Author's Note: I do not own KH BBS or anything affiliated with it. The rights to it belong solely to their respective owners.
Ch.20 The Real Treasures
As Ventus and I entered the cove, we hid behind a wall as we watched Hook standing there. He was tapping his foot impatiently, apparently waiting for Peter to show up. Then he stopped and cupped his ear, and I noticed it too: the cannon fire had stopped. "Alas. And so passeth a worthy opponent. To think that his would be such an inglorious end," he said, sighing and hunching over in disappointment. I looked over at Ven and smiled, and we both walked out of where we were hiding, Keyblades in hand.
Hook had his back to us, and suddenly straightened, laughing. "At last that scurvy brat will never trouble me again!" he said, and Ven called "I wouldn't be too sure of that, Hook!" He whipped around and saw us standing there, and he said "Swoggle me eyes!" Then his own eyes widened, and he turned toward the water, saying "No, don't tell me!" He pulled out a telescope and extended it, looking out towards the water. He saw Smee leaning over the edge of the ship, with Pan behind him beating his chest in victory.
Hook growled in anger and threw his telescope to the ground, yelling "Blast that Peter Pan!" He turned and ran over, jumping to land in front of us in the middle of the cove. He drew his rapier and glared at us, when abruptly I heard the ticking of a clock. Hook's glare vanished he looked around fearfully. "That sound!" Then he turned and saw a huge crocodile floating there, which was the source of the sound. He shouted in fear and jumped back, saying "No, not again! S-Stay away from me!'
But we stopped him, and I said "Not a chance!" Hook looked between us and the croc, and saw that there was no way of escape unless he got through us. Accepting his fate, he jumped forward and said "Have at it, you fools!" He swung at me and I had to dodge, while he simultaneously swung at Ven. He rolled out of the way and yelled "Freeze!" casting Deep Freeze. Instantly Hook was frozen in ice, which gave me the perfect chance to use Brutal Blast. The force of the blow shattered the ice and sent Hook skidding across the ground, until he was teetering on the edge of the rock.
With one more hit Ven knocked him into the water, where the croc more than happily took a bite out of him. Hook yelled in pain and ran across the air back to the ground,where he yelled "Scurvy brats!" with steam rising out of his ears. "I'll run you through!" he yelled, running towards us and swinging his sword. Ven and I both yelled, having to run around the edge of the ring to avoid him. Not thinking, I dove into the water to avoid Hook, and ended up face to face with the crocodile.
It gazed at me hungrily and snapped its jaws, and I swam like a bullet back to the shore. I climbed back up, seeing Ven cast Faith, creating a spinning circle of light pillars that both knocked Hook back and healed Ven. I grunted- so he knew that one too- and I settled myself for my own powerful spell. "Hey Hook!" I called, and he looked at me just as I cast Raging Storm. A trio of pillars, composed of pure flame, surrounded me, and I ran toward him. His eyes widened and he called "Stay away!" before running away from me just as I did from him.
But I was faster and caught up with him, burning his clothes and dealing a good amount of damage. "Hot! Hot! Hot!" he called, and Ven said "Here, let me cool you down!" Once again Ven used Deep Freeze and trapped him in ice, and this time I used Triple Firaga. The first too fireballs melted the ice, and the third set his clothes on fire. "Ahh! Put it out!" he called, voluntarily diving into the water. He got back before the croc bit him, but the instant he was on shore I used Freeze Raid, freezing him. Then I picked up his glacier over my head and threw it into the water.
The ice shattered on impact, allowing Hook to once again get bitten by the crocodile. He ran back and started yelling threats out, but before he could carry them out I blocked one attack and used Counter Blast, ending things there. He glared at me and said "Present for you!" tossing trio of boxes into the air. I had just enough time to wonder what they were before they hot the ground and exploded. Oh, so that's what. The blast sent Ven flying, and he responded with Payback Raid. Hook took a swing at me and I dodged, but that left my guard open for a second strike, cutting me from hip to shoulder.
"Take that!" Hook said, before Ven froze him a third time with Deep Freeze. I cast Curaga on myself and watched the wound heal, before running up to the frozen Hook and using Seeker Mine. The first mine homed in and exploded, breaking the ice and making room for the others. The blast sent Hook through the air until he was near the edge of the water, but before we could knock him off he regained his balance and counterattacked. He threw another set of boxes at Ven, who blocked two of them and caught the other, throwing it back.
The box exploded on the ground in front of Hook, and he was knocked off-balance by the blast. Not giving him the chance to get it back, I cast Triple Firaga and sent him farther across the ground, and just as he reached the edge Ven sent him over with Wind Raid. While Hook was in the water Ven looked at me and said "All we're doing it trading hits and knocking him into the water. If we want to win we need to do something different. But what?" For a second I couldn't answer, having to dodge and block the blows from an enraged Hook. Then used Flame Salvo and he yelled "Hot!" and I got an idea.
