Kingdom Hearts III: The Army of Light

by J. Tom

Sora and his team are now traveling the worlds to save them from Master Xehanort's wrath and recruit friends both old and new to join their army of light. But as their adventure goes on, things become harder for them. Tougher foes, dangerous fights, all leading up to the final battle that'll determine the fate of all the worlds. My version of Kingdom Hearts III. Rated PG-13.

48. Chapter 48: Kiara's First Hunt

And now we see the Guardians of Light return to the Pride Lands just in time for Kiara's first hunt… but will it go well?

Enjoy!

---

Secret Forest:

2 weeks had gone by since Della returned. Thankfully no worlds had been in danger as of late. Which meant that the Keyblade Masters and their allies were able to train the Army of Light more often.

Disney Castle had also finally been cleansed of the chemicals lingering in the building. So the castle residents were able to return to stay there when they weren't traveling.

Donald, Daisy, and the nine kids still stayed at McDuck Manor with Scrooge, Della, Beakley, and Launchpad to make up for more quality time lost when Della was on the moon.

Today, Della had gotten a chance to meet the army herself. The only members that she had met that weren't staying at the Secret Forest were the ones from Twilight Town, Radiant Garden, and Midgar. Said residents had stopped by McDuck Manor to meet Della having heard stories from Donald, Daisy, Scrooge, Ludwig, and the others.

There was only a select few Della had yet to reunite with. José , Panchito, Ari, and Humpherey were helping Xandra on missions in Japan, Greece, Ireland, and Mexico. Goldie was out on another run for riches she wanted to find/steal, the Rescue Rangers were dealing with Fat Cat and his gang back in New York, and Storkules and Selene had to return to Ithaquack to help Hera with a Harpy invasion. But she was able to reunite with Gladstone and Fethry when by pure luck - as in Gladstone's luck - they reunited when Gladstone's blimp ran out of fuel.

Those from Disney Castle and Wasteland Castle were wearing casual clothes.

Mickey wore a white collared shirt, a black jacket, black pants, and purple shoes similar to his regular yellow ones. (1)

Minnie wore a black shirt, a sky blue shirt, white bloomers, a darker blue bow on her head, and yellow heels. (2)

Donald wore a blue Hawaiian shirt with red flowers. (3)

Daisy wore a pink overcoat with black buttons along the front, a ribbon bow tied around her head, and black high-heeled shoes with bows on them and ankle bands. (4)

Goofy wore a light green t-shirt, darker green shorts, a brown vest, and brown shoes. (5)

Max wore a red t-shirt, blue jeans, and navy blue sneakers. (6)

Oswald and Ortensia wore their regular outfits. For Oswald, a black shirt and puffy blue shorts. For Ortensia, a black shirt with a pink shirt and hat with a white flower in it.

Della and the nine kids were watching Sora, Riku, and Kairi train the Keyblade Wielders. Sulley, Mike, Kuzco, Pacha, Woody, Buzz, Aladdin, Jasmine, Rapunzel, Eugene, Milo, Kida, Cinderella, Kit, Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff stood behind them.

"Alright you guys, let's see what you all have got!" said Sora. "Show us Blizzaga!"

Sora led the Keyblade Wielders and they casted Blizzaga into the air. Ice magic blasted from the tips of their Keyblades.

"Wicked Ice spell!" commented Della.

"Very good!" Sora said approvingly.

"Next spell." said Riku as Dilan and Aeleus brought over a large target for them all to blast. "Show us Crawling Fire."

Riku and the group aimed their weapons and a Crawling Spell blasted out of them and struck the target, engulfing it in fire.

"Look at that!" Dewey said giddily.

"They're really coming along." hummed Violet.

"Good work!" Kairi praised. "Alright let's put these fiery remains out. Wateraga everyone!"

The group quickly followed Kairi's lead and raised their weapons and casted Wateraga against the remains of the target and the fire was put out.

"Impressive." hummed Aeleus. "You lot are really coming along with your training."

"Xehanort and his cronies can act all arrogant they want. They won't see you lot coming." added Dilan.

"Thanks boys." smiled Rapunzel.

"Now what do we do with that burnt wood?" asked Kuzco.

Genie poofed in. "I'm already on it!" he called, transforming into a garbage truck that picked up the fiery remains of the target and took it away. "Done and done my friends!"

"Thanks Genie!" Aladdin called.

"Man I still can't believe you guys are friends with a Genie!" Della said in amazement.

"Some days we can't believe it ourselves." said Louie.

"But when you live a life like ours, you're bound to see stuff like this." said Sora.

"And meet people like him." added Riku.

At that moment, Mickey, Oswald, and Rufus walked up to the group.

"Hey it's the men in charge of their worlds!" said Anna.

"Not the entire world Anna." chuckled Oswald. "Mickey and I each run a kingdom with our wives."

"And I'm in charge of Shinra Electric." said Rufus.

"We just wanted to see how training is going." said Mickey.

"Couldn't be any better King Mickey." said Pacha.

"Yeah these three and their friends have been training us well." said Sulley.

"And we take the time to practice on our own when we can." added Woody.

"And we also help those who are new catch up with us." said Jasmine. "It's very useful when there's a lot of us."

"And we've been catching up quick!" added Mike.

"And we're having a good time watching them!" said Huey.

"Well that's wonderful to hear!" Mickey chuckled.

"But I have a question for you." Rufus said, casually looking at his wrist before he looked at the army. "You've been practicing hitting targets in and out of the training area our scientist friends created. Do you think you will be ready for surprise attacks?"

"What kind of surprise attacks President Shinra?" asked Buzz.

"The unexpected kind." Rufus replied. "When my Turks were training to be professional fighters, they had to learn to deal with surprise attacks. It comes with the job."

"Hmm… don't think we've covered those yet." said Milo, thinking it over.

As they all discussed, none of them noticed several drones quietly flying up to them.

"Oh I'm sure we can cover that sort of thing." said Kairi. "We just wanted to see their progress with the usual Keyblade spells."

"That's good." nodded Mickey. "And there are a lot of them out there."

"Say do you guys all feel like we're being watched?" asked Kida.

"What makes you think that?" asked Eugene.

"Experience as a trained fighter for my people." the Atlantian princess replied.

The army and McDuck family looked around before Buzz looked up and spotted the drones.

"Over there!" the toy Space Ranger yelled. "Flying objects at 12:00!"

The army looked up.

"They're coming right at us!" cried Anna.

"Gah! What do we do?!" cried Kuzco.

"Scatter! We can take them down bit by bit!" shouted Elsa.

The army quickly scattered as the drones flew at them, splitting up into their respective groups from their worlds.

Woody hit one several times before he used a Bind spell on one and Buzz finished it with a Blizzaga spell.

Kit casted Blackout to confuse the drone's circuitry and Cinderella bashed it before she destroyed it with Wind Tracer.

Jasmine whacked another drone with her Keyblade and then Aladdin finished it with a Dark Firaga spell.

Pacha punched another drone hard as it spun out of control and Kuzco used Exo Spark to stop it before it could crash into the group.

Elsa used her ice magic to blast another drone into the air. Anna used her Keyblade to cast a Poison spell, messing with its circuitry and Kristoff finished it off with a Fission Firaga spell.

Sulley used Bind against another drone and then grabbed Mike and tossed him towards it. Mike slashed the drone into two with his Keyblade as he landed back on his feet.

Kida used her martial arts skills to strike another one three times before she drove her Keyblade up against it into the air. Milo jumped up and quickly used Deep Freeze to freeze the drone in a block of ice before it fell onto the ground and crashed into multiple pieces.

Eugene slashed at the final drone and then kicked it towards Rapunzel, who used her Keyblade to cast Seeker Mine, stunning the device before it was destroyed.

They Keyblade wielders panted as they dismissed their weapons.

"Did you see that?!" exclaimed Webby.

"They took out those drones so quickly!" exclaimed Dewey.

"Meh put them up against Heartless as tall as Launchpad or Xandra or Humpherey and see how well they handle them." said June, looking at her hand.

"Still it was an awesome show to watch!" said May.

"Well that was quite a workout." Pacha commented.

"A quick one, but yeah." nodded Milo.

They then heard clapping. The army looked and saw Sora, Riku, Kairi, Mickey, Oswald, and Rufus clapping.

"Well done fellas!" cheered Mickey.

"You reacted perfectly to a surprise attack." Riku said approvingly.

"And you used the skills and spells we taught you - and you taught and practiced yourselves - to take them down." Oswald added.

The army was surprised.

"Hold on… this was a test?" asked Eugene.

"It was. And you guys passed very well."

Everyone turned and saw Terra, Isa, Hayner, Pence, Olette, Leon, Cid, and Reeve walk up.

Reeve wore a dark blue business suit, black shoes, a white shirt, and a red tie.

It had been Leon who had spoken up.

"Wait hold on… those drones were you guys?" asked Woody.

"Sure was." said Hayner as the eight revealed controllers in their hands, having hidden them behind their backs.

"President Shinra suggested you guys be ready for a surprise attack should you guys find yourselves on the battlefield," said Terra.

"They are more common than you think." said Isa. "Especially when you think the battle is over or you may just have the upper hand."

"So courtesy of Shinra - both the company and the man himself - we had these drones modified to try and strike you guys form above." said Cid.

"And do not worry, they were not equipped with weapons." said Reeve. "That challenge equivalent is left to the simulator our scientist friends invented… well for now at least."

"So you guys were never in any real danger." added Olette.

"Yeah you guys did an AWESOME job wrecking those things!" added Pence.

"And you did it well." Rufus said approvingly. "Keep it up. And you may just be able to teach it to any new recruits that may join us all."

"Well thank you for all of that." said Kit.

"And we're glad we could please you." said Cinderella.

"You're welcome." smiled Olette. "Keep up the good work,"

With that, the group of eight, followed by Dilan, Aeleus, and Rufus, left.

"Hey Keyblade guys!"

Everyone looked and saw Kronk walk up. He was wearing an apron, oven mitts, and chef's hat while holding a tray of spinach puffs.

"Thought you guys could use a victory snack for training well done." Kronk said. "Careful, they're still pretty warm."

"Oh why thank you Kronk." Cinderella smiled as the humans of the group each took one.

"You got that chef job in the bag amigo." Kuzco commented.

"Well I don't like to brag but uh, I feel like cooking could be a better job for me than working for someone evil like Yzma." Kronk chuckled. "Then again not sure what the payment would be like in comparison."

"Hey don't think about it too much buddy." said Kristoff, taking a bite. "You got a good future."

"Say Woody, Buzz, what do you guys do whenever they eat since well you're… toys?" asked Della.

"We just talk and hang out with them." said Woody.

"Oh that's nice." Della smiled.

With that, Woody and Buzz joined the group.

"Man watching your army train is pretty cool." Della commented.

"You said it Mom!" Dewey grinned.

"We're glad it's a good show for you guys." smiled Kairi. "Wonder how things are going at the simulator."

---

Down past the way through the Secret Forest, other things were going on between the simulator and the training area from before.

Naminé and Xion were riding on Maximus and Sven over the running course to have them jump and dodge any obstacles in their paths while Aerith timed them and Tifa kept track on paper.

Chaca and Tipo, supervised by Chicha, watched Aqua and Terra spar.

Seifer and Setzer were sparring with their sword and as Rai, Fuu, and Vivi watched.

At the simulator, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Goofy, Max, Ortensia, Myde, Yuffie, and Tseng were overseeing the progress from army members. Cid, Reno, Rude, Elena, were at the controls.

Cloud, Vincent, Zack, Cassim, Audrey, Sweet, Vinny, Cookie, Mole, and Mrs. Packard were practicing fighting the simulation Heartless. Images of Shadows, Commandos, Bolt Towers, and Wild Shamans were on the simulation machines as they used their weapons against them.

"OK ladies and gentlemen, begin your strategic attacks." Cid said into the mic.

Rude pressed the START button.

"Alright… ATTACK!" shouted Cloud, swinging his sword.

Back to back, Cloud, Zack, and Cassim used their swords against the simulation Shadows. Cloud and Zack slashed upwards and Cassim slashed right across. They each then spun around and stabbed one Heartless each in the chests.

"Swords people look good." said Max.

Sweet held his own against the simulation Commandos. He punched and kicked at one and then opened fire on another.

"One of our army medical workers is coming along nicely." Minnie said in approval.

Audrey socked several Wild Shamans in their faces and then bashed them with her large wrench.

"Audrey really knows how to hold her own." mused Elena.

"Her sister his a boxing champ." said Daisy.

"Both trained by their dad." added Goofy.

"Pretty cool I'll say." said Yuffie.

Cookie fired shots from his shotgun at two Bolt Towers. Mole opened fire on three more in a row. Mrs. Packard had direct hits to three more as well, moving around quickly before the simulations even had a chance to strike.

"Awesome shots you three!" called Reno.

"They really are good at this." commented Tseng, impressed. "Just like my Turks."

"They have had plenty of time to practice and train." said Minnie.

"I think that they got this down." said Donald.

"And it shows." Tseng nodded in agreement. "Ok you three I think their session is complete for today. Call it in."

"You got it boss." said Reno, pressing a button on the console… only for a disco ball to emerge from the ceiling of the simulator.

The Y.M.C.A. began to play as everyone looked confused.

"Uh… what's happening?" asked Mole.

"I think that sound in my ears is back." said Cookie.

"No it's disco…" said Cloud.

"And why the hell is it playing?" asked Vincent.

Everyone gave a flat look to Reno.

"Hey I'm still getting used to the buttons on this thing!" Reno huffed.

Rude pinched the bridge of his nose and pressed the mic button. "Sorry about that. You guys did good training today. We're all impressed."

"Thanks Rude." said Zack.

"Well Mr. Whitmore didn't hire some of us for nothing." said Audrey.

"Still know how to handle a gun like this." said Sweet.

"It is awesome." Mrs. Packard said dryly. "So are we done for the day?"

"Pretty much so yes." said Oswald over the loudspeaker.

"Alright, training felt good then." said Zack as the army made their way out of the simulator.

"Alright, resetting the system so the next group can train when and if they must." said Elena, pressing some buttons.

"Good training I'd say." said Donald.

Before anyone could reply, they heard snoring. They looked and saw Myde asleep. They all sighed.

"WAKE UP!" Donald quacked.

Myde bolted awake. "I'm up I'm up!" he yelled, jumping to his seat.

"Fall asleep again?" Oswald sighed.

"Well at least it wasn't on the battlefield." Daisy said.

"Sorry I just get bored sometimes." Myde sheepishly admitted.

"Ya don't say?" Cid deadpanned. "Why don't'cha sleep on your own time?"

"Ah lay off of him, training can wear a guy out." said Elena, patting Myde on the shoulder, making him blush.

"Come on, let's go see the others." said Ortensia.

"And we'll be ready for the next set of people ready to train." said Rude.

"Alright, I'm gonna knock 'em dead!" Yuffie grinned, pumping her fists.

With that, the world-travelers left the simulator as Seifer, Rai, Fuu, Vivi, Setzer, Leon, Aerith, Tifa, and Yuffie went in to do their training.

---

The 23 Keyblade Wielders met up with Della and the nine kids near the portals area.

"Wow you guys you guys have an awesome army!" said Della.

"Well we collect who we can." joked Ven.

"But yeah they do train well." said Roxas.

"If your up for it Della, you can joining too." offered Minnie.

Della's face lit up. "Join the Army of Light?! Oh HELL YEAH baby!" she shouted, summoning Demon Slayer. "This thing is gonna SLAY all those bastards in Organization XIII!"

Everyone chuckled in amusement.

"Where did you get that sword?" asked Pence.

"Oh our god friends gave them to me." Della replied. She dismissed her sword. "Now then, I have a very important question… are Kronk's spinach puffs good?"

"Oh you bet!" said Mickey, patting his stomach. "Very tasty."

"Sweet! I'm gonna snag me one!" said Della, running off.

"She's got spirit." said Xion.

"That's my sister for ya." Donald chuckled.

As they talked, Louie looked over a list in his notebook. He sighed in annoyance and put the notebook in his sweater.

"Well, guys. It's official. I give up." Louie said, in grumpy defeat.

"Give up?" Lea asked. "Give up what?"

"I'm thinking of quitting Louie Inc." Said Louie, bluntly.

"WHAT!?" everyone exclaimed.

"What do you mean quit Louie Inc?!" Ven asked, shocked like everyone else.

"I'm thinking of shutting down Louie Inc. It just isn't working out anymore." Louie said, his expression still grumpy.

"But Louie, why would you want to do that?" Kairi asked.

"Yeah, dude." said Myde. "Didn't you say it was your dream to be a businessman like your unc?"

"Yeah, Louie. Why would you want to think about throwing all that away?" asked Sora.

"Because my last scheme was the last straw. It blew up so badly in my face, I'm starting to wonder if all this is even worth it! I almost got used as a pinata by a robot boy!" Louie said angrily.

"Say, what now?" Riku asked, incredulously.

Lena and June walked up to Louie, placing a hand on both his shoulders in sympathy.

"Louie, are you still bummed out over what happened at Doofus Drake's place?" June asked.

"Hey, don't let Goldie hustling you get to you Lou. You're a way better person than her in the end." Lena assured.

"Goldie? What does she have to do with this? Louie, what happened?" Donald asked in surprise.

"Uncle Scrooge was going on and on about how the road to becoming rich would be full of obstacles and how hard work can help me overcome them but…"

"Let me take a wild guess. Hard work isn't your style and you wanted to look for an easier way, that about right?" Lea finished for Louie, crossing his arms.

"Yeah, pretty much. And Goldie's shifty business style and make money easy with no drawbacks fit much better with the Louie Incorporated brand." Said Louie.

Everyone deadpanned at Louie.

"Louie, being lazy doesn't run a company." said Kairi.

"We may not be business people, but we know for a fact hard work helps make a company actually work," said Riku.

