AN: Calling Buzz Lightyear and the wielders of the Keyblade! The galaxies greatest heroes!
Skilled, courageous, and ever vigilant.
Leaping into action, Buzz Lightyear and the Keybearers hurtle to the rescue!
Their ongoing mission, to protect the galaxy from the dark forces of evil.
These are the adventures of...
Keybearers of Star Command!
Buzz: HEY! I don't have a problem with you having my show in this story, but I'd rather you not mess with that show's intro, thank you.
AN: Hehe, sorry. Couldn't resist.
Buzz: Well I suppose that is understandable. The show's opening was pretty good, and I can't wait to get to the story and show everyone just how a Space Ranger deals with...
AN: Uh Buzz, you're not actually in this chapter.
Buzz: I...I'm not?
AN: No, see you're with Sora, and you guys are going to Planet Z remember, which is basically where the big final round for this world's part in the story will take place, so we've got to let the others shine first remember?
Buzz: Oh...right. My mistake, but I can see that good ol' Booster is more than ready for action this time around, and I'm sure that Terra and Ventus will be right at home on Jo-Ad. They seem like the kind of guys who would enjoy the peaceful life that Booster's home planet would give someone.
AN: Well with all that said, onto the story. If you would do the honors, Buzz.
Buzz: My pleasure. To Infinity...and Beyond!
lyokoMARVELanime does not own anything from the Kingdom Hearts franchise or any other franchise mentioned or used in this story.
Chapter VI
As Star Cruiser Forty Two raced through the stars, Terra found he could not help allowing a small smile to grace his face as he listened to Ven practically jump for joy like a kid in a candy store over the fact that they were actually flying in a space ship. The younger Keybearer had been doing so for quite a few hours now, and while it was mildly entertaining and nostalgic for Terra, it was also beginning to get a bit annoying as there was one thing that the blonde had seemed to have forgotten, at least from Terra's perspective. "Ven, you fly around on a Keyblade Glider all the time," Terra finally pointed out after Ven had jumped happily in his seat once again over the fact that they were flying in a space ship.
"Well yeah, but this is completely different," Ven argued with his friend, his face still holding a large grin even as he did. "I mean, we're not just flying in a space ship, we're literally flying the ship ourselves!"
"Uh, technically, I'm flying the ship, Ven," Booster corrected. "You're sitting at what's really my usual post."
"Yeah, and besides, it's not like you haven't been on a space ship before," Terra then reminded Ven.
"I know, but that time I was kind of fighting for my life, and I didn't really get all that much time to really enjoy it," Ven told Terra. "You know, cause I was fighting giant Unversed and a large, fish man along with that four-armed, blue fluffy guy with a homemade Wayfinder."
"Wait, do you mean 626," Terra asked.
"Yeah, him," Ven replied. "You know for someone that was supposed to be a 'dangerous abomination' he's actually a really nice guy when he's not mad or trying to tear a bad guy apart."
Terra had to let out another smile at that comment, knowing that Ventus was right in that regard, but he quickly brought himself out of his musings when he noticed Booster seemed to be fidgeting in his seat a little. "You okay there, Booster," Terra then asked.
"Yeah, I'm just really excited," Booster replied. "I mean, Buzz is actually counting on me to keep my home safe all on my own. I mean, not all on my own, cause you guys are with me, but on my own as in as the only Space Ranger. This is so exciting!"
"You really seem to enjoy doing what you do Booster," Ven observed.
"Well yeah. I'm living my dream so why wouldn't I enjoy it?"
"You're dream," both Keybearers asked.
"Yeah, my dream of being a Space Ranger," Booster explained. "Ever since I was a kid, growing up on Jo-Ad, all I ever wanted to do was one day leave home and join the Space Rangers at Star Command. The day I finally got a chance to do that eventually came when Zurg invaded my home with a new, giant Hornet, and then started destroying anything in sight. Eventually, he even had his robot capture me, but just then, Buzz swooped in and saved me from Zurg's clutches, and together, we destroyed Zurg's massive Hornet, and saved my home. That had to be one of the coolest days of my life! Not only did I get to meet my hero, Buzz Lightyear, but I also helped him save my home from Evil Emperor Zurg, himself. After that, Buzz was able to get me a job on Star Command's janitorial staff so that I could work on the station while studying up for the Space Ranger Academy Entrance Exam. Of course, I ended up being made a Ranger after helping Buzz to stop one of Zurg's most diabolical schemes ever, but I still do my best to follow all Ranger regulations to the letter as outlined in the Space Ranger Manual."
