Neverland – Captain Hook's Ship – Deck
"So, to recap, we were heading off like usual," Neptune started. "And then, a FREAKIN' PIRATE SHIP CAME AND KIDNAPPED US MIDFLIGHT! Did I get it all right?"
Sora nodded. "Pretty much. Wonder where the others are, though?"
Sure enough, the two of them are up on the deck of a pirate ship. One thing is for certain, they are not on the Ocean Between anymore, but on another world.
"Donald! Goofy!"
"Compa! Iffy! Where are you guys!?"
"You sure you should be asking about them?"
Sora and Neptune turned around to the source of the familiar voice.
"What about your old friends?"
"Riku!?" Sora called out.
"Okay, what's your game this time, rude boy!?" Neptune demanded.
"Hmph. Instead of asking about them, you should be asking..."
Riku then stepped aside...
"...about her"
...to reveal a red-haired girl sitting behind him.
"Kairi!?"
"She better not be a phantom this time!" the girl in the parka shouted.
"Oh, she's very real, I assure you" Riku replied.
"Oh yeah!" Neptune fought back. "Then why does she look like she's hasn't had a wink of sleep in ages?"
"Didn't I tell you?" the silver haired boy said, shaking his head. "Her heart's still missing. That's why she's like this"
Sora, however, wasn't paying attention to the conversation. All he could think about now was the girl sitting over there.
"Kairi!"
As he ran to her side, he was stopped by a man wearing a red pirate outfit, with a large black moustache and a mean left hook, literally.
"Not so fast!" the pirate said. "No shenanigans aboard my vessel, brats!"
But it wasn't just him. Two Pirate Heartless, scallywags wearing red with swords on their hands, blocked their left flank, while the pirate from earlier, along with another man, likely his first mate, are in their right flank.
"Riku" Sora demanded. "Why are you siding with Maleficent and the Heartless?"
"The fairy had a deal and I accepted it" Riku answered offhandly. "As for the Heartless, they obey me, Sora. Now I have nothing to fear."
Sora growled in anger. "You're stupid!"
"Yeah!" Neptune followed in anger. "Don't you know abusing dark forces is the fastest way to failure!? It's Failed Villainy 101!"
"Pretty soon, they swallow your heart!" Sora followed up.
"Not a chance" Riku boasted. "My heart's too strong"
"Arrogance is also another fast way to Fails-dom!" Neptune commented.
"Why do you care?" Riku asked the girl.
"Uh, because you're the best friend of my friend?" Neptune answered incredulously.
"Hmph. Well, I've picked up a few new tricks as well."
He then extended his right hand out...
"Like this, for instance!"
...causing the duo's literal shadows to pop out in front of them, gazing at them with their yellow eyes!
"Woah!" Sora gasped.
"F-F-F-FREAKY!" Neptune panicked.
"This is my strength. Remember it well!" Riku boasted one more time. "You can go see your friends now"
Suddenly, the tile below them opened up, causing them to fall!
"WOAH!"
"FALLING!"
Neverland – Captain Hook's Ship – Hold
"Ya don't say?" Goofy asked.
"Yeah." Sora answered with glee. "We found her. We finally found Kairi!"
"And you're sure she's not an illusion this time?" IF asked to make sure.
"Yup yup!" Neptune nodded. "All real for everyone to see! Though she looks kinda out of it..."
"She must be ill." Compa said. "Why don't we go up fast so I can treat her?"
"If what Riku said is true, then Kairi's lost her heart." IF recalled. "I doubt a few treatments can help out in this case..."
"Still, we should get up there and try talking to her." Goofy suggested. "Maybe that'll help?"
"I like the sound of that!" Sora agreed. "Let's go!"
"That's great, but first..."
Donald then screamed at the top of his lungs.
"WOULD YOU MIND GETTING OFF!?"
Sure enough, the whole party is piled up on top of each other like a stack of hay. What a way to reunite, huh?
"Whoops..." Sora apologized.
Neptune followed suit. "Sorry..."
A while after getting up, the party noticed two figures near the door...
"I told you getting in here was a cinch!" a floating young man wearing green said.
"Getting in is simple" a blonde girl with a large red sword mentioned. "Now getting out with that girl in a creature-infested ship is the hard part"
"Aw, please!" the flying man scoffed. "Pirates or creatures, Hook is easy enough to deal with as is! This won't be any different from what we usually do"
"I don't know about that" the girl shook her head. "Those weird creatures look dangerous. Far more than Indians or mermaids or even pirates could ever hope to be"
"Then why didn't you just stay back with the boys, Sting?" the flying boy said, shaking his head. "I can totally save Wendy by myself. Lost Boy Creed #6. Never risk your peers any more than you have to!"
The girl, Sting, groaned. "See that? That's what I'm worried about. You may be confident and all, Peter Pan, but you clearly didn't come in here with a plan, didn't you?"
"Oh yeah?" the boy in green, Peter Pan, fought back. "Then how about you? Surely you have an 'amazing' plan in mind, do you?"
Sting fumed. "I-I so do! But I'd rather be cautious when it comes to that codfish! It's not like I didn't come in here with one of anything!"
The two continued to argue for a while, leaving the party bewildered.
"Uh, shouldn't we do something about this?" Neptune asked the party.
Compa nodded. "Allow me"
The nurse approached the arguing pair. "Um, excuse me?"
The two stopped their arguing upon hearing Compa.
"Do you two know your way around this ship?"
"Who are you?" Peter Pan asked the nurse.
"I'm Compa!" said nurse introduced herself. "I'm a nurse-in-training at the moment, but do you two know the way around this ship?"
"Why should we answer you?" Sting replied. "For all we know, you could be part of that pirate's crew!"