"Even I know that. And that's coming from a guy who likes to nap." said Myde.

Louie remained unconvinced. "Again, not my style."

"Louie, you shouldn't have asked Goldie for help. That woman can't be trusted when it comes to money, treasure or rich people." Said Donald.

"Yeah, I learned that the hard way Uncle Donald, after Goldie and me infiltrated Doofus Drake's birthday party."

"Doofus Drake?" Terra asked, confused.

"He's a psycho rich kid in Duckburg who was driven to insanity by his own money and made his parents his maid and butler." Louie explained, blankly.

"Wait, what?" June asked, not knowing about the last part.

"He made his parents his servants?!" asked Max.

"That's crazy!" exclaimed Myde.

"How does that even work?" asked Roxas.

"You don't wanna know. Trust me, you don't." Louie said, shaking his head.

"As a matter of fact, we don't. Continue." Said Riku.

"Right, well, at the party, Doofus was giving out giftbags full of gold. There were other party guests, but Doofus got rid of most of them because he knew they just wanted his giftbags" Louie explained. "Though he didn't notice that with me, Goldie and a couple of Scrooge's enemies plus a robot boy made by Mark Beaks named Boyd."

"And that stands for...?" Isa asked.

"Beaks Optimistic Youth Droid." Louie answered. "Anyway, Goldie and I conned out the rest of the competition and made Boyd go out of control, ruining Doofus' party. And at the last-second Goldie shifted all the blame onto me to take all the gift bags for herself. Just when we were forming a connection too."

"Seriously?!" exclaimed Sora. "That con artist!"

"Shifting the blame on a child? That is just wrong." Aqua said in disappointment.

"Even if Louie's a schemer too, it's still wrong as you said." said Naminé.

"God what does Scrooge see in her?" asked Oswald.

Donald sighed, unsurprised but annoyed. "Why am I not surprised?"

"Doofus had B.O.Y.D. strung me up. I was about to be used as a pinata until Goldie protected me." Said Louie.

"She did?" Lea asked in surprise.

"After shifting the blame to you she then protected you?" asked Sora.

"That's actually quite noble of her." said Ortensia.

"Well… good for her then." said Minnie. "It's rare but still."

"After seeing that, Doofus wanted Goldie as her new…grandma I guess, and he gave me all the giftbags before kicking me out." Louie explained.

Everyone looked disgusted.

"Goldie as his new grandma?" asked Hayner.

"Normally I would find that sweet… but considering what you just said about Doofus… that sounds horrible." said Xion.

"Did you leave Goldie as Doofus' new granny?" asked Goofy.

"Not exactly." Answered Louie. "As mad as I was with Goldie for double crossing me, I couldn't leave her to suffer a fate worse than death at the hands of Doofus Drake. So, I busted her out."

"That was pretty cool of you, Lou." Said Lena.

"Very noble of you." added Aqua.

"Shows even schemers like you have a heart." chuckled Naminé.

"Also shows how you can be the bigger duck." said Xion.

Kairi bends a little. "You're sweet Louie."

Lena and June slyly smile as Louie blushes. "Uh…yeah, sure whatever. Though I'm partly wishing I left her there, because when I had my back turned, reprogramming Boyd to be Doofus' new brother and freeing his parents, Goldie made off with all the loot. She got all the money, and I was left with nothing. And she stole my idol thing."

"So, basically, what you're saying is that your scheme to get Goldie to teach you how to run a business was pointless and you got pretty much nothing out of it." summarized Lea. "All you got out of it was total humiliation, and heartbreak."

"Yeah. Pretty much." mused Louie.

"Sorry that happened to you Louie." Sora said sympathetically.

"I can't believe Goldie did that!" exclaimed Ven.

"That conning bird." grunted Pence.

"If I see that crook again, I'm personally going to rip her in half and bury her in a chest of gold!" Donald furiously said.

The Guardians had their eyes widened at Donald's threat.

"Gwarsh. That was dark." said Goofy.

"OK… how about you don't end up in jail?" Isa said sternly.

"Yeah jail time in New York where the Ghostbusters live was bad enough." said Riku.

Donald quickly shook his head and gave a sheepish chuckle. Sora and the toons shook their heads.

Louie sighed in dejection. "After this humiliating setback and failing two business schemes in a row I'm starting to wonder if starting a business was a good idea. Maybe I'm not so sharper than the sharpies after all."

"Whoa, whoa. Dial back their man, let's not do a thing where you doubt yourself and end up almost getting killed. You're totally sharp. You're Llewellyn Duck." said June, holding his shoulder.

Louie narrows his eyes. "Please, don't say my real name out loud, I hate it."

"Oh, sorry." apologized June, sheepishly. "I mean, you're Louie Duck."

Lena surprised Louie by holding his arm with a sweet smile. "Hey, come on Lou, don't let what Goldilocks did or said get to you. You're a way better con artist than her. Plus, June's right, you are sharper than the sharpies. And…as sappy as this sounds…even if no one sees you as that, you'll always be MY Sharpie."

Lena gives Louie a kiss on the cheek, causing him to blush.

"Aww!" The girls all fawned, causing Lena to blush too.

"Lena and June are right. Don't feel bad Louie. These sorts of things happen when starting a business." said Mickey.

"Exactly! You don't become successfully rich overnight." said Ortensia.

"Not even Scrooge was like that even when he got his first time." said Donald.

"These things take a while, especially since you're young." added Daisy.

"I'm sure if you keep trying your hardest Louie, you'll eventually come up with a successful scheme." Minnie encouraged.

"Look, I appreciate you guys saying all this stuff, but I'm not sure if I'm cut out for this business stuff anymore." Louie said, forlorn. "My first scheme almost got Uncle Donald killed and my second scheme almost got me killed. And I was double-crossed. Maybe it's best that I just shut down Louie Inc."

"Louie, are you telling us you're throwing away all your dreams just because of two setbacks? And you don't want to be bothered dealing with any obstacles?" asked Donald.

"Yup. Classic Louie." said Louie with an uncaring tone.

"Come on Louie, don't be like that." said Sora. "You've only had two setbacks. It happens."

"Exactly. Don't let that kind of stuff get you down." said Terra.

"And don't you remember what we said when your mom came home? You shouldn't give up. Even now, you still shouldn't." said Ven.

"No one ever said being rich was easy, starting out in the long run." added Naminé.

"We don't give up on our missions and dreams!" said Goofy. "Why should you? A-hyuck!"

"They're right Greenie." said Lena. "You shouldn't give up on such a big dream of yours."

"And hey, you promised Lena and I would be your vice president and secretary for Louie Inc." June reminded him.

"I believe in you Lou." said Lena, striking Louie's hair.

Louie smiles, touched and assured by Lena, June and everyone's words. "Thanks guys. I guess I really needed to hear that. When you put it like that, I guess I can't quit. So, I'll keep this business going until I come up with the perfect scheme for it."

"Good." Said Lea. "That's the spirit kid."

"Just keep it up Louie. Terra, Ven, and I didn't give up on achieving our dream to be Keyblade Masters. You should do the same for your dream." said Aqua.

Louie's smile turned into a frown. "Still, I don't know how to make this work. If I do things Goldie's way my schemes will backfire on me again. And if I do things Scrooge's way I'll have to deal with drawbacks and obstacles that I'm just not bothered dealing with right now." explained Louie. "Ugh! I just wish there was an easier way to find lost treasure without having to almost get ripped to shreds by booby traps or monsters. Or without Scrooge hogging it to himself."

"Well, it's not like you can just go back in time to find treasures before Scrooge does." joked Lea. "Then again, that may be reckless since you're younger and may end up getting yourself killed if you don't know what kind of dangers are there compared to then."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Donald walked over, holding his youngest nephew's head. "You'll figure something out Louie. You're a sharp kid. You'll find a way to make this work."

Louie smiled as Donald walked away with the other Guardians.

"As we said Lou, you'll get there." said Lena.

"Don't give up." said June.

And the kids followed the guardians.

Louie was about to follow but then stopped. He gasped, a new idea coming to mind. "Wait a minute. But what if I were to find treasures that Scrooge never found before they were lost. Treasures lost to time. That wouldn't damage the timestream." Louie rubs his chin. "But I'd need a time machine like Lea said. Or maybe…a timetub." Louie evilly chuckled, rubbing his hands together. "Oh, ho, ho, I think I've finally come up with a scheme. The perfect scheme." Louie brings out his phone. "When we're back in Duckburg I think I'm gonna pay a little visit to Gyro's lab."

Louie was looking at a picture of Gyro's Timetub on his phone, greed in mind, unaware of the scarring repercussions his new scheme will cause… for both him and Della.

Speaking of whom, the pilot duck returned to the group as Louie rejoined, eating a spinach puff.

"I gotta say, Kron's recipe is very delicious! I don't understand how Yzma could hate this!" said Della.

"Glad you're enjoying it!" chuckled Mickey.

"I am! This is my tenth one!" Della said, taking another bite.

"Tenth?!" the kids said in disbelief.

"Again, on the moon for 10 years having nothing but gum gives you a desire for real food." said Della. She gobbled up the last of the spinach puff, patting her stomach. "And man does this thing taste delicious!" Della let out a large belch. "And tastes good coming back up too!" she joked.

Everyone laughed.

At that moment, through the portal that led to Radiant Garden, out came Ludwig, Gyro, Fenton, Gandra, Even, Ienzo, Manny, Li'l Bulb, and then Fethry and Gladstone.

"Oh hiya fellas!" Mickey greeted. "What brings all of you here together?"

"Oh, we've been working on a new invention." said Gandra.

"Hopefully something better than Black Liquorice Oxy-Chew gum." Della said to Gyro with an annoyed look.

"Yes my feet still hurt from your metal one after you made that perfectly clear when you visited the Bin after a decade." Gyro deadpanned. "But nevermind that Della. We invented something different."

"Ooh is it some sort of gadget?" asked Dewey, eager.

"Not necessarily." said Even. "You see, we had some inspiration from your return from the Valley of Peace."

"And we don't mean the kung fu skills, but yes they are impressive." said Iezno. "What we mean is we were inspired by your chi."

"Ah yes, how your chi could help make a flower bloom, make grass grow, and a tree recover all of it's leaves." said Ludwig.

"So for the past two weeks, us scientists were working on a little something inspired by what your chi could do." said Gyro.

"I just watched while eating free meals." Gladstone chimed in.

"Of course you did." Donald, Della, and Daisy grunted in unison.

"So what did you geniuses come up with?" asked Lea.

"Introducing…" Fenton began before bringing out small packets. "The Habitat Recreation Seeds of Science!"

"Or H.R.S.S. or H.R. Double-S for short!" Fethry chimed in.

Everyone blinked.

"You invented seed packets?" Myde deadpanned.

"Oh nonononononono." Gyro said, shaking his head. "These aren't ordinary seed packets."

"You see, these seeds come in different forms of an animal's habitat." said Fethry. "Desert, forest, tundra plain, etc. Planted in the ground, they're basically able to grow into said habitat, courtesy of your chi magic.

"For example." said Even as he opened a packet. "These are jungle seeds."

Even went to a blank area of the Secret Forest, dug a small hole, and dropped three seeds in. He covered the hole with dirt and went back to the group.

"So do you need to… water it?" asked Goofy.

"Only if you want to." said Ienzo. "We made sure these seeds were enchanted. We even took a spare Gummiship and visited the Valley of Peace with Ansem the Wise for the final touch."

"Master Shifu was more than happy to help." said Even. "He enchanted the formula we had for these seeds with his chi."

"Did you see Po and the Furious Five?" asked Kairi.

"They were away in another town helping Master Mountain Cat, or Mei Ling, an old friend of Crane's." replied Ienzo. "But anyways, as we hoped with this experiment, we just need some chi."

"Any volunteers?" asked Fenton.

"I'll give it a go." said Xion.

Xion approached the small area and bena to move her arms around before she held them out, palms in the open as a small golden glow came from it against the seeds. They suddenly sprouted and began to grow into three jungle trees.

"WOW!" everyone said in awe.

"That-That's amazing!" exclaimed Sora.

"Impressive fellas!" exclaimed Mickey.

"Well gentlemen - and Ms. Dee - I can safely say that this experiment is a success!" said Gyro.

"This is so cool, this could help out with homeless wildlife!" said Kairi.

"That was what we were aiming for!" said Fethry.

"Oh quite right." nodded Ludwig. "But there are some drawbacks to this experiment."

"Such as?" asked Oswald.

"It cannot be used in an environment that has been burnt to a crip or has pumice ash and smoke in the air." said Genton.

"Or an intoxicated environment like Chernoble," said Gandra.

"Darn science sometimes." clapped Manny, Li'l Bulb nodding in agreement.

"Mind taking these? They're the prototypes." said Ienzo.

"And we wanna see how well they'll test out amongst other worlds." said Fethry. "This one is a special kind of world like Traverse Town."

"Sure fellas!" said Mickey, grabbing a large bag of them and put them in his toon space.

"With that said, we're gonna get back to the bin." said Gyro.

"And I must get back to mine as well." said Ludwig.

"And I'm gonna head back to my apartment and back to technological science." said Gandra.

"And Ienzo and I are gonna join Aeleus and Dilan in training before we return to our jobs at the castle." said Even, summoning Frozen Pride.

"Like science, training never rests." said Ienzo, having his Lexicon float behind him. "Unless your muscles are sore from it all."

With that, the two human scientists met up with the castle guards and walked to the simulator. Ludwig, Gyro, Fenton, Gandra, Manny, and Li'l Bulb went into the portal to Disney Castle.

"I'm still honored you guys are still using the simulator." Fethry smiled.

"Well it is very useful." said Aqua. "All of us are able to fight practice enemies instead of causing more collateral damage to random objects with our spells."

"Except movie posters of the worst films ever attached to chunks of wood." Lea chuckled. "The Last Airbender, Dragonball Evolution, Cats, and so on."

"That last one is an insult to my kind, toon or not." said Ortensia.

Everyone chuckled.

"Anywho, Fethry and I are gonna go to Vegas." said Gladstone. "I found two guest passes at the bottom of my Hamburger Hippo to-go order."

"Of course you did." Della deadpanned before smiling. "But at least you're taking Fethry."

"Well if I earn more money I can get a proper place and a good lab!" Fethry said.

"Well you guys have fun." said Minnie.

"And try not to spend yourself at one place." suggested Naminé.

"Please, even if Gladstone spends himself all at one place, he'll still have enough to get food and keep his blimp." scoffed Lena.

"You know me well Goth Gal." Gladstone chuckled. "Well we'll see you all later."

Gladstone and Fethry then walked through the portal to Disney Castle.

"With that said, why don't we head back to the castle too?" asked Kairi.

"Yeah I could use a bite." said Sora.

"I could use some Sea Salt Ice Cream." said Lea.

"I could use a nap." said Myde, stretching his arms.

"Seriously?" Isa deadpanned.

"What I like to sleep!" the mullet-haired man huffed. "Besides, we don't even have a mission."

"He does have a point." said Sora. "Come to think of it, we haven't had a mission in two weeks."

"In those two weeks I was able to spend quality time with my family and make up for lost time with my sister." Donald grinned, side-hugging Della.

"And of course, there were those other events that happened." said Della. "Me and Dewey exploring and braving the Doomsday Vault in Boar with Uncle Scrooge!"

---

Flashback:

Della, Dewey, and Scrooge jumped off the platform as the money tree began to wreck the vault. Glomgold flipped over the railing and fell. While the family slid down the Money Tree branches, Glomgold yelled while falling. Dewey saw how amazing his mother is, then showed a crestfallen face. The family made their way safely to the bottom while Glomgold landed hard.

---

Present:

"And I still stand by what I said that day Dewey,

"Aw thanks Mom!" Dewey smiled as he hugged his mother.

"And while Louie was at Doofus Drake's birthday party with Golide, Mom and I bonded over Legends of Legend Quest Dereznaroth!" grinned Huey.

"While the rest of us did our own thing." added Webby.

"Some more chaotic than the rest." deadpanned Violet.

---

Flashback:

Scrooge was in his office at the Mansion, treasure spread across his desk. He paused impressively. "Something is terribly wrong."

Scrooge begins walking through the mansion. Grunting was heard and Scrooge opened a door to find Webby, Lena, Violet, April, and June fighting a werewolf.

"No. That's not it." Scrooge said, closing the door.

Scrooge opened a door and saw Donald and Daisy making out on a bed in one of the guest rooms, sharing kisses and all.

"Ugh. Nothing to see here." he muttered, closing the door.

Scrooge walked down the stairs, hearing faint wind noises and opened the door to the kitchen. Inside, Beakley, May, and Dewey were caught in a windstorm stemming from a teapot.

"WHOA!" Dewey yelled.

"THIS IS AWESOME AND SCARY!" May yelled.

"Tempest in a teapot." Scrooge said as he closed the door. "Pesky, but manageable."

Scrooge went to the living room, where Della and Huey were dressed in fantasy game costumes in preparation for a game. On the projection screen was a loading screen for Legends of Legend Quest Dereznaroth.

"A prophesied hero has arrived. A hero who is- You! Rise, Legends of Legend Quest!" Della and Huey said together.

Scrooge just stared in bewilderment. "I mean, this is very wrong, but it's not this either." he said as he left for his office.

---

Present:

"And of course, there was the time we found Corneleius Coot's Golden Armory!" cheered Webby.

"That was a fun and traumatizing day." Huey said with a grin.

"And we managed to escape being buried alive in popcorn." added May.

"And I made a new friend in Launchpad." mused Della.

---

Flashback:

Everyone was aboard the Cloudslayer which Della started up and attempted to fly backwards only for the propellers to be unable to move, frightening everyone aboard.

"We can't back up! There's no way out unless we-!" Della cried before she looked to a fearful Launchpad. Remembering everything May, April and June told her and what she said to Webby, Della sighed, understanding what must be done. "Launchpad, do your thing."

