Disclaimer: The Mad Doctor claims no ownership to the Kingdom Hearts franchise. It belongs to Disney and Square Enix.

Notes from the Mad Doctor: Greetings readers! Sorry for the delay in posting this chapter. This one needed some extra work. Place your bets people because the Princess of Heart is about to take on the most infamous pirate in Never Land. Enjoy!

Chapter 13: Kairi vs. Hook

Never Land

"What is this? Has me hostage come to surrender herself? I must commend you on making a wise choice," said Hook as Kairi climbed up to his level.

"I'm not surrendering, Captain Hook. I've come to fight you myself," said Kairi.

"You?!" exclaimed Hook with surprise.

"Yes. You, Hook, are the latest in a too long list of villains who have tried to use me to get at Sora and now you are going to answer for that!" declared Kairi pointing at the captain.

Hook laughed mockingly. "You cannot be serious, my dear. How in all of Never Land could you expect to best me, the most dreaded pirate to ever sail the seven seas?"

Then they heard Smee call out from his place on the mast, "Captain! There's something you must know about her! She has a…"

Before Smee could finish his statement, Kairi provided the end herself. To Hook's shock, she summoned Destiny's Embrace to her hand.

"A Keyblade?!" exclaimed Hook.

"Surprised, Hook? You said that you learned I had come to Never Land when you investigated a fireball that came from Mermaid Lagoon. It just so happens that I was the one who cast that spell when the mermaids were playing too rough with me. Never occurred to you, did it?" asked Kairi with sly smile on her face.

Hook shook off his shock and regained his composure. "I had a hard time believing that whatever forces bestow those weapons on their wielders would choose someone like your friend Sora. But that you would have one yourself? The idea is as ridiculous as the design of your Keyblade."

"And just what is wrong with the design of my Keyblade?" asked Kairi in an offended tone.

"Plenty I'm afraid. The flowery design practically tells me that of all the Keyblade wielders I've met, you are probably the last person who should have one," taunted Hook.

With every continuing second in his presence, Kairi was growing more displeased with the pirate. 'How dare he not only insult my Keyblade but also insist that I should never have gotten the ability to wield it in the first place. But I'll show him. Even though Aqua may have given me the ability to wield it by accident, I will prove that I am worthy of it.'

"I think we've talked long enough. Shall we get on with the fight now?" asked Kairi.

"Very well. If you've a taste for cold steel, then I shall not deny you it any longer. Insolent girl, prepare to meet thy doom!" shouted Hook as he charged at Kairi who charged at him at the same time.

In an instant, Kairi's Keyblade and Hook's sword clashed in a loud clang that echoed throughout the entire ship. Their duel had finally begun.

As they moved around the deck of the Jolly Roger, the pirate captain slashed at her with his sword. Kairi blocked every blow that came at her with her Keyblade.

In addition to Hook's sword, she also had to watch out for his hook. Often when their weapons were crossed, Hook would swipe it at her head although she was able to duck and avoid it every time. Between the two different weapons, Kairi found herself unable to get an attack of her own in.

'Peter wasn't kidding when he said that Hook was a more difficult opponent than his crew. He's great not only with his sword but also using that hook. What I would give to be able to dual wield like Sora or Roxas. That would really come in handy during this fight,' thought Kairi as she continued to protect herself from Hook's attacks.

"Give it to her, captain! Cleave her to the brisket!" called out Smee.

As she fought, Kairi realized that she was at a tremendous disadvantage against the pirate compared to when Sora had fought him. Hook may have been a more mundane foe compared to the likes of Jafar, Ursula or the many powerful Heartless her friend had fought and defeated. But when Sora had faced Hook, he not only had the help of Donald, Goofy and Peter, but he had also learned how to fly.

Kairi was almost tempted to call out for Peter and the others' help against the pirate. But then she remembered why she had chosen to face Hook alone.

'This battle may be tough. But there may be tougher ones ahead and if I can't even win this fight, then I have no right to be on this journey. For Sora, I must win!'

"Is this really the best you can do? Because if it is, I'm sorely disappointed," taunted Hook.

Kairi racked her brain trying to think of strategy. 'If I can't get through with regular attacks, maybe some magic will help. I could try the same trick I did when I was fighting the other pirate and this time, I won't hold back as much.'

After Hook's latest attack, Kairi rolled away from him. Upon recovery, she pointed her Keyblade upward and shouted, "Thunder!"

A Thunder spell emitted from the tip of Destiny's Embrace and shot toward Hook's sword. But to her dismay, the pirate simply dodged to the side and avoided the blast.

"Thought you could catch this captain off guard with a little magic, did you? Well, I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you, my dear. I've made it a point to keep me eye out for any magic tricks you Keyblade wielders may try to use. An Eton educated mind such as meself knows how to learn from previous defeats," said Hook as he resumed his attack on Kairi.

