Wisps of green energy coalesced to form Aris and his party outside of Melromarc Castle.
"Wow," said Raphtalia. "You can just teleport us anywhere?"
"Only if I've visited the destination in the past," replied Aris. "But that isn't important right now."
He and the others rushed into Melromarc Castle, explaining their situation to the guards, who promptly let them through.
"Your Majesty!" Aris said. "I...I have bad news!"
"What is it?" Queen Mirellia asked urgently.
"I think we may have found the location of the next Wave," he said.
"We were swimming off the coast of Cal Mira," Ness added. "And we found something underwater. There was this...this weird building. And when we went inside...we found one of those hourglasses."
"An hourglass!?" the queen was shocked. "Then...that means Cal Mira can be hit by the next Wave!"
"Which is why we need to prepare," said Aris.
"Understood," said the queen. "I shall arrange a company of naval vessels off the coast. Thank you for alerting me."
"I have no idea how," said the queen at the helm of her flagship, "but we made it."
"I'm just impressed you managed to rally an armada like this on such short notice," Cloud mused.
"Well, preparing for the Waves is part of the royal family's duties," Ness pointed out. "Melty told me that once."
"But what about the islanders?" asked Sora. "Will they be able to get off the islands in time?"
He recalled the day his life as a world-hopper started: that night of fate on Destiny Islands.
"Count Habenburg was quick to act," replied the queen. "All of the islanders have already been evacuated. Besides, we have every reason to believe that this Wave will happen out here at sea. You need only worry about surviving the fight."
"Guys, look!" Filo pointed to a nearby ship. "Over there! It's L'Arc and Therese!"
"They're fighting the Wave, too?" said Loretta. "And...Glass is still missing?"
"You know those two?" asked the queen.
Aris nodded. "They helped us level up on Cal Mira. And I will admit, they are good company."
"More reliable than the other Cardinal Heroes, too," Ness remarked.
Deep below the surface, the last of the sand drained from the top of the Dragon Hourglass.
In flashes of golden light, the ships were teleported elsewhere as the sky bled crimson.
Upon reappearance, Aris saw the usual blue vortexes in the sky already sending out swarms of aquatic monsters. "It's here," he said. "Let's do this!"
Sailors of several ships lobbed barrels into the water - barrels that would burst upon impact with monsters.
"Are those...bombs?" asked Loretta.
"Cohol Bombs, yes," replied a sailor. "Enough of those fruits are strong enough to generate an explosion that can kill weaker monsters."
The archers on the ships began to fire at the surfacing monsters.
"Guys, over there!" Itsuki pointed. "I think that's the boss!"
BGM: Monstrous Monstro - Kingdom Hearts 1.5 ReMix
A massive beast of a whale surfaced not far from the ships.
"Monstro!?" Sora gasped.
"Is that what it's called?" asked Raphtalia.
"I know it," said Sora. "Back on my very first journey, Monstro swallowed my airship."
"And now it's here to swallow us!?" Loretta exclaimed.
Sora nodded. "So let's take it down before it can!"
Itsuki drew his bow. "Meteor Shot!"
The projectile missed as Monstro dove back below the water. Its silhouette was visible as it stalked the ships from below.
Monstro surfaced, headbutting one of the ships. The sailors started to cry out.
"We can't hit it unless we get it out of the water!" Ren shouted.
"Filo, come on! We're going under!" said Aris.
"Got it!"
Aris and Filo dove beneath the waves, shifting into their merfolk forms.
The sea had taken on a crimson haze just as the sky had. It was as if Aris and Filo were swimming through an ocean of blood.
And if we don't kill Monstro, thought Aris, we just might be.
"Hate Reaction!"
Aris sent a sort of telepathic signal from his shield to Monstro, causing the creature to turn its undivided attention to him and Filo.
Got it! Aris mentally cheered.
He and Filo leaped out of the water as high as they could with Monstro hot on their tails.
"Now!" yelled the queen.
"Meteor Shot!"
"Meteor Thrust!"
"Meteor Slash!"
