- Chapter 26 -
Saving Mousedom
Soundtrack for this chapter:
* Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX- Vim and Vigor: www. youtube watch?v =Xk9dyREdRWA
Meanwhile, back at the palace, Ratigan's disguised thugs played trumpets to announce the queen's entrance. The robotic queen stepped out, everyone in attendance fooled by it.
"On this momentous occasion," the robot spoke, "we are gathered here not only to commemorate my 60 years as Queen, but to honor one of truly noble stature!"
Unbeknownst to the crowd, behind the curtains were Hiram, Ratigan, Pete, and Mortimer. Hiram was speaking into a microphone attached to the robot queen, while Mortimer held him at gunpoint to force him to read the notecards Pete was holding up.
"I present to you a statesman among mice, a gifted leader, a crusader for justice, a majestic mountain of humility, and my new Royal Consort... Professor Padraic Ratigan!"
At that, Ratigan burst out onto the balcony, dressed in a crown and purple robes decorated with medals. The crowd backed away, horrified. One boy in particular blew a raspberry at him, his mother almost instantly covering his mouth.
Meanwhile, Fidget was dragging the real Queen Mousetoria, bound and gagged, to the balcony. The Queen looked down in horror to see Felicia lurking outside, jaws wide open, eager for a snack fit for a queen.
"Here, kitty, kitty," Fidget said. "Time for mouse chow."
-X-
Sora and co., along with Basil, Dawson, and Olivia, exited out of Ratigan's lair to the waterfront, now back in their normal clothes. Basil whistled, and Toby came running, happily giving Olivia a kiss.
"The game's afoot, Toby!" Basil declared. "Our queen's in mortal danger!"
Basil growled, and knelt down to allow the others to climb on his back.
"To Buckingham Palace!" Basil shouted, and Toby took off.
-X-
Back at the palace, Ratigan bowed mockingly to the robot queen.
"Thank you, your majesty," he said. "And now, as your new Royal Consort, I have a few...slight suggestions."
With that, he pulled out a rolled up piece of paper and let it fall, where it rolled down the aisle of the Grand Hall and well past the curtain, where one of his men had opened it for him.
"Ahem," Ratigan cleared his throat. "Item one..."
As this was going on, Fidget continued carrying the real queen to the hungry jaws of Felicia, while Toby had just arrived at the palace. He held his nose to a ledge, where Basil and Sora's group rushed into a mouse hole. They gasped to see Fidget having reached the balcony, about to toss the Queen off, and quickly ran towards them.
"Bye-bye!" Fidget declared, but just as he was about to throw the Queen to Felicia, Basil and Sora reached him and grabbed her out of his hands, causing Fidget to lose his balance and narrowly grab onto the edge of the balcony, as Felicia snapped and bit at him.
"Down, kitty! Down!" Fidget shouted. At that moment, they heard barking, and Felicia turned to see Toby running straight for her. She let out a screech, and took off running with the dog in hot pursuit.
"Typically, I'm a cat person," Sora said as he and Basil untied the Queen. "But in her case, I'll make an exception."
Riku went to the balcony, where Fidget was still dangling, and grabbed the bat by the scruff of his neck, dragging him up. West took the rope that bound the Queen and handed it to Riku, who used it to tie Fidget up.
"Now," he said, glaring at Fidget, "where is Olivia's father?" He summoned Way to the Dawn. "I'm asking nicely."
Fidget gulped and shook in fear.
-X-
The group made their way down to the backroom, where Hiram, Pete, and Mortimer were. Hiram was still at the controls, and Pete and Mortimer were laughing triumphantly.
"Well, Mortimer, old buddy," Pete said. "That stiff Basil is probably nothin' but a greasy little smear on the rocks by now."
"And Keyboy and his buddies are probably still just hanging around, waiting for us to get back and deliver 'em to Maleficent!" Mortimer declared. "Ah... it feels so good to be bad, a-cha-cha."