'How am I going to win this fight? He's too good a swordsman so I can't get a physical attack in and he's also on the watch for my magic attacks. If only I could summon that power that I saved Toodles with. But I still have no idea how I did that in the first place.'

On the sidelines, Peter and the others watched Kairi and Hook's duel. So far, no victory for either seemed imminent. But it did seem that Hook had the upper hand.

"Can't we just help her, Pan?" asked Slightly with the rest of the Lost Boys, Tink, and Pluto nodding in agreement.

"No. We gave our word. We'll only help her if she asks for it or if it looks like she's going to lose. And right now, neither of those has happened," said Peter.

"But she's not winning either!" pointed out the Twins.

"Yeah. She needs us!" exclaimed Cubby.

"Right now, what Kairi needs is our faith and trust and we're going to make sure she has it. I may not like it. But I'm choosing to believe in our friend, and you should too. Right?," asked Peter.

The others said nothing. But simply nodded.

Peter then turned his attention back to the fight. 'I know you can win this, Kairi. Just believe in yourself like we believe in you!'

Suddenly, the duel took an unexpected turn. Taking advantage of an opening, Hook plowed into Kairi and pushed her backwards. He pinned her up against a wall and held his sword against her throat.

Kairi struggled to get free. 'No! No! I can't lose this!'

"This duel is over, and the victory is mine! I wish I could say that you provided me with some mild entertainment, my dear. But, in all honesty, I find your skills with that Keyblade of yours to be quite lacking. As I said before, it was clearly a mistake of its behalf to ever consider someone like you worthy. You're nothing like Sora or any of the other wielders I've faced in battle and you never will be!"

Kairi gave a defiant look to the pirate. "You're wrong, Hook! No matter how long it takes, I will prove that I am worthy of my Keyblade. And when I bring Sora back, then I'll know for sure that I am!"

"A bold declaration. But unfortunately, you are not long for this world. Farewell, Kairi. When you see Sora on the other side, tell him that Captain James Hook is responsible for reuniting you with him," said Hook as he raised his namesake in preparation to use it on the princess.

But before he could finish Kairi off, Tink suddenly darted in front of his face. Reaching up, she grabbed the brim of his hat and pulled it down over his eyes.

"Blasted fairy!" he yelled as he blindly swiped his Hook in wild strokes at Tink who dodged every one of them.

Thanks to Tink's intervention, Hook's grip on Kari had loosened. Wasting no time, she crouched downward just as a wild swipe from Hook came down and embedded his hook in the wall right where her head had been.

Hook dropped his sword and pulled his hat back. When he saw where his hook had ended up, he bellowed, "Blast this hook!"

While Hook fought to free himself, Kairi shot a grateful smile to Tink who was now flying right beside her. "Thanks, Tink. You really helped me out there," she said causing the fairy to smile back as she flew back to the others.

Kairi then looked over to where Peter, the Lost Boys and Pluto had been watching the duel. They looked like they wanted to know if they were going to be allowed to help her now.

'That was a pretty close call. Maybe I should let them help me out now.'

Kairi was about to call to them. But then her attention was diverted as she listened to Hook's angry rants as he continued to try and pull his hook free.

An idea surged through her mind. 'Maybe I can turn this fight to my advantage after all,' realized Kairi as a sly smile came to her face.

Finally, Hook pulled himself free. After brushing the wood remains off of his hook, he picked up his sword and turned around to face Kairi.

"You should have taken advantage of me temporary incapacitation and fled, girl!"

"Now why would I want to do that, Hook? We still have a duel to finish," said Kairi in a smug tone.

"Don't think that fairy's meddling is going to have any affect on the outcome at all! One way or another, I will triumph!" declared Hook.

At that point, Kairi and Hook resumed their duel. But now she had a plan and was about to put it into action.

"You know, Hook, your whole revenge plot against Sora; it's kind of pointless. Why seek payback against someone you never had a chance of beating in the first place?" asked Kairi as they crossed weapons again.

A flash of anger crossed Hook's eyes. "What was that?!"

'Aha! I see I struck a nerve in him. Let's see if I can strike even more.'

"Let's think about this logically. Before Sora even arrived in Never Land, he had already fought and defeated a whole lot worse than you. He beat an all-powerful genie, a gigantic sea witch and many strong varieties of Heartless just to name a few. Compared to all of that, a one-handed pirate really is the least threatening opponenet."

"Silence!" roared Hook.

"The hard truth, Hook, is that you were never a true threat to Sora at all. And if he were here now, it would just have the same result as every single fight you've had with Peter: you'd lose!" said Kairi.

Peter had overheard everything Kairi had just told Hook and a smile came to his face. 'That's it, Kairi! Get him mad! It's never been too hard to do!'

"Look at Hook!" exclaimed Nibs.

"He's getting pretty steamed!" exclaimed Slightly.

