bisca, who hadn't witnessed the Sky Maiden execute a Command Style since they were occupied in previous battles, were most impressed.

Bisca remarked, "Well, that's some quality magic you got there! Where'd you learn to do that?"

Wendy explained, "It's the Keyblade's greatest power, the Command Style. I use it whenever times are tough."

Alzack commented, "A Command Style, huh? You sure are growing stronger every day."

Bisca asked, "You reckon that new magical style's gonna take out that chameleon?"

Wendy replied, "I think... No, I KNOW so."

Sherria cheered, "C'mon, Wendy! Do your stuff!"

Wendy determined, "Okay... Here we go!"

The Stealth Sneak dished out another series of homing eye lasers, and Wendy deflected them all with her Sky Cloth. She Wind Stepped to avoid glowing palm blasts from the Heartless, and followed up with lightning fast Keyblade counterattacks. When the Stealth Sneak attempted to fire more eye lasers, Wendy aimed her Crystal Wings and shot two directly at the spinning eyes. The miniature blades pierced the eyeballs, halting the energy charge, prompting a high-pitched screech of agony from the monster's mouth. "This is it!" Wendy cried, and she Wind Stepped in front of the blinded Stealth Sneak, decimating it with a string of swift Keyblade strikes. The last blow sent the Heartless flying in the air, and she teleported to execute another combo string. "Command Style Critical Art: Great Dragon Wind!" Finally, Wendy transformed the Blue Mistral into a dragon-shaped tornado, penetrating through the Heartless. She landed with her Command Style deactivated as the Stealth Sneak's body fell shortly after, unable to move.

Bisca complimented, "In a flash... Now that's what I call a new record."

Alzack smiled, "Thanks for getting rid of Clayton's pet, Wendy. You're a natural."

Wendy smiled back, "It's what I do."

The gorillas stared wide-eyed at the small group of heroes standing a few feet from where the Stealth Sneak had fallen. Jane, Professor Porter, and Asuka climbed down from the cliff and rejoined the others, their eyes turned upwards to look at the family of apes observing them, not knowing what to expect. For a long while, it was silent. And finally, the gorilla troop burst out in cheers, howls of victory soaring out over the cliff area. They whooped and thumped their fists in celebration.

An excited smile crossed Jane's face. "This is extraordinary! They're applauding us!"

Wendy looked over at the others, "I guess that's their way of thanking us for stopping Clayton."

Tarzan grinned proudly, "Yes. Gorillas thank us."

Kerchak and Kala had been watching the battle from above, just as their other kind had been. The leader of the gorilla troop looked somewhat puzzled, while his mate swelled with pride. Soon, the cheers subsided, and Kerchak elected to come down slowly, with Kala and Terkina following on either side of him. They came to a halt about a foot away from Wendy and company, with Tarzan taking a step forward to speak with them. The ape man began in gorilla language, "I saved our family, Kerchak. And I couldn't have done it without their help." He gestured to his friends behind him to make his point. The rest of the gorillas watched on from the cliff, anxious to see what the conversation was leading to.

At first, the silverback gorilla was hesitant, but seeing the content and kind looks on the strangers' faces, this was all he needed to give his say in the matter, "Tarzan, you may be one of the most unique creatures I've ever met, and your new friends more so. I didn't realize what they were doing for us until now." He added with a deep sigh, "I was wrong for not seeing that. We owe our lives not just to you, but them as well. From now on..." He then gave Tarzan's friends an assuring look, "...they have my respect."

Tarzan's eyes widened in complete surprise. Wendy and the others had actually earned the respect of the gorilla troop's leader! Not even they could foresee the outcome. The ape man was about to give his own thanks to Kerchak for welcoming his companions among their presence—

BANG!

That moment was short lived when a bullet grazed Tarzan's right arm. He cringed, holding onto his bleeding wound.

"Tarzan!" Jane hurried over to him, with Kala tending to her son's injury.

Kerchak traced the gunshot to a vengeful Clayton, who had recovered not long after being knocked off the Stealth Sneak. He loaded his gun, preparing to fire another round. Overcome with rage, the silverback gorilla roared and rushed at the villainous hunter to protect Tarzan and the others, unaware of the rifle pointed at his chest.

BANG!

The bullet fatally struck Kerchak, his rage slipping into shock as he crumpled into a heap just a few feet from Clayton. Everyone present was horrified at the tragic scene. "Kerchak!" Tarzan hurried to the silverback's side. He examined the chest bleeding profusely from the bullet hole, realizing that Kerchak stood up to defend him. The ape man looked up to see Clayton giving a mocking sneer, the look on the crowd's faces just before Kerchak was shot smoldering in his mind. Any qualms about the deed, though, were quickly consumed by desperation and vengeance. At the moment, he had no concern about ethics or morals; those had failed him. They were rules that no one around him seemed to follow. He felt nothing but pleasure in taking lives, especially a benevolent and wise gorilla, just to get what he wanted. Seeing the cruel expression on Clayton's face made Tarzan cross with him, and he lashed out with a inhuman roar.

