Chapter Seventeen: A Cook and a Hero
Later that day Jason and Max are using their weapons to beat on the bars only to fail breaking them to escape as Remy sits in the corner of his cage, alone and defeated.
"Come on Remy we can't give up!" Jason said as the Gusteau ghost appears.
"So... we've given up" Gusteau said.
"Why do you say that?" Remy said.
"We are in a cage, inside a car trunk, awaiting a future in frozen food products."
"No, I'm the one in a cage, I've given up, you... are free."
"I am only as free as you imagine me to be as you are."
"Oh please! I'm sick of pretending, I pretend to be a rat for my father, I pretend to be a human through Linguini I pretend you exist so I have someone to talk to! You only tell me stuff I already know! I know who I am! Why do I need you to tell me? Why do I need to pretend?" Remy yelled as Gusteau smiles with affection and relief.
"Ah, but you don't, Remy..." he said as he floats to Remy, puts his hands squarely on the rat's shoulders "...you never did" and with that, Gusteau fades away.
"You ready to stop sulking in pity and ready to be the best damn chef in Pairs?" Jason said holding out his hand as Remy smiled and took it as a loud bang was heard as something hits the street pavement outside.
A stone gargoyle has just missed the trunk of Skinner's car and shattered on the pavement and Django, clearly annoyed, calls to Git the muscle bound lab rat, who's perched on the one gargoyle-less balustrade above.
"No, my OTHER left!" Django yelled as Git grunts, moves to the next gargoyle and pushes as inside Skinner car trunk Remy, alert and excited now, calls out.
"Dad?!" Remy yelled then wham the top of the trunk suddenly caves in from the second gargoyles impact and light streams in as Emile appears.
"Emile!" Remy said as Django joins Emile as he grabs the cage latch from the outside and straining with all their might, the five rats pop it open as Remy, Jason and Max jumps out and Remy gives Django and Emile quick hugs.
"I love you guys!" Remy said as he then scrambles out the trunk and takes off toward Guesteau's with Jason and Max,
"Where you going?" Django asked.
"Back to the restaurant! They'll fail without me!" Remy yelled.
"WHY DO YOU CARE?" Django called back.
"BECAUSE I'M A COOK!"
Later that day outside the back entrance Django and Emile rush to stop Remy as he Max and Jason heads toward the kitchen door.
"Remy!" Django yelled.
"They'll see you! STOP!" Emile said but Remy pushes them away long enough to get inside the doorway, exposing himself to two cooks with Jason and Max.
The other rats then hides as Colette was speaking.
"He's come far too fast! Could you do more with as little experience?" Collete said.
"We are not talking about me! We're talking about what to do right n-!" Horst began as he suddenly freezes as his gaze fixed on the back entrance and there, smack dab in the middle of the doorway, sits Remy Jason and Max, as brash as a tiny gunslinger entering a saloon.
"RAAAATS!" Collette yelled and instantly the other cooks seize dangerous utensils and charge at Remy and the others but Remy, Jason and Max don't moves then suddenly, a voice shouts.
"DON'T TOUCH THEM!" Miraculously, everyone stops, their weapons raised, their gaze shifting to Linguini, who rushes in front of the group. "I know this sounds insane, but- well, the truth sounds insane sometimes, but that doesn't mean it's not, the truth."
The cooks exchange confused glances.
"And the truth is I have no talent at all, but these Rats... they're the one behind these recipes. They are the cooks, the real cooks. Little Chefs?"
The cooks watch in amazement as Remy, Jason and Max hops onto his lowered palm and Linguini lifts them up to his head to demonstrate.
"He's been hiding under my toque, he chooses the ingredients, the spices" Linguini picks up some spices lifting them to Remy's nose as the other cooks react; this strange and familiar action of Linguini's is suddenly stranger than ever. "he's been controlling my actions." Remy gives Linguini's hair a few tugs to demonstrate, Linguini's limbs move correspondingly. "He's the reason I can cook the food that's exciting everyone, the reason Ego is outside that door you've been giving me credit for his gift. I know it's a hard thing to believe, but hey- you believed I could cook, right?" Linguini laughs as the cooks stare he looks at them, earnest.
"Look. This works. It's crazy, but it works. We can be the greatest restaurant in Paris and this rat, this brilliant little Chef can lead us there. Whaddya say? You with me?" For a moment no one moves, then Horst, tears welling up in his eyes, crosses to a grateful, moved Linguini and hands him his apron and toque then exits silently out the back door as Linguini watches stunned as, one by one, the rest of the staff exits with him, leaving only Colette.