"Hmmmmm..." Peter took the time to inspect her and her companions behind her. "You all don't look like you're from here, aren't you?"
This got the party nervous. "H-How can you tell?" Compa dared to ask.
"Well, you guys aren't exactly the first visitors we got around these parts" the flying boy answered.
"The last time we got visitors like those was 10 years ago, I believe" Sting said. "Though here in Neverland, time never seems to be much of an issue."
"Neverland?" Goofy asked.
"A place of wonders where kids never grow up!" Peter answered. "Just look for the second star on the right, straight until morning and you'll find us"
"What are you two doing here, anyway?" Sora asked the pair as he approached them.
"Why should we answer to you!?" Sting complained.
"Calm down, Sting" Peter Pan scolded the girl. "We're looking for a girl named Wendy here. Last we heard, that dastardly Hook took her hostage and brought her here."
"You wouldn't happen to know where she is, do you?" Sting asked, casting a suspicious eye on the party.
"What did she look like?" Donald asked this time.
"Brown hair, wore blue" Peter explained.
The party turned to IF, who matched his description.
Sting sighed. "Not her. The girl we're looking had a brighter blue dress than hers."
"Nada" Neptune shook her head. "We saw a red-haired girl wearing white and purple though"
"Don't know any girl like that" Peter said, crossing his arms. "Do you, Sting?"
"You're asking me?" Sting said incredulously. "I barely know anyone in this world until 10 years ago!"
"Guess that makes her a Drifter too, huh?" Neptune whispered to the guild agent, who nodded.
Peter Pan grunted. "Then did we make a mistake?"
"How should I know!?" Sting complained. "You're the only one here who actually understands that little pixie!"
"Pixie?" Goofy wondered.
Before that question could be answered, a dot of sparkling light entered the room.
"Speak of the pixie and she appears!" Neptune gasped at the sight of the moving light.
"Oh, it's Tinker Bell!" Sting exclaimed at the tiny pixie that entered the room. "Right on time! We were just talking about you."
The little pixie bounced up and down in joy over that.
"Did you find Wendy?" Peter Pan asked, to which the pixie responded...somewhat.
"Do you get what she's trying to say?" Sora asked IF, who shook her head.
"Up in the cabin, huh?" Peter said. "And another girl's there too?"
"Guess that's what she meant, huh?" Donald guessed.
"Did she have red hair?" Sting asked the pixie, who nodded.
"That's gotta be Kairi!" Sora shouted.
"Then the other girl's Wendy, right?" Goofy wondered.
"But why would Hook go out of his way to kidnap her, then?" IF speculated. "We know Kairi's here because of Riku, but for Wendy..."
"Do you think she could be important to Maleficent?" Compa wondered quietly. "Like Alice and Jasmine?"
"If she is, then we can't let them have her!" Donald exclaimed.
"Then let's go save both of them!" Neptune cheered as she clapped her hands. "Raiding a pirate ship's gonna be fun~"
IF sighed. "This isn't the time for games, Nep. We've got serious issues to solve here..."
"We appreciate your gusto, but..."
Sting and Peter Pan looked to the sole door in the room.
"...the door's locked, and we don't know where the key is..."
The guild agent chuckled. "Key, you say?"
The pair's eyes widened as saucers when they saw Sora and Neptune's weapons.
"T-Those weapons!?" Sting exclaimed. "T-They're just like...!"
"They look similar to the ones they used 10 years ago..." Peter Pan murmured, Tinker Bell bouncing up and down in agreement.
IF took note of their reactions. "Guess that means Keyblade Wielders were still around 10 years ago. I wonder..."
"Um, since we're all going the same way, why don't we all team up?" Compa suggested. "My grandpa used to say 'Teamwork makes the dream work!' What say you?"
"What do you think?" Sting asked her partner. "You said you fought one of them before, right?"
"Yeah, but he wasn't a bad person" Peter answered. "Just misled. Besides, he and the other two were definitely friendly. You would know."
"Doesn't mean those two here are..." Sting doubted.
"I doubt Hook's got any use out of them" the flying boy rationalized. "Otherwise, they wouldn't be here, right?"
The girl with the red sword sighed. "Good point. Fine!"
She turned to Compa. "We'll work with you all, but only until we save the girls and deal with Hook"
Compa nodded. "That works for us, then. Here's to working together, uhhh..."
"Sting" the girl introduced herself, crossing her arms.
"Peter Pan" the flying boy introduced himself, extending his hand to the pixie. "And this is Tinker Bell. What are your names?"
Neverland – Captain Hook's Ship – Middle Cabin
After a round of introductions, the group of eight traversed through the pirate ship, filled with Shadows, Pirates and even the shadows of Sora and Neptune taunting them on occasion.
"Geez, you two weren't kidding when you said your shadows are around, huh?" IF said.
"That doesn't sound too bad" Peter boasted. "Besides, I fought my own shadow once."
"You did?" Donald exclaimed.
"Yup. Had to chase it down and everything" Peter said, rubbing the back of his head. "It's how I met Wendy, by the way"
"From what I heard, she offered to sew the shadow back to him, and then he offered her and her little brothers to come with him to Neverland" Sting recalled.
"From the sounds of it, Wendy and her brothers don't live around here, do they?" IF guessed.
"Yup" Peter Pan answered rather happily.
"So, you kidnapped them!?" Donald exclaimed, causing Tinker Bell to bounce up and down.
"No, they wanted to go to Neverland!" Peter defended himself. "So, I sprinkled them some of Tink's Pixie Dust and boom, we flew here!"
"Oh, awesome!" Neptune nodded, but then stopped. "Wait, pixie dust?"
Sting sighed. "Tink's dust, when sprinkled, gives people the ability to fly like Peter here does."
