On Today's Episode: In time, all fades from memory. Nevertheless, for the sake of future generations, an old man labors tirelessly to preserve his legacy. When our keyblade wielders arrive in what appears to be ancient China, they decide to help the Earthen Heart Shifu with in his quest to find a successor to pass down his martial art, alongside dealing with the threat of both the Heartless and the School of the Indomitable Fist. What awaits the group in their journey to find a successor?
For Today's World: We're once again breaking tradition for this journey through Phase 2! For this adventure, we're beginning the world journeys with a trip to the Imperial China chapter of the classic SNES RPG Live a Live, which got a fantastic HD-2D remake in 2022 (even though I only played for the first time back in March 2023, AFTER I got out of the hospital. Oops.) I figured any of the seven starting chapters of the game could work as a world in its own right, but I decided to pick this one as my successor, if you catch my drift. Let's learn some kung fu, shall we?
Episode 3: A Worthy Successor
Somewhere deep in the heart of Mount Inspiration, an old man could be seen practicing his kung fu by a large rock, showing speed and agility that clearly belied his actual age.
Eventually, the Shifu lunged for the rock and struck it with a powerful forward lunge...
...but as he feared, the rock stood strong despite the force of his attack.
"Then I have not a moment to lose," the Shifu proclaimed. "I must use my remaining time on this earth to find a disciple to train. A young protégé, as strong in body as they are in spirit, someone whom I can call a worthy successor to my art."
Despite the fact that it had been quite some time since he'd last descended from the mountains, the Shifu knew he didn't have time to waste, and so set off to descend Mount Inspiration to begin his search.
As he made his way through the nearby bamboo forest to gather medicinal herbs, he noticed a quartet of teenagers walking through the forest themselves, clearly confused as to which way was which. Not that the Shifu blamed them, as this forest could be a navigational nightmare even to someone as experienced as himself.
"So... any idea where we landed?" Maylin wondered. "Because I really don't think I like this forest."
"Let me guess, bad memories of the Lost Woods?" Haruka chuckled.
"I still don't know how Link made it look so easy!" Maylin groaned.
"Maybe it was because he felt the pull of the Master Sword?" Haruka answered. "He did find it there, after all."
"...hey, girls, is someone following us?" Nick asked, summoning Kingdom Key to his hands just in case. "Because I'm getting that ominous feeling."
"Trust your instincts," Haruka quipped as she and Maylin summoned their own keyblades to their hands.
A speedy blur shot by them, as expected, but instead of attacking them, whoever it was decided to target the Shifu just up ahead.
The blur came to a stop in front of the Shifu, revealing herself to be a tall and slim young woman with long brown hair and two braids, dark eyes and a scar across her face, and wearing a pair of black shoes, red pants and a long pink robe held by a yellow cloth belt.
"Not so fast, old man," the woman proclaimed. "Someone your age should know better than to go for a walk alone in the woods. Now hand over your money, right now, or else."
In response, the Shifu just shook his head.
"...what was that?" the woman stated.
"I said that I have nothing to offer you, young lady," the Shifu answered. "Nothing that you would appreciate, at any rate."
"Oh, is that right?" the woman growled, adopting a fighting stance. "Don't think I'm gonna go easy on you just because of your advanced age. In fact, I think your long life is about to come to an end!"
"Oh, crapbaskets, I think we need to step in," Maylin quipped.
However, as the three keyblade wielders were about to rush to the battle scene, they noticed something interesting.
The woman was no doubt a speedy one, darting and flitting around the Shifu with ease, but it seemed that for every move the woman tried, the Shifu would easily counter it, eventually leaving the woman flat on her back.
"H-How... how did this happen?" the woman gasped. "How the heck could I lose to a fool four times my age?!"
The Shifu just chuckled good-heartedly. "The young would do well to not disrespect their elders or underestimate their skill," the Shifu proclaimed. "But I must say, I am definitely impressed by your speed and agility. Might you consider abandoning this life of thievery, and perhaps allow me to teach you my kung fu?"
"Why don't you just piss off?" the woman growled. "...though, it's just gonna keep eating at me, not knowing how you beat me so easily..."
The woman jumped right back to her feet. "All right, then, I accept! We'll see what's so great about your kung fu," the woman proclaimed. "However, don't you dare misunderstand me on this. I'm not your student, and once I've learned your secrets, I'm going to get my revenge on you!"
"You have quite the spirit, young lady," the Shifu admitted.
"My name is Lei Kugo, and don't you forget it!" Lei retorted.
"You can rest assured that I will not," the Shifu responded. "It is a good and strong name, worthy of pride. Just remember not to let your pride lead you astray as it just did."
"Always quick with the retorts, eh?" Lei quipped. "Lead on, then, and we'll see if you're as good as you say."
Little did Lei know that her first chance to prove herself would come much sooner than expected when strange creatures appeared around her and the Shifu.
This creature had a spherical head with a jagged mouth and glowing, yellow eyes with black rings around them, sky blue skin, its arms held stiffly out in front of its body, dressed in high-collared, purple robes with hand blue and yellow lining on the loose, furisode-esque sleeves, the front of these robes being magenta with yellow lining, and wearing a wide, flat-topped hat that was purple on top and magenta near the base, with the two colors being separated by a yellow, zig-zagging line. The Heartless symbol was printed on a small, yellow piece of parchment stuck to its forehead.
"W-what the hell?!" Lei shouted.
"Okay, now I definitely think we need to step in," Nick proclaimed as the trinity rushed in to attack, Sophia jumping out of the Gummiphone and summoning her own keyblade as well.
One of the Nightwalkers lunged towards Lei, but she ducked under the double claw strike and kicked the Nightwalker in the face, sending it flying into a nearby tree, even though it just came back for another strike.
As the Nightwalker tried to carve Lei in half with its comically oversized claws, Haruka jumped off of a nearby branch and slashed Rumbling Rose downwards, splitting the Nightwalker clean in half.
"Okay, so what are these weirdoes?" Nick wondered.
"These ones look like Nightwalkers," Haruka explained. She always explained how to deal with Heartless that Nick hadn't seen yet, so he knew what they were up against. "They don't really do much, but they like to use their big, meaty claws, and they HURT, so try not to let them hit you."
