Maleficent…

…Who is she?...

Maleficent and Mephisto, these two beings with power and prestige far vaster than life itself, were ensnared in a vicious staredown divorced from everything else around them. For the short amount of time Cody had been acquainted with the pompous man, he knew Mephisto for his eerie gazes that dared all who befell them to make a move worth mocking. These were not those gazes. Now was a look of visceral contempt. Pure hatred with every fiber of his being. Who was this woman that was able to elicit this response from him of all people?

Maleficent's lips pursed into an icy leer. "It really was a shame that you chose not to join me."

"Well, unfortunately, our goals didn't quite line up," Mephisto responded to her stone cold expression with a threatening grin of his own. "But I have to admit," his voice grew gravely as his irritation increased. "When I turned down your offer, I was hoping you'd get the hint and scram."

"That's a rather naive assumption coming from you."

"Perhaps," he shrugged. Deep down, he knew she was right and nothing annoyed him more than knowing she bested him no matter how small the detail. "And I assume you're here to stamp me out for good?"

"Please. Don't give yourself too much credit," the witch's voice started to grow just as vexed as Mephisto's was. "There's so much about your world that matters more in the grand scheme of things compared to your tiny insignificant life."

"Oho, feisty," he hissed back.

"And it isn't me who will be doing the deed. I was merely here to drop off my two wards."

"What a coincidence," Mephsito waved his hands to the gaggle of teens and creatures who gawked at the two from below. "I'll be waging this fight in proxy as well."

"Wait, wait, wait."

"Hold on a second!"

Cody and Rin protested in a simultaneous garble. As was typical at this point, Mephisto popped out of sight before either of them could fully voice their complaints. Maleficent lowered her eyes and fully examined the Keybearer in all his glory for the very first time. Her poise remained as collected as ever, but with each flailing flap of the boy's mouth, her grip grew ever so tightly around her magic staff.

This fool was the one who bested two of her accomplices?

What rubbish.

With nary a word, Maleficent left in a blaze a green and black flames. The fire fled just as soon as it grew, and she was gone.

And in her place was a shocking pair.

Heather and Ashley lounged around menacingly within the piped structure of the nearby roller coaster.

Now with her hair fully restored, Heather acted as if her victory was already guaranteed while she went and filed her nails. With one quick loom over her new audience, she flashed her best imitation of Maleficent's hollow smiles.

"'Sup, dweeb," She greeted the one familiar face in the crowd.

Cody had a spit take so harsh, he almost choked.

"Heather?!"

Of all people, what was she doing here? And why was she with that woman?

And somehow, an even more shocking swerve came from the appearance of their other would-be opponent.

"Ashley?" Red heaved a tearful shout. "What are you doing up there?"

The other girl responded with a frustrated slouch. Contrasting with Heather who looked like a Broadway show definition of a femme fatale villain, Ashley had a much more homely form. Her hair was long and unkempt and her attire was simple yet striking with its devil red hue. If Heather was a deadly diva, Ashley was a classic witch.

Rin had a double take before looking over towards Red. "Wait, don't tell me she's your master."

"Ashley, I've been looking everywhere for you!"

Completely ignoring Rin's words, Red slowly flapped his tiny bat wings towards her. "Where have you been? I've missed you so much!"

His excitement clouded with confusion and caution, his movements held an uncharacteristic quiver to them. Red kept looking at his beloved master and mentally begged her to show signs that she was still the master he knew. But with each slow flick of his wings, each look of uncertainty, Ashley couldn't help but grate her teeth. She hated watching him waft around like he was stalling himself from advancing further. She hated how he kept blathering on and on trying to keep himself from confirming what everyone suspected the moment she answered to Maleficent's beckoning.

Why won't he just…

"You're still you, aren't you?"

"SHUT UP!"

Ashley had always been a girl with a naturally sour demeanor. Red was used to her quiet outbursts and fits of angry pouts. What was happening here was neither of those. Her face fumed, and her hands shook ever so slightly like she was keeping herself from ripping her hair right out of her scalp. As she snatched her wand forward, Red got the hint and fled as quickly as he could. Whatever happened after they got separated, she was not the Ashley he knew.

"Everyone, watch out!"

A flash of crimson erupted in the park grounds. Everyone tried to withstand the powerful blast, but her hand was so quick, it was impossible to slip away from a direct impact. When the shock wave settled and the skies returned to their normal blue, everyone was left to reel in the aftermath. Rin, Yukio, Al, and Loudred kept their ground, and Cody wallowed on the ground with a knocked down Mokona face planted on to him. Red was perhaps the luckiest of them all. With his close proximity, he should've been screwed no matter the attack's intensity. But at the nick of time, Shiemi had helped form a hedged shield behind him, keeping him away from harm.

