Hello everyone! And welcome to the next chapter of the "Key to the Titans"! I hope April is treating you all well as the heat comes back around (or it will if the weather can make up its mind). And I hope you all enjoyed the solar eclipse as well. Now, on with where we left off with Sora and his friends.
Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Teen Titans.
Chapter 67: Toy Box Part 2
(In Galaxy Toys)
The team was surrounded by the Heartless-controlled gigas toys and the exit was blocked by a transparent barrier made of magic, locking them in with the dark monsters. Everyone was either taking cover or trying to take on the gigas, but they were proving to be just as formidable as they were in their real world.
Cyborg and Starfire were taking on two of the purple-colored gigas toys, who were using their arm cannons to keep the Titans on their toys.
"How are these things so tough?! They're just toys!" Cyborg yelled, shooting a few missiles at one of the bots, which shrugged it off easily.
"It must be the Heartless giving it its strength." Starfire said. Suddenly, the two gigas toys brought out two giant shoulder cannons that charged up with electric energy.
"Well, that explains that…RUN!" Cyborg yelled as he and Starfire ran for it, the gigas fired their cannons, causing a massive electric explosion and destroying one of the toy display stands, making a bunch of toy boxes scatter all over the floor.
Robin and Beast Boy were dodging the punches of the blue gigas as the Boy Wonder launched multiple discs at the robot, stunning it for a bit. Beast Boy took the chance to change into a large bear, but instead turned into a large, green, stuffed bear that impacted the robot, bringing it to the floor in a large crash. Beast Boy changed back as Robin ran up to him.
"Have you always been able to do that?" Robin asked.
"Only just now. Aw, man, it felt like I had stuffing in me." Beast Boy said, trying to shake off the stuff feeling. Suddenly, the robot reared up and opened its shoulders to reveal several small missile cannons inside and ready to fire. Beast Boy yelped and turned into a toy turtle and was sent flying away by the missiles.
"Beast Boy!" Robin yelled, running to assist his friend when the robot suddenly knocked him away with a sweep of its metal arm.
Meanwhile, Buzz was shooting at one of the red gigas with his now-working laser all while avoiding its shoulder charges. Donald was backing him up with his Thunder spells. Suddenly, the robot reared its fist back for a punch when suddenly a white rope flew and wrapped around its arm, stopping it. The two looked down to see Woody and Goofy holding the rope and struggling to hold it back. Donald and Buzz quickly took their shots with a combination of a large rocket from Donald and a charged laser blast from Buzz, knocking the gigas to the ground, and making a large slam echo across the room.
"Thanks guys!" Donald called out.
"Good throw as always Woody." Buzz said.
"Couldn't ask for better help." Woody replied, patting Goofy on the back.
"Just helping a pal out." Goofy said. They then heard a noise behind them and they turned to see the gigas standing back up while glowing red in anger.
"Oh brother. This is gonna take forever." Donald replied under his breath.
Meanwhile, Sora and Raven were getting rid of the Heartless reinforcements before turning their attention to the other gigas, but the robots proved to be just as resilient against their magic. Raven picked up a large toy display with her powers and split the metal parts into multiple pieces, launching them into the gigas, cutting off some of their limbs, and making sparks fly from their bodies. All of them took aim with their remaining weapons and she put up a shield to protect herself and glided away.
Sora flew in as she took off and pulled out the new keychain that he earned after defeating the Titans of Olympus: the keychain was the famous Olympus Stone connected with black chains. Once he clicked it on, the blade changed into a new design inspired by Hercules' world. The blade consisted of a series of thunderbolts topped by Zeus holding his bolt, making up the teeth of the blade. The handle consisted of clouds from Olympus' skies and columns on the side and the guard was topped with the symbol of the gods of Olympus.
"Alright, let's see what you can do!" Sora said, letting out a powerful burst of energy as his clothes changed from red to yellow with a checkered diamond pattern on his clothes while his keyblade started to transform, with the bolts arcing out and the clouds spinning in a circle to form into a golden shield with white clouds embroidering the edges and a lightning bolt in the center, along with a diamond at the top and a blue heart symbol at the bottom.
One of the Gigas ran over and threw a punch at Sora, but he quickly put up the shield to defend himself. The shield took the brunt of the hit before suddenly glowing in gold energy. Sora suddenly thrust the shield forward and a huge, golden fist shot out from the shield and hit the Gigas, causing it to fly away and crash against the large space capsule.
"Woah! That was cool!" Sora exclaimed until his eyes saw his friends struggling against the other Gigas and Heartless. "But not enough." He said to himself. He looked around for anything to use against the robots until his eyes landed on an unmanned blue Gigas standing on a nearby display.
"Oh, that's it!" Sora yelled with a smile as he ran toward the display while blocking some stray shots from the Heartless and robots. He jumped high in the air and landed perfectly in the seat of the robot while the helmet closed behind him. He looked around the controls to see two joysticks and a heads-up display that allowed him to see outside the armor.
"Ok, just like the games back in the tower. Just take it slow." Sora said, grabbing the joysticks and moving them to see what they controlled. Suddenly, another loud explosion went off from one of the purple gigas, alerting Sora. "Alright, forget slow. Let's go!" He yelled out, pushing the joysticks forward as the robot came to life and stepped off from the display. He moved the robot over to the center of the room and started shooting at the Heartless and other robots, drawing their attention to him.
"That one's up too!" Donald said about to shoot at it, but Buzz stopped him.
"Wait, I think he's on our side." The space ranger replied as he watched the Gigas punch another robot away and launch small missiles around to ward off the flying Heartless.
"Well, let's help him out, gang." Woody shouted as he and everyone ran off to clear out the remaining Heartless, with Woody, Buzz, Cyborg, Robin, and Goofy dealing with the grounded enemies while Raven and Starfire went back-to-back with the flying Heartless while Beast Boy and Donald cleared out the stragglers. Sora piloted his robot to avoid stepping on his friends while focusing on the three remaining Gigas. They all started shooting at him with their blasters, but he quickly activated his thrusters to fly into the air and shoot down one of them, leaving only two. The last purple one readied its cannons and fired at him, but Sora quickly maneuvered his robot out of the way and fired his missiles in response, bringing down the toy robot. The last robot shoulder charged him at high speeds, but Sora moved fast and threw a punch into the other robot's face plate, shattering it and making the Heartless inside fly out and disappear. The red robot stumbled around a bit before falling to the floor in a large crash.
"Woohoo, man you nailed him!" Cyborg cheered.
"Nice hit!" Robin called out. Sora lifted the robot's faceplate up and jumped out, landing in front of everyone.
"Thanks, Robin!" Sora replied as everyone stared at him in shock.
"You-you were piloting?!" Cyborg asked, shocked.
"Oh yeah! It's so cool, Cy! You gotta check it out!" Sora said.
"Oh, you know I am!" Cyborg exclaimed, quickly dashing over to one of the Gigas.
"A little warning next time. You almost stepped on us!" Donald exclaimed.
"Sorry, Donald." Sora said, scratching the back of his plastic hair as Woody and Buzz walked up to him.
"He was being controlled? Not just switched into battle mode by accident?" Buzz said, walking up to the previously controlled Gigas. Everyone shared a confused look before turning back to the space ranger.
"Buzz?" Sora asked, making Buzz look back and clear his throat.
"It's nothing." Buzz quickly replied.
"That guy in the black coat! He took our friends away!" Woody exclaimed.
"And did he also say that he made a copy of this world too?" Cyborg asked.
"Yeah, what's up with that?!" Beast Boy replied. Sora let out a thoughtful noise and rubbed his chin in thought.
"It…probably means they've split this world in two, leaving you guys on one side and your friends on the other. One of the worlds is real and the other is just a convincing illusion." Sora said. A silent beat went through the group as everyone processed what he said.
"You can't be serious." Buzz replied.
"How is that even possible?" Raven asked.
"Even I have never heard of this phenomenon on my planet," Starfire said.
"Oh! That's right, you're all from a video game. Well, maybe in your game, that's how things work…but this is reality, where 'splitting worlds' is not normal. This is ridiculous." Buzz said, waving Sora off and walking over to Woody. "C'mon Woody. Let's go find our friends and go back home." Buzz replied.
"I admit, it does sound far-fetched. But…let's say we have been taken to this alternate world. That would explain why your laser's real and all the other weird things going on. And is it that crazy? Worse than 'evil emperors' and 'protecting the galaxy'? Does any of that ring a bell?" Woody asked, making Buzz clear his throat again.
"Point taken. But that means these strangers are just part of the delusion. I say it's time we part ways and focus on what matters right now: getting Rex, Hamm, and the aliens back and going home." Buzz replied.
"Ouch, dude. Thought we were friends." Beast Boy said.
"Look, I get that this all seems weird to you both, but we know there is something wrong with your home. You need our help, especially with those monsters." Robin said.
