Sora was dreading the ride back to the Gesellschaft. All the while, he was trying to think of a way to explain the Keyblade to Tron without actually telling her the full truth! On top of that, he couldn't ask Donald and Goofy to help since Tron could hear them within the Drache. So, he had to think of it himself. All he could come up with is that the Keyblade is some sort of super hi-tech weapon of some sort. He just didn't imagine Tron would buy it. Or, worse, she'd want to try and take it apart to see what made it work!
The Servbots chatted amongst themselves, complimenting each other along with Sora, Donald, and Goofy on a job well done. They didn't seem as interested in the Keyblade as Tron was, which was good, Sora didn't want them trying to pick his brains over it. Despite how robots were usually depicted in movies and books that Sora read, the Servbots didn't seem particularly smart…
Before long, the Gesellschaft was in view on the monitor, first as a green pixel, but eventually its full size came into view as the Drache approached. As this happened, Tron's voice came over the communications. "Sora, Donald, Goofy! You three meet me at HQ, got it? I've got some questions that you're going to answer about that strange key!" There was a pause. "Oh, and the scouts came back, and they couldn't find anything out."
Sora silently winced and nodded. It was bad enough Tron wasn't going to let this go, but no information about the Keyhole just made it worse. "Got it, Tron, we'll be there." He replied, holding back a sigh. Sora didn't know why this was stressing him out so much! For some reason, anxiety just kept building in his gut and wouldn't settle down. Maybe this journey is just frying his nerves, and he hadn't fully noticed until this point…
The brunette tried to calm himself with some deep breaths, Donald and Goofy not seeming to notice his discomfort as the Drache flew through the air. Thankfully, he was able to settle his nerves a bit by the time the small ship reached the Gesellschaft. After arriving at the hangar, the Servbots departed the Drache and went to their various posts as #20 took the trio back to the HQ area of the ship. It was bustling like before, with Tron waiting for them.
"We got a pretty good haul there!" Tron announced, seeming very proud for someone that didn't exactly participate. "Now you're gonna answer some questions about that key thing you've got."
Sora sighed through his nose a bit as he summoned the weapon. Something told him just refusing would get Tron angry and uncooperative, so he felt he had to go with it. "So, what do you want to know?"
"Uh, Sora, ya sure about this…?" Goofy asked, not wanting Sora to say anything about other worlds or what the Keyhole really is to Tron. Finding out that worlds have hearts would raise a lot of questions with most people, for one thing.
"I just want to know what the heck this thing is!" Tron demanded, leaning in to look the Keyblade over. "I've never seen technology like this before! It has to be some sort of tech, that weird squid girl just showed up out of nowhere! Now, where did you get it?"
Sora was at a loss for how to answer, glancing at Donald and Goofy for help, but they seemed satisfied in letting him handle it. "I don't really understand it myself…it's not like I made it or anything. It was given to me." That was sort of true, at least. "I don't know who the guy was, though."
Tron's eyes darted up to meet Sora's, glaring lightly. "And that's it? You do all these weird things and that's the explanation I'm supposed to buy?!" She stood up straight, her glare getting more severe. "How am I supposed to trust you if you won't be honest?!"
"Hey, we're helping you out, aren't we?!" Donald demanded, getting between Tron and Sora. "We're trying to get your brothers back, how could you not trust us?! You just want to use the Keyblade to build weapons or something, don't you?!"
"Well, of course I do! It's technology like I've never seen!" Tron snapped back, but then her glare softened as she crossed her arms. "…But you are helping me…that's true. We're pretty close to paying off the interest…I think just one more trip should do it."
Goofy stepped in, his tone far softer than Donald's. "I get ya want to take the Keyblade apart and all, but we just can't let ya. Ya just gotta trust us and leave it be while we focus on your brothers!"
Tron huffed, clearly not used to being talked back to when she wanted her way. "…Fine. This won't be the end of it."
"Uh, hey…I know this is a bad time, but can you send your scouts out again?" Sora asked as he dismissed the Keyblade. "We're also looking for our friends. Kairi and Mickey…they might also be around here." He decided not to mention Mickey was a king, he felt like that'd be an issue given Tron being a pirate. For all he knew, she'd want to hold him for ransom or something.
She huffed again, really seeming like she was going to say no…but then she sighed. "Alright, alright. I guess since you guys did pretty well, I can do that for you."
Sora flashed Tron a grin. "Oh, thanks! We really appreciate it! You're the best, Tron!" He wasn't even positive she'd find anything, but the fact that she was willing to try was all that mattered.
Tron seemed surprised at his gratitude, clearing her throat and glancing away. "Y…Yeah. Whatever. Look, just tell me what they're like, okay?"
Sora, Donald, and Goofy did just that, describing their friends to Tron. Donald and Goofy followed Sora's logic and left out the part that Mickey is a king, not sure how she'd respond to that. Tron told them she'd send some scouts out and for them to go to the cafeteria while she prepares for their next outing.
#20 once more took the outsiders around the Gesellschaft and they soon found themselves in a cafeteria. It was a pretty standard looking one, with numerous Servbots eating and a few more of them doing the cooking. The three found it odd that the robots even needed to eat. Was it just performative or did the food actually fuel them somehow? Sora, Donald, and Goofy grabbed some meals. Sora got some spaghetti, Donald had an omelette, and Goofy got a burger with some fries. They somewhat awkwardly sat at an empty table, not sure where else they should go.
It wasn't long before a Servbot joined them, having some curry rice on a plate. "Hello! You're the three helping Miss Tron, right? I'm #40!" The Servbot greeted with a little wave.
"Hey there." Sora greeted as he started to work on his food. "Yeah, we're trying to get money for her. She's really going through a lot of effort for her brothers, huh?" Not that she seemed the type to just leave family behind, but she was different from the pirates he read about growing up and imagined during his time playing with friends.
"Oh, of course, she really cares about them! And all of us, too!" #40 declared, generally gesturing to the other Servbots in the room. "She can be strict, but she loves us, and we love her back!"
Love, huh? Sora wondered about that. The Servbots were clearly more than just robots, their personalities made that clear. If they actually loved Tron, though…did that mean that even they could have hearts? You had to have one to love, that much had to be true. Maybe Tron made them with love, and that in turn gave them hearts! It'd explain why the Heartless went after them. It made Sora what else could have hearts if even robots could…
"Sounds real nice. It's important ya all look out for each other!" Goofy proclaimed with a nod. "Like Sora and Donald and me! We're all helpin' out and keepin' the other two safe!"
The meal went by fine after that, #40 asking for details on the trip to the caves, which the three answered. As they were finishing off their food, Tron's voice came from a loudspeaker. "Sora! Donald! Goofy! Meet me back at HQ! We're going out for another job!"
#40 volunteered to lead the three back to HQ, which they thanked him for. As they arrived, Tron was waiting for them, a grin on her face. "So, are we hunting for more treasure?" Donald asked as they went up to the teen scientist. The mage was secretly wondering about how he could maybe pocket some of that zenny this time. It had to be worth something off of this world…right?
"That's right! We're going to a place called the Nakkai Ruins and looking for a treasure called Diana's Tear. We've been there before, but haven't found the treasure yet." Tron explained with a wide grin. "If that treasure is real and is worth as much as everyone says…we'll have enough to pay off the interest easily!"
Sora was glad they were going after a treasure like this instead of robbing a bank or something, and this seemed like the last job! Granted, he knew once he left this world, Tron and her brothers would probably steal from people again, and he wasn't sure how to really feel about that or handle it! For now, he was just going to go along with it. "Are you going to come with us this time?"
Tron smirked. "What, the dig too tough for you?" She teased, almost in a good-natured way. "I'll be coming in the Gustaff, don't worry. The ruins are big enough for me to use the mech. There'll probably be a huge Reaverbot guarding the treasure, so be ready!"
"Will there be other people there?" Goofy asked, remembering how unusually crowded the tunnels were from their last mission.
"There weren't any last time, so I doubt it." Tron informed with a satisfied look. "It's in a desert, so we should get it all to ourselves! Most people around here won't be equipped to fly there like we can!"
With that, things were settled. Tron had #40 lead the trio back to the hangar once more as she prepped the Gustaff. In the Drache, it was Sora, Donald, and Goofy with six Servbots and another one piloting the airship. #1, #4, #21, #29 #33, and #40 were on the mission with them. Not that the trio could tell any of the Servbots apart, of course.
