Taivas

When Dotty started singing Taivas wished he had stayed on the island to be consumed by the darkness. The next stop would be getting earplugs so he doesn’t have to listen to her talk. “I think we’re in some sort of purgatory, and Dotty is our torturer.” He said, responding to Zen. Ignoring Dotty and trying to have a conversation with the storekeeper.

Cid glared at Taivas, not liking being called old. “Tsk, who are ya callin old man ya little punk.” He leaned over the counter while puffing on the cigarette in his mouth. Blowing some of the smoke in Tavias’ face. The blonde man is increasingly annoyed by Dotty’s singing and the smoke blowing in his face.

“Whatever, look I’m just here looking to buy a ship. I gotta get out of here for some personal business. Do you have one in stock or not?” Taivas let out a sigh of relief when Dotty stopped talking and left the store. “Yeah, I’ll see ya later.” He said waving her off.

“Ya do huh, well it’s gonna cost ya they ain’t cheap ya know.” Cid responded, moving the cigarette away from his mouth.

“How much is it gonna cost?” Taivas asked, having a bad feeling about what he would say next.

“Well, I’d estimate it’ll be around 1000 munny for the cheapest ship I got.” Cid’s answer made Taivas look quite shocked.

“Damn? Maybe I can get a discount or something.” This comment made Cid laugh, shaking his head.

“Mmmm, I might be able to. What is this personal business you were talking about?” Cid said that Taivas then regaled him with his time on Destiny Island and left with Zac. And him trying to find his friends. Mentioning Adian and Xena by name. He even showed them the picture to see if he had seen him.

“Ya meet Zac, eh? Mmm, I saw the guy. He was asking around for someone named Taivas. I guess that person is you? He said he was heading to Olympus to see if you were there.” He said with a slight smile on his face. “I guess you're desperate to find these people. So how about I discount it to 500 since you are so keen on finding em.” Mentioning this still made Taivas annoyed but at least it was somewhat cheaper.

“Alright, I’ll get the munny, and then I’ll be back for the ship.” He sure hoped those dogs could cough up enough for the ship. Leaving the shop and to the dalmaintine’s house. “So we got your kid back, what’s our reward?” He said curtly to the two of them.

Dotty approached the house, Freckles next to her. Looking up at the door, she looked down at herself and realized she was still human. "You don't want to meet them like this?" Zen-Aku asked.

"Not really... Ah well." She shrugged before knocking at the door. Immediately, she would see the large black ears and nose of Pongo look out from behind the curtains before opening the door and looking down.

"Don't mention anything about them being your grandparents. Freckles is young enough to not really think about that sort of thing, but they may be... Less enthusiastic." Zen-Aku said, looking at the big Dalmatian.

"Just like episode 92..." She whispered as her eyes started beaming again. The door flew open and Pongo looked her up and down, before looking down at Freckles.

"FRECKLES, MY DEAR OLD SON!!!" He jumped with joy as Freckles bounded in through the door and straight up to their mother.

"MY DEAR BABY!" Perdita yelled, immediately nuzzling her face against his.

"Mother!" Freckles replied. "Father! This is my friend, Dotty. She's a Dalmatian too!" Pongo turned and looked her up and down.

"Don't be silly, lad, she's a pet." He laughed. Zen-Aku petted her on the shoulder and looked down at her.

"Keep calm... Don't give yourself away." Zen-Aku ordered. Dotty took a deep breath, then took a step forward.

"Hiimdottyandimadalmatianjustlikeyoubutimstuckinhumanformduetoweirdmagicsmakingmeandpoodlewolftheinvisiblespiritthatturnsmeintoagiantwolfmonsterlinkedtogetherimyourgreatgreatgreatlotsmoregreatsgrandaughtermymommyanddaddyaredouganddelilahandmommytoldmelotsoftimesthestoryabouthowyoudefeatedthedevillewomanandimsoreallyreallyreallyexcitedtomeetyou!!!" She splattered out. Pongo and Perdita looked at each other rather concerned.

"I'm sorry, Perdita my love, but i did not get a word of that." He responded. Perdita put a paw on Dottys chest.

"Darling, take a deep breath and try again." She said, reassuringly. Dotty teared up at this, a small trail of snot running down her face, as the paw on her stomach almost immediately took her flashing back to her own mother doing that. "Oh no, dear, don't cry." She cooed softly, her tongue licking up the tear and the snot. A mild look of disgust went across Zen-Aku's face.

"Sorry, you just... Look a lot like my mommy." She replied. Pongo looked rather perplexed by this.

