Okay guys. We're repeating areas, but with new twists involved. This part of the game doesn't revolve around any movie for Mulan, but IS in between the two movies, as far as the Kingdom Hearts Universe is concerned. Also, this does finish off the precursor for the movie "Beauty and the Beast" in the sense that this is before the whole fight sequence and everything. But it IS nice that we finally get to face Xaldin in this world.
Alright, enough stalling, let's get to the next world already.
Disclaimer: Don't own Digimon or Kingdom Hearts. Just own the idea, which doesn't count for copyrights.
Also: if you have an idea for a Digimon Villain for Takuya to battle before The World That Never Was, please make suggestions by reviewing or PMing me.
(Chapter Begin)
(Recap)
Just after Donald took a bite out of the Ice Cream, it glowed a familiar glow.
"Look's like that's our ticket out of here," said Takuya.
Sora summoned the Kingdom Key and opened the pathway out of the Realm of Darkness.
"I can't go yet," said Sora, "I've got to look for Kairi."
"Later," said Takuya, pushing him out the doorway, "You won't do anyone any good unless you get out of here now!"
They managed to return to the Gummy Ship relatively unharmed.
"I guess help can come from unlikely places," said Sora, still reeling over the fact that Maleficent actually saved them, despite her intentions.
"I know what you mean," said Donald.
"Hmm," said Goofy, "A photo and some Ice Cream? Maybe it's a clue, but who would've left 'em there for us, anyway?"
"Riku?" asked Sora.
'Good guess, though you won't truly know for a while,' thought Takuya, before saying out loud, "Maybe. If he's alright, maybe he's choosing to help out in his own way."
"Look, we're almost there," said Donald.
"What about the Heartless?" asked Sora, "If they're back, I can't use the Keyblade, because then that would just help the Organization out."
"You use it anyways," said Takuya, "Even in a lose-lose situation, you have to continue down your path. I learned that the hard way. Sometimes helping your enemy is the way to find a way to defeat them."
"Alright," sighed Sora, "I'll keep using it."
So, they headed for their next destination, and their next journey.
(Recap End)
(Land of Dragons)
When they landed, they were in the village that Shan Yu had burned to the ground, and defeated Takuya quite easily.
"I wonder how everyone's doing," said Goofy.
"Look," said Donald, pointing ahead.
They saw a man in an Organization Cloak at the upper edge of the village. After turning to look at them, he ran off up the mountain.
'Riku,' thought Takuya, 'What are you doing here?'
"HEY YOU!" shouted Sora.
"Sora!" shouted a familiar voice.
The four of them turned to see Mulan run up.
"Hey, Mulan," said Sora, "No time to talk, we need to catch that guy!"
"I'm after him as well," replied Mulan.
"Let's go together," said Takuya, heading on up the mountain first.
The others followed him. When they got up the mountain pass, they saw the cloaked guy (Riku) head further up the mountain with Takuya following him; however, before they could follow, Nobodies showed up and they had to fight them before moving on.
While the others battled nobodies, Takuya chased Riku up the mountain.
"Hey! Stop already," said Takuya, as they neared the peak, "What's going on?"
Riku stayed quiet, but pointed up the slope. Heartless appeared as Sora and the gang caught up with them.
"Take care of the Heartless," said Sora, summoning the Kingdom Key, "I've got this guy."
"No," said Takuya, "He's mine. EXECUTE NOW! FUSION EVOLUTION!"
Takuya Fusion Evolved into Aldamon, ready to battle Riku as he summoned the Soul Eater.
'Mickey told me he was getting the Way to the Dawn,' thought Aldamon, 'Where's that Keyblade?'
Riku charged, only for Aldamon to catch his Keyblade with his shield. Bringing the other one around, he sent Riku back a few feet. Riku summoned a Dark Blizzara and blasted Aldamon back. Sora came out of nowhere and attacked Riku with Kingdom Key, only for him to block with Soul Eater. After crossing blades a few times, Sora tried a Fire attack, only to be countered by Dark Fire from Riku. Riku jumped back just as Aldamon joined Sora. He made a motion as if disappointed in Sora, before running back down the mountain.
"I couldn't be, could it?" asked Sora, "Was that… Riku?"
'It WAS his Keyblade,' thought Aldamon, before speaking, "I don't know. I haven't heard from him since before you guys woke up."
Donald, Goofy, and Mulan joined up with them after defeating the rest of the Heartless.
"Did you get him," asked Goofy.
"No," said Sora, not speaking a whole-truth, "He got away. What now?"
"Maybe we need to get rid of the rest of the Heartless," suggested Goofy.