The gun was knocked out of Clayton's hand, and the two wrestled and exchanged blows with each other. It was a duel of nature versus civilization, and only one being from one world would win. At the end of the brawl, Tarzan shoved Clayton off his feet and grabbed the rifle. He swiftly brought it up and aimed it at Clayton's heart, backing him against the wall of vegetative growth. Wendy stared in disbelief at the wild man's change of behavior. The transformation was staggering; the calm, light-hearted persona was replaced by a figure trembling with pain and hatred, wanting to exact revenge on those who would harm his family, like Kerchak.

Clayton let out a heavy breath, until he smirked lightly. "Go ahead, shoot me." Tarzan stared at the gun, contemplating on what to do with the sadistic hunter. Figuring that the wild man didn't have to guts to finish him off, Clayton let out a soft, teasing chuckle. "Be a man."

That seemed to be getting on his last nerve. Tarzan pressed the rifle's muzzle against Clayton's neck. This was the man who betrayed him, endangered his family, and hunted his friends like animals. The mere sight of that man disgusted him, and he wanted to kill him, to rid the jungle of his presence...

"Don't do it!" Wendy grabbed the barrel before any action was made. She looked at Tarzan through pleading eyes, "You're right, Clayton is a cruel man. But he didn't need to die. He's caused enough pain. Shooting him won't change anything. You can't do that. Not when he's like this." Those words seemed to be getting through to him, and she gave them the extra push, "Tarzan, please... No more fighting. I know what it feels like to see someone important in your life getting hurt. We're all caught up in our anger, and we want to do something about it. But not like this. Think of your family." She gestured to the rest of the gorillas, who were startled by Tarzan's new attitude. Her eyes were starting to moisten, but she kept up a serious face. "Please... Don't make this something you'll regret."

Tarzan took time to consider Wendy's suggestion. Clayton may be as low as anyone could get, but true to her words, he knew that he wouldn't lower himself to his level.

However, he had other ideas. He pushed the rifle further. His finger was on the trigger. He made his choice.

BANG!

Wendy squeezed her eyes shut and twisted her face away, not wanting to see any blood split. When she opened her eyes, she was surprised to find no bullet staining Clayton's body. She discovered that Tarzan imitated the noise of the gunshot to intimidate the hunter. Wendy expressed her relief in the form of a sigh, glad to know that the hero of the jungle would never become a monster. Her other companions, the Porters, and the gorillas felt the same way.

"Wha...?" Clayton was startled.

"Not a man like YOU!" Tarzan bellowed. He raised the gun and smashed it against the ground, effectively destroying it. If he had pulled the trigger, he would be no different than the man who sought to hunt the gorillas.

"You've lost," Wendy glared, standing alongside Tarzan with one hand around her hip, the other holding the Keyblade.

"N-N-No! No! NO!" Clayton stammered fearfully. Wendy and her friends had him cornered against the vegetation, and he had no other means to defend himself. He lost his rifle, his Heartless had been defeated, his secret ambition to overthrow the Alliance of Evil had been foiled, and he had been made a fool of in front of the whole jungle. For a time, Clayton's face had gone from debonair to sinister, but this time, it was with aching fear. The fear of failure and the loss of everything he desired was beginning to gnaw away at him. The only thing he could do was recoil, swatting his hands in a futile attempt to keep Wendy and company at bay. "Stay away from me! Don't come near me!"

"Uh, Wendy? Tarzan?" Donald spoke up, shaking nervously.

"Yeah?" Wendy turned to face him, with Tarzan following suit.

"Behind you!" Donald shouted.

Wendy and Tarzan looked up to see the Stealth Sneak rising on shaky legs, its body trembling with its last remaining vitality. It began to shimmer and glow, sparks crackling around the surface of its scaly skin. The camouflage effect on its body flickered on and off; one moment it was invisible, the next it was solid. The chameleon-like Heartless approached where Wendy and Tarzan cornered Clayton, before it exhausted its final effort. Its hind legs gave in, allowing its gargantuan body to fall.

"Look out!" Tarzan yelled, shoving himself and Wendy out of the way before the Stealth Sneak could collapse on them. Unfortunately, Clayton wasn't so lucky; he was crushed beneath the belly of the beast, the last thing heard of him being a horrified scream. A glowing heart burst from the Stealth Sneak's chest and soared into the air, as it vanished in a shining ray of light along with the expired veteran hunter.