Launchpad gasped in happiness, knowing what this meant before turning to the hamster on the wheel connected to the Turbo Booster.

"Hear that Nibbles!? Give me a boost!" he ordered.

Nibbles stood on two legs, inflating his body to reveal he is super muscular. He ran on the wheel and the Turbo Boosters were causing the propellers to spin. Nibbles ran faster, showing his angry face and the burst of speed caused the propellers to spin like a whirlwind. Launchpad turned to everyone reassuringly and calmly tenting his hands.

"Everyone relax, we're about to crash." he said calmly.

"That actually is comforting." Della commented.

He pushed the lever and the Cloudslayer moved forward, the Air Speed Indicator going past 5000 and Launchpad with a big smirk of determination and excitement put his goggles on before grabbing the controls. The nine kids hung on to Della for dear life as the 10 of them braced themselves for the big crash.

The Cloudslayer smashed out the side of the hill Fort Duckburg was on and took flight in the air at high speed.

---

Present:

"Who would've thought old popcorn would be a good weapon?" commented Ven.

"Anything can be a weapon these days… mostly." said Xion, doing a 50-50 hand motion.

"I'm still questioning one part of that story." said Isa.

---

Flashback, later that day:

Webby, Della, and Launchpad had been sitting at the exit of Fort Duckburg as Huey, Dewey, Louie, Lena, Violet, April, May, June, Donald, Daisy, and a gorilla walked up to them.

Lena came up and wraps her arm around Webby. "We aren't gonna hold anything against you pink. Everyone goes a little crazy trying to prove themselves. We're just glad you're back to being you." she smiled.

Webby smiled. "Thanks! But can I ask something?"

"What's that kiddo?" Della asked.

Webby pointed at the gorilla. "What's a gorilla doing at the festival?" she asked, confused.

The family's eyes widened in shock, not having realized that. They then slowly look to the gorilla which also has its eyes widened.

"Uh… well, it's funny you should…uh…you see-" He stammered before he turned in panic. "George, they're onto us!

Neighing was heard and a tall white horse with black spots suddenly galloped up with a panicked look as well.

"Let's get outta here!" George cried.

The gorilla hopped onto George and they ran off, the gorilla desperately patting him to go faster as everyone watched in comical confusion and surprise.

"Well, there's something you don't see every day." Launchpad quipped.

---

Present:

"Who knows where that gorilla is." said April.

"Hopefully he and George aren't doing anything bad." quipped Lena and everyone chuckled as they made their way to the portal.

---

Soon they were all lounging in the kitchen area and having snacks of all kinds.

"I can honestly say fellas, training was a success and seems to be getting better as the weeks progress." said Mickey.

"You said it your majesty, they're doing a great job with their spells." said Ven.

"And when they were attacking that surprise attack from the drones we set up for them, they proved they could act quickly in self defense." said Terra.

"And it was so cool to watch!" said Dewey. "I know they didn't actually say it, but they were like 'Look out! Air attack!'"

"Yeah and they used all those cool spells and turned those drones into tiny broken pieces of metal!" Della said enthusiastically. "God had magic gotten better or cooler since I was on the moon?!"

"I dunno but I love every moment of it!" Dewey replied.

"They really are similar sometimes." chuckled Naminé,

"So, Donald, Della, you two have been together for a long time. How close would you say you are?" asked Kairi.

Della wrapped an arm around Donald as the twins smiled. "Oh, we are incredibly close, about as close as a brother and sister can get. Right, Don?" Della asked her twin.

"Yup. We sure are." Donald replied, smiling. "The two of us have been together since we were born. We grew up and adventured together."

"I can account for that." said Scrooge as he walked into the room. "The two were little hell-raisers back when they were ducklings. But they were pretty helpful in the long run. It was always a good time. And whenever Daisy accompanied us."

"Aw rhansk Uncle Scrooge!" Daisy smiled.

Launchpad then walked in. "Oh hey fam!" he greeted, grabbing a bottle of milk.

"Hey Launchpad!" greeted Dewey.

As Launchpad opened the bottle, he spotted something on the hat rack near the coat closet. It looked like a possum hat.

"What's this thing?" asked Launchpad, picking it up.

"What's what?" asked Oswald.

"This uh… raccoon hat? Or is it a chinchilla?" the pilot replied, examining it all around.

"Oh that's a possum hat from Lester's Possum Park." Mickey replied.

"I think I've heard of that place." said Ludwig.

"I haven't." said Duckworth. "But from what it is called, it is a possum-themed amusement park?"

"You bet Duckworth!" Goofy chuckled.

"After we found out the kids had powers they used to help bring down the Gilded Man, we just had to celebrate." said Mickey.

"We originally suggested a carnival but it was closed thanks to a power surge failure." said Sora.

"So Goofy came up with another one." said Aqua. "Lester's Possum Fun Park."

"And it was pretty fun." admitted Kairi.

"Maybe for you." huffed Louie.

---

Flashback, 3 days after Della returned:

A large bus arrived at the fun park. Donald, Daisy, and the kids came out of the bus, followed by the other 21 Keyblade Wielders.

"Ok… so what is this place?" asked Sora.

"Lester's Possum Fun Park!" Goofy said excitedly.

"I can't believe this place is still here!" Della said in awe. "I haven't been here since I was a kid!"

"Sometimes we pass by here when going certain places." said Mickey.

"A possum themed fun park?" blinked Pence.

"It looks… nice." Kairi said slowly.

"I cannot believe we're back here." Max grunted, rubbing his head.

"Oh yeah that's right, you and Goofy came here when you were a teenager." said Ven.

"Yeah, and I hated it." Max sighed.

"Remind me why the 21 of us are here?" questioned Lea.

"Well since we're celebrating having powers, Goofy wanted to give us all a treat to celebrate such a thing." said Huey.

"And he apparently chose… this." huffed Louie.

"How did Uncle Scrooge, Uncle Ludwig, Beakley, Launchpad, and Duckworth get out of this?" asked Lena.

"Uncle Scrooge was on a video conference with a company in Thailand." said Della.

"Uncle Ludwig is at a science convention." said Donald.

"Beakley's managing the mansion." said Daisy.

"Duckworth's a ghost so he can go anywhere he chooses to." said Oswald.

"And Launchpad went down to St. Canard to visit his pal Drake, his girlfriend Morgana, and adopted daughter Gosalyn." finished Mickey.

"Goofy are you even sure this is the place for all of us?" asked Terra.

"Sure I'm sure!" said Goofy. "When I was a youngin', I had a great time here! And the place is still standing proud to this day!"

"Yeah… I'm not so sure about that." said June.

"Come on fellers! We'll miss the show!" said Goofy, suddenly comically pushing them all into the park entrance through the possum tunnel's mouth.

"How is Goofy even doing this!?" shrieked Myde.

---

Inside a tent, an old scraggly dog in a cowboy outfit was addressing the audience.

"Howdy there, folks. Lester's is proud to present the Possum Posse Jamboree. Here it is." the emcee said, shaking a little in his bored tone.

Several patrons clapped as the whole group came in.

"Oh, good! We're just in time!" Goofy said excitedly.

"Huh. Tent's bigger than I remember." hummed Max.

"Well they apparently have more benches for more people!" exclaimed Della.

"Guess this place is more popular than I guessed." said Riku.

"Well kids and adults are here." said Xiob, gesturing to a handful of them in the crowd.

"My guess is the adults are reliving their childhood." said April.

"Or are stuck in it." deadpanned Louie.

"Oh come on, you're never to old for kids' stuff!" scoffed Della.

"Come on, let's sit down." said Ortensia.

Everyone took their seats.

"How did our lives turn out like this?" Isa muttered.

"You got me Is'." Lea replied.

"Oh come on, I'm sure a possum show might be fun." said Olette.

The curtain opened and showed four holes in the ground. Out of one of the holes came a mechanical possum, which has obviously seen better days, holding a banjo.

"Howdy, folks! Who's your favorite possum?" it called.

"LESTER!" the audience, as well as Goofy, Della, Mickey, Minnie, and Daisy shouted.

"Uh.. yeah Lester!" Sora called.

"Let me introduce you to the posse! There's Buford, Beulah, and Mordechai!" said Lester.

Each popped out of a hole. Bufrod had a cello, Beulah had a fiddle, and Mordechai had a terrible electrical fault as it didn't fully come out of the log.

"Hey, Lester, ready for yodeling?" Mordechai asked.

"Sure am, Buford." Lester replied.

"Wait, I thought that was Mordechai." Roxas said in confusion.

"They must've accidentally switched discs or something." guessed Oswald.

Lester began to sing as the four animatronics began to "play" their instruments and hop up and down.

Lester:Now gather 'round my possum pals, join the jamboree

Come hoot and howl and holler from the heart

(Yeehaw!)

And every chicken, pig, and goat'll

Help by yelpin' out a yodel

Here at Lester's Possum Park

"Join in folks, it's yodeling time!" Lester called.

The audience began to clap and yodel, followed by Goofy, Mickey, Minnie, Daisy, Oswald, Ortensia, Della, and even Webby joined in.

"Well if you can't beat 'em, join 'em!" said Sora, yodeling as well.

Shrugging, Ven, Kairi, Xion, Naminé, Pence, Olette, Dewey, and May joined in.

Riku, Terra, Aqua, Lea, Isa, Myde, Roxas, Donald, Max, Hayner, Huey, Louie, April, June, Lena, and Violet just stared at them in confusion as they did.

Lester:Yo-de-lay-hee, yo-de-lay-hee-hee

(Yodelodelodelayee!)

Yo-de-lay-hee, yo-de-lay-hee-hoo

(Yodelodelodelayee!)

Yo-de-lay-hee, yo-de-lay-hee

Yo-de-lay-hee-hoo

Lester:Lester's Possum Park!

(Skin that cat, Beulah!)

And just like last time, Mordechai's hat blew off as it moved, exploding wires and springs.

"Yeah… this show has seen better days." said Lea.

Lester:Visit Beulah's Farm of Fiddles,

Pet our varmints, taste our vittles

Lulu's lizard gizzard pie's a work of art!

Then do a doe-see-doe and dance

Like there's a possum in your pants

Down at Lester's Possum Park

Yo-de-lay-hee, yo-de-lay-hee-hee

Yodelodelodelayee!

Yo-de-lay-hee, yo-de-lay-hee-hoo

Yodelodelodelayee!

Yo-de-lay-hee, yo-de-lay-hee

Yo-de-lay-hee-hoo

(oinking/bleating/clucking/barking noises)

Yo-de-lay-hee, yo-de-lay-hee-hee

Yodelodelodelayee!

Yo-de-lay-hee, yo-de-lay-hee-hoo

Yodelodelodelayee!

Yo-de-lay-hee, yo-de-lay-hee

Yo-de-lay-hee-hoo

As the song progressed, Riku, Roxas, Terra, Aqua, Lea, Isa, Myde, Hayner, Donald, Max, Huey, Louie, Lena, Violet, April, and June, while still looking weirded out and unamused by the show, began to tap their feet to the beat.

Lester: Well, don't ya wanna be (Mmhmm!)

A-hangin' from a tree? (Uh-huh!)

We're mighty glad to see ya

And the parking's always free

Half of the stick holding Lester fell over, with the robotic possum on it,

All:Here at Lester's Po-Po-Po-

The animatronics began to glitch

Without even looking as he sat in a chair against it, the emcee banged his fist against the stage and the show resumed, Bufrod's overalls falling down and Mordechai punching all over the place.

All: Possum Park!

Yo-de-lo-de diddly doo!

Those who enjoyed the show cheered and gave a big round of applause. Those who thought otherwise just awkwardly clapped.

"Just like when I was a kid!" Della grinned.

"Go Lester!" cheered Goofy.

"That was wonderful!" cheered Minnie.

"No wonder kids love it so much!" said Webby.

"I'm still figuring that out myself." said Lea.

"I think this show needs a little… readjustment." said Roxas.

"Nah… it needs a major adjustment." corrected Hayner.

---

Present:

"After checking everything else out and getting souvenirs, many of us just spend the rest of the day wondering… what did we just experience?" finished June.

Everyone chuckled.

"All the same, it felt nice coming back there." said Della.

"Yeah I always loved going to that wonderful theme park!" said Goofy.

As they talked, a sun beam shone through one of the tall windows. It scanned around before going back to Launchpad. He large duck froze before he dropped the hat and began to moved around rabidly.

"HORRIBLE! HORRIBLE THINGS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN!" Launchpad screamed.

Everyone was surprised.

"Whoa Launchpad!" exclaimed Sora.

"Whaddya doing?!" asked Max.

"LP are you ok?" asked Dewey.

Launchpad jumped on the table where he began randomly pointing to people.

"And they're going to happen to you! And you! And you!" He pointed menacingly at Della. "And you...!"

Della gasped in shock.

"OH, CLUCK!" he yelled as he fell off the table, having a seizure and Louie recorded it all.

"What the hell is going on?!" cried Roxas.

"Is Launchpad ok?" asked Webby.

"No he looks like he's having a freaking mental breakdown!" said Hayner.

"Did someone spike his coffee?" asked Louie.

"I don't think so…" said Naminé.

"FRIENDS! FAMILY! Heed this warning!" Launchpad cried. "Bathtub! Reverse Disownment! Darkness in Thousands! Rulers Overruled! MTTM! LOST FOREVER!"

Launchpad had another seizure on the floor while also releasing some random babble.

"Uncle Donald, do something!" Webby cried.

Donald desperately looked through one of his spell books. "This book doesn't have any answers!" he yelled.

"Beware! BEWARE! Time is short! Darkness! Darkness! DARKNESS! DARKNEEEESSSSS!" Launchpad screamed, falling on the ground and everyone looked at him in shock. "Believe me! BELIEVE ME!"

Donald and Scrooge rolled Launchpad up in a rug and out the door as he babbled gibberish.

"Thank you for listening." he finally said as they took him to the screening room and laid him on the couch.

"Well that takes care of that." said Scrooge.

"That freaked me out." Myde admitted.

"Please, running away from an active volcano is scarier than that." said Lea.

"But does anyone know what he was talking about?" asked Terra.

"We usually chop up Launchpad's weird words as just that: weird." said Louie.

"I dunno fellas, weird stuff is usually good and bad." said Mickey.

"It almost feels like he knew something bad was gonna happen." said Ven.

At that moment, Sora's Gummiphone rang. "I wonder if this will have anything to do with it." he said. Sora took it out of his pocket and answered. Dale's face appeared on the screen. He was wearing a red Hawaiian shirt with yellow flowers. He seemed to be standing on the pier at a dockyard area.

"Hiya Sora!" Dale greeted.

"Hey Dale. What's up?" Sora asked.

"Chip told me to call you because we have something for you and your team!" said Dale as he turned to the left. "Chip! I got him! Hey Chipper!"

Chip ran up. He was wearing a brown leather jacket with a light brown fedora. "Hey Sora!" he greeted.

"Hey Chip!" Sora greeted. "You said you have something for us?"

"Yep! Our Gummiphone picked up another world in danger!" said Chip.

"Really?" Sora asked in surprise. "Which one is it?"

"According to what we read, it's the Pride Lands!" Chip replied.

"The Pride Lands!?" Donald quacked in surprise.

"That means Simba and the others may need our help!" said Goofy.

"That's right!" said Dale.

"Come on boys!" Gadget's voice called. "Fat Cat is on the move!"

"We got him pinned over at Professor Nimnul's lab!" came Monterey Jack's voice.

"We're coming!" called Dale.

"Anyways, message delivered! Bye!" said Chip, waving goodbye with Dale.

"Rescue Rangers away!" the chipmunks said in unison before they ended the call.

"It takes two weeks for our enemies to strike another world." mused Lea as Sora pocketed his Gummiphone.

"That means they could be planning something." said Terra.

"Why it took two weeks? Something tells me it won't be good." said Aqua, frowning.

"Then I guess that means we're back in business again." said Riku.

"We'd better get ready to go then!" said Mickey.

The eight toons snapped their fingers and a yellow glow changed them into their world-traveling clothes.

"That was so cool!" exclaimed Della.

"Come on, we'd better stock up on potions and elixirs." said Sora.

"Yes we-" Aqua was cut off by a snore and they all saw Myde asleep in his chair.

"MYDE!" the team shouted.

The Melodious nocturne woke up. "Huh what?!" he yelled.

"We have a mission!" said Daisy.

"Oh right! Got it!" Myde said, quickly getting up.

"Come on let's get ready to go!" said Oswald.

"Hope you guys have fun!" said Pence.

"And don't worry, the army will still be in good hands with us," said Olette.

"We can always count on you guys and the others." smiled Kairi.

The nine bird kids hugged Donald.

"Go get 'em guys!" said Webby.

"You still got this." smirked Huey.

"Thanks guys." said Ven.

And the tram of 20 ran to get their supplies.

Donald then stopped and faced his twin. He frowned as he approached her. "Della, I'm sorry." Donald apologized. "I gotta go. Other worlds need me. I wish we had more time."

Della just took Donald's hands. "Hey, don't worry about it Don. These past few weeks have been a real gift for us. I know other worlds need you. So you go out there and be the man I know you are. And if you see that pink-haired jerk and antenna haired witch, give them a smack for me."

Donald and Della shared a laugh. "You bet I will! I love you Della." Donald said, smiling.

"I love you too, Donald." Della replied.

Donald and Della shared a warm hug.

Della then left to rejoin the kids.

As the team began to prep in the hanger, Beakley approached Donald.

"Uh…Mrs B? What is this?" asked Donald.

"A list I've made of what you can walk Della through in teaching her parenting…" Beakley said.

Donald listened, unamused. Beakley was suggesting that he teaches Della about tough love and how to discipline and punish her children should they go out of line. But that's exactly what Donald shouldn't be teaching her at this moment.