Indeed, Kairi's taunts had turned the pirate captain into a volcano on the verge of eruption. Hook's face was reddened with anger. If it were possible, steam could have been coming out of his ears.

"Pay attention, men! This is when the fun really begins," said Peter.

"I'LL SHOW YOU JUST HOW THREATENING I CAN BE, GIRL!" roared Hook

Losing any pretense of strategy, the enraged pirate charged at Kairi while waving his sword wildly. Kairi backed away as she avoided the pirate's attacks.

'That's it, Hook. You just keep attacking wildly and just not pay any attention to what I might do,' thought Kairi as she continued to evade Hook's attacks.

Finally, it was time to make her move. Kairi stopped in her tracks. But before Hook could hit her with his sword, she raised her Keyblade and shouted "Defense!"

A protective barrier conjured around Kairi just as Hook's sword made contact. When it struck the barrier, he was immediately blown backward by the knockback effect of the Reflect magic.

Taking advantage of Hook's momentary disorientation, Kairi charged at the pirate. Aiming at his sword, she swung her Keyblade upward and knocked it out of his hand. The sword flew over the side of the ship and splashed down in the water.

Hook stared at his hand. He couldn't believe what had just happened. But he had no time to react as Kairi charged in.

Now that her opponent was partially disarmed, Kairi unleashed a flurry of attacks on Hook with her Keyblade. He grunted in pain from each strike. They were almost as wild as his own enraged ones. But Kairi took care to only attack with the flat of her Keyblade as she didn't want to seriously hurt or mortally wound him.

Finally, she backed off and looked the pirate over. He had taken so much punishment from her that he looked like he could collapse at anytime.

"Had enough, Hook?"

Hook shook off his exhaustion and growled in anger. He charged at Kairi with his hook raised.

But before he could strike her with it, Kairi raised her Keyblade. To his surprise, she caught the hook in the teeth part of it.

"I guess not. You know, you really ought to watch that temper of yours. It'll only get you into trouble like this, for example," she said as she summoned all her strength and pulled Hook off his balance. She swung him around her and then slammed him face first into one of the masts.

Kairi unsummoned her Keyblade and pumped her fist. "Yes! I can't believe that worked!"

Hook pulled away from the mast. He now had a goofy grin on his face and started to stumble around the deck while babbling incoherently.

"Captain! Wake up or you're going to lose the fight!" shouted Smee.

"Peter! Pluto! Tink! Boys!" called Kairi causing everyone to run up to her. All of them looked confused.

"Why are you calling us now, Kairi?" asked Peter.

"Yeah, you were doing so very good on your own," said Cubby.

"I know I was. But I think this fight's gone on long enough and it's time to end it. And what better way to finish a fight than for all of us to do it together?" asked Kairi causing everyone's eyes to light up with excitement.

"You mean that?" asked Slightly.

"Of course. After all, he's your enemy. Wouldn't be right to not let you get a few shots in. So, what do you say? Would you all care to help me finish him off?"

In response, Peter and the boys cheered, Tink tinkled and Pluto barked. They were all on board.

"Sounds like fun, Kairi. So, how are we going to finish off the old codfish?" asked Peter.

"Glad you asked. What I have in mind is a little something I'd like to call Team Attack: Eternal Youth. Everyone here has a small but important part to play in it. Once I tell each of you your parts, you'll all get into position and await my command. If we pull this off, we should defeat Hook in the one of the most spectacular ways he's ever been beaten. But let's hurry or he'll recover before I have the chance to tell all of you what you need to do," said Kairi as she gathered everyone into a huddle.

As the group conversed, Smee, still up in his spot on the mast, put a hand to his ear in an attempt to listen to what they were saying. But then Pluto flashed him an angry look causing him to pull his hat over his eyes and plug his ears with his fingers.

A short while later, a splash of water hit Hook in the face. He sputtered as he snapped out of his daze. Once he regained his composure, he angrily looked around for Kairi.

To his surprise, there was no sign of her, Peter or any of their friends. There was only an empty bucket in front of him, which clearly had been used to wake him. But there was no sign of who had used it.

"Where did they all go?"

"Now, everybody!" called Kairi's voice startling Hook whose eyes darted around in search of her location.

"Captain! Look out!" called Smee.

"Huh? YEOW!" shouted Hook as Pluto bit him in the rear.

Pluto let go just as Hook whirled around and shot an angry look at the dog. "Scurvy cur!"

Suddenly, from the sides came Cubby and Nibs. Cubby slammed his club onto Hook's right foot while, at the same time, Nibs smacked his wooden sword on Hook's left knee causing him to scream in pain.

Next, from behind, the Twins used their blowguns and shot Hook's hat clear off his head. At the same time, Slightly used what appeared to be a cross between a slingshot and a rifle to fire a stone into Hook's back. The captain's screams increased.