"Since when do pixies emit dust?" IF questioned.
"Eh, don't think too hard about it" Peter said as he grabbed Tinker Bell by her tiny wings. "Why don't I just show you all?"
He then started sprinkling some of the dust on the whole party, Sting included, who crossed her arms in a huff.
"This is, what, the third time, this happened to me..."
And as Donald hopped up and attempted to fly, he ended up crashing back down to earth, much to Tinker Bell's joy.
"...and just like the last times, I couldn't fly..."
Compa tried to fly but couldn't. "I can't get off the ground like that."
Sora tried too, hopping around. "Nor I"
"Maybe there's a trick to it?" IF guessed.
"What trick?"
"You know, Nep, like..."
As IF turned to her friend, she noticed one weird thing...
"...Wha..."
"Hey, don't leave me in suspense, Iffy. What's the trick?"
"Um, Nep-Nep?" Goofy tried to say.
"Hey, no fair!" Sora complained. "How come YOU got to fly!?"
"Nep-wha?"
Sure enough, Neptune was flying up in the air, pixie dust surrounding her very being.
"There you go!" Peter said excitedly. "At least one of you believes hard enough to fly!"
"Really?" Neptune wondered as she flew around the room. "That's all it took?"
"How can you just say that so casually!?" IF complained. "How can SHE fly but the rest of us can't!?"
"I mean..." Neptune started. "Magical girls could always fly. So, I just thought of myself as one when I felt all that pixie dust flying around. Didn't think it would work though..."
"Well, I'm sure the rest of you can learn, eventually" Peter believed. "It'll take some time, but I'm sure the rest of you can fly, too! Lost Boy Creed #10! All you need is faith, trust and pixie dust!"
Sting sighed. "Try telling me that. I've been sprinkled with so much of the dust, I'm surprised I haven't gotten allergies from it..."
"Peter?"
Everyone stopped when they heard a voice from the ceiling!
"Wendy?" Peter Pan called out, looking around. "Where are you?"
"Up here!"
The group headed to a nearby grate, where they see the face of a brown-haired young girl peering behind it.
"Wendy!" Peter called out.
"Are you okay?" Sting asked.
"Yes, you two. I'm fine" Wendy answered. "But we could use the help. Those strange creatures Captain Hook summoned are trying to force their way in, and this cabinet may not hold the door for much longer..."
"Wait, Wendy" Sora called out. "Is there...another girl with you?"
"Oh, yes!" Wendy said. "She's right here with me"
"Red-haired? White and purple clothes? Seems kinda asleep?" Neptune asked rather quickly.
"Yes. Yes. And yes" Wendy answered all three questions. "In fact, she hasn't uttered a single word since she was brought here."
And then, loud thuds can be heard from above ground. "I believe they are coming back again! Peter, Sting, do hurry!"
"Then don't move from that spot!" Sting shouted. "Come, comrades, we must go save them!"
IF sweatdropped. "Since when did you get to give out orders like that? Ah well..."
"C'mon, lover boy!" Neptune urged, dragging the young boy who had his hand stretched out to reach Kairi. "We gotta hustle if we wanna save her!"
"Oh, yeah!" Sora, snapping out of his reverie, nodded quickly.
The royal wizard sighed. "I sure hope we don't have to make hoops around this ship to get across..."
Neverland – Captain Hook's Ship – Captain's Room
"Why do we have to go around the whole place to get to one room!?" Donald complained.
"Seriously, ducky" Neptune snarked. "Do YOU need a lesson about jinxes, too?"
"Either the crew was lazy or the Heartless made a mess of this place..." IF guessed. "I doubt the captain on this ship is clever enough to make us wander around like this..."
"Hook's a mean ol' codfish" Peter said, shaking his head. "I doubt he can be too clever out of a fight."
Sting sighed. "Sure, he wouldn't..."
Goofy looked around for another passageway. "Still, we gotta be close to Wendy and Kairi about no-"
"Kairi!?"
Everyone turned to where Sora was looking, to where they saw Riku carrying the unconscious Kairi like a princess as he stepped back and disappeared into the darkness...
"Riku!?" IF exclaimed.
"What the nep!?"
Suddenly, the animated Shadows of Sora and Neptune appeared, with shadowy Keyblades in hand!
"Looks like these two wanna fight!" Compa said, readying her syringe.
"Peter, you're the expert here!" Sting called out to the flying boy. "Any advice?"
"Not exactly an expert but..." Peter shrugged. "Just keep hitting them until they stop?"
"That's...not a good strategy..." IF complained, but the sounds of shadowy movement caused her to snap back to the incoming fight. "Here they come!"
Neptune's shadow struck first, lunging against her real counterpart while Sora's shadow simply walked around without a care in the world.
"Gak!" Neptune complained as her shadow sunk below ground. "Hold still!"
It then crept up behind Compa and did a quick upper slash from behind!
"Owie..."
IF clicked her tongue. "They're sneaky ones, I'll give them that..."
She then turned around and deflected an incoming attack!
"Everyone, watch the ground! These things have to come out at some time!"
The girl's shadow then emerged behind the unsuspecting duo, when someone charged in with his dagger, screaming like a morning rooster as he attacked!
"Peter Pan!?"
The young man grinned. "I got her in my sights! Help me out here!"
Neptune snickered as her Keyblade is wreathed in ice! "Way ahead of ya! FROST CRUSHER!"
Meanwhile, Sora's Shadow has begun to split up into three clones of itself and began to walk around the room.
"There's a lot of 'em!" Goofy shouted.
"How do we tell which is the real one?" Donald wondered.
"Haaaaaahhh! STRIKE!"