It was over: Clayton was no more, his reign of terror had come to an end, and peace in the Deep Jungle was secured. But the damage he had caused was excruciating, and could not be reversed.

Professor Porter breathed, "Oh, my poor heart! I don't know if I can take this much madness anymore."

Goofy shrugged, "On the bright side, the gorillas are all safe and sound." He then shifted his gaze towards an injured Kerchak, "Well, almost."

Jane mused, "All this time, Clayton's become a victim of his own greed. He craved for power so desperately, that it drove him to the point of madness."

Goofy confirmed, "I guess that explains why them Heartless were brought here. It's because of that feller's bad vibe."

Donald retorted, "Who cares? He deserved it! He got what's coming to him."

Jane nodded sadly, "And that he did. But I can't help but feel sorry for him. Leading a terrible life, driven by such corrupt notions... He would've been a different person if he had a different heart."

Carla stated, "The darkness in Clayton's heart attracted the Heartless. He thought he had them under his control, but in reality, they were controlling him. It's almost as if he was a pawn from the very beginning..."

Wendy complained, "It's so wrong. He gave up his heart just for power. I can't feel anything from him. Nothing at all. He's changed." She lowered her head solemnly, "We could've helped somehow. He was there somewhere."

Carla sighed in regret, "There was nothing we could have done, Wendy. He was beyond saving the moment he pushed this far. His demise seemed to be the only thing that could save him."

Wendy couldn't find any more words to say, as the bitter truth began to sink in. "Clayton..."

The rest of the group looked at each other with saddened looks. While Clayton was their enemy, he was still a human being, and no one deserved to be overcome by greed in the prime of their meaningful lives. Just then, two glowing orbs of different color floated down in front of Wendy; a Magic Orb of glittering green dust, and an Ability Orb adorned with the symbol of an electric barrier. She immediately recognized the two shapes, "It's a Magic Orb! And an Ability Orb, too! But what are they?"

Donald answered, "This Magic Orb grants us the Cure spell. Whenever someone's injured, Cure can heal that person inside and out."

Wendy said thoughtfully, "A new Keyblade Magic spell... Besides my Sky Dragon's Healing Spell, I can use Cure to heal others, too." She then smiled, "Sounds good!"

Donald agreed, "You said it. It's a brand new spell for both your Keyblade Magic and my magic. We can now heal ourselves during a battle."

Carla advised, "Balancing one magic and the other is the key to success. Use both as you see fit, but try not to strain yourself. The consequences of overusing your magic will be detrimental to your health. But I trust you'll make better judgment on your part, Wendy. You always do."

Wendy beamed, "Of course! Everyone's counting on me to help whenever they're down and out. Without my healing spells, who's gonna save Natsu and Gajeel from being motion sick? Well, at least with Troia... I wonder if Cure can heal motion sickness, too?"

Donald shook his head, "Nope, Cure only heals injuries. Nothing else." He then lightened the mood with a smile, "But hey, whenever you're in a pinch, just give me a shout."

Wendy nodded, "Sure thing. By the way..." She turned to the other floating orb next to the green one, "...what's the name of the new Ability Orb?"

Goofy answered, "It's called Stun Impact. You can summon a powerful energy sphere from your Keyblade that stuns any surrounding enemies. Get too close, and the baddies get paralyzed! The floor's yours when that happens!"

Wendy asked, "Another special power besides Sonic Blade?"

Goofy reminded, "Remember what I said before at Traverse Town? There are lots of Ability Orbs we can find along the way. With enough abilities, you'll be twice as tough as nails."

Sherria suggested, "Hey, the next time more of those Heartless show up, we wanna see you give your new Stun Impact ability a try. Pretty please?"

Wendy complied, "Sure!" With that, the Magic Orb was the first to transfer straight into Wendy's Keyblade and Donald's staff, thus granting them the use of Cure Magic. The second was the Ability Orb, which assimilated with Wendy's body and made Stun Impact an additional ability next to Sonic Blade.

Donald confirmed, "Well, that settles it. Everything turned out okay."

Goofy interjected, "Not all of it..." He gestured the others to look at Kerchak, who was barely breathing after taking a bullet during the battle's final moments. The rest of the gorillas gathered around the wounded silverback gorilla, with Kala and Tarzan by his side. Kala shed a few tears at the sight of her mate on the verge of death, while Tarzan knelt next to the collapsed body, feeling responsible for what happened.

