"It's good to walk on two legs," Sora said as they arrived on the next world.
"It could be worse…you could have been as small as me," Luigi said.
"Or some awkward turtle like I was," Bowser grumbled.
Sora laughed. "You're already an awkward turtle."
"I'll have you know I'm a koopa!" Bowser crossed his arms indignantly at Sora's comment.
"Same difference," Sora said.
"I hate to interrupt, but it would pay for us not to fight until we find our way to this world's Keyhole," Tippi said.
"You're a little upset about Uxie, aren't you?" Sora asked.
"Yes…"
"What does Uxie have to do with Tippi?" Luigi asked. Sora and Tippi looked at each other quickly.
"N-Nothing!" they said together.
"Keep your-" before Luigi could finish his statement, a long green snake slithered past them. It was trimmed by yellow vines with a white underbelly and held its angular head high.
"Serperior! Slow down!" A brown haired girl ran passed them after the green snake, but the snake seemed content to just stand their uninterested. She noticed the four of them. "He didn't hit you, did he?"
"No," Sora said. "He just rushed on by."
"He's a stubborn Pokemon, Serperior, but I love him." In response to the girl's words, the Serperior let out an indignant huff and looked away. "I'm Touko." She stuck out her hand to Sora.
"I'm Sora, these are Luigi, Bowser, and Tippi," Sora said.
"I've never seen Pokemon like them before…" Touko looked them over for a moment. "Tippi might be a subspecies of Beautifly, but I've never seen anything like Bowser before."
"That's because I'm one of a kind!" Bowser boasted. Touko looked at him in surprise. "What?"
"You can talk…like actually talk. Can Tippi do that too?"
"I can," Tippi said.
"You're such a lucky trainer to have Pokemon that can speak English, especially legendaries like that!" Touko said. Her hands made rapid movements to emphasize her excitement. "You should come with me! I'm on my way to defeat N and two Pokemon like that would be amazing."
"N? Who's that?" Luigi asked.
"This huge…jerk that thinks he can separate people from Pokemon using Team Plasma. I won't let him take Pokemon away from their trainers though," Touko said. "Wait, how did you not know that if you're in Team Plasma's Castle?"
"Uhh…"
"Sora and Luigi have been training in the caves below for a while. We accidentally found our way here," Tippi said, causing both Sora and Luigi to look at each other in relief for the Pixl's quick thinking. "We're more than happy to help you out."
"Alright! I hope Bowser and Tippi can pack a punch." She pulled out a white stone from her bag. "N's got the opposite Pokemon to the one in this stone. We're supposed to be chosen heroes or something, so your Pokemon will have to be ready."
"I can handle anything," Bowser roared. "Just watch!" He punched straight through a wall, opening up the pathway to a staircase.
"I've been looking for that stairway for hours…" Touko mumbled something along the lines of it not being fair that Bowser was able to find it so quickly before running up the staircase.
"Touko, you've made it…" A boy, not much older than Sora and Touko, turned around. His light green hair, bundled in a ponytail, stood out against his black and white outfit. "I wasn't expecting you to bring help however."
"N, we don't have to fight this battle. You don't have to force people to release their Pokemon," Touko said, grabbing onto a red and white ball attached to her belt. "Sure, some Pokemon are treated badly, but most of us love Pokemon." Serperior made a noise that sounded as though it were agreeing.
"Then let's see if you're the hero." The white stone in Touko's bag started reacting as a large white Pokemon appeared with blue and red lights on its tail. The Pokemon gave a huge roar. "So it appears I picked a strong rival afterall if Reshiram is willing to fight for you. Go, Zekrom." A black Pokemon, the same size as Reshiram, but with a blue tail and a less sleek appearance appeared. "Let us see the victor in the battle of truths versus ideals."
"We'll take care of this!" Sora summoned out his Keyblade in anticipation that Zekrom was a Heartless, but Touko put her hand out to stop him.
"This is my fight Sora, let me do it. Serperior, return!" Sora watched as the ball she pulled out of her belt released a red stream of light and Serperoir disappeared. "Reshiram?" The white Pokemon nodded to her. "Let's begin the battle." The battle began as Rehsiram fired a large ball of fire at Zekrom.
"Impressive, isn't it Keybearer, the power of two legendary dragons," a voice said. Sora looked to see a man with a similar shade of green hair to N. "I imagine you're here on Touko's side?"
"Yeah," Sora said. "What about you?"
"If you cannot guess it, then stopping you is not worth my time. I'll let that pesky girl do it." The man turned back to the battle, in which both trainers were now literally on their dragons, shouting orders and firing lightning bolts and flames at the other. A batch of flames hit Zekrom, knocking him out of the sky.
Touko jumped up in the air in a cheer for winning, although what she said, Sora had no idea, she was too far away. She landed on the ground before locking eyes with the man, who had emerged into the hall.
"So, you have defeated my son after all."
"Your son?" Touko asked in confusion. "I didn't even think a heartless beast like you could love Ghetsis."
"Whether I can or can't is not the issue. N, you have failed me once more," Ghetsis said. N looked down.
"That's no way to speak to him! He lost, what's the big deal?" Touko asked.
"The true motives behind the release of all Pokemon," Ghetsis said.
"True motives? N may be naïve, but I believe that his true motive was to free all of the Pokemon," Touko said.
"But those are not Team Plasma's true motives at all. In fact it was all an elaborate scheme to put me in power of the world!" Ghetsis laughed.