Sora channeled Thundara magic and dispelled most of the clones, leaving one left.
"That works!" Sting remarked. "Allow me!"
She then charged against the main Shadow, only to be blocked by Neptune's Shadow.
"What the!?"
"Great!" IF complained again. "These Shadows know how to work together, too!"
"Hiyah!"
Neptune attempted to attack Sora's Shadow from behind, but it suddenly dissipated!
"Huh?"
Neptune's Shadow then deflected Sting's attack and lunged at her original owner.
"Someone's feelin' antsy, huh?"
But while that clash was happening, a figure is attempting to attack her from behind!
"Nep-Nep, behind you!"
Hearing Compa's warning caused her to turn around, seeing a familiar shadow reemerging!
"No, you don't!"
But Sora swooped in and pushed his reemerging Shadow back with a Gravity Break!
"Thanks, buck-o!"
Neptune then deflected her doppelganger's attack, slipped right behind her and unleashed her attack!
"DUAL EDGE!"
The attack knocked the shadow back, forcing both of them into a corner!
"Peter! Let's finish this!" Sting called out
The flying boy nodded, speaking in a deep falsetto. "Time to settle this!"
Sting charged energy into her red sword and sent it against the two shadows...
"STING SLICER!"
...which causes the sent energy to split into numerous sword slices, pushing them back...
"SWORDBILL!"
...and then Peter Pan unleashed a rapid barrage of dagger thrusts against them...
"Now, you two!" the young man called out to the two Keyblade wielders.
"Finish this!" Sting shouted.
The two Keyblade wielders nodded and charged their Keyblades with Gravity magic.
"GRAVITY BREAK/SLAM!"
The combined Gravity attacks pushed the Shadows back down, never to emerge out to the surface ever again!
"Is that it?" Compa wondered.
"Yeah, that's about it" IF said, sheathing her qatars. "How's everyone?"
Goofy gave a thumbs up. "We're still rarin' to go!"
Donald nodded, chugging down a Potion.
"We're all good here, Iffy!" Neptune reported, to which Sora and Compa nodded.
Peter Pan, meanwhile, inspected the floor, taking note of the dark spots near the two with the keys. "Your shadows are back in place, so that's all good. Now..."
He then approached what seemed to be a crack in the floor.
"Ah" Sting noticed. "This must have budged during our little tussle."
Peter nodded, opening the tile, revealing a direct passage to the room Wendy was in. "Let's go!"
Neverland – Captain Hook's Ship – Deck
"I can't believe he ditched us like that!" Neptune complained as the party, now deprived of the flying boy, exited to the ship's deck.
"Well, he needed to make sure Wendy's doing okay" Compa reassured. "I'm thankful he was patient enough for me to administer some treatment before he went."
Sting sighed. "He's always like that. Impulsive and reckless. Then again, considering no one really grows up in Neverland, I'm certain he wants to stay that way."
"Still, where do you think Riku went?" Sora wondered.
"Maybe he went to Maleficent's hideout?" Goofy guessed.
Neptune nodded, clapping her hands. "I can just smell it. The climax of this story is getting closer by the second!"
"Then let's find the Keyhole here so we can get moving!" Donald urged the group.
"Keyhole?" Sting asked. But before her question can be answered...
"Well, look what we have here!"
The party looked up to see Captain Hook, the pirate captain of this ship, meeting with his first mate Smee, and four Pirate Heartless to boot!
"If you're here for your friend, he's come and gone!" Hook said, faking tears. "Quite a codfish, that Riku-running off with that unconscious girl without saying goodbye."
Sting huffed. "So, says the traitorous codfish here..."
"Sting, me matey!" the evil captain greeted. "It's been a long time! 'Twas a shame you left so soon. The old crew missed you, y'know?"
The girl with the sword huffed again. "And where are they now? Up and replaced them with empty minions? I'm surprised Smee over there stayed with you."
Hook scoffed at the remark.
"Run off where?" Sora demanded. "Tell me, where did he go!?"
"To the ruins of Hollow Bastion" Hook answered. "Where Maleficent resides now."
"Hollow..." Goofy started.
"Bastion..." Donald continued.
"That must be Leon's homeworld!" Compa finished.
"And where is this Hollow Bastion?" IF demanded.
"You'll find it just past this world. You can't miss it!" Hook answered. "However, none of you will be going there..."
He then took the lantern from Smee's hand, which contained...
Sora gasped.
"Oh snap!" Neptune shouted.
...Tinker Bell herself, who is trying to plead to the party for help (at least, that's what they think she's saying).
"Pixie-napped again..." Sting complained. "You're really playing the same old trick from a decade ago!?"
"You know what they say about old tricks in the book, old mate?" Hook boasted. "They still work!"
Sora gritted his teeth. This is bad! One wrong move and Tink's a goner!
"Sora!"
"Neptune!"
The two Keyblade wielders turned around to see all five of their companions being held down by Air Pirates, flying scallywag Heartless mounted with air gliders.
"H-How did they...!?" IF struggled to say.
"Cowardly scum!" Sting shouted. "Is this how you pirates follow your Code!?"
Captain Hook scoffed. "Hand over the Keyblades, you brats and I'll spare your lives!"
"Sora, Nep-Nep!" Compa called out. "Don't listen to him!"
"Fight back, you guys!" Donald urged them.
"Be glad I'm merciful, unlike the Heartless!" Hook boasted.
"Don't bother entertaining his ideas!" IF struggled to say. "Nep, take Sora and fly out of here!"
"But..."
She can't. Not when both her friends and Tinker Bell are still held hostage!
"So, which will it be, children?" Hook demanded. "The Keyblades, or the plank?"
Suddenly, he could hear the sound of a ticking clock coming from the ocean.