"That'd be a way to start," said Aldamon, before the mountain shook around them.
They looked towards the summit and saw a HUGE Dragon-looking Heartless appear out of the snow.
"Uh-oh," said Aldamon, extending his wings, "We might need to start with him!"
(AN1)
"It's heading for the city!" shouted Mulan, as they watched the Dragon Heartless fly towards the Imperial City.
"I'll hold him off," said Aldamon, taking to the air, "You guys warn the Emperor!"
The others headed down the mountain as Aldamon flew after the Dragon Heartless.
Riku had already made it to the Palace thanks to a Dark Portal he used. After defeating Shang, which wasn't exactly hard for the experienced battler, he approached the Emperor.
"What is it that you seek?" asked the Emperor.
"There is a Dragon that Shan Yu killed years ago that has now become a Heartless. That Heartless is approaching the City even as we speak," replied Riku.
"I shall inform my guards and we shall deal with the matter ourselves," said the Emperor.
"There is no need," said Riku, "Three wise guys and a fire wielder have already arrived and they can take care of it. Make sure everyone has made it to safety before the Dragon arrives."
"Very well," said the Emperor, "Captain Shang, see to it that everyone is safe."
"Yes, your Excellency," said Shang, now having recovered and made way to follow said orders.
"Thank you," said Emperor, only to find that Riku had already disappeared.
As Sora and the others were making their way towards the Emperor, battling Nobodies that Xigbar summoned, Aldamon was chasing after the Dragon Heartless.
"This guy sure moves fast for someone without a heart to pump adrenaline through his system."
When he finally got close enough to the Dragon Heartless, he let loose an Atomic Inferno at close range. This caused the Dragon Heartless to face him.
"That got your attention, didn't it?" quipped Aldamon.
The Dragon roared and lunged out with his tail. Aldamon dodged it, only to get hit by the Dragon Heartless's fire, knocking him back a ways.
"That wasn't very nice," said Aldamon, flying around to get in front of the Dragon, only to get hit by his wings.
By this time, they had flown into the Imperial City and at the Palace, so when Aldamon landed, Sora and the others were rushing up to him, having seen him get hit.
"You okay, Takuya?" asked Sora.
"I'm fine," said Takuya, already knowing what would be smarting for a while.
Sora and the others took over, while Takuya caught his breath. Even after Donald healed him, it would take a while for the pain to completely go away. As Sora and the others were fighting, Mulan and Donald were hit hard and taken out of the fight temporarily.
"Goofy," said Sora, "Let's try Valor!"
"Right!" replied Goofy, ready to give his strength to Sora.
However, Goofy didn't merge with Sora, because Sora had used Drive forms too much since receiving the ability, he turned into the black Anti-form. The Anti-form had a lot of strength for a form without a Keyblade, but the drawback is that he relies only on instinct, and not intelligence. This meant that he would attack his friends if they got in the way.
"Oh crap!" said Takuya, turning into Flamon and rushing towards his friend.
"Sora?" wondered Goofy.
Anti-Sora looked at him, but before he could attack him, Flamon stopped him halfway.
"Finish off the Heartless with the others, I'll get Sora to calm down in the meantime."
"Right," said Goofy, taking out two Hi-Potions and using them on Donald and Mulan.
The three of them battled the Dragon Heartless while Flamon and Anti-Sora wrestled.
"Come on, Sora," said Flamon, struggling against the strength of Anti-Sora, "Keep it together.
Anti-Sora didn't respond, only continued to battle Flamon. Flamon used his tail to try and keep Anti-Sora still, but Anti-Sora grabbed the tail and flung him into the Palace Wall.
"Okay," said Flamon, getting back up, "Let's dance!"
Flamon, having more natural instinct than Takuya, allowed him to feel out Anti-Sora's movements and as they battled, Flamon was able to get the upper hand and pin Anti-Sora to the ground as the Drive ran out of power and Sora returned to normal.
"Huh?" said Sora, confused to his surroundings. The last thing he was aware of was battling the Dragon Heartless, now he was pinned to the ground by Flamon and the Dragon Heartless was defeated, "Flamon, what's going on?"
(AN2)
Flamon released Sora and helped him up, before saying, "Let's just say you might want to conserve how often you go into a Drive Form."
"Why?" asked Sora.
"You turned into the Anti-Form: All strength and instinct, but no Keyblade and conscious intelligence. The others can't even heal you in that state."
"Sorry, geez," said Sora, "You don't have lay the guilt trip that heavy."
"Just try to be more careful," said Takuya, changing back walking towards the Palace, "We don't need you getting yourself killed just because you can't dodge attacks, right?"