Sora looked over his shoulder. A new ship had entered the fray. His eyes widened. "Is that...!?"
"Look alive, men!" commanded Hector Barbossa. "That there be the beast what swallowed Princess Melty!"
"Aye!" said William Turner. "All hands, fire on that whale!"
Several of the Black Pearl's crewmen went below decks and opened fire.
Back on the flagship of the Melromarc Navy, Queen Mirellia looked to the source of the sounds of cannon fire. "Are those...pirates?" She noticed the prominent flag of the Jolly Roger billowing in the wind atop the dark ship's main mast.
"Why are they helping us?" said Raphtalia.
"I know them!" Sora interjected. "That's the Black Pearl!"
In a burst of Flowmotion, Sora leaped from the flagship to the Black Pearl.
"Hey, everyone!"
"Sora!?" exclaimed Elizabeth Turner. "What are you doing here!?"
"You're a welcome sight, lad!" Captain Jack Sparrow added.
"Helping you all out, but I could ask the same thing!" Sora replied. He fired a beam of light at Monstro as it surfaced again, still chasing Aris and Filo.
"We be tryin' to free Princess Melty from the bowels of that beast!" Barbossa shouted over the echoes of cannon fire.
"You guys know Melty!?"
"Aye!" said Elizabeth. "We rescued her from some pirate named Captain Hook and we were keeping her aboard the Pearl when a storm knocked her overboard and sent her into the mouth of that beast!"
"Well, I've got news!" said Sora. "Her mother's aboard that ship over there!" He pointed to Queen Mirellia's flagship.
"Then go let her know that her daughter be inside this beast!" Barbossa exclaimed.
"Aye!" Sora leaped back over to the queen's flagship.
"Your Majesty!" he said. "You know how Melty's missing, right?"
The queen nodded. "As worried as I am about her, I don't think this is the time!"
"She's inside that thing!" Sora pointed to Monstro. "Those pirates over there are friends of mine, and they were keeping her safe after they rescued her from the pirates Idol Rabier handed her to. But then a storm hit their ship and she got knocked overboard!"
Queen Mirellia gasped. "So...Melty is..."
"She should be fine!" Sora assured her. "I was swallowed by Monstro once, too!"
"In that case..." said Queen Mirellia, "Heroes, concentrate as much firepower as you can on the boss! The rest of you, focus on the weaker monsters!"
More Cohol Bombs were detonated in the ocean. Raphtalia manned a harpoon as Monstro leaped out of the water. She fired, leaving a large, bloody gash in the monster's side.
Monsters began climbing the hull of the queen's ship, overrunning the deck before long. Ness held out his hands. "PK Rockin'!"
He fired a volley of psychokinetic energy, blasting some of the creatures to bits.
L'Arc jumped into action, raising his scythe. "Skybound Wheel Swing!"
A tornado engulfed several of the creatures, killing them.
"What's going on?" said Ness. "Why are we all firing so hard at Monstro?"
"Because Melty is inside its mouth!" replied Queen Mirellia.
Ness's heart stopped for a moment. She can't be... he thought. No...Fitoria said she was safe!
The young psychic found himself going into a rage. He turned to some of the soldiers, who were about to use a catapult to fire a barrage of Cohol Bombs at Monstro. "Fire them, now!"
The soldiers fired, sending the bombs into the water with a splash. Ness leaped over the edge of the ship and into the ocean below, entering his merman form and bolting for the bombs.
"Hey, ugly!" He fired several volleys of PK Rockin' at Monstro.
Monstro roared, swimming up out of the water toward Ness. The boy dove off of the barrels and into Monstro's mouth, which was filled with water.
There! he thought.
In the far corner of Monstro's mouth, fighting off swarms of monsters with her Keyblade while trying to stay above the water, was Melty Q. Melromarc.
Ness bolted through the water toward her and grabbed her before she could react, darting out of Monstro's mouth just as the barrels went down its throat.
As Ness soared out of the water, the barrels within Monstro's body detonated, killing the beast from the inside.