As the ship took off, it went and picked Tron up in her Gustaff as the group went off to the ruins. "Were there any Heartless the last time you went there?" Sora asked as the Gesellschaft shrank away in the distance. "And did you clear out the Reaverbots already?"
"Yeah, those weird creatures were all over the place! And the thing with Reaverbots is if you don't scrap them and take them with you, they just get fixed up!" Tron explained over the intercom. "People think there are little secret entrances where fixer Reaverbots come out and repair the damaged ones. Basically, we'll have to deal with a lot of Reaverbots too, and probably a huge one that's guarding Diana's Tear!"
Sora had to wonder who left the treasure behind, only to have robots guard it. He wasn't sure if plundering an old ruin was okay…but he figured those that left it behind were no longer around, so it wasn't harming anyone. The rest of the ride went in relative silence, the Servbots chatting amongst themselves, but talking about things like swapping comic books or how delicious their lunch was. On the Drache's monitor, Ryship Island got closer and closer, with the ship heading to a desert on the western side of the island, just like Tron said earlier.
The ruins themselves weren't much to look at. Some fallen pillars in the sand, and in one of the cliffs of the rocky area was a manmade opening delving deep into the cliff. As the Drache approached, Tron dropped off from the bottom as Sora, Donald, Goofy, and the Servbots leapt out from the ship and onto the sand. The dry, hot air hit the outsider trio like a slap to the face and they were already desperate to enter the dangerous ruins.
"I'll be waiting out here for you, everyone!" The pilot Servbot called out from an intercom system. "Good luck everybody! Get lots of treasure!"
The group entered the ruins, it feeling somewhat cool inside and away from the open desert. Like at the bank, the Servbots surrounded Tron's mech, as if to both protect her and be close enough to easily be protected in case of danger. The ruin interiors were lit by electrical lights, the modern technology clashing with the ancient and crumbling stone. It was almost hard for Sora, Donald, and Goofy to imagine robots being in a place like this, it seemed far too old for such things.
They were quickly proven wrong, though. Starting out in a large, open room, Tron led them into another room where the floor gave way to sand. Out of the sand popped snake-like Reaverbots, Nakels, with the signature red eyes of Reaverbots placed in their gaping maws. Half a dozen of the mechanical monsters lunged at the group. Tron dashed in front of her kids, letting one of the Reaverbots bite the arm of the Gustaff, its metal jaws, though powerful, unable to pierce the mech.
With a mighty punch from the Gustaff's free arm, the Nakel was obliterated, its body tearing away from its head. Tron then tore the head from the Gustaff's limb and threw it at one of the other Reaverbots. The Servbots entered the fray too, throwing bombs and even flinging themselves at the Reaverbots. While they got bitten or swiped away by robotic tails, they still didn't seem to incur and actual damage.
Sora and Donald focused on aiding from afar, Fire and Thunder spells helping to dispatch the Nakel and the reinforcements that emerged from the sand. Goofy, meanwhile, ran forward with his shield, knocking Reaverbots back before it could lunge at Sora and Donald with strong, swift parries. Before long, the sandy floor was covered in scrapped parts and leaking oil. Sora couldn't help but wonder if it looked like blood and guts to the Servbots, though the tiny yellow men hardly seemed concerned with it.
Unlike the tunnels from the previous outing, there were no puzzles to clear or branching pathways to worry about. Tron mentioned she had been there before and cleared a lot of things out beforehand, and needed a more powerful gun to get through a suspicious looking wall she figures will lead to Diana's Tear. Along the way, more Reaverbots appeared, as well as Heartless. It was mostly the small-fry Heartless like Shadows and Soldiers, no doubt only the weaker ones with so few hearts in this part of the island. They were dispatched quickly, as well as another type of Reaverbot that was essentially a cylinder on legs, Habarools.
Eventually, the group found a wall with a crack in it, Tron telling them to stand back as she readied her cannon arm and pointed it right at the center of the crack. She shot at the weakened wall, the structure crumbling and falling instantly in a small explosion, rubble and dust falling all over. On the other side of the wall was a rather startling sight!
A room was opened up that held little else but a large Reaverbot that resembled a hippopotamus mixed with a frog of some sort. It seemed to mostly be a head with limbs, the rest of the body either nonexistent or buried within the sand nearby. Unlike most of the Reaverbots the group saw, it didn't have large, red eyes, its sockets seeming empty and mostly for decoration. The massive, sturdy looking entity, the Hippulbash, whirred and seemed to power on to life as it detected there were intruders nearby.
"That's gotta be the Reaverbot guarding the treasure!" Tron exclaimed, getting her cannon arm ready again. "Let's take it down!" Without hesitation, she opened fire on the sturdy-looking Reaverbot, pelting it with blasts that all hit dead center, but didn't seem to actually do anything. The six Servbots joined in, tossing small bombs while Sora and Donald unleashed Fira and Thundara spells. The Hippulbash was so large and stuck in place that all the attacks hit it without issue.
That wasn't the problem, though, hitting it was the easy part. As the smoke cleared, the group saw there wasn't so much as a scratch or a dent in the machine's outer shell! Sora and Donald were surprised that even their Thunder magic did so little. "Well this isn't good…" Goofy remarked, not even sure if he should try attacking at this point. If all that didn't leave a dent, what could his shield do?
Before anyone could formulate a new plan of attack, the Hippulbash opened its hands, and small orbs with red, Reaverbot eyes popped out and started to float toward the group. "Those don't look friendly, keep away from them!" Tron ordered as she backpedaled away from the orbs. More spawned from the Hippulbash, spreading out and going for everyone.
Sora, thinking he was doing well with striking first, jumped and smacked at one of the orbs with his Keyblade. The second he made contact, though, it exploded, sending him flying back as he cried out in pain. If it wasn't for the barrier he had, it would've been pretty severe!
Learning from Sora's misfortune, the rest knew how to act. Goofy threw his shield at one of the other orbs as Donald shot out Fire spells at some of the others. Tron and the Servbots shot at more of the floating explosives with the Servbots throwing their bombs at the kamikaze Reaverbot spawn. It seemed that the giant Reaverbot itself couldn't attack on its own or perhaps saw no need to as long as it could summon its minions.
As Sora got to his feet, he already felt like he needed to use a summon to help! Nothing they were throwing at the massive robot seemed to so much as scratch it, after all. He went over his options, relying on his team to keep the explosive orbs at bay. Woomy…she didn't ever use any weapons that made him think she could harm something like the Hippulbash. Gash…his thunder abilities were powerful, but it seemed like the Reaverbot may be immune to such attacks!
Really, this just left Bobobo…who fought with his nose hairs. Sora wasn't sure if he could do a thing to help them, but maybe he had some other ability he hadn't mentioned! If it came to it, the group would just have to think of another strategy if Bobobo couldn't properly help out. Hoping that this would work, Sora gathered his magic and focused it on the odd man's summoning gem!
Thankfully, nothing came out of Sora's nose this time…but at the same time, no one appeared at all. For a second, he wondered if he had done something wrong. At this time, the Hippulbash stopped summoning its orbs, perhaps needing to reload as the group talked over how to take the Reaverbot down, not noticing what Sora was up to. Without warning, though, there was a shaking from beneath them, worrying everyone.
"What is it, another Reaverbot?!" Donald demanded, looking to Tron for guidance. He readied his staff, just in case, but wasn't sure where to aim his next spell. "Might be a Heartless…?" The mage mumbled to himself.
"I…I mean maybe!" Tron declared, not seeming so sure. "Or maybe it's the tail or something from this one here! Just be ready!"
After a moment, the shaking stopped. No one moved, everyone ready to strike out at the assured danger that was going to appear. What popped out of the floor wasn't a Reaverbot, an appendage, or even a Heartless. No, it was Bobobo, who came from the ground, bursting through the stone floor with a yell, startling everyone. "What's the big idea?!" He screamed out, seeming upset. Looking closer, they saw he was wearing what seemed to be large gloves fashioned like the claws of a mole, with a mole-nose costume prop over his face. "Who called me up here?!"
"What the heck, who is that guy?!" Tron yelled out, pointing her arm cannon at Bobobo, as if on reflex. "Was there someone really underneath us?!"
"Hey! Hold on a minute, Tron, he's with us!" Goofy exclaimed, stepping between the cannon and Bobobo. "It's…kinda hard to explain, but he's on our side!"
Tron hesitated for a moment, then lowered her cannon arm. "…You'll explain all of this weird stuff to me when this is over. This I can promise you!"
Bobobo, his lower half still in the floor, tapped one of his gloved hands on the floor, glaring about the room. "Alright, which one of you disturbed me?"