"Robin's right. They helped us with the intruders, so, they'll help find our friends too. They've stuck with us so far. You can't deny that. Come on. Every toy deserves a fair shake." Woody replied. Buzz paced toward one of the Gigas robots before coming to a stop in response.
"Tell it to that toy there, Woody!" Buzz replied, making Woody gasp and look down in worry.
"Buzz, that toy hasn't had a chance to wake up yet. Those monsters…they used him, just to further their plans. It wasn't him alone that attacked us." Cyborg said, trying to ease the argument.
"That's exactly what I'm worried about…" Buzz replied, taking another glance at the abandoned Gigas before walking back to the group.
"Sheriff, sir!" Everyone suddenly heard and they looked up at one of the displays to see Sarge waving at them.
"Oh, Sarge!" Goofy exclaimed.
"My men and I managed to locate where the intruders have taken Rex, Hamm, and the aliens. To the upper floors. They…also took one of my men, sir." Sarge reported, pointing up to the upper floors of the toy store, while keeping his composure.
"Thanks, Sarge! C'mon, we have got to find them!" Woody said, suddenly running off.
"Woody please, let us help!" Sora said, running after the cowboy.
"Yeah, we can help!" Donald replied. Woody smiled and nodded until his eyes landed on the non-moving space ranger, who looked down at the ground with an uncertain look in his eyes. Woody shook his head and ran back over to his fellow toy.
"Well, Buzz? Do you think we can save everyone on our own? We didn't get far before." Woody asked.
"Please, space ranger Buzz. We are very willing to assist you." Starfire replied.
"Don't worry. Sora can be reckless, and Donald grumbles a lot. But you can trust 'em!" Goofy spoke up, making the two gasp in shock.
"Hey! He suspects you, too!" Donald exclaimed.
"Yeah Mr. trustworthy." Sora replied.
"He does?" Goofy asked, completely unaware.
"Well, you won't have to worry about us, Buzz. Except for Raven of course." Beast Boy said, making Raven glare at him with fire in her eyes.
"That is my girlfriend you're talking about." Sora said, taking her hand in his, making her smile.
"Uh-um…sorry." Beast Boy replied.
"They don't seem bad to me. Right, Buzz?" Woody asked, making Buzz smile.
"Okay, okay. We do need the extra help. But just so we're clear: I remain skeptical about this. I'll work with you until we find our friends." Buzz replied walking forward.
"Well, better than nothing." Cyborg replied.
"Thanks for the help, guys." Woody said.
"My troops will return to the field, and perform recon on the rest of the store, sir. We will keep you updated." Sarge said as he and the green army men saluted and marched away. Woody saluted back as he and the rest of the group joined Buzz, who was staring at the large space capsule in the middle of the room. Buzz pressed a button on his chest as his wings sprouted from his back.
"Dude, the wings!" Cyborg quietly exclaimed to himself in admiration. Woody walked up to Buzz and rested his elbow on one of his wings.
"That ascent is gonna be tricky." Buzz said.
"Too bad we don't have any spare rockets around, huh?" Woody asked. Buzz scoffed and pressed the button again, making his wings go down and for Woody to lose his balance.
"Did someone say rockets?" Donald said with a mischievous look in his eyes and a small rocket in his hands.
"I think we can skip on the rockets for now, Donald. We can get everyone up to the floors." Raven said.
"I think it'll be best if we split into three teams. Each team will get a floor to investigate and see if we can find the others." Robin said.
"The teams are going to be a little uneven. Two are going to be three and one has to be four." Cyborg said.
"I'm going with the kid. I still have some questions for you." Buzz said to Sora, who nodded in response.
"I'll go with you too." Raven said, walking up to them.
"Guess that's one." Goofy said.
"I shall accompany Robin." Starfire said, who nodded in response.
"Hope you don't mind if I join your gang, Robin?" Woody asked.
"Not at all." Robin said.
"Well, guess that leaves me and BB with Donald and Goofy." Cyborg said.
"Woody, Starfire, and I will take the first floor. It seems to have one store and the rest area." Robin said.
"Then it sounds like we're all going to the third. We'll split up to cover more ground." Sora said.
"We shall meet up with you all when our search is done." Starfire said.
"Well, let's go dudes." Beast Boy replied. Raven nods and creates a platform with her powers. She, Sora, Buzz, Donald, and Goofy climb on as the platform rises while Beast Boy turns into a pterodactyl and grabs Cyborg, flying after them. Meanwhile, Robin pulled out a grappling hook and fired it at the second floor, with the hook wrapping around the closest ledge. As he was lifted, Starfire grabbed Woody by the hand and followed the Boy Wonder up to the first floor.
(Galaxy Toys Third Floor)
Raven levitated the group to the top floor of the store as they saw three stores on the level: one was a locked doll store on the left side of the floor, there was a large children's play area on the other side, and in the center was a video game store. The magic platform landed a few feet off the floor, allowing everyone to step off safely.
"Let's split up for now. Then we'll converge at the game store." Buzz said.
"Aw, I wanted to check the game store first." Beast Boy said, his ears drooping.
"We're not even from here, BB. We don't know any of these games." Cyborg whispered.
"Oh, right." Beast Boy said, perking back up.
"Raven, Buzz, and I will check the doll store." Sora said. Everyone nods in agreement and splits off as everyone heads to their destinations.
(Second Floor of Galaxy Toys)
Robin, Starfire, and Woody managed to reach the floor above the ground to see one lone toy section that was full of action figures inside and a huge resting area on the other side from where the three were. Next to the railings were little balloon sets with helium tanks and inflated balloons tied to them.
"*gasp* Robin, look! The balloons of funny voices!" Starfire said, flying over to them.
"She's easily distracted, huh?" Woody asked.
"You have no idea." Robin replied. Soon enough, Starfire had pulled one of the balloons free from its string and took a deep breath from it.
"It is most hilarious, Woody! Please try!" Starfire said in a super high-pitched voice, making the two chuckle a little.
"Maybe next time, Starfire." Woody said, walking ahead of them.
"C'mon, Star. We gotta look around." Robin said, making the girl look down.
"Ok." The Tamaran said, letting the balloon go as it flew off while she went to catch up.
"Hey, fellas, this one's open. Let's check it out." Woody said, pointing to the open store full of different action figures. The three walked in to see multiple displays and boxes of different figures and toys, along with several small planes attached to the ceiling via cables.
"This place is huge. We better split up to look around." Robin said.
"Sounds like a plan." Woody said, walking away until he saw a huge tail walking behind a stack of display boxes. "Rex! That you?" Woody said, running to see behind the boxes but found nothing. "Where'd he go?" The cowboy asked.
"Did you see something, Woody?" Starfire asked, flying toward him.
"I thought I saw Rex. He was just- "Woody said, lifting his hat to scratch his forehead.
"Wait, do you guys hear something?" Robin asked. The three quieted down as they heard low growls coming from the other side of the display boxes.
"What is that?" Woody asked, hearing it too. Suddenly, the display boxes were knocked over, shocking everyone as they looked to see a giant toy monster standing on the other side: it was based on a dinosaur with a white body and red scales covering the limbs. It had four legs with four toes and two muscled arms with four violet claws. Strapped to its back was a set of five canisters and a Heartless emblem on its neck.
"Another toy controlled?" Robin asked as he and Starfire summoned their keyblades. The dinosaur let out a powerful roar, making everyone back away. Suddenly, the metal gate to the store slammed shut behind them and they looked to see another toy in the shape of a large ape hanging from the top of the gate. It let out a roar of its own before leaping down in a big crash, as it smashed the floor in a challenging motion.
"It looks like they do not want to play nice." Starfire said. Robin nodded until he saw a few sets of unused Gigas suits standing on display.
"Then neither will we." Robin said as they both got ready.
"Let's get em, gang." Woody said as all three of them made a break for the suits while the possessed toys attacked.
(Meanwhile, with Sora, Raven, and Buzz)
The group of three were walking up to the store of Babies and Toddlers, which was filled to the brim with dolls and toy houses. They saw that the metal gate was closed, blocking the main entrance so they attempted one of the windows that gave a clear view inside. Buzz pulled at the window but found it to be locked too.
"Hhm, there must be some way to get in." Buzz said, rubbing his chin in thought. Raven then reached out with her magic and unhooked the latch to the window, opening it up. Buzz watched the window open and turned to the empath. "Not bad." He replied as the girl nodded in a show of thanks. The three opened the window all the way and walked in to see a large space decorated with pink walls and green leaves, several displays of teddy bears and squishy toys along with several dolls. There was also a display of toys made to look like an orchestra was playing.
"This is a big space. Where do we start?" Sora asked.
"Let's look around and see if anything turns up." Raven said. The three nodded and jumped down from the windowsill, investigating the large room with Sora checking one side and Raven and Buzz checking the other end.