"That's so cool," Ven breathed upon hearing Booster's story. "You must've been really scared though during those times when you had to help Buzz."
"Well yeah, but I never once doubted that I could make it as a Ranger, and Buzz always believed in me, no matter what happened. Even when it seemed like no one else thought I could do it, Buzz has always had faith in me, and so has the rest of the team, not just because they're my teammates, but also because they're my friends," Booster then said proudly.
When he heard Booster say that, Terra glanced down for a minute in thought so that he could process his words. Admittedly, he and Booster were a lot alike in some senses. They both had big dreams, and they both wanted them to come true more than anything, but the one thing that really got Terra's attention was when the large Ranger mentioned that his friends always believed in him no matter what. At one point in his life, Terra would have easily said that he had no doubt that his friends also believed in him, but after everything that had happened, and given how things currently stood between him and Aqua, Terra could not help but admit that he was not entirely sure if that was true anymore.
Terra then threw a small glance back to his Ven, remembering all that happened between them since that day when they first left their home as he did, and he soon recalled the look in the blonde's eyes when they met for the first time in so long back in Radiant Garden. It was not exactly fear or disappointment, but Terra was still not entirely sure that it was belief either. Feeling that he should at least try to put some of his doubts to rest, he looked to Ven and softly called out, "Hey Ven…"
"What's up, Terra," Ven asked, immediately wondering what his friend suddenly wanted.
Before Terra could say anything, Booster announced that they had arrived at Jo-Ad, and the two boys immediately took the time that Booster was using to land the Star Cruiser in order to get a good look at the Jo-Adian's home planet. From the first glance, they immediately spotted the fact that Jo-Ad had two suns, and beyond that, they also saw that the entire planet seemed to be made up of large crops and farms. The sight of so many farmers confirmed for them that Booster's home was basically the home of most, if not all farmers in the Galactic Alliance, and from what they could tell, it also seemed like quite a peaceful, lovely place to grow up. That idea brought smiles of fondness to both Keybearers faces, but those smiles immediately vanished when they saw something that was completely out of place on the farm planet. "The Unversed and Heartless," Ven shouted when he saw a large group of the dark monsters surrounding a couple on the front of their house.
Booster immediately spun to face the direction his two friends were facing, and upon seeing what they saw, he immediately gasped and exclaimed, "Hey, that's my parents and our farm!"
"Then let's get down there, fast," Terra exclaimed, and he jumped out of his seat and headed for the door as fast as he could the minute he felt the ship tremble a little upon landing. Ven and Booster were both right behind him, with the latter only stopping for a minute to pick up a white and green ray gun of some type on his way out.
The minute the three were on the ground and close enough to see Booster's family farm, they could instantly see who Terra and Ven assumed to be either Booster's parents or relatives seeming like they were trying to fight back, the male wearing a make-shift Space Ranger suit while the woman was dressed in a sort of farmer clothing, each holding a farming tool of some type. Booster was the first to react, as he fired the blaster he had grabbed on the way out at a Heartless that had jumped at the woman when she was not looking, and he then followed up with a few more rounds at the ones that had stopped moving after his first shot destroyed the one that had attacked.
The Unversed then brought their attention to the three new arrivals, and upon seeing that the creatures were heading towards them, Terra and Ven instantly summoned their Keyblades and unleashed a flurry of swings at each one that was foolish enough to get close. Terra himself had elected to go after the larger opponents like the Wild Bruisers and the average variety of Bruisers, along with a few Large Body Heartless as well, while Ven focused his efforts on the Shoegazers, Scrappers, and Thornbite Unversed, along with some Neo Shadow Heartless, leaving Booster to either blast or jump on top of the Floods and Shadows. Needless to say, the last of the three probably had it easiest given that he was taking on the weakest variety of Unversed and Heartless, but in all honesty, Terra and Ventus wanted to try and keep it like that for the moment since Booster did not normally deal with either one of the two creatures.