Sora had no idea what was going on! Why did Bobobo seem so upset? Shouldn't he know what was going on? "Uh…Well, I did. We need your help, Bobobo."
The afro-bearing man turned to Sora. Despite his shades, it was somehow clear that his glare intensified. "Well, well. A confession." He replied coldly. "I'm just a mole trying to live his life, you know? Don't you know moles are very sensitive to sound? It's how we get around, by using our ears!"
"I don't think that's true…" #4 murmured awkwardly, but Bobobo either ignored him or, ironically, didn't even hear him.
Sora was pretty sure that was inaccurate too, but chose not to comment on it. "Well, hey, I'm sorry, alright? But we're facing this giant Reaverbot, and we need your help!" He just hoped Bobobo was actually able to do so! Could he do anything to pierce its tough exterior?
Bobobo glanced past everyone and at the Hippulbash and hummed in thought. With a smirk, he pulled himself from the ground fully, pulling off the mole accessories and carelessly tossing them away. "You've got it! I'll show that big metal pile of trash what I can do!"
"Can we really trust this guy? Is he that strong?" Tron asked Goofy, not even trying to keep her voice down. "He doesn't seem reliable…"
Goofy wished he could give a clear answer. If his heart survived the end of his world, then he had to be strong…right? "…I think so." Was all the knight could bring himself to say.
Bobobo walked over to Hippulbash, who began to summon its Reaverbot orbs again. The man practically gave a visible aura of confidence as he approached the numerous orbs, all of them homing in on him alone. "Alright, let's see what-" The man began, but was interrupted as all the orbs hit him at once, a large explosion enveloping him. When the smoke cleared, he was flat on his back, singed with smoke rising off of his body.
"Wait, he went down that fast?!" Donald exclaimed, not even sure if he should waste a Cure on Bobobo or not. It didn't seem like he was mortally injured, but…
#1 went over to Bobobo, running to his side. "Sir! Are you alright?!" The Servbot asked, seeming to be in an anxious panic at Bobobo's state. "Please get up, before it sends more bombs at you!"
Bobobo weakly reached up, grasping onto #1's hand. "You…You gotta promise me…" He murmured, barely seeming to be able to speak.
"P-Promise…? Promise you what?" The Servbot asked, sounding like he was about to burst out sobbing. "What do you need, sir?"
"Just promise me, Little Johnny, that you'll keep practicing your baseball skills…" Bobobo gasped out, seeming to grow weaker at each moment. "Don't stop until you make it to the Big Leagues!"
Tears started to stream down #1's face as he gave a vigorous nod. "I promise! I'll make you proud!" He yelled out, practically shaking because he was crying so hard as Bobobo's hand dropped.
"#1, get away from that guy. You don't even know him." Tron ordered, her tone flat and not seeming to care about Bobobo at all.
Sora couldn't believe this! He raised his Keyblade, ready to cure Bobobo when he felt a hand on his shoulder. The teen looked to see it was…Bobobo behind him?! "Don't bother. He's out of your help." The second Bobobo ordered. "He wasn't even real to begin with."
Everyone turned to see that the first Bobobo was just a lifelike doll, some stuffing even coming out of its stomach. "Wait, how did that even happen?!" Donald exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at the real Bobobo.
The afro-bearing man didn't respond, approaching the Hippulbash again, but this time long nose hairs sprouted from his nostrils. "Eugh! What the heck?! Is that…hair?!" Tron exclaimed, taking a step back in disgust despite being in a mech. "Where do you keep finding these weirdos?!"
As Bobobo got close, the Hippulbash attempted to open its hands to summon its bomb Reaverbots again, but the two nose hairs shot out and wrapped around the hands, forcing them shut as the Reaverbot struggled against Bobobo's unique fighting style. "Nice try! Now face my nose hair power!" Three more nose hairs extended out of each of Bobobo's nostrils, shooting out at the Hippulbash! They whipped and struck at the Reaverbot…but nothing seemed to happen. Bobobo's attack wasn't able to pierce its armor!
Sora was quickly beginning to regret bringing Bobobo out. This wasn't working at all! "Bobobo, isn't there anything else you can do…?" He asked, hoping the man had some sort of power he just hadn't used yet.
At that moment, Bobobo let go of the Hippulbash's hands, retracting his nose hairs. "It's too tough, my nose hairs can't get through! What are we gonna do?" He began to fidget, spinning in place. "What are we gonna do? What are we gonna do? What are we gonna do?" Bobobo kept repeating, spinning faster each time.
Everyone stared at the unusual display of Bobobo's and then all yelled out in surprise as a miniature tornado, almost like an Aero spell, formed around the man. "Hey, what the heck?!" Donald called out as everyone started to back away from Bobobo. The man just kept spinning, the winds getting stronger, and then #21 and #33 got sucked in, both the Servbots calling out for Tron.
"Okay, that's it! I don't care if he's your friend, he's messing with my kids!" Tron screamed, aiming her cannon at Bobobo and firing before anyone could stop her. The projectile got caught up in the tornado and was flung to a far corner of the room.
Before anyone else could do anything, Bobobo suddenly stopped his spinning, the tornado vanishing. As this happened, the two Servbots were sent flying, right towards the Hippulbash! The poor robots each went into one of its nostrils. This caused the large Reaverbot to start shaking and twitching, a loud whirring sound filling the room. After a few seconds, the Hippulbash's mouth opened up, revealing there wasn't much to its insides, at least from the mouth. It ended very quickly, revealing its red Reaverbot eye staring back at them!
"It's weakness! Attackin' that oughta stop it!" Goofy exclaimed before turning to look at Bobobo. "How'd ya figure that out, Bobobo?"
The afro-bearing man smirked, adjusting his shades in a cool way. "I'm just so smart that I scare myself sometimes." He bragged.
"You did it by accident, didn't you?" Donald asked with a roll of the eyes. He had no idea what to make of Bobobo. The guy was crazy, and he had odd powers. Honestly, Donald wasn't sure Sora should summon him again. Maybe he'd have a talk with him about it later.
"I guess I can overlook it, as long as my kids are okay…" Tron piped up begrudgingly. "Now stop talking and fire away!" Without waiting, she started to fire into the Reaverbot's mouth, actually doing damage this time. The four Servbots by her followed suit, tossing bombs into the Hippulbash's mouth and hitting its eyes. Sora and Donald backed them up with Fira and Thundara spells. Even Bobobo chipped in, having a rocket launcher that he pulled from his afro that really did a lot of damage to the Hippulbash.
The robot snapped its mouth closed, huffing out through its nose and sending #21 and #33 out, the Servbots hitting the floor in a daze. It was too late, though. Sparks started to fly from its body, as well as smoke, as the Hippulbash began to shake. "Run! That thing's gonna blow!" Donald yelled out, causing everyone to flee to the next room as an explosion rang out from behind them that practically shook the foundation of the ruins.
Slowly, carefully, the group went back and looked into the room where the Reaverbot was, and saw it was entirely scrapped. It was blown apart, and a metal hatch on the floor was revealed. "That's gotta be where the treasure is!" Tron exclaimed, rushing over as she began to pry the hatch away with the Gustaff, though it was taking a bit of time.
While she was busy with that, Sora looked over at Bobobo, who looked on with almost apathy. "Hey, thanks for helping us out, Bobobo." The teen said, feeling a bit bad for his regret of summoning the man. "I don't know if we would've figured that out without you."
Bobobo grinned, giving Sora a thumbs up. "All a part of my plan!" He bragged, getting a skeptical look from Donald. "I've gotta get going now, remember to respect moles from now on, okay? That's the real lesson here."
Sora decided not to even argue and nodded. "I will, don't worry." He still couldn't get a reading on Bobobo, and he wondered what his world was like. With those words, Bobobo simply faded away, returning to his summoning gem.
"What a weirdo…I don't believe he planned that at all…" Donald murmured, and he was about to warn Sora not to summon Bobobo anymore when Tron yelled out.
"It's here! I've got it, and it's huge!" The woman cried out. Sora, Donald, and Goofy turned to see her holding up a massive green gem in the shape of a tear. "It's Diana's Tear! It was real! Oh, this is more than enough to pay off that Loath creep!"
The Servbots jumped up and down, cheering and clapping as Tron showed off the treasure, the large gem sparkling heavily. "Good job, Miss Tron!" #40 exclaimed. "Now we can get Master Bon and Master Teisel back!"