"HEY!" said Sora, feeling insulted, started chasing after him.
Takuya laughed and jumped back as Sora leaped and landed face first on the ground. This caused laughter from Donald, Mulan, and Goofy as well as Shang, who had showed up after the others were safe.
After everything and everyone calmed down, the seven of them reconvened in the Emperor's throne room.
"Once again, you have served China well," said the Emperor, "It would please me to reward you."
Donald and Goofy's thoughts instantly went to Munny and Food respectively; however, Sora had other ideas.
"Well," said Sora, "You said a guy in black came to see you. What did he say?"
"That is all?" asked the Emperor.
"Yes," said Sora, disappointing Donald and Goofy in the process.
Takuya smirked, knowing that Sora made the right choice. The Emperor then explained about the Dragons that have plagued China in the past. Apparently someone evil in the past (Shan Yu or Xigbar works) disturbed his slumber and turned him into a Heartless.
"Did you alert your soldiers?" asked Sora.
"I was going to," replied the Emperor, "But he said the circumstances had changed."
"He said three wise guys and a Fire Wielder had arrived and they would handle it."
"That has to be Riku!" said Sora, excited that his friend is alright.
"I'm gonna get him for that 'fire wielder' comment," said Takuya, "I don't just wield fire, I focus and enhance it by channeling my power through it."
"But what's Riku doing by hanging out with Organization XIII?" asked Goofy.
"Well, didn't Saix say that he had Kairi at the Organization stronghold?" asked Takuya, "Maybe he's trying to get Kairi out of there safely, and needs time to do it discreetly."
Mulan then asked if Shang could get a brake from his duties, but the Emperor denied and instead asked if Mulan would join Shang in protecting him. Mulan accepted without hesitation. Sora felt tears in his eyes, thinking of a certain someone. Takuya placed in hand on Sora's shoulder, getting his attention. Takuya nodded. Sora turned to Donald and Goofy, and getting the same response, he smiled, his tears going away.
"Thanks for everything," said Takuya, "Stay safe now."
And with that, they left the Land of Dragons to continue their adventure.
(Beast's Castle)
Upon landing, they went in the Castle and saw Beast in a more professional attire than they had ever seen him wear before.
"Hey," said Sora, "It's Beast!"
"Hey guys," said Beast, though not overly enthusiastic about seeing them.
"Everything okay?" asked Takuya.
"There doesn't seem to be any Heartless around, no Nobodies as well," said Donald.
"Doesn't mean they've left," added Goofy.
"The Heartless haven't appeared that much since your last visit," said Beast.
Soon, the door to the East Wing opened and Belle entered in an elegant yellow dress.
"Wow," said Takuya, "She cleans up nice."
"This is a very important night for us," said Beast.
"We'll be sure not disturb you guys," said Sora.
So, everyone entered the Ballroom, as Takuya looked up at the ceiling, he suddenly remembered something he saw in his world and nudged Sora.
"What?" asked Sora, quietly.
"Whatever you do," said Takuya in a whisper, "DON'T summon Stitch here."
"Why?" asked Sora.
"Let's just say that in my world: the movies can tend to overlap for unknown reasons."
(AN3)
"Monsieur and Mademoiselle," said Lumiere, "Please enjoy your evening. We welcome our guests to join in as well."
"A welcome indeed," said Xaldin.
"What are you still doing here!" said Takuya, bringing out his D-Tector.
"Get out!" shouted Beast, letting go of Belle and charging towards Xaldin, intent on making him pay for ruining such a special night.
Xaldin summoned Nobodies to block the Beast from getting to him.
"I've come to take something very dear to you," said Xaldin.
"NOOOOO!" shouted Beast, knowing what Xaldin was talking about.
"I'm on it!" said Takuya, taking off towards the West Wing.
Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Beast worked together on taking out the Nobodies that were block their way.
When Takuya got there, Xaldin had already gotten the Rose.
"GIVE THAT BACK!" shouted Takuya, turning into Flamon.
"Oh please," said Xaldin, using his free hand to summon a Lance and use it to channel wind to blow back Flamon.
Xaldin then disappeared into a Portal of Darkness.
"GET BACK HERE!" shouted Flamon jumping in after him.
A few seconds later, the Beast came charging in, and seeing no one there, let out a HUGE fit. When the others joined him, he was as angry as ever.
"What's wrong?" asked Belle.
"What's wrong?" quipped Beast, "You wanting to have a party! That's what's wrong! Look what happened!"
"Hey!" said Sora, "Don't take it out on her!"