Maylin spun Counterpoint in her hands and shot a Fire spell towards the Nightwalker, noticing that the fireball was much larger and brighter even with the spell in its base form. As the Fire spell blasted the Nightwalker in the face, Maylin chalked it up to the most-likely stronger magical power in her new keyblade.
Haruka jumped over the Shifu to slash Divewing downwards and cut another Nightwalker in half as both Lei and the Shifu continued to beat the other Nightwalkers back.
Nick contributed as much as he could, firing his new Blizzard spell from a distance to hit the last remaining Nightwalker with a large chunk of ice.
Once all of the Nightwalkers were taken care of, the Shifu glanced towards where the Heartless had come from.
"Those were definitely strange fighters," the Shifu admitted. "It is a good thing the four of you were there to help us out."
"That's kinda what we do," Maylin chuckled. "We're just wandering travelers from another area."
"Would you mind if we traveled with you two for a while, just in case those things come back?" Nick asked.
"It would be no problem," the Shifu answered.
With that, the four keyblade wielders followed Lei and the Shifu to Yunfa Market to the east of the forest.
It seemed like the villagers in the market were all happy to see the Shifu and his new disciple, since it had been quite the long time since his last visit.
All of a sudden, Sophia noticed a commotion just down the road.
"Stop, you thief! You have to pay for that!" a voice exclaimed as a rotund young man fled from the nearby restaurant, scarfing down a bowl of food while running much faster than his weight would have people believe. The owner of said restaurant appeared to be chasing the rotund man with a knife.
"Okay, if that don't beat all," Maylin quipped.
"What's going on over here?" Haruka wondered.
The townspeople all gathered up and blocked the thief's way out of town, just as the restaurant owner caught up to the group.
"I finally caught you," the owner proclaimed. "Now you're going to pay what you owe, right here and now!"
"I wish I could, but... I have no money," the thief sighed.
"Oh, is that right?" the owner retorted. "Well, then, we'll just have to settle this in a different way, huh?!"
That was when the owner noticed the Shifu standing there. "Right on time, Shifu!" the owner laughed. "This dumbass has been stealing food from me for way too long now. He's almost single-handedly run me out of business! Will you and your disciples teach him a lesson, please?"
"Don't worry, I'll see to the lad," the Shifu answered as he stepped closer.
To everyone's surprise, the young thief began to fight back, showing talent that, once again, most of the marketplace visitors didn't believe someone of his stature could show.
Regardless, the Shifu outlasted the thief handily.
"Man, he's good," Maylin quipped.
"It is usually the elderly that hold the most experience," Sophia answered.
"What a performance, Shifu!" the owner laughed before staring angrily at the thief. "Let that be a lesson, you rotten thief. Steal from me again, and it'll be your hide next!"
The townsfolk all dispersed.
"Should we... have stepped in there?" Haruka asked.
"Nah, I think the Shifu had that handled pretty well," Nick answered. "We're only stepping in if there's Heartless about."
The Shifu looked down at the thief, curious about everything that had just played out. "Tell me, young man, why take without paying what you owe?" the Shifu wondered.
"If only I could pay," the thief admitted. "I have no money because I have no job, as nobody will hire me. I have no skills or trade to call my own. My words are poor, but my body is big, as is my hunger..."
"Young man, do not bemoan your own body, for it is a gift," the Shifu answered.
"Really? But it is the reason I suffer, why people laugh and call me agonizing names," the thief sighed. "How is that a gift?"
"Because, young man, it makes you wonderful and unique," the Shifu proclaimed. "It is for you, and you alone, to decide whether to embrace or deny your potential."
"You think... I have potential?" the thief asked.
"I mean, look at you!" Maylin proclaimed. "You moved so fast, it almost felt like you've got the speed of someone half your size! And trust me, that's pretty impressive."
"It is practice," the thief answered. "I run after I eat."
"Then come with me, and I will see that you will never again want for food," the Shifu stated. "All I ask in return is that you will take part in some training exercises. If you like, you may think of it as a job, and your meals will be the payment."
"R-Really? I've always wanted a job!" the thief laughed. "Very well, then, Shifu, I accept your offer. My name is Hong Hakka. When do we get started? And... when do we eat?"
"I've got a feeling he's going to fit right in," Maylin chuckled as they followed the Shifu to the south, to a place called Wong Village.
Along the way, Hong was given the chance to strut his stuff when another band of Nightwalkers attempted to attack them. Hong literally barreled his way through a pair of Nightwalkers, sending them flying long enough for Sophia to finish them off.
"Nice moves, Hong!" Maylin laughed. "Look at you go!"
When the group finally reached Wong Village, the Shifu began handing out the medicinal herbs he'd gathered in the forest to sick villagers, seemingly unaware that someone was sneaking up behind the group.
Nick felt someone bumping into him by accident, apologizing as he moved on. But when Nick felt like something was missing, he checked in his coat pocket and realized that his Gummiphone was gone.
"H-Hey, my Gummiphone!" Nick gasped. "That little punk just snatched it!"
Nick took off running after the youth who had stolen his Gummiphone, only to be stopped at the edge of the town by a group of thugs.
"And where do you think you're going?" the first thug cackled.
"I'm trying to get something back, so how about you move aside?" Nick retorted when he noticed the boy who had taken his Gummiphone being surrounded by even more thugs.
"Well, don't keep me waiting," the lead thug chuckled as the youth showed him the Gummiphone. "...what the hell is this strange thing? You really need to learn to pick better targets. Now get back out there and yank some money for me."
The youth stood there for a couple seconds, as if contemplating whether or not he should keep listening to this ruffian.
"...well? Don't just stand there, kid!" the lead thug proclaimed. "Get going and steal me something!"
"...no," the nervous youth replied. "...no, I won't. I only did what you told me to do because I was too scared to refuse you, but enough is enough! I told myself I was doing it for her, since she was too sick to work, but I can't keep lying to myself. These poor people, they're someone else's elders! I just can't keep stealing from them!"
"...boy, I'll give you one chance to apologize for that little disrespect," the lead thug growled.
"You're not worthy of respect!" the nervous youth snapped. "I'd rather die than live the rest of my life as a whipped dog for a bastard like you!"
Nick was seriously considering jumping in, considering how dangerous this looked.
"Oh, but that's all you really are," the lead thug laughed. "You'll learn to accept your place in this world one way or the other. Now apologize before I lose my temper!"