"Ven! Use your Faith spell, and give it everything you've got!" I called. He looked at me, but nodded and began focusing his energy. Hook saw him and yelled "Nice try!' and swung at him, but just he did I cast Raging Flame and knocked him away. "Now!" I called, and he yelled "Light!" Pillars of light spread and spun around him, and I directed the pillars of fire to collide with them. When both of them connected they resisted for a second, before creating a massive explosion of blinding light and searing heat.
When it faded Hook was walked around aimlessly, dazed from the blow. "Game over, Hook!" I yelled, hitting him with Brutal Blast one more time and sending him flying into the water. He floundered around for a moment before catching his breath, abruptly noticing that the crocodile was right in front him. It stuck its tongue out hungrily and he yelled "Stay away from me!" trying to swim away. It leaped toward him jaws first, and Hook was in such a hurry to get away that he actually ran across the water, yelling "Help me, Smee! Smeeeeee!"
I laughed- the scene was just to funny to not- and Ven joined in alongside me. "Ahoy! Look what we brought!" We heard Slightly yell, and we both turned to see him and Cubby rowing toward us, a treasure chest between them.
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Later, once we made sure that Hook was good and gone and we had gotten the chest a safe distance from the shore, we set it on the ground. "Treasure!" Ven exclaimed, and Peter said "Yup! The same chest I told you about! We snatched it right from Hook's hiding place!" He walked over and opened it, but to both our surprise the chest had nothing in it. "Huh? How come it's empty?" Pan asked. "Uh, sorry, but... we losted all the treasures," Cubby told him. "Man, that stinks," I said, while Ven added "Oh, well... That's too bad." "Aw, who needs it? It was probably full of dumb old jewels or doubloons or somethin' anyways," Peter said.
"We could put the stuff we treasure in there instead- if ya wanna?" Slightly suggested. "Yeah, that's perfect! Instead of filling it up with jewels and gold and stuff, we'll put in what's truly special to us. The real riches!" Peter told them, and I nodded in agreement. After a while of looking through Pan's hideout and around the area for stuff, the chest was filled with toys sword and other stuff. "What about you Ven, Dexal? You guys putting anything in?" he asked.
I shook my head. "Sorry, I haven't got anything to put it." We both looked at Ven, and he said "I don't know... How about this?" Then, to my shock, he pulled out the wooden Keyblade that Terra had made for him. "Ven! You're going to put that in there?" I asked, wanting to see if he was sure. "What is it?" Peter asked. "It's just... something that a friend of mine gave me," Ven told him. "So it's like a keepsake, huh? You sure you wanna part with something that special?" Peter asked, and I added "Yeah Ven, are you positive?"
He nodded and looked at me. "I don't need if I've got you, Terra and Aqua. Our best memories are still ahead," he said. I smiled in understanding, and nodded. "All right, then. And next time you visit, we'll have an even bigger chest. One for all those treasures and lots more!" Peter told him, and he replied "Okay, it's a deal." Ven placed the wooden Keyblade in the chest, and I smiled; Ven had really done a lot of growing up and getting stronger. Than again, I reckoned, so had I.
"Well then, I'll be seeing you guys," I said, shaking hands with Peter and ruffling Ven's hair before walking off. Just before I left I looked back, and saw Tinker Bell about to place the Star Shard in the chest. "Oh, wait. Tink," Ven said, and she turned to look at him. "That belongs to a friend of mine. Do you think maybe I could hang on to it?" She shook her head and backed away, unwilling to let it go. "Now Tink!" Peter said firmly, and she slumped. I could almost hear her say "Oh, alright," and she gave the Star Shard to Ven.
"Thank you," he said and she flew away. I smiled and was about to turn away when the Star Shard flashed with a bright light. My eyes widened and I ran back, but by the time I got there the light faded and Ven was gone. "Ven!" I called, looking around. "He... he's gone!" Cubby said, and Slightly pointed up at the sky. "Look! The light!" We all looked up, and there was a stream of light moving chaotically across the skyline before vanishing. Peter smiled. "Don't worry, men. Wherever that light takes him, Ven will always have his friends by his side."
I smiled. "That's right. In which case, I need to go to," I said, before pumping my fists together. My armor appeared, and when I threw my Keyblade into the air it transformed into my Glider. "Both Slightly and Cubby went "Whoa..." in awe, and I jumped on. "Take care Dexal!" Peter Pan said, and I waved, saying "Have fun in Neverland!" Then I opened a portal to the Lanes between and flew in.
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And so Neverland comes to a close! Now that all the worlds have been finished, what will happen next? What will Dexal see on Destiny Islands? Will he unlock the secrets to his mysterious powers and his past? And what will they be? Stay tuned to find out!
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