"Oh, no..." Wendy croaked. "He's bleeding! I gotta help!" Feeling that it was time to put her new Keyblade Magic spell to use, she raised the Blue Mistral and pointed its tip into the sky. "Cure!" As soon as she chanted the name of the spell, a glimmer of green light surrounded the steel of the Keyblade like leaves scattered by the winds. The light then wrapped itself around the little pool of red protruding from Kerchak's chest. A mending aura filled his body, and a warmth blossomed over him. Soon, the small hole stitched itself back together. The pain was gone. His breaths came normal again. In the end, he got back on all fours.

Once again, the gorilla troop erupted into cheers. Their safety had been secured, this time for good, thanks in no small part to a group of strange creatures. The greatest gift of all was Wendy providing a healing light that restored their leader to perfect health. The gorillas came down and gathered around the Sky Maiden and her friends, congratulating them for everything they had done.

When silence returned to the cliff area, Kerchak walked up to Wendy and company. The aggressive persona who had greeted them earlier was gone, and was replaced by a figure showing respect and gratitude. As a sign of affirmation, he gave a slight nod. The group was touched by this simple act of approval; they had been welcomed among the presence of the gorilla troop, putting aside the long hours of tension and hostility between them. Kerchak turned his head to stare at Wendy, looking straight into those two brown eyes. All at once, it came flooding into his mind: The sincerity, the bravery, and a sign of pure faith that felt so familiar. "You have Kala's eyes..." Kerchak thought to himself. With a soft gasp, Wendy saw that he was silently approving of her good heart and caring nature. He didn't see it at first, but all it took was a show of display against a certain man with a rifle and his band of Heartless, as well as the Cure spell that healed his wound, to learn the truth.

Without a word, Kerchak placed a hand on Wendy's shoulder. "Huh?" Before she knew what was going on, she was grabbed and tossed into the air, prompting from her a startled scream. She landed flat on her chest with a thud on the top of the cliff. Donald and Goofy followed suit, the duck landing in the same fashion and the dog hitting the ground butt-first. Tarzan, Alzack, Bisca, and Sherria climbed the growth of vegetation with Asuka secured in her mother's arms, while Carla used her wings to meet the rest of the group.

Wendy and her friends moved to the edge of the small cliff and looked down to where the gorilla troop was. They stared up at them for a brief moment, silently wishing their new friends the best of luck on their endeavors. Kerchak kept his gaze on Tarzan and Wendy, his warm expression asking the two to honor a simple and humble request- to never change. With that affirmation, he signaled the rest of the family to follow him out of the cliff area, with Kala by his side. Every gorilla had left, except for Terkina. She looked up at her best friend with a proud grin, before deciding to join the group. "You done good, bald boy," she remarked. "You done good." Tarzan extended a hand towards Jane and hoisted her up to the cliff to rejoin the others, and her father followed afterwards.

They ended up on a plateau overlooking the roaring waterfalls, the stream plunging into the still blue of the great river below.

"This is beautiful," Jane breathed, as she took in the scenery.

"You can say that again, dear," Porter agreed.

Tarzan shut his eyes and took a deep breath through his nose, the sweet scent of wildlife revitalizing his being. He then glanced over at the others, "Tarzan, home."

Wendy smiled, "I couldn't agree more. Home is where the heart is, right?"

Tarzan gave a slight chuckle at that. "Home... heart."

Wendy asked, "So what's next?"

Tarzan didn't want to spoil the surprise. "Follow me."


Waterfall Cavern

Inside the cavern hidden within the waterfalls, there were rocky platforms laden with small droughts of water spilling from the white stream. Wendy and her friends had to be careful where they stepped, lest they slip on a patch of moss and get caught in the waterfall. Tarzan led the way as they climbed up the layers of rock carefully, making their way to the top. They had to jump up to reach some of the ledges, or press their backs to the wall to shuffle along a smaller ledge. It was fortunate there were several patches of climbable ivy they could use; the only downside was the fact that they were situated in high places with nothing soft below them. Complaints were registered, but it was an easy climb regardless.

Once they had reached the top, Tarzan led everyone into the deepest part of the cavern. They arrived at a circular area closed off by layers of stone. There, an ancient tree sprouted at the center with its roots extending to a large hole, where the sunlight reached through the leaves of the trees. A nest of butterflies rested in the trunk, their glowing wings providing a comforting illumination. The wings glowed brilliantly for a moment, then faded ever so slightly, as though the nest was the tree's beating heart. Wendy and company stared at the neon ebbing the trunk, captivated by its alluring beauty.

Tarzan uttered in gorilla language, "Eh-ooh-ooh-oh-ah."

Sherria glanced at Tarzan, "This is your home? But that means—"

Tarzan raised a hand, signaling the Sky God Slayer to silence herself, and then cupped one hand over his ear. Everyone fell silent and listened, straining their ears to hear whatever it was that the ape man was listening to. It was the roaring sound of water, whisking gently through the air, and Goofy was the first to recognize it. "Huh?"