That proved to be a bit more difficult when a Large Body and a Bruiser somehow slipped past Terra and tried to attack the Jo-Adian Space Ranger, but Booster was quick to react, and he simply caught the Bruiser in a hold as soon as the purple monster was close enough, and then used all his strength to spin the Unversed around before throwing it right into the still approaching Large Body, sending both monsters towards a waiting Ven, who delivered the final blow with a swipe from his Keyblade. Ven then glanced over to Booster and threw the big guy a thumbs-up in congratulations, which Booster immediately returned in thanks before they brought their attention back to the matter at hand to deal with the remaining attackers.
Terra smirked with pride at the two's combined efforts, but he knew that they needed to end this quickly before anyone got hurt, so he began to unleash a barrage of powerful attacks from his Keyblade, before finally shunting a building energy into it, causing a faint glow to appear around him. When he felt the power reach its maximum, Terra called out for Ven and Booster to stand back and then leapt into the air, with his Keyblade reeled back, energy charging up in the weapon as he did, and he then brought down as hard as he could upon his descent. The minute the Keyblade struck the ground, a large shockwave was released that wiped out nearly all the remaining Heartless and Unversed, leaving the ones who survived to be finished off by Ven and Booster.
After taking a moment to confirm that everything was all clear for the moment, Booster holstered the weapon he had acquired from the ship and ran over to Terra as he exclaimed, "That was so cool, what you did at the end there! What the heck was that anyways?"
"It was a Command Style," Terra replied. "My personal Tier One style, to be exact. It's called Critical Impact."
"Oh," Booster gasped in mild understanding, but that quickly turned to confusion once again before he asked, "What's a Command Style?"
"They're basically a powerful ability that Keyblade Wielders posses which grants us a temporary boost in strength and abilities in certain areas of fighting," Ven explained. "But they each require you to use a specific ability a certain number of times in order to be activated."
"Oh, I get it now," Booster then stated, clearly showing that he really did mean it this time. He looked like he was about to ask something else, when his attention was diverted by the woman that they just helped save running up to wrap him in a hug.
"Oh Boosty, my brave, little baby, I'm so glad you're here," the woman cried happily. "You came to save us like the good little boy you are!"
"Ma," Booster whined. "Not in front of my friends."
"Say, where's Buzz and the rest of your team, Boost," the man then asked as soon as Booster's mom let him go.
"It's a long story, but basically, those monsters we just blasted are all over the galaxy, so we had to split up in order to stop them," Booster explained. He then gestured over to Terra and Ven as he added, "Thankfully, we ran into some new friends to help us out. These guys and their pals know all about those monsters we were just fighting so they offered to lend a hand."
"Well that's awfully nice of you boys," Mister Munchapper stated as he exchanged handshakes with both Keybearers, which caused them both to groan in slight pain due to the strong grip Booster's father had. "So what're your names?"
"My name's Terra," the older of the two boys replied as he clenched his hand a bit to get some feeling back into it.
"And I'm Ventus, but call me Ven," the blonde then stated as he shook his own aching hand a little.
"Nice to meet you both, boys," Mrs. Munchapper said happily. "Care for some homemade Bunzel Dumplings as thanks?"
"Sorry Ma, but as much as we'd love to, we've got to make sure there aren't any more Unversed and Heartless around first," Booster politely declined, although both Terra and Ven could see how reluctant their newest friend was. They could only take that to mean that the treat his mother had mentioned must have been one of his favorites. "Any idea where they were all coming from?"
"Well, Baxter did say that he saw some strange creatures hanging around the entrance to the irrigation tunnels, and even though we thought it was nothing, it turned out to be more of those things that you boys just got rid of just now," the Ranger's father said after a minute of thinking. "When they came up here, we sent Baxter off to try and send out a call for help to Star Command while we kept them busy."
"Where is he now," Ven asked.
"He said that he sent the message and then ran off to the irrigation tunnels saying he was going to hit them at the source or something," Mrs. Munchapper replied.