"We're happy for ya too, Tron!" Goofy added as he, Sora, and Donald walked over to the pirates. "That tear thingy sure is pretty!"
Donald eyed Diana's Tear, knowing Uncle Scrooge would go gaga over something like that. And they didn't find any of those other crystals, the smaller ones! "Maybe next time…" The mage murmured, no one hearing him.
"I'm not even gonna ask about that afro guy." Tron declared as the high of the victory started to wear off. "Let's get out of here and back to the Gesellschaft. I'll get everything together and go to Loath."
"You sure you don't want us coming with you?" Sora asked. "What if he tries something? We should be there just in case!" While he knew very little about Loath, it was clear he was a pretty terrible guy. Who knew what he'd try to pull?
Tron shook her, or rather the Gustaff's, head. "I don't know what he'll think if I bring some backup along. He'll probably think I'll be trying something myself and probably wouldn't even let me in his office! Trust me, I'll go it alone."
Sora had a bad feeling about that, but it was Tron's decision, in the end. "Alright. Well, we'll just hope it goes well, then." With that, the group made their way out of the ruins and back to the Drache. The ride back to the Gesellschaft was noisy, the Servbots all celebrating and yelling out in joy at the successful mission.
Once everyone got back to the main ship, Tron met up with Sora, Donald, and Goofy at the HQ room again. "Okay, you three…look…" She started, sighing and crossing her arms. "I know we got off on the wrong foot, but…I appreciate what you three have done for me. So…thanks."
Sora grinned, placing a friendly hand on Tron's shoulder. "Hey, we're happy to help! We just wanted to help you get your brothers back!" As he spoke, he had an odd, minor pain in his chest which he couldn't explain.
Tron's eyes widened at the touch, a faint red blush appearing on her face, so faint in fact that Sora didn't even notice. She cleared her throat, glancing at her hand like she was checking her nails…despite wearing gloves. "Yeah…well…whatever." She blurted out. "Uh, hey, the scouts came back, and they couldn't find anything about those friends of yours."
Taking his hand back, Sora frowned. He wasn't too terribly surprised, it seemed like nothing they did helped them find Kairi or King Mickey. "Oh…well, thanks for trying. Anything we should do while you're gone? We'll wait for you, just in case something happens with that Loath guy."
Tron scoffed. "You're just so nosy, huh?" She dismissed, yet something in her tone was almost happy. "Fine, I guess you can stay. I'm sure Teisel will want to thank you anyway. Just go wait in the cafeteria, alright?"
"Ya got it, Tron!" Goofy replied as the pirate went off to somewhere else on the ship to prepare for departure. "Kind of a shame she couldn't find our friends…" He murmured sadly.
"Ki- I mean Mickey, has to be out there somewhere!" Donald responded, eyeing the Servbots as he nearly let Mickey's royal status slip. "Now let's get something to eat, I'm starving!"
Asking one of the nearby Servbots to lead them to the cafeteria, the three sat down and ate again, even getting the same meals. The room was abuzz with conversation, the Servbots clearly all knowing they have the funds to save their leaders. Sora had no doubts that the little guys had hearts, they so clearly cared for Tron, Teisel, and Bon. He just wondered if Tron even knew they had hearts or not…
Without warning, an alarm went off over a loudspeaker, and a Servbot's voice called out to, presumably, every room in the ship. "Attention, everyone! Horrible news! Miss Tron has been kidnapped by Mr. Loath! We're executing Plan OO24, one of us will lead the charge to rescue her! Everyone report to HQ!"
"Kidnapped?! Oh, geez, we have to go and help her!" Sora declared, shooting to his feet. Donald and Goofy were right behind him as the three followed the horde of panicking Servbots to HQ. In there, all the Servbots were gathered, some of them crying, and all of them openly worried. There were 37 of them, notably, with it seeming that Tron took a few with her to see Loath..
A Servbot stood high above everyone at the top of the room. "Everyone! Please! We need some volunteers to help with the rescue!" He declared. "I'll pilot the Gustaff, but I need some of us to go with me!"
It seemed, as worried as the Servbots were, a lot of them didn't have the courage to step forward. The fear in their hearts was stopping them from volunteering. So, Sora decided to go first. "I know I'm not really a member of this crew, but Tron's my friend, and I want to go!" The teen announced.
"Yeah, and Donald and I are gonna go with him!" Goofy announced, stepping forward and standing tall. "Can't let someone mess with our friends!"
"That's right!" Donald exclaimed, brandishing his staff. "We'll get her back, and her brothers too!" He was still a bit iffy about Tron, but he couldn't just sit around and do nothing!
This seemed to rouse something in the Servbots, their terror starting to turn around as they watched the three outsiders volunteer for the job. In fact, fifteen of them quickly stepped forward, and it became a bit of an argument as to who was most qualified to go. In the end, a decision managed to be made. The leader was #1, and six other Servbots would go with the group. #3, #12, #22, #29, #36, and #40 were selected.
The group went to the Drache at the hanger as #1 went to get the Gustaff, and #17 was piloting once more. It was odd, Sora and the others sort of started to be able to tell the difference between the Servbots. Not perfectly, but there was just these small touches between them that let the trio get a general idea of who was who.
As the Drache lifted off, picking up the Gustaff on the way, Sora leaned in to talk to #17. "So, where are we going exactly? Where is this Loath guy?"
"We have the coordinates! There are some ruins he owns. I was there when #1 got the transmission." The piloting Servbot explained. "Mr. Loath is trying to activate this really big Reaverbot called The Colossus! Apparently it's in these ruins…"
"More Reaverbots?" Donald asked in an exasperated tone. "They're such a pain with those metal bodies! I'd rather just fight the Heartless…"
The ride was tense, the Servbots a bit less courageous than before, but all of them willing to go and help their creator, their mother. #17 took the group to the sites of a ruin nestled into a mountain, a lavish mansion was nearby that probably belonged to Lex Loath.
As everyone got out of the Drache, #17 talked to them over the loudspeaker. "I'll be waiting for you here, and I'll call the Gesellschaft to this location, just in case! Good luck, everyone!"
"Thank you, #17!" #1 called, the Gustaff pumping its arms in anticipation. "Come on, everyone, let's go get Miss Tron!" With that, the six other Servbots cheered as they, Sora, Donald, and Goofy rushed into the ruins.
The hallways were large and empty, a lot of the ways forward seemed to be dug haphazardly, as if by recent Diggers who had no time to be careful and respectful. It didn't take long before they ran into trouble, though. In one room, they encountered more of those Birdbots, driving miniature bulldozers. There were others in mechs, Pinguino, that were about the side of the Gustaff and resembled birds, complete with wings.
Thankfully, the Birdbots weren't too tough to take out. The ones in the bulldozers had no covering, so Sora was able to just leap on top of the machines, swiping the robots away with his Keyblade. The Gustaff was able to tussle with the Pinguino mechs, Donald using his Thunder spells to stun them and Goofy able to make them teeter over with his shield bash. Of course, the other Servbots aided as well, belting Birdbots with their bombs.
Heartless appeared as well, Large Bodies and Driller Moles being the most abundant types. They appeared in waves, the Large Bodies' large stomachs deflecting the bombs that the Servbots threw or slamming into Goofy and knocking him away. The Driller Moles rammed into Sora and Donald, only the barriers from Dr. Orpheus keeping them from maintaining fatal injuries as the drills hit their stomachs. They certainly left nasty bruises, though. In the end, though, the Heartless were dealt with as the group went on.
Before too long, #1 following a tracker in the Gustaff, the group found their way to a holding cell. "Miss Tron must be in here!" The lead Servbot declared. He used the mech to grab the door, and in one motion, ripped it from its hinges as he tossed it aside.
Inside was Tron, three Servbots, and two unusual figures. One was a man that stood tall, Tron herself only going to his chest. His clothing was odd, all of it metal, as though he were some sort of cyborg, though it was hard to tell. At the very least, his eyes were inorganic, being red and glassy, and he had wild, white hair in a cone shape sprouting from the back of his head. The other stranger was even more of a robot than the first! The 'head' was a perfectly round shape with a spiked, orange helmet on time. From the sides and bottom of the head were massive, metal limbs, making the stranger about as tall as the first.
"Miss Tron! Miss Tron!" The Servbots all cried, the six outside of the Gustaff flooding into the room. "Master Teisel, Master Bon!"
Sora, Donald, and Goofy entered as well, the Gustaff unable to fit through the door. "Glad you're okay, Tron, and you three." Sora said to her the three Servbots, then he turned to the two strangers. "So, you're Teisel and Bon, right?"