"Stop!" Beakley stopped reading. "Mrs B, let me skip to the end of this list and tell you what I think. Forget it. I'm not teaching Della any of this."

To Beakley's shock, Donald holds up a finger, casting a fire spell that burns the list to ashes.

"What in the blazes, man!? It took me an hour to organize that list!" shouted Beakley.

"I'm going to teach Della how to punish her kids." Donald sternly replied.

"Why ever not?" Beakley asked, confused. "Now that Della's accepted her role as a mother she needs to start acting like a mother. That means, discipling the boys whenever they step out of line, putting her foot down to prevent anything from going out of hand and showing tough love every now and then to make them better people."

"That might've worked for you raising Webby, but it's not right for my sister." Donald said, pointing at Beakley, then Della, who was doing Powerline moves with Max and Dewey. "That's not her parenting style and it shouldn't be her style. She's not you Mrs B. Everyone has their own parenting style. You have your style and I have mine. And Della will have hers. First, she needs to learn how to love her children and support them in their dreams."

Beakley was unconvinced by Donald's opinion and merely crossed her arms.

"It sounds to me; you're going to teach Della how to spoil her children." Beakley accused with a glare that Donald met.

"I'm not teaching her to spoil anyone!" Donald angrily retorted. "I am going to teach her how to put her foot down, just not now. First, Della needs to get to know her boys and love them for who they are. Then, once that's done, I'll teach her about giving tough love. That way, she'll fully support the boys while keeping them in line. Della's just come back; she shouldn't be learning about tough love now, especially when she's still getting to know her sons. If she starts punishments now, she'll overdo it like she always does and make a terrible mistake that my ruin her relationship with them."

"Then what should she do if she sees her sons make a mistake that usually costs us our lives? You know it's a habit of theirs." Beakley asked, still unconvinced.

"She sits back and lets me handle it. If the boys do something like that, I'll punish them." Donald calmly replied. "And if I'm not around, like now since we're gonna be heading to the Pride Lands, then you and/or Scrooge give the punishments. The same applies if Uncle Ludwig comes back here. He's babysat the boys before and has experience with his three kids."

Beakley sighed, still unsure. "I'm not sure if I approve of this approach, Donald."

"I wasn't asking for approval, old lady." Donald said, annoyed with Beakley's stubbornness. "I'll teach Della about parenting MY way, not your way. You can help if you want, bur you follow my lead and MY lead only." Beakley gave Donald another glare as he walks away. "Trust me, Mrs B, I got this. You said it yourself, that you were worried about Della accidentally making a decision that could emotionally traumatize her kids, right?"

"Well, yes, but-" Beakley tries to reply but is cut off.

"There we go then!" Donald exclaimed. "This approach will prevent that from ever happening. Della learns to love first, then tough love later. End of discussion." He walked off waving and smirking. "Bye!"

Beakley grumbled in annoyance at Donald's disrespect and sighed, making her own decision.

"Looks like I'll have to take matters into my own hands. You can teach Della your way. And I'll teach her MY way. If you won't teach Della tough love Donald, I will." Beakley said, determined to show her way of parenting is the best approach.

---

Gummiship:

Soon the Gummiship was in the Lanes-In-Between. Max sat at the controls this time. Sora was in the pilot's seat, and Kairi manned the weapons.

"Since when can you fly the Gummishop Max?" asked Daisy.

"I learned while you guys were at the manor." Max chuckled.

"And just like when he learned to skateboard, he learned really fast!" Goofy added proudly.

"And I'll get us to the Pride Lands faster than you can say I2I!" Max said determinedly.

"That's my boy!" Goofy said happily, wiping a tear away.

As they flew, some couldn't help but notice Donald happily listening to his walkman as he laid in his seat.

"Wow, Donald. You're in really high spirits today." said Kairi, smiling to see Donald happier than normal.

"Yeah. You're in a really good mood, Donald." Said Aqua.

"How could I not be." Donald happily replied. "My sister's finally home after 11 years and my family's whole again."

"True. Can't blame you for being in a hell of a good mood." Said Lea.

"Yup." Said Donald, casually lying back on his seat. "Things are finally looking up for me. My family's back together. Me, Scrooge and the boys have patched things up. I've got my sister back. The boys have finally met their mom. And once all this is over, I'm going to end up marrying this pretty lady sitting right next to me."

"Aww, Donald!" Daisy gushed, before giving Donald a kiss on the cheek, making him blush.

"By the way Donald, does Della know about you-know-what yet?" Ortensia asked.

"You mean how her stunt with the Spear of Selene tore apart the family and how Donald and Scrooge never spoke to each other for 10 years?" asked Goofy.

"No Goofy, Donald going swimming naked in the lake-YES the Spear of Selene incident!" huffed Lea.

"No, she doesn't know just yet. But...Uncle Scrooge and I talked and we've decided to tell Della the truth after we finish our mission in the next world." Said Donald.

Everyone was taken aback.

"You are?!" exclaimed Ven.

"That's… good actually." said Aqua.

"But I thought you were gonna tell her in a like a month or two." Lea pointed out, confused.

"That's because we thought that's how long it would take for Della to settle in and get to know her boys. But she's settling in faster than I thought and she's slowly getting the hang of being a mother." Donald said happily. "She's already bonded with Huey and Dewey. By the time we get back she should've bonded with Louie. That'll be the perfect time to tell Della what really happened."

"Well good on you then." smiled Mickey.

"Indeed. She shouldn't be kept in the dark for so long." said Minnie.

"It's important she understands in the long run." said Naminé.

"And that we don't have repeats of our similar mistakes." said Riku.

"But… I am still worried about how she'll react." said Donald, looking down sadly. "When she learns the truth she's gonna be heartbroken."

Everyone gave him soft looks.

"Don't worry Donald. Yes it would be the understandable response Della will give when she hears." said Mickey.

"But I'm sure she'll recover from it." said Goofy.

"She just needs to understand what her actions caused in the long run." said Minnie.

Daisy who clutched his hand. "But as long as she has you by her side, it will work out."

"And if you want, we'll help make things easier for Della too." offered Sora.

"It's the least we can do." smiled Kairi.

"Thanks guys." smiled Donald.

As they flew, Sora had a thought. He turned to the old Organization's Number 7.

"Hey, Isa. When you were in the Organization did you ever keep an eye on things in the Pride Lands?" asked Sora.

All eyes went on the bluehead.

"Yes, as a matter of fact I did." Isa replied. "When I was Saïx we always made sure to monitor any world of interest to us. I was ordered to monitor the Pride Lands."

"Could you tell us what's been going on in the Pride Lands?" asked Riku.

"Yeah, how are Kion and Simba doing?" Asked Sora.

"And Kiara and Nala?" Kairi added.

"And the Lion Guard?" Goofy added.

"Last time we were there Scar came back." said Donald.

"And we had to leave because other worlds needed us. We couldn't stay to help the Lion Guard with Scar." Mickey said regretfully. "We've been wondering how it's all going for them."

"I've been meaning to tell you about the Pride Lands for some time now. I suppose now is as good a time as any. I have some good news and bad news to tell you." said Isa.

"Don't keep us in suspense dude, tell us the good news." said Myde.

"The good news is that Scar is no more." Isa informed, the Guardians recoiling in surprise.

"Scar's dead!? You're kidding, right!?" Sora asked.

"And not just dead from life, but like his spirit isn't among them anymore?" clarified Riku.

"I'm not. Kion and the Lion Guard defeated him." Isa assured.

The Guardians except Isa celebrated, cheering with joy.

"That's wonderful!" Naminé exclaimed.

"Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!" Donald shouted.

"Yes!" Daisy shouted, pumping her fist.

"Woo-hoo!" Oswald exclaimed.

"Hot Dog!" Mickey shouted joyfully.

"I knew Kion could pull it off!" shouted Sora.

"How'd they pull it off?" Lea asked.

"Kion and the rest of the Lion Guard had grown to become teenagers. They raised an army of Pride Landers to invade the Outland and put an end to Scar's army, and the evil lion himself. They also had help from Jasiri and her hyenas…" Isa explained.

"Good old, Jasiri." Sora said, remembering the female hyena he befriended.

"And Janja's clan." Isa finished.

This took Sora, Donald, Goofy, Riku, Mickey, Kairi, Roxas, Ven, Xion and Naminé by surprise.

"WHAT!?" the ten of them shouted.

"Who's Janja?" Terra asked.

"He's the leader of a clan of hyenas against the Circle of Life." Riku answered.

"He's basically Kion's archenemy and the opposite of Jasiri." Donald added.

"Janja's one of the good guys now? When did that happen?" Sora asked, still surprised.

"Jasiri had saved Janja's life a couple times and taught him 'Sisi Ni Sawa'" Isa replied.

"What does that mean?" Ortensia asked.

"It means 'we're the same'. Jasiri taught it to me too when I didn't trust her the first time. Same with Kion some time after he formed the Guard and hew too got trapped in the Outlands." Sora replied, before looking back to Isa. "Go on Isa, we're listening."

"After Jasiri saved his life, Janja had been considering defecting from Scar's army to join her. When Scar caught wind of what he believed to be a potential rebellion he tried to have Janja's clan eliminated." Isa explained with a serious frown.

The rest of the Guardians frown too, disgusted and unsurprised.

"Why am I not surprised?" Aqua asked rhetorically.

"Scar's a tyrant. Of course, he'd try and eliminate some of their own soldiers out of paranoia." Ven replied, equally disgusted.

"Still… what a bastard." Sora says angrily.

"How evil could you get?" Kairi asked.

"I'm sure that's what Janja was asking himself." Isa replied. "After the attempt on his life Janja finally realized Scar has no care for him and joined Kion's army."

"Gwarsh, Janja as a good guy. Who'd have imagined?" Goofy commented.

"There might be some hope for hyenas after all." Max replied.

"Not all hyenas are evil. I learned that from Jasiri." Sora said with a smile.

"At any rate, Kion led the Lion Guard and his army to fight Scar. In the end the Lion Guard reached Scar and Kion put an end to him, using a different version of his roar to summon the Lion's from the past. They passed judgment on Scar and sent down rain to douse his flames, destroying his entire essence and putting an end to him once and for all." Isa explained with a smile. "With Scar defeated, Jasiri became the new leader of the Outlands with Janja as her second-in-command. They convinced the Outlanders to follow the Circle of Life and they accepted. It's safe to assume with Scar gone peace has been restored to the Pride Lands"

Everyone smiled in relief for everyone in the Pride Lands.

"That's really wonderful news." Aqua says, smiling.

"So that Outlanders are no longer our enemies." Riku said.

"With Jasiri running Outlands, I don't think we'll need to worry about any Outlanders for a long time." Sora said, crossing his arms. "I had no doubt the Lion Guard would defeat Scar."

"Looks like they didn't need our help after all." Mickey said, smiling.

"So all the Outlanders now follow Jasiri?" asked Kairi.

"Well Janja and his clan do." said Isa. "As do Reiriei and her jackal pack, Kiburi and his crocodile float, and Mzingo and his parliament. As for the rest, Kenge, Sumu, and Shupavu and her skinks haven't been seen for some time. Either they left or are dead. We're not really sure."

"I'd say good riddance. Sumu was the one who stung Simba and almost killed him!" said Donald.

"Even with Isa's blocking spell, it was still an evil move on both his and Scar's part!" said Goofy.

"And Kenge's bite was just as bad from what Kion, Fuli, and Beshte told us." said Sora.

"And those skinks were like tiny sneaky little spies from what I've heard." said Myde.

"Wait a minute, what about that literal snake, Ushari? What happened to him?" Ven asked.

"After Scar had perished, Ushari tried to kill Kion. Bunga saved him but he and Ushari fell into the volcano in the process." Isa said, causing everyone to gasp in horror for Bunga. "Don't worry, he's alive thanks to Ono. He dove in and saved him."

"That's a relief." Riku said, sighing in relief.

"So, Ushari's dead?" Oswald asked.

"Who cares? I'd say good riddance to that literal snake." Lea said with a smirk.

Isa frowned, remembering the fact that he had to save Ushari's life instead of leaving him to die.

"I wish that were the case but I'm afraid not. Ushari is still alive." Isa replied, grimly.

"What? How!? I thought you said he fell in lava." Xion asked, the Guardians shocked.

"He did." Isa replied. "But I saved him."

"What!? Why would you save him!?" Donald quacked, shocked.

"Because I had no choice." Isa replied. "Remember, I had to be as convincing as possible to maintain my cover while I was in the Organization. Xehanort saw a use for Ushari and ordered me to save him should he be on the verge of death. So before he fell into the lava I summoned a corridor of darkness and he fell in through there. I imagine by now he's recovered and is plotting against us in the Organization's castle."

"So Ushari's still alive?" asked Daisy.

"Yes. I'm sorry. But I had to maintain my cover in order to help you. Honestly, as dark as it sounds, I would've preferred to have left Ushari to his fate, given his betrayal to the Pride Lands and summoning an evil tyrant. But under my circumstances, that was not an option." Isa said, regretfully.

"Don't beat yourself up over it, man. You did what you had to." Lea assured, patting Isa's shoulder.

"Yeah, we're not gonna hold anything against you, Isa." Sora said with a smile.

"And hopefully if Simba, Kion, and the others find out, they'll understand your hands were tied." said Ortensia.

"At least Scar's gone." Oswald said.

"Yes, but unfortunately, winning a war does come with a price." Isa said, grimly. "The final battle with Scar left its scars on both Kion and Ono, and I mean that literally for Kion."

The Guardians became concerned after hearing this, especially Sora and Donald.

"What?" Sora asked.

"What do you mean? What happened to Ono?" Donald asked, worried about his closest animal friend.

"Ono had to dive into the volcanic bog to save Bunga's life and he needed both his eyes open. Exposure to the bog had severely damaged Ono's eyesight and had rendered him almost blind." said Isa.

Everyone gasped.

"Oh my goodness!" cried Minnie.

"That's gotta hurt!" cringed Max.

"Ono lost his eyesight?!" Daisy asked.

"Yes. And Rafiki can't do anything to heal him since it's far too serious." said Isa. "With his sight gone, Ono is no longer the Keenest of Sight."

"Ono…" Donald said sadly, feeling sorry for Ono.

"So, the Lion Guard have lost their Keenest of Sight." Mickey said, feeling equally sorry.

"Not exactly. The Lion Guard has added a new member to their team, Anga." Isa replied.

"Anga?" Roxas repeated.

"Yes. She's a bird like Ono, a martial eagle to be more precise. She's capable of seeing just as well as Ono, so he chose her as her successor. She's the new Keenest of Sight. And Kion being Kion made an extra spot for Ono as the Lion Guard's Smartest." Isa explained with a smile.

"Classic Kion, always looking out for his friends." Donald said, smiling proudly along with everyone else.

"Speaking of Kion, what exactly is it that happened to him?" Sora asked, concerned for his closest animal friend too.

"I'm afraid Kion is suffering from something far more serious. When the Lion Guard confronted Scar, Ushari took the opportunity to bite Kion across his left eye."

"Oh my god!" gasped Aqua.

"Jesus!" cringed Roxas.

"Bitten across the eye!?" exclaimed Terra.

"Oooh!" Lea cringed.

"Ouch. That must've hurt." Myde said, also cringing.

"I'm afraid it did. Ushari's bite left a scar above Kion's eye. But It's far worse than that. Ushari's bite sent a special venom into Kion's body." Isa explained, grimly.

"Quackers! Kion is dying!?" Daisy exclaimed.

"No. It's far worse than that. Ushari's venom is destroying his mind." Isa answered.

"Destroying his mind? What the hell are you talking about Isa?" Riku asked.

"The venom is causing Kion immense pain that is slowly distorting Kion's way of thinking. He is struggling to know the difference between right and wrong." Isa said grimly. "Scar was bitten by a snake as well that gave him his scar, distorting his sense of thinking as well and sending him down his dark road back when Mufasa was king."

"You mean Scar wasn't always evil?" Aqua asked.

"He had darkness in his heart and a secret desire to be King of the Pride Lands. The venom from the snake that bit him merely exacerbated his jealousy and brought his darkness to the surface." Isa replied. "He wished to send Kion down that road. With his sense of thinking compromised Kion has lost the ability to control the roar. Every time he uses it he ends up doing more harm than good."

"You mean, Kion can't control his power anymore?" Sora asked, shocked.

"No, he can't. And if the venom stays too long in his body Kion's personality will change for the worse and he will end up going down a dark road." Isa said quite seriously.

The Guardians didn't like the sound of that. Those who had met Kion or heard stories about him knew he was a good, kind-hearted lion, willing to defend those he loved. But hearing him no longer in control of his mind was horrible.

"God, evil venom coursing through your body…" shuddered Kairi.

"Wrecking your brain…" added Oswald.

"How could Scar do this to Kion?!" exclaimed Minnie.

"Because that lion was a sick fuck in life as he was in death." growled Kairi.

"This must've been Scar's backup plan. If he was no longer around to rule the Pride Lands, he wanted to leave a legacy through Kion. He wants the venom from Ushari's bite to send Kion down a dark road." Mickey realized.

"He wanted Kion to follow in his paw prints…" Ven said.

"And maybe become a tyrant in his place." Xion added.

"Yes. It's his final effort to destroy the Royal Family." Aqua finished.

"That monster." Riku said in anger.

"The sick bastard…" Sora said, angered with Scar. "Can Kion be cured?"

"In the Pride Lands, no. Which is why Kion, the Lion Guard and Makini have gone on a journey to the Tree of Life." Said Isa.

"The Tree of Life?" Asked Minnie.

"It's a safe haven for animals of all kinds. Not only do animals go there to find a new home but they also go there to receive treatment for any kind of illness and injuries. It's Ono's only hope of regaining his eyesight and Kion's only hope of regaining control over the roar and eliminating the venom within him." Isa explained.

"That's great! Then Kion and Ono can be saved!" Sora said, excited.