"My Rose," said Beast, "Xaldin took my rose! And probably killed Takuya in the process."
"No!" said Sora, "Takuya wouldn't lose to someone like him! And can't you find another Rose!"
"That Rose was special!" said Beast, "It holds everything tied to the curse! Without it…"
"I'm sorry," said Belle, "I didn't know."
"There's no need to apologize," said Sora.
"Belle, Sora," said Beast, "I need you to leave the castle! You can't help me anymore. When you first got here, Belle, I tried to change for you, but now…"
"Then why send me away?" wondered Belle.
"I was a beast before I turned into this form," said Beast, "And now, I'll stay a beast, to pay for what I've done in the past, to everyone."
"I don't think he's going to change his mind," said Goofy.
"Let's let him take a few minutes to calm down, then we'll talk to him about getting his rose back," said Sora.
After getting Belle and the servants out of the room, they decided to check out the purple sphere that was left in the room. When they entered it, they got into a battle with Marluxia. Afterwards, they were returned to Beast's Room, only to find a few minutes had passed.
They approached the Beast.
"Hey, Beast," said Sora.
"Leave me alone!" said Beast, the anger having disappeared into depression.
"You need to hear this," said Sora, "Last year, you were fearless. You cared about Belle so much that even when this world fell into Darkness, you're Heart led you to Hollow Bastion to find her. You never stopped until she was safe. That showed us courage that you wouldn't believe. Not to mention, it showed us how strong the Heart can be. Are you gonna through away your one shot with Belle because you don't have that rose to tell you when time's up?"
"There's one thing I know," said Beast, turning around, "This Castle belongs to ME! And Xaldin will never be welcomed here!"
"That's the spirit!"
Soon, the Pedestal where the Rose was placed began to glow. A small sphere of light rose up from it and transformed into the Rumbling Rose Keyblade, which Sora placed in Hyperspace. They headed back to the Entrance Hall, to look for Xaldin and Takuya.
When they got there, Takuya was laying on the floor, unconscious, while Xaldin was above the entrance to the Ballroom.
"So Beast," said Xaldin, as they entered, "You came after all. I was beginning to worry that you had given up."
Donald got Takuya back on his feet with a Cura Spell.
"Thanks," said Takuya, sitting up.
"What do you guys really want!" demanded Sora.
"Kingdom Hearts," answered Xaldin simply, taking off his hood and showing them what he really looked like, "When Kingdom Hearts is complete, we can finally live fully and completely!"
"And you'll sacrifice as many worlds as it takes in order to do so!" said Takuya, standing up, "Not the most noble of means to an end."
"But it IS why we need your Heartless AND your Nobody, Beast," said Xaldin, summoning more Nobodies.
"EXECUTE!" shouted Takuya, "SPIRIT EVOLUTION!"
Takuya Spirit Evolved into Agunimon and began battling the Nobodies alongside the others. After using a Limit Break to finish the rest of the Nobodies, Sora and the others went after Xaldin, who left out the front door.
"Get back here!" shouted Agunimon, as they ran through the door into the courtyard.
When they got there, they didn't see anyone.
Meanwhile, Belle had changed out of her yellow dress and back into her normal clothes. She sighed as she tried to think of a way to help Beast, when she noticed the Rose right next to her on the Balcony.
"Look," said Belle, calling out to Beast, "It's the Rose!"
Beast, Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Takuya looked up, only to see Xaldin capture both Belle AND the Rose and jump over the courtyard and out onto the Bridge. They chased after Xaldin, intent on getting Belle, and the Rose, back from him.
"Xaldin!" shouted Beast, "You are banished from ever stepping foot on these lands ever again! Leave NOW!"
"With pleasure," replied Xaldin, "However, I like traveling light, so what should I leave behind: Belle, or the Rose?"
"How about both!" said Takuya, bringing out his D-Tector once more, "Leave them both here and you can leave with your Nobody existence intact!"
"Belle!" shouted Beast, racing towards them.
Belle used the distraction to get the Rose and herself away from Xaldin. She ran back to the Castle, Beast and the others standing between her and Xaldin. Xaldin summoned his blades and the Wind Element, wielding two blades and using the Wind to wield the other four.
"I'll try to fend off the lances," said Takuya, summoning Data around his hand and scanning it through his D-Tector, "EXECUTE NOW! FUSION EVOLUTION!"
Aldamon stood ready to take on Xaldin alongside the others. Using the Wind, Xaldin sent his four lances at Aldamon, who flew up to dodge them. The lances then moved upward, following him. Sora moved forward to strike Xaldin along with Goofy, but Xaldin used his other two lances to block their attacks. Beast took advantage of this and attacked Xaldin from behind. Xaldin quickly recovered and called all six of his lances to him.