Raven walked around the store, looking for anything unusual until her eyes landed on a shelf that had several boxes that showed a human-like doll called the Angelic Amber: The box showed the doll which resembled a young human girl with pale skin, a long soft face with green eyes, red lipstick, and curled blue hair with bangs. She wore a headband with white rabbit ears and a black Victorian-style dress with white lining, grey sleeves, a black bow around her waist, and black heels with white socks. Raven could only narrow her eyes at the unique doll until Buzz walked up to her.
"Friend of yours?" Buzz asked.
"No, we're from a different set." Raven said.
"Hhm, I wonder what she's like." Buzz said. Raven looked at the box before looking back at Buzz's face, seeing that he was looking for any hope in this situation.
"I wouldn't know. I'd say that she's someone looking for other toys to accept her. Not all toys are bad, Buzz. The ones we've encountered so far, they're just being controlled. They're not bad in nature." Raven said. Buzz let out a sigh and turned to face her.
"That's what worries me. If the toys are being controlled, does that mean they were ever alive to begin with and if they were, would they ever come back?" Buzz asked.
"I'd like to think that they're alive still." Raven said.
"And how would you know?" Buzz asked, suspicious.
"I don't know. But I'm hopeful. Same as Woody is. And same as you." Raven said, making Buzz look down in thought.
"Well, for all our sakes, I hope we're both right." Buzz said.
"Me too." Raven said as the two went back to look around. Raven walked up to Sora, who was busy looking behind the cash register.
"You guys find anything?" Sora asked as he walked up to her.
"Nothing yet. You?" Raven asked.
"Nada. They could be anywhere. How's Buzz?" Sora asked.
"He's doing his best, but…I can tell he's getting worried." She replied as they watched the space ranger look around.
"I don't blame him. His friends are missing, and he's separated from Andy. I'd be worried too." Sora said.
"Do you think there might be something we could do? About bringing Andy and the other toys back?" Raven asked.
"I…I dunno. I've never even heard of this kind of spell before. I'm not sure if there's anything we can do about that. I can only hope that when the conflict with Xehanort is over, everything returns to normal." Sora said. Raven smiled and took Sora's hand in hers, making him blush as he turned to face her.
"That's what I told Buzz. To remain hopeful." Raven said, making Sora smile.
"Well, you are the most hopeful person around." Sora said with a smile. Raven rolled her eyes and kissed him on the lips, making them both blush.
"Funny. Now let's get back to looking. This place is creeping me out." Raven said.
"Really? How? It's for kids and little babies." Sora asked.
"That's exactly why." Raven replied, making them both smile and laugh.
"Does make you wonder though…" Sora said, looking up at one of the toys.
"About what?" Raven asked.
"In the future, would we still be…together? I mean, Star and I saw that one future thanks to Warp, but that can't be what really…" Sora said, until Raven silenced him with a finger to his lips.
"Our future…will be whatever we'll make of it. And whatever comes our way, we'll face it…together." Raven said, moving her hand to caress Sora's cheek. The boy smiled and brought Raven into an embrace while she returned it.
"Thank you, Raven. I love you." Sora said.
"And I love you, Sora. Now, c'mon. Let's keep searching." Raven said as they went back to looking, both holding hands. What none of them noticed was a doll-like hand reaching out from the curtains and locking the window behind them, sealing them in the store.
(With Cyborg, Beast Boy, Donald, and Goofy)
"So, you guys have been going on adventures this whole time defending the worlds?!" Beast Boy asked, holding a large list in his hand as they walked to the open play area.
"For the most part. We've been doing it ever since Mickey was made a king. Even before he became a keyblade wielder. We've been helping him with the worlds for as long as I can remember." Goofy said.
"I can't believe this. Dude, this all going to be saved in our vault." Beast Boy exclaimed to Cyborg, who nodded in response.
"I have a question for you guys." Donald spoke up.
"Shoot Donald." Cyborg said.
"What's going on with Sora and Raven?" The mage asked, making Cyborg and Beast Boy share a glance.
"What do you mean?" Beast Boy asked.
"I mean are they together? They sure act like it." Donald asked.
"Yeah, with all the hand-holding and other stuff." Goofy said.
"Well, yeah, they are. When we were back home, they came to like each other." Cyborg said.
"And they both seem happy too." Beast Boy added.
"But what about Sora and Kairi? They both seemed made for each other." Goofy said.
"Especially with all the daydreaming Sora does about her." Donald remarked.
"That…we don't know." Cyborg said, making the knight and mage keel over, lost in thought.
"Guess we'll have to wait till we regroup and meet back up with Kairi." Donald said.
"Guess so." Goofy said.
"Wish we could help out more." Beast Boy said.
"It's okay, at least we know now, and that Sora is happy." Goofy said. Everyone nodded in agreement as they made it to the entrance of the play area.
"We should split up and search everything from top to-, "Cyborg said but was interrupted by Beast Boy.
"Found em." The changeling replied, pointing behind a set of toy boxes where they saw the UFO ship holding the three aliens.
"Well, that was easy." Goofy replied with a chuckle.
"C'mon, let's grab em and head back." Donald said. Everyone nodded as the ship flew closer to them, letting everyone take a closer look as they could see darkness emanating from the ship.
"Had to be controlled by dark magic, of course. C'mon!" Cyborg said, breaking into a sprint with the others behind him, while the ship started flying away from them.
"They have come for us." One of them said.
"The mystic portal awaits." Another said.
"THE CLAWWWW!" All the aliens said together as they dangled from the bottom of the ship.
"Wait!" Donald yelled.
"Stop! No!" Goofy yelled out. But it was too late as the ship took off at a quicker speed with its new tow firmly secured by the claw.
"Farewell." The aliens said as the ship flew away. Acting quickly, Cyborg shot his hand out like a grappling hook, which attached to the side of the ship, and pulled him forward. Beast Boy grabbed onto Cyborg and turned into a toy octopus with fake suction cups which allowed him to attach to the ship.
"Wait for us!" Donald yelled out as he and Goofy ran to catch up, but both were cut off by Heartless spawning in front of them.
"Oh, not now!" Goofy said as they both summoned their weapons while Cyborg and Beast Boy wrestled with the controlled ship.
(Meanwhile, with Robin, Starfire, and Woody)
The three Gigas suits that the trio were piloting had some damage but were holding up well against the Supreme Smashers and Ape toys. Some of the ape toys were on top of the highest displays and shelves and throwing boxes and other things at them while dinosaurs used powerful laser blasts and electric fields to keep the heroes at a distance.
One of the Smashers dashed toward Robin, who piloted a red Gigas suit, with its claws at the ready, but he managed to move the suit out of the way and shoulder charge the dinosaur into a display set, making it tumble across the ground awkwardly due to its size and limbs.
Starfire was flying her purple suit in the air by using the boosters to get better shots at the Ape toys, which were still perched on the top shelves and displays until she activated the two twin cannons and fired at the two apes, knocking them clear off their perches. As they fell, Starfire opened up her cockpit and shot two blasts of fire at the possessed toys, destroying them.
Woody piloted a blue Gigas suit away from the small Heartless reinforcements as he blasted them away and launched multiple missiles at the downed Smasher, destroying it and the remaining Heartless in the room. Everyone stood down as the last Dinosaur landed behind them and they all got ready to fire when suddenly they heard a familiar scream coming from inside the store. Everyone turned to see the toy dinosaur, Rex flying one of the hanging planes in several circles before the wire holding the plane broke loose, sending Rex and the plane hurdling toward the possessed toy, crashing into it, and knocking the Marionette Heartless out of the Smasher.
Everyone opened their cockpits to the Gigas suits to double-check they all saw what they just witnessed while Rex and the Marionette crashed into one of the display boxes and onto the floor, with Rex landing atop the Heartless.
"Rex?!" Woody asked.
"What's this?" Rex asked, getting a closer look at the Marionette.
"Look out!" Robin exclaimed, quickly leaping out of his suit and sprinting toward the Heartless. Meanwhile, the Marionette turned to look at Rex before suddenly springing to life and floating closer to him, making the dinosaur let out a scream and run away.
"Oh no! What did I do?!" Rex screamed, stomping away as the Heartless gave chase. Robin ran forward before leaping over Rex and using him as a springboard to dive at the Heartless and strike through it with his keyblade, destroying it in one blow. Woody and Starfire smiled in relief as they jumped down from their suits and walked up to Rex while the cowboy let out a sigh of relief.
"Nice moves, Rex." Woody said.
"That was indeed a great maneuver." Starfire said.
"Great? Really? Would you say I was impressive?" Rex asked with an enthusiastic tone.
"Very impressive. It was hard to look away." Robin replied as he placed his keyblade away.
"Hurray! Oh, that makes me so happy! Did you all see what I did?!" Rex asked everyone all at once as they tried to call him down.
"Hey, uh Rex? Earth to Rex?" Woody asked, finally snapping the dinosaur out of his excitement.
"Do you know where the others were taken?" Starfire asked.
"Oh, sorry, I don't. That ship dropped me off here first before taking the others away." Rex exclaimed.
"Back to square one." Robin said, crossing his arms.