"But father…I thought we were protecting the Pokemon from harm…" N looked away in anger. Nobody blamed him, he'd been used by Ghetsis like a puppet.
"You honestly thought that was the plan your abomination? You honestly aren't worth it anyways."
"What's funny is that this is only precautionary. My son will tire of you soon and hurting you honestly isn't worth it except as revenge." A slapping sound occurred shortly afterwards
Phantom pain rippled through Tippi at the sound of the slap, followed by a feeling of fear. She didn't understand what these phantom voices meant, but this was the first time they'd been particularly vicious.
"Don't call N an abomination!" Touko shouted at him, her voice filled with anger. "How about we face off instead you and me?"
"We'll help out!" Sora summoned his Keyblade.
"Stay out of this Keybearer!" Ghetsis waved his hand and an army of Heartless appeared. Despite this being a Pokemon world, the Heartless were of the normal variety, Shadows, Soldiers, and a Large Body. He charged at the Shadows, each strike destroying the Shadows in one blow while Bowser and Luigi turned their attentions to the Soldiers. The Large Body charged at Sora from behind.
"Sora!" Tippi shouted out a warning, but there wasn't enough time for the Keybearer to defend himself. Just before he was hit, a large shield appeared in front of him. Sora watched as Peach jumped into the battle field, her hands in a defensive position.
"Come on Sora, take him out!" Peach shouted. Sora stared at the princess with confusion for a moment before slicing through the Large Body. She smiled at him. "That's the last Heartless, right?"
"Peach?" Tippi asked in surprise. The princess nodded. "How..?"
"Count Bleck sent one of his minions after me. I woke up in his castle," Peach said. "I'm not sure how I managed to get out of there, but whatever got me out sent me here."
"This is unbelievable. It doesn't even make sense!" Luigi said. "Princess, Count Bleck wouldn't let you out of his sight. That green girl specifically said you were their next target."
"Mimi," Peach corrected. "The green girl's name is Mimi…"
"When did you learn that?" Tippi asked.
"She guarded my cell sometimes, she was nicer than the other three minions that would guard it," Peach said, her eyes avoiding the others.
"Three others? There's O'Chunks and Dimentio, but who's the third?" Tippi asked.
Peach looked at Sora with regret. "I'm sorry."
"Huh? Why are you-Riku?!" Sora realized. It made sense with the way he'd been acting. Peach nodded. "So he's working with Count Bleck…"
"The count seemed to have taken him under his wing," Peach said.
"Oh…" Sora sighed.
"Hey, don't be sad, there must be some way to save him, right?" Tippi asked. Sora nodded at her.
"Let's help out Touko now, we can save Riku later." Sora looked towards the battlefield where Serperior stood against a large black and purple dragon like Pokemon with three heads.
"Serperior, use Leaf Blade!" Touko shouted. The snake like Pokemon slashed at Ghetsis's dragon, knocking it down to the ground. "You lose Ghetsis."
"You little…" Ghetsis returned his Pokemon to its Pokeball.
"Give it up Ghetsis, it's over," Touko said and walked over to where N kneeled on the ground. A Keyhole emerged above them, which Sora locked.
"We should give them their moment," Peach said with a smile. "After all, we have our journey to resume."
"Right!" Sora said.
-x-
There's something not right here… Tippi watched Peach with suspicious eyes as she piloted the Starshroom around. Upon her insistence, they had let the princess drive the ship as she said she knew where Count Bleck's lair was, but the thing was, they didn't appear to be nearby any worlds that might have lead them where they were supposed to go.
"Peach, are you sure this is the right way?" Sora asked. He yawned. It was the first time since Dreamland they'd had an extra pilot for the Starshroom, and he had chosen to be the one to sit out. A world flew by and the Starshroom pulled to a sudden start.
"We're here!" Peach said.
"This doesn't look like a castle?" Luigi looked at the world outside from what he could see. "Are you sure this is the place?"
"You get lost Peach?" Bowser asked. Peach laughed, but didn't respond.
"Something's not right…" Tippi looked to Peach and it hit her. When would Peach have used a red shield like the one she used to protect Sora…she would have used her parasol. "You're not Peach."
"Mimimimimimimi, you all sure are dumb if only one of you was able to figure it out." "Peach" laughed one more time before transforming into the green girl.
"You, where's Peach?" Sora asked.
"Taking a nap in the count's castle of course," the girl said. "Of course, you did ask to be taken where the count was currently, not where he kept the princesses. It made the lie easy."
"You little imp…" Tippi said to Mimi with anger, but the girl just laughed.
"You honestly expected the count to let her go. Golly, I might have expected that from the turtle, but the rest of you struck me as smarter."
"Congratulations, you distracted us, what now?" Luigi asked.
"This time you better take us to Peach!" Bowser shouted.
"Well, if you really want to know, that was only part of the plan," Mimi said. "True Mimi! Come forth!" And with that her neck started turning slightly, rotating her head until it made a sickening crack, chilling all of the heroes. Her head completely rotated it on its axis until six spider legs emerged out from under her body. "MIMIMIMIMIMIMIMIMI!"
"What…What is that?" Tippi asked.
"The start of your doom. Say hello to the count for me." She rapidly began firing red gems out from her head, puncturing the Starshroom and causing it to start crashing onto the world below. Mimi teleported away before the ship could hit the ground. When the ship it, all of them lot consciousness.