"Not for long," Sora said as he and the others emerged from the shadows. Hiram gasped in shock and relief, while Pete and Mortimer were just plain shocked.
"What?! How?!" Pete demanded. "You were-"
"Yeah, we were," Aqua said. "And now we're not."
Mortimer scowled and aimed his gun at them, but Hikari was quicker, darting forward and knocking the pistol out of his hand with the flat of her sword before flipping him over her shoulder. As he tried to get up, Hikari pinned him down with her foot, holding the blade to his throat.
"Stay down," she said, calm but cold. Mortimer glared at her, but was in no position to try anything.
Pete turned to them, but didn't have the chance to do anything before Goofy tossed his shield, which slammed into Pete's head, knocking him senseless before Sora and Kairi knocked him to the ground, tying him and Mortimer up back to back.
Olivia ran over to her father, and they embraced. Basil approached them, and Hiram hastily explained what was going on.
"So, this gadget has a speaker, and whatever we say, that robot queen says?" Ven asked. Hiram nodded, and Ven smiled mischievously.
"That gives me an idea..."
-X-
Meanwhile, back in the Great Hall, Ratigan was continuing down his list of tyrannical laws.
"Item 96," he said, "a heavy tax shall be levied against all parasites and sponges...such as the elderly, the infirm, and especially little children." As he said the last part, he sneered at the little boy from before, who glared at him defiantly.
An old man with a leg cast and crutch approached, visibly angry. "That's ridiculous!" he objected. "You're insane!"
Ratigan glared at the old man. "Perhaps I haven't made myself clear," he said, before snatching the crutch away from the old mouse, causing him to fall down as the crowd gasped.
"I have the power!" Ratigan declared triumphantly, breaking the crutch in half with his bare hands. "I am supreme! This is my kingdom!" He laughed maniacally as the crowd cowered before him, before calming down and clearing his throat.
"That is, of course, with Your Highness' permission," he said modestly. The robot didn't answer right away, and Ratigan gave it a light slap.
"Most assuredly," the robot said, before suddenly glaring at him and talking in a much angrier tone, "you insidious fiend!"
Ratigan was taken aback. "What?!"
"You're not my Royal Consort!" the robot declared, before Ratigan covered its mouse, chuckling nervously at the crowd.
"What a sense of humor," he said, before the robot slipped out of his grasp.
"You're a cheap fraud and impostor." the robot said.
Ratigan angrily glared down the hall. "Flaversham!"
What Ratigan didn't know was that Basil, not Hiram, was now behind the controls, at Ven's suggestion.
"A corrupt, vicious, demented, lowlife scoundrel," Basil said into the speaker. "There's no evil scheme you wouldn't concoct!" He jerked on the controls, causing the robot's head to fly up and spin, biting Ratigan's nose. He forced the head back down, but both arms sprang out, hitting him in the stomach. He tried to hide the robot from the crowd, but by now, they had caught on to his scheme.
"No depravity you wouldn't commit!" the robot/Basil continued. Ratigan tried to force the robot down with his weight, but it sprang upwards, bringing him up with it and dropping him.
"You, Professor," said the robot, which was now falling apart, "are nothing more than a foul stenchus rodentus. Commonly known as a-"
"DON'T SAY IT!" Ratigan shouted as the robot finally fell apart. At that, Basil burst out from the curtain and pointed at his nemesis, Sora and the others in tow.
"Sewer rat!" he shouted, and Ratigan let out a scream of fury.
"Get him!" Ven shouted, he, Basil, Dawson, Riku, Hiram, and the Queen tackling Ratigan as Sora and the others fought off Heartless and the rest of Ratigan's men.
Olivia looked on from behind the curtain, unaware that Fidget, Pete, and Mortimer had managed to free themselves...
-X-
Outside, Felicia was still fleeing from Toby. She darted through bushes and flower beds before scrambling up a wall, where Toby was unable to do more than jump up halfway and bark at her. Felicia snickered mockingly at the basset hound, lifting her tail and making a show of jumping down the other side.