"Oh boy!" Donald exclaimed.

"Yes. But the journey is long and it has not been easy." Isa replied. "And even as we speak, the venom is causing Kion to go through mood swings and slowly changing him from how we knew him. He's had moments of anger, impatience and frustration towards his teammates and a couple of other animals. The last time I monitored Kion he violently knocked away a peacock, scared a friendly leopard away, berated Beshte for trying to make new friend and almost got into a fight with Fuli."

Everyone was shocked.

"Seriously?!" gasped Sora.

"Oh my goodness!" exclaimed Minnie.

"That's horrible!" said Aqua.

"Jesus that isn't like Kion at all!" muttered Roxas.

"And the worst thing is that Kion truly believes his scar makes him look like Scar and he's turning into the next Scar." Isa explained.

"What!? Kion, the next Scar?! That's total crap!" Vent shouted.

"Exactly!" said Terra. "Kion is better than that traitorous lion will ever be!"

"Unlike Scar, he actually cares about his friends and those he protects!" said Riku.

"And he never craved power." added Mickey.

"Gwarsh, you don't think Kion gonna turn evil though, do you?" Goofy asked in concern.

"No way." Sora said faithfully. "This is Kion we're talking about. The son of Simba and Nala, younger brother of Kiara, and the Leader of the Lion Guard. There's no way he'll let the venom overtake him like that."

"That's right. Kion is like you, Sora." Mickey said in agreement. "He's too strong to let darkness overtake him."

"Exactly. You two are very brave, strong, sometimes stubborn, and very capable of handling any darkness that comes your way." nodded Kairi.

"Do you know if Kion's reached the Tree of Life now?" asked Lea.

"No, I don't. Last I saw Kion was when he had an argument with his teammates. He made amends with them, it's nothing to worry about for now. The Lion Guard are doing everything in their power to help Kion and keep him calm until they reach the Tree." Isa answered.

"That's good to hear. At least Kion has his friends with him." Terra said, relieved, as was everyone else. "They'll light his way to the Tree of Life should he ever be lost in darkness."

"Maybe we should find Kion and help him get healed. He could use our help." Naminé suggested.

"But Naminé, the Pride Lands may need our help too. With the Lion Guard on their journey, it's vulnerable to the Organization." Ortensia stated.

Both raised good points. Kion may need their help in order to make his healing go smoother and prevent his temper from going out of control. But at the same time, with Lion Guard MIA, the Organization had the opportunity to strike against the Pride Lands. Everyone looked to Sora.

"What do you think we should do, Sora?" Asked Donald.

"Hmm." Sora crosses his arms, thinking. Then he made his decision. "I think we should go to the Pride Lands. Ortensia's right, the Organization will definitely have plans to attack it and with the Lion Guard away Simba might need our help to protect it. Plus, it may be best if we leave Kion to the Lion Guard… and Makini too. This is his journey."

Terra and Riku nodded in agreement.

"Sora's right. Kion's at a war with darkness in his heart, his fears and insecurities. And only he has the power to overcome all of it." Terra explained.

"Right. Terra and I know that all too well." said Riku. "This is Kion's journey of self-discovery. We have to trust he can handle this. Besides, with his friends backing him up I'm sure Kion will stay on the right path. I say we go to the Pride Lands and help protect it."

"Plus, sorry for the dark subject, given Thanos' Snap, something tells me their journey might take quite a while if any of them turned to dust." Lea said.

Everyone shuddered, especially Riku, Kairi, Terra, Lea, Naminé, Xion, Isa, Myde, Mickey, Minnie, Daisy, and Goofy. Turning into dust was not a pleasant experience for them when they died in the Snap.

Sora, Aqua, Roxas, Ven, Donald, Max, Oswald, and Ortensia hated remembering seeing them and other innocent lives die like that.

"Anyways… the Pride Lands have been a target in the Organization's eyes several times before and I doubt this time it will be an exception." said Xion, trying to change the subject.

"And it would be nice to see Simba and Nala again." said Goofy. He then hads a look of realization. "Oh! And if Kion's grown up, that means Kiara's grown up too!"

"You're right Goofy! She might be ready for her first hunt!" said Mickey.

"Well then let's see if we're right or not." said Kairi.

Soon, Max spotted something on the radar. "Hey guys, we're approaching the Pride Lands!" he called.

The group looked up and saw the world. On top was the large stone formation famously known as Pride Rock. Some trees surrounded it down below. On the bottom right was a large elephant skull and a few bones, the Elephant Graveyard where Scar's hyena minions lived. And on the bottom left was filled with jungle trees, the oasis where Timon and Pumbaa lived and where they raised Simba after he ran away, followed by Bunga when he found them.

"Oh man! I can't believe we're back!" Sora said happily.

"The Pride Lands! Home to King Simba, Queen Nala, their pride, and a whole kingdom." Riku mused.

"It'll be interesting to see what we find here." said Terra. "I know I'm among several here that have never visited this world."

"Well your in for a treat! A-hyuck!" said Goofy.

Max parked the Gummiship. "Ok everyone, you all ready to go?" he asked.

The response the youngest toon got was snoring. Everyone looked and saw Myde sleeping. Isa pinched the bridge of his nose and smacked him up the head, waking him up.

"Yowch! What was that for?!" the sitar player whined.

"We're here." Isa said bluntly. "Sleep on your own time and not when we're on a mission."

"Ok ok ok, I'm up now." Myde grunted as he sat up.

"Sheesh Myde why are you falling asleep so much?" asked Roxas.

"You aren't coming down with something are you?" asked Minnie, concerned.

"Or is this just you being lazy again?" asked Lea.

"Not really." the mullet-haired member replied. "Guess after two weeks without hardcore missions and only training you start to chill more."

"Makes sense. But save it for later because we have a mission to do!" said Sora. "But first I may want to address the majority of you guys on the new playing field in terms of what we are going to be dealing with once we beamed down into the Pride Lands."

"What do you mean by that?" asked Terra.

"Basically, like with Toy Box and Monstropolis, we are going to be blending in with the locales as soon as we get down there. Since the folks down there are actual animals in comparison to those of Disney Castle, each of us is going to be transformed into a proper animal in order to help blend in." Sora answered.

"Hold on, are you saying that a majority of us are going to be walking on all fours?" asked Lea.

"That's basically the gist of it Lea, trust me, it took us a while for us when we first came to this world in the past. So we had no choice but to adapt." Riku answered

"However, not all of us will be in a form in which we walk on all fours. While Sora, Riku, Mickey, Goofy and I were in the form of lions or turtles in Goofy's case, Donald was actually a bird who was able to fly around." said Kairi.

"So does this mean that we will appear similar to you guys or in my case like with Donald, am I going to be a bird as well? Daisy asked.

"Well, that could depend Daisy, we have no idea in terms of what you guys will look like as animals once we enter the world." Donald answered

"Yeah for all we know, you guys can take a completely different animal form." Goofy clarified.

"Wait, what about fighting, in case we run into Heartless or any other enemies, how do we use our Keyblades if we can't fight like normal?" asked Aqua.

"Great question Aqua, and for the majority of us that will probably be walking on all fours, a majority of us will utilize our Keyblade..." Sora paused for a second before proceeding. "by holding them with our teeth." Sora finished slowly.

The Guardians aside from those who have been to the Pride Lands had dumbfounded looks on their faces.

"You...You can't be serious!" Myde exclaimed.

"Are we really going to have to fight while holding our Keyblades by our teeth?" Oswald asked

"I'm afraid it is Oswald, that's what myself and those who have been here before had to be content with." Mickey answered.

"At least those of us that will have to walk on all fours." said Riku.

"Although myself along with Naminé, Xion, and Ven have not been in the Pride Lands ourselves we have seen Sora and the others fight like that from when we were still in their hearts." Roxas elaborated.

Naminé, Xion, and Ven nodded in agreement.

The rest of the Guardians took a bit to gather their thoughts on this matter since they are going into some new territory once they enter the Pride Lands.

"Well, I guess we will have to learn how to fight as soon as we enter the world." Ortensia remarked.

"Agreed, it has been a while since a lot of us have to learn something new in terms of fighting. The last time that happened was when we went to the Valley of Peace to learn kung fu. This will be interesting." Aqua agreed.

"Will follow your lead Sora, you know that place better than the rest of us." said Isa.

"No problem Isa, alright if there are no more questions then we can get going. Jiminy can you beam us down?" Sora asked.

Jiminy, who was observing the conversation answered, "No problem Sora, good luck down there." The cricket then proceeds to press the button and the cockpit was engulfed in a bright flash.

As soon as everyone was gone and Jiminy was alone he then took out his journal.

"I have a feeling that they will be there for a long while. Especially since given the number of possible enemies and allies that they might encounter." Jiminy remarked.

---

Pride Lands:

20 beams came down from the sky as the worldly-travelers had finally set foot on the ground. And like in the Toy Box and Monstropolis, they were in different forms. But this time, they were all African animals.

Sora was a lion once more, but this time, he was taller and longer like teenage/adult lion. His fur was an ashy shade of brown, though his toes, belly, and the fur around his mouth were very light grey. His mane was shaped like his normal hairstyle, though more seemed to grow a bit down his neck and on the top of his back symbolizing he was older now, and was the same light brown color. There was a tuft of light brown fur on the tip of his tail, and he had three whiskers on either side of his nose. His eyes were bright blue and his sclera was yellow. His silver crown necklace still hung from his neck in this form.

Riku was a lion as well, also taller and longer this time, and still slightly taller and longer than Sora, bordering on a fully-grown adult lion. His fur was light blue with a silver mane which was his hair, despite it being cut, symbolizing he was getting older. His toes, muzzle, and underbelly were white, and the tip of his tail was a darker shade of blue. He also had whiskers.

Kairi was a lioness again, the same size as Sora. She still maintained her cut red hair, but her fur was a shade of reddish-pink, her toes, muzzle, and underbelly were white, and the tip of her tail was red like her hair. This time she wore her necklace around her neck and wore her thin white bracelets on her left wrist and a thick wristband on her right wrist.

Mickey was a lion as well, but completely black, with a peach-colored underbelly, front paws completely white, and he maintained his normal toon mouse-like head.

Minnie was the same as Mickey, a lion with a toon mouse-like head, but her paws were red with the marks pink and she wore a red bow. She also had her wedding ring on her right paw.

Goofy was a tortoise. His skin was the same black color as his fur and his limbs were transformed into stocky legs, each with three toes and blunt, light grey nails. The underside of his shell was pale green, while the top side of his shell was yellow with white highlights. He also wore his signature green hat.

Max was similar to his dad, his skin, shell highlights, and nails were the same colors. However, his shell was red and the underside of his shell was blue.

Donald was a tropical bird. His webbed feet were talons of the same color. His plumage is predominantly white, but the tips of his wings and tail feathers were blue. He had three tail feathers that curl deeply at the tips. He also wore his signature blue sailor outfit.

Daisy was also a tropical bird. She looked similar to Donald except she had on a purple bow, the tips of her wings and tail feathers were pink, and she had on turquoise eyeshadow. She also had her engagement ring on her right talon.

Oswald was a regular black hare. His gloved hands were replaced with rabbit paws, his feet were bigger, and his legs were blue like his shorts.

Ortensia was a small clouded leopard. She had black fur and grey spots, paws, and underbelly. Her tail spots were all white. Her head was the same and she had on her signature pink hat with the white flower on it.

Roxas was a lion the same size and physical age as Sora. While maintaining his hair, he had white-ish fur, legs, toes, muzzle, and his underbelly was black with a small Nobody logo at the top near his neck, similar to his zipper on the clothes he got from Twilight Town. He had a brownish-blonde tuft on his tail, tiny black boxes around his back legs like a checkerboard, and even retained his bracelet and rings on his left paw.

Lea was an adult monkey with orange fur, lighter around his muzzle, and his tail was red. He retained his hairstyle. Surprisingly, he also wore his old yellow and brown keffiyeh around his neck.

Isa was a mandrill. His fur was blue with the stripes, nose, finger and toes being dark blue and underbelly being light blue. He also retained his hairstyle. Interestingly, he had a small, yellow waxing crescent moon on the upper right side of his chest.

Naminé was a teenage cheetah. She had white fur with yellow spots, a cream underbelly, her toes were light blue like her sandals, and retained her blonde hair. She also had on a flower similar to the ones styled on her sandals near her left ear.

Xion was a teenage black panther. Her raven hair stood out in the same style and she had silver toes, similar to the zipper and hood strings on her cloak,

Myde was a small dirty blonde meerkat. He retained his mullet hairstyle. His underbelly was a lighter tan and the top of his tail was dark brown.

Ven was a teenage Asiatic Lion. His fur was a dark shade of brown, his underbelly was creamy-brown and at the top near his neck was the Terra's Mark symbol in silver. He also had his regular hairstyle and his armor on his right leg.

Terra was an adult leopard. He had reddish-brown fur, with his toes, muzzle, underbelly, and underlay light brown. He retained his armor and at the top of his chest was the Terra's Mark symbol in silver. He retained his hairstyle and armor on his right leg

Aqua was a Snow Leopard. She had sky blue fur with the marking on her fur being navy blue. Her underbelly was white and she retained her hairstyle. She laos had her armor on her legs and the Terra's mark symbol, in silver, at the top of her chest.

"Whoa!" exclaimed Lea. "Look at us!"

"We're all animals!" exclaimed Ven.

"We're actually animals on all fours!" said Ortensia.

"After being in Sora's heart for so long I never thought I would ever get to be an animal in the Pride Lands." said Roxas.

"Same here." said Naminé.

"Not all of us are on all fours." said Isa, examining himself.

"I can't believe I actually have wings! And that I'm flying!" Daisy said in awe.

"It's amazing toots!" said Donald.

"It's a little weird being on all fours like this." said Aqua.

"Don't worry fellas, the six of us have experience." said Mickey.

"Especially me and Sora!" said Goofy.

"And Goofy's got the trick to it." said Sora. "You'll get used to it."

"Thank you." smiled Terra. "So… which way to Pride Rock?"

Sora, Donald, and Goofy looked around.

"Looks like we're in Ukuni Woods." said Sora. "So we need to go… that way." he said, looking in a certain direction. "I can see Pride Rock up ahead!"

"Then let's go!" said Donald.

With that, the group walked/flew towards Pride Rock. But Kairi had noticed something earlier and quickly pulled Sora back by the tail.

"Whoa Kairi, what is it?!" Sora asked, taken aback.

"Sora, your scar!" Kairi exclaimed quietly.

Sora looked around and gasped when he spotted his scar showing on the side of his body… the scar he got in his battle with Thanos on Titan.

"Oh, crap!" Sora exclaimed, quickly moving around his fur to hide his scar. "Phew! Thanks Kairi!"

"Of course." Kairi smiled before her expression turned neutral. "When do you think you're gonna tell everyone else?"

Sora sighed. "I don't know Kairi. I want to… but you know what it's like every time we wanna talk about what happened during those 5 months of a living nightmare. When we try, we just feel like we're gonna end up back there again…"

"I know… being dusted was not fun…" Kairi shuddered.

"Neither was watching it…" Sora shuddered. "I saw Mantis, Drax, and both Peters die before me, Tony, and Nebula. And Mickey died in my arms."

"We'll tell them eventually…" Kairi said.

"Yeah." Sora smiled. "Someday. C'mon. Let's go."

And the two humans-turned-lions raced after the group.

---

Pride Rock:

On top of Pride Rock, an adult lioness was looking over the kingdom. It was Kiara, Simba and Nala's daughter.

Kiara was small, soft-featured, and less robust and stocky than her father but just as lithe and sleek as her mother. Kiara's color scheme was more of a peach tone like that of her father's, but it was tempered by the creamy hues of her mother. Her muzzle, paws, and underbelly were cream-colored, and her tail tuft was creamy brown. Her eyes were reddish-brown.

"You excited Kiara?"

Kiara looked behind her and saw Simba and Nala behind her. It had been Nala who had spoken.

Simba was a large fully-grown lion. He had yellow-orange fur covering most of his body, except for his belly, paws, and mouth, which were peach-colored. His mane was rust-colored and parts on the right side of the top of his head. He had a tuft of fur the same color as his mane on the tip of his tail. Simba's eyes were orange and his sclera were yellow. His ears were partially visible poking through his mane, and he had eight dark whiskers; four on either side of his upper lip.

Nala was an adult lioness with a lithe build. She was primarily light tan in color, with cream-colored fur on her muzzle and underbelly, as well as bordering her eyes. Her paws were the same color as her pelt. Her eyes were light blue and her sclera, like all the lions, were yellow. She also had a brown tuft on her tail.

"I sure am." Kiara smiled. "My first hunt. I can't believe it's finally happening."

"I honestly can't believe it either." said Simba. "But you've practiced for a long time."

"And you're finally ready to do it." said Nala.

"I know. I can't wait!" Kiara said.

Their faces then fell as they looked out in the distance.

"It's a shame Kion isn't here…" Kiara said sadly. "I was hoping he would be back in time for this…"

"As were we Kiara." Simba sighed. "But the Tree of Life is far far away from the Pride Lands."

"And he needs the cure for that venom Ushari gave him… or else he'll be evil forever…" Nala added grimly. "And the last thing we need is for him to end up like Scar."

"Indeed." nodded Simba. "We do not need history repeating itself."

"Still… I miss him very much." Kiara sighed. "I know he had our sibling rivalry but I still loved him… and I don't want my little brother to end up like Scar… he's better than him."

"And that is something we can all agree on and be thankful for at the same time." said Simba.

"Ho ho ho! You won't have to worry!"

The three lions looked over and saw Rafiki walk up.

