With the Power of Three Tournament finished, everybody gathered at the House of Mouse for a well-earned celebration. The participating teams, Dream Defenders and even some guests and characters who did not participate at all were present, enjoying food, drinks, chats and dancing. In a corner of the room, Logan's Underdog X team was having a little discussion with Tomada's Forest Fighters.
"I still can't believe the Thunderbird actually came to help me during our fight!" the falcon exclaimed before taking a sip of his drink.
"Who was that guy, anyway?" Sprig questioned.
"The Thunderbird is a mythical creature from North American indigenous people's culture," Della replied. "Its nature and abilities differ from one people to another, but it is generally known for having control over thunder and lightning and is seen as a figure of power amongst indigenous people." When everybody gave her odd stares, the female duck shrugged. "What? You learn a lot, traveling the world with Uncle Scrooge."
"What are you guys gonna do, now that the competition is over?" Jim asked.
"We were thinking about going to the Enchanted Forest from Frozen 2. Tomada would like to see if he can befriend the elemental spirits there," Bambi explained.
"Imagine how awesome it would be if Elsa became one of my spirit friends! She's technically the Spirit of Ice," Tomada said in excitation.
A loud sigh of annoyance was heard from Shere Khan. "But I don't want to go to Arendelle; it's too cold for someone from the jungle like me!"
"Don't worry; we weren't planning on forcing you to come anyway," Bambi mused.
Logan placed a hand on Tomada's shoulder. "Tom, I wanted you to know that your performance in this competition truly impressed me. You've come a long way and aren't the timid guy I've known back in Canada."
"Thanks, buddy," Tomada blushed a bit. "I have you to thank for that, as you're the one who inspired me to become a fighter and not let others defend me all the time. I will keep visiting the Magical World, befriend spirits, gods and mystical creatures, and then become a Dream Defender of the new generation, just like Ben!"
"I'm sure you will!" Logan beamed, exchanging a bump-fist with his Best Falcon Buddy. "And speaking of Ben..." He turned his attention to his wolf student, who was currently the center of attention of the party, everybody chatting and showering him with compliments.
"You must really be proud of him, Logan," Destiny said, giving a kiss to her boyfriend's cheek.
"I'm proud of all of them," the Champion of the Magical World replied, a bright smile on his face. "Even Roman. They worked hard and proved to everyone in the Magical World that they deserve to be Dream Defenders, like the others and I."
"But Roman finished last in the first trial and didn't even make it past the tournament's first round. We took him out, remember?" Bambi pointed out.
"Oh, please, Bambi; we all know that you guys only won because the match's time ran out, and you got more votes than Team Chaotic," Logan said with a roll of his eyes.
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?!" Tomada asked, looking a bit flustered by this affirmation. "We totally had Team Chaotic on the ropes! Even if the time hadn't run out, we would've kicked their butt!"
"No offense, Tom, but Roman's Cursed Blade feeds off people's magic. And he has been using it for a while now, so I really don't think you would've been able to cut through his attack with a god you barely befriended." A little grin formed on Logan's face. "The same case applies to our match; if there hadn't been a time limit, you would've lost against my Underdog Owl form, with or without the Thunderbird."
Underdog X and Forest Fighters widened their eyes before looking at Tomada, whose face turned red. "Are you saying that our victories were flukes?! In that case, just you watch; I'll go befriend more spirits and deities, and then, we'll have a rematch! You'll see that our success is not due to mere luck!"
The two best friends stared at each other in silence for a moment...before laughing of good heart. "If you want, then sure, we'll fight again. I'm always up for a good match with my friends. Just know that I intend to win... As long as my teammates don't accidentally take each other out again."
"Hey, I already apologized for that," Dewey defended himself with his arms crossed. "Does that mean we're gonna train more for our rematch, though?"
"Actually, no," Logan surprisingly replied. "We've already trained a lot lately. So, outside of protecting the Magical World and forming my students, I was planning on enjoying more of my free time. Destiny and I are gonna go visit our friends at the Great Barrier Reef, I will get to finish Pokémon Shining Pearl, watch Marvel's Secret Invasion and the second season of Star Wars Visions, and play Final Fantasy XVI. It's gonna be an awesome summer!" He looked at the others. "I wonder what my friends will do..."