"Never!" the nervous youth shouted back.
He's shaking like a leaf, but he's still refusing to give this guy even an inch, Nick thought. He's got guts, for sure.
Regardless, Nick decided to walk over and help out, only to get once again stopped by the lead thug.
"How about you walk away from this, little boy, if you value what's left of your pathetic life?" the lead thug cackled.
"...I'm sorry, what, exactly, did you just say to me?" Nick retorted, ready to teach this jerk a lesson.
"I told you to beat it, or I'm gonna beat you and your little girlfriends to within an inch of your lives," the lead thug chuckled.
"All right, then, don't say I didn't warn you," Nick quipped as he raised his right hand and summoned the Kingdom Key to his clutches.
Just then, the lead thug noticed the Shifu approaching them.
"You really shouldn't be here, old man," the lead thug stated. "What do you want?"
"Tell me, do you really believe yourself to be stronger than this boy?" the Shifu answered, gesturing to the nervous youth.
"Oh, what kind of stupid question is that?" the lead thug cackled arrogantly.
"Ooh, this guy's really asking for it," Haruka quipped.
"In truth, it is you and your associates who are the weaker ones," the Shifu proclaimed.
"What was that supposed to mean, you blind old bat?!" the lead thug laughed. "Look upon me, the great and powerful Sun Tzu Wang, and tell me I'm not a thousand times the man this little punk will ever be!"
"I cannot deny that you have an impressive physique," the Shifu stated. "But true strength is not derived from merely the body, and that is why I believe this body holds greater potential than all of you combined."
"I don't see it," Sun Tzu Wang taunted.
"That much is plain on your face," the Shifu replied as he adopted a fighting stance. "True strength flows from the heart!"
At that point, one of the other thugs noticed the Shifu standing there in a fighting stance.
"Wait, I think I recognize that old dude," the thug stated. "W-Wait, he knows kung fu! That's the Shifu of the Earthen Heart style!"
Just as quickly as it had appeared, Sun Tzu Wang's confidence quickly dissipated when he realized who he was up against.
"T-The... the Shifu?" Sun Tzu Wang gasped. "I-I'm sorry, Shifu, forgive me!"
With that, Sun Tzu Wang and his lackeys quickly turned tail and ran for their lives.
"Welp, that confidence didn't last long, did it?" Maylin laughed.
The Shifu relaxed his posture and glanced towards the nervous youth. "Young man, you should be very proud of yourself," the Shifu proclaimed.
"How can you say that?" the nervous youth gasped. "I stole whatever this thing is from you, after all..."
The nervous youth took out the Gummiphone and tossed it back to Nick.
"Hey, I was just having fun watching you stand up to that pompous blowhard," Nick quipped as he pocketed his Gummiphone.
"Remember the strength of spirit that you have fonud today, and you will be capable of many great things," the Shifu proclaimed.
"Wait, wait!" the youth sputtered as he ran up to the Shifu. "I beg you, please take me in as your disciple!"
"Tell me something," the Shifu responded. "Do you wish to learn kung fu to enact revenge on those brigands? If so, then you have already more than defeated them."
"Please, I implore you, please take me on!" the youth bellowed, even getting on his hands and knees to beg.
"Young man, you showed incredible bravery in the face of overwhelming odds today," the Shifu proclaimed. "I am sure you would become exponentially stronger regardless of whether or not I decide to train you. The power you seek is beyond nobody. Be they man or woman, young or old, it does not matter. It is the will to improve, to be better, to push past your own limits, that is the essence of true strength."
Nick couldn't help but smile at that comparison. After all, he liked to think he'd gotten pretty skilled with the keyblade, but he also knew that it had been a long and arduous road to get to this point. Even if he had lost most of his abilities due to whatever had damaged his heart six months ago, he figured that, given time, he would most likely surpass his original skills.
"There is one more thing," the Shifu stated. "I do not believe you have told me your name."
"O-Oh, it's Yun," the youth responded. "Yun Jou. I promise you, Shifu, you will not regret this decision!"
Well then, it appears that I have found my three disciples, the Shifu thought. My school has clearly seen better days, but it will suffice. We must begin their training at once.
The Shifu and his disciples returned to the school, with the keyblade wielders close behind just in case the Heartless decided to show up again. But thankfully, they managed to return without issue.
"I bid you welcome to my school, where you will learn the style of the Earthen Heart," the Shifu proclaimed.
"It's definitely seen better days," Maylin quipped. "But to be fair, we've seen worse, to be sure."
"So, this is where we're going to learn kung fu, huh?" Yun stated.
"We should eat first, right?" Hong asked. "Just a little?"
"No, we must begin our training immediately," the Shifu responded.
"This place was way further up the mountain than I thought it'd be," Yun admitted. "Shouldn't we at least rest a bit, to get our strength back?"
"Oh, listen to all of you whimpering little children," Lei taunted as she shifted into a fighting stance. "Bring it on!"
"We shall start by assessing your current strength and skills," the Shifu proclaimed. "Nick, why don't you spar with Lei first?"
"Um, if I may, Shifu, he and his friends are really skilled in many ways, if what we saw them do against those weird creatures was real," Lei admitted.
"To be honest, Lei," Nick quipped. "I might actually be a perfect opponent to test your skills on. I used to have a lot of skills of my own, but to make a long story short, I lost most of those skills recently, so I'm starting from what's essentially square one."
Nick summoned Kingdom Key to his hands. "So, basically, I think I'd actually be a good sparring partner for you," Nick stated. "And who knows, maybe this will help me get some of those skills back."
"All right, then, but just a warning, I ain't going easy on you," Lei retorted. "So don't you dare go easy on me."
"Wouldn't dream of it," Nick chuckled, readying himself.
Lei quickly charged forward, aiming at Nick with a spinning kick that he quickly raised Kingdom Key to parry, jumping back and attempting to hit Nick from above with a diving strike.
Nick rolled away from the attack, though just barely, and struck back with a couple overhead swings that pushed Lei back slightly before she rushed back in to keep on the offensive.
After a few swings, Nick and Lei both clashed with each other, then jumped back before charging towards each other again.
As Nick closed in, time seemed to slow down and he saw a sparkle of light coming from Kingdom Key's teeth. This was usually a sign that Nick had learned a new ability. As Lei approached him, Nick swung Kingdom Key upwards in a wide and fast angled uppercut attack that caught Lei off guard and sent her stumbling backwards.