Rafiki was an old mandril. He was tall in stature and thinly built, composed of lanky limbs and a hunched back. His main pelt was scruffy and blue-gray in color, while his chest was pale gray. Both his hands and his feet were coated in black fur, his palms a pinkish-brown, and his muzzle matched his palms in color. His face itself was pale blue, broken only by sky blue cheeks, navy blue eye rims, and a bright red nose. His eyes were bright yellow. He also sported a white mane and goatee. His short tail had a bend in the middle and his butt was blue.

"Kion has the Lion Guard and Makini by his side." Rafiki said. "And given all the time that has passed, he should be at the Tree of Life by now."

"God I hope so." said Kiara. "But how long will he be there?"

"Well Ono has to have his eyesight cured, which can be done very well there." the old mandrill replied. "But to cure the Mark of Evil… it takes a much longer healing process."

"Well… even if that's true… I still hold high in my heart that Kion is gonna be ok. And he and the Guard will return home safe and cured." Kiara said optimistically.

"That's our girl." smiled Simba.

At that moment, Zazu flew in from the sky.

Zazu was a slender, adult, male hornbill with blue and white feathers (with indigo tips) and a large golden and red beak. His tail feathers are long and straight, each one transitioning from his predominant color to dark blue near the tip. The lighter and darker shades of blue are divided by bands of white. His wings are the same way, starting out light blue before changing first into white and then to dark blue. On the back of his head, two small dark blue feathers curl upward, and a few white feathers on his chest protrude slightly. His underbelly and legs are white, and his feet are dark reddish-orange. He has sky blue eyelids, and his eyebrows are thick, black, and bushy.

"Ah Zazu, always good to see you." Rafiki smiled.

"You as well Rafiki old friend." Zazu replied.

"What brings you here Zazu?" asked Simba.

"I was flying from Ndefu Grove when I spotted a peculiar sight." Zazu replied. "An entire group of colorful animals were together coming this way."

That made the four animals curious.

"A whole group of colorful animals?" asked Nala. "That is interesting. What were they?"

"Seven lions, one of them being a rare Asitac Lion, two tortoises, two tropical birds, a meerkat, a monkey, a mandrill, a hare, a cheetah, a panther, a leopard, a cloud leopard, and a snow leopard." Zazu replied.

"That is an interesting group. Must be a unique pride like Rafiki's old neighbors." said Kiara.

"Seems quite so." Rafiki chuckled.

"But the thing is… of the group, leading them were none other than Sora, Donald, and Goofy!" Zazu finished.

Simba gasped. Nala and Kiara were surprised.

"Sora, Donald, and Goofy? They're back?!" Simba asked excitedly.

Rafiki laughed. "The Keybearer and his friends return!" he said, waving his staff.

"This is amazing!" Simba said. "Oh were Riku, Kairi, and King Mickey with them?"

"They were indeed!" Zazu replied.

"And from the sound of it, they brought more friends with them." Nala said.

"This is amazing!" Kiara said happily.

"Come on, let's go see them!" said Simba, charging down Pride Rock.

The four animals chuckled.

"Daddy is always so happy whenever Sora comes to visit." giggled Kiara.

"They had been through a lot together when this place was in terrible trouble." Rafiki said. "Such bonds are strong."

"And we may just be able to make more with their friends." said Nala. "Come on."

And the four raced after Simba.

---

In the distance, the group was making their way towards Pride Rock. As they walked/flew, they took in the scenery surrounding them.

"Gawrsh, the Pride Lands look just as beautiful as I remember them!" said Goofy.

"They certainly do look beautiful." mused Aqua.

"You can't even tell that there was a war here." said Isa.

"Which means that it wasn't that bad or the Pride Lands recovered very well." said Terra.

"Hey I see an orange and red blur coming towards us." said Max.

Everyone was confused until they looked in the younger dog-turned-tortoise's direction.

"Sora!"

Sora gasped. "Simba!"

Simbra pounced on Sora. "It really is you!" he said happily.

Sora laughed as everyone else chuckled. "Yeah it's me. It's so good to see you!"

Simba got off of him. "It's been quite sometime since you guys last came here." he remarked.

"Yeah sorry it's been a while." Sora said. "We've been…. Busy to say the least."

"That's putting it lightly." Riku chuckled.

Nala, Kiara, Zazu, and Rafiki joined the group.

"Either way, we are very happy to see you again." said Nala.

"Nala!" Donald quacked.

"And Rafiki and Zazu too! A-hyuck!" Goofy added.

"Hahaha! It sure is us!" Rafiki chuckled.

"Pleasure to see you again as well." said Zazu.

Kairi then noticed Kiara. She squinted her eyes since she didn't recognize her at first… until it hit her.

"Wow, Kiara, look at you. You're all grown-up. You're so beautiful." Kairi said in awe.

Kiara chuckled. "Thanks Kairi. I can say the same for you. You're beautiful too."

Sora walked up next to his girlfriend (or as they say in this world, mate). "Yup. She sure is."

Kairi blushed, smiling.

"And I've been practicing hunting as well. My first solo one is today." Kiara said, puffing her chest with pride.

"That's today?" Kairi asked in surprise. "Well congratulations then!"

"Thanks." Kiara smiled. She looked at the group. "I see you six have brought new friends… huh, a lot of new friends."

The Guardians of Light chuckled.

"Yeah we expanded our team to 20 members." said Riku.

"Our enemies have been getting more help in the past several months. So we did likewise." chuckled Mickey.

"That is a smart approach." said Simba.

"Ah yes, using a similar method as the villains in order to combat them." Rafiki nodded. "Scar did the same with many animals of the Outlands. And Kion and the Lion Guard did the same when Scar was planning his attack."

"That would've been a sight to see." said Sora. He frowned. "We… we all heard what happened to Kion and Ono."

There was a long silence.

"You do?" asked Kiara.

"We heard how in the battle, they got their own war scars…" said Aqua.

"And that they had to go to the Tree of Life." added Terra.

"We're sorry we weren't there to help." said Donald.

"Yeah… I feel like if we had been there… things might've been different." said Sora.

The five animals smiled softly at the group.

"We don't blame you for not being here Sora." said Simba. "You and your friends had your own jobs to do, not just in this kingdom."

"Indeed! You wouldn't have known Ushari was gonna bite Kion." said Zazu. "And my fellow bird friend Ono was brave in saving Bunga's life after he took that traitorous snake down."

The Pride Landers didn't notice the world-travellers trade glances, especially Isa.

"Well that's our Bunga! Reckless but brave at the same time."

The animals looked over and coming up to them from Pride Rock was Timon and Pumbaa.

Pumbaa was an obese adult brownish-red warthog. He had two white tusks on the top of his mouth, along with buck teeth. He has a black mane and smaller legs with black hooves and fingers. He has a brown stomach with a long tail with a fluff on its end. He also has a pink snout and small ears.

Timon was a slim adult meerkat. He had tan fur with a lighter underbelly (and palms), while having red-coral hair, also having triangular points on his arms, with a more brown color (same color as his toes and fingers). He had a large dark brown nose and large black eyes.

"Timon! Pumbaa!" Sora said happily.

"Well if it isn't Sora and his friends! And a whole group fo them!" Timon exclaimed.

"Uh, if it isn't them, then who are they?" Pumbaa asked.

"Oi." Timon groaned, facepalming.

The group chuckled.

"It's so good to see you guys again!" said Sora.

"Still living the life of Hakuna Matata?" asked Goofy.

"Oh you know it!" Timon said, sliding down Pumbaa's snout and landed on the ground. "Whenever Simba doesn't need us for any royal duties, it's all no worries for Punbaa and I."

"And the amount of bugs there keeps getting bigger and bigger no matter how many times Timon and I have ourselves a smorgasbord." Pumbaa said, licking his lips at such a thought.

Everyone else - barring Simba - cringed and grimaced at that.

Wanting to change the subject, Nala spoke up. "Oh! Our apologies. We never asked your names." she said to the members of the team she didn't recognize.

"I'm Minnie. Mickey's husband." said Minnie, nuzzling Mickey,

"I'm Daisy. Donald's soon-to-be-wife." said Daisy, placing a wing around Donald as he blushed.

"You're getting married?! That's wonderful!" Kiara said happily.

"Thank you!" Donald smiled.

"I'm Max, Goofy's son." said Max.

That took the group aback.

"Wait… Goofy, you're a father?" Kiara asked.

"Yep! Maxu's my only little boy." Goofy said, nuzzling his son, giving him an embarrassed smile.

"How come you never told us you had a little tyke of your own?" asked Timon.

"Ya never asked." Goofy shrugged.

"I'm Roxas." said Roxas.

"My name is Naminé." said Naminé.

"I'm Xion." said Xion.

"The name is Lea. Got it memorized?" said Lea, tapping the side with his head with his monkey paw.

"Of course." Simba chuckled.

"Terra." said Terra.

"My name is Aqua." said Aqua.

"My name's Ventus. But you can call me Ven for short." said Ven.

"I'm Isa." said Isa.

"The name's Myde." said Myde,

"The name's Oswald. I'm Mickey's half-brother." said Oswald.

"A lion and rabbit brothers?" Pumbaa asked, tailoring his head.

"Well Bunga and I are brothers since the two of us were raised by you two." Simba pointed out.

"And I'm his wife Ortensia." said Ortensia, nuzzling her mate.

"A rabbit and leopard together?" asked a surprised Kiara.

"I've seen interspecies before, but not like this." mused Zazu.

"Oh yes, but who are we to judge?" Rafiki chuckled. "Love can never truly be judged if it is to your heart's desire."

Everyone could only nod in agreement.

Simba's eyes then landed on Isa. A suspicious feeling that he had seen him before. Faded memories of hearing a fight outside Pride Rock came to him, even though he could barely make out what was going on as he recovered… but a familiar flash of blue played in his memory.

Simba walked up to Isa, looking him right in the eye with a suspicious look. Isa remained unfazed.

"Is there something I can help you with, Your Majesty?" asked Isa.

Nala gently pulled Simba back.

"Simba, let's not be rude to our guests by staring at them like that." Nala said firmly.

"You're right." Simba smiled at Isa. "Apologies for that Isa. You seemed familiar. I can't help but feel we've met before"

Sora, Donald, Goofy, Riku, Mickey and Kairi exchanged nervous glances. Simba didn't realize Isa was once Saïx who was the Organization member that invaded the Pride Lands during the Kambuka Celebration. Regardless, Isa remained calm.

"I doubt that sir. This is my first time in the Pride Lands, after all." Isa replied.

"Well then, I hope your visit is a good one." said Simba. "You have come a long way. Why don't you come to Pride Rock?"

"We have plenty of room both in the den and in the Lion Guard Lair." said Nala.

"That would be very nice." smiled Mickey.

"Great! Follow us then." said Kiara.

With that, the group made their way towards Pride Rock. Myde faced Isa.

"Are you gonna tell him that you were Saïx?" he quietly asked.

"Not yet." Isa replied. "Perhaps when our mission in this world is done. We will be human - and toons - again by then."

"Eh. Makes sense."

As the group walked away, none of them noticed three figures hiding in the trees. Ansem, Xemnas, and Young Xehanort were all watching them go. The former wore his regular attire and the latter two were wearing their cloaks.

"So the Keybears are back in the game once more." Young Xehanort mused.

"It doesn't matter to us." said Ansem. "We have had time to think about more tactical approaches in monitoring these worlds."

"And we have a better one in this world." said Xemnas. "Zira and her pride for this particular area… and the group of Back Landers for the Tree of Life."

"Indeed." nodded Young Xehanort. "Once Zira seizes control of the throne, Kovu will be king, and the Outsiders will rule all of the Pride Lands, giving us all a great advantage to bring this world to its knees."

"And when the heroes try to stop them… the Tree of Life will be our phase." said Xemnas.

"For now… let us check on our allies her, per Maleficent's request." said Ansem.

The trio then teleported away.

---

Outlands:

Ansem, Xemnas, and Young Xehanort teleported in.

"Are we near the Outsiders home? We don't need the now-redeemed Outlanders knowing of our presence." said Young Xehanort.

"Do not worry." said Xemnas. "The homes of the hyenas, jackals, crocodiles, and vultures are far away from us."

The sounds of lions roaring could be heard.

"We're here." Ansem said.

The three walked across the land until they found a group of lionesses lounging around. They looked up when they saw the three.

"Who are they?"

"Humans?!"

"They don't smell human."

"Trespassers!"

"Get them!"

The lionesses snarled at the three Organization members who didn't even bat an eye. Suddenly, a louder roar was heard, making the lionesses stop.

"Stand down ladies!"

Everyone looked up and saw Zira leap down from the edge of some cliffs.

"They're allies of mine… return to your spots. That's an order." Zira said firmly.

The lionesses dispersed. Zira approached the trio.

"I apologize for them, I trained them well to get rid of the enemy whether they know them or not." she said.

"No need for apologies Zira." said Xemnas. "Your pride is doing very well. They will be a true asset to dominating this world once you bring Simba, Nala, and their pride down."

"Indeed." Zira smirked. "So what brings you here?"

"The Keyblade Masters have resumed their traveling." Young Xehanort replied. "Which means you and your pride should be ready to face them when you strike."

Zira chuckled. "Oh believe me, I will be ready. And so will they." she said. "We have trained for years to be the toughest lions in all of Africa… no one, not Simba, or Nala, or Kiara will be able to stand in our way… even if the Lion Guard ever return, Kion and his friends will never be able to stop us…"

"Your confidence astounds us Zira." hummed Ansem.

"Must be why Scar and I were so close…" Zira smirked. "Come… my champion is waiting…"

"And what of your other offspring?" asked Xemnas.

"Nuka and Vitani are traveling to the hyenas' old spot to get what's needed for the plan." Zira replied. "I trust Shenzi, Banzai, Ed, and their clan are still being helpful to you as they were to Scar?"

"Indeed they are… mainly the first two." Ansem replied.

"Good." Zira said as she began to walk to her den, Ansem, Xemnas, and Young Xehanort following her.

Zira was grinning menacingly as she looked at her youngest son Kovu.

Kovu, now a teenage lion, had auburn fur, and his muzzle, paws, and underbelly were all creamy brown in color. His mane was colored a very rich dark brown and matched the dark shades of his elbow tufts and tail tip. He had dark eye shades but had emerald green eyes.

"You are ready!" Zira grinned before chuckling. "Nice... very nice. You have the same blackness in your soul that Scar had. What is your destiny?"

"I will avenge Scar... take his place in the Pride Lands." Kovu said without looking at his mother.

"Yes! What have I taught you?"

"Simba is the enemy."

"And what must you do?"

Kovu narrowed his eyes. "I must kill him!"

The lionesses of the Outsiders roared in reply.

"He looks like he's ready." said Young Xehanort.

"If Zira's training has made him the perfect pawn to bring Simba down, then that will be something." said Ansem.

"We'll see where his allegiances lie…" Xemnas said, not taking his eyes off of Kovu as he left the den. "His past meeting with the princess and his so-called role in his clan ceasing the good hyenas' watering hole raises several questions…"

"Oh trust me… Kovu is ready for all of this…" Zira said with a toothy grin.

"Then we wish you luck Zira." Ansem said as he, Xemnas, and Young Xehanort teleported away.

---

Later at Pride Rock, the world-travelers and lionesses were lined up, making a path near the bottom of the rocky stairs to the den. Zazu, Rafiki, Timon, and Pumbaa were there too.

Among the lionesses were Kiara's best friends Tiifu and Zuri.

Tiifu was a cream colored lioness with a small tuft of fur sticking up from her head. Her ear rims were a light chocolate brown, with scruffy pink inner ears. Her stomach, muzzle, and paws were a pale cream. She had olive green eyes, a maroon nose and three, small, pink speckles on each cheek. The tuft at the end of her tail was brown. She also had dark cream stripes on her legs.

Zuri was a tawny-orange lioness with paler orange chest fur. She had a small tuft of fur on her head, light brown ear rims, and softly-rimmed inner ears. On each ear was a pale marking in the shape of an oval. Her eyes were a distinct blue, and just underneath each of her eyes was a small pale brown marking. Her nose was maroon, and her claws were gray and shiny.

Nala was walking towards Simba on the path, who was sitting at the end of the assembled lionesses. He looked quite worried and sad, but he sighed gently and forced a smile when Nala reached him.

"This must be exciting for them all…" whispered Daisy.

"Well it is the princess' first hunt." said Minnie.

"Wow, her first hunt!" "You must be so proud, Nala." "Here she is!" the lionesses all said.

Kiara emerged from over a hill on the trail. She looked at Rafiki, who was standing next to the path. She looked worried until Rafiki spoke to her.

"Kiara." he said gently.

Zazu alighted nearby.

Timon and Pumbaa embraced goofily.

Sora and Co. smiled proudly at Kiara.

"Good luck, Kiara!" "She'll be great." "Her first hunt!" "You can do it!" "It's your day, Kiara." "Good luck, Kiara!" "My, how you've grown!" the lionesses all said.

Nala and Kiara nuzzled. Simba was looking vaguely glum.

"You'll do just fine." Nala smiled.

"You got this Kiara." smiled Sora.

"You worked hard for this." said Kairi.

"Good luck Kiara." said Tiifu.

"Knock 'em dead bestie!" said Zuri.

Kiara smiled back at them and then faced her father. "Daddy... you have to promise to let me do this on my own. Promise?" she asked.

Simba glanced at Nala, who raised her eyebrows at him. He rolled his eyes upward acquiescently. "All right... I promise." he said.

They rubbed heads. Timon and Pumbaa broke into tears.

"Drama queens." Lea muttered, though Aqua nudged him to shut it.

Kiara looked back, and then ran off into the fields. Simba moved surreptitiously over to Timon and Pumbaa. "...Make sure she doesn't get hurt." he whispered.

Timon and Pumbaa began humming in a show of nonchalance, and sidled away off the rock until they dropped over the side and out of view.

"Anyone else notice that?" Myde asked.

"I did." said Terra, looking at Simba as he went back into Pride Rock.

"What is he up to…?" Oswald asked.