Rachel's Team Switch Hitters was discussing with the Dream Walkers somewhere else. The Sword Mage had a bright smile on her face as she looked down at a certain black owl who was currently cradled in her arms. After having two exhausting fights in the same day, during which he used the new transformation he had yet to get adjusted to, Jameson's energy was so drained he needed a little nap to recover. And Rachel was more than happy to give him the comfort of sleeping in the arms of a family member for the first time.
"He's so precious," Violet mumbled with a smile as she reached a hand to gently stroke the owlet's tummy, making him unconsciously smile and hoot in his sleep.
"I agree," Rachel nodded. "I still can't believe there was a relative under my nose all this time. The Magical World truly is full of surprises..."
"How did you say this little guy is related to you already?" Hunter questioned his friend/mentor.
"Well, you remember that Lena was created by Magica De Spell, one of Scrooge McDuck's biggest enemies?" Hunter nodded a yes. "Turns out that she also created Jameson and planned to have him collect magic from people's dreams that she could use for whatever twisted plan she had in mind. When he discovered the truth, he ran away and instead used his powers to protect the dreams of everyone in the Magical World." The Sword Mage couldn't help but frown a bit. "It's so horrible that a kid like him had to carry such a responsibility whilst being alone all this time."
"And that's why we'll do everything to catch up on the lost time," Poe said, walking up to the group with a drink for his girlfriend and himself. "Even though I'm not the most well-placed to judge, I don't approve of my sister's decision to use children for cruel and sinister plans." The shadow magician gently patted his nephew's head, making him smile in his sleep again.
"There are some people in this world that just have no moral compass nor sense of right and wrong. They'll do anything to get what they want. That's how Judge Frollo was in my world," Quasimodo pointed out.
"So was Scar in mine," Ushari added with a nod.
Hunter then turned his attention to Rachel. "Say, Rachel, what was the whole ordeal with you turning into a dragon after taking Ushari's venom back there?"
The Sword Mage sighed. "I guess I have a lot of explaining to do. See, when I first came to the Magical World, there was this...dark presence within me that I struggled to keep under control. Master Yen Sid told me it's the manifestation of my inner darkness. I needed help to keep it contained, as I feared what it could potentially do to others and those around me. That's why I went to a group named the Brotherhood before the Next Sorcerer's Apprentice contest, where I met Gabriel and the others. They helped to pull this darkness into a state of dormancy so that I could continue living in the Magical World without any fear of losing control."
"Oh, I see. And this darkness snapped out of its dormancy because of Ushari's venom," Hunter deduced.
"In part, but it actually started much earlier," Rachel kept explaining. "Everything began at the end of my participation in the Hero's Rumble, when Sephiroth caught me by surprise and eliminated me from the match."
"That's the silver-haired guy with a super long sword?" Venom asked.
"Exactly. Somehow, being struck not once but twice by a being of pure darkness pulled the Dragon Queen - that's how I call my dark form - out of her slumber. Since I developed a strong will, I was able to keep her in control for the time being, but after getting poisoned by Ushari's venom, the gates were forced open, and I can't close them anymore. To be honest with you, that's also the reason why I became so resilient to using my Keyblade powers after defeating Hex, by fear that attracting too much darkness to myself would allow the Dragon Queen to take over once more."
"Okay, I get it now; you're kinda in the same situation as the Owl Lady, but with a dragon instead of an owl," Hunter deduced. He smiled. "Don't worry, if she managed to tame her inner beast, there's no reason you can't do the same!"
"I agree," Ushari nodded. "It's not a good idea to deny a part of yourself like you were. Ever since the moment you came to the Pride Lands to recruit me for this competition, I could sense the inner turmoil within you."
"Wait, you knew that she had this beast in her all along?" Violet asked.
"Yes, I did. Have you ever found it weird that Rachel was the only Dream Defender dating a villain - well, former villain, to be precise."
"Perhaps, but she's not one herself," Quasimodo defended.
"He's right. Dragon Queen or not, I'm still the second-in-command to the Dream Defenders and will use my sword to maintain peace and justice in the Magical World!" Rachel firmly declared with pride. She then looked down at the owlet sleeping in her arms. "I'm gonna have to become stronger and tame my inner beast, now that I have a nephew to look after." She frowned a bit. "It still feels weird calling him that. I mean, shouldn't Poe and I be an official couple if I want to call him my nephew?" After this statement, Poe chuckled a bit. "What is it?"
"Venom, mind taking Jameson for a bit?" The symbiote nodded and picked the owlet from Rachel's arms. Poe then gave a serious but happy look to his girlfriend. "Rachel, I have something very important to say. I wanted to say it after the tournament ended, so now seems like the perfect time."