"Hey, I remember that move!" Maylin laughed.
"See, Nick, I'm sure you'll get all your old abilities back soon enough," Sophia stated. "And maybe you might learn a lot of new stuff, too."
"Gotta admit, that was a good fight," Lei chuckled. "In fact, I think I'm rarin' for more!"
And so, the sparring continued, with Maylin even deciding to pitch in, noting that she still needed to improve her physical combat skills, since she relied too much on her magic.
A whole day of this training passed, though at times Sophia noticed that the Shifu seemed to be getting more fatigued with each fight that passed. She knew that the Shifu was a master of his craft, but his age seemed to be catching up with him.
And she didn't think any magic she knew could help with that.
"Now, then, this next lesson is perhaps the most important one of all," the Shifu proclaimed on the next day of the training. "Listen well, all of you. You have each become quite strong in your own right. But you must always remember that true strength is more than just the power to defeat your enemies. It is the power to defend yourself and that which you hold dear."
"I concur a hundred percent," Nick proclaimed, catching the pupils' attention. "Though I may have a lot of skill myself, I could never have come this far without my friends by my side. I've always believed that true power comes from the connections you create, the bonds you forge. Our hearts are always connected, no matter what happens, and that is what gives me my strength."
Before Nick could continue, someone burst through the door to the dojo in a panicked state, eventually revealing himself to be the restaurant owner from Yunfa. Naturally, Hong was immediately on the defensive.
"H-Hey, whatever happened, I didn't do it this time!" Hong gasped.
'I'm not here for you," the restaurant owner gasped before composing himself as best he could. "Bandits from Wong are terrorizing the people of Yunfa!"
"From Wong, you say?" Sophia asked. "Why does that name sound familiar to me?"
"It must be Sun Tzu Wang and his gang of thugs," Yun realized. "They no doubt believed they could head back to Yunfa and carry on like they always have without you noticing. I'll go and deal with them!"
"You will do no such thing, Yun!" the Shifu bellowed, stopping Yun in his tracks. "Strong as you have become, such an endeavor would be foolish and reckless. Do not misunderstand me, though, I daresay that any one of you could easily defeat Wan and his gang. But what will then happen? Others will come, and the people of Yunfa will suffer. After all, violence begets violence, and hate breeds hate. You have all honed your bodies and your minds... but your hearts are yet wanting."
"How about the four of us take care of business down in Yunfa?" Maylin offered. "That way, you can all continue your training without having to worry."
"We've dealt with thugs like them before, and they're really not much of a problem for us," Haruka admitted. "We'll do our best to drive them off."
The Shifu nodded in assent as the four keyblade wielders followed the restaurant owner back down the mountain trail towards Yunfa.
On the way there, however, the path to the village was blocked by what appeared to be a wall of rocks, and guarding the wall was a centaur-like creature with a black, equine lower body and red hooves, a muscular, vaguely humanoid upper body with black skin, wearing grey Chinese armor over most of its body, as well as a small, conical, silver helmet with two curved, golden feathers and a red cape. Its pitch-black face was almost entirely obscured by its helmet, though its glowing, yellow eyes were visible. It was carrying a long guan dao polearm with an angular, gold blade, a silver handle, and a red horsehair tassel at the base of the blade.
"Oh, fantastic, it's these things," Maylin groaned as she summoned Counterpoint to her hands.
"This Heartless is an Assault Rider," Haruka explained to Nick as she summoned Divewing to her hands. "It's beefy and it's got some powerful attacks, and that spear gives it some range, too. Basically, either stay back and pelt it with long-range attacks, or try to block its spear attacks before going on the offensive."
"That might be a problem for me, since I only know one long-range spell right now," Nick quipped as he summoned Kingdom Key.
"Then I shall assist as well!" Sophia proclaimed as she summoned Super Yo-yo to her hands, a glowing image of her Persona, Pandora, materializing behind her.
The Assault Rider lunged forward and thrust its spear forward, but Haruka easily sidestepped the stab and slashed Divewing downward, stumbling the Assault Rider just long enough for Sophia to hit with a Kougaon spell, the burst of light blasting it backwards.
Nick attempted to close in while the Assault Rider was recovering, but it simply spun its spear around in a flourish, keeping him away from it.
Nick hung back and pelted the Assault Rider with rapid Blizzard spells so that Maylin could slip in and start striking at the Assault Rider's back, finishing the combo with Magic Hour, where she thrust Counterpoint upwards and unleashed a trio of magic orbs that spiraled upwards around her, destroying the Assault Rider.
"You're finally learning some melee combat, huh, Maylin?" Nick teased.
"My own training's paying off," Maylin chuckled.
"And now for this wall," Haruka quipped as she jumped forward to strike the wall of rocks a few times before taking a step back and then lunging forward to bash the rocks down with one more slash from Divewing, allowing them all to run the rest of the way to Yunfa.
Naturally, things were pretty chaotic when they reached the city.
"Ah-ha-ha-ha, there's wine galore!"
"And enough food for an emperor's banquet!"
"Ooh, and plenty of women to keep us company."
"Okay, that sounds like a big ol' bag of nope," Nick quipped. "Ladies, let's go and do some damage control."
"Oh, hell yeah," Maylin replied as the four keyblade wielders stepped into Yunfa and caught the bandits' attention.
"Oh, it's you little punks again," Sun Tzu Wang laughed. "How nice of you to finally show up. Where's your precious Shifu?"
"That's really none of your business, is it?" Haruka retorted. "Now why don't you and your thugs beat it before we have to show you the door ourselves?"
"And trust us, you do not want that," Sophia taunted.
"Hehehehe, don't be so quick to assume things, you little brats," Sun Tzu Wang cackled as he took up a fighting stance. "This won't be the same as the last time. After all, I now follow the teachings of the Indomitable Fist, and I have endured training far more rigorous and relentless than you can possibly comprehend! If you're so willing to take a few beatings, then allow me to show you what I have learned!"
Sun Tzu Wang ducked down low before charging in to attack with an overhead sweeping kick, Nick raised Kingdom Key to parry the kick before retaliating with a low sweeping slash to knock Sun Tzu Wang off balance.