"It's probably nothing." said Sora.

"He may be just worried about his daughter." said Aqua.

"Yeah that's natural for a parent." said Goofy.

"Simba's been like that ever since Kiara went to the Outlands instead of the trail he marked for her." said Tiffu.

"And since Kion and the Lion Guard left for the Tree of Life." added Zuri.

"Understandable that he would be worried for Kiara… I just hope he'll be ok." said Mickey.

"And I'm wondering exactly what he told Timon and Pumba…" said Riku.

"Eh whatever it may be, think we should relax in the lair?" Myde asked.

"Only for a little while." said Mickey. "We gotta be ready for any battle."

And the group whole-heartedly agreed.

---

Savannah:

Kiara was out looking for potential prey. She spotted a herd of antelope grazing. She was trying to be quiet, but she accidentally stepped on a branch, which cracked and sent the antelope running. Kiara ran frustratedly after them.

---

Elephant Graveyard:

Steam vents were going off as two lions were luring around, sticks in their mouths. It was Zira's ither two children, Nuka and Vitani.

Vitani was a slim lioness like Kiara. Her fur was duller than her previously yellowish coat as a cub, and was especially long on her head, forming a large tuft that fell towards her muzzle, though it was also considerably long on her cheeks. Her muzzle, chest, underbelly, and paws were a creamy tan color. Her nose was deep pink and angular. The tuft at the end of her tail was brown. Her eyes were a bright blue.

Nuka was a scraggly lion with brown fur, with grey fur on his mouth and underbelly, red eyes and a scrawly black budding mane on his head and all around his neck, goatee and elbow fur. His whiskers were bent in a few places on either side. His inner ears were a darker brown with a tuft of black fur sticking out from each.

"Yeecch. This place is even creepier since the hyenas ran off." Nuka remarked.

"Mmmh. Sheesh." Vitani huffed with a mouth full of kindling.

"I'm not scared, okay?" Nuka said in annoyance.

They jump down next to one of the spouts, Vitani dropping the kindling against the edge.

"I just don't know why we have to be here, that's all. If Kovu was so special, why does he need us?" grunted Nuka. "... I never even had a CHANCE! Yaaah!" he yelled as his butt was burned by a jet of hot gas from the ground.

Vitani watched him with amusement, then her face lit up as the near spout burst, lighting the sticks ablaze.

"That's it! Now come on... Kiara has started her hunt. We have to move quickly." she said.

Nuka grabbed his burning stick, and leaned his head over the vent's edge; it went off, scorching his face.

"Oooh! Fire!" he yelled, laughing crazily and bounding off after Vitani.

---

In the open fields, Timon and Pumbaa were following after Kiara. Pumbaa's tail was sticking up above the grass like a submarine periscope. Timon rose up next to it, saw the tail, yelped in surprise, and ducked back down. The two cross a clearing military-fashion, sniffing the air, and they dart from tree to tree with SWAT-team-style "Hup! Hup! Hup!" noises. Timon leapt into a hollow log and gestures as though holding two-way radio.

"Tango-Charley-Alpha. What's your position?" Timon asked.

Pumbaa was confused. "Uhhh... Upright... head turned slightly to the left... tail erect." he replied.

Timon rolled his eyes. "Why do I bother?" he muttered.

He scanned the horizon, framing Kiara in his fingers "Ah hah…" he said.

Kiara was stalking the antelope again. She carefully stepped over some stones with her front feet, but knocked them over with her hind feet, alerting the antelope into running yet again. She jumped up and gave chase as the herd turned and dashed away from her, directly toward Timon and Pumbaa, who shrieked in fright.

"This must be where the deer and the antelope play!" Timon cried out.

The antelope were soon gone. Timon and Pumbaa turned around and shrieked when they saw Kiara standing there, panting. Timon recovered and chuckled guiltily as Kiara recovered her breath.

"Timon... what are you doing here?" Kiara sternly asked.

"Uh... shopping!" Timon quickly lied. "We thought a nice pelt for the den... some throw pillows, a little potpourri…"

"My father sent you." Kiara said, feeling annoyed and then betrayed. "After he promised to let me do this on my own- he lied!"

"No... he just doesn't want you to get hurt!" Timon replied.

"I should have known he'd never give me a real chance!" Kiara said angrily, running past the duo. "I'll do this on my own. Away from the Pride Lands!"

And Kiara ran off as fast as she could.

"Hey! Wait! Come back!" Timon yelled. "Oh... who can keep track of her? Kiara- come back!"

He hopped up on Pumbaa, and they ruan after her- but she was far ahead already.

"Oh... she's gone again! Somebody's gotta get a beeper for this kid!" Timon groaned.

---

Toward the edge of the Pride Lands, Nuka and Vitani were standing above with their flaming sticks.

"Let's light fire!" Nuka cried.

They ran down the slope, Vitani laughing madly.

"Roasty toasty princess... roasty toasty princess…" Nuka cackled, lighting the grass in several places, hopping around in circles… without realizing he was the center of the circle of flames he made. :"Hey, is it hot in here, or is that just me?" he asked before relaxing why. "FIRE! YOWWW!"

Nuka rocketed into the air and landed a good distance away, where he resumed laughing maniacally.

"Grr... come on!" Vitani growled as she suddenly grabbed Nuka and dragged him off.

---

Back in the valley, the antelope were grazing along with various birds. Something suddenly spooked them and they turned and began to gallop off. Kiara began to chase them. Kiara suddenly noticed the fire burning on the horizon, and the antelope turned and ran back in her direction. She panicked, turned, and began to run back the way she came; antelope and birds followed her.

At a a high knoll above the flames, Zira and Kovu sat watching. Ansem, Xemnas, and Young Xehanort stood a good distance away.

"Quite the sight to see the Pride Lands burn… just like in Scar's vision." mused Xemnas.

"The plan is in motion." Zira said before facing Kovu. "Go!"

Kovu ran down the slope, towards Pride Rock.

---

Pride Rock:

Simba was pacing with Zazu several steps away.

"Don't worry, Simba. She'll be fine. What could happen?" Zazu assured him.

Simba looked up and gasped as he saw the smoke rising.

"No... no! Kiara!" Simba cried. "Zazu! Fly ahead. Find her!"

Zazu gasped at the smoke and immediately took off.

Sora ran out of the den.

"Simba, what's wrong?!" he cried.

"FIRE! And Kiara's out there!" Simba shouted.

Sora looked ahead and saw the smoke. "Oh no! Don't worry Simba, we'll put it out!"

"Oh thank you!" Simba said in relief, running down Pride Rock.

Sora ran into the cave where his friends were. "GUYS!" he shouted.

"Sora what's wrong?" asked Mickey.

"There's a huge fire! And Kiara's out there!" Sora cried.

That made the guardians get up and ready.

"Come one fellas! We got some fire fighting to do!" said Mickey."

"We'll need you at your best for your water magic Myde." said Lea.

"You got it!" said Myde, summoning his sitar and Keyblade.

The 20 world-travelers ran out towards the blaze.

---

Kiara was following a pair of zebras away from the flames, but found herself trapped and hemmed in on all sides, choking on the thick smoke.

She saw a high stone overhang above the flames. Kiara leapt up and tried to climb up the side, but she fell unconscious upon reaching the top.

Kovu appeared from the smoke and loomed over her. Kiara woke up for a moment and saw him baring his teeth down at her, before losing consciousness again.

Looking from side to side, Kovu grabbed the nape of her neck and threw her body on top of his, and began to carry her away from the fire.

---

During this time, Sora and his friends had their signature Keyblades summoned and ran/flew to the fire.

"Kinda hard carrying a Keyblade in your teeth!" said Max.

"You'll get used to it Maxie!" Goofy said.

"Everyone, begin casting water spells!" Sora shouted.

"Ice spells can help too!" added Riku.

Together, the 20 Guardians of Light casted various spells against the flames. Water, Blizzard, Deep Freeze, Ice Barrage, Icicle Mine, and Blizzaga Pursuit spells were cast, dousing the fires.

"I think we got the fire under control!" shouted Aqua, casting Blizzaga.

"Keep going in case it spreads more!" shouted Xion, using a Watera spell.

"I got this!" said Myde, strumming his sitar. "Dance water dance!"

Pillars of water burst from the ground and began to extinguish the flames.

"Nice going Myde!" called Sora, casting Deep Freeze.

"Keep it up!" shouted Mickey, casting Waterga.

"Is this fire getting worse?!" asked Donald, casting Ice Barrage.

"I got this!" Lea said, using his hands/paws… to suddenly absorb the fire into himself.

Everyone was surprised.

"Whoa Lea how did you do that?!" exclaimed Roxas.

"A little trick I thought myself in the past two weeks." Lea smirked. "Helps give my powers a little boost."

"That is awesome!" Sora said in amazement.

With that, they continued to put out the wildfire.

---

At this time, Kovu leapt across chasms with unextinguished flames roaring, and then tumbled with Kiara down a slope into a pool of water, where Kiara began to sink. Kovu dived for her and dragged her to shore.

Zazu, flying overhead, saw the event and gasped. "I must tell Simba!" He flew back to Pride Rock.

Kovu dragged Kiara to shore, and she woke up, gasping for breath.

"Where am I?" Kiara weakly asked.

"You're safe... in the Pride Lands." Kovu replied.

Kiara was shocked. "The Pride Lands... no!" she exclaimed before glaring at Kovu. "Why did you bring me here? Who do you think you are?"

Kovu was aghast. "I think I'm the one who just saved your life!" he retorted.

"Look! I had everything under control!" Kiara snarled.

"Not from where I'm standing." Kovu retorted.

"Then move downwind." Kiara huffed, walking away.

The lions confronted each other. Kiara began jumping from side to side

Kovu's interest piqued. "What are you doing?" he asked.

Kiara recognized him. "Kovu?" she asked with a delighted smile.

Kovu smirked.

"Kiara!"

Both lions turned to see Sora and Co. run up, panting heavily. It had been Sora who shouted.

"Sora? Kairi? Riku? Guys, what are you all doing here?" asked Kiara.

"We saw the fire and immediately ran to put it out." Minnie replied.

"No need to thank us." Lea smirked, wiping the sweat away. "We're basically the Pride Lands' firefighters."

"For now." said Isa, rolling his eyes. "But yes, the fire has been taken care of."

"Though it will be a while until the smoke clears out." said Terra.

"Well thanks for that." Kiara smiled.

The guardians smiled before their eyes turned to Kovu.

"Hey who's this lion Kiara?" asked Sora.

"Oh this is Kovu." Kiara said. "We met when we were cubs. He lives in the Outlands."

"Oh he does?" asked Mickey.

"Yes… I do… but I'm a rogue." Kovu carefully said. "I want nothing to do with them anymore."

"Are you sure?" Myde asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I trust him." said Kiara. "He wasn't anything like his mother when I first met him. He just saved my life from the fire actually."

"It wasn't an easy job, but I pulled it off like a pro." Kovu said, puffing out his chest proudly.

"Well in that case, well done Kovu!" Mickey said with a smile.

Suddenly through the smoke emerged several Heartless. Flame Cores, Fiery Globes, Scorching Spheres, and Novashadows peered from the smoke clouds in fighting stances.

"Oh my gosh!" Kiara cried.

"Whoa what are they?!" Kovu exclaimed, taken aback by the strange creatures.

"HEARTLESS!" shouted Sora, summoning Oblivion.

"Right after putting out the fire!" Lea grunted, summoning Flame Liberator.

Riku summoned Dual Disc, Roxas summoned Oathkeeper, Kairi summoned Destiny's Embrace, Ven summoned Frolic Flame, Terra summoned No Name, Aqua summoned Master's Defender, Xion summoned Lost Memory, Naminé summoned Shooting Star, Isa summoned Blue Moon, Myde summoned Mystic Water, Mickey summoned Kingdom Key W, Minnie summoned Starlight, Donald summoned Centurion, Daisy summoned Spellbinder, Goofy summoned Adamant Shield - KHII, Max summoned Fenrir, Oswald summoned Classic Tone, and Ortensia summoned Zero/One.

"You ready to fight Kiara?" asked Kairi.

"Always Kairi." Kiara replied, getting into a fighting stance.

"Well new lion? Are you gonna fight or gawk at these big palookas?" asked Donald.

"Oh I can fight." Kovu replied, getting into a fighting stance.

(Demyx Boss Battle - Radiant Garden from Kingdom Hearts II plays)

Mission: Defeat the Heartless

Playable Characters:

Sora

Donald Duck

Goofy

Riku

King Mickey

Kairi

Terra

Aqua

Ventus

Roxas

Lea

Xion

Naminé

Isa

Myde

Queen Minnie

Daisy Duck

Max

Oswald

Ortensia

Party Members:

Kiara

Kovu

Roxas started out the fight as he slashed at several Fiery Globes before he jumped up into the air and casted Meteor to take them down. Sora followed Roxas suite as he casted orbs of light at some Flame Cores and then destroyed them with a Dark Firaga spell. Aqua slashed three Novashadows to keep them at bay. The human-turned-snow leopard then used Blackout to confuse them and then casted Crawling Fire to destroy them. Naminé jumped at two Scorching Spheres as she slashed around their round bodies as quickly as she could. Naminé then held her Keyblade up with her tail and casted Flower Shoot to finish them. Mickey pounced at several Flame Cores and slashed them across their mouths. The king then casted Double Blizzaga to kill them. Oswald jumped around to dodge the Novashadows trying to thrash him, slashing them with his Keyblade and then using his rabbit feet to kick them away. The oldest king then casted Triple Pursuit to finish them off. Terra bashed several more Novashadows with his Keyblade as he casted Poison to weaken them. He then casted Transcendence to finish them off. Myde bashed several Fiery Globes with his Keyblade and then used Wateraga to weaken them. The Melodious Nocturne then summoned his sitar to send pillars of water to destroy them further. Kairi dodged the Scorching Spheres attacks whale holding them at bay with light spells. Just as three charged at her, the Princess of Heart-turned-lioness held Destiny's Embrace up and casted Raging Storm to destroy them quickly. Ven jumped and ducked from the Flame Cores attacks. The youngest of the Wayfinder Trio used Poison to weaken them and then finished them off with Wind Tracer. Max spun around with his Keyblade in his mouth to slash away at some Fiery Globes. The toon dog-turned-tortoise found it a little difficult, but was able to mimic his father's moves to do so and then managed to cast Bind against another Fiery Globe and then slash it away.

Riku swung his Keyblade against several Flame Cores while dodging their fiery attacks. The human-turned-lion then kept into the air, thrashed them with his claws, and then casted Tornado Tracer against them. Isa bashed several Scorching Spheres with his Keyblade. Isa then slammed his Keyblade on the ground in a Quake Spell and destroyed them. Lea used his fire magic hard against the Fiery Globes to weaken them before they could attack back. Then the pyro-turned-monkey then switched out his Keyblade for his chakrams, slashed them further, and then resummoned his Keyblade to finish them with Fission Firaga. Minnie used her light magic to blind several Scorching Spheres. Just as they attempted to strike her, Minnie leapt into the air and summoned a pilar of light to destroy them. Ortensia lept around from Heartless to Heartless, slashing each one away until they were gone. She was almost pounced on by Fiery Globes, but she beat them to it by casting Thunder Tracer against them. Xion dodged the swinging attacks from the Novahadows. The former replica-turned-panther casted Aeroga to lift them into the air and then used Thundaga Shot to destroy them. Donald flew around the Heartless whacking them with his staff in their heads. The mage-turned-African bird was then surrounded by four Scorching Spheres. He quickly used Triple Thundaga to annihilate them. Goofy jumped around and bashed the Heartless with his shield, performing his Goofy-Tornado stunt to keep them at bay. Daisy followed Donald's tactic, flying around and using her Keyblade to slash various Heartless. Seeing a Novashadow ready to run for Pride Rock, Daisy flew over and casted Pulse Tracer to strike against it before it could leave the battlefield and slashed it away. Kiara and Kovu worked tackling the bigger Heartless, mainly the Novadhadows. They thrashed them with their claws, bit them with their sharp teeth, and wrestled with them when they tried to escape. Kiara killed one by thrashing them across their face. Kovu did likewise with another one but across their neck and chest.

A Novashadow was about to attack Sora when Kovu spotted it.

"Heads up!" Kovu shouted as he ran over and tackled the tall Heartless, thrashing.

"Thanks Kovu!" Sora called, casting Deep Freeze on a Flame Core.

"Sure!" Kovu called.

A Scorching Sphere jumped towards Kairi, but Kiara tackled it out of the way. The Princess of the Pride Lands wrestled with it until she bit it in its neck area and brought it down before she thrashed it.

"Wow nice work Kiara!" Kairi praised.

"I did learn a lot for my first hunt." Kiara smirked.

Only two Novashadows and three Fiery Globes remained. Sora, Donad, and Goofy ran up and performed their trinity limit. They raised their weapons up and a pillar of light struck the Heartless down, ending the fight.

(Demyx Boss Battle - Radiant Garden from Kingdom Hearts II ends)

Everyone panted hard, trying to catch their breath after that battle.

"Well… that was… an interesting fight…" Lea panted.

"Never thought… I would… fight like this…" panted Ortensia.

"Haven't fought… those things in a long while…" Kiara commented.

"Well you took them down to the bone like when you were a cub." Kairi pointed out.

Kiara giggled. She turned to Kovu. "Nice job Kovu."

"Uh… thanks." Kovu replied. "What were those things?"

"Heartless. Creatures of darkness." Terra replied. "They go after hearts. We fight them a lot on our journeys."

"And you and Kiara just helped us take them down pretty well. We're impressed." said Riku.

"Well I did help you guys rescue Sora from the Outlands." Kiara smiled. "And long before that, Kovu and I had to take on crocodiles when we accidentally went into their moat."

"That was when we first me." Kovu smiled. "So…. who are you guys?"