"Oh, it's him!" Hook panicked at the green Crocodile staring right at him. "It's the Crocodile who took me hand!"
"C-Calm down, Captain..." Smee tried to reassure his captain.
"But he's after me other hand! I can't stay here!"
He then tossed Tinker Bell's cage back to his first mate, and then ran up the ladder, leading to his quarters.
"Go away! Oh, I can't stand the sight of him! Smee, you take care of them!"
Once Hook gave his order, he retreated into the safe confines of his cabin.
"A-a-a-a-a-a-" Smee stuttered. "Yes, sir..."
"Urk! Why...so tight!?"
While all that was happening, the nearby Pirate Heartless had tied Sora and Neptune's hands to their backs to prevent them from summoning their Keyblades.
"So, i-if you could please move along the plank, that would be appreciated, eheh..." Smee demanded nicely with a chuckle.
Sting spat on the floor. "What cowards. Don't listen to this buffoon! Just go!"
But the Pirates had pushed the duo onto the plank, leaving them in the middle with only the Crocodile on one end and a horde of Heartless in the other, all the while the Air Pirates have flown their companions to the other side, ready to drop them to the waters...
"Guys!"
"Forget about us, Sora!" Goofy urged.
"Just go and fly away, Nep-Nep!" Compa cried.
"Nep, take Sora and go!" IF exclaimed.
"Sora, go find your friends!" Donald shouted. "And if you see King Mickey, tell him that we're sorry..."
"Guys..."
Neptune shook her head. "No! Nononononono! I don't wanna! I don't wanna lose you guys!"
"What she said!" Sora shouted. "All for one and one for all! If you are going down, we'll go right after you!"
"Sora..." Donald and Goofy cried.
"Nep..." IF said.
Sting growled. "If only we could break free from this...If only we could all fly..."
"I wish we could fly!" Compa cried louder.
One of the Pirate Heartless began to move onto the plank, creeping upon the Keyblade wielders with it's sword, forcing them to take a few steps back.
"What do we do, buck-o?" Neptune asked desperately.
"I don't know..." Sora answered.
But her question was answered by someone else...
"Fly, you guys!"
The two looked to each other. Did they hear that right?
"Lost Boy Creed #9! Just believe and you can do it!"
Realizing what they need to do, the two nodded to each other, and with determined gazes, they looked to their now-airborne friends.
"Guys!" Sora called out.
"You must believe!" Neptune shouted.
"Huh?" IF said incredulously.
"Believe in what?" Compa asked loudly.
"Remember what Peter Pan said!" Neptune shouted. "About the secret trick to flying here!"
"Really now!?" Donald complained.
"This may not be the best time for that!" Sting shouted.
"What is it!?" Goofy asked.
Neptune looked to Sora and nodded.
"There are three things we needed!" Sora responded.
He took a step back...
"Faith"
Neptune followed with another step...
"Trust"
The two took another step, much closer to the edge...
"And...pixie dust!"
...and then they leapt...
"SORA!"
"NEP!/NEP-NEP!"
As the two leapt down, the Air Pirates released their captives, sending them down to the ocean...
"NO!"
Three...
Two...
One...
"A-Are they gone?" Smee looked down to inspect any possible remains...
Only to hear the sound of whirling in the wind.
"Looking for us?"
The first mate looked up to see one, two, no...
EIGHT PEOPLE FLYING IN THE SKY!?
The sight of them flying about was enough to make him panic, dropping the lantern containing Tinker Bell, which broke, freeing the tiny pixie.
"C-C-C-C-Captain!"
He ran back into the ship, leaving only the Heartless to contend with...
"We didn't think you'd come back" IF said to Peter Pan, who freed Sora and Neptune from the rope on their hands.
"Thanks for the save!" Neptune said, feeling her wrists. "We owe ya!"
"Hey, don't mention it!" Peter nodded as Tink flew back to Peter's side. "You guys didn't think I'd leave you and Tink behind, did ya?"
Sting sighed. "Figures you wouldn't. Lost Boy Creed #13. Never leave one another behind, right?"
Peter nodded. "Now you're getting into it!"
"Still though" IF giggled, feeling giddy. "We're really flying, huh? Like up here in the sky? I could only ever dream of this!"
"I know, right!?" Compa exclaimed, feeling very happy too. "If this is a dream, I don't ever wanna wake up!"
"Well, believe it, fellas!" Neptune chirped. "WE CAN FLY! WE CAN FLY~!"
"Oh boy!" Goofy exclaimed. "I can't wait to tell Maxy about this!"
"The triplets will blow their minds when they hear about this!" Donald said with childish glee. "Scrooge will no doubt be thinking of inventing something if he heard about this too!"
Sora, meanwhile, looked down to see the Heartless, rounding up and ready for a fight.
"Heads up, guys!" the boy called out to the group, his Keyblade at the ready. "We still got trouble down there!"
"Not to mention up here, too!" Sting said, pointing to the Air Pirates and the mini-flying Battleships flanking the pirate ship.
"I don't know about that!" IF boasted, bringing out her qatars. "Now that we have an aerial advantage, these codfishes are nothing but crocodile bait!"
"Iffy, you might be a bit too excited about this..." Compa sweatdropped, bringing out her syringe.
"But we have nothing to fear now!" Donald chirped, summoning his staff.
"We just gotta take the fight to 'em!" Goofy boasted, summoning his shield.
"Since when were we so impulsive today?" Sting mockingly asked, summoning her sword. "Ah well, I've been itching for a fight anyway!"
Peter brought out his trusty dagger, looking to Sora. "Ready, Sora?"
Sora nodded with a grin. "Let's nep them all up!"