Shiemi collapsed to the floor. Her hands shook across her arms while tears rolled out. She was scared shitless. Anyone would've been. She may have been brave during that split second when it counted, but she was now officially at her limit. Both the shrubbed shield and Nee, her familiar who helped form it, withered away. She could no longer control her mind enough to keep either intact. And in her near inconsolable state, she was unable to sense the danger that was right behind her.

Ashley, now right beside the floral exorcist, nabbed her defenseless form and warped away without any resistance. Both the Okumura brothers witnessed the act far too late and were left in disbelief.

"Shiemi!" Rin cried out.

No matter how much he scanned around the park, there was no sign of her. It was just him and the others left aching and wide eyed over what they just experienced and witnessed.

His eyes perked over the whimper of a familiar young demon. Red was probably the most distressed of them all. He wasn't just dealing with the shock and injury of that little magic bomb back there—in fact, he was probably the most well off thanks to Shiemi's intervention—he was also left in despair as he tried to process the fact that someone he'd known his entire life had just very well tried to kill him.

If Ashley was heated over this whole ordeal, then Rin was boiling into a volcanic rage.

"What the HELL?!"

Ashley reappeared atop the roof of a nearby arcade, still looking on with her contemptuous gaze and with no Shiemi in sight. She had arrived just in time to feel the full brunt of Rin Okumura's wrath.

"YOU," he pointed furiously at her. "Your familiar's been worried sick over your ass, and you just go and shoot some kind of laser bomb at him? What kind of sorry excuse for a 'master' are you?!"

She stood still. There was nothing she could respond with.

But that anger that burst out earlier built up once more.

"Rin," Yukio grabbed onto his brother's arm. "Calm down. You saw what she just did. If we provoke her again, we'll—"

Rin was so absorbed in his rant, it never even registered to him that Yukio was attempting to intervene. It was like he and the red witch had declared their duel with violent glares alone. While Ashley revved up her wand for yet another attack, Rin ripped his katana straight out of his lacrosse bag and launched himself into the air and straight at the wicked witch herself. The simultaneous eruption of Rin's blue flames and Ashley's crimson incantations meshed into a brilliant violet swirl.

Rin's blade was held up against the grit of her wand. There were two battles in this situation. One was the struggling forces between their weapons. The other was the might of their gazes, both monstrous for completely different reasons. Just like it did during the clash with Kurt Zisa, Rin's face morphed into a feral demonic state. Yet it was Ashley who had the most chilling aura. Eyes dead cold, she was completely unreadable. Both to her opponent and to herself. She wasn't sure how to express the mix of emotions she had right now. But one thing was for sure; she would not lose to him.

Ashley found it in herself to shoot off a tiny ball of fire and broke free from their struggle. She jumped back onto a newly summoned broom, sending her airbourne and away from Rin's immediate retaliation. Not that he was going to let that stop him of course.

"Hey, get back here!" Rin made another inhuman jump towards her. Their battle had only just begun.

Yukio was already at a point of exasperation. One of these days, he would probably have to tie his brother to a leash. He and the others attempted to follow after the new aerial skirmish, but a certain someone was there to make sure everyone else had their own fill in this fight.

In every shadowy corner of the park, mounds of Heartless took shape. If they thought the little parade much earlier was a daunting sight, then it was nothing compared to what they were witnessing. Shadows, Soldiers, Bandits, Large Bodies, and those tiny floating mages as far as the eye could see. It was like witnessing Mepphyland operating near full capacity, only now it was occupied by monsters determined to tear everything apart.

The Heartless crawled at them in waves and forced them all to be split apart. Cody frantically looked around, desperate to find a friend to partner up while he wound up stuck in a stiff pattern of key slashes. It was truly a sea of nightmares, thick with the bold stains of blackened muck. And in that near endless thicket was a girl he'd nearly forgotten about.

Heather strutted into the center of Cody's fighting space. She pushed aside the Heartless like she simply made her way past a crowded high school hallway. Even in the midst of battle, she was the ultimate queen bee.

Cody shook his head and returned to his utter perplexity over her presence. "Literally what are you doing here?"

His question was met with a knee to his nuts.

Cody's legs slid downward. He knew deep inside that if he fell for good, he'd practically be privy to a death by dark burial. So for now, he'd have to continue fighting while enduring the pain.

"What did I ever even do to you?" He squeaked, tears nearly rolling down his eyes.

Another surprise came at him. Ashley wasn't the only menacing magic user here. Heather's hands glowed a soft pinkish hue as she kept piledriving Cody with throw after throw of her little magic energy balls. Cody skipped, jumped, and evaded each throw with impressive tenacity for someone still recovering from a serious injury. However, Heather wasn't a slouch in the dodging department either. With each attempted whack of his blade, she twirled and spun with the graceful cadence of a ballet dancer. Cody actually couldn't believe it. Somehow, Heather had become just as skilled a fighter as he was. But how? And when? And why?

"What gives?!" He asked in between swings. "You are a high school mean girl. Why are you going all supervillain now? You can't seriously be stooping this low!"