Sophia juked around Nick and spun Super Yo-yo around her to send Sun Tzu Wang back until he recovered and struck with a flurry of forward thrust kicks.
Nick simply jumped back to avoid the kick barrage before casting another Blizzard spell. As Sun Tzu Wang stumbled, many of his goons surrounded Nick and prepared to dogpile on him.
Time slowed down for Nick as the thugs all leaped towards him, and the Kingdom Key's teeth were sparkling, indicating that he'd either learned something new or remembered something he'd forgotten.
As the thugs all neared him, Nick snapped Kingdom Key downwards, causing his body to be surrounded by a brief rotating ring of flames that knocked all of the thugs away.
"Oh, nice, Nick got the Fire spell back!" Maylin laughed as she ducked under another sweep kick from Sun Tzu Wang, only to leg sweep him off of his feet.
As Sun Tzu Wang tried to jump back to his feet, Nick hit him with another Blizzard spell before jumping away to avoid a spinning kick, then moved closer to strike while Maylin and Haruka dealt with the rest of the goons.
Eventually, Nick managed to find a gap in Sun Tzu Wang's defenses and move in for the finishing blow by way of a jumping overhead strike that sent Sun Tzu Wang tumbling towards the other side of the field.
"I-Impossible!" Sun Tzu Wang gasped in disbelief. "How the hell could I lose again, and to a group of teenage punks, no less?!"
Sun Tzu Wang picked himself up, fury evident in his eyes. "This isn't over, you dumb kids," Sun Tzu Wang growled. "The great Ou Di Wan Lee will run roughshod over you, your pathetic Shifu, and that rotting shack you call a school! I SWEAR IT!"
With that, Sun Tzu Wang made his retreat, the rest of his goons following as quickly as they could.
"And that's that," Maylin chuckled.
"Hey, who is this Ou Di Wan Lee mister tall, dark and stupid mentioned?" Nick wondered. "You think he might be the leader of that Indomitable Fist thing he was talking about earlier?"
"Well, whatever it is, I'm sure the Shifu can handle it," Sophia replied. "On that note, let's get back to the school and see how things are going with the Shifu and his disciples?"
"Sounds like a plan to me," Haruka quipped.
But as the four keyblade wielders left Yunfa and began to re-ascend the mountain path, occasionally stopping to battle some Heartless along the way, they noticed strange footprints leading up the path.
Footprints that hadn't been there when they'd went down the mountain.
"Was someone going this way?" Maylin asked. "Because those are a lot of footprints, and they don't look like Heartless footprints."
Sophia glanced up the mountain path towards the Shifu's school, a sense of dread growing in her chest when she realized which way the trail of footprints was leading.
"Something's not right here," Sophia proclaimed. "We need to get back there now."
Now with appropriate urgency, the group continued to ascend the path, their own dread only growing when they noticed the footprints getting more numerous and rough.
Their worst fears were confirmed when they reached the Shifu's school, which now looked like a storm had ransacked the place. Worse, most of the footprints ended here on the trail to the school.
"...oh my lord," Haruka gasped.
"What in the hell happened here?!" Nick exclaimed as the four keyblade wielders moved to check out the situation.
If the outside of the school was a wreck, then the inside was even worse, with destruction strewn every which way. Inside of the Shifu's personal chambers, something was painted on the cracked wall.
"Wait... it's a fist?" Maylin wondered.
"I'll bet that's the symbol of that Indomitable Fist," Nick growled. "That probably means they're the ones who did this, not the Heartless."
A sharp gasp of shock from Sophia drew the others' attention, and they followed it to a nearby room, where Yun's body could be seen sprawled out on the floor, completely unmoving.
"Is... is he..." Haruka gasped.
Nick walked up to Yun and checked him out before silently shaking his head. He was gone.
Haruka followed the trail of destruction to another room, where they also noticed that Hong was sprawled out, stone cold and unmoving.
Another loud gasp caught their attention, and the four keyblade wielders rushed outside to see Lei standing at the entrance to the school, battered but clearly still standing.
"W-What..." Lei gasped.
"Wait, hold on, Lei, you're hurt!" Maylin cut in, rushing forward and raising Counterpoint so she could cast Cure on Lei to heal her wounds. She knew she couldn't do the same for Hong or Yun because they were both dead.
"What happened here?" the Shifu gasped when he returned from the forest and beheld the wreckage of his school.
"I... I'm sorry, Shifu," Lei groaned as she tried to regain her balance. "While you were all away, a bunch of men came by... they called themselves followers of the 'Indomitable Fist'. We did... we did everything we could to stop them, but there were far too many of them..."
"Wait a second!" Sophia gasped. "That Sun Tzu Wang guy said he had trained under the Indomitable Fist before we drove him off, right?"
"What if that attack on Yunfa was just a diversion for them and their thugs to ransack this place?" Haruka realized. "Damn it all, we got played for fools!"
"Where are Hong and Yun?" the Shifu asked. "Are they...?"
Nick simply shook his head. Lei looked like she was about to cry, and the Shifu closed his eyes.
"There will be a reckoning for this," the Shifu proclaimed. "I swear, the Indomitable Fist will answer for what they've done."
Later on, at the summit of Mount Inspiration, after the group had made graves for both Hong and Yun, the Shifu glanced out over the summit.
Yun, Hong, I am truly sorry, the Shifu thought. Neither of you deserved this terrible fate. My time draws near as well, and I will be joining you before long. Until then, please rest peacefully...
With that in mind, the Shifu turned towards Lei. "Pay attention to me, Lei, and miss nothing," the Shifu proclaimed. "Observe everything and commit it to memory. My strength is waning, so I may only be able to perform this one last time. Every carefully drawn breath, every subtle and sudden movement. This is the culmination of my life, and my art. With your mind's eye and an open heart, mark well and learn!"
The Shifu sprung into action, unleashing a massive flurry of punches and kicks in succession, moving so fast that he appeared to be teleporting, until finishing with a devastating series of blows with him appearing to be in four places at once.
"Holy crapbaskets, that was amazing," Haruka gasped.
Once the attack was spent, though, the Shifu collapsed to his knees, with Lei over there quickly to help him to his feet.
"Hey, you okay?" Lei asked.