After that, Toodles ran in front of Hook. Capping off the Lost Boys' attack, he shot a small stone into Hook's forehead using a slingshot. After that, he and the rest of the Lost Boys ran away from the screaming pirate.

After a few moments, Hook recovered from the pain only to see Tink flying toward his face. Pulling back her leg, she thrust it forward and kicked Hook in the chin. She then started making goofy faces at the pirate.

"Accursed pixie!" shouted Hook as he raised his hook.

Suddenly, Peter flew above Hook holding Kairi by her sides. Once again, she snared the hook in the teeth of her Keyblade.

"Hang on tight, Hook! You're coming for a ride!" exclaimed Peter as Hook was yanked right off the deck and into the air.

Dragging the screaming pirate behind them, Kairi and Peter quickly flew in circles around the ship. They went for at least ten revolutions before they finally stopped.

Kairi smiled down at the pirate dangling from her Keyblade. "Did you enjoy your ride, Hook?"

"Wretched wench! Release me immediately" yelled Hook.

Kairi traded a knowing look with Peter. "Is that what you really want?"

"Yes. I demand you release me this instant!"

"Whatever you say, Hook," said Kairi with a shrug of her shoulders as she unsummoned her Keyblade and released him.

Hook fell screaming downward. He landed on his rear end right on the plank. The plank bent under the captain's weight, then sprang upward sending him into the air and eventually splashing down in the water.

Peter brought Kairi back to the deck of the Jolly Roger and they ran to the edge of the ship. Pluto, Tink and the Lost Boys gathered around them. Leaning on the railing, they all laughed as they watched Hook struggle to stay afloat.

"Always nice to see a codfish back in the water where he belongs!" exclaimed Peter causing everyone else to laugh.

"I'll get you for this, Pan! And you too, Kairi! If it's the last thing I do!" yelled Hook.

Kairi turned to Peter and asked, "How many times have you heard that before?"

"Eh too many to count. But I never get tired of hearing it," said Peter.

"Mark me words! You both will pay! And Sora will too! And those other Keyblade Wielders I tangled with long ago!" ranted Hook from the water.

Hook's last statement brought a look of surprise to Kairi's face. 'I really need to learn what Terra, Aqua and Ven were up to when they came here.'

Tick-tock.

Tick-tock.

Tick-tock.

Peter's grin got wider. "I say, Captain? Do you hear something?"

Hook scoffed. "If you believe that I will fall for your childish tricks twice in the same day, you are sorely mistaken!"

The group on the Jolly Roger said nothing. But knowing smiles were on the faces of Peter, Tink and the Lost Boys. Kairi, however, had an expression that almost looked concerned.

Then Hook realized something: the ticking was not coming from any of them. In fact, it was coming from right behind him.

Hook slowly turned himself around and let out a scream of horror. Directly behind him, wearing a hungry grin on his toothy mouth, was the crocodile.

"Smee!" cried out Hook as the giant reptile lunged at him with his mouth opened wide.

"I'll save you, Captain!" shouted Smee's voice.

Everyone turned around and saw that Smee had finally climbed down off the mast. He rushed toward one of the lifeboats and lowered it to the water.

As everyone watched from the Jolly Roger, Hook swiftly swam away from the ship toward the horizon with the crocodile snapping at his heels. Smee rowed as quickly as he could to catch up to them.

"He'll be okay, will he, Peter?" asked Kairi who, in spite of everything Hook had done to her, didn't wish for him to become a meal for the crocodile.

"He'll be fine. This happens all the time to him and he always gets away. But Kairi, you shouldn't worry too much about it. Instead, let's talk about how amazing you were!" exclaimed Peter.

Suddenly, Kairi felt an unusual weight on top of her head. She looked up and saw Hook's hat. She turned around and saw that the Twins and Toodles had climbed onto each other's shoulders to place it on her head.

"Hooray for Captain Kairi!" cried out Peter and the Lost Boys among Tink's joyful tinkling and Pluto's barking.

Now that the battle against Hook and his pirates was over, Kairi finally took in what she had just accomplished. 'I just can't believe it. I did it. I actually fought a bad guy and won!'

As she gazed out toward the horizon and listened to the adoring cheers of her friends, the Princess of Heart felt proud of herself for the first time in a long time.

Notes from the Mad Doctor: The battle is finally over, and our Princess stands victorious. Feel free to cheer! You know, one of my favorite parts of the Kingdom Hearts series has always been the Summons, Limits and Team Attacks. They're pretty fun to watch and do. But just how do Sora and the friends he's just met pull them off without any practice? Video game logic I suppose. But I hope to work in a Team Attack for Kairi and whoever she's with in every world. Only two more chapters in Never Land left (one being the KLOD (Kairi's Letter of Departure) chapter) and then it's onto the next world. Reviews are much appreciated! Stay tuned!