The man in green grinned, pointing at himself with his thumb. "That's right, kid! Teisel Bonne, and our baby brother Bon!" As he spoke of Bon, he patted the oversized younger sibling on the head, Bon letting out a 'Babu!' through the orange pacifier-type thing in his mouth. "You must be Sora, Donald, and Goofy. Tron's told us all about you three, and we thank you for helping our sister!"
The outsider trio was a bit surprised at how cordial Teisel was, though he did practically scream everything he said. "It's nothin'! We sorta strong-armed her into lettin' us help." Goofy pointed out. "But we couldn't just let her go it alone once we found out what was goin' on!"
"Babu!" Bon declared, it apparently being the only thing he could say. Apparently he really was just a baby, and the outsider trio couldn't help but wonder how his body even worked.
"He thanks you too!" Teisel helpfully translated. "Now, we can chat and catch up later, we need to get the heck out of here! I've been forced to dig for that Loath creep, and I want to get back home!"
"Hold on!" Tron exclaimed. "No way we can just leave here empty handed! We're going to take everything Loath's found! All his treasure, and that massive robot!"
Sora quickly took issue with that. While the Bonnes didn't seem entirely evil, the idea of them having some sort of gigantic weapon didn't sit right with him. He knew they'd go back to robbing banks and such once he, Donald, and Goofy left, but them having that much power…?
"Right…Right!" Teisel quickly agreed, letting out wild laughter. "I like the way you think, Tron!"
"Hey, you guys won't…do something horrible with it, will you?" Sora couldn't help but ask. If he had to fight the Bonnes over this, he would, but the idea made his heart feel heavy. Thinking of it, there was still the matter of the Keyhole. One way or another, he couldn't just leave the world just because the two brothers were free now…
Tron seemed surprised at Sora's interruption, especially as Teisel gave him a harsh look. "Hey, we're not monsters!" The young woman replied. "It's not like we'll hurt people with it, right Teisel?"
Teisel huffed with a nod. "That's right! We're pirates, not murderers! Why, were you planning on stopping us, kid…?" He said the last few words with clear intent to fight back.
"If we had to!" Donald insisted, glaring right back at Teisel. "A giant robot isn't just some toy!"
"Um…I think we should leave first before deciding anything." #1 chimed in from the Gustaff. "We need to get moving, don't we?"
The eldest Bonne huffed again. "Fine, fine. We can finish this later. Loath is the main focus for now! Let's get moving, I know where to find The Colossus!" With that, he, Tron, and the three Servbots that came with Tron earlier on went to the Gustaff. They all climbed in, which seemed it'd be a tight fit along with #1, but they all somehow managed. Bon was too big, naturally, and stayed by the mech's side.
With that, the group set out again, Bon running at their side as the Gustaff led the way. Sora didn't feel good about essentially threatening the Bonnes, but if it was clear they'd abuse the giant Reaverbot, he'd have no choice! In any case, the small army went through the ruins. Birdbots and Heartless tried to impede them, but they were no match. As it turned out, Bon was a capable fighter of his own. The robot body of his wasn't for show, able to launch Birdbots and smaller Heartless while tearing apart the Pinguino mechs while outmuscling Large Bodies.
After a good while of moving around, the group entered a massive room. Right away, the centerpiece of it drew their attention. On one side of the room was a gigantic metal monstrosity! It took everyone a minute to realize it was a robot, one the size of a building! It was clearly a humanoid robot, its head almost comically small compared to the rest of it. That's when Goofy piped up.
"Uh…gawrsh, I think that's just the head. That's The Colossus…ain't it?" The knight asked, not even able to consider there existed a larger robot out there. If what they were seeing was just the top part, the entire thing must have been like a skyscraper!
"I hadn't actually seen it myself!" Teisel admitted from within the Gustaff. "I had no idea it was that gigantic! Thinking of it, I'm not so sure we could handle using something like that…" Despite his bravado from earlier, he was very heavily second guessing himself, clearly. "Just getting it out of here would be impossible, maybe…"
"You say that like you even have a chance of it, Teisel." A smug, male voice called out, his voice distorted from using an intercom system.
"Glyde?! Oh, no…" Teisel groaned out from the mech. "The last guy I wanted to see!"
Sora looked around, but saw no one around. "Who's Glyde?" The teen asked, ready for a fight, but despite the emptiness of the room, he couldn't spot anyone!
"Up there!" Tron called out, pointing up with the Gustaff. From the ceiling, another mech dropped. Like the Pinguino ones, it was bird-shaped, but was larger and sturdier looking. "He's one of Loath's dogs!"
"And he's the one that kidnapped Bon and me!" Teisel yelled out, a rustling being heard from inside the Gustaff. "Move over, Tron! I'm going to kick his butt!"
"Ow! Teisel! There's no room to change pilots now! You just kicked me in the ribs!" Tron's voice bemoaned from inside the mech.
Glyde gave a bout of haughty laughter as half a dozen Birdbots entered the room, all of them looking ready for a fight. "Oh no, more Birdbots!" #4 cried out. "I really don't like those guys!"
"Well, well…I don't know how you escaped, but it hardly matters, even with those new henchmen of yours." Glyde bragged, his voice dripping with confidence. "The Colossus is ours now, so you're no longer needed! Isn't that right?" He directed the last bit to the Birdbots.
"That's right! You've got nowhere to run!" One of the avian robots declared, letting out a squawk. "You're between a rock and a hard place, so prepare to get squished!"
With the rustling from within the Gustaff settling, Tron spoke up. "Now that my brothers are safe, we don't need to hold back!"
"And we're not their henchmen, we're their friends!" Donald declared, though that was mildly dubious. He had just threatened them a few minutes ago.
Goofy held up his shield, glaring at Glyde's mech. "That's right! If ya want to mess with them, you'll have to go through us first!"
Glyde scoffed. "No matter, my Rafale is more than enough for you! Birdbots, engage!" He commanded, the Birdbots rushing the six Servbots outside of the Gustaff, the dozen small robots engaging in various fistfights.
While they happened, everyone else focused on Glyde's mech. Right away, Sora and Donald used a combined Gravity spell to slow his Rafale down. Apparently, it was stronger than the Gustaff, as he was still able to move, charging the other mech. Out of one of its arm-wings, a beam of energy came out, looking like a blade, which slashed across the Gustaff's chest and knocked it to the ground!
Goofy tried ramming into the larger mech, but it was sturdier than the Pinguino mechs, and he wasn't able to knock it over. However, he was able to stagger it enough for Sora and Donald to get some magical attacks in. Donald struck it with a powerful Thundara spell, electricity coursing over its metallic frame as Sora hit it with some Fira balls, scorching and partially melting the hull. All the while, the Servbots and Birdbots were still going at it!
During all the commotion, no one noticed Bon had somehow managed to sneak away…
The Rafale leapt into the air, its wing-arms slamming into the ground by Sora and Donald, a small shockwave knocking them away and onto the floor. This was just as the Gustaff and Goofy got to their feet. The Bonne's mech pelted the Rafale's back with cannon fire, making Glyde grunt out in annoyance and turn towards the Gustaff.
Sora leapt to his feet and gathered his strength as Glyde was distracted. Readying his Keyblade, he unleashed a Sonic Blade combo upon the Rafale! Sliding forward, the boy slashed the bird-mech with his weapon, managing to stagger it. He kept the combo attack going, sliding across the floor multiple times, hitting Glyde's robot over and over and damaging it rather noticeably!
Letting out an annoyed shout, Glyde had the Rafale jump back. Its torso flipped, making it resemble a bird more than ever, as the beak-like structure fired several large, purple beams of energy. These hit the Gustaff, Sora, Donald, and Goofy, knocking them all away and sending them to the floor.
"Darn that Glyde!" Teisel yelled from within the Gustaff. "I didn't know his mech could even do something like that!"
The Rafale returned to its normal form, Glyde letting out a laugh. "You may as well give up now. Despite the damage you've done, my mech is still ready for more combat! If you surrender, I may just toss you into the jail cell rather than tearing you all apart!"
At just that moment, something large, metal, and orange leapt from above. It was Bon! The clever baby had scaled the nearby wall and plummeted down at the Rafale, his large fists slamming into the mech. "Babu!" Bon shouted in triumph as the mech was knocked to the ground. What followed was an almost gruesome sight as the youngest Bonne tore off the Rafale's arm-wings and stomped on its legs before kicking it towards the Birdbots, who had gathered together small bombs ready to throw at the Servbots.