"Friends of Simba, Nala, their family, and their friends." Sora replied. "I'm Sora. Over there are Riku, Kairi, Naminé, Roxas, Xion, Lea, Isa, Myde, Terra, Aqua, Ven, Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Goofy, Max, Oswald, and Ortensia."

They all waved hello.

"Nice to meet you I guess." Kovu said. "You guys were pretty good fighters."

"Thanks man." said Myde.

"Kiara!" came Simba's voice.

Simba and Nala arrive. Simba jumped in front of Kiara, snarling and growling at Kovu.

"Oh this doesn't look good." winced Sora.

"Kiara! You're all right." Nala said in relief, nuzzling her daughter,

"Father... how could you break your promise?" Kiara demanded.

"It's a good thing I did. I almost lost you." Simab said firmly. "No more hunts for you; not ever!"

"But I was doing just fine!" Kiara protested.

"Yeah the fire wasn't her fault!" protested Sora.

"You can't force her to stop hunting because of this!" said Aqua.

"She worked so hard!" added Kairi.

"Yes and I was doing a good job too!" Kiara exclaimed. "Even before Kovu–"

"Kovu?" Simba exclaimed before roaring at Kovu, both lions in a fighting stance.

"Simba?" Nala gasped, surprised at his ferocity.

"Whoa Simba take it easy!" exclaimed Lea.

"There's no need to fight!" said Mickey.

"Both of you stand down!" Minnie said firmly.

"No! He's Zira's son! And no Outsider is allowed in the Pride Lands!" Simba said firmly.

Sora and Co. were confused, aside from Isa.

"Zira? Who's that?" Sora asked.

Suddenly Rafiki arrived, standing on the hillside behind Simba.

"Hey! You! How dare you save the King's daughter?" Rafiki called to Kovu with a smile.

Simba was taken aback. "You saved her? Why?" he demanded.

"I humbly ask to join your pride." Kovu said.

"No!" Simba snarled. "You were banished with the other Outsiders."

"I have left the Outsiders. I am a rogue. Judge me now, for what I am…" Kovu said before glowering at Simba. "or am I to be blamed for a crime I didn't commit?"

Simba snarled and paced around. Nala looked hard at him. "Simba... you owe him your daughter's life." she said firmly.

"Yeah he didn't do any harm!" said Sora.

"In fact, he helped us take down the Heartless!" added Roxas.

"If he was gonna do something evil, he would've fought against us instead of alongside us." said Riku.

"And by helping us defeat the Heartless, he also helped defend the Pride Lands." said Ven.

"Especially since it was on your kingdom grounds." Roxas added.

Zazu flew down. "Mmm... yes, sire. They all raise good points. Clearly we are in his debt... and royal protocol demands that all debts be paid." Zazu said before looking at Kovu. "Though in this case you might want to make an exception."

Simba paces a few moments more, then came to a decision. "Hmmm. My father's law will prevail. For now, I reserve judgment. We'll see who you really are." he said to Kovu.

Kovu smiled inwardly and looked sidelong at Kiara, who smiles back at him.

Zazu turned his back on Kovu. "Hmph! Riffraff." he huffed.

"Oh be nice Zazu!" Daisy chided.

Zazu gave a sheepish smile and flew off.

They all made their way back to Pride Rock, with Kovu walking behind Simba and growling to himself.

---

As night fell over Pride Rock, Simba noticed Kovu about to go into the inner cavern with the lionesses; he jumped in front of Kovu with a growl and intimidated him away from the cavern opening as he went inside.

Sora and Co. we're confused and concerned. They turned to Nala.

"Nala, is it just me or is Simba a little...harsher than I remember?" Sora carefully asked.

"Gawrsh, more than a little." said Goofy.

"More than a lot." Donald stated.

"Simba is...very distrusting of Outsiders." Nala replied.

"Just who are these Outsiders?" asked Kairi.

"And who the hell is Zira?" added Myde.

Rafiki came up. "Allow me to explain." he said.

The old mandrill led the group to the Lion Guard den. He used his staff to make the paintings move.

"The Outsiders are a group of lions led by a lioness named Zira." Rafiki explained. "Simba banished them from the Pride Lands between Sora, Donald, and Goofy's first and second visit."

"Why did Simba banish them?" asked Xion.

"Because Zira and her family, they were loyal only to Scar." Rafiki replied.

That shocked the group.

"Scar?!" exclaimed Sora.

"Of course there would be some lions loyal to Scar." grunted a Riku. "If there can be both good and bad Nobodies and hyenas, then the same can apply to lions like Scar."

"Indeed Riku." nodded Rafiki. "After Scar was gone, Simba became King. But Zira told Simba he could not rule the Pride Lands. Because Scar had chosen her son Kovu to be king."

"Phooey! Scar was never the real King!" Donald scoffed.

"Yeah he killed Mufasa just so he could rule and get whatever he wanted!" said Ven.

"Not to mention he also lied to them about Simba being dead and then tried to pin the blame of Mufasa's death on him." added Oswald.

"Correct, my old and new friends!" Rafiki nodded. "And that is what Simba told Zira. But Zira would not listen to reason. Instead, she attacked Simba! Of course, Simba won quickly. But after that, he had no choice. He had to banish Zira and her family from the Pride Lands. Forever!"

"Those must've been the lions Jasiri mentioned…" murmured Sora.

"Isa, did you know about this?" Ortensia asked.

"Mostly." Isa replied. "Back when I was a double-agent for you guys, I was aware of Zira wanting to make Kovu king and train him. The young lion was hesitant on such an idea. Of course, since this world, like many, has different laws of time, I was never able to see if Kovu went through with it or not. Because some time after Kion and the Guard left for the Tree of Life was when you started your mission to rescue Ven, Terra, and Aqua."

"So we're not sure if Kovu is a bad guy or a good guy stuck in a rough spot." guessed Myde.

"It would seem so, young meerkat." Rafiki nodded. "But Mufasa has faith in him. And so do I."

"Whaddya mean?" asked Aqua.

"Oh Rafiki can speak to the great kings and queens of the past." Mickey replied. "He's that wise and fascinating."

"Oh you flatter me King Mickey." Rafiki chuckled.

"So… Simba doesn't trust Kovu because he's Zira's son and was chosen to be king…" surmised Oswald.

"Looks like his majesty still has some darkness he's struggling to overcome." Terra muttered.

"Just like his son." Riku added.

Sora frowned. "Okay, I know during that whole Scar's Ghost thing Simba had an issue with not stepping but now he's OVER-stepping up."

"It would appear that he is." said Rafiki.

"And it looks like he's being overprotective of Kiara in the process." said Daisy.

"Hence why he sent Timon and Pumbaa to make sure she wasn't hurt on her first hunt… but also pressing his promise…" added Kairi.

"Then I guess it's up to us to make sure Simba stays on the right path when it comes to this sort of thing." said Sora.

"Yes it's one thing to look out for your family, but another to overdo it." added Minnie.

"And several of us have made that mistake before…" muttered Donald.

"And we'll also need to see where Kovu's allegiances lie." said Isa.

"Well he did help us take down the Heartless after the fire." said Myde.

"I didn't really sense anything bad in his heart." said Kairi.

"We can look more into this tomorrow. It's getting late." said Mickey.

"Yeah I'm beat from Heartless slaying and firefighting." said Max.

"Sleep sounds amazing…" Myde said with a dazed look in his eyes.

Everyone rolled their eyes.

"Night Rafiki." said Sora.

"Goodnight you brave heroes. May the Great Kings watch over you tonight." Rafiki nodded as he took off for his tree.

The group of 20 made their way up Pride Rock where they saw Simba eyeing Kovu suspiciously. Nala and the other lionesses were asleep. Kiara was talking to Timon and Pumbaa near the den before they would leave for Hakuna Matata Falls.

Sora and his team approached Simba.

"Hey take it easy." Sora said gently to Simba. "He's a guest like us."

"He's Zira's son Sora. She was a follower of Scar." Simba replied. "I can't trust such a stranger like him.

"You barely knew half of us today." Ven pointed out.

"Yes but you are a team together to defend the innocent and protect the light." said Simba.

"And Kovu helped us and your daughter stop those Heartless from wrecking at and your home." said Kairi.

"Even though something might not be right with him…" Donald said, looking at Kovu suspiciously, crying for anything… off about him.

"Oh come on Donald, don't be that way." said Goofy.

"Look we can help keep an eye on him too." offered Ortensia. "Just try to give him a chance."

"We know Kiara and even Nala would want you to." said Sora.

"It's what a good king does." said Mickey. "And you promised to revere your judgment until you see things for yourself."

Simba contemplated for a moment. He sighed heavily. "OK… I'll try." he said. "I just… don't want anything to happen to Kiara… I went through so much trauma when I was only a cub thanks to Scar… and while I am holding onto high hopes that Kion is ok after what he went through, I don't want anything horrible to happen to Kiara either…" he said, looking sadly at his paws then then out towards the Pride Lands.

Sora and Co. gave him sympathetic looks.

"Kiara is a strong lioness Simba. She will be ok." promised Aqua.

"And hey, we got her back, your back, and all your backs. No matter how tiring that can be." said Myde.

"Trust us." said Sora.

Simba smiled. "Thank you." he said. "And I must say you guys are all an interesting team together. You're like your own pride."

The world-travelers chuckled.

"Yeah I guess you can put it that way." chuckled Sora before whispering, "Even though not all of us are really animals."

"I figured as much given our past Sora." Simba chuckled. "But I mean it, you're like your own family, probably part of an even bigger one back where you come from."

"Got it in one Simba! A-hyuck!" chuckled Goofy.

"That is something I've tried to teach Kiara, back when she was a young cub." said Simba.

---

Flashback, during the first half of The Lion King II: Simba's Pride:

Simba smiled down at a younger Kiara who smiled sheepishly back at her father. Simba helped his daughter up and nuzzled her, both purring.

We Are One from The Lion King II: Simba's Pride plays

Simba: As you go through life, you'll see

There is so much that we

Don't understand

And the only thing we know

Is things don't always go

The way we planned

Both lions watched a family of bluebirds together. They then saw some wildebeests together.

Simba: But you'll see every day

That we'll never turn away

When it seems all your dreams come undone

We will stand by your side

Filled with hope and filled with pride

We are more than we are

We are one

Chorus: Family, family

We are one

Family, family

We are one

As they walked, they came across a family of baboons. They then saw a young hippo playing with his parents in the water.

Kiara walked across a log as she looked in the water.

Kiara: If there's so much I must be

Can I still just be me

The way I am?

Can I trust in my own heart?

Or am I just one part

Of some big plan?

Simba stood tall against the wind as he looked at a star in the sky.

Simba: Even those who are gone

Are with us as we go on

Your journey has only begun

Tears of pain, tears of joy

One thing nothing can destroy

Is our pride, deep inside

We are one

Chorus: Family, family

We are one

Family, family

We are one

Simba and Kiara looked at all the animals in the Pride Lands. They ran past them towards Pride Rock.

Simba: We are one, you and I

We are like the earth and sky

One family under the sun

All the wisdom to lead

All the courage that you need

You will find when you see

We are one

Chorus: (One, one, one)

Family, family

We are one

Family, family

We are one

Kiara looked at Simba in confusion. Simba noticed this and smiled at her.

"As long as you live here, it's who you are." he said gently. "You'll understand someday." he said as he went inside Pride Rock.

Kiara watched him go before watching a bluebird fly around her, much to her excitement. She then watched it fly away into the sunset with a longing look on her face.

---

Present:

"I think she will understand that lesson someday, Simba." said Naminé.

"I hope so, Naminé." said Simba. "Come in and sleep with us. There's plenty of room in the den."

The world-travelers smiled and followed Simba inside. But Sora and Kairi had spotted Kiara walking away from the den. Curious, the two followed her. Myde noticed as well, and he too followed.

Kovu had walked out onto the rocks to sleep. Kiara was speaking to him.

"Hey... uh, thanks for saving me today." Kiara said thankfully.

"What kind of hunter are you, anyway- Princess?" Kovu huffed. "You almost got yourself killed out there."

"What?" Kiara exclaimed, taken aback and offended.

"You wouldn't last three days on your own." Kovu smirked.

"Oh... and I suppose you could teach me?" Kiara huffed.

"Heh... yeah." Kovu related.

"Well I dunno…" Sora said as he, Kairi, and Myde joined them. "Kiara was able to hold her own against the Heartless, both as a lioness and as a cub."

"Maybe you both could learn from each other." offered Kairi.

Kiara and Kovu traded glances.

"Hmm… that would be something alright." Kiara murmured.

"Kiara!" called Simba's voice.

"Coming!" Kiara called back before she turned back to Kovu. "All right- impress me. We start at dawn."

Kiara walks back to the cavern.

"I look forward to it." Kovu chuckled.

"Sounds good." Sora said as he went back inside.

Kovu watched them go before sighing. Myde looked at him and smiled.

"Hey don't worry about man." he said. "Y'know, I was in the same boat as you."

"What? What boat?" Kovu asked, confused.

Myde realized what he said and quickly said, "Uh, I mean, I understand how you may be feelin'. Yeah that's it." He leaned against the rock. "You see, some of those guys didn't always trust me. Truth be told, I was on the wrong side of things myself."

"You mean you were… a bad guy?" Kovu asked.

"Yeah though I wouldn't go that far. Sure I did fight Sora, Donald, and Goofy, but I wasn't really evil." Myde shrugged. "Lea and Isa were in similar stuff before too, especially Isa."

Kovu's mouth thinned into a straight line. "Hmm. Sounds like you were in a tough spot." he mused.

"Oh we were." Myde nodded. "Hell it happened again to me and Isa. Though I wasn't involved as much. I was a member for something but got benched. Though Isa was but he had other stuff. But we eventually joined their side. Yeah they were sketchy of us at first, especially Donald. Can't really blame that superstitious bird that much."

"Well it's not like I can blame Simba either." Kovu grunted. "I am Zira's son. And she worshiped Scar…"

"Yeah and some of us 'worshiped' a madman who would later serve an even worse man." Myde muttered. "I honestly thought I wouldn't be able to side with these guys..."

---

Flashback, during the events of Kingdom Hearts: Kung Fu Light Defenders Part 2:

Sora sighed. "Demyx, is this what you want to do?" he asked.

Demyx sighed. "It's not like I have a choice Sora. I'm stuck in this group as ling as I'm a reserve vessel."

"But you don't have to remain this way," said Kairi. "Leave the true Organization Demyx. You don't really seem like a bad guy."

"Kairi's right. Just because you're stuck in that group, doesn't mean that you can't make your own choice and leave." nodded Mickey.

Demyx sighed before his expression turned serious. "Well even if I wanted to leave them I can't."

"Why?" asked Viper.

"Backstabbing those guys would be stupid. If they find out that I ditched them, I'm yesterday's toast." replied Demyx. "I mean, what's in it for me?"

Po walked up next to Sora, Kairi, and Mickey. "I don't know... a normal life? One where you don't have to be on the wrong side? I'm just saying." he told the Nobody.

Demyx sighed deeply. "All the same, even if I wanted to, I'm still stuck as a benched member." His expression then turned angry. "Heck, I don't even know why they even bother keeping me around, chosen or not! I'm useless, I'm chicken. I'm not even friends with any of them, even the members from the old group. I can count the number of times I've hung out with them on one hand. Less than one hand. I didn't even know them in the old life!" he shouted.

Sora, Riku, Kairi, Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Po, and the Five were now taken aback.

"Demyx..." Viper softly exclaimed.

Tigress strode up. "But is this the life you want, Demyx? To hurt the innocent? Just like Shen?" she asked.

Demyx sighed. "Not really. I mean, I only stayed in the old Organization because I just wanted to get my heart back after losing it."

---

Presnet:

"But then after a lot of stuff went down, I was given another chance." Myde said. "Now I'm a guardian of Light and a Keyblade Master. And let me tell you, it's a helluva better gig for me."

"Sounds like you got it good." Kovu mused.

"Point is, they eventually warmed up to me, Lea, and Isa." Myde said. "And I'm glad they did. I may be lazy, but I know when I have to fight. And hey who knows? Stick around long enough and be a good guy, you may just gain the lions' trust."

Kovu thought about that. "Hmm… you do raise a good point, Myde was it?"

"Yep!" Myde said before yawning. "Well I'm beat. Gonna catch a load of Z's. See ya…"

And Myde wandered into the den and fell asleep. Kovu just shook his head at the Melodious Nocturne in amusement before falling asleep himself.

What no one realized was that over on a hill, Zira and Nuka had been watching.

"Oh... oh... d-d-did you see that?! He let her go!" Nuka exclaimed in disbelief before snarling. "If that were me–"

"Hush." Zira said. "The fire-rescue worked perfectly, and Simba fell for it. Now, the closer Kovu gets to the daughter, the closer he gets to Simba!"

A dark aura seeped around Zira. "And once he has Simba alone... RRAAAGH!"

She emphasized her point by swatting a young tree from its trunk, making Nuka duck from the swing.

To be continued…

---

And we have returned to the Pride Lands! Kiara's first hunt wasn't a success, but she got something better: reuniting with Kovu.

Simba's suspicious but will give him a chance.

Up next we see Kovu and Kiara and some of the others bond. And the two lions may just find something Rafiki calls… Upendi.

Special Dialogue thanks to Super Sayian 3 Odd for dialogue and him and Guest2000 for helping me with the travelers' Pride Lands forms.

Rate, review, UPDATEon TV Tropes, and I will see you all soon!

(1) House of Mouse

(2) Mickey Mouse Works

(3) Quack Pack

(4) 2017 DuckTales - Daisy's Debut Outfit

(5) A Goofy Movie

(6) An Extremely Goofy Movie

---

In Loving Memory of

Jansen Panettiere

Younger brother of Kairi's first voice actress Hayden Panetteiere

September 25, 1994 - February 19, 2023