Colette locks eyes with Linguini, both anger and tears welling up as her hand comes up to slap him but doesn't. Her hand just trembles, and finally drops to her side as she pushes past Linguini and out the door as Linguini looks out at Dining room where Ego waits, drumming his fingers, soon the customers will get restless. Linguini exchanges a sad look with Remy and the others, shrinks into his office, closes the door behind him.
"This sucks!" Jason said standing with Remy alone in the empty kitchen as Remy faces the dining room door, feeling Ego on the other side, waiting. Remy slowly turns away... then realizes that Django is also there.
"Dad-! Dad, I- I don't know what to say."
"I was wrong about your friend and about you" Django said.
"Dad, I don't want you to think I'm choosing this over family I can't choose between two halves of myself"
"I'm not talking about cooking. I'm talking about guts. This really means that much to you?" Django asked as almost apologetically, Remy nods as Django sighs, then lets out a loud whistle as the rat clan emerges from the shadows, quickly surrounding them.
"We're not cooks, but we are family, you tell us what to do and we'll get it done" Django said as a door creeks and turns the rats attention to the back door where the health inspector has just entered.
His eyes bug at the surreal sight the kitchen filled with rats then slowly, he backs toward the exit... and bolts.
"STOP THAT HEALTH INSPECTOR!" Remy yelled and immediately Django leads half the rat clan after the inspector, yelling as he exits out the door.
"DELTA TEAM FOLLOW ME! THE REST OFYOU STAY AND HELP REMY!"
"Let's clean them!" Jason yelled then later the dishwasher opens with a whoosh of steam as dozens of rats emerge, their fur clean and fluffy.
They disperse with Swat Team precision as Remy barks orders.
"TEAM THREE WILL BE HANDLING FISH, TEAM FOUR: ROASTED ITEMS, TEAM FIVE: GRILL, TEAM SIX: SAUCES! GET TO YOUR STATIONS! LET'S GO GO GO!" Remy yelled as Linguini emerges from his office and is astonished by the sight as Remy and the rats see this is suddenly pause as Linguini walks up to Remy, Jason and Max suddenly filled with purpose.
"We need someone to wait tables" Linguini said as Remy nods.
Soon the kitchen is going like blazes; Rats are sautéing, spicing, grilling, cooking up a storm as Remy, nearly overwhelmed with the scale of production, is miraculously handling it.
"This is great!" Jason said.
(Final boss battle starts now, Kingdom Hearts - Birth by Sleep OST: Destiny's Force (Extended) for this battle imagine a giant Unversed with a chef's outfit and Toque and holding two giant cleavers.
A massive shadow then looms over Jason, Remy and Max as they slowly turn to see a massive butcher chef Unversed swing it massive knife down at them.
"AAAHHH!" they yelled all quickly dodging the knife.
"Everyone keep working we got him!" Remy yelled as Jason summoned his two key blades and Max his dream sword as Jason noticed a summoning stone.
"Let's see what this new ally will do!" Jason said holding the stone to his heart as it glowed.
Then Jason held both his Key blades to his sides as two lights glowed at the end of them as he shot it in front of him as the two lights began to a large new ally as he roared.
"I'm Wreck it Ralph and I'm going to wreck it!" the overall wearing man yelled as Jason stood by his side.
"Ya! Ya! Ya! Ya!" Jason and Ralph yelled as he slammed his fists on the ground and Jason his key blades creating powerful waves hitting the Unversed chest as Ralph jumped back as he swung back his fist as Jason held out his key blades sending power to Ralph to make the final attack powerful.
"Go!" Jason yelled as Ralph charged and punched the Unversed in the chest as it fell over on the counter unconscious.
"Later Jason!" Ralph said disappearing as Jason, Remy and Max began to attack the Unversed head.
"Ha! Ya! Hiya! Take this!" Jason yelled striking the Unversed.
"Ha! Ya! YAA! Come on!" Max yelled.
"Ho! Ha! Like that!" Remy yelled.
"Time to end this!" Jason yelled as he jumped back and threw both his key blades like boomerangs and finishing the Unversed as it fell over dissolving as Remy looked over and stationed at the pass, Emile wipes the sauce of the edges of the plates with a cloth, the last crucial bit of quality control. Tempted by the sauce, he tries to sneak a lick.
"EMILE!" Remy, Jason and Max yelled as Emile stopped himself.
"Sorry!"
The rats are functioning like a well-oiled machine; the perfectly prepared meals hit the pass as quickly as Linguini can grab them as the back door pushes open to reveal Colette staggered by the bizarre spectacle.
Looking like she may vomit, she wheels back to the exit, when Linguini rushes in, throwing his arms around her.