"Well... I'm no judge of pet standards of beauty but i think that's a compliment?" He replied. His head cocked to the side as he looked at the child. "Well, if you're missing your mother, i'm sure that we wouldn't mind having you stay here for a while. We have been talking about getting a new pet after..." A look of sadness crossed his face as he remembered his dear pet, Roger. Perdita seemed to be the one putting on the brave face as she also remembered the happy times with her pet Anita. "Well, as i said, we're in the market for something." Dotty seemed to perk up at this suggestion.

"Nah, me and Poodlewolf have got places to be, bad guys to fight and more U... Puppy's to rescue." She smiled.

"Yes, i'd normally have no problems going out and looking for them, but there's nobody else here in case they do come back. and it'll take both of us to do it." He rubbed his face against Perdita's affectionately.

"Yeah, i know the story about your battle with the devilwoman."

"Oh, you know about the devilwoman?" Pongo asked.

"Of course, we have the song on greatgruncle Freckles' old music horn." She said, just as Taivas opened the door to find himself being, unwittingly sentancing himself, again, to the pergatory that he had found himself in twice already and was about to be sent to again as music began to waft in from no-where.



As Taivas asked for the payment, Pongo nodded, before walking over to the corner and began pushing a pink box with a bow tied around it towards Taivas. Freckles walked over, sniffed the box and barked at it. "Indeed, i did promise a reward. I believe this would be fitting." He sat down. Dotty immediately attacked the box like... Well, the hyperactive child she was. Inside was 500 munny.

"THAT'S ENOUGH MUNNY FOR A BUNCH OF ICE-CREAM!!!" She yelled. "OR 500 MUNNYCHEWS, WE COULD BUY THEM AND SEE IF WE CAN FIT ALL OF THEM IN OUR MOUTHS AT THE EXACT SAME TIME!!!"

Taivas

As the song was starting, Tavias plugged his ears with his fingers. Humming loudly, trying to drown out her little song. Again, the thought of leaving her here came up. And it was pretty tempting to do this so he didn’t have to hear her sing again. Tavias was staring up at the ceiling, hoping the song would be over. Occasionally, he would remove his fingers, and if she were still singing, he would plug them back up again. He removed his fingers, sighing relief when she stopped singing. “Thank god.” Taivas opened the bag, being glad there was enough for the ship.

“If we find more of your kids, I’ll return them to you.” He said, hoping the rewards would be as good as this one. Pocketing the money before heading out of the door, waiting for a moment for Dotty to follow him. Opening the door, he was met by Cid glaring at him behind the counter. Taivas slammed down the money on the counter with a smile. “Here ya go. 500 munny.”

Cid took the money and got Taivas and Dotty to follow him to a nearby garage. Cid uncovered a dirty and somewhat rustic looking ship. “What the hell is this?” Tavias’ face seemed quite angry and frustrated.

“It’s the cheapest ship I got. It’s not much of a looker, but it’ll get you where you need to go.” Cid took a drag on his cigarette.

Taivas begrudgingly pushed the ship out of the garage. Getting into the spaceship, waiting for Dotty to get inside. Starting up the ship and flying into the starry sky of the world. Luckily, he had also “bought” some earplugs and would use them so he wouldn’t listen to Dotty. Seemingly being deep in thought, he followed the directions to Deep Jungle that Merlin had provided.

Taivas hoped that he would be able to find some more clues on his friend’s whereabouts. His eyes stared at the stars and other worlds that were covered in some sort of strange mist. He was annoyed when he would have to avoid the occasional obstacle in the way. But they finally arrived on the world, with Taivas landing the ship.

“Okay, we’re here. Stay close to me and dont do anything stupid.” He got out of the ship and headed out hoping to find someone who could help him.

Dotty frowned as Taivas handed over the money to Cid for the ship. "Awww, i wanted the munnychews..." She groaned. She got into the cockpit next to him as the ship blasted off through The Space Between. Watching the weird and wonderful things that had fallen through the cracks of the worlds. During the trip, she sat back in her chair and looked at the control panel that Taivas had specifically activated the child lock on. Zen-Aku being rather glad of this. He wasn't sure how much damage she could do with it, but he had the feeling it was a lot. As the spiritual wolf monster looked out of the window, he saw a glowing, spectral, yellow, mechanical eagle fly past the window. He looked at the large eagle and heard it screech.

"Magestic..." He grunted.

"I try my best." Dotty smiled.

"No, that eagle." Dotty looked out of the window the way he was pointing.

"What Eagle?" She asked, staring directly at the eagle Zen-Aku was looking at. He looked confused at her. She clearly saw nothing.

"Nothing, never mind..." He simply continued to stand. Dotty slowly moved over to Taivas in the control seat.

"This thing got an MP3 player?" She asked... Taivas clearly ignored her. She frowned. "Alright, i can solve this one." As music began slowly creeping into the cabin from seemingly no-where again. "IT'S A SMALL WORLD AFT-" Instantly the music was