Team Switch Hitters and Dream Walkers all gave confused looks at the shadow magician. "Huh, Poe, what are you-" Before Rachel could finish her question, Poe got down on one knee, taking out a little box from his vest. The Sword Mage started understanding where this was going. "Don't tell me...?!"
"You're the most incredible woman I ever had the chance to encounter. Ever since the moment we met, your sense of righteousness and courage have been the source of inspiration for me to step away from the path of darkness. Even if a dangerous beast lurks within you, nothing will ever change the way I feel about you. That's why I want to ask, Rachel Goodfey...," he opened the little box, revealing a golden ring inside, "...will you marry me?"
Everybody gasped and instantly turned to look at the Sword Mage. She stayed still for many seconds...before tears spilled from her eyelids and down on her cheeks. She jumped into Poe's arms for a hug. "Yes! Yes, I would love to marry you, Poe De Spell!"
The two groups cheered in joy at this. "Rachel and Poe are gonna get married!" Hunter beamed before getting shushed by the shadow magician.
"I wanna keep this a surprise for later!"
Team Chaotic was seated around a table with Team Animal Instinct, all of them enjoying good drinks together. Roman actually watched Ben celebrating his well-earned victory and Jameson finally receiving the family love he wanted for so long with a warm smile on his muzzle. He couldn't be happier for his two comrades.
"I still believe we would have won against the falcon, had the time not been so short," Ventress argued, visibly not digesting her defeat well.
"But that didn't happen, so there's no point in feeling sorry for that," replied Roman with a roll of his eyes. "We'll just have to keep practicing and adventuring in the Magical World so that we can get stronger and do better in the next competition. Defeats are always opportunities to get better. Don't you agree, Seth?"
The wolf received a nod from the leader of Animal Instinct. Seth was a well-built man with blue hair tied in long dreads that fell around his head and gave him an almost wild look. He was wearing a black hoodie with ripped jeans and glasses before his brown eyes. "If there's one thing I learned from my sister, it's that whining on the past will do nothing except prevent you from moving forward. We may not have gotten far, but it was fun while it lasted."
"It was nice having the chance to be in the spotlight once again," Reptil said. "I didn't really get that much attention after my apparition in Super Hero Squad. Let's just hope it doesn't mean I'll have to go back in the dark once again."
"Don't worry too much about that, kid. Remember what Rocket said: Marvel is building towards a Young Avengers team. There's no reason they wouldn't take you in it," Ralph assured the young hero.
"Even if I'm not a well-known hero like Captain America and Spider-Man?"
"Dude, the Eternals and Shang-Chi weren't that well-known before, but Marvel still gave them their own movie," Roman pointed out, taking another sip of his drink. "Same for Iron Man before he kick-started the whole MCU. Speaking of Marvel, did you guys see the new trailer for the upcoming Kraven The Hunter movie? It looks amazing! I think I'm gonna try to meet Kraven and see if he and I can become hunting buddies, like I am with Lucky."
Seth chuckled at that. "I'm sure you guys will get along great. As for me, I will go with Reptil to Avengers Campus to pursue our hero training. After bringing Carno back to the Cretaceous period, of course." The dinosaur growled in agreement. "I wanna up my game a bit before returning to Wakanda and face my sister. Maybe I could also ask Sora or Riku to help me with my Keyblade Wielder abilities?"
"Are you worried about how your sister will react to your defeat?" Ventress questioned the young man.
Seth rubbed the back of his head. "To be honest, I haven't really seen her in person. But she's in the Dora Milaje, the elite group of warriors who serve as the all-female special forces for Wakanda, so she must be a fierce warrior. Not only was this not my best performance...but it's also the very first time I get noticed in the Magical World. I originally intended to take part in the Hero's Rumble, but my hesitation caused me to miss the deadline, so I couldn't get one of the forty spots. Instead, I simply watched the competition in the stands. It was really intense; I was on the edge of my seat during the last parts. The participants all impressed me, especially Logan, Rachel and Sephiroth. That's where I found the courage to enter the Power of Three Tournament."
"Glad you found the courage to act; hesitation can be a man's worst enemy." Roman held his cup forward. "To the hope that we have good fortune in our future."
Seth nodded, reaching his own cup to touch the wolf's for a toast.