Mere seconds later, Felicia let out another terrified screech, and Toby heard several more dogs barking. The sounds of fighting reached his ears, and he saw Felicia's fur and ribbon fly into the air.
As it turned out, Felicia had escaped from Toby... only to jump right into the royal guard dogs' kennel.
-X-
Back at the palace, Ratigan tossed his attackers aside and shed his robe. They heard a whistle from a high balcony, and everyone looked up to see Fidget, Pete, and Mortimer, Fidget holding Olivia.
"Got the girl!" Fidget shouted. Hiram looked up, horrified.
"No!" Riku shouted as Ratigan plowed through the crowd and grabbed a rope to swing himself up to the balcony. Sora and the others ran forward, and froze as Ratigan dangled Olivia threateningly over the edge.
"Stay where you are!" he snarled. "Or the girl dies!"
With that, he disappeared behind the curtain, taking Olivia with him. Pete, Mortimer, and Fidget followed.
"Hurry!" Basil shouted, leading Sora and the others, along with Dawson and Hiram, outside. They saw Ratigan's dirigible flying away.
"He's getting away!" Hikari said. Basil scaled the flagpole.
"Gather up those balloons!" he said, pointing to over a dozen balloons tied to the palace gate. As the others gathered the balloons, Basil began to lower the flag.
-X-
Meanwhile, on the dirigible, Fidget was pedalling as Ratigan steered, while Pete and Mortimer stood over Olivia. Olivia pushed past them and grabbed Ratigan's tail.
"Just you wait!" she said. "Basil and Riku are smarter than you! They're gonna put you in jail!" She tugged on his tail to emphasize her words. "They're not afraid of a big, old, ugly rat like you!"
Ratigan whirled around and yanked his tail out of her hands, a dark aura forming around him in his rage.
"Would you kindly sit down and shut UUUUP?!" He screamed in her face, the force of the yell sending Olivia flying back to Pete and Mortimer, who cowered at the evil professor's rage. Ratigan turned back, only to see the British flag flying up ahead of them, blocking their path.
The flag moved higher, revealing that Basil and the others had used it, a mass of balloons, and a match box to create a makeshift hot air balloon. Sora pointed his Keyblade at them.
"I'm giving you one chance to let the girl go!" he declared, but Ratigan simply sneered and turned the dirigible as Fidget began to pedal faster.
"Oh, no you don't!" Ven shouted, he and Dawson releasing air from an open balloon to propel them forward. Ratigan led them on a chase around roofs and chimneys, up and around a statue of Lord Nelson, and straight ahead towards the Tower Bridge.
Fidget pedaled as fast as he could as Ratigan steered the dirigible just below the bridge. Sora and the others braced themselves for a crash, but at the last moment, they moved downward, just missing it.
Up ahead, Fidget stopped pedaling, out of breath and exhausted. Ratigan glared at his assistant as the bat hopped inside and gestured towards Olivia.
"We need to... lighten the load," he said, panting. Ratigan glared down at him.
"Ohh..." he said mockingly. "You want to lighten the load?" Pete and Mortimer watched on nervously, afraid of what would happen.
"Excellent idea!" Ratigan declared. Fidget snickered at Olivia, but was taken aback when Ratigan snatched him up by the ears instead and dragged him over to the edge of the dirigible.
"No, not me!" Fidget pleaded. "I can't fly!" But Ratigan paid him no mind and tossed Fidget overboard. Then he turned his attentions to Pete and Mortimer.
Pete held up a trembling hand. "We got it." He and Mortimer then proceeded to jump off themselves.
Ratigan scoffed. "Good riddance." He then hopped on the propeller and began moving, unaware that Basil, Sora, and the others had finally caught up...
-X-
As Pete and Mortimer fell, they were caught by two large flying Heartless. They were Wyverns.