"You won't defeat me," said Xaldin, using the wind to control all six lances this time.
"Stay back and get ready to attack when I'm done," urged Aldamon, landing in front of them and focused power into his hands, "SOLAR WIND DESTROYER!"
Unleashing his power, Aldamon destroyed Xaldin's lances and with the power of the wind only helping it, Xaldin received massive damage.
"Go for it," said Aldamon, as Sora and Beast ran past him.
Unleashing one last Limit Break, Sora and Beast defeated Xaldin, who faded into Nothingness.
"One less member," said Aldamon, "Don't think we'd be missing ya either, Xaldin."
Afterwards, they met back with Belle in the Courtyard.
"Here," said Belle, giving the Rose back to Beast, "it's yours again."
"Belle…" said Beast, at a loss for words.
"I know," said Belle, fighting tears, "you want me to leave the Castle."
"No," said Beast, "You don't need to leave. You weren't hurt by Xaldin, and that's what mattered most to me: your safety."
"Well," said Belle, "I glad you got your Rose back as well."
"Yes," said Beast, "This Rose IS important to me, but I would like for you to stay here, with me, in the Castle."
"And I graciously accept," said Belle, bowing formerly.
The Beast returned with his own bow and they picked up where they left off in the Ballroom, the dance they never completed.
(Underworld)
When they landed in the next world, they were already at the entrance to the Underworld. They looked towards the entrance to the Coliseum to see Hercules and Megara standing at the entrance.
"Hey," said Hercules, still feeling depressed.
"Well," said Meg, "same routine. Wonder Boy here thinks his days of being a Hero are over, and Phil says it's all in his head."
"We know you're a hero, Herc!" said Goofy.
"That's right," said Takuya, "Just remember what it means to be a hero, and you'll be fine."
"That's right…" said Hades, making his entrance, "Blunderboy. How can you mope on a momentous day like today? The Underdrome's back, and you are gonna fill the stands. After all, your fans won't settle for anything less than a certified hero."
"Really?" asked Takuya, a plan hatching in his head, "Only a True Hero?"
"That's right," said Hades, "but if Herc's not up to it, he could always, you know: LOSE!"
"Bet you'd like that!" said Sora.
"Excuse me? Hey, I'm not a selfish guy. I'm not like those high and mighty SNOBS on Mount Olympus. I stand for the masses, and do I have a massive idea," said Hades, before speaking out in an announcing voice, "The Games, ladies and gentlemen, are BACK! Yours truly, Hades, the one and only Lord of the Dead, brings you the ultimate games to celebrate the re-opening of the ultimate coliseum! We'll finally get to answer that age-old question: Who deserves the title 'Ultimate Hero'? These games are gonna settle the debate once and for all! The winner reigns supreme. Of what, you may ask? Why, none other than the HADES CUP! And I assure you that the 'Great' Hercules will be there, otherwise…"
Hades turned and look at Megara, letting his sentence hang for a moment.
"You'll never see your girlfriend again," finished Hades.
"LOWLIFE!" shouted Sora as Hades left.
"You're too kind kid!" said Hades, thanking Sora for that remark.
"I'll be handling registration for the Hades Cup," said Pain, "Panic has the regular tournaments."
"It's a good way to train up if you're not ready for the big leagues," followed Panic.
"Okay," said Takuya, "You guys go for it. Something's not right here. I'm gonna see if there's Heartless or Nobodies around. Can't let Organization 13 get involved. Hades might use it as leverage against you guys."
"Okay," said Sora, "You'll check it out. We'll handle the Tournament."
"Be back soon," said Takuya, as he headed for the Underworld.
Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Hercules checked the Tournament set up.
"Who do we face first?" asked Hercules.
"The name says: Spin Strike," said Goofy.
"Look," said Donald, pointing to a name at the other side of the board, "Auron's in this tournament as well."
"Looks like we might face him in the finals," said Goofy.
"I'll bet he's a real hero, huh?" said Hercule, getting more depressed that Sora knew about another great fighter.
"I wouldn't say that," said Sora, "But I don't think he's a bad guy either."
(AN4)
"But you're the only home grown hero here, Hercules," said Sora, "You know that."
"Maybe before," said Hercules.
"QUIT IT BEFORE I SLAP YOU UPSIDE THE HEAD!" shouted Sora, before realizing what he said, and suddenly felt very embarrassed.
"Sora…" said Herc, wondering with a little fear what happened to his friend.
"I guess Takuya's been rubbing off on me a little," said Sora, using the toe of his shoe to make scrapings across the Underworld floor.