Meanwhile, Ben and Team King of Beasts were still at the center of the celebration, receiving praise from everybody. "I still can't believe it, guys," the new champion mumbled as he stared down at his gold medal with Mickey Mouse's symbol on it. "First place and a spot on the Dream Defenders..."
"And you deserve it well," Rocket affirmed with a proud smile. "I must admit I had my doubts after we failed to make an impression in the race and had to forfeit the puzzle room. But I've never been happier to be proven wrong."
"We proved everyone wrong today!" Nuka cheered. "You heard that, mom?! I'm not useless at all!" he shouted, causing everybody around to chuckle in amusement.
"Yes, you absolutely exceeded all of our expectations, dude!" Melody beamed as she came to wrap one arm around Ben's shoulders. Melody is a 16-years old anthropomorphic hyena with a short and slender figure and purple-silver fur. Her hair is black and cut into a shoulder-length Bob with jagged bangs, one of which covers her right eye. Both of her eyes are gray, and she also had an adorable black nose.
The hyena's dress consisted of a black jersey tank top with a matching sports bra underneath, a black lace cropped moto jacket, split leg denim shorts with low-riding boyshorts underneath, black sneakers with her socks reaching to her heels, purple ear-studs, black nail polish and a gold navel ring. She also had glasses on the tip of her aforementioned cute nose.
"I'm so proud of my new best buddy!" Melody said, hugging Ben even closer.
The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing blinked his eyes as he gave her a blank look, tilting his head to the side. "What are you talking about? Since when are we best buddies?"
"Since I decided we'd be!" the hyena responded with a wink. "Gabriel made you the first of the new generation of Dream Defenders, of which I also intend to be part. So it's only fitting that we become buddies here and now!"
"But I'M Ben's best buddy," Jameson protested as he walked up to the group, having finished his little nap. "We always hang out together when not in Logan's class."
"Well, I can be your best buddy outside Logan's class then," Melody giggled and nudged the wolf. "I know that most of us haven't met each other before the competition, but I seriously believe all eight of us can come together to form the new Dream Defenders!"
"Actually, I already am one!" Almyra called from a different table. The peahen was busy signing autographs to fanboys alongside her two friends of Team Ladies of Victory. "Gabriel granted me this honor after we performed together at the PhilarMagic Show." She showed the Harmony Pin on her dancer's top to prove her point.
"And I guess I can be considered one since I always help my sister, the Dream Keeper of Hollywood Studios, in her missions," Brian pointed out. "Plus, Rachel's also my teacher, so..."
"Oh... Well, I guess it'll just be you, me, Jameson, Tomada, Roman and Seth who'll form the Young Dream Defenders," Melody said with a shrug.
"That would be so COOL!" Jameson beamed in excitation. He climbed on the table to get a better view and then looked at Ben. "Say, Ben, since you're a Dream Defender now...does that mean you're going to leave Logan's class?"
"What?! No way, dude!" Ben exclaimed in shock, placing his paw on the owlet's shoulder. "We're like a big family; no way I'm gonna leave simply because I won a competition and earned a cool job. Sure, being a Dream Defender means that I'm gonna have to venture out more and protect the various worlds, but I'll still be there for you, Roman, Gray and Ferroth. I still have a lot to learn, mostly how to master my new Hurricane God form."
Rejoiced by this news, Jameson jumped into Ben's arms for a hug. "Thank you! Uncle Poe and Aunt Rachel are also gonna help me with my training from now on, but I wasn't planning on leaving Logan's class either! Sure, between that and my duties as a Dream Walker, we won't have too much free time like we did before, but that's okay."
At this moment, Rocket finished his drink and then got up with his gadgets. "Okay, guys, it's been fun, but I must go now; there's another group of idiots I must lead." He handed communicators to Ben and Nuka. "We'll stay in touch with these."
"Good idea," Ben said, pulling the object in his pocket. "I'll call you if we need your help, okay?" He then noticed that Nuka was sniffing a bit. "Hey, easy there, Nuka. I know it's sad, but we're still gonna see Rocket in the future-"
"No, it's not that. It's... it's... I'M GOING TO MISS MY COOL SHADOW POWERS!" the brown lion exclaimed, letting out a comical flow of tears that formed a river on the floor.
Everybody gave odd stares at Nuka, with Rocket giving a loud sigh. "And I thought that Ben was overdramatic..."
"Nuka, calm down, you won't have to surrender your shadow powers," Ben assured.
"Really?" Nuka asked, stopping his tears.