"Ah, great. Let's hope the others are making some progress." Woody said.
"We should proceed and regroup with our friends." Starfire said as everyone nodded in agreement.
"Actually…I think I'll head back and wait by the entrance." Rex responded.
"Good idea. You could be our lookout for the way outta here. Think you're up for it, Rex?" Woody asked with a smile. Rex looked down in thought before looking up with a confident smile.
"You got it, Woody!" Rex said.
"Uh, how is he going to get out? The gate is down?" Robin asked. Woody looked at the locked gate before casting his eyes at the damaged, but still functioning Gigas suits, making the toy smile.
"I got it!" Woody exclaimed. Not a few minutes later, everyone but Rex was back inside the suits and standing next to the gate.
"On three!" Robin yelled as everyone grabbed ahold of the bottom of the gate. "One…two…three!" Robin counted as they all started lifting the gate up slowly, making it let out metallic creaks and sounds as the door lifted high enough to let Rex out. Suddenly, the suits shot out electrical sparks and started to release smoke from their torsos.
"Now Rex!" Woody yelled as the dinosaur took the chance and ran under the door. As soon as Rex was clear, the suits shorted out and shut down, making the gate slide shut in a loud noise while crushing the arms of the Gigas. Everyone quickly jumped out of the Gigas suits as the trio coughed out any smoke they inhaled.
"Well, that takes care of that. Now, how do we get out of here?" Woody asked. Everyone started thinking for ideas until Starfire's eyes landed on a nearby air duct.
"I believe I have the idea." Starfire exclaimed, as the two listened to her.
(Meanwhile, with Sora, Raven, and Buzz)
Sora was walking around the Babies and Toddlers store looking for any sign of the missing toys until he walked past the orchestra displays that were made up of little toad toys playing the instruments and the maestro toad had a little black mustache on its face. He smiled a little at the display until his eyes landed on a nearby record player that had fake vinyl on it. Intrigued, Sora walked over to the player and inspected it until he moved the disc a little.
Suddenly, the entire orchestra lit up and music started playing from the display. It sounded like a joyful, upbeat, and happy song that it was playing but as soon as the record stopped moving, the whole orchestra stopped.
"Ooh, cool!" Sora said, suddenly hopping on top of the vinyl and running on it, making the orchestra play on with no interruptions. The music eventually drew the attention of Buzz and Raven as they saw the boy running on the track.
"Sora, what are you doing?" Raven asked.
"Guys…I got…the music going." Sora said, focusing on his running as the music played on.
"Every time. Sora, get down, we still have to look around." Raven replied.
"Ah, it's alright. Woody does this all the time when a record player is brought home. He'd show the kid how it's done." Buzz said, making Raven smirk.
"I'm sure of it." The titan replied as the music kept going, until suddenly, a wrong note played, catching the space ranger's attention.
"Wait, did that sound off to you?" Buzz asked, while Raven nodded in agreement.
"Strange for a display." She responded, before looking toward her running boyfriend. "Sora, keep running!" She yelled, catching his attention.
"Huh, *pant*…why?" Sora asked.
"There's a weird sound coming from the orchestra. Keep going and we'll find it." Buzz yelled as he and Raven jumped closer to the toads.
"O…oh…okay. Keep *pant* me posted." Sora said, running out of breath. The two investigated every one of the players looking for the origin of the weird sound until they both came to one blue toad that was playing a large tuba horn. Buzz and Raven listen closely to confirm the noise and it indeed was coming from their suspect.
"Sounds like there's something stuck in there." Buzz said. Raven created a magical hand that reached into the horn and started searching.
"Almost…got it!" Raven said, pulling the hand back to reveal the missing green army man. She gently set him down on the ground as the Sarge came running in and over to his now recovered brother in arms.
"Corporal!" The Sarge yelled as he stopped next to his soldier. "You alright, son?" Sarge asked.
"Yes, sir." The corporal answered as Sarge helped him up.
"That's one toy found. Corporal, did you see where the other toys were taken?" Buzz asked.
"Uh…I know Hamm and I were placed in here, but I'm not sure about the aliens. I have no idea where Hamm is. Before I could even do anything, a giant hand grabbed me, and stuffed me in there. They must have taken Hamm to another location. We have to hurry!" the Corporal said, moving forward, but falling to his knees.
"Wait, Corporal. You're not fit for action." Sarge said, helping his fellow green man back to his feet.
"But Sarge…" The Corporal argued.
"Your tour is over, son. And don't worry. Our trusted allies will take over from here." Sarge said, as Buzz and Raven saluted to the two of them. "I will move the corporal to a safer location." He spoke.
"Good luck." Raven said. The two soldiers started walking off the stage but not before saluting to the still running Sora.
"Huh? Hey, what did I miss?!" Sora asked at loud.
"We found a toy! You can stop now!" Raven responded. Sora quickly jumped off the record player and let out several breaths as he fell to his knees.
"Could've…used that update sooner." Sora replied. Raven floats over to him and pats him on the back.
"Oh, you'll be okay." Raven said, making him smile at her with a sarcastic grin. Buzz then leaped next to them with a determined look on his face.
"No time to rest. Hamm still needs us." Buzz said, jumping off the stage. Sora slowly saluted in response as Raven helped him to his feet. They started looking around the room again until they suddenly heard a loud shuffling noise from somewhere.
"What was that?" Sora asked.
"Sounded like a toy house moving." Raven said as they both looked around.
"Up there! On the windowsill." Buzz said, pointing toward the window where they could see a two-story toy house shaking and rattling like something was trapped inside. All three quickly climbed up and started pulling on the house until it eventually flew open, making everyone fall to the floor. They all picked each other up from the floor to look inside the house.
"Talk about cabin fever. Thanks for the save." Hamm the piggy bank said, walking out of the now unsealed house. Buzz got up and walked over to him.
"Hamm, are you okay?" Buzz asked.
"Yeah, aside from being locked in, the accommodations were fine." Hamm said. Raven took a peek inside the house, walking in and looking around the model house when suddenly she saw one of the Angelic Amber dolls staring back at her, only this one had glowing yellow eyes and a dark aura around her. Startled, Raven quickly backed away and shot a beam of magic out through the window, making the house shake and startling the others.
"Raven, are you okay?" Sora asked as his fellow Titan ran out of the house and back to the group.
"Sora, it's-!" Raven said when suddenly Hamm yelped out in fear and backed away.
"Hamm, what is it?" Buzz asked when suddenly the Angelic Amber revealed herself fully as she stared emotionlessly at the group. Now on one her of ears was a glowing Heartless symbol.
"That's her! She's the doll that pig-penned me!" Hamm yelled.
"Hamm, take cover." Sora yelled.
"Copy that. One stay in the dread and breakfast was enough!" Hamm said, diving behind the curtains for cover.
"Not another toy possessed…" Buzz said, sadly.
"Look alive, you two!" Raven said as she readied her keyblade. Sora did the same while Buzz aimed with his laser. In response, the doll suddenly lifted high into the air and came sailing down toward them at high speeds. Everyone quickly took cover as the doll slammed into the ground feet-first with a powerful shockwave. Rolling out of the dodge, Buzz aimed and shot his laser at her, drawing the doll's attention as it floated after him. Sora and Raven were about to attack when suddenly several Marionette Heartless spawned in and took control of several toy bears and bouncy animals.
"Mind if I get your help?" Sora asked, holding his hand out.
"Sure." Raven replied, taking his hand in hers. Sora then let out a burst of energy as his clothes changed to blue and black with Raven's magic floating around him as he spun his keyblade behind him.
"I'll go back up Buzz. Think you can hold them off?" Sora asked.
"I'll do my best. Just hurry!" Raven said, blasting some of the possessed toys away, allowing Sora to dash past them and toward the Angelic Amber doll as he turned his blade into the Shooting Star keyblade that he received from Master Yen Sid and transformed it into two guns. He then aimed and fired bolts of Raven's magic at the doll, striking it in the back and making it turn to face him and away from Buzz. The doll turned toward him and flew toward him in a somersaulting motion, but Sora managed to move out of the way and regroup with Buzz as the doll crashed into a nearby display stand, making more toys scatter across the floor.
"You okay, Buzz?" Sora asked.
"Good to go." Buzz replied as the two split up and continued firing at the doll as it started spinning at them while emitting a ring of light around its body. Sora meanwhile combined both his guns into a large magic launcher and shot a giant magic projectile at the doll stunning it and allowing Buzz to leap overhead of the doll and hit it in the back of the head with a double axe punch.
Meanwhile, Raven was doing well against the Heartless reinforcements, holding them off with her shields while hovering over the bouncy toy animals as they created shockwaves every time they landed. One of the pets bounced toward her, but Raven managed to grab it with her powers and hurl it into the others like a bowling ball, taking out several others.
Back with Sora and Buzz, the Angelic Amber slammed against the ground a few times, making Buzz and Sora fall to the ground after being stunned by the resulting shockwave, allowing the doll to fly away and toward the ceiling. Buzz and Sora picked themselves off the floor as Raven flew over to them.