"Hey! Glyde, stop your mech before it-" One of the Birdbots started, but Glyde hit him mid-sentence, the bombs causing a large explosion that kicked up a lot of dust and smoke. When it cleared, Glyde and the six Birdbots were covered in soot and highly damaged.
"Bon! That was great!" Tron praised as the Gustaff stood back up, walking over to Bon. "Good thinking, baby brother! You sure showed him!"
"I'm so proud of you, Bon!" Teisel crowed. "A true Bonne, through and through, fighting dirty like that!"
Sora couldn't help but smile at the scene as he, Donald, and Goofy stood up. The pirates were no doubt bad people to an extent…but it was also clear just how much they loved each other. "That was a pretty good save!" The teen praised, grinning wide as Bon basked in the glory.
A cough diverted everyone's attention, Glyde staggering to his feet as smoke poured off of him. "This isn't the end! Not by a long shot! You haven't seen the last of us!" With that, he turned around and ran off, the Birdbots waddling after him, the seven of them stumbling over themselves from their injuries.
"They just don't know when to give up, do they…?" Teisel murmured. "Bon, you head back to the Gesellschaft, in case they try to attack it. I want one of us Bonnes there to be there. You four head out too!" As he said the last sentence, the hatch to the Gustaff opened, #1 and the other three Servbots hopped out, following Bon as he ran out of the room and towards the exit.
"Hold on, there's somethin' goin' on up there!" Goofy exclaimed, pointing towards the head of the massive Reaverbot. The Colossus' eyes started to glow red as a loud humming sound radiated from it. "They activated it! It's powerin' on!"
"But how?! Is someone in there?!" Donald asked, not having seen anyone actually enter The Colossus. Of course, he was distracted with the fight, so maybe that was the moment it happened…
An intercom system on The Colossus crackled to life and Mr. Loath's voice rang out. "You're too late! Glyde bought me enough time to get The Colossus activated! With this and the Keyhole, nothing can stop me! Now Sora, be a good little boy and hand over that Keyblade…"
"He did mention something about a Keyhole, but I was never able to find it…" Teisel murmured, then he let out a noise of surprise. "Hey, wait, how does he know your name, Sora?!"
"I don't know!" The brunette replied. "I've never met this guy before! Are you working with Dio?!" Sora demanded, brandishing his Keyblade at the massive Reaverbot. He knew Dio was an issue, it was the only way he could imagine Loath knew who he was! And Loath found the Keyhole?! Where was it…?
"That I am! Not that it matters. The Keyhole has been found already, and The Colossus is ready to fully activate at the push of a button!" Loath gloated, belting out a nasty burst of laughter.
"I don't think the Gustaff can put a scratch on that thing…and who the heck is Dio?" Tron asked, the Gustaff turning towards Sora. "I've never heard of Loath working with anyone!"
Sora grimaced. "It's a long story, but just know that Dio's no good." Of course he wasn't going to mention that he was a vampire…
At that moment, GLaDOS chimed in. "The Keyhole is in this room! I can sense it!"
"What?! It is, why didn't you say so before, GLaDOS?!" Donald demanded, glaring at the pocket that Sora kept the A.I. in.
"Who the heck is GLaDOS…?" Teisel murmured. "I'm getting lost trying to keep up with all of this!"
Ignoring Teisel, GLaDOS replied to Donald. "The giant Reaverbot was crowding my sensors. Do you have any idea how much of a presence that gives off?! Searching for the Keyhole on its own, I was able to pick up its signal."
Sora didn't hesitate, closing his eyes and focusing on the Keyblade. He wasn't sure if this would work, but if he just tried to feel out for the Keyhole, maybe it would present itself! The teen felt a warmth in his heart, and he opened his eyes to see a sparkling shape shine above on the wall above The Colossus' head. It soon took the form of a Keyhole! That was it! Sora pointed the Keyblade right at it, a beam of light firing from the tip of his weapon and hit the Keyhole, locking it in an instant!
This caused Loath to howl in rage. "No! How did you…?! Gah! It doesn't matter! As long as I have The Colossus, I can do whatever I want! Ignition!" At that moment, the massive Reaverbot began to hum louder as orange, crystal-like pylons emerged from within it. The entire ruins began to shake as The Colossus began to stir and rise from the hole it was placed in. "Nothing can stop me from ruling the world now!" Loath screamed in maddened delight, dozens of Shadow Heartless starting to spawn in the large room.
"Let's get out of here!" Tron yelled as the Gustaff and the six Servbots beelined towards the exit. Sora, Donald, and Goofy followed suit as well. The ceiling began to collapse, large chunks of rock falling around the group. "Gesellschaft, come in!" She continued, talking over a communicator. "Home in on my coordinates and pick us up!"
Somehow, the group managed to get out of the ruins before they collapsed entirely. The Drache was still waiting for them, and everyone got on board as it went towards the Gesellschaft, which was flying towards them at a remarkable speed. Things were tense, no one saying a word until they had arrived, everyone meeting at HQ. Sora, Donald, Goofy, Tron, Teisel, Bon, and a handful of Servbots were there, looking at the main screen.
Out of the ocean stood The Colossus, seeming almost too big to be real. It had escaped from the ruins, now near the shore of Ryship Island. "Alright, I've got a lot of questions for you three." Teisel said to the outsider trio. "But it'll have to wait until we take care of Loath! Now, ready all guns! Prepare to fire!"
"Aim for The Colossus!" Tron yelled out, glaring daggers at the screen displaying the Reaverbot. "Launch missiles!"
One of the Servbots, at a keyboard with a microphone headset on, nodded. "Firing the missiles!" He rang out as he typed away at the keyboard. With that, missiles hurled themselves at The Colossus, massive explosions booming out and covering the machine's upper half with dust and smoke.
As he watched, Sora was glad they had someone like the Bonnes on their side. No way could he, Donald, and Goofy stand up to something like that on their own! And Loath…he was working with Dio…just how many allies did the vampire have?! At the very least, he found and sealed the Keyhole. While Kairi wasn't in this world, he could at least still leave while feeling accomplished to some extent…
When the smoke cleared, it was revealed the bombardment didn't put a scratch on The Colossus! Loath's laughter rang out through a communications system. "You'll have to do better than that, I'm afraid. Now it's my turn!" The Reaverbot raised its massive arms, cannons being at the ends in place of hands, as two large green orbs of energy shot out!
The projectiles hit the Gesellschaft, and the entire ship shook! Everyone was knocked off their feet, even the sturdy Bon, with Sora hitting his head really hard on the metal flooring. For a second, things went fuzzy, and it took him a moment to compose himself and get his bearings. Looking around, he saw Donald and Goofy in a similar state of grogginess, Bon toppled over still with Tiesel seeming out cold. Tron, meanwhile, was bruised up and couldn't seem to stand!
Over an intercom, a Servbot yelled out. "Engine room to HQ! Engine #2 has been destroyed! We can barely stay in the air!"
Another Servbot called out as well. "The right wing has been damaged! Another hit like that, and we'll go down!"
The Servbot with the headset sniffled and relayed information as well. "The Bonnes are in rough shape! Master Teisel is knocked out, and Miss Tron is badly hurt!"
Staggering to his feet, Sora looked over to Tron. "Hey…are you okay…?" He asked, wincing as a splitting headache formed.
"I'm…fine…have to…continue the fight…!" Tron said as she fought to stay awake.
Sora didn't waste any time. Between her and Teisel, it was Tron that Sora trusted more to help out. He saw what she could do firsthand! Ignoring his own injuries, he raised the Keyblade and cast Cure on Tron, her wounds instantly healing! "There! Tron, you should be able to stand!" As he said this, Donald and Goofy got to their feet as well.
Tron blinked a few times in confusion, standing up with little issue. "H…Huh?! How did you…?" She shook her head. "No time for questions. We have to prepare a counterattack!"
"But how?!" One of the Servbots asked, seeming both relieved at Tron's recovery and scared at the same time. "Our missiles didn't hurt it!"
"We have to use the Gustaff!" Tron insisted. "If we can break into its head, maybe, or some other small crevice, we can destroy it with precision rather than force!"
"Well, if you're gonna do that, we'll come with ya!" Goofy declared, shaking himself more awake. "We can't just leave ya to do this alone!"
Donald scowled at the screen, then glanced at Teisel. The eldest Bonne seemed okay, just clonked out. He wasn't going to use his one Cure on him, who knew how things would go when they got in close. "I'll set that Loath guy's pants on fire, just watch me!"