Neptune grinned back as she rubbed her nose. "NOW you're speaking my language, buck-o!"
Neverland – London – Big Ben Tower
Riku gazed upon the night sky, staring longingly onto the moon. As Kairi sat near him, still unaware of her surroundings, the silver-haired youth attempted to grab the moon on his sight...
"Feeling wistful, are we?"
The boy turned to this left, hearing footsteps as a familiar witch came into view.
"It's you..." Riku said, noticing the newcomer. "What do you want this time?"
"Come now" Arfoire replied, shaking her head. "Surely we can't discuss matters like civilized people?"
Riku huffed. "Like I care. Just tell me what you want"
The witch sighed. "Straight to business, I see. You really don't trust anyone else now, don't you?"
"Kairi's the only one I trust" Riku said with a piercing gaze.
"Do you now? Well, I'm here to repay you that favor for getting Noire out of there."
Arfoire produced a dark-red crystal and tossed it to Riku.
"I have no doubt you will meet your...old friend again before too long. And when he comes, so too will a certain girl" Arfoire stated as she turned around and left. "Use that on Neptune when you see her. You'll thank me later once she's out of your hair. Haa-hahahahaha!"
Riku stared onto the dark-red crystal, which doesn't look anything special on the surface apart from the menacing red glow, but from what little he knows about Arfoire, it could be anything but good.
But what did it matter to him? As far as Riku is concerned, he and Kairi are all that's left now. No Destiny Islands. No friends...
No Sora...
Neverland – Captain Hook's Pirate Ship – Deck
"Don't you DARE come near me!"
Sting unleashed a mighty swing against a group of Air Pirates, sending them flying against a Battleship, destroying them all at once.
"That takes care of my end!" She then looked around. "How about the rest of you?"
"All clear here!" Goofy reported.
"Nothing on this side, either!" Compa shouted.
"Okay then, time for the next phase" IF uttered. "Peter, if you would"
Peter Pan, Neptune and Sora then approached the door to Captain Hook's room, signified by the skull and crossbones marked on the door. He gave a light knock, which caused the Captain inside to respond.
"Is that you, Smee? Did you get rid of them?"
Peter couldn't help but hold in his laughter. Pressing his nose, he spoke nasally to match his voice to that of Hook's first mate.
"Aye, cap'n! They walked the plank and the rest have been thrown overboard. Every last one of them!"
The impatient pirate captain then stormed out to check the damage frantically...
...all the while Neptune snuck up on him...
"Stop..."
...and proceeded to light his pants with a weak Fire spell while Sora silently casted a Stop spell on him.
Taking the chance, Peter then proceeded to tear the feather on Hook's hat and forcefully brought it down, as if he's wearing the sides of it on his waist!
"GAH! HOTHOTHOTHOTHOT!"
Once the Stop spell has ceased, the devious pirate captain proceeded to run about everywhere, trying to put away the fire on his pants, leading everyone else in the premise to laugh at his misery!
"Gah-Peter Pa-Blast you!"
Once he recovered, he turned to the source of his misery with maddened resolve.
"Ready to make a splash, you codfish?"
"Now it's your turn to walk the plank!" Neptune finished, raising her Keyblade.
Hearing this only incensed the evil captain. "You mangy brats! I'll send you to the depths myself! En garde!"
But rather than fight him head-on, the trio opted to fly away, causing Hook to give chase!
"Come back here, you cowards!"
"Then why not fight me, instead?"
He then sees Sting, planted on the ground and her sword at the ready.
"Hmph, at least YOU have a sense of fairness. Have at you!"
"We shall see!"
The two proceeded to clash. Between the heavy firepower of Sting's sword and the finesse of Hook's rapier, it seemed to be an even match despite the odds. However...
"Had enough?" Sting taunted.
"Not quite!" Hook then brought out a wrapped gift and threw it to Sting. "Present for you!"
Sting scowled as she dodged to the side, knowing what these 'presents' really are. "No thanks!"
The 'presents' exploded, revealing them to be bombs!
"Tch. Missed..."
"Over here!"
Hook ducked a slash from Neptune and proceeded to engage her in combat.
"Hey, you're not half-bad for a codfish!" Neptune taunted.
"Flattery will get you nowhere, lass!" Hook fought back.
"Oh yeah?" Neptune took a step back. "Then how about this? Ready, Goofster!?"
"Ready when you are, Nep-Nep!"
Flying up, Goofy proceeded to crash down to where Captain Hook is!
"Time to fly!"
Taking advantage of the confusion, Neptune proceeded to launch Hook up into the air!
While that was happening, Goofy quickly recovered and jumped up...
"Down ya go!"
...and slammed Hook down into the ground again!
"Ready!?"
"All together now!"
Rejoining Neptune back on the ground, the two charged up a mighty dash attack that sent the evil Captain flying into the water!
This is their Combination Skill, the Goofy-Nep Buster!
"YOU WILL NOT GET ME OTHER HAND!"
Due to his fear of the Crocodile, he immediately launched himself off the water and back to the middle of his ship in the air, where he sees a flying girl in front of him.
"Hi!" It was Compa.
"H-Hi..."
"Ready for your shots, Mr. Captain?"
Hook panicked. But before Compa could land her shot, the evil captain fell onto his ship.
"Aw, poo!" Compa complained. "I was too slow..."
Captain Hook proceeded to get up to recover from that insane episode he had just gone through...
"We're not done yet, vile traitor!"
...but Sting's call snapped him back to reality, continuing the fight!
"You brats think you can get the best of me!?" Hook shouted, deflecting Sting's assault. "Heartless, come out!"
At his call came four Air Pirates and two Battleships, flanking each of the ship's sides.
"Looks like he's got some playmates of his own" Donald commented, still flying in the sky.