"You two okay?" Raven asked.
"Fine. But's she tough." Sore replied as he readied his guns.
"We've fought worse. We can take her." Raven said, reading her magic. Suddenly, the doll reared back and spun around the ceiling, cutting the supports to the display shelves up above and making the bouncy toys fall to the ground. Several Marionette Heartless appeared and flew into the toys, possessing them.
"Not more of them." Buzz said in a tired tone. The Heartless-possessed toys were about to attack when suddenly multiple throwing discs were thrown at the toys and exploded in a large blast, forcing them back as everyone turned their attention to the source. There, standing on the top of a display wall and next to a now open-air vent, was Woody, Robin, and Starfire, all three at the ready to the fight.
"Need some help, space ranger?" Woody asked with a smile.
"Perfect timing, cowboy." Buzz said in response with his smile. Suddenly, the doll released a powerful red aura as its eyes glowed brighter while the Heartless charged.
"Let's go!" Robin yelled as he, Starfire, and Woody charged.
Sora, Buzz, and Raven did the same as the group attacked the toys all at once: Robin and Starfire took on one set of toys, blasting them all into the air with her starbolts and suspending them with her fire whip, allowing Robin to finish them off with his keyblade sword and bo-staff.
Woody and Buzz dealt with the last group with the cowboy shoulder tackling the toys into the air, allowing the space ranger to juggle them in the air with precise laser shots. Woody then threw a rope around one of the Bouncy Pets and with the help of Buzz, spun it around like a wrecking ball, taking out the rest of the Heartless surrounding them.
Sora and Raven charged together at the doll as it spun around again with a powerful aura, but it was blocked by both their shields, allowing them to dive forward and stab the doll in the chest, causing it to crash against the wall.
"Yin!" Sora yelled as he charged some magic to his blade.
"And Yang!" Raven yelled as she did the same with her dark magic. They then aimed their blades at the Angelic Amber and fired a powerful beam at the doll, completely overtaking it and forcing the Marionette Heartless out and destroying it. Everyone quickly regrouped as the doll lost the red aura, glowing eyes, and the symbol as it softly fell to its feet and collapsed against the windowsill. Everyone walked up to her as they put their weapons away and let out breaths of relief.
"Looks like we got here in time." Robin replied.
"Thanks for the help." Raven said.
"How did you guys get here, though?" Sora asked.
"Through the air vents. We were locked in after an encounter with giant monster toys." Starfire replied.
"Luckily, we found Rex down there. He's at the main entrance waiting on us." Woody said.
"Good. We found Sarge's missing man and Hamm here too." Buzz replied.
"Yeah, good job bringing down that doll, guys." Hamm said.
"Well, looks like we're done here. We should go find the others." Sora said as they started walking away until Buzz stopped and looked at the non-active doll.
"Wait…what if we end up just like her? Forgetting ourselves and…attacking one another?" Buzz asked, worried.
"That's not gonna happen, Buzz." Sora said, determined.
"Yes, you are too strong to be possessed," Starfire replied.
"You can't be sure! What if I get taken over and attack you all?!" Buzz asked in an alarmed tone.
"Buzz, you're overthinking it." Robin said.
"He's right. The darkness- can only take you when your hearts falter. As long as you stay true to it, you'll never lose your heart." Sora said.
"Stay hopeful, Buzz and you'll never be lost." Raven said.
"Well, I for one, know you, Buzz. And you'll never lose heart when it comes to your friends." Woody said, with a tip of his hat and a smile on his face, bringing a smirk to the space ranger's mood.
"Too true, Woody. I'm sorry to have worried everyone." Buzz replied.
"No problem!" Woody said.
*BOOOM*
Everyone flinched in response to the sudden loud sound as an orange light flashed through the window. The group quickly climbed up the side of the window to look out the store to see the UFO ship that kidnapped everyone was now on fire and spinning/falling to the floor in a loud crash. Everyone was about to ask what caused it until they heard a celebrating whoop and they looked to see Donald and Goofy running over to the downed ship and Cyborg, Beast Boy, and the three aliens climbing off the wreckage.
"Boo-yah! Told you my cannon could take it down!" Cyborg said.
"Plus, my magic!" Donald exclaimed.
"And our help!" Beast Boy and Goofy yelled out, making Cyborg and Donald chuckle nervously.
"I believe we have found the others." Starfire said.
"Let's go check on them." Robin said as Raven unlocked the window and allowed everyone to jump out and rejoin the others.
"Hey, guys!" Sora said, running up to them first.
"Sora!" Donald and Goofy exclaimed as they ran up and tackled him in a hug.
"Hey, Spike! Did you find anybody?" Cyborg asked.
"More than we'd expected." Raven said as everyone joined them.
"Wow, either you guys were quick, or we've been on that ship for too long. Speaking of which, that thing spun way too much!" Beast Boy said, collapsing to the ground.
"We found the aliens too." Goofy said as everyone turned to see the three aliens huddled around the destroyed ship.
"We are back!" One of them yelled.
"Our ship is no more!" Another said as they started walking around in circles in confused disarray.
"Nirvana will not be reached." The last alien said as he accidentally bumped into Cyborg's leg. The Titan smiled and lifted the alien up with one hand.
"Uh, sorry we trashed your ride, little guys." Cyborg said.
"Fear not." The alien said.
"We still have our new home." Another said.
"The Chamber of Andy." The aliens all said together.
"They sure bounce back fast." Robin said.
"But they are right. This isn't where we belong. We've been here long enough. It's time we go home." Buzz said as the other toys looked down in thought.
"But wait, Xehanort told us that Andy's room isn't even the real one." Sora said.
"Can you prove that any of that nonsense is true? And even if you're right, it doesn't mean he's not somewhere in this world with us. Now I'm going home to wait. No more debate. You with me, Woody?" Buzz asked as the cowboy looked down in thought before nodding.
"Hmm…you're right, Buzz. Sorry, guys, but since we're all accounted for, we should all meet up at the entrance and head home." Woody replied as he, the aliens, and Hamm joined with Buzz.
"Alright…" Sora said, a little crestfallen at the toys wanting to go home, until Robin placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"This is for the best, Sora. They're outta their league here." Robin said while Beast Boy picked himself up.
"Still, would've been cool to have them fight with us." Beast Boy said.
"True, but the Organization and the Heartless are our problem to solve." Goofy said.
"Yeah, we can take em!" Donald said. Sora smiled and started running up to the toys, catching their attention.
"Hey, mind if we see you guys off?" Sora offered as Donald, Goofy, and the Titans caught up.
"Yeah, one last goodbye?" Beast Boy exclaimed.
"That would be great." Woody said as he adjusted his hat. Everyone nodded as they all safely made their way back to the first floor.
(Later, at the first floor)
As soon as everyone made it safely to the first floor, Woody walked up to Sarge who saluted him.
"Sarge, roll call." Woody ordered.
"Sir, yes sir! Roll call! All toys, fall in!" The Sarge ordered as all the toys lined up in order, while Buzz walked in front of them.
"Sarge…Army Men times four…Hamm…Aliens 1, 2, 3…Wait. Where's Rex?" Buzz asked, making everyone snap to attention.
"Aw, c'mon how do we lose a big, green, dinosaur?" Beast Boy asked.
"Says, the big green dinosaur we go looking for when a new game comes out." Cyborg replied.
"Touche." Beast Boy said.
"Buzz sir!" Sarge spoke up. "The dinosaur said that he wanted to find proof of Sora's innocence. He said he was heading to the video game store on the third floor." Sarge said.
"We must've just missed him." Robin replied.
"Huh, well here we go again." Buzz sighed.
"And with the Heartless out there, Rex could be in trouble." Starfire said.
"Guys, any chance you could help us one last time?" Woody asked.
"Sure!" Sora, Donald, and Goofy said.
"Thanks guys." Woody replied, tipping his hat to them. In no time at all, Sora, Donald, Goofy, the Titans, Woody, and Buzz made their way back up and to the third floor where the game store awaited them with open doors. The group walked in to see a large display at the front of the store that showed off a new game called, Verum Rex. And in the back of the store was a display that allowed customers to play demos of games. Sora took a closer look to see Rex on top of the display rummaging for something. Rex then jumped down with one of the game cases and ran up to Sora, holding it up to his face.
"Look! Look! I found it! See, Sora!" Rex said shoving the game box in his face. Sora took a close look as the others looked as well until his eyes widened in surprise, remembering the vision he had when they first arrived at the world.
'This is what I saw? A game? How is that possible?' Sora asked himself.
"Hhm, I dunno, Sora's never looked that good before." Cyborg said, while Raven lightly tapped him on the head.
"The clothes do match." Starfire said.
"He looks a little like your friend Riku, just with different eyes." Beast Boy said, inspecting it closely.
"It's almost like matchup of you two." Robin suggested.
"Ooh, now I see it." Goofy said.