"Well then we should get over there and try to help," Terra decided. "Lead the way, Booster."
Booster nodded eagerly and then led the group to the place that his parents had indicated after telling his parents to stay inside the farmhouse while they dealt with the problem. When they reached the hole that led to the underground tunnels, he immediately jumped in and slid down with Terra and Ventus following soon after, until they were deep within the massive, dark underground maze of tunnels that provided water for the crops on Jo-Ad. They soon found that Baxter was right in saying that the creatures of darkness were in the underground tunnels, as they had to fight off a number of both Unversed and Heartless every now and again, but they still saw no sign of whoever or whatever was likely to be controlling them for some time.
Thinking they were not likely to get a break any time soon, they began to wonder if they were just going in circles after a while until the sound of soft moaning reached their ears, and they all ran towards the source to find another Jo-Adian lying up against the wall with tears in his clothes and a few bruises on his skin. "Baxter," Booster exclaimed. "Hey buddy, are you okay? Can you hear me?"
The now identified Baxter seemed to stir for a moment until he looked up at Booster and smiled before he moaned, "Booster, am I glad to see you. Is your whole team here?"
"Sorry Baxter, it's just me and these two guys here," Booster told his old friend.
"Better than nothing," Baxter stated as he tried to stand up, only to grunt in pain before he fell back against the wall. Booster moved to try and help his friend, but Baxter just waved him off and said "Don't worry about me. Just get the guy responsible for this."
"And who's that," Ven asked.
"I'm not sure," Baxter admitted. "But I did get a bit of a good look at him. He had yellow skin, five eyes, four arms, and he wore a red jumpsuit under a brown coat."
"Did he have a metal plate on his chest," Booster asked.
"Yeah, I think so," Baxter admitted. "He even seemed to somehow make more of himself when he hit that plate, and that's how they got me. I never even got a chance to fight back."
"Torque," Booster identified with a snarl. "Don't worry pal, we'll get him and I'll be sure to land a good hit on him for you. You just try to rest up and we'll be back for you as soon as we can."
Baxter nodded to Booster in thanks and then fell back against the wall and falling asleep after he pointed out which direction that the team needed to go in, leaving Terra and Ven to follow after Booster, all the while wondering what Booster's exact history was with this Torque person that Booster had just mentioned. Before they went very far though, Terra turned back to Baxter and asked, "One last thing. Was that guy with an old man who was bald, had yellow colored eyes, and wearing a black coat with a white shirt?"
"I don't know," Baxter admitted. "I think there was someone else with him, but I couldn't really see much of him 'cause he kept his hood up for some reason. It's kinda weird that he would wear such a warm looking coat on Jo-Ad though, even if he was down here."
Terra ran that information through his head for a minute, hoping to think of someone that Xehanort had met who met that description, but when he ended up being unable to think of anyone, he just shook his head and thanked Baxter for the information before moving to follow after Ven and Booster.
Ven had just sliced through another Heartless that had tried to ambush them as they continued to make their way through the tunnels, when he turned to see Booster still had a scowl on his face that had been present ever since he found out about the fact this "Torque" person was the one commanding the Heartless and possibly even the Unversed here on Jo-Ad. He knew that Terra had noticed this as well, so it was no surprise that he already figured that Terra was also thinking that there was some sort of history between Booster and Torque, but neither of them wanted to press Booster on the matter right away, so they left the matter alone for the moment and just kept moving, striking down any Heartless or Unversed they encountered along the way as they did.
At this point though, Ven could not really take the suspense of not knowing any longer, since Booster had not once seemed like he was going back to what seemed to be his usual self anytime soon, so the blonde walked up the Jo-Adian and asked, "So what's the story with this guy, Torque anyway? You know, aside from the fact that he can duplicate himself."
"Torque was one of the first guys I brought in from Trade World, and he didn't exactly want to come along quietly," Booster informed Ven, with both the blonde and Terra hanging on every word. "Normally he's focused mostly on Buzz, but when it comes to any other Space Ranger, he wouldn't bother giving them the time of day as he only sees Buzz as the only real challenge. Even before he went through the operation that gave him his duplicating powers, Torque's always been scum, wanted for crimes of carrying illegal weapons and dealing in stolen or illegal tech, mostly for the thrill of it."