The Wyverns were large, draconian creatures with predominantly dark red skin, save for their tan bellies, salmon-colored wings, and dark red wing tips. Their bodies were rather thin, while their three-toed feet were quite large, each sporting black talons. Their wings were rather thin when compared to its body, and its wingtips appeared tattered, with several small holes in them. There were also tall, slightly curved spikes on each of their shoulders. The Wyverns' tails were fairly short, and their heads were V-shaped and flat. They had beady yellow eyes on either side of their heads, and the Heartless emblem was on their chests.
Pete and Mortimer quickly flew away, glad to be away from the deranged rodent.
-X-
"Steady!" Basil declared as he, Sora, and Riku prepared to jump. They did so, Sora and Riku landing next to Olivia, and Basil catching hold of the tail of the dirigible, swinging forwards. His feet just barely missed Ratigan, and the two enemies glared at one another until they all heard a terrified scream come from Olivia.
Everyone turned to see what had frightened the girl; with Ratigan at the pedals, no one was steering the dirigible, and they were headed directly for Big Ben! Ratigan screamed in alarm as they approached, while Sora and Riku braced themselves.
Riku held onto Olivia. "Oh, this is gonna su-"
He was cut off as the dirigible slammed into Big Ben, and everything went black.
-X-
Inside the clock tower, Sora, Riku, and Basil came to. Rubbing their heads, they stared in shock and amazement at the gears and cogs surrounding them. Creeping up unnoticed behind them was Ratigan, his left fist poised, ready to knock them down, while the other hand was clamped over Olivia's mouth. The little girl struggled and finally pulled Ratigan's hand off her.
"Look out!" she shouted, and the trio turned around just in time for Ratigan to knock them all back with a single continuous backhand. They rolled, but managed to catch hold of the end of the rotating gear. Sora and Riku quickly pulled themselves back up. Ratigan scowled, but before he could do anything else, Olivia sank her teeth into his hand with all her strength; Ratigan screamed in pain, giving Basil the opportunity to pull himself up and grab the professor's cape, tangling it between two gears.
Ratigan gagged and was forced to drop Olivia in order to hold onto his cape and keep from getting strangled, but nonetheless managed to kick the little girl, knocking her off the gear and into a much larger one, connected to another one that would soon crush her.
Thinking quickly, Riku jumped from the gear and onto a lever, which was lifting up a chain towards Olivia. He rapidly ascended, and grabbed Olivia's hand, yanking her out of the gear mere seconds before the gears connected; he gave the little mouse a smile as the chain continued to lift them to the top of the tower.
"C'mon, let's move!" Sora shouted, and he and Basil grabbed the chain as well.
As they did so, Ratigan looked on, his rage building. Seeing them escape, he snapped, and was surrounded by an aura of darkness, tearing his cape to shreds in a burst of strength, freeing himself, and began to pursue them.
Sora, Riku, and Basil stopped at an opening at the top of the tower, trapped as a thunderstorm had begun.
"It's a dead end!" Sora shouted.
"Up there!" Olivia declared, pointing. They looked to see Dawson and the others approach in their makeshift balloon. Riku snatched up Olivia and held her up as high as he could, while Dawson, Donald, and Goofy held onto Hiram as he leaned forward to grab his daughter.
"Daddy!" Olivia cried. "I can't reach!"
Goofy looked past Basil and the others and gasped. "Behind you!"
The trio turned around just in time to see Ratigan barrel forward, tackling them and knocking them downward. Olivia was tossed into the air, but Hiram managed to catch her and pull her into an embrace.
-X-
Sora, Riku, and Basil slid down the tower, Ratigan having a tight grip on all three of them. They tried to grasp the top of the tower, but between the rain and Ratigan's weight, they couldn't get a good grip.
They separated as they fell down the face of the clock, landing atop the hour hand, Basil's upper body hanging off the edge. He gasped at the sight of the ground far below, before Sora grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and yanked him back onto solid ground. The trio looked around, but Ratigan was nowhere in sight.