"I wonder what he's like. Sora, what do you think?" Donald asked, but got no reply as the boy was too transfixed on the cover art. At least until Goofy shook him out of his spell.
"Sora! Sora!" Goofy asked, finally snapping Sora out of it.
"Huh? What?" Sora asked.
"You were somewhere else. You ok?" Raven asked.
"Yeah…was just thinking about the similarities." Sora said. Raven gave him a concerned look but let it go as Woody and Buzz walked ahead looking at a poster also about Verum Rex.
"Whaddaya know! They are video game figures. See, I told ya, Buzz. They're toys, just like the rest of us." Woody said, making Buzz look down in thought.
"Well, I suppose." Buzz said, before getting back to the matter at hand. "All right, everyone. Now that we're back together, it's time to return to Andy's room." He said, while Rex started looking through the nearby game manuals.
"Now? But can't I at least check the strategy guides? I want to know how to beat Bahamut!" Rex said, digging through all the magazines.
"Sounds like a tough boss." Cyborg whispers to Beast Boy, who nods in agreement. Buzz walks up to Rex and takes the magazine away.
"Next time, Rex. Right now, we need to go home." Buzz said. Rex lets out a sad breath, but the ranger pats him on the nose, convincing him to go with the others finally.
"Finally! Now, off to Andy's- "Cyborg said when suddenly a voice interrupted him.
"Oh, but you needn't rush off." Young Xehanort's voice said as everyone turned to see him touching down on the ground. Sora and the Titans readied their keyblades while Donald got his staff and Goofy summoned his shield.
"You!" Sora said, getting into his fighting stance.
"I have much more to observe. I can't let you leave yet." Xehanort replied.
"It's us that you want. Leave Woody and the others out of this." Sora yelled.
"You would say that champion of light. Very well, let's skip to the final stage." Xehanort said. Suddenly, a Marionette Heartless appeared behind Buzz and snuck up on him before possessing him. A dark aura soon appeared around Buzz, catching Rex's attention.
"Buzz? What's the matter?" Rex asked, confused. Buzz didn't answer as he aimed his laser at Woody's face, making the cowboy look at his friend.
"C'mon, Buzz. Quit fooling around." Woody asked, not taking the threat seriously. Buzz didn't answer again as he aimed and fired at the cowboy.
"Look out!" Goofy and Cyborg yelled as they put their shields in front of Woody, blocking the laser shots.
"I can't believe it! Buzz has been taken over?" Woody asked. Donald and the other Titans went to restrain Buzz, leaving Sora and Raven with Xehanort.
"What did you do to him?!" Sora asked, rushing forward to take a swing, but Young Xehanort teleported away in time and up to one of the display shelves.
"I thought I made it clear. I am testing the strength of their bonds. In this world, toys have hearts. And those hearts come from a powerful bond. So, what happens when those bonds are stretched to their limits? When they are worlds apart, can cloth and plastic hold onto their hearts?" Xehanort asked as Raven flew up and shot at him, but the young time traveler managed to avoid the blasts.
"All I needed was a wedge to widen the divide- someone like you to fill them with distrust and doubt. And that chasm you created can be filled with a vast amount of darkness. Witness it for yourself." Xehanort replied as he teleported back to the ground but had to teleport again to avoid another strike from an angered Sora.
"Sora!" Rex yelled out, catching the boy's attention to see the Titans struggling to hold back Buzz as he kept firing at Cyborg and Goofy's shields. Robin and Donald were holding Buzz's legs, Starfire and Rex were grabbing Buzz by the back and Beast Boy was wrapped around Buzz as a toy snake.
"Do something!" Donald yelled out.
"We cannot hold him!" Starfire exclaimed.
"On our way!" Sora said, about to charge with Raven when suddenly they were both grabbed by the wrists and restrained by Young Xehanort.
"Not this time!" Xehanort replied, casting a Stop on Raven and freezing her in place. He then created a dark ball and shot it into Sora's gut, making him fly across the room and through the demo TV.
"Sora!" Everyone yelled.
(Meanwhile, in the Verum Rex Demo)
Sora landed face first on a metal surface as he let out a groan of pain from Young Xehanort's attack. He picked himself up from the ground and he let out a gasp of shock.
"Where am I?!" Sora asked as he looked at his surroundings. He was on a large metal high rise that overlooked a large city, and he was surrounded by several Gigas Suits.
"Haven't you heard? In this world, you come from a video game. So now, you can watch my experiment from inside that screen. That is…if you manage to find a moment's rest." Young Xehanort's voice echoed across the skies as some of the Gigas suits turned on and started walking toward him. He looked to his side to see another blue unmanned suit standing next to him.
"Buzz, Woody, hold on! I'm getting out!" Sora yelled as he jumped into the Gigas suit and started shooting down the attacking bots. Once the first wave was destroyed, more suits spawned in on a glass floor. Sora smiled and shot his missiles at the floor, causing the glass to shatter and making the bots fall below onto an electric floor, destroying them. Sora flew down to the bottom floor when suddenly his suit was shot in the back, making it fall to the ground. Sora quickly moved the suit up to see a purple bot standing on a walkway as more suits spawned in.
"C'mon, keep 'em coming! I gotta hurry!" Sora exclaimed as he kept firing and punching any of the bots that got too close. But more and stronger bots kept spawning in as Sora used whatever he had at his advantage, the electric floor and exploding towers, which took out several bots at once. Eventually, all the bots were destroyed, leaving Sora by himself for a bit as his suit was smoking and burning from the damage sustained.
"Who's next?!" Sora yelled out. He then heard a noise up in the sky and he looked up to see a gold-colored Gigas Suit with a horn on its helmet flying down to the high-rise while it glowed with a golden aura.
"Let's go!" Sora yelled as he fired multiple shots at the newcomer. But the gold bot quickly moved out of the way and activated its shoulder cannons, firing a gold blast at him. Sora quickly tried to move, but the blast was too strong and too big, causing his suit to finally overload. Sora coughed from the smoke pouring into the cockpit until he noticed some energy pouring into his pocket. He quickly reached into his pocket to see his Heart binder changing its image into a large fist. Confused, Sora looked out his cockpit to see the gold bot flying closer to him.
"Together!" Sora yelled out as he gripped the Heartbinder close to his chest. Suddenly, light shot out from the charm which quickly overtook the cockpit. Meanwhile, the gold bot flew close to the downed blue Gigas suit and was about to fire on it when suddenly, the suit exploded in a burst of light, forcing the gold bot back. It looked back to see Sora now standing on the shoulders of a large giant of a digitized man. His arms and hands were the largest part of the man. He had spiky dark, brown hair, and thick eyebrows. He wore brown overalls with one strap across his right shoulder while the left was broken, a red plaid shirt with a green undershirt, and no shoes.
"I'm gonna wreck it!" The man yelled in a digitized voice.
"We will together!" Sora said as the man nodded in agreement. The bot started firing at them again, but the man created multiple digital blocks that had small cannons on them in front of him like a shield, protecting them from the projectiles. The blocks then shot out beams of light which froze the bot in place. The man suddenly rushed at the bot, sending it flying against the wall. The bot started to spark in disarray as the man placed multiple blocks around the bot again, sealing it again. The man then leaped into the air with his fist raised and smashed it against the blocks, destroying them all in a giant digital blast and destroying the bot. Sora smiled and leaped down from the man's shoulders as he let out a breath.
"Thanks, uhm…" Sora said, remembering that he didn't get the man's name.
"Ralph. The name's Wreck-it-Ralph kid." Ralph said.
"Hehe, well, you certainly live up to the name. Thanks, Ralph." Sora said.
"Anytime, kid. And call again if you need me." Ralph said as he disappeared in a digital flash of light. Sora pocketed the Heartbinder when suddenly the high-rise shook and the skies split open. Sora looked to see a vortex opening and a black raven claw reaching in.
"Looks like this is my ticket out of here." Sora said as he leaped up high enough to grab onto the claw. It soon started pulling him back in as he cast one more look at the high-rise, only to see five, silhouetted people arrive, investigating the damage done.
"Who are- "Sora asked, but was too late to see anymore as he was pulled into the vortex.
(Back in Galaxy Toys)
Raven, now free from the time spell, floated in front of the demo screen as she used her powers to reach in and find Sora as Donald, Goofy, the Titans, Woody, and the other toys stood by, with no Buzz in sight. Her powers were causing lights to shoot out and the room to shake.
"I got him!" Raven yelled. Everyone looked excited as Raven started pulling back like reeling in a fish as Sora soon emerged from the screen, none the worse for wear. Sora landed on his feet as Raven landed next to him and embraced him as the others crowded around.
"Sora!" Donald and Goofy exclaimed.
"You had us worried there, Spike." Cyborg replied.
"Dude, you were in an actual game! What was it like?!" Beast Boy asked, making everyone laugh.
"I thought I lost you there." Raven said, making Sora smile.