(AN5)
Soon, the Tournament was ready to begin, and they headed to the Underdrome for their first round match.
While snooping around in the Underworld, Takuya couldn't find anything; however, that doesn't mean no one found him. Cerberus was just waking up from a nap as Takuya walked by. Cerberus got up and made his way over to Takuya, who heard his footsteps.
"Don't make me take you down, boy," said Takuya, turning into Flamon, "I didn't fight you last time because I wasn't at the top of my game."
As Cerberus made to strike Flamon, he jumped up and landed behind Cerberus's middle head.
"So, I'd suggest you stop right now, before I put a more personal touch for you to understand," said Flamon, brining up a small scan of Data to his hand.
Cerberus gave out a loud defiant roar, trying to get him off. Flamon sighed, and plunged the data into the middle head, the Data spreading throughout the three-headed dog of Hades.
"There you go," said Flamon, "Now, let's see what Hades is up too."
Flamon placed his hand on Cerberus's middle forehead and focused on the Data he needed to see.
(Hades capturing Auron and taking out his soul and placing it in a small statue.
"Your will belongs to me now," said Hades, "You will do as I say or I will return you from where I found you."
Against his will, Auron said, "Yes, Hades.")
("You will participate in the Hades Cup for the sole reason of defeating Hercules," said Hades, "Do that and I'll forgive you of your crime."
"Yes, Lord Hades," said Auron, obediently.)
("Once Auron defeats that meddlesome Hercules," said Hades, "I'll be one step closer to ruling everything on this world.")
(AN6)
"Whoa," said Flamon, breaking the connection, "He really trusts you to listen in on his plans, boy. That show's that you're a God of the Underworld's Best Friend."
Cerberus quietly lowered his middle head and Flamon jumped off.
"Thanks, boy," said Takuya, petting all three of Cerberus's heads, "I've got to get going, but you stay out of trouble now."
Takuya made his way to Hades' chamber only to see Sora, Donald, and Goofy there, fighting Nobodies.
"Guys," said Takuya, "You got the statue?"
"Yeah," said Sora, striking down another Nobody, "But these guys aren't letting us go anywhere."
Soon, Heartless showed up and attacked the Nobodies.
"Not what I expected, but I'll take it," said Sora, turning and running towards Takuya, "Let's get out of here."
"Right with you," said Takuya, as he, Donald, and Goofy followed.
They hightailed it back to the Entrance without stopping.
"What happened to the Book?" asked Takuya, as they were running.
"Battled Zexion on the way down here," explained Sora, "We actually battled him on my ravaged home."
"Well," said Takuya, "At least you can say you had home field advantage."
"Right," said Sora, though he wasn't all that happy to see his home in such a state again.
They made it to the Underdrome to see Hercules battling against Auron.
"Looks like Herc's got back his fighting spirit," said Takuya.
"Yeah, but he doesn't want to hurt Auron, and he can only hold on for so long," said Sora, before calling out, "AURON! NO!"
"YO! AURON!" shouted Takuya, "I think you'd be better off with your own free will, and not Hades'."
Sora threw the statue over to Auron, which returned his free will to him. He stopped his battle with Hercules, who collapsed down in relief, and turned to the others.
"Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Takuya," said Auron.
"That's the Auron we know," said Takuya, as the others shouted in joy.
"Why you little…" said Hades, not thinking of a word descriptive enough to describe those four, before turning back to Auron, "Prisoner! What happened to our MUTUAL agreement?"
"I've told you before," replied Auron, his old attitude returning with a vengeance, "This is MY story, and you have no part in it!"
Hades was so made he exploded himself in front of them.
"THAT'S IT!" shouted Hades, fed up with his 'nice guy' routine, "This game is over. I've played by the rules so far. Okay, yeah, I was hoping Wonderboy would lose, but at least it would be FAIR! Is that REALLY so wrong?"
"YYYEEESSS!" said Takuya in a 'duh' voice.
"Like it was all that fair," said Sora.
"Joke all you want," said Hades, "Because the joke's over! We play by MY rules now."
He opened a nearby door that led to a Dungeon within the Underworld, a place where the losers that died would go. He teleported Megara over it, with him standing on the side.
"You broke our deal," said Hades, "You didn't fight, so you don't keep your girlfriend."
Hades released Megara into the Dungeon, with Hercules racing in right after her, no hesitation in his features.
"Looks like Wonderboy has dropped out of the standings," said Hades, closing the door behind him.
"Well, you still got us to deal with," said Sora, bringing out his Kingdom Key.