End BGM
The proverbial smoke cleared. Monstro's corpse lay floating on the surface.
Everyone cheered.
Ness swam onto the body, returning to his normal form. He gazed at his lost friend.
Melty had changed quite a lot. Gone was her long blue hair, and no longer was it tied into pigtails; it was now cut almost boyishly short. She wore a currently-soaking bandana around her head. Her signature dress was tattered and ragged, torn in several places.
But all that mattered to him as that she was alive.
Her eyes fluttered open. "N-Ness...?"
"Mel!" Ness threw his arms around her.
Melty gently returned the hug. "I...You're...here..."
Ness let her go. Melty staggered to her feet.
Cheers resounded once more as the crew of the pirate ship Ness had seen during the battle disembarked their ship. Melty lit up and ran toward them, exchanging embraces with the pirates. The crew of the Black Pearl held her up high, as if to tell everyone that this was the one who slew Monstro.
Melty got back down on her feet. "Thank you all for keeping me safe." She curtsied before the crew.
"Aye, t'was no problem, princess," said Barbossa.
"It was an honor to have you sail with us, Melty," said Will.
Aris and his party all came out of the water. "Melty!?" Aris exclaimed. "How did you-!?"
"It's a long story," said Melty. "One that's probably best saved for another time.
Filo quickly shifted into her human form, running over to Melty and hugging her through tears. "Y-You're okay...!"
"Yes, Filo," Melty said softly. "I'm alright."
Meanwhile, the crew of the Black Pearl was about to return to their ship, when they were stopped by a regal voice.
"You are the crewmen of the Black Pearl, correct?" said Queen Mirellia.
Captain Jack Sparrow stepped forward. "Aye, Your Majesty," he said.
"Understood," said the queen. "I wish to thank you for keeping my daughter safe."
"Yer not gonna arrest us, your highness?" asked Joshamee Gibbs.
"No, I am not," replied Queen Mirellia. "Besides, these are international waters. I couldn't arrest you even if I did want to. Besides, you all kept my daughter safe as well as aided us in this battle. For that...I thank you. Now...is there a reward you seek? Gold, perhaps?"
"Well...perhaps some of that wouldn't hurt," agreed Barbossa.
"Very well," said Queen Mirellia. "I will arrange for a chest of gold coins to be delivered to the Black Pearl once the Wave is over."
The pirates began returning to their ship. Meanwhile, Will Turner approached Melty. "The captain wanted you to have this," he said.
He handed her a medallion. It bore a Jolly Roger emblem identical to the one displayed on the flag of the Black Pearl.
"What does it do?" asked Melty.
"If ever ye be at sea," said Barbossa, "and find yourself in need of aid, raise the medallion high, and sing Hoist the Colors."
"The shanty you taught me, right," Melty remembered. "Well...farewell, all of you."
"Farewell, lassie." Barbossa and Will left with their crewmen.
L'Arc and Therese climbed up onto Monstro's body alongside Aris and his party. "Seems the little psychic lad took this thing down," remarked L'Arc.
"And all because he knew a lost friend was inside," Aris mused.
"Hey! Aris!" another voice interjected.
Motoyasu, Ren, and Itsuki had arrived on the scene.
"Your little friend there did great," Motoyasu commended.
"What are you three doing here?" asked Aris.
"Getting the drops, obviously," Ren deadpanned.
"After all, the items dropped by the Wave Bosses belong to all the Heroes," Itsuki added.
"I would agree with that, if any of you had actually contributed," Aris sighed. "Look, Ness was the one who-"
L'Arc cut him off. "Heroes?" He sighed. "If that's your excuse for a joke, no one's laughing. Especially not me. You three can't protect a thing." He pointed to Motoyasu, Ren, and Itsuki.
"Guys..." said Loretta, "we should get rid of the remaining monsters."
L'Arc fired off a blast of wind, slamming the other Heroes into Monstro's side.
Aris lowered his shield. "L'Arc, what do you think you're doing!?"
"It's simple, Aris," L'Arc replied. "For the sake of our world...Therese and I have to kill you."