Tron grinned, then looked over to Bon, who was just standing up. "Bon, stay here and look after Teisel. I'm trusting you, okay?!" She declared, getting a 'Babu!' from the baby. The squad that came with us to the ruins, prepare to the hangar along with Sora, Donald, and Goofy!"
"Roger!" The six appointed Servbots called at once, them and the outsider trio beelining towards the hangar, which thankfully wasn't too damaged.
As they arrived, though, Sora felt a tug. One of his summoning gems, Gash's to be specific, seemed to be calling to him. "Guys, wait! I need to do something first!" Not waiting for a response, the six Servbots watched in curiosity along with Donald and Goofy as Sora summoned Gash in a bolt of lightning. "Gash, what is it?!" Sora asked urgently.
The small demon quickly handed Sora his book. "I can help from here! Wait until I give the signal, then read the fourth spell!" Gash yelled, having the knowledge of what was going on from his gem.
Sora trusted his friend, and gave a nod as he opened the book. As Gash went over to the edge of the hangar, his cloak billowing heavily in the wind, he nodded to Sora before facing The Colossus again. Sora looked into the book, somehow able to read the unusual words. "Baou Zakeruga!" He screamed, feeling the power coursing through him.
Gash's eyes rolled into the back of his head as something monumental occurred! An attack unleashed from the small demon's mouth. It wasn't lightning, or a beam of concentrated lightning, no. Instead, a monstrous and gigantic dragon came forth from his maw that was made of lightning! Its snake-like body curling and shifting, its mouth filled with monstrous teeth, two arms spouting out from its body, ending in claws. The eyes of the creature were red and angry, the thing letting out a roar as it launched towards The Colossus.
The arms of the massive Reaverbot rose, its cannons firing at the dragon, but the energy attacks just disappeared on contact. As Gash's attack drew closer, the cannon hands converted into normal hands, grabbing the upper and lower jaws of the Baou Zakeruga spell, struggling to hold it back as it tried to continuously charge at The Colossus.
Donald's beak dropped open, astounded that Gash could pull something like that off! Even he couldn't use a Thunder spell that strong, even in his prime it'd be a struggle! "I wish we knew he could do that before…" The mage commented.
Sora and Goofy were equally in awe, Gash standing in place, keeping the attack going. The Servbots also yelled out in panic until Sora turned and shouted at them to be heard over the noise. "It's okay! He's with us!" The teen assured, handing the nearest Servbot Gash's book. "Keep this safe, okay?! Guard it as best as you can!"
The Servbot was flummoxed, but took the spell book anyway with shaking arms. "O-O-Okay! If Miss Tron trusts you…we will too, Sora!"
Giving the Servbot a thanks, Sora went into the prepared Drache with Donald and Goofy, the Servbot team going with them waiting and in awe of Gash's attack. Tron's voice called over the communicator. "Sora, did you do something weird again?!"
"Trust me, the dragon is on our side!" Sora assured, sitting down with Donald and Goofy as the Drache door closed.
There was a frustrated groan from Tron. "I…I'll trust you. If you make me regret this, I'll blow you up along with Loath! #17, come and pick me up!"
#17, who was piloting yet again, nodded. "Roger! On my way, Miss Tron!" With that, the Drache went and picked up the Gustaff before flying towards The Colossus and Gash's spell, which was trapping the Reaverbot in a stalemate and keeping it from shooting the Drache down.
Within minutes, the entire attacking group was dropped off on the main, layered body of The Colossus, standing on it really made them fully realize just how massive it was. "So, what do we do, Tron?" Goofy asked, looking over to see the lightning dragon was still fighting against The Colossus. In a way, he didn't want it to win, because it'd just hurt them, right?
"On the way here, I scanned The Colossus with the Gustaff." Tron replied, pointing at one of the orange pylons with her mech. "Those are the energy source for the Reaverbot. If we destroy them, it won't be able to function!"
Sora was glad to hear that, hoping that meant it was a permanent shut-down of The Colossus. Something like this shouldn't be in the hands of anyone! "Okay, so we'll just bust them up, sounds easy!"
"Just be careful, there's no telling what other defenses this thing might have!" Tron pointed out. "Let's split up and cover more ground…and we'll try to ignore that dragon…" She spoke of the thing as if she'd rather it didn't exist in the first place.
With that, the group split up, attacking the pylons. Tron and her Servbots went on one side with Sora, Donald, and Goofy in the opposite direction. Using the Gustaff, Tron was able to rip the pylons straight out of The Colossus, even hitting other pylons with the ones she tore out. The Servbots aided her by throwing bombs at other pylons and loosening the ones Tron was going for to make her job easier.
Sora, Donald, and Goofy were able to take theirs out without issue either. Goofy was able to knock pylons over by charging them with his shield as Donald used Fire and Blizzard spells to destroy them. With a few swings of his Keyblade, Sora was able to destroy the power sources as well.
However, Tron was right, and The Colossus had tricks it hadn't yet shown! These became evident as the lightning dragon faded, Sora feeling Gash return to his summoning gem safe and sound. At this moment, hatches opened up in the giant Reaverbot, smaller Reaverbots emerging. They were green, pointed machines, Sharukurusu, that charged at the two groups on sight. Along with this, swarms of Shadow Heartless emerged too and joined in the fight.
Tron utilized the pylons as weapons, whacking the Sharukurusu away as the Servbots fought off the Shadows, either ganging up on them or blowing them up with bombs. Sora, Donald, and Goofy were able to fend off the Reaverbots without much issue, though they took a few swipes from their long, pointed arms, which hurt quite a bit. The Shadows were, of course, small fry and easy to deal with.
Eventually, all the pylons were destroyed as the group went up by The Colossus' head, its eyes no longer glowing. Over the loudspeaker, Loath let out a cry of frustration. "No! NO! You…miserable pests! How did you take out my Colossus so easily?! What was that dragon?!"
"Mr. Loath, it seems we've lost." Glyde commented, apparently having entered The Colossus somehow since its activation. "There's only enough power for the most basic of functions, and that will run out soon."
"No…I refuse to let things turn out this way!" Loath's voice screeched, as darkness started to whisp around the head of The Colossus. "Just a little bit of power…that's all I need…!" The greed, hatred, and lust for power burst from the man's heart, and The Colossus began to power up, its eyes glowing red again as it was encased in a miasma of darkness! "This time…I'll destroy them all!" Loath shrieked, the head of The Colossus starting to levitate.
"How…?! How's he doing that?!" Tron shouted out, quickly beginning to open fire upon the Reaverbot's floating head. It was too big to dodge effectively, so all the cannon fire hit the head, but it didn't seem to do much damage, not even when the Servbots started throwing explosives as well.
Loath let out a maddened laughter as a green glow formed on the head's mouth, firing a green energy ball at the Gustaff and the Servbots, knocking them all around. Sora and Donald tried to use a combined Gravira spell on the head, but even with both of them using the higher-tiered spell, it wasn't enough to stop the head from floating. Cannons appeared out of the sides of its head, shooting small explosives at the two magic users. The explosions sent the two to the ground, singed and burnt a bit. Goofy threw his shield like a discus, hitting the head's right eye and cracking it. This didn't do much damage, but it helped create a weakness in the structure.
The head kept moving around, spinning, and firing off cannon and energy blasts. Everyone had to scramble as The Colossus' head bombarded its own body! Large Bodies began to spawn as well, but Loath was so incompetent and kept firing almost at random that he ended up destroying most of his own Heartless, with the group sweeping up the remnants. As they ran about, Tron was continuously firing off blasts at the head, aiming for its damaged eye. Sora and Donald focused on attacking from afar with their spells, Thundara and Fira techniques slowly chipping away at the head. Goofy's shield wasn't strong enough to do any serious damage, so he kept throwing it at the Reaverbot's eyes, damaging them further and making another weak spot for the others to target.
As the head charged up another energy attack, Goofy leapt at it, shield in front of it. It fired as usual, but Goofy's shield was mere inches from the mouth, causing the orb to explode right in The Colossus' face! Goofy was sent flying back, slamming hard into the Reaverbot's body, but he was okay. The head, though, was in rough shape as sparks and smoke started to come out of every orifice of it. "No…! Even with darkness, it still wasn't enough?!" Loath yelled as the head stopped floating, the miasma around it vanishing as it slammed down into the body. "Glyde, let's get out of here!"