"At least we know how to deal with them" IF responded as she flew to the duck's backside.
"Hey, you want to try out a new technique?" the court wizard suggested.
The guild agent smirked. "Better late than never. Let's do this!"
"O great spirits beyond..."
"Have a little magic!"
Donald imbued the guild agent's qatars with magic, who then proceeded to unleash a flurry of attacks, six to be precise, against most of the Heartless present.
"Ready for a big one!?"
"Feel the wrath of the elements!"
Her weapons imbued with even more magic, IF unleashed a powerful magical slash against the Heartless, resulting in a huge magical explosion that takes out Hook's reinforcements in one fell swoop.
This is their Combination Skill, Elemental Fury!
"This can't be!" Hook bemoaned.
Sting grinned. "Don't underestimate us bilge rats, 'Captain'!"
"Blast you!"
As Hook was about to land another hit, he ended up blocking an attack that are coming to him.
"You!"
"Miss me?"
It was Sora!
"Pesky brat!"
Sora grinned as he blasted him with a chuck of ice! "BLIZZARA!"
The ice hit the evil Captain dead on, causing him a great deal of anger. "That's it! Now you've gone and made me mad!"
But before Hook could do another swing, he noticed someone landing on the tip of his blade.
"Forget about me?"
It was Peter Pan, who proceeded to jump off the blade with such force that the evil captain began to wobble around.
"B-B-Blast you, P-Peter P-Pan!"
"You better keep your guard up!"
Sting took the chance to send Hook flying to the nearby wall with a mighty swing of her blade!
"I've had it with you, Pan! And you Keyblade wielders have given me nothing but trouble since the last decade! I'll make sure to rid the worlds of your kind!"
Sora ignored his words and continued his assault against the vile captain.
"HOH!" A Sliding Dash against his feet!
"YAH!" A quick Slapshot!
"AHA!" And then a strong Blitz to finish it up!
"Curse you! HRRRRGGGG!"
Hook has become so furious that he is now practically swinging his rapier wildly across every direction possible!
"This is bad!" IF warned the party. "Seems like the old codfish has hit his limit!"
"Then we'll just step things up!"
Sora, undeterred, charged his Keyblade with light magic and proceeded to hammer down Hook with his new technique...
"Let's go!"
...unleashing a thirteen-hit barrage of fast and furious attacks! This is his Ars Arcanum!
"Why you little-"
"Time to walk the plank, Hook!"
At Sting's declaration, she charges her blade with magic and unleashes her greatest technique against the evil captain!
"STING SWORD CRASH!"
The attack sent the evil captain flying up in the air, right in the direction of Peter Pan and Tinker Bell.
"Curse you, Peter Pan..." Hook cursed as he was being carried by the flying boy.
"It was good fun while it lasted, Hook" He turned to Tinker Bell with a bow. "Tink, would you like to do the honors?"
She nodded, and then flew up and then crashed down upon Captain Hook with a mighty dropkick (for her stature) with both of her feet, sending him down to the plank (once Peter Pan released him), exhausted and in pain...
As the evil captain looked up, he saw a red sword pointing at him...
"It's over, 'Captain'" It was Sting, looming over him like a giant.
"No..."
Getting up, Hook hit his limit, jumping up and down furiously.
"I WON'T GO DOWN LIKE THIS!"
He then lunged forward, attempting to attack the young woman...
"Whoops!"
...only for her to slide back, flying as the evil captain fell down into the ocean below...
"AAAAAHHHHHHH!"
...and come face-to-face with his worst nightmare...
"Grrrrr..."
...the Hungry, Hungry Crocodile!
"HELP ME, SMEE! SMEEEEEEEEEEE!"
The last of Captain Hook was seen running away from the Crocodile across the ocean.
Sting took the chance to wave him goodbye, sticking her tongue out as she did so.
"Bye bye, you stinky codfish!"
Neverland – Starry Sky
"Oh, man!" Neptune laughed as she flew up the sky. "Dealing with that old codfish was so much fun!"
Compa giggled. "I can't remember the last time I had this much fun!"
IF laughed as well. "Me neither. I honestly forgotten what it feels like to just smile and laugh from the bottom of my heart like this."
"There's always a good time as any to get back in touch with our youth." Goofy chuckled.
"Come on, Goofy..." Donald shook his head. "We're not that old yet..."
"They say youth comes by too quickly" Sting said. "That is why we must cherish it while we have it, isn't that right?"
"Youth, huh?" Neptune said wistfully. "What do you think, Sor—huh?"
"I'm flying..." he muttered. "I'm really flying, huh?"
IF chuckled. "What's with you, all of the sudden?"
"His brain must be catching up to what's happening right now" Donald snarked.
Sora began to laugh. "I still can't believe it. Wait until I tell Kairi about this!"
He then sighed. "I wonder if she'll believe me. Probably not..."
"Hey, you can bring her to Neverland sometime" Peter Pan offered. "Then she can try it out herself!"
"That's a fantabulous idea!" Neptune nodded in agreement.
"Assuming our resident wizard doesn't mind..." IF snarked.
"Ah, whatever!" Donald deflected. "Do what you want on that!"
"Guess the breaks in the World Order recently are starting to wear him down, huh?" Compa commented.
"I question the idea of such an Order existing in the first place" Sting wondered.
Sora cleared his throat, wanting to get back on topic. "Well, if you believe, you can do anything, right?"
"Belief is one thing, yes" IF nodded. "But you also must put effort into what you believe in to make the dream work."
"How so?" Neptune asked.
"Think of it like this" the guild agent attempted to explain. "If you put in the work yet you don't believe it to be your magnum opus, it will come out as a soulless work. If you have belief yet don't put in the effort, you end up with something subpar despite the feeling of passion into your work. In order to achieve your best, you must put in both effort and belief."