"Basil! Sora! Riku!" came the voice of Dawson, and they turned to see the hot air balloon approach.
"Hurry, guys!" Kairi cried.
They all smiled in relief, but were barely able to take a single step before Ratigan suddenly appeared behind them, grabbing Basil by the throat and lifting him up with one hand. Sora and Riku spun around, and were shocked at the sight of Ratigan. His clothes were torn and ragged, a feral look was in his eyes, and a dark aura surrounded him. The egotistical, gentlemanly mastermind was gone; in his place was a terrifying, dangerous monster.
Basil managed to wriggle free, and the three made a break for the edge, but with terrifying speed and agility, Ratigan was there, blocking their path.
"There's no escape this time, Basil!" he snarled, taking a threatening step forward. Sora and Riku drew their Keyblades, and Ratigan stole a glare at them as well.
"Forget Maleficent's orders!" Ratigan said. "If I have to tear you two apart to get to Basil, then so be it!"
Sora glared up at the monstrous rodent. "Bring it on, rat-face!"
*Ratigan let out a howl of rage before lifting his hand and spreading his fingers wide, four black, razor-sharp claws popping out and glowing with darkness. He swiped at the three, creating four dark energy blades that the three barely managed to dodge. Sora quickly went on the offensive and charged forward, swinging his Keyblade with all his might and striking Ratigan five times. The evil professor dodged Sora's next swing, and before the boy could react, Ratigan slashed at him again, hitting his mark; Ratigan's claws caught Sora across the chest, tearing through his shirt and leaving three bloody slashes in the skin beneath. Sora reeled back, clutching his chest before Ratigan hit him again, sending him flying back.
Riku clenched his fist, which glowed with darkness, before launching a Dark Firaga at Ratigan, hitting him squarely in the chest. Ratigan snarled in pain, and as his rage built, the dark aura around him grew, becoming a frightening pillar of darkness around him as he let out a hysterical bellow of pure hatred and fury, leaping upon Riku and slashing at him with animalistic brutality and speed before tossing him aside as well.
With the two Keybearers dazed and incapacitated, Ratigan turned his attention to Basil, who drew his revolver while quickly analyzing the situation. While he and Ratigan were intellectual equals, he knew that he stood no chance against the fiend in a physical confrontation. His only hope was an all or nothing attack.
"The game is afoot!" Basil shouted as he aimed his revolver at Ratigan, shooting in random directions. The bullets stopped in midair, floating around Ratigan, who looked around in all directions before they all slammed into him at once, causing an intense amount of damage.
Basil wasn't finished yet. His gun began to glow, and expanded into a large blunderbuss, which was still glowing. "It's over for you!" Basil declared as he pulled the trigger. Rather than bullets, what was released was a ghostly apparition of a large black dog with red eyes, which snatched Ratigan up in his jaws and began slamming him around, viciously growling as it did. At last, the dog spat Ratigan out, seemingly down for the count, before fading away (1).
Basil's gun shrank back down into a revolver, and he collapsed to his knees, exhausted, as Sora and Riku stood back up, Sora clutching his bleeding chest.
"You did it, Basil!" Sora declared happily, and Basil gave a small smile. However, that quickly faded when they heard another growl, and turned to see Ratigan standing back up shakily.
"What?!" Sora exclaimed. "No way!"
Ratigan snarled, and barreled towards them, tossing Sora and Riku aside before laying into Basil, hitting him twice with enough force to knock him flying. Before Basil could even stand, Ratigan slashed him across the muzzle, leaving a bloody gash before landing a hard swipe across the chest that knocked him off his feet. Gnashing his teeth, Ratigan swung downward as Basil turned his back on him to try and stand up. The black claws truly met their mark that time, slicing into the flesh of Basil's back and sending pieces of fur and cloth flying. Basil cried out, falling to his knees. The next heavy blow smacked him to the very tip of the hour hand. He scrambled away from the edge and staggered up again, clutching his bleeding arm in pain.