"Colette! You came back. Colette, I-"
"DON'T say a word, if I think about it I might change my mind, just tell me what the rat wants to cook" she said.
Moments later Remy flips through Gusteau's recipe box, finds a certain card and pulls it, showing it to Colette, Jason and Remy as she frowns.
"Ratatouille? It's a peasant dish, are you sure you want to serve this to Ego?" Colette asked as Remy nods.
Colette shrugs and starts to prepare the dish a tire screech is followed by a loud crash and outside as she looks up as the back door bangs open as the health inspector, bound and gagged, floats across the floor on a cushion of rats, who quickly dump him in the food safe.
Colette shrugs, going with the strange night, and goes to add the first spice to the ratatouille, but is blocked by a wooden spoon as she looks up: sees it's held by Remy.
"What? I'm making the ratatouille..." He looks at the her ingredients and makes a face, "Well, how would you prepare it?" Remy pauses, considering this.
Remy reimagining the ratatouille; re-inventing it step by step and demonstrating what he wants to Colette, who expertly follows through then when the final touches are made Linguini skating around the dining room, a one-man waiter staff delivers the meal to Ego's table then Linguini serves the identical meal to Skinner, who's appalled and amused to find that Ego has been served.
"Ratatouille? They must be joking..." he said as he looks over at Ego, who seems equally unimpressed.
Ego pokes a fork into the vegetables, examines them for a moment, then brings the food to his lips-Linguini watches, withering as Ego's lips close around the ratatouille, Ego is frozen astounded. his pen slips from his hand. It clatters to the floor, breaking the spell.
Ego blinks his eyes fall to his empty fork, which he holds suspended near his mouth. Slowly a long-lost feeling blooms inside him. He smiles and has another forkful as Skinner has seen this.
He looks at his ratatouille and tastes it and he's stunned; loving and hating it all at once.
"No... no, it can't be..." Skinner said then moment later Skinner burst through the double doors "Who cooked the ratatouille?! Idemand to know!" he yelled as he sees a kitchen full of rats as they all stop and look up at him a moment later Skinner, bound and gagged, is tossed roughly into the corner of the food storage, where he lands next to the equally bound and gagged health inspector as they yell muffled protests as the door slams shut.
Back in the dining area a long finger dabs the last smear of remaining sauce from the plate of ratatouille. We follow it to Ego's smiling lips. He kisses the sauce off his finger tip and turns to Linguini.
"I can't remember the last time I asked a waiter to give my compliments to the Chef and now I find myself in the extraordinary position of having my waiter be the Chef" Ego said.
"I'm just your waiter tonight" Linguini said.
"Then who do I thank for the meal?" Ego asked as Linguini stares for a moment, wondering how to respond.
"Excuse me a minute" Linguini said as he skates to the kitchen doors, where Colette has been watching from a distance as Ego squints as Linguini and Colette are visible through the window panels in a heated discussion as Linguini returns to Ego's table, this time with Colette.
"Ah, you must be the Ch-"
"If you wish to meet the Chef you will have to wait until all the other customers have gone."
Taken aback by the unprecedented demand, Ego acquiesces.
"So be it."
Colette and Linguini exchange a look.
Later the restaurant has cleared, save for Ego, who waits with grim patience as Linguini and Colette emerge from the kitchen and silently cross to Ego's table, Linguini holding a toque upright on the flat of and outstretched hand.
Ego stares, his curiosity piqued by this strange sight as Linguini takes a breath and lifts up the toque, revealing Remy, Jason and Max sitting up on the palm of his hand inside the rat-filled kitchen, Linguini and Remy demonstrate their unique working style to Ego, first together, then with Remy alone.
Colette withers as Ego stares at this in grim dead pan then later Linguini and Colette are now seated at a table opposite Ego as Remy, Jason and Max sits on the table facing Ego, who occasionally glances down at them then finally Ego gets up, and bows slightly.
"Thanks for the meal" Ego said as he left.
The following day Ego review came in as all the rats waited as Colette read aloud.
"In many ways the work of a criticis easy. We risk very little, yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read.-until finally, he sits down at his desk and begins to write but, the bitter truth we critics must face is that, in the grand scheme of things... the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so. But there are times when a critic truly risks something... and that is in the discovery and defense of the new the world is often unkind to new talent, new creations. The new needs friends last night I experienced something new, an extraordinary meal from an singularly unexpected source. To say that both the meal and its maker have challenged my preconceptions about fine cooking, is a gross understatement—they have rocked me to my core In the past I have made no secret of my disdain for Chef Gusteau's famous motto: "Anyone Can Cook". But I realize only now do I truly understand what he meant. Not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere It is difficult to imagine more humble origins than those of the genius now cooking at Gusteau's, who is, in this critic's opinion, nothing less than the finest Chef in France I will be returning to Gusteau's soon, hungry for more."