"No," said Takuya, standing between them and Hades.
"No?" said Auron, "Just who's side are you on?"
"Hades," said Takuya, ignoring Auron, "You and I have a score to settle!"
Takuya brought out his D-Tector and Fusion Evolved into Aldamon.
"It wasn't exactly fair last time since I didn't have the Olympus Stone," said Aldamon, "But now, let's see who's Fire is stronger!"
"Agreed," said Hades.
"Are you sure you can do this?" asked Sora.
"That doesn't matter," said Aldamon, "You four need to stay out of this."
Hades summoned his flames, while Aldamon concentrated his power into his Arm Guards.
"ATOMIC INFERNO!" shouted Aldamon, releasing his attack, while Hades unleashed his flames.
The flames collided in midair and Aldamon used the smoke to get around Hades and attack him close range. His strikes didn't do too much, but Hades did feel pain when he got hit.
"Is that it?" asked Hades.
"He can't win," said Sora.
"Why not?" asked Donald.
"Because it's HIS Underworld," said Auron, "Hades is too powerful for Aldamon to keep up his attack like that, his stamina would tire out too fast."
"Then how does he beat him?" asked Goofy.
"He doesn't" said Hades, knock back Aldamon a few yards.
"He does," said Hercules, glowing with God-like strength, "One True Hero may not be enough, but two will work wonders!"
"You can't be alive!" said Hades, "Only one type can survive down there!"
"You're right," said Hercules, "And I owe you one for that, Hades. I wouldn't hesitate for a moment to give my life for Meg's, and then I remembered: A True Hero is measured by the strength of his Heart."
He set Meg down and turned to Sora and the others.
"I won't forget something like that again," said Hercules.
"Just ease off the crazy stunts," said Sora.
"People always do crazy things, when they're in love," said Hercules, "And I can tell Aldamon has someone like that on his world."
"Oh please, like that digital brat could've won against me anyways," said Hades, "He doesn't have it in him."
"Like I'd give up against a chump like you!" said Aldamon, not too fazed by Hades' attack earlier.
"Chump!" said Hades; feeling truly insulted now, "I am NOT a chump, just like you're not a hero!"
"And apparently you can't tell yet," said Aldamon, before reaching deep in his Heart and called forth his power, "The strength of MY heart is far stronger than you realize. I know where my strength lies. And I will return to her, no matter what!"
Aldamon began glowing just like Hercules.
"Shall we?" asked Aldamon.
"Your lead," replied Hercules.
Aldamon charged forward, with Hercules right behind him. Hades sent flames at them, only for both of them to dodge the flames, still charging. Aldamon leaped up into the air and landed behind Hades.
"These games are over!" shouted Aldamon, focusing his power into a single punch, knocking Hades over to Hercules.
"YOU LOSE!" shouted Hercules, using his power to knock Hades back over to Aldamon.
Hades recovered and summoned massive flames around him. Aldamon smirked, before focusing his power into his hands. Hades could only look on in fear and surprise as Aldamon took his flames and condensed them into a small sphere.
"Never challenge True Heroes ever again!" said Aldamon, pulling back the small sphere and launching it at Hades.
Hades tried to summon more flames, but couldn't in time as his own power hit him back to the floor. Hercules picked him up again and punched him over towards his own dungeon. Hades managed to pick himself up, feeling truly crippled by his own power.
"This isn't the end," said Hades, backing up, unaware as to what's behind him, "I'll be back… Whoa!"
Hades screamed as he fell down into the dungeon.
"He's not gonna be happy when he gets out of there," said Panic, looking fearfully over the edge with Pain.
"You mean IF he gets out of there," replied Pain.
"'If?'" said Panic, catching on to what his friend was saying, "'If' is good."
(AN7)
Everyone reconvened back at the entrance.
"What you gonna do now, Auron?" asked Donald.
"I lived my life defending others," said Auron, remembering his own past, "But now, there's no one left to protect. Maybe… it's time I shaped my own story."
"Yeah, you deserve it Auron," said Sora.
"After everything you've been through," said Takuya, "Anything less would criminal against you."
"I suppose I should thank you," said Auron.
"You don't have to," said Sora.
"Then I won't," said Auron, turning around.
"Well," said Sora, "What I mean is: you could thank us, a little."
"You should be clearer with what you mean," said Auron, turning back around, "Though I could say a few words."
Auron paused as he found the right words to say.
"Thanks for meddling!" said Auron.
'I guess that's his way of being nice,' thought Takuya, keeping his mouth shut.
"Before I forget," said Auron, turning back to them, "I think this might serve you better than it did me."