"So why are you so upset about all this," Terra asked. "Is it because you feel like he should recognize you as his main threat since you were the one to first try and bring him in or something?"
"No its nothing like that," Booster admitted. "I've never really had a real problem with Torque beyond the obvious, but when you go and mess with my home, you cross the line, and Torque has definitely crossed it."
Terra and Ven both understood why Booster was so worked up now, as they both shared similar feelings towards Xehanort in regards to what the fallen Keyblade Master had done to their home and father figure. The fact that Xehanort had destroyed so much of their lives mattered little to them when they thought about what had befallen the Land of Departure and how they could never go back to it or what it once was so long ago. Knowing this, they could easily understand why Booster would be so upset with anyone threatening his home in the way that Torque currently was, and so they became even more determined than ever to help Booster bring down the person responsible for the trouble that his planet was currently facing.
They were all soon brought out of their musings when they heard someone's voice ringing out from around the corner, and they immediately ceased all conversation and took cover behind the wall so that they could listen in for a minute. "Hey these little spookies are really workin' out Emperor Z," a voice that Booster immediately identified as Torque's said into a communicator. "They ran into a couple of problemos with the farm boys, but I doubt it'll make much difference for too long."
"See to it that it doesn't," a mechanical sounding voice that Terra and Ven assumed to be Zurg's then stated. "Everything with our new benefactor's alliance is relying on how well this operation pans out, and I will not risk losing my chances for ruling the galaxy and all other galaxies beyond this one over a few simple farmers!"
"Dynomite dig baby," Torque stated in reply. "I'll be runnin' the whole show down here before the next hoedown can even roll into town."
"Well I'll hold you to that then," Zurg then stated. "Oh and perhaps you could get some Bunzel treats on your way back, I've actually had a small craving for a few lately. They always seem to go stale when the market delivers them here."
"Sure thing. You just leave it to me sweetheart. Torque out," the four-armed criminal then said as he closed the communication. The three heroes then snuck a small peak around the corner to see Torque and three copies of himself addressing the Heartless and Unversed as the original said, "Alright you spookies, I know I've said this once, but this time I mean it. Get up there and terrorize to your little dark hearts' content, and if you see any sign of old Buzzie or his little palies, knock 'em dead."
"You'll find that a lot harder than you think, punk," Terra shouted as he dashed into the cavern with Ends of the Earth summoned to his hand and Ven and Booster following seconds later with their own weapons ready.
"Torque, by the authority of Star Command, you are under arrest," Booster declared. "Drop your weapons, destroy your duplicates, tell your Unversed and Heartless to stand down, and give yourself up or this will have to get ugly."
"Awe, isn't that cute, boys," Torque asked his duplicates when he saw the three. "Jumbo here thinks he and a couple of boys with oversized lock picks can beat us." All the Torques laughed at that little moment of mocking before the original suddenly used one set of hands to whip out a pair of blasters while using his second set to tap the plate on his chest to summon more duplicates as he said, "Put some holes in 'em."
That was the moment when all hell broke loose, as Booster immediately charged in despite the fact that all the Torques were firing their blaster at him, and then pulled a tuck-and-roll move that destroyed a number of Heartless, Unversed, and some of the duplicates. Coming out of the roll, Booster had pulled out his blaster once again and fired a few rounds while making sure to avoid hitting Terra and Ven as the two charged in as well with their Keyblades swinging. Torque himself was a bit caught off guard by how the two Keyblade wielders seemed to destroy the Heartless and Unversed so easily, but he was quick to shake it off and order for more to spawn forth and swarm them as he did the same with his duplicates, forcing the three to split up who they were each fighting.
Ven himself ended up taking on the Unversed, and needless to say, he could not help but feel that it was rather ironic given how the creatures were created by Vanitas. Even so, he did not let it deter him from what he needed to do, and he immediately began slashing through the purple creatures with everything he had. Eventually, Ven began to attack faster and faster, until one could see a faint glow forming around him, indicating that he was using one of his Command Styles, specifically his Fever Pitch Command Style, and with the added boost that this particular style granted him, Ven was able to tear through many of his opponents with easy before unleashing a flurry of strikes at a large group to round it out. When he saw that a group was about to try and jump him, Ven simply used an Aero Spell to send them flying into the air, allowing him to either jump up and slash through each of them, or toss his Keyblade at the others like a powerful boomerang, ending many of them with ease. At a quick glance, he could see that he was not the only one who seemed to be doing well with his battle.