"Can it," she landed a shot right at his stomach. "Last time I checked, you're just some nobody nerd who's used to getting dunked into toilet water. If some loser like you actually thinks he can pull off this whole hero crap, why shouldn't I be a villain?"

"Is…" Cody heaved as he now started to take in the brunt of two injuries. "Is it because I didn't save you back at Traverse Town? Look, I'm really sorry about tha—"

Just barely missed an uppercut to the head. Seriously, what was her deal?!

"You know," Heather cracked her knuckles and straightened her shoulders; a practical move so unlike her deadly, dainty form. She did not come here to play. "I was really just following that old bag's orders, but I'm not gonna lie. Seeing people like you crawling from out of the garbage heap and into the spotlight really pisses me off."

Another kick to the nuts accompanied by a magically charged jab to his guts.

He winced. He tried to best the damage from earlier, but a second hit was just too much. Heather readied herself for another strike. How pathetic would he be if he went down because of this? Things couldn't end here. They just couldn't.

Just then, Alakazam came charging into their little battleground and pushed Heather aside by a slight Psybeam. He was about to instinctively check on his friend's wellbeing, but stopped when he realized Cody's hands were cupped over his nether regions. It wouldn't be right or appropriate to call this pathetic, but…

"Oh, you little freak!"

With a quick swipe of her arm along her leg, Heather came right at the duo and sent them flying with the might of her superpowered kick. A flair of bright pink broke into a streak as they shot through the park grounds before crashing violently through the walls of a building.

The two, toppled over each other and groaning in pain, struggled to find the strength to even wriggle back into full consciousness. By the time they were able to lift their groggy eyes up, they were sent into further shock and confusion. Their eyes stared at their eyes and stared at their eyes and stared at their eyes. If they didn't know any better, they would've assumed their minds were still all clogged from smashing through a bricked up wall like a cannonball.

Cody, the first to regain his strength and step up, groaned as he carefully placed his hand along the mirrors. He'd always hated carnival funhouses. Way too disorienting. "Okay, Al," he began, his voice still cracked. "The trick is to keep your hand on the wall. We need to get out of here as soon as—"

Cody flung his hand off the mirror and found himself crashing right back down onto Al. And this time, it wasn't from a nasty kick. Completely replacing the duo's reflections, Heather walked into the view of every mirror in the room. The two darted their eyes vigorously, hoping to get a glimpse of the source herself. But with their minds still all fogged up, they might as well have been staring at an entire army of Heathers.

Without even a word or a gloating laugh, Heather reached her arm forward and formed an enormous ball of pink energy. In just one push, she'd be the one to take down the Keybearer for good.

So it was a real shame when her partner's fight came crashing through the roof.

Rin dropped flat onto a pair of mirrors, forcing their entire row to go down with them. The air around them became encapsulated in glass, and it only strengthened as Ashley came down to meet him and continue their brawl. The room was a mess of flames, sorcery, and raining shards. Heather's face whitened, and she just barely conjured up a small shield in time to keep herself away from a storm of scrapes and stabs.

"You stupid goth jailbait!" She screeched at her colleague who had much more pressing issues to tend to than to acknowledge her existence.

Rin quickly made a swift retreat and leapt off a wide distance once more. If Ashley was aware she'd accidentally invaded Heather's turf, she showed no sign of it. The young witch summoned her broom once again in her pursuit against the half demon boy. The two left just as quickly as they came, and they managed to destroy an entire attraction in those few seconds.

Heather continued to seethe. She's dealt with that short little grump for weeks now, and she had more than enough time to conclude that once she was at the top of Maleficent's circle, she would do everything she could to get rid of her.

In her simmering state, Heather was left completely wide open for another Psybeam blow. Al had managed to shield Cody and himself flawlessly during that artificial maelstrom, and now the two were back on their feet to fight once more. Heather could only give off a petite growl before the three of them returned to their scuffle and left the ruined mirror hall behind.

Meanwhile, Loudred was all alone, knocking away Heartless after Heartless as he formed his own tightly cramped path while trying to find any traces of his allies. With seemingly endless droves of those vile creatures covering nearly every inch of the vicinity, merely searching for them through sight was a useless endeavor. That's why he was trying a completely different approach. With each punch and kick, he gave equal parts effort to focus his hearing on the area around him; completely ignoring the fissuring ambience to find any sound that stood out.

…!

"...elp…s…

"Help us!"

Nearby, the little ones of the group, Mokona and Red, had attempted to escape the crowd by hopping aboard the roof of a merry-go-round. With Red completely defenseless, Mokona was left in charge defending the duo. He shot off peters of magic blasts from his gemmed forehead each time another enemy dared to climb up. The poor thing was being run ragged, prancing around back and forth to cover the entire perimeter. They needed assistance, quick.

Loudred pounded through a walled mob and ran to his would-be triumphant rescue. He started to knock away some of the more persistent pests down at the lower level and made his way to a good climbing path. Unfortunately, things were about to get much more tumultuous.