"That was my ultimate technique and the greatest secret of my art, the Heavenly Peak's Descent," the Shifu proclaimed. "Strong as you have become, Lei, I do not know if you could perform such a complicated move, but... having already welcomed the wisdom into your heart and soul, I believe that it will be yours to wield when the time comes, and that would no doubt be very soon, given the skill you have showed me..."
Despite all of this, Nick could easily tell that a rage still burned in the Shifu's expression, no doubt directed towards the Indomitable Fist after what they'd done.
"I know what you're thinking, Shifu," Nick quipped, catching the Shifu's attention. "You want to make the Indomitable Fist pay for their crimes. We all do, I'm sure. But... if we're going to do that, we should all go as a group."
"Yeah, that way, we can cover each other much better, especially if the Heartless show up," Maylin replied. "I have a feeling that they might be drawn to that place if the Indomitable Fist is as scummy as they've led us to believe."
The Shifu thought it over for a couple seconds before nodding in assent. "I hope you are prepared for whatever lies ahead, Lei," the Shifu stated to his only remaining disciple.
"I knew you would confront them sooner or later, master," Lei quipped. "I'm coming, too, no matter what you say."
"Then let us be off," the Shifu proclaimed. "For the Indomitable Fist awaits, and their black-hearted leader, Ou Di Wan Lee!"
With that said, the entire group descended down the mountain towards the Indomitable Fist school, occasionally stopping to scrap with some Heartless. Lei had taken this opportunity to show what she'd learned from both the Shifu and the other students, as she continued to attack Nightwalkers and Shadows with techniques that Hong and Yun had known before their deaths, most likely as a way to honor them.
At one point, Lei had even decided to take an Assault Rider head on, lashing out with a whirlwind kick attack reminiscent of one of the Shifu's moves, allowing Sophia to get in close and destroy it with a Kougaon spell.
Eventually, they all reached the Indomitable Fist school and were immediately set upon by the outer gate guards.
"What are you doing here, old man?" one of the guards taunted. "This is no place for the likes of you or your little punks."
"But this old man must pass, for he has business with your master," the Shifu proclaimed.
"Now get out of our way, or we're going to make you," Maylin growled.
"Ooh, you brats are gonna get it now," the second guard laughed as both of them approached the group, only for Maylin to cast Thunder and rain down a barrage of lightning bolts to shock the two guards into unconsciousness.
With that obstacle out of the way, the group burst through the gate, coming across another group of Indomitable Fist acolytes, but they went down as easy as the guards outside had.
From there, the entire group laid waste to the school, driving off every single opponent that dared cross their path. Lei and the Shifu battled any acolytes they came across while Nick and his friends made short work of any Heartless that would attempt to interrupt the fighting.
One thing Nick and the girls noticed was that there were more Heartless popping up the closer they got to the throne room where Ou Di Wan Lee was no doubt waiting for them.
"That means this guy must have already given himself to the darkness," Haruka quipped. "It makes sense that his darkness would be attracting the Heartless."
"Then let's get to that throne room with all the haste so we can beat that hoser down for what he's done!" Maylin proclaimed.
It thankfully didn't take too much longer for them to actually reach the throne room, where a rather muscled man could be seen sitting on a throne at the other end of the room in front of a large gong, the table nearby seating a bunch of fighters.
"Not just a little full of himself, is he?" Maylin teased.
"The brash and arrogant ones usually are," Sophia replied.
"Welcome, Shifu," Ou Di Wan Lee chuckled. "I dare say I've been expecting you."
"So you are the master here," the Shifu proclaimed. "Ou Di Wan Lee, I challenge you here and now!"
"Ah, so we meet at last," Ou Di Wan Lee stated. "And you decided to bring your surviving student with you, along with some... gutter trash."
"What was that, you son of a bitch?!" Maylin growled.
"I really must admit that I'm impressed you've made it this far, especially at your age," Ou Di Wan Lee proclaimed. "However, that won't help you here, since you'll find that our fighters are made of much tougher stuff than the youthful dross you so easily dispatched. If they combined their might, you would stand no chance whatsoever. However, a man of honor would never stoop to such cowardice."
"A man of honor? You?! Don't make me laugh!" Lei shot back. "You're nothing but a man of lies, or are you going to blatantly deny sending an army to assault both my master and his students?!"
"You've got some nerve, buddy," Nick proclaimed. "And we're here to see that justice is done for what you've done!"
"Oh, that," Ou Di Wan Lee quipped. "That was just a dischordant rabble, relying on sheer numbers to carry out their deeds, regardless of how often they fail. So, to apologize for that ruckus, I shall deal with you fairly and justly."
Ou Di Wan Lee gestured to the twelve fighters at the table between the two parties, and all twelve rose to fight.
"Oh, no, no, no, we have had more than enough of this nonsense today," Maylin growled, summoning Counterpoint to her hands. "Either get out of our way or face the music!"
The twelve fighters all let out battle cries and charged in to attack anyway.
"...can't say I didn't warn you," Maylin sighed as she cast Gravity on the group fighters, surrounding them with a dome of dark purple light that dragged them all down to their knees, allowing both Lei and the Shifu to easily dispatch them.
"You're next, bastard!" Nick shouted as the group prepared to attack Ou Di Wan Lee, only for two more fighters to step out from hiding spots near the throne.
"Oh, did I forget to mention this?" Ou Di Wan Lee laughed. "Meet my elite guard, trained assassins who shadow my every move. They would no doubt have a fighting chance against me, were they to rely too much on their ambitions. That is why I keep them close, why I must remain on guard at every possible moment. We of the Indomitable Fist eschew such tawdry teachings as trust and camaraderie, for sentiment is the enemy of strength. Attachments constrict lesser men and prevent them from attaining true power."
"Shows what you know, freak boy," Nick shot back. "I've only been able to get as far as I have because of my friends. And now, I think it's high time we showed you just what true strength, strength of the heart, can really do!"
"Very well, then, little boy, if you're in such a rush to die," Ou Di Wan Lee proclaimed. "Let the revelry of blood begin!"
"Lei, I shall handle these assassins," the Shifu stated. "You will fight Ou Di Wan Lee!"
"Wait, you're leaving him to me?!" Lei gasped.
"His intent from the very beginning has been to wear us down, little by little," the Shifu responded. "He knows that my strength will falter sooner or later. But he does not know of your potential. Remember your comrades, resting in peace atop Mount Aspiration, and my last gift to you, my final teaching!"