"Effort and belief, huh?" Sora said to himself. "Yeah. One thing I know now, is that I know I will find Kairi, and when I see her-I'll tell her about all the things we've seen. The flying. The pirates, and everything else we've been through."
"Hey, save some storytelling time with us, lover boy!" Neptune teased the young boy.
"H-Hey!"
Everyone had a good, hearty laugh as they continued flying into the night sky.
A sky filled with weary warriors who have regained their inner youth after several trials...
NEPSTATION
Neptune: We're now live at Nepstation! The news that provides the latest buzz 24/7, even when everyone is asleep!
Sting: That would be troublesome. Who will manage the studio late into the night?
Neptune: See, there's this thing we call night shifts, my current co-host. We have different people working in the day and in the night!
Sting: R-Right. I-I knew that! I've always known that!
Neptune: Right~! Now that that little tidbit is given, let's get to the news!
*an image of four people, their images blurred, all flying into the night sky, appears onscreen*
Neptune: Some nightgoers have reported seeing mysterious flying objects late in the night. A few have even gone to say that they were apparently flying people at that! Certain night watchers continued to be baffled by these findings to this day!
Sting: Humph! Then they must double their security! You'll never know if those flying objects may actually be invaders from other worlds!
Neptune: Holy smokes, you're right! We gotta keep a close watch for them!
Sting: Don't take me seriously on that! We don't want to be seen as unfriendly here!
Neptune: Hrmmmmmm...Why is national security such a delicate situation!?
Sting: Still, we must not shoot recklessly. We do not want to ruin the eyes and lives of the children out there.
Neptune: Yeah. You're right! Speaking of children...
*an image of a group of children wearing numerous animal suits, their eyes crossed out, appeared onscreen*
Sting: We've had recent sightings of the so-called Lost Boys across the islands. Recent hearings state that their numbers seemed to have swelled in the recent years, yet their hideout continues to remain a mystery.
Neptune: I sense some pride in that tone of yours, my co-host!
Sting: And that is how it should be! Nothing can beat the tactics and strategies that I personally taught them in the past decade!
Neptune: Really? Tactics like leaving bear traps that lures their own to them or getting themselves caught by Indian and mermaid cages? Those will never work! Where'd you study tactics, girl!?
Sting: I-I still need improvements, okay!? *mumbles* I'm gonna get those brats, one of these days...
Neptune: Well, that should serve as an important lesson to ya, kiddos. Improvise, Adapt, Overcome! Even the greatest of plans can fall apart at time, you know?
Sting: *growls* I'll keep that under advisement...
Neptune: Ok—ay! Let's get to the last segment!
*an image of a pixie with a large question mark next to her appears onscreen*
Neptune: There's been rumors abound of a secret society of pixies that have been present since time immemorial. These claims state that certain pixies were sent out to watch over the state of the worlds alongside a chosen one. Of course, investigations regarding these claims have yet to be verified.
Sting: If such a society exists, surely they must have records of history spanning since the world's inception, do they not?
Neptune: That's what we'd all like to know, but the existence of these societies and such continues to remain a mystery. Who knows, it may not even be real!
Sting: I'd agree with you, but given the mysterious forces we have encountered lately, that query is put into doubt.
Neptune: *sighs* You tell me. Wizards. Faeries. Gods. Genies. Pixies. What's next? Living tomes?
Sting: You sure love tempting fate, do you?
Neptune: *chuckles* Well, that's all the news we got for you all today!
Sting: And this is the part where I leave the stage. It has been brief, but I did enjoy my time here. I hope our paths may cross again, everyone.
Neptune: You said it! Take care now!
Sora: Now for our reviews. First up is from Shooting Zero, and the author would like to apologize for the lack of scenery. He's...not very good with being descriptive.
Neptune: Yeah, what's up with that? How will people be able to imagine what those glass platforms look like? Or even my own Keyblade!? C'mon, up your game, Mr. Author!
Sora: Okay, that aside...what does rizz mean?
Neptune: *sighs* To be ignorant of modern slang. I pity you, buck-o...
Sora: *sweatdrops* That means another lesson after this, huh?
Neptune: Yup! I'm gonna teach you to go all-natural with the slang! It's important so you don't cause a cringe-fest later on. You will thank me for it, I promise!
Sora: Sure...Anyway, who's next?
Neptune: It's keybladelight's turn! And yup, we gave Ms. Newtype a run for her munny, alright! Though, I dunno if we're gonna fare that well against Mr. Fallen Hero.
Sora: Fallen Hero?
Neptune: You'll find out soon. Anyway, wanna read the last review?
Sora: No prob! This one's from...an Enemy Stand!
*purple symbols appear on top of the hosts*
Neptune: *snickers* Doing good with the intro, Sora. So, what's the sitch?
Sora: They really liked the part where we fought that large manor. Said that splitting up helped focus in our characters more.
Neptune: Uh-huh. Interesting insight.
Sora: And they have a question. What's your favorite Holiday?
Neptune and Sora: It's Christmas, duh!
Sora: Woah! You too?
Neptune: Yup-yup! Free gifts! Tons of food! Happy cheers in a cold and cozy home! What's not to like!?
Sora: Hear hear! Especially if the presents came from Santa!
Neptune: *giggles* Hope you've been a good boy, Sora! Wouldn't want you on the naughty list!
Sora: *chuckles* Same to you! Well, that's all we got for you guys.
Neptune: Okay! The climax of this story is drawing ever closer! Hope you all get excited for what's to come!
Sora: Yup! So, from all of us here at Nepstation...
Neptune and Sora: See you next time!