Rin and Ashley's fight managed to make its way just above. The witch had stuck to the skies, figuring the demon boy would lose steam from constantly jumping about from the ground. But not only had he parkoured effortlessly throughout much of the park, he now resorted to bouncing between decorative lamp posts like a game of hopscotch just to get a better aim at her. The battle put her on a fierce and pointed edge, and she even started to stand on her broom from the tips of her toes just to keep herself ready for any strike.

She gritted her teeth. Rin had gotten a number of hits on her at this point, and each one was just as unruly as the last. This boy's very being carried physical strength she knew she could never hope to match. Her best bet would be to wear his stamina down as much as possible. But with him springing around like a raged monkey, she had doubts she could even manage that much.

She raised her staff. A small throng of static fizzled around its core before entire bolts came shooting out. The sky darkened just a little as if she'd conjured up a thunderstorm all on her own. With one final swing of her arm, the bolts emitted a deafening crack, sending them all spluttering throughout the park. Things were quiet at first as everyone tried to predict what horrors she'd just unleashed on them all. But the next moment, the park that had merely lent itself as a lifeless backdrop filled the air with clashing carnival tunes and the roars of carts and engines awakening from their slumber. Every obstacle anyone could've been met here was activated.

The trio that was left to fend themselves atop the carousel couldn't have picked a worse spot to be trapped on. The attractions hadn't just turned on; they were pushed to operate at their highest potential. So not only were they dealing with a dizzying spin, they were practically stationed on a lethal treadmill. Loudred slid around horse-to-horse trying to hold on for his dear life. Up above, Mokona was caught in an exhaustive jog knowing if he lost momentum for even a second, he and Red, who had resorted to flail around helplessly in the wind while grasping his rabbit friend's ears, would be punted straight into the skies above before drowning in a harsh, shadowy pit.

Nearby, Yukio had been doing his best to avoid as much combat as possible. The extreme density of the Heartless crowd made his more long ranged moveset virtually useless. Sure, he could just shoot whatever was right in front of him, but with endless droves of Heartless eager and ready to replace his wouldbe targets the second they went down, something as small as a gun would get him absolutely nowhere compared to a sword swing or a magical conjuring.

Yukio was trying to catch up to Rin's zig zagging brawl and was just about to pass by the carousel before he was smacked in the head by an incoming Shadow. The creature seemed dazed and fated for death. There wasn't a fight to be had here. Confused, he looked over at the speeding death trap before him and saw his three allies in their state of distress. Some foolish Heartless here and there would attempt to hop on in an attempt to take aim at them, but would be immediately tossed away and sent hurtling towards their brethren where they'd both meet their painful ends. An idea sparked within him.

"Hey, you two!" He called out a number of times to make sure Loudred and Mokona could hear him over the tacky park fanfare. "Cody's famil—er—associates."

They both tried to respond with "what"s, but their voices came off as nondescript wails.

"You two might be able to take down most of the Heartless here. Keep attacking outside the ride while you circle around. I'll try to stop this thing in the meantime."

If they were going to be stuck on this hellhole for even a second longer, they might as well try.

With a massive breath, Loudred belched out an ear-splitting Howl that rivaled even the obnoxious theme park anthems that were put on full blast. The Heartless were sent into confused stutters, making them easy pickings for Mokona's gemmed laser blasts. Normally, they would only register as a rough pinch, but the momentum built from the carousel's never-ending rotations elevated them into a piercing cut. By the time Yukio finally located and destroyed the ride's controls, the entire surrounding area was wiped out clean of those darkened pests.

The ride's music pittered away into a distorted whimper and the galloping mares finally grounded into a halt. Loudred, Mokona, and Red slipped off wearily, too exhausted to bother properly thanking their savior.

"There's no time for breaks," Yukio continued stoutly. "We have to stop those two girls. I don't know where the tall one is, but Rin should still be fighting the short one. We have to find them."

"But," Mokona hiccuped drunkenly. "They're just over there, right?"

His ear pointed over at the park's gargantuan ferris wheel that had just been lit ablaze with a crisp cyan inferno. There was no question as to what was going on. Even from a distance, they could see Rin and Ashley continue to duke it out as they jumped pod-to-pod.

"Alright, we're headed to the ferris wheel then," Yukio nodded.

"Can't we…" Loudred panted. "Can't we rest for even just a little bi—"

The poor guy was cut off by the sturdy slap of a burlap sack. Its carrier, the now freed Duncan, didn't seem to care for apologies and just hurriedly shuffled over to the one human of the group.

"You. Four eyes," he jabbed his finger harshly on Yukio's chest. "You're some kind of supernatural cop or whatever, right?"

Yukio was at a loss for words. He and the others honestly forgot Duncan and the currently missing Courtney even existed. "No, I—"

"Who cares? It's probably the same thing." His tone sounded just as desperate as it was demanding. "Look, I don't like dealing with people like you, but I wanna get out of here alive."