"...yes, I remember!" Lei gasped as she jumped onto the grand table while the Shifu fought off the two remaining assassins.
"So, rather than fight me yourself, you send a child in your place, Shifu?" Ou Di Wan Lee laughed. "I expected an old fool, but not an old coward..."
"You know, I wouldn't be laughing right now if I were you," Lei retorted. "I promise you, we'll see who's still standing when I'm done here!"
"Are you clearly in such a hurry to die, child?!" Ou Di Wan Lee bellowed, jumping onto the table as well. "Then I accept your challenge. This temple will be your grave!"
Nick quickly made his way to Lei's side. "You've got some backup for this one, Lei," Nick proclaimed as he summoned the Kingdom Key to his hands.
"Haruka and I are going to guard the entrance and make sure no Heartless interrupt your fight," Maylin stated. "Sophia's helping out the Shifu."
"Then it looks like it's just us, Ou Di Wan Lee," Lei proclaimed. "Let's end this!"
"Yes, we shall!" Ou Di Wan Lee laughed as he jumped through the air and attempted to slam Lei into the ground with an overhead stomp. Nick parried the attack to stumble Ou Di Wan Lee and allow Lei to hit him with a double punch to the chest followed by an uppercut.
Nick juked around Lei and fired a Blizzard spell to push Ou Di Wan Lee back further, though he recovered quickly and bum-rushed forward, attempting to shoulder-tackle Lei into the nearby wall. Instead, Lei stood strong and took the hit so she could barge headlong into Ou Di Wan Lee, knocking him off the table.
Ou Di Wan Lee jumped back to his feet and waited for Lei to rush in to attack before taking up a counter stance. Nick, having seen through that, hit Ou Di Wan Lee with another Blizzard spell, disorienting him long enough for Lei to grab him by the waist and suplex him into the ground.
"You'll have to do better than that if you wish to defeat me, little girl!" Ou Di Wan Lee bellowed as he got back up.
Nick and Lei glanced at each other and smiled cheekily, having both had the same idea.
"All right, you asked for it!" Lei proclaimed.
"Let's get 'em!" Nick shouted.
Ou Di Wan Lee charged forward to interrupt their attack, but Nick and Lei both punched the ground hard enough to rumble the immediate area and cause Ou Di Wan Lee to stumble briefly, allowing them to go on the offensive.
Lei struck first, dancing around with snake-like movement before unleashing a sliding kicks, while Nick attacked with a trio of upwards spinning strikes from Kingdom Key.
Before Ou Di Wan Lee could recover, Lei then did a backflipping somersault kick to Ou Di Wan Lee's jaw, while Nick performed a dance-like spinning punch combo.
Nick and Lei alternated between these series of strikes for a couple rounds before deciding it was time to move in for the finale, flash-stepping around Ou Di Wan Lee while dealing as many blows as they could, before Nick jumped into the air, taking Lei by the hand so he could toss her into Ou Di Wan Lee and she kicked him directly in the back of the head, sending him tumbling.
"How's that for you?" Lei laughed as she and Nick high-fived each other.
"Don't think I'm through yet!" Ou Di Wan Lee growled. "You may have some skill, I'll admit that, but I am mighty! I am strong! I am just!"
"Oh, shut your yap already!" Nick shouted as he knocked Ou Di Wan Lee back with a Slapshot. "That spiel was old the first time you mouthed off!"
"Strength is everything!" Ou Di Wan Lee cackled. "You know nothing, boy, given how many wenches you surround yourself with!"
"You're lucky the girls are too focused on other things to have heard that, because then you'd really be in trouble," Nick chuckled. "Even then, I can see that you're running out of steam. But I wouldn't want to deprive Lei of her chance to avenge her fallen friends, so... Lei? Go ahead and finish this bastard off."
"By all means," Lei chuckled as she began to concentrate, an aura of energy surrounding her.
"What's this?" Ou Di Wan Lee wondered.
"Hong... Yun... you two had better be watching this," Lei proclaimed. "This is our master's greatest secret, his ultimate technique!"
"A desperate bluff, but nothing more," Ou Di Wan Lee taunted.
"Why don't you see for yourself?!" Lei exclaimed. "You're finished, Ou Di Wan Lee! Heavenly Peak's Descent!"
Lei sprung into action, lunging forward unleashing a massive flurry of punches and kicks in succession, moving so fast that she appeared to be teleporting around Ou Di Wan Lee, until finishing with a devastating series of blows with her appearing to be in four places at once.
And finally, Lei landed one final kick to Ou Di Wan Lee's chest that sent him soaring through the air and crashing through his throne until he hit the gong behind it.
"N-No... no way... bested... by these weaklings?" Ou Di Wan Lee gasped. "It... is... impossible..."
With that, Ou Di Wan Lee had spoken his last, collapsing to the ground with a heavy crash. Now that the battle was over, both Nick and Lei raced over to check on the Shifu, just missing the plume of dark red smoke escaping from Ou Di Wan Lee's corpse.
The Shifu had indeed defeated both of the assassins, but he had collapsed to his knees not too long after.
"My dear Lei..." the Shifu gasped, his creaky voice clearly indicating that his time was up, having exhausted his remaining strength fighting the assassins. "You have clearly outdone yourself. You've become so much stronger than I ever dared to hope..."
"Hey, don't talk like that," Lei countered, a few tears forming in her eyes. She knew. "I'm sure there's still so much more you can teach me."
"It is okay, Lei," the Shifu replied. "I have faith now, faith that our art will endure for so long to come... preserved and protected by you, my worthy successor..."
"Stop talking like this is the end!" Lei shouted, even if she knew that it was the end.
"Listen, Lei," the Shifu proclaimed. "I am far too old now. That I have lived this long is no doubt a miracle in and of itself. But... by guiding you along this path, I found a renewed purpose, even if only for a short time. Lei, you have passion and dedication like none other. If you should take but one thing I have taught you to heart, then let it be this. There is strength in kindness, so do not be afraid to show it."
"...I know, I know," Lei sobbed, taking that lesson to heart as she'd promised.
"Well, then, it appears that my time has come at last," the Shifu stated. "It's time for me to go, and to show Hong and Yun... just how much... you've grown..."
And with that, the Shifu of the Earthen Heart breathed his last, and collapsed to the floor.