"The waterfalls..." Jane smiled slightly. "They're echoing all the way here."

"Eh-ooh-ooh-oh-ah," Tarzan repeated. "Friends there. See friends."

"I know what that word means," Wendy interjected. "Eh-ooh-ooh-oh-ah means heart. Friends in our hearts..."

"Heart..." Tarzan copied the meaning of the gorilla word he spoke.

"Oh," Sherria confirmed with a nod. "So that's what he meant."

"Why, Miss Marvell!" Porter gasped in surprise. "You finally succeeded in deciphering the phrase he uttered in gorilla?"

"I asked him back at the nesting ground," Wendy explained. "The whole time, Tarzan was telling us that we hold friends in our hearts. No matter where we go, as long as we remember them, we can always find them. It's in all of us." She placed one hand over her heart, taking a soft breath as she continued, "Friends share the same heart because they care and look after each other. Clayton lost his heart, as if he never cared for anything but himself. I think that's what drove him. What I figure is, if you have no heart, you don't see friends. You don't even have any."

"One of life's great lessons," Carla thought to herself with a smile. "Tarzan may be a wild man at the surface, but deep inside, he is very knowledgeable in the ways of life. And I am very proud of Wendy for understanding that." Another thought occurred to her, "Speaking of friends, we found Alzack, Bisca, and their daughter Asuka, but the rest of our Fairy Tail friends are still missing. It's only a matter of time, right? I'm confident that we'll reunite the guild soon. We can still find them, even in our hearts." She touched her heart the same way as Wendy did, "And I can't imagine how important it is to have friends, to never lose trust between them."

All at once, Carla remembered her fight with Donald back at the Gummi Ship. Just as she turned to look at the Royal Court Wizard, he turned to face her. They gave each other apologetic looks, having felt that now was the time to make amends.

Carla began, "Donald, I want to apologize for my rash behavior. I was so obsessed in our search for Fairy Tail that I let my aggression take advantage of me. But I didn't realize how desperate you were in finding your missing king."

Donald admitted, "I'm sorry, too. I've been a real jerk. I have no idea how important your Fairy Tail friends are. I thought they'd never be in a place like this before we arrived here, so I shrugged it off. Now I know, that all this time, your friends are right here. At least some of them." He gestured to the Connells, then rubbed the back of his head, "You were right all along. Every world is worth exploring. Next time, I shouldn't judge a world by its looks."

Carla grinned, "Well, it's increasingly clear that we both have a lot in common. Now that we finally agreed on something..." He extended her paw, "...let us continue the search without delay. And we'll do it by working together."

Donald smiled, "Let's bury the hatchet now and forever." He took the white Exceed's paw and shook it eagerly, "From now on, no more fooling around. It's all of us against all the worlds."

"HOORAY!" Sherria cheered, hopping excitedly in place. "You two are friends again!"

"You did it, Carla!" Wendy cried happily. "You and Donald are being nice to each other!"

"Yeah!" Goofy laughed, pulling Donald and Carla into a group hug. "All for one, huh?"

"Yes," Carla agreed with a slight chuckle. "All for one, indeed."

"And one for all," Donald reminded. "Don't forget that."

"Oh, and Donald? I owe you an apology, too," Sherria confessed. "Y'know, for crashing the ship..."

"Nah, it's okay," Donald grinned. "We never would've saved the jungle and found those gummi blocks. I never thought I'd say this, but you crashing the ship was a good thing."

"Thanks, Donald," Sherria appreciated. "It means a lot."

"It's no biggie," Donald shrugged. "An adventure's not fun if it's easy, right?"

"Most definitely," Goofy agreed.

"I'm so glad we're still a team," Wendy thought to herself. "Donald and Carla are starting to get along, just like everybody else. It's what I wanted in a team. It's what I love best. Friends are meant to trust each other." She let out a contented sigh, "That's one of the things that make Fairy Tail, and I'm very happy to be a part of that."

At that moment, the butterfly nest pulsated with a light much brighter than its previous displays. Entranced by the glimmering color, Wendy approached the trunk. Instantly, the winged insects dispersed and scattered around the cavern, up through the clear opening at the top to their freedom. Their wings glowed still as they flew off, some of them circling Donald, Goofy, Carla, Sherria, Alzack, and Bisca, and others encircling Jane, her father, Asuka, Tarzan, and Terk.

Hidden beneath the cluster of butterflies that had left the trunk a while ago was a Keyhole, similar in shape to the one Wendy sealed away in Wonderland. "Another Keyhole? It looks just like the one my Keyblade locked from the mouth of that doorknob."