"No!" Sora shouted as he and Riku charged towards them, but Ratigan lashed out with his tail and swatted them back before turning back to the bloodied and beaten Basil. With yet another brutal smack to the throat, the battered mouse was flung up in the air and over the edge, where he just managed to grab hold. Ratigan snarled with savage frustration. He looked down, surveying the drop. It was a good seventy or eighty meters to the ground. Basil was staring up at him with huge, terrified eyes, his tattered jacket blowing in the gusts. Ratigan's bulging yellow eyes and enormous teeth were just above him. His breath hissed noisily through his teeth as he turned to grab the dazed Sora and Riku, tossing them over the edge before kicking Basil down, lightning striking as he did.*
Kairi, Mickey, and Dawson tried to grab the falling trio, but they missed, staring in horror and disbelief as their friends plummeted to the ground. Ratigan himself was in disbelief, but that quickly changed, a cruel smile spreading across his face.
"I did it!" he cheered, laughing maniacally. "I've won!"
"On the contrary," came the voice of Basil, "the game's not over yet!"
Ratigan and the others looked down to see Sora, Basil, and Riku, having managed to catch hold of the propeller of the ruined dirigible. Basil held up the bell Ratigan had used to summon Olivia and rang it once, and Ratigan had just enough time to check his pocket for the bell before the clock struck 10:00. Big Ben sounded off, and the vibrations of the bell disoriented Ratigan, causing him to fall from the edge.
He made one final grab at Basil, catching hold of him, and causing the ropes connecting the propeller to the dirigible to snap free. Dawson, Hiram, Olivia, and the others were helpless to watch as their friends fell to their doom alongside a screaming Ratigan, disappearing below the clouds.
After a few moments of silence, Kairi and West covered their mouths with one hand and began to sob, already fearing the worst as they buried their faces in Aqua and Sï'Lea's chests respectively. The older women pulled them into a hug, looking teary-eyed themselves, as Olivia did the same with her father. Ven and Lea looked on in shock, while Mickey, Max, Donald, and Goofy were barely keeping themselves together. Hikari, Nixe, and Dawson continued looking into the abyss where the others had fallen.
"This is not happening..." Hikari said, her voice cracking as tears began to fall down her cheeks. "It can't be happening. It can't. Sora..."
Her composure fell, and Hikari collapsed to her knees, burying her face in her hands and weeping for her fallen friend, and Nixe, sniffling, placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
However, after a moment, she heard the sound of an engine, and looked down. Her face lit up at the sight of Sora and Riku, in full Keyblade Armor, flying up on their gliders. Riku's armor was colored black and white, with touches of bright blue and yellow, and a pair of angelic wings were on his ankles, similar to those on his Keyblade (2). His Glider was a bike-like device, and sitting on it with him was Basil, who was holding on tight.
"Look!" Nixe cried, pointing down. "They made it!"
Everyone cheered as the storm passed. The Queen was safe, the case had been solved, and Ratigan had been defeated. They had won.
-X-
Later, the group had returned to Basil's flat. Hanging on the wall was a newspaper clipping, the front picture showing Basil and Dawson bowing before Queen Mousetoria, apparently being knighted for their bravery. The headline read: "Queen Honours Detective", along with the subheadlines "Queen Praises Detective Basil, Medal to be Given", and "Time Runs Out for Ratigan", confirming that Ratigan did not survive the plunge.
"To be thanked by the Queen herself!" Dawson declared. "Oh, how very thrilling, eh, Basil?"
Basil smiled as he placed Ratigan's bell on top of the mantle, as a memento of the case. "All in a day's work, Dawson."
"You were wonderful, Riku!" Olivia declared. Riku smiled bashfully.