"Duncan, you pig!" The other half of the duo, Courtney, stormed towards her boyfriend furiously. "How could you just leave me back there?!"

"Love you, babe, but you were literally ready to take the bag and leave me to die in the boat ride just a few minutes ago."

"Oh, so it's fine when you do it, but not me?"

As frustrating as adding this pair of baggage to their already dire situation was, having anyone perish in this Heartless heap was the last thing anyone wanted. With much effort, Yukio eventually managed to rally all five of his companions back into working order and towards their next destination.

All the way at the ferris wheel, things heated up. Just as the demon and witch continued their scuffle on the towering ride up above, Cody, Al, and Heather were still absorbed in their little match just below. They found themselves running around wildly throughout this encounter, and while the small red witch showed no sign of stopping in her efforts against Rin, the same couldn't be said for Heather. While her attacks still packed a punch, her movement was a lot less exact and nimble as it was before. This was the point her lack of experience started to show.

Cody and Al were aware of how close in proximity they were to Rin's battle. The flaming wheel before them couldn't have been more obvious. Every now and then, they'd catch a glimpse to see how their friend was doing, and it seemed he was now in a bind. Literally. Ashley's theme park energizer gambit seemed to have paid off, and he had lazed off enough in movement in time for her to wrap him up in a vine of scrap metal. He needed help. With Heather slowing down, this could be a good opportunity to jump in and assist. But how in the world would either of them get up there?

"I have an idea," Al tapped on Cody's shoulder. "But it'll involve you getting hurt a bit."

"What? Then that's an awful idea!"

"Just shut up and trust me."

He ignored Cody's protests and shoved the teen forward right as Heather was getting ready to shoot out another flare of pink witchcraft. The resulting strike blew him out into the air, giving just enough of a starting point for Alakazam to use his telekinesis to float Cody neatly on to the very pod that Rin was currently situated on.

Taken completely by surprise, Ashley switched over to a defensive position as Cody went in for a hit. She found the one moment she needed to put Rin in his place, but her chance was gone in an instant. Rin made quick work of her trap and tore through the metallic roll like it was nothing but flimsy fabric. Now faced with the might of not one, but two swordsmen, she was quickly backed towards the edge of the pod. She'd be lucky if she could even make another broom getaway with how fervent their swings were.

Now was the moment for her to take a huge risk. She closed her eyes shut and prayed that muscle instinct alone was enough to protect herself for this small moment. For her next trick, she'd have to gather all the concentration she possibly could to pull it off.

A faint gleam of light resonated from her staff's crystal. Cody was the first to notice that something was brewing and tried to urge Rin to run. If only either of them had time to even think before the spell was cast. In the blink of an eye, the three of them disappeared in a blight of crimson matter…

…And reappeared above the tracks of Mepphyland's premiere coaster.

Rin's back practically cracked as he landed on the corners of a coaster car. The speeding inertia forced him into a tumbling ball, bouncing and spinning as his body kept slamming further and further towards the end of the runaway train. He'd made it to the very last car before he was able to sling his arm on to a handlebar and pull himself safely into the seats.

Cody was coincidentally situated right at his newfound safespot. Rin tried to urge him for a gameplan, but was taken aback at the smaller teen's current position. While Rin gripped on in an audacious pose, one foot right on the edge of the car railing like he was prepared to pounce at a moment's notice, Cody was glued to the flooring, hunched over, and held on to the side of the vehicle like his life depended on it. His eyes bulged in terror and his face was flushed into a sickly shade.

"I…." He could barely manage to get a word out. "I think I'm going to throw up."

"Seriously?!"

Well, there was no use counting on him at the moment. Rin looked ahead, and who else but the same damn witch just floating around menacingly at the center on the upcoming loop. Her contemptuous scowl returned to a more leveled state. She seemed certain that with this nigh unmaneuverable place as their new arena, her victory was all but claimed.

Rin started off with a beastly battlecry and sprinted towards her. His legs stretched car-to-car, faster than the running coaster itself. Bright blue streaks flayed behind him like lingering dust. Ashley couldn't help but roll her eyes. No matter how much energy he expended, if she could knock him off his balance even a tiny bit, natural physics would handle the rest, and the battle would finally come to an end.

She held up her wand and readied herself for what she thought would be the finishing blow. He inched closer…closer…closer…

He jumped.

?!

One moment, they were practically face-to-face, the next, he'd leapt above and beyond her current elevation. She looked upwards, confused and wary.

Rin hung off of the handle bars from the front most car that had just reached the very peak of the coaster loop. With all the height he needed for a devastating blow, he boldly let his fingers slip off, and he slammed Ashley with the mighty force of his blade as he made his way down.

Just like Rin moments before, Ashley rolled down through the trail of cars. Deep panic started to set in. She closed her eyes and did all she could to empty her head of the incoming mortal dread. If she didn't concentrate now, she really would be a goner. She'd just reached the very end of the train before she once again poofed away from the current combat site and into safety.