Goofy raised an eyebrow, "Weird, you usually find those things on a door."

Sherria questioned, "How CAN a tree even have a keyhole?"

Carla answered simply, "Untold mysteries."

Once again, the Keyblade materialized in Wendy's hand and began acting on its own, much to her surprise. The tip released a beam of light that went straight through the Keyhole. A locking noise echoed, and the Keyhole turned into twinkles of light, before it faded away from existence.

It was only then that something popped from the trunk and fell to the floor. Donald and Goofy leaned forward and discovered a diamond-shaped gummi block, colored in shades of yellow and green.

Donald identified, "Another gummi!"

Goofy said sadly, "But it's sure not the King's."

Sherria pouted, "So we came all this way for nothing?"

Wendy asked, "There's nothing left to search?"

Donald sighed, "I wish there was. It would've been so easy if the King was here. But this gummi block could be a clue or something. I'll hold onto it." He picked it up and tucked it in his pocket. Of course, he hadn't noticed Terk making her way towards him. Donald quacked in surprise upon seeing the young female gorilla standing next to her. She gently muzzled his backside with a wide smile, leaving him confused.

"Hey, Mr. Feather Guy," Terk flirted. "What do you say you and me go out and get some bananas?"

"Hey, look!" Sherria recognized. "It's Terk! She wants to play with you again!"

"I think someone has a new admirer," Jane said playfully.

"This is another example of their social grooming," Porter grinned.

"I envy you, Donald. I really do," Carla smiled coyly.

"You're so funny sometimes, you know that?" Wendy giggled.

"Huh?" Donald jumped in alarm, looking wide-eyed at the gorilla who recently became his bosom buddy. He then turned to the others, who simply smiled at his expense. He shook his head and waved his hands frantically, refusing to become a gorilla's plaything in the eyes of the public. "No, no, no, no! Daisy would kill me!"

Everyone burst into laughter. It was certainly a direct blow to Donald's self-esteem.


BACK AT THE CASTLE CHAPEL...

The leading council of the Alliance of Evil was gathered in a meeting organized by Maleficent, with Kaze Viriniam standing beside her. From what had transpired in the Deep Jungle, the Alliance suffered a greater casualty; not only was another dark guild at their disposal wiped out, but a representative of the council met his demise, reducing the count to six members. Clayton, the one assigned to lead the Heartless into that world, fell at the hands of the Keyblade holder and her allies. But the most disturbing fact was that Clayton tried to overthrow the Alliance. The extent of his lust for power was so great that it allowed darkness to consume him, leading him to his downfall. All of the events were recorded in a magic circle projected in the round table. While the members of the council reacted with shock and anger, Maleficent and Kaze simply took the news with patience and understanding.

Wrecker Xalemon, the Headless Horseman who miraculously (and somehow) made his return to the Sleepy Hollow guild, reported his own experiences from witnessing Clayton's treachery. He cringed at each explanation, as the injuries he bore from Kerchak's rage and the scathing blow in his chest inflicted by the Keyblade still smarted, and his voice came in heavy pants.

"Yeah, so..." Kaze nodded. "I guess after Blueberry locked away your magic, that turncoat knocked you out cold and left you in the middle of the jungle. He killed your squad, turned them into Heartless, and destroyed Poacher Fang. That makes you the only one to make it back here alive, huh?"

"Forgive me, Master," Wrecker wheezed in his shame. "I have failed you and all of Sleepy Hollow. I've never felt this disgraced in my life..."

"The girl is indeed strong," Maleficent remarked, not paying the slightest attention to Wrecker's troubles. "She managed to defeat a member of our council. The Alliance of Evil is beginning to dwindle in number." She then eyed Kaze with a dominating sneer, though she was able to retain her calm composure. "I thought your magical guild is the strongest in your world. Did you lie to me?"

"Oh, please," Kaze retorted. "Do you expect us to tumble like a pile of dominoes with that minor setback? This isn't the first time Wrecker lost a major battle, you know. I remember what he told me about how he lost his right arm to a black dragon, and why he had to replace it with a spiked wrecking ball. His hump grows into a spike each time he activates Ashura Soul."

"You may dispense with the reminiscences, Kaze," Maleficent said coolly. "The Sleepy Hollow guild has taken an excellent step in our goals, and I am grateful for your services. However, it has come to my attention that your underlings lack the strength to carry out a simple instruction." Her words cut Wrecker deeper than the Blue Mistral could ever reach with its teeth.

"Everybody has problems," Kaze reasoned. "But what do we do about it? We shake it off. End of story. Sleepy Hollow will get the job done as planned."