"Indeed," Hiram said, before checking his pocketwatch. "Oh, my, we're late to catch our train. Come along, Olivia."
It was a very bittersweet moment as Olivia embraced Riku, and then Basil.
"Goodbye, Riku. Goodbye, Basil," she said, sniffling. "I'll never forget you."
Basil smiled and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Nor I you, Miss... Miss Flangerhanger."
Olivia stared for a moment, then shook her head and smiled as the others laughed.
"Goodbye, everybody." she said, putting on her hat and following her father out.
"Well..." Basil said, sniffing back a tear, "not a bad little girl, actually."
At that moment, Ratigan's bell began to glow, surprising everyone. Sora looked at the others and nodded, knowing what it meant. He pointed his Keyblade at the bell, causing a crown emblem to appear under his feet. Then, a glowing Keyhole shot out of the light and into the air above them. Sora pointed the Kingdom Key at the Keyhole as a beam of light shot out, unlocking the Gate.
"Amazing!" said Dawson. "What was that?"
"The Gate has opened," Sora said. "That means it's time for us to go."
Basil smiled and shook hands with each one of them. "I have to thank you. You helped me finally put an end to the worst villain in London."
"You're welcome," Riku said, smiling.
"So," Ven began, "now that Ratigan's toast, what're you gonna do now, Basil?"
"That's simple, my friend," Basil replied. "I'll keep doing what I always have."
Aqua nodded. "Sounds good. And if you ever need any help, we'll be there."
"You're welcome here anytime," Basil replied. "Farewell, my friends!"
He and Dawson waved Sora and his team off as they made their way back to the Gummi Ship.
The Lanes Between
Sometime later, the group was back in the Highwind, ready to take off to the next world.
"Well, that was bracing," Ven said, stretching his muscles out. "It's good to be back in the game."
"Agreed," Aqua said, smiling.
They had just begun to sit down and buckle in when they noticed a red light blinking on the dashboard.
"What's that?" Hikari asked.
"The com system," Mickey replied. "Someone must be trying to get in touch with us."
With that, he pressed the button, and a screen turned on to reveal the face of Tifa Lockhart.
"Hey, guys!" she said.
"Hi, Tifa," Sora replied. "What's up."
"I'm sorry to bring this up when you've got so much going on already, but I need your help," Tifa said. "A friend of mine went out to Traverse Town, looking for her homeworld. She's been gone for a while now, and I'm worried. Could you check and be sure she's alright, and bring her back here?"
Sora smiled. "Of course. What's her name?"
"Sera," Tifa replied. "Sera Rose."
Unseen by everyone else, Lea's eyes widened in shock hearing that name.
"Okay," Sora said. "What does she look like?"
"She has brown hair that reaches her shoulders, and tends to cover her eyes," Tifa explained. "The last time I saw her, she was wearing a red dress with black trim and sleeves, and black tights. Just mention my name, and everything will be fine."
Riku nodded. "We'll find her. Don't worry."
Tifa smiled in gratitude. "I knew I could count on you guys." With that, she ended the communication.
"Well," said Max, "I guess it's off to Traverse Town."
Mickey set a course for Traverse Town, while Lea looked out the window, a look of worry in his eyes.
Sera... he thought, Please be safe.
Author's Note:
(1): Basil's Limit Break: Hound of Baskerville
(2): Based on an MMD picture of Riku in armor I saw on Deviantart.
The name of Basil's Limit Break in this chapter, as well as the ghost-dog shot, was proposed to me by Kristen Verne. The multi-bullet thing was my idea, a reference to Piccolo's Hellzone Grenade attack from Dragon Ball Z.
And I apologize if the fight scene was a little... bleh, but it was hard working it out, especially since the final battle between Basil and Ratigan in the movie was more or less just Ratigan handing Basil's butt to him.
The character of Sera Rose, mentioned in the final part, is the property of Kristen Verne, used with her permission; you'll find out more in the next chapter.
Please R&R. Until next time!