Terra was also holding his own rather well when he found himself facing off against the Heartless on his own, but he was certainly not complaining, as he found the shadowy creatures of darkness fairly easy opponents to handle. They were not normally all that fast, and that allowed him to unleash many powerful strikes against them without worrying about them exploiting any openings that his attacks possibly would've left for them to exploit. Eventually, he found himself starting to tire out a bit, and so he decided to unleash his Critical Impact Command Style once more, and in doing so, he was able to eliminate a large number of the Heartless in one fell swoop. Terra allowed a smug look of success to cross his face for a minute, but that look immediately vanished when more Heartless suddenly rose up from the ground around him, leading him to groan in response over the fact that they just did not seem to stop coming.
A glance over in Booster's direction told Terra that the large Ranger was having just as much trouble dealing with Torque, as the criminal just did not ever seem to tire out no matter how many times he duplicated himself. It was clear that if something was not done soon, they would likely be defeated after their opponents had completely tired them out, and that idea alone was not one that Terra was too fond of. As he was thinking of this though, he suddenly felt the power of darkness start to build up inside of him, and he immediately panicked at seeing the dark aura already forming around him. "No, not now! Please, not now," Terra cried out as he held his hand in one hand while using his Keyblade to try and keep himself upright.
Hearing his friend's cries of distress, Ven immediately turned to see what was happening to Terra, and the blonde immediately reactivated his Fever Pitch Command Style so that he could race over to his friend while slashing through Heartless and Unversed alike. Eventually, he could feel the energy from his Command Style reaching its limit, and upon achieving this realization, he immediately used a Magnet Spell to draw some of his enemies in. Once he had done so, a sudden wingspan of phantom swords exploded out around him, which then began to lash out and destroy enemies surrounding him in all directions, often acting like afterimages at times with the swings of his Keyblade. Once he was close enough to Terra, he slashed away a few more enemies before he knelt down next to Terra and shouted, "Terra, calm down! If you start panicking like this then the darkness inside of you will start to overcome you, and that'll cause the cave to collapse on us!"
"If I don't try to contain it…it'll collapse on us anyway," Terra grunted, still trying to hold his dark powers in.
"Terra, don't you get it? The reason why you're having such trouble with controlling that power is because you're trying to keep it all bottled up inside without acknowledging it," Ven reasoned with his friend. "That darkness is a part of you, just like Vanitas is a part of me! The minute you realize that, you'll be able to really command its power just like any other power! Don't think of it as some outside influence, because it's no different from the Wing Blade Command Style that I'm using right now! It's really just a whole new Command Style that only you have!"
Terra allowed himself a moment to let Ventus's words sink in, and he then closed his eyes in an attempt to calm himself and try to accept the power that was held within him. Unfortunately, the fact that the power just seemed to continue to grow did not help that process, and Terra cried out, "I can't do it…It's hopeless! I just can't do it!"
"Yes you can," Ven argued. "I know how strong you are, and I know for a fact that if anyone can do this, it's you, because I believe in you!"
Terra's eyes immediately snapped towards the blonde Keybearer upon hearing that, hardly believing what he had just heard Ven say, and his eyes soon found their way to Booster when he heard the Jo-Adian calling out to him. "Nothing's ever hopeless, Terra," Booster told the Keyblade wielder as he fired both his blaster and laser into some more Torque duplicates. "There's always a way to pull through! Buzz taught me that the very first time I met him, and I know that so long as you're friend believes in you, you'll be able to do what you need to do in order to win!"
"Awe, how sweet! The little key boy needs his palies to hold his hand," Torque then mocked. Terra's gaze was soon directed to the five-eyed alien, and the minute it had landed on Torque, he saw that said alien was aiming one of his blasters right at him and Ventus as he said, "Well let's see how he does without one of those palies to take care of him."