"Are you certain that they will?" Maleficent questioned. "Will the rest succeed where your clumsy lackey has failed? On top of all else, with all the powers he possessed, he hadn't done anything to restrain the girl."

"Be careful how you talk to my subordinates," Kaze shot back at the horned witch's criticism. "Wrecker's one of my best. I trust him and the other Horsemen with my life. You want impossible? You'll have it. Wrecker just needs a breather. The rest will handle him. Just watch."

"Then perhaps you'll test the girl's abilities by other means," Maleficent affirmed. "I'm not saying that I am displeased with the dark guilds' apparent lack of progress, such as yours. All I am giving is the proper encouragement. You need to double your efforts." Her lips then crept into a smile, "And take comfort in knowing that the rewards will be great."

"Why, thank you, Maleficent, for your words of encouragement and your forgiveness," Kaze grinned sarcastically. "But I'm not as forgiving as you are when it comes to my guild." She turned her attention to Wrecker, who bowed in respect in spite of his incessant breathing. "Wendy must've done a number on you, huh?"

"She sealed away my magic and left me virtually powerless," Wrecker explained. "I became vulnerable to Clayton's deception. The nerve of that pompous pinion, attempting at a rebellion..."

"But at least you came back in one piece," Kaze gave a friendly pat on the Headless Horseman's back. "You need to break that lock on your magic."

"Thank you, Master," Wrecker breathed. "You are so forgiving. And Madam Maleficent as well."

Suddenly, before he could blink, Kaze plunged her two fingers into his stomach. The Headless Horseman lurched, his eyes snapping open. The council watched in awe as a massive jolt of purple electricity engulfed Wrecker's being, the flow circulating into his bloodstream. A noise which sounded like a loud click was heard not long after, and the spark fanned into a flame of darkness. Maleficent and her associates could see Wrecker screaming and howling, spikes popping and shrinking repeatedly from his arms and back, his skin shifting in color, his hump turning into a deadly weapon before reverting back...

When the flow of magic subsided, he was down on his knees, his body shaking as though a powerful force revitalized him. Wrecker's breaths came normal, and all of his injuries immediately stitched themselves together. Kaze examined the result of the healing process with delight mixed with amusement.

"Hey, when I said unlock, I meant it," she quipped.

"I... I can feel it... The magic flowing inside me..." Wrecker looked over his restored body in trembling ecstasy, realizing the totality of Kaze's action. "Ashura Soul has returned to me!" He broke into a huge grin and vigorously shook her hand, "Oh, thank you, Master Viriniam! You restored me!"

"Well, with the awesome powers I mastered in my youth, I figured you could use a hand," Kaze shrugged. "You twist the key, you break the lock."

"Twist the key?" Ursula was the first to speak from the crowd of villains. "Hmm... It sounded like that Keyblade the little girl is carrying around. Let me guess, did it choose-"

"None of your jellyfish jellies," Kaze narrowed her eyes at the sea witch's assumption. "If I revealed all the secrets of my magic, you'd be sucking sardines."

"Humans," Ursula groaned, rolling her eyes. "They've got some very serious problems."

"Now then, since the operation at the Deep Jungle is a failure, I want you to stay here," Kaze turned to Wrecker. "You just get some rest, 'kay?"

"Understood," Wrecker nodded. "I'll regain my strength, and once I return to the battlefield..." What he said next was filled with pure anger, "...I'll CRUSH her."

"Crush her?" Kaze asked incredulously. "I'm sorry, I don't get what you're saying. Can you repeat that?"

"I'll crush her!" Wrecker repeated, fuming over his recent and embarrassing defeat. "With the full might of Ashura Soul, I will destroy Marvell. I'm going to make her pay for what she did to me! She will die by my hand!"

"Hold on just a minute," Kaze interrupted. "Don't you remember exactly what I told you?" Her bright expression suddenly turned grim, as was her voice. "Bring. Her. To me. Plain and simple. Isn't that hard?"

"Bring her to you?!" Wrecker argued. "That little brat is too much of a threat! As long as she lives, the Alliance of Evil will fall. She must be destro—"

Kaze grabbed his throat and gave it a tight squeeze, shutting him up. Wrecker yelled in pain as the young guild master of Sleepy Hollow forced him into a kneeling position, not letting up on her grip. "I WANT HER ALIVE!" Kaze roared, as her subordinate's insistence on killing Wendy pushed her over the edge. "I gave you a direct order. I asked you to follow it. You got a problem with that?"

"Master..." Wrecker grabbed Kaze's hand with his left, the pain somehow able to surpass Ashura Soul's healing factor. "What did I do...? I've done nothing..."