"I won't go away that easily." Sora replied. Everyone quieted down as Woody walked up to them.
"Y'all right, Sora?" Woody asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine and-wait, where's Buzz?" Sora asked as everyone looked down sadly.
"He vanished in that dark portal Xehanort used." Robin said.
"We do not know where he is." Starfire said.
"Oh, no…" Sora replied, looking down.
"Sora, how do we get him back?" Woody asked in a worried tone.
"I'm sorry Woody…but I'm not able to open those dark corridors." Sora said, making the cowboy look down until the green army men walked in.
"Sir, did I hear you say, 'dark corridor'?" Sarge asked.
"Yeah, Sarge. Any ideas?" Woody asked.
"It might be a long shot, but we've sighted a shadowy portal in the Kid Korral area. You can infiltrate from a window inside Babies and Toddlers. I'll head over there and get it open." Sarge replied, giving Woody a spark of hope.
"Sarge, you're a lifesaver. You guys in?" Woody asked, excited.
"Count on it. We're not leaving Buzz Lightyear in that dude's hands." Cyborg replied. Woody nodded as a sign of thanks as they walked past the other toys.
"Please promise you'll bring Buzz home." Rex said.
"With batteries included." Hamm responded.
"Journey safely." The three aliens responded.
"Don't worry. We're gonna get our friend back." Woody responded in a determined tone as everyone headed out.
(Kid Korral Section)
Everyone ran over to the play place area where Donald, Goofy, Cyborg, and Beast Boy found the corrupted UFO ship.
"Sarge said something about opening a window." Sora said, looking around, not knowing where to look.
"Up there, look." Raven said, as everyone followed her gaze to see a small window open at the top of the farthest wall that led further in. Everyone used their abilities to climb up the wall and walk through the window that led to Kids Korral, a large playground with large slides and attractions made for kids.
"The sooner we find the portal, the better. This place is tiring by itself." Raven said.
Well, let's get to looking." Goofy replied. Everyone broke into a run until Robin stopped to see the door was locked by a bunch of green blocks.
"That's strange. Locked from the inside." Robin said.
"Almost as if someone knew we'd be here." Starfire replied.
"Xehanort." Donald replied with a low growl.
"Ha, I just realized, he blocked the door…with blocks!" Beast Boy replied, laughing at the joke while everyone rolled their eyes.
"Any way we can move them?" Woody asked. Cyborg walked up to them and scanned them, testing their materials.
"Looks they some elements of metal in there. Like they're able to connect like a magnet. Let me see if I can move them." Cyborg said, activating his electromagnet.
"I'll help." Raven said. Cyborg soon ran his magnet over the blocks, making them glow green and float into the air. Raven was about to move them with her powers, but her magic was unable to affect them as they floated away.
"My powers…I can't control them." Raven replied.
"Maybe they have their own little magic." Donald said. The door suddenly swung open, giving the team a proper exit. Everyone then moved further into the room looking for the dark corridor.
"Wonder where those blocks went off to." Goofy said, curiously.
"Look, up there!" Beast Boy spoke up as he pointed at a sealed air vent high above which was brimming with darkness. Raven used her magic to try and open it, but the darkness stopped her. Beast Boy flew up as a toy bird to try and open it but again, the darkness forced him back.
"Hhm, that's two of our options. Any ideas?" Robin asked.
"Look, down at the bottom." Sora said, as everyone saw the green blocks forming into something at the bottom of the vent.
"I think those blocks are going to be our solution to this." Woody replied.
"Let us get to the building!" Starfire exclaimed as everyone got to work, looking for more blocks. Along with Cyborg's magnet, they also used the Giga Suits, which came equipped with their own tech to move the blocks. In no time at all, all the blocks were found and built themselves into a large green figure that crashed into the vent, forcing it open and giving everyone a path up.
"Uh…what is that?" Cyborg asked.
"It kinda looks like a…" Robin replied.
"…a cactus?" Sora asked.
"Not like any cactus I've ever seen." Raven said.
"I dunno, looks kinda familiar." Beast Boy asked.
"Please, why does it stand so funny?" Starfire asked.
"Looks like it's running from something." Goofy added.
Indeed, the green figure resembled a cactus, but this cactus had arms and legs, black eyes, and a wide-open black mouth, like it was scared of something. It also had three spikes on its head, and it was standing like it was running away from danger.
"Looks like the path's open. C'mon gang." Woody said as he started climbing up first. Everyone shared a glance and shrugged as they all followed the cowboy as they climbed up the green figure and into the vent, where they found the open dark corridor awaiting them.
"That's it. That's the portal Buzz walked through." Woody said.
"Everyone ready?" Sora asked.
"Yeah, let's go get our favorite space ranger back." Beast Boy answered as everyone nodded in determination. Sora looked at Woody who nodded as well while straightening his hat out. Sora nodded as well as he led the group through the portal.
(Playground Arena)
Everyone ran through the corridor to see the entire area blanketed by darkness and Buzz floating in the center of the arena with darkness seeping out of him.
"Buzz!" Woody called out. But everyone came to a stop as Young Xehanort appeared before them as toy pieces floated around them. "What do you want with my friend?" Woody asked in an angered tone.
"Look…such tremendous darkness. All because he was ripped away from the boy who cares about him most." Xehanort replied as darkness shot up from the ground around the heroes.
"Does that mean…we'll all end up like Buzz…if we don't find Andy…" Woody asked as darkness circled around him.
"No! Distance or different universes don't matter. Andy is a part of their hearts, just like my friends are parts of mine. It doesn't matter what you do, you can't rip apart those connections!" Sora yelled, making Woody gasp as he looked at the bottom of his boot to see Andy's name written on it. His eyes then drifted to the still-floating Buzz as he saw the same name written on the space ranger's foot. The cowboy's eyes narrowed in determination as Buzz floated higher into the air.
"What? 'Your friends are your power'? So very true. But if the light of friendship is a form of power…the darkness of being alone is a power…even greater. Darkness is the heart's true nature." Xehanort replied with a smirk.
"Dude…you are just nuts. Who would want to be alone forever?" Beast Boy asked.
"Yeah, you're never gonna get far all alone. You're not going to get anywhere." Cyborg replied.
"You will remain in the same place you have always ended up. You're very own prison." Starfire said, readying her starbolts.
"You may be strong. But you're alone. And together, we're always gonna be stronger than you." Robin said.
"No matter how much you think being alone is better. You will always fail." Raven said.
"That's why we always win. Because we stick together." Donald replied.
"We always have each other's back." Goofy said. Sora nodded in agreement when Woody walked forward.
"Whatever you're talking about, I don't care. Put Buzz back the way he was, then get lost!" Woody demanded.
"Or else what, toy?" Xehanort asked in a mocking tone.
"Yeah, I am a toy. And a friend." Woody said, suddenly stomping on the ground and making the darkness fizzle away. "My guess is no one's ever loved you before." Woody said, making all the Titans gasp in shock at Woody's remark as the cowboy continued. "Because you know nothing about hearts and love." Woody exclaimed as everyone joined him as the darkness was pushed back by the group.
"There are hearts all around us, trying to connect. Your 'lone darkness' only made Woody and Buzz's connection stronger than ever. That is the heart's true nature-to never, ever let go. Andy and the other toys haven't let go either, no matter what your meddling did." Sora said.
"Yeah! You can't keep us from Andy. We're going home no matter what. And Buzz is coming with us!" Woody exclaimed, as the darkness was suddenly pushed away completely, stunning Young Xehanort as a bright light erupted from Buzz, freeing him from the corruption.
"No!" Xehanort yelled in shock as he looked back at the space ranger. Sora charged at Young Xehanort and swung at him with his keyblade, but the time traveler quickly summoned his keyblade and blocked Sora's strike.
"Now, Woody!" Sora yelled. Woody ran up and used Sora as a springboard and threw out his pull string to a floating yellow block, using it as a whip to swing over to Buzz and grab him from the sky. Young Xehanort gritted his teeth and was about to go retrieve Buzz until he heard all the Titans and Donald and Goofy surround him with weapons at the ready.
"Don't even try it." Raven said, pointing her keyblade at Xehanort's neck.
"Giddy-up, partner! We gotta get this wagon train a-movin!" Woody's voice box played as his string receded back into his body. The voice box managed to awaken Buzz from his trance as he looked up to see Woody sprawled over him from their swing. Woody smiled upon seeing his friend back to normal as he collapsed to the ground.
"Woody…wait, how did I get here?" Buzz asked.
"Oh, I don't know! Maybe someone switched you to 'dark and scary' mode." Woody said.
"What? But I don't have a-"Buzz said until his face narrowed in understanding. Woody stood up and held out his hand to Buzz, making the ranger smile as he was helped up. "Thank you, Woody." Buzz replied.
"Good to have ya back, Buzz." Woody replied. Both turned their attention to the surrounded Xehanort as everyone aimed their weapons at him with Buzz's laser joining them.