The sight of someone aiming at Ven was bad enough, but when Terra heard what Torque had said, his eyes had instantly narrowed, and the uncontrollable dark aura that had been surrounding suddenly seemed to calm down as he rose to his feet and declared, "You can mock me all you want, tough guy, but I won't let you hurt my friends!"
The minute he said that, Terra had shot off like a rocket towards Torque, with his Keyblade glowing with dark energy, and everyone could tell that not only had Terra's attacks become even faster than before, but the attacks themselves dealt a great deal of damage to his opponents while lifting him off the ground with each swing of his blade, right to the point where a large claw suddenly materialized from Terra's free hand when he struck a group of opponents. Eventually, Terra seemed to sink into the ground, only to reappear beneath Torque a minute later with the same clawed hand raised upward, knocking the space criminal into the air. The minute Torque had hit the ground, Terra's dark aura dissipated, sending out a wave of energy that destroyed all the other Torques in the shockwave that was unleashed.
While Booster slapped a set of cuffs on all four of Torque's wrists, Ven took the opportunity to run up to Terra with a broad grin on his face as he shouted, "Terra, you did it! You were able to control the darkness inside of you!"
Terra gazed down at his hand for a minute as he dismissed his Keyblade before he finally turned to Ven and smiled as he said, "I wouldn't say that I've really learned how to control it yet, but I've definitely made a step forward in doing so, and I couldn't have done it without you, Ven."
"Sure you could've. It just would've taken you a few ages longer before you finally figured out the trick to it, you know, since your such a slow learner about these types of things," Ven told his friend in a joking tone while resting his hands behind his head in a relaxed manner.
"Oh, I'm a slow learner," Terra asked in the same tone. "Out of the two of us, who was it that crashed and burned more than anyone in history when he was learning how to fly on his Keyblade Glider?"
"Hey, some of that was due to the sun being in my eyes and bad wind, along with you throwing off my concentration, and you know it," Ven playfully argued in retort.
"There was barely ever any wind back home at all," Terra reminded. "And are you really going to try to blame it on the thing that you share a name with?"
Booster could only smile happily as the two continued to bicker playfully, glad to see that Terra seemed to be stronger now the before, and that he was able to get a small glimpse at the bond of friendship that was shared between them.
A few hours later, Booster had locked Torque in the brig on Forty Two so that he could be transported to prison after the whole mess was over, and the three boys were now seated in Booster's old home after his mother insisted on treating them all to some Bunzel Dumplings before they left. Terra and Ven were both a little skeptical about trying the delicacy at first, but after a couple of bites, the two found that they enjoyed the treat very much. That did not mean that they were quick to start wolfing them down like Booster was doing though.
As they were waiting for Booster to finish his "small" snack, Terra had excused himself for a moment saying that he needed to use the bathroom, and when he finally came out a few moments later, Ven let a smile brighten his face when he saw that Terra had finally taken the time to shave his beard off, leading the blonde to say, "Now that's a bit more like the Terra I know."
Terra smiled in thanks to his friend, feeling that he had to agree with the blonde, as when he saw his reflection in the mirror after he had finally shaved that last of his beard off, he felt like he was starting to become a bit more like his old self again. After sitting down once again, since Booster still was not finished with his snack, Terra opened his mouth to say something to Ven, but the younger boy beat him to the punch when he asked, "Say Terra, what was it you were going to ask me before we landed?"
Terra just smiled at Ven before he replied, "It doesn't matter now. I already got my answer. Oh, and thanks for still believing in me, Ven."
Ven just smiled and said, "Of course. After all, what're friends for?"
Terra nodded in reply before he turned to Booster and said, "If you're about done with your snack, we need to at least contact Sora and the others to let them know what happened."
"Right," Booster said as he swallowed his most recent mouthful of dumplings. "I'll let Buzz know right away."
"Don't worry about it," Terra waved Booster off. "I've got it." He then pulled out his Wayfinder and held it up to himself as he started to focus on a special power he shared with his friends, earning a look of confusion from everyone but Ven as he did.
"What's he doing," Booster finally asked.