Things did not look good for the witches. It wasn't quite as obvious to her opponents just yet, but Ashley was near her last ropes. And Heather wasn't faring much better. With only Alakazam to handle now, her matchup should've been a cakewalk. But again, a first time fighter could only go on for so long before they began to stagger.

"Why won't you just give up?" She sneered. It sounded more like a whine than an attempt at intimidation.

Her fight with the Pokemon had largely moved to following motions. They would both shoot attacks, dodge, and rinse and repeat. It truly became a battle of endurance.

"I didn't go through all that stupid training just to lose," she continued her rant. Al had no interest in quipping back, so she was really just venting to herself. "I am not going to lose to—"

Something zipped right in front of her face.

There was a loud noise just before.

Was that…?

Her eyes wide, Heather slowly cocked her head to the side and saw none other than Yukio; arms stretched out, and gun in place.

(He of course never had any intentions to actually hit her, but like she actually knew that.)

"Are you kidding me?" Her voice started off in a normal cadence before amplifying with outrage. "Were you seriously trying to shoot me? Are you freaking insane?!"

"What is she doing here?"

The rest of Yukio's group arrived, and a familiar pair of ex-campers had just gotten themselves into a mind boggling reunion. Right in front of them, the girl who made living on Wawanakwa an absolute hell for everyone stood around with pink swaths of magical energy leaking from her hands and the look of a newly bred killer.

"Seriously?" Heather was just as shocked as they were. "Goody-two-shoes and the psycho freak?"

"Oh, that's rich coming from you right now," Duncan huffed.

"You're completely surrounded," Yukio returned her focus to him. "I suggest you surrender no—"

Like a prisoner making her last ditch attempt at freedom before her incoming doom, Heather began one final full throttle assault at everyone. Pink zaps went flying in all directions as she aimed senselessly. With something as risky as a gun as his only means of offense, Yukio voluntarily ducked out from the deadly light show and snatched the just as hapless Red out to safety. Loudred, Al, and Mokona took turns trying to take her down, only to be met with the swift strike of her feet and knees in response. Surprisingly, it was Duncan and Courtney who managed to land a proper smack on her with the hefty knock of their loot sack. Enraged, Heather shut her eyes and made the same escape plan her partner had already pulled twice.

Heather reappeared near the front of the Mepphy Coaster. Large swaths of Heartless still encircled the grounds, but as long as none of them were dumb enough to lay a finger on her, she was in the clear.

CLUNK!

Apparently, she was more in danger of falling sacks of food and junk than anything else.

In her efforts to make a clean getaway, Heather had accidentally brought Duncan and Courtney with her. While she crumpled to the ground, the unluckiest pair currently in True Cross were left screaming and dangling from the coaster beams above.

"This day couldn't get any worse, could it?" Courtney cried out. "How could you just drop it?!"

"That's what you're worried about?!" Duncan couldn't believe what he just heard. "Did you hit your head when the island was getting messed up? I knew you weren't all 'teacher's pet' deep down, but not like this."

Any ounce of fear the couple once had was replaced with routine squabbling. All common sense and regards for safety were thrown out the window, and they could barely register the small crowd of Heartless that gathered below to enjoy the show.

Atop the coaster tracks, Rin was left running around the ride aimlessly. With his opponent out of sight, the best he could do for now was search and make sure she wasn't hiding around planning out an elaborate sneak attack. By the time he neared Courtney and Duncan's section of the structure, he started to feel light sways from the Heartless attempting to shake the two off. Of course, they were too wrapped up in their own little world to notice a thing. Rin could feel himself piling up with anxiety just looking at them.

He took one deep breath and climbed down. If anything was going to be saving those two from themselves, there was no one else but him to do the job.

"Hey, you two." His attempts were carelessly swatted away. Neither were willing to break from their tiff for even a second to give the poor dude the time of day.

Rin's face melted into a look of exasperation. Despite spending who knows how long chasing around and fighting that spiteful witch, this was a much more irksome task.

"Listen, if you two don't—"

A sudden slam forced Rin's head to the metal bar in front of him. A hurdle of Large Bodies were throwing themselves on to the ride's foundation. Rin could practically see Courtney and Duncan's fingers begin to give in with each shake, but they still seemed too lost from the situation to notice. These two had to be joking.

"Hey!"

Like he accidentally signaled a cue, a trio of Large Bodies made one finishing thrust into the coaster beams. Ironically, it wasn't Courtney and Duncan who wound up losing their balance, but Rin himself. If he wanted to snap them back into reality, this wasn't how he wanted it to happen. He toppled down on to the unsuspecting pair, and a trio of screams soon reverberated from the sky while the three awaited their death by crowd mauling.