Auron brought out the statue that contained his free will and gave it to Sora. The statue glowed and turned into the Guardian Soul Keyblade.
"Wow," said Sora, looking it over, "Thank you, Auron."
"It's a way for us to stay connected," replied Auron, "Even if we're separated. Use it when you're in need of a Guardian. I'm sure it'll come in handy."
After that, Auron headed back down into the Underworld, considering it was where he belonged after losing his life. Sora and the others headed back upstairs to the Olympus Coliseum to see Hercules and his friends one last time.
"Thanks again guys," said Hercules as they approached them, "You're the best."
"Excuse us for meddling," said Donald, upset at what Auron said.
"Looks like someone's feathers are ruffled," said Meg, "I'm kidding. Thank you guys."
"What's next for you guys?" asked Hercules.
"Well, you know," said Sora, teasing them, "You two lovebirds seem to be doing just fine without us around."
"We gotta go," said Donald.
"Before we meddle again," said Goofy.
"Right," finished Sora.
"Take care guys," said Takuya.
"Are you turkeys trying to put me out of a job!" said Phil, walking up to them, "If you keep acing every challenge Champ, who am I gonna train!"
"Aw Phil, you can't quit on me now," said Hercules, his spirits even higher than they were when they first met, "I've got bring my all if Hades returns, and I can't do that without your help."
"Hey! Are we True Heroes yet?" asked Donald, getting in his face, with Sora right next to him.
"Yeah! How 'bout it?" asked Sora.
Phil looked at them seriously, taking in their physical expressions, as well as hidden ones, behind their eyes.
"Let me see now," said Phil, reaching a decision, "You're not wise enough, not experienced enough."
"Okay, okay!" said Sora, "We get it. We're not ready."
"Look kid," said Phil, "It's not really up to me."
"Aw phooey," said Donald.
"Course, if it was," continued Phil, "I'd make you heroes in a heartbeat."
"Really!" said Sora, looks of hope on his and Donald's face.
"Then again," said Phil, "If those are your 'hero' faces, you still got a lot to work on."
Just then, everyone looked up to see Zeus bringing together two constellations: one with Sora, Donald, and Goofy; the other, Takuya back-to-back with Flamon.
"No way," said Takuya.
"Way," said Phil, "You've earned your hero wings. Your heart is in the right place. And at the rate that kid is going, he'll find it too."
"Knowing Sora," said Takuya, "He'll find it sooner than he thinks."
"Now, get on out of here," said Phil, "You need to get back your world and return to the one you care about most."
"Right," said Takuya, fighting a small blush appearing on his cheeks.
They gave their final farewells and returned to the Gummy Ship.
(Chapter End)
Wow, that turned out to be longer than I thought.
Dx: But shorter than it probably could be, right?
RDF1: Yep. But these revisiting the worlds can really throw off how long a chapter can be.
Oh well, time for Character Bios.
Name: Sora
Keyblades: Kingdom Key, Star Seeker, Hidden Dragon, Hero's Crest, Monochrome, Follow the Wind, Circle of Life, Photon Debugger*, Rumbling Rose, Guardian Soul
*Got from Tron in Space Paranoids
Drives: Valor, Wisdom, Limit, Master
Status: Junior Hero
Name: Takuya
Spirits collected: Fire, Earth, Wood, Ice, and Wind
Evolutions: Flamon, Agunimon, BurningGreymon, Aldamon
Status: True Hero
Name: Hercules
Occupation: Hero of his world, Son of Zeus
Weapons of choice: his mind, his strength, and his sword
Status: True Hero
Okay, sorry for the short one, but all the bios from before still apply, for the most part.
AN1: Don't know the gender for the Dragon, so I'm just going with a 'he'. Don't mean to offend, just the first thing I came up with.
AN2: In Anti-Form, Sora doesn't remember what happens in the beginning, but as he uses it more, he gains more awareness as time goes on.
AN3: This goes back to the teaser trailer for Lilo and Stitch, the one with Beauty and the Beast. It was funny.
AN4: Well, he's a Guardian. He's not REALLY a hero, but he's no Villain. That much I can tell.
AN5: Don't know what's that called, but it the description I'm going for.
AN6: This is a way for Takuya to find out about Hades plan without actually being with Sora's group. Also, he didn't know he could do that, he just hoped it would work, which it did.
AN7: I liked that little bit with Pain and Panic. They aren't dull in the least. Also, with what happened the last time, had to have Takuya in the fight. Besides, Hercules is REALLY powered down in this series, so I thought I'd give something back to him.
Okay, I believe that's all. Hope you enjoy this. And Review please!
Later,
RDF1