"Yeah; since I'm a Dream Defender, I'm certain the others won't mind if my partner has some power to help me in my future endeavors."
Nuka's eyes widened, his tail starting to shake behind him. "Your...partner?"
"Yeah, I figured that, since I'm going to be super busy with my new job and all, I could use the help of my close friend. If you want to, of course," Ben explained.
"Oh, Ben...," Tears once again formed in Nuka's eyes - sincere ones, not overexaggerated ones like before. "Of course, I would be happy to be your partner!" He jumped into Ben's arms to give him the biggest hug ever. The two friends remained like this...until Nuka realized a detail. "Wait a minute, what do you mean by 'future endeavors'?"
"I'm talking about the numerous tasks and stuff I'm gonna have to do from now on." Ben started counting all of them on his fingers. "Patrolling the Magical World for danger, fighting bad guys, training with Logan, checking on Jameson from time to time and helping him with protecting people when they sleep, looking for spirits with Tomada, helping Seth's situation with his sister, going on missions with the other members of my class, helping Melody with whatever problems she may face in San Fransokyo, helping Almyra with her boutique or shows - the list goes on!"
"Yeah, it's true that life in the Magical World isn't a relaxing one," Logan mused, joining in on the conversation. "Gabriel actually traveled everywhere and helped everybody around with his Disney knowledge when he started his journey as the Dream Keeper. But he wasn't alone; Jasiri was always by his side throughout his travels. That's why I think it'd be good for you to also have a companion, Ben. I'm sure you'll do great."
"Thanks, Logan," Ben gratefully said with a smile.
"Oh, and Ben? Make sure you treat your friend right, okay?" Logan demanded with a little smirk.
Instantly, the wolf and lion went red in the face. "W-What's that supposed to mean?!" they blurted at the same time, causing everyone to laugh in amusement.
Author's note: Aww, it's nice to return after months of absence to write a fun little chapter. While I really enjoyed the Power of Three Tournament, I was a bit sad that we didn't get an afterparty like we usually do with our competitions. That's why I decided to write this chapter and let everybody have some fun after the intense tournament conclusion. Some of the interactions in this chapter were based on reviews left by authors of their respective team.
Logan and Tomada got to have a little friendly talk, during which Logan got to express his compliments to Team Forest Fighters for their accomplishments. However, what Logan said also reflects my personal opinion: I do think that Roman and Team Chaotic would have won the match if time hadn't run out. I don't think Tomada's team didn't deserve to win, though; I'm even glad the two friends got to fight. They even have a rematch already planned, during which they will both had the chance to showcase the full extent of their skills.
The moment I had waited for for so long finally happen; Jameson received family love from Rachel and Poe after being on his own for forever! While their fight in TheDragonSaver's story was emotional and awesome, I was a bit sad that the owlet didn't receive a hug from his relatives. That's why I decided to make up for it by having him take a nap in the arms of his auntie. Whilst that happened, we got a little more exposure over why Rachel transformed into a dragon during the match - this information had been given to me through a review left by Princess Gakoshi on Dream Keeper Chronicles. And, yes, you read that right: Rachel and Poe are getting married! Once again, it comes from an interaction Gakoshi wrote in her review. I was so excited when I read it that I couldn't resist pulling the interaction in this chapter! However, I didn't know if Gakoshi wanted the Dream Defenders to know about the news, so I made Poe keep it a surprise for later.
Roman made himself a new drinking buddy in the leader of Animal Instinct. Seth might be one of my favorite newcomer guests for a number of reasons: his design, gimmick of turning into any animal (Beast Boy was my favorite Teen Titan), Keyblade powers that include his very own Drive Form, and his character arc of wanting to live up to his sister's level. I can totally see him become a Dream Defender in the future and hope he won't be one of those guests who left us in the past, like Jacob and Alison.
We also got some update on Ben's situation: despite being a new Dream Defender, he's still gonna train in Logan's class. Same for Jameson, even though Rachel and Poe will be his main teachers (I'm certain Rachel will want to catch up on the lost time with her now official nephew). Ben even made himself a new buddy in Melody (judging from magichyena5061's reviews, I'm pretty sure she wants Ben and Melody to be good buddies). It seems like our new Dream Defender has a lot of work ahead of him. At least, he won't be alone as he'll have his best friend, Nuka, to help him on his adventures. Who knows, maybe they'll even become more than friends, eh, eh...
Next time: Logan gets a little treat for his students and is reunited with someone from his past...