The Heartless looked as if they were anticipating a feast. They raised their gross, grubby arms upwards, all ready for their meal. Instead, they were met with the snap of limbs and the crushing gnash of brittle fur. Rin's own feline familiar, Kuro, had wandered into the park for some peace and quiet and wound up having to save a certain pair of buffoons once again. Enlarged and in the size of a baby kaiju like earlier, the three landed softly on to his soft ruffled back.

Courtney and Duncan's first instincts were to complain and reflect on the almost anticlimactic turn of events, but Rin was up and at it again like his stroke of luck gave him a new spout of energy. "Okay, Kuro, there's this small witch girl in red. Don't know where she is, but I've got a bone to pick with her. Help me out here, alright?"

Rin grinned with the determination of someone ready for round two. But little did he know, his missing opponent was already nearing the end of her run.

Ashley zapped back into sight atop a cafe, far from her previous fighting ring of choice. This time, she wasn't looking for a new spot to test out a field advantage. Now, she just wanted a moment to blow off some steam.

She faced down and belted out an ear piercing scream. She didn't care who heard or who was alerted to her position. She'd held that in since the moment she was reunited with Red. No. Before that. Way, way, way before that.

This wasn't how she wanted any of this to go.

Without even taking another breath, Ashley let out another loud gasp of frustration until her throat started to gag at the pressure and left her in a thick spray of coughs.

Calm down Ash, she thought in between croaks. You're not off the hook with this mission yet.

She straightened her back and let in one deep taste of the air.

…What the heck was that awful smell?

Ashley looked down. How frustrated was she to miss this?

There was a fat blob of puke on her. Her bright red ensemble was now mixed in with mucus green and beige white gruel.

It wasn't even her's.

"Uh…sorry about that…"

Ashley tilted her head at Cody, the other occupant of the last coaster car who was unknowingly transported alongside herself. She moved the same way a horror movie doll would at the sight of its prey.

Perhaps she had enough fight and fury in her for one last thrashing.

Cody honestly couldn't blame her for how hard she aimed at him. If a total stranger barfed on him, who's to say he wouldn't try to murder them on sight too?

Well, he wasn't a bloodthirsty witch working for a literal world destroyer, so he'd probably have a lot more grace in that situation at least.

"I'm sorry, I am so sorry!"

Cody ran helplessly across the roof, still too queasy from the unwanted roller coaster ride to move properly. His steps were drunken, and he narrowly missed stepping over himself at least a half dozen times now. To Ashley, this fool was easy pickings. How could she have gotten so distracted by that boarish half demon? He was the Keybearer; the real target. If she took him down, the mission would be over. Everything would be over. This entire mess she was in would be over.

The sickly hero attempted a few swings, all straight ahead and almost too comically easy to block and dodge. He still wasn't in the right state of mind. The sight was pitiful.

Suddenly, a startling pop echoed out, and a disturbingly shrill gust of wind blew past Ashley's cheek. That could only be one thing. She cautiously turned her head around.

As expected, Yukio was down below with his gun pointed right at her. She wasn't particularly worried. He had the look of someone who merely threatened the fear of the violence. She knew that bullet was a farce and there was no reason to believe he'd try anything more. That wasn't what got her.

Red was with him. Looking at her with the same eyes of fear and worry, he attentively pushed against the side of Yukio's head to double check that he really wouldn't go beyond his bluff.

Why did he have to be here?

She knew Yukio was the distraction, and the fact that it wasn't even him that did the job frustrated her to no end. During her internal struggles, the other three members of Cody's pack had joined them on the rooftop. She'd already struggled with 2v1. Four was putting her at her brink. Worse yet, being with his main crew almost acted as a charger for the newly energized Keybearer.

She gripped her wand and made one last ditch effort to save her ass with a windy blast that pushed the newcomers clean off the rooftop. Cody just barely escaped falling himself thanks to the scrape of his blade on the worn down tiles. She figured this would've been the move that returned things to her favor, but then that annoying wannabe exorcist, Rin, jumped in to ruin her once again.

It was a return to the hopeless ordeal above the ferris wheel. At this point, if she could land even a single hit on either of these guys, she'd be satisfied. The moment Cody carelessly brought out an opening, she jabbed the end of her wand into his guts like a kneeing stab and promptly kicked him in the back and off the roof.

She messed up.

It was like time stopped specifically to mock her. Cody was just up ahead, the tip of his toes at the very edge of the roof gutters as he was about to lose all of his footing. His arms were outstretched with Keyblade in hand, the result of an attempted attack that didn't land. She could've easily lied to herself that that move of her's was a success. But at the very corner of her eye, she saw him.

Mephisto lounged in the air, smiling. She lost.

A beam of light broke out from the tip of the Keyblade. A familiar mock shrine, newly renovated with a fresh growth of shrubs, was up ahead. The beam shot through the building's opening and towards the peculiar keyhole shaped mark that'd been unknown to everyone but Red and Shiemi.