"He's using a power known as a Dimension Link, or D-Link to talk to Sora and the others," Ven explained. "It's something that Keyblade wielders can gain after forming a special connection with certain individuals, but if they use it with other Keyblade wielders, they can even use it to communicate with each other."
"Well, why couldn't I just use my wrist communicator to call Buzz," Booster asked.
"I think Terra wants to make sure that whatever we say to each other has as little chance as possible of being overheard by anyone else," Ven explained. It was the most likely reason that he could think of, and he could not blame Terra for being cautious, after all, there was no telling what their friends were facing at the moment.
Yen Sid Report 6:
Our numbers have grown rather great in the time that has passed, and with them, so has the strength of Sora and Kairi. My former apprentice, Mickey, truly believes that this will help us to eventually end this long and terrible war between light and darkness, but I fear that this is only the beginning of Xehanort's true plots. As such, I feel that I can no longer leave anything to chance by leaving only Mickey as our one true master of the Keyblade. As such, I have now made a decision that it has come time that Sora and Kairi come before us once again for what could be their most dangerous assignment yet. That assignment: to show us the Mark of Mastery.
Though they are both younger than Terra and Aqua were when they first took the Mark of Mastery Exam, desperate times call for desperate measures, for we can no longer risk having only one Keyblade Master with us, and since Sora and Kairi have proven themselves time and again to possess the ability to reach that level, it seems only fair that we test them both. Admittedly, the examination is far different from the one that was once used in the past, but given what has transpired, I feel that my decision on how to truly test them may perhaps be the best way. Ideally, if this succeeds, then they will both pass, but that is a rather optimistic hope, given that this exam will have us sending Sora and Kairi into the realm of sleep.
AN: Okay so, for those of you who caught it last chapter, that moment during the action with Terra and Ventus was my attempt at describing them using Shot Locks, and yes I plan to use the English version of the Command Styles. Speaking of which, I really hope I did at least an okay job describing the Command Styles mechanics from the point of view of the characters in how their used, and just basically describing how they're used in general.
Buzz: Well you certainly seemed to do a fine job of doing that to me.
AN: I know, but I still can't help but worry about that, you know? Oh and in case you were all wondering or just couldn't figure it out, that last Command Style Terra used was Dark Impulse.
Buzz: What about that mission log from Yen Sid?
AN: What the Yen Sid report here at the end? Well that's sort of leading into this story's version of Dream Drop Distance. Granted I never played that game, but I do know the story and I've seen the cutscene movie, so I know the basics of how it went, and since we've already established that Riku's not one of the good guys at the moment, it was only obvious that the person who took the exam with Sora would be Kairi. That also serves as justification as to another reason as to why Kairi was sent back in time along with Sora, because in my opinion, if you're worthy enough to be able to take something like the Mark of Mastery and have at least done so, pass of fail, then why wouldn't you be a prime candidate to take on a mission this big.
Buzz: So what are the chances of you telling us how that Mark of Mastery Exam turned out in this continuity?
AN: Not very likely to happen until the chapter that reveals a Yen Sid report telling of it. Now onto the preview!...
The adventures on Trade World continue on, as XR and Kairi scour the rough streets and skies of the planet for the Heartless, the Unversed, and the villain leading them. Although, handling the rough streets that are crawling with criminals and shady character around every corner may be a bit more difficult for Kairi than she originally thought, it still does not stop her from showing her strength as a Keyblade Master. The Robot Ranger and Princess of Heart continue to fight through horde after horde of the creatures of darkness, until they eventually find themselves dealing with a small family matter that has plagued both Star Command and XR for some time. Find out if the two heroes survive both Trade World and their next opponent, next time!
Buzz: Well I guess that's it for now, and it looks like we'll be seeing XR and Kairi in action next chapter. Hope XR will be alright.
AN: Oh don't worry, he'll be fine. Although, I'm a bit surprised you're more concerned about XR than Kairi.
Buzz: Well XR is a member of my team, and while Kairi has had a bit of a history with being captured and used as a means to try and cripple Sora's resolve, she has proven to be quite capable time and again, both in her own right and as a Keyblade wielder.
AN: Well can't argue with that. Anyways...
Buzz&AN: Please read and review and see ya real soon!