Lei took a long look at the Shifu's body, hoping that this was still just a bad dream, until the reality of the situation finally sank in, and she burst into tears before throwing herself into Nick's arms, finally crying her heart out.
Nick simply held Lei close, allowing her to grieve for her fallen master.
Sometime later, on the peak of Mount Aspiration, a third grave had been placed there alongside Hong and Yun's graves. Nick and the girls watched Lei attack the boulder that the Shifu had been trying to break not too long ago, and with one massive cross chop, Lei actually succeeded in splitting the boulder in two.
"Nice job, Lei," Sophia proclaimed. "The Shifu would be so proud of you, you know."
Lei nodded before turning to look at the Shifu's grave. "Hey, old man," Lei stated. "I actually split the boulder today. I'm trying my best to be nicer, like you taught me to... even if I still lose my temper sometimes. I'm not sure if I've got it in me to be as calm and collected as you used to be... but I'm not going to give up. I'm sure that, one day, they'll praise my bleeding heart even more than yours! ...I think you'd like that."
Lei then glanced towards the trio of graves right behind her. "So, just keep watching me, old man," Lei proclaimed. "Hong, Yun, that goes for the both of you, too. I'll carry on our legacy, just like you wanted. I will be the Shifu someday, just you wait."
A flash of light caught Lei's attention, and she noticed the Shifu's belt, which she'd personally laid on top of his grave, was glowing with a soft silver light and floating in the air.
Nick recognized that glow as the same kind he'd seen back in Lost Jerusalem, and summoned the Kingdom Key, much to Lei's confusion.
Nick held the Kingdom Key aloft as light energy began to swirl around the keyblade's teeth before projecting the image of a crown symbol, same as his pendant, underneath him.
Wind began to swirl around Nick until he found himself in the middle of a rusty-orange starry sky. The Shifu's belt shined brightly before firing a burst of light into the sky that eventually formed into a large keyhole.
Nick jumped back and twirled the Kingdom Key around a couple times before firing a beam of light from the keyblade into the keyhole. Reality seemed to shatter around the keyhole for a brief moment before light began to shine from it, and after a loud "CLICK" resounded, Nick found himself back on Mount Aspiration.
"Okay, what was with that light show?" Lei wondered.
"It means we've gotta hit the road for now," Nick answered. "Other places need our help."
"You just keep up your training like the Shifu did, and I know you'll be as good as he was," Maylin stated. "Heck, you may one day even surpass him. I think that's what he'd want."
"...yeah, I think so, too," Lei chuckled. "Oh, by the way, before you leave, I want you to have this. I bought it in Yunfa before we came back up here."
Lei walked over to Nick and handed him a good luck charm shaped like a ramen bowl. Knowing how this worked, Nick accepted the charm and attached it to the keychain of Kingdom Key, then jumped back and swung his keyblade horizontally, the keychain token transforming the keyblade mid-swing. This new keyblade had a handleguard shaped like the Shifu's belt, a hilt in the shape of the symbol of the Earthen Heart style, a blade shaped like a martial arts scroll, teeth resembling a circle of sparks, no doubt representing the Heavenly Peak's Descent, and the token was connected to the base by a keychain of simple bronze studs. The words Earthen Heart ran through Nick's mind as he studied the new keyblade.
"You all have such amazing abilities as well," Lei admitted. "I admit, I'm a little envious."
"I really do wish there was a spell that could bring back the dead," Maylin answered. "But, that being said, I think the Shifu died satisfied with what he's taught you."
"He went without any regrets," Sophia proclaimed.
"And I need to keep it up if I'm gonna properly honor the old man and his art," Lei quipped. "And what about you? Will you be stopping by occasionally? I'd love to spar with you all again, when we've both learned more."
"I'd definitely like that, Lei," Nick stated as the four keyblade wielders waved goodbye to Lei before heading back into the forest, eventually teleporting back to the Gummi Ship.
When they boarded the Gummi Ship, though, something caught Haruka's eye.
"Hey, um, pardon me if I'm hallucinating, but... what happened to Alola Town?" Haruka asked as she pointed to the map of the Lanes Between. Indeed, Alola Town wasn't there anymore, and the structure out in the Lanes that represented it had vanished as well, with only a swirling vortex of light in its place.
"It's gone?" Maylin gasped. "But we were just there not too long ago, right?"
"I wonder if it has something to do with the Organization," Nick offered. "You know, those black-hooded weirdoes that Lady Eris told us about."
"It does raise a few questions about what their endgame is," Sophia admitted.
"Well, we really don't have anything to go on right now, so how about we just keep exploring the worlds, and maybe it'll be back later on," Haruka quipped as she piloted the Gummi Ship towards the nearest available world, represented by a structure depicting a lonely house in the middle of a forest.
She kept her hood down as she continued to search through the world of darkness, glad that the coat she was wearing would protect her from any adverse effects of the darkness all around her.
She couldn't afford to stop now, especially not after...
She clutched the handle of Starlight in her right hand, ready to fight off any Heartless that dared try to jump her.
"I'm sorry, Nick..." Ellen Baker sighed. "I can't come back to you yet."
Ellen looked behind her as the vistas of the Dark World.
"...not until I find whatever hurt you and destroy it. It's the only way I can make it up to you for failing you so badly."
To be continued...
Keyblade acquired!
Earthen Heart
Strength: +6
Magic: +1
Length: 125
Ability: Combo Boost (Increases the damage of the finishing move on the ground relative to the number of hits in the combo.)
Description: A keyblade representing a martial arts teacher who passed his strength down to his worthy disciples.
On the next episode...
Maylin: Welp, we're off on another quest, and this time, we're... playing hide-and-seek?
Haruka: I'm not sure, Maylin. These kids seem to have a purpose for it.
Nick: And why does that lady give me the heebie-jeebies? That smile of hers isn't natural.
Sophia: Hold on, I think I found something about this place. ...and now I'm wishing I hadn't.
Nick: Wait, these orphanages do what to children?!
Haruka: No wonder these kids are trying to beat it! I wouldn't wanna stay in a place like this, either.
Nick: Then let's help these kids escape from being demon brunch next time on Kingdom Hearts: Key to Her Heart re:Verse II, "The Great Escape"!
Nick, Maylin, Haruka and Sophia: May your hearts be your guiding key!