Colette and Linguini hug while with them in Gusteau's kitchen, Remy & the rat clan cheers.
"You did it Remy!" Jason said.
"I couldn't have done it without you" Remy said.
"No man we are terrible cooks you're the one who should be proud" Max said as the three friends hug.
"What the?" Linguini said as they saw wall form a key hole as Jason summoned his key blades then spun them as he pointed on at the key hole as the light hit it and the room was engulfed in the light.
"Time for us to go" Jason said.
"You leaving?" Remy said.
"Yeah but this isn't goodbye we will meet again Remy you can count on it!" Jason smiled.
Soon after saying their goodbyes Jason and Max were back traveling the lanes between as Jason looked at his wayfinder as they flew as a memory came of him looking down at the sleeping Ventus.
"Master Xehanrot is not telling us everything master, this boy his heart not only is his memories gone but nearly half of his heart this boy won't last" Jason said to Master Eraqus.
"What do you mean Jason?" Master Eraqus asked.
"I need to use the Reality Shift Keyblades" Jason said.
"No Jason! Your heart can barely handle the guard you have on Terra" Eraqus said.
"But Master the light" Jason said looking to Ven and seeing a light over Ven heart, "It's calling me."
"I forbid it Jason end of discussion!" Master Eraqus said leaving.
"No, I'm a keyblade Master now and this is my duty" Jason said looking to Ven as he closed the door and summoned his two Kingdom Keys as he held them out and closed his eyes as they both transformed in the two Reality Shift Keyblades, Nightmare Break and Mirage Split as he held them both out and combined them into the one large Reality Shift Keyblade as he held it out as Ven heart glowed and Jason vision changed as he entered Ven hearts.
In Ventus heart as he fell in the light as he landed on the cracked white half of his shattered heart as Ventus looked around but could not see Jason who held the combined two keys of the Reality Shift Key Blade (the one used in Dream Drop Distance by Riku and Sora).
"I'm a brand new heart" Jason said as Ventus heard the voice.
"But this is-why are you in my heart?" Ventus said.
"The light brought me I saw it shining in the distance and followed it here" Jason said.
"Yeah, that was my light but my heart is fractured" Ven said as Jason looked behind him at the broken half of the massive circular white light they stood on, "and now the little I have left is slipping away."
"Then you should join your heart with mine" Jason said.
"Huh?"
Jason then held the Reality Shift Keyblade and stabbed it into his chest as he smiled as the white light under them began to glow as Jason heart became one with Ven and the circular light became fixed.
"Now our hearts have touched, nothing else will slip away and one day you'll be strong enough to win back the part that already did" Jason said approaching Ven.
"Right, thanks" Ven said.
"It's time to wake up now all we need to do is..." Jason said.
"Open the door" Jason and Ven both said as the white floor formed Ven holding his key blade with white dove feathers flying around them as Jason blinked to find himself in Ven room as he made the combined keyblade vanish as Aqua entered the room.
"Oh Jason , is he awake?" Aqua asked.
"No not yet" Jason said leaving the room as he headed down the hall and listened.
"Ventus, why won't you wake up?" Aqua said as she turned and left as Ven began to stir as he began to blink a few times as he began to rise from the bed, "You're awake! Ventus, oh it's a miracle!" she said as she ran to the door as Jason was around the corner smiling as he felt his connection with Ven in his heart, "Terra! Master Eraqus! Ventus is awake!" Aqua yelled as Terra ran from his room to the sight of Ven awake.
'Sorry Master Eraqus, I know one shouldn't have these strains on their heart but I can't help it I can endure the pain for now but soon it will al pay off' Jason thought.
"Jason come quick! Ven awake!" Terra said.
"Coming!" Jason said as the flashback ended.
"Ven why do I feel confusion in your heart? Terra even with my light the darkness in your heart is growing stronger I can feel it but without me it would have consumed you by now, someone is progressing Ven doubt and Terra darkness but who?" Jason said.
"Hey Jason who's that?" Max called on an intercom as Jason looked to see a keyblade guilder he'd never seen before and someone in armor ridding it as the rider looked back then made a cut throat gesture at him as the rider took off in a direction of a strange desert like world.
"Oh hell no! No on threatens me!" Jason growled as he took off after her to the Badlands.
A.N. Please Review and if you can Review what Disney World you want our heroes to journey to next.