Suddenly, the Heartless ocean that populated the park grounds was no more. The deep black stains drained, slowly replaced by sprinkles of warm light like fireflies gathering for a coming summer night. The park attractions all grinded to a halt, and everything that was damaged during this whole ordeal—the coaster, the fun house, the carousel—all returned to their original states.

With the Keyblade's job done, Cody finished his fall safely into the arms of his friends. The battle was a long and spanning one, but they won. The four began a loud boast of celebration, completely ignoring that Ashley was still there on the roof. It's not like she had any fight left in her anyway. She was stubborn, but she knew when it was time to finally accept defeat.

Just let me leave already…

"Hey!" Rin barked.

Ashley, a look of dejection in her stance even with her stone cold face, waved her wand. She was about to make yet another getaway, but he wasn't done with her yet.

"You better tell me where you took Shiemi or—"

Rin charged up to her, ready for a tackle, but he was too late. In an instant, Ashley was gone, taking Heather's faraway unconscious body with her. Rin landed raggedly into the Keyblade Crew's cheer circle and ended their toast as they all fumbled onto the pavement.

oOo

Night finally set in the grounds of True Cross Academy. After an eventful day of seemingly nonstop action, the group finally rested in an empty cafeteria. The Okumura brothers apparently dormed in the most lonesome corner of the campus, and consequently, the nearby abandoned facilities were all theirs for the taking. With no one to object, the cafeteria tables were filled with plates abound, both empty and full.

Courtney and Duncan were busy stuffing themselves silly. This was the first real meal either of them had seen in weeks, and it almost made all the countless near death experiences today worth it. All it took for their rotten attitudes to fade away was a half dozen platefuls of food. Now they were palling around with Kuro, the cat they'd angered multiple times, and comforting Red, the demon child they'd completely ignored in favor of their own needs earlier.

Their mood was joyous, but the same couldn't be said for the other side of the room. There were no plates in front of Cody's crew, Rin, Yukio, and Mephisto. Things were tense. Some more important things needed to be discussed, and for now, the face stuffing would wait.

"So," Al eyed Mephisto suspiciously. "You're telling me that Maleficent woman is trying to gather up all of the Seven Hearts? And she found a way to control the Heartless? And she invited you to help her?"

"Correct," the man answered slyly. "And aren't you glad I declined?"

"Why didn't you tell anyone about this?" Yukio demanded while he still tried to keep a collected poise. "You put our entire world at risk."

"I already told you," Mephisto had mentally checked out from the discussion and had begun to reach out to a nearby table for a small plate of cake. "There's nothing anyone in our world could've done. If anything, feeding you false hope would've made your deaths all the more tragic. You should be thanking me for saving you from that fate."

Gee, thanks. No one said a word, but each scowl was more than enough to hear the group's collective sarcastic reply.

"Why didn't you tell us about her?" Rin asked in an uncharacteristically quiet voice. His eyes were at his lap this entire conversation, and by the scrunches of his face, he was probably the one holding back the most outrage of them all.

"Hm?"

"Why didn't you tell us they were after Shiemi?!" He burst out.

Despite everything, Mephisto still could not bother to give him a sympathetic glance. To him, the moment they chased away his foes and sealed the world shut, his interest in the matter was gone. "Well, you wanted me to be honest, and here's my answer." He took a slight nibble of the cake before continuing. "I had absolutely no clue she was one of the seven."

Rin shook his head. That was all he was most likely to get out of Mephisto for this matter. "For crying out loud…"

Rin shifted his gaze over to Cody. If Mephisto wasn't going to give a damn, he was at least assured he would. "And you're saying I can't go along with you guys to find her?"

Cody cringed. It wasn't the answer he wanted to give and it wasn't the answer Rin wanted to hear. "I'm sorry… It just doesn't work that way."

"We'd love to take you along, kid," Loudred elaborated. "But everyone has a world they need to be in, you know? Like those guys…" He gestured towards the other side of the room where Duncan, Courtney, and Red were sharing their umpteenth dinner plate amongst themselves. "There's somewhere else they belong at too. We can't just leave them here."

"And we're not going to leave Shiemi," Cody nodded. "This world is where she belongs. We'll bring her back."

Rin took another good look at Cody. When the two first met, he wasn't exactly sure what to make of him. He was a bigshot without the drive or form to show for it. Even now, looking at him, he could see the slight shake of his arms, his forced face of might that probably nervously bit his tongue underneath, and the fear and uncertainty in his eyes. But in those eyes were also a flame that refused to back down. A flame that was determined to push forward despite not knowing if he could handle what was up ahead. A kindred flame.

…

Rin smiled and held out his hand. His elbow stayed planted on the table. It didn't seem like he was looking for a handshake. Cody looked on in confusion, but was prompted to return the gesture by a quick nudge from Mokona. Smiling, Cody grabbed on, their hands now clasped together into a strong fist.

"Alright, I trust you," Rin said. "Make sure she's safe."

"...Yeah."

As their time at True Cross Academy came to a close, it was finally time to join in on the feast.