A hatch opened up in the back, Loath and Glyde sprinting out and running away from the group. "Don't let them escape!" Tron yelled, charging the Gustaff at the two men, her Servbots following obediently.
Sora, Donald, and Goofy were closer to the retreating men and faster than the bulky Gustaff and were able to catch up to the retreating men first. The duo stopped at the edge of the Reaverbot's upper body, there seeming to be no way down for them. They turned around, scowling at the trio. "Don't think you'll-" Glyde started, but the Gustaff came from behind and blasted him, sending him flying over the side of The Colossus and into the ocean.
"Tron, wait, we need to question Loath first!" Sora said as Tron prepared another blast. He had no issue with sending Loath over the edge, he could probably survive the fall, but he needed to know some things first. Turning back to the purple-suited man, who now had a look of terror on his face, Sora brandished his Keyblade. "Tell us what Dio's planning! What does he want?!" Thinking of it, this was the first time he even got to lay eyes on Lex Loath, and he saw just how pathetic he was…
The purple-suited man scowled at Sora, but still shook in fear. "I'm not going to tell you anything! It's not like it'll make a difference anyway!"
There had to be something that Dio was planning…something big…why else would he have comrades in different worlds who were seeking Keyholes? Sora felt like he wouldn't be able to talk Tron down and spare him in return for information, so the teen finished the man off himself. Dashing forward, she slashed Loath across the chest, sending him flying back and off The Colossus to the ocean below.
"Kinda wish I had the honors, but it's nice to see him get what's coming to him!" Tron praised, letting out a sigh of relief. "Glad this is all over, though. #17, come pick us up!" Tron called over her communications.
The group was picked up by the Drache, leaving the damaged and useless Reaverbot behind to stand in the ocean. As they flew back to the Gesellschaft, they heard Teisel's voice over communications! "Looks like I missed out on all the fun!" He declared in a mostly joking tone. "But I'm proud of you, Tron, you went in and launched a personal attack on something that large! I don't know what our dear, departed mother would say…but you've really grown up!"
"I've always been this way, Teisel, you just haven't noticed!" Tron teased, laughing a bit. "Sora, Donald, and Goofy helped too! We got rid of that Loath creep and Glyde, so I'm happy. We can strip The Colossus for parts and find the refractor that powered it!"
"Good idea, Tron, and as for Loath and Glyde…it's not over for them yet." Teisel replied, a smirk practically audible on his face. "I sent a group of Servbots to pick them up from the ocean. I'm sure we can think of a way to finish them off like they deserve!" He let out a cackle at this. "And bring those three outsiders to HQ, I want to talk to them!"
"Roger! There's an officer there that I sort of owe a favor towards…so how about they get sent to jail Them rotting in jail is what they deserve anyway!" Tron insisted.
Teisel made a confused noise. "That's more mercy than I expected…and you owe and officer a favor? I'll have to hear the story about that later! But okay, Tron, some Servbots will drop them off to rot in a cell. I owe you that much as a favor!"
"Thanks, Teisel! We'll be right back at HQ!" Tron said before ceasing communications with her brother and then only talking to the group in the Drache. "Looks like my big brother wants to thank you personally! You should be honored!"
"Honored? I don't know about that…" Donald replied flatly, but he wasn't about to argue. Of course, they had to get going soon. The Keyhole was sealed, Loath was defeated, and King Mickey wasn't around…
Before long, the Drache returned to the Gesellschaft, everyone dropped off and converged to HQ. Tron, Teisel, Bon, and a number of Servbots were waiting for the outsider trio. The Servbots were hard at work, using headsets to communicate with teams of other Servbots to strip The Colossus as much as possible.
Teisel grinned wide at Sora, Donald, and Goofy, a gleam in those red eyes of his. "You came out of nowhere, helped my sister, got us rescued, and helped take down that Loath creep. I honestly can't thank you enough, and I know Tron and Bon agree!"
"Babu!" The baby of the family chimed in, seeming much more cheerful than earlier.
"For that reason, I think you should become one of us! There's always room for one more abord the Gesellschaft! Or in your case, three more. How about it?!" Teisel offered, grinning wide as if the trio had already accepted.
Sora was happy the Bonnes were reunited, and surprised they'd spare Loath and Glyde just to toss him in jail. "Sorry…but we can't stay." The teen said, feeling a bit awkward. "We're looking for our friends, so we have to go on. And I don't think we can stomach robbing banks and stuff like that."
"Aw, you really feel like you have to be a goodie-goodie?" Tron admonished, though it was more in a joking way. "I thought you might've grown a bit of a spine!"
"Havin' a spine doesn't mean we gotta steal from others." Goofy pointed out. "We appreciate the offer, but we just got stuff we gotta do elsewhere!"
"We'd just have to stop you if you tried to rob people." Donald added in, smirking a bit at how frustrated that seemed to make Teisel.
"Hmph…Well…given all you've done, I'll let your refusal slide, I suppose." The eldest Bonne said with a sigh. "First, though, you'll have to tell us all about the crazy things you did and what the Keyhole was about! When I came to, I swear I saw a huge dragon!"
Sora took a step back, not wanting to get into this situation again. "Afraid we can't, we really need to go." He turned to Tron, flashing her a grin. "You know, you're a lot nicer than when we met, I think. You have a good heart, even with all the pirate stuff you do."
That surprised the young woman, a blush appearing on her face. "Wh…What? What's that supposed to mean?!"
"Hey now, you can't just leave, we haven't celebrated yet!" Teisel admonished with a heavy frown. "We were going to have a party!"
"Sorry, but we gotta get goin'. If we see each other again, we'll throw a huge party, alright?" Goofy said, waving the pirates off as he saw Donald take the return device from his pocket.
Donald chuckled, knowing this would just further confuse the Bonnes. "Goodbye, Bonnes!" He called, pressing the button, making him, Sora, and Goofy vanish to the Gummi Ship in a flash of light.
"What the heck was that?!" Teisel remarked, looking around the room with Bon and a number of the Servbots. "Did they just…teleport?" He glanced back over to Tron. "And why are you blushing, anyway?"
Tron flinched, glaring daggers at Teisel. "Shut up! I'm not blushing!" She then murmured to herself. "A good heart…what did he mean…?"
In a far-off world, in the darkened room of Dio and his associates, the table in the middle showed Sora, Donald, and Goofy leaving their most recent world. The image then changed to show Loath and Glyde being dropped off in front of a jail, tied up and gagged. Dio and the hooked-handed man were watching, the only two left of their group. The vampire waved a hand, and the image vanished.
"You're not going to get them out of there, right?" The hook-handed man asked. "It'd be a waste of damn time to even bother. What a pitiful man he was…"
Dio chuckled and shook his head. "Not a chance. He let his greed cloud his heart, his obsession with that automaton of his assured his defeat. If he just kept his eye on the prize, he may have won…"
"Speaking of obsession, where's that kid Riku?" The other man asked, looking around the room. "He's always going off about that Kairi girl, but where is he?"
"He went to search for a way to aid his dear friend. I'm sure by now he's found a world that may aid him with his obsession. Let's wait and see what he comes up with…" Dio remarked, smirking a bit as the other man shrugged a bit.
There is no doubt that the Heartless are deeply connected to the people's hearts. Further study may unravel both their motivations and the mysteries shrouding the heart.
As a start, I have built a device that artificially creates Heartless. By recreating the conditions that spawn the Heartless naturally, I should be able to produce them artificially. This device is the culmination of all my research thus far. The machine's test run successfully created a Heartless.
This may be a step toward creating a heart from nothing. The artificially and naturally created Heartless showed nearly identical traits. But the two types remain distinct for the purpose of the experiment. So, I will mark the ones that are created artificially.
A/N: I probably could've separated this into two chapters, but I really wanted to get this world done sooner. I'm torn between if I made Bobobo too goofy, or not goofy enough. I suppose his style of humor is harder to get down with just writing, but I hope I pulled it off. And the Baou Zakeruga vs. The Colossus scene was basically entirely why Gash didn't use that spell when fighting Grunty, I wanted the giant lightning dragon to clash with the massive robot because that's just objectively cool. Almost feel like I made Sora a bit too cold to Loath at the end, but I had to keep reminding myself that Sora can be pretty merciless in the games. He's killed numerous Disney villains and Organization members, or watched them be killed, and has little to no reaction most of the time. He even bragged to Pete about killing Maleficent at the start of Kingdom Hearts II. So, I think it was a decent balance.
Just two more worlds until the endgame begins. Excited for the next one and the little twist I'm going to toss in it.