"So, even empty puppets can be given strong hearts. I'll have to remember that." Xehanort replied as he still held off the bladelock with Sora.
"Remember this-our hearts will always be connected to Andy's. No matter what you do!" Buzz retorted.
"And that's something you'll never understand, because you're emptier than any toy." Woody replied.
"You might as well give up, man. You've lost. Plain and simple." Cyborg said as he aimed his sonic cannon.
"Maybe. But now I know a heart can be placed in a vessel of our choosing. As a show of thanks, I'll give you a parting gift to play with." Xehanort replied. Sora gritted his teeth and broke the blade lock and swung at Xehanort, but the young version managed to disappear in time.
"Find the hearts joined to yours." Xehanort whispered to Sora as he vanished from sight.
"What?" Sora asked but was too late to get any answers as the darkness in the area formed together in a large ball that eventually broke away to reveal a large flying saucer Heartless. It was purple with its enclosed head on top, four antennae attached to the corner pods and four spring-attached cones sticking out from the bottom. It also had a small tail on the back of it. This Heartless was called the King of Toys.
"Let's go guys!" Sora yelled as everyone charged the ship as it created a shield for the bottom half. Everyone fired their projectiles at the bottom, but the shield deflected the projectiles and made them bounce back and hit the toy houses set up in the arena.
"Aim for the top. Its head is exposed." Robin yelled as everyone jumped or flew into the air and onto the top of the saucer as everyone attacked the head of the ship. Suddenly, the vessel flipped over, making everyone fall to the ground as the King fired multiple missiles at them along with an electric shockwave. Raven created a shield to block the missiles, but the shockwave managed to hit her and Donald, making them fly through the air.
Cyborg and Goofy landed on top of the ship and were about to use their shields to bash the head in, the King released an electric blast of energy, forcing them off and making them fall to the ground.
"Ah, always…electricity!" Cyborg yelled out in anger. Meanwhile, Starfire and Beast Boy as a toy eagle charged at the King as it did the same in a spinning motion with electric energy sparking from it. The three impacted in a large shockwave, pushing most of the toys away, while Starfire and Beast Boy fell to the ground, sparks flying off their body.
Suddenly, the sky darkened as several pods spawned around the ship along with an electric ring in a circle while the toys started levitating around it in a large vortex.
"Okay, that's new!" Sora exclaimed as he and Robin looked around.
"Sora, look! The blocks!" Robin pointed as they saw several blocks that led up to the King's head. They both nodded and started climbing up until they had a clear shot with both Robin's discs and Sora's Ragnarok move, both dealing great damage to the head, causing the glass dome to crack. Suddenly, the vortex sped up and turned into a large tornado, making everyone take cover, including Buzz, Woody, and Donald.
"How are we gonna stop this?!" Buzz asked as he peeked from his cover and fired his laser at the tornado, to no effect. Woody watched the tornado move until his eyes darted to Donald, who was doing the same as Buzz.
"Hey, Donald. Can you still create any more fireworks?" Woody asked.
"Of course!" Donald replied.
"I have an idea." Woody said with a smirk. Meanwhile, Sora and the others were doing their best to avoid the tornado all while taking lucky shots at it.
"We need to think of something else." Sora said when suddenly a large explosion went off and everyone looked to see Woody and Buzz riding around a giant firework.
"Oh sweet!" Beast Boy exclaimed.
"Oh yeah, guys!" Cyborg yelled out too. Sora watched them go as he ran to catch up and took a giant leap, landing in front of Woody and Buzz.
"Mind if I hop on?!" Sora asked.
"Glad to have ya!" Woody said.
"Better hold on tight!" Buzz yelled out as the firework flew closer to the still-spinning tornado. Eventually, they maneuvered the firework into the tornado, vanishing from sight as everyone watched from outside.
"Oh, do be careful friends." Starfire said.
"They got this…. you got this." Raven said, holding her necklace. In the tornado, the winds were intense, but the three riders managed to keep the firework steady and avoid the flying toys until they saw the Heartless in the center.
"Ready?!" Woody asked.
"Go time!" Buzz said.
"Ready?! For what?!" Sora yelled. The toys smiled and grabbed Sora by the hand as they all jumped off and let the firework loose right at the Heartless, creating a large explosion. Everyone outside watched the explosion erupt from the vortex and began to worry until they saw Buzz falling gracefully to the ground with his wings out while holding Sora and Woody by the hands and dropping safely to the floor.
"Nice shot guys!" Goofy replied.
"And that landing! Perfect!" Beast Boy exclaimed.
"Thanks…just remind me not to ride with you guys again. A little warning next time?" Sora said.
"If we did, we probably would've missed." Buzz said.
"Couldn't ask for a better shot I say." Woody replied, making Sora smile and shrug in agreement.
Everyone looked back to see the tornado dissipating as the toys fell to the ground and the large Heartless was now burning with severe damage done to the hull along with the glass dome now shattered before falling to the ground in a powerful crash, eventually dissipating into nothing.
"And that's end of that." Cyborg replied.
(Later, back at the entrance to Galaxy Toys)
Everyone was finally together again as they all made their way back to the entrance of the large store.
"So, everyone's back together. Xehanort got away again too." Robin said.
"Running with his tail between his legs at least." Beast Boy said.
"And we still have the separate world situation as well." Starfire said, making Sora stop as he hung his head down.
"Sora?" Donald asked, confused.
"I'm sorry! I really wanted to get you back to the real world." Sora blurted out, making everyone turn to face him. Woody and Buzz smile at each other before addressing Sora.
"It does seem that we're trapped here." Buzz replied.
"And we'll never get home." Rex added.
"Stuck like…well…pigs." Hamm said.
"Our position is indeed fixed." Sarge spoke up.
"Oh nooo." The three aliens added in.
"Too bad we'll have to stay longer…with our new best friends." Buzz said.
"Huh?!" Everyone exclaimed together.
"B-b-bb-b-b-best friends? Huah*faints*" Beast Boy said.
"I can't believe I just heard that." Cyborg replied.
"After all the adventures we had, we're not ready to say, 'so long' so soon." Woody said, resting his elbow on Sora's shoulder as the toys cheered, making everyone smile and laugh nervously.
"Oh, we are so grateful to be welcomed as friends!" Starfire said.
"I'm sorry that I was being so stubborn earlier. Please forgive me." Buzz said with a regretful look on his face. Sora and Robin share a look as Sora takes Buzz's hand.
"No need, Buzz. We understand." Robin said.
"Yeah, you were just looking out for your friends. No problem." Sora said.
"And besides, if we do go back to the real world, we'll never see you again, right?" Woody asked.
"W-well, yeah, but…what about Andy? You all care about him so much." Raven said. Buzz walked up to her with a smile on his face.
"And he's still right here with us. I'm hopeful that all will work out in the end." Buzz said, making her smile a little.
"And if we follow our hearts, we'll find him again." Woody said, placing an arm around Sora's shoulders and smiling at him.
"Right!" Sora said with his own smile.
"So, Sora, are you and everyone else going after that black hooded guy?" Rex asked and Robin answered with a nod of his head.
"Something tells me we can't join you on that mission." Buzz said.
"I really wish you guys could." Beast Boy said.
"That's okay…because you've all become part of our hearts. So, we'll become a part of yours, to be with you every step of the way." Woody said. Sora smiled as he and everyone ran to join up with the toys, with Woody and Sora sharing a side-hug.
"Thanks everyone!" Sora said.
"Now, off you go. To infinity and beyond!" Buzz said, pointing up to the skies as the lights of the store started turning off, making them look like shining stars in the night sky.
First off! I am so sorry this took so long everybody! I had a lot of setbacks plus a technical issue that needed to be solved immediately! Anyway, I hope you all are taking care of yourselves and that May treats you all well as June comes around! Jeez, June already…where does the time go? I also hope you all enjoyed the Titans inclusion in the Toy Story world. Now, on with the reviews:
NinjaFang1331: Thanks, glad you're enjoying it. And I hope you enjoyed this chapter too.
XenoBlaze: I know right? We all hate them!
Cman6465: You know it, my friend.
Althea Sirius: As was mine. I hope you enjoyed my take on their world. And yes, Riku and Mickey become the detectives to KH.
3bodyjaa: Thanks, hopefully you enjoyed this chapter too.
The Disquieting One: That's fair. Hopefully you give it a good read soon.
D.J. Scales: Thanks! Glad you're enjoying the story so far.
Before I end the chapter, I just want to give a big shoutout to my friend, The Ultra Bloodedge, who has helped me out with new ideas and other things for the story while I help him where I can. So, thank you, Ultra for all the help. Hopefully, I continue to help you out as much as I can. I hope you all are staying safe and sound and that you're all taking care of yourselves and loved ones. If you all enjoyed my story and want to see more, please favor and follow to stay up to date on new chapters. If you have any personal ideas or opinions, please PM or leave a review so I can get back to you ASAP. With that said, please enjoy and I'll see you all in the next chapter. Peace!