"Do not mistake your place." Kaze's snarl suddenly took on a distorted quality, her normal tone replaced with a much darker one. Her body emanated with black lightning, and her eyes glowed the same color. That surge of dark energy added more restraint around Wrecker's neck, and he was mere moments away from expiration. Kaze felt no remorse whatsoever for punishing anyone, even her own underlings, for provoking her. It was understandable in some ways seeing as how this young woman took advantage of great power, and already that power was pushing her to the pinnacle of anger. The council stared at the leader of Sleepy Hollow as darkness burned in both body and spirit; some with disgust, and others with amusement.

"That is enough," Maleficent broke the tension with a raise of her hand. Hearing the cold and calm tone in the horned witch's voice, Kaze immediately stopped. The dark lightning subsided, and her eyes turned to normal, yet she still kept her grip. "Kaze, my dear, you will restrain yourself. Your anger will only feed the dark fires."

"Master... Viriniam..." Wrecker wheezed, almost about to give in. "Forgive me..."

"Hmph..." Kaze took a deep breath, and somehow managed to calm down. She eyed Wrecker with a stern look, "You know, pissing me off with an idea to squash a blueberry nearly got me off on the wrong foot. You almost cost me years of resolved anger management. You jerk..." She released her grip and shoved Wrecker back, allowing him to breathe. "We'll discuss dealing with Wendy when the meeting's done."

"But Master—" Wrecker began.

"Wrecker..." Kaze insisted. "Leave."

Seeing that no other words could persuade her, Wrecker finally relented with a groan. "Yes, Master." He stood back up and made his way to the exit, feeling powerless at the sight of the council of villains, most of all his guild master. "DAMN IT!" With a frustrated roar, he fired a Gouhadouken to the left, reducing a part of the wall to smoldering ruins.

"And he needs to have some anger management classes, too," Kaze sighed in pity for her subordinate's dilemma, reminding herself to comfort him when the meeting was over. She returned to Maleficent's side, and looked over the remaining members of the council. "Who would've guessed that Pencil Mustache would end up flattened like a pancake when he's about to betray us? Even with the magic he got from Maleficent?"

"Clayton's lust for power allowed the Heartless to manipulate him into being their pawn," Maleficent stated. "The darkness I bestowed only corroded his mind. He fancied himself a hunter, and that his enemies were the prey. But it seems the prey was too resilient for his own good."

"Yeah!" Oogie Boogie cackled maliciously. "He got chomped instead!"

"What an idiot," Captain Hook groaned. "He couldn't even get a giant lizard to move its scurvy scales!"

"You tell me!" Hades agreed angrily. "When did he get the gall to do something so idiotic to get himself from the bottom to the top? What are these worlds coming to?"

"A weak-hearted fool like Clayton stood no chance against the Heartless," Jafar said disdainfully, taking a step forward. "But the girl is a problem. She found one of the Keyholes."

"Fear not, Jafar," Maleficent said confidently. "It will take her ages to find the rest." No sooner had she said those words of assurance than an image of Wendy and her companions appeared on the magic circle before them. "Besides, she remains blissfully unaware of our other plan."

"Yes, the Princesses..." Ursula nodded eagerly.

"They are falling into our hands, one by one," Maleficent smiled wickedly, before she turned to Kaze. "Speaking of which, have you secured the wizard in armor?"

"She's propped up in the Grand Hall with everyone else," Kaze reported. "No.6 is a tough one to restrain, but it's worth the exercise."

"Well done, my dear," Maleficent nodded in satisfaction. "And what of our other guest?"

"The rehabilitation process is complete," Kaze smirked. "She'll make the perfect commander for our army of darkness! I never thought I'd see the day when the little fairies become dirty pixies." Just then, everyone heard footsteps coming from the entrance. Kaze turned around to see a shadowy figure entering the castle chapel. "Speak of the devil. I knew you'd join the meeting." She gave a sly smile as she continued, "C'mon, don't be shy."

The figure made its presence known, the light revealing it to be a woman of nineteen years. Kaze recognized the long white hair, the black dress, and the fierce glare in her eyes.

It was Mirajane Strauss.

All at once, the memories flooded back into Kaze's mind. Her guild's successful capture of Fairy Tail, the valiant struggle, and Mirajane's sudden transformation into the perfect puppet...


Author's Note:
And done! The Deep Jungle Arc is finally complete! Well, almost, because I was gonna end Wendy and friends' visit in the next chapter. Speaking of, the next chapter will be a side story detailing Natsu and Erza's struggle against Kaze Viriniam and Sleepy Hollow, Erza's involvement in the plot, and how Mirajane stood before the Alliance of Evil. The title is called Side Story: Hollow Fairy. This is TheSavageMan100, signing off. Please R&R, and share your ideas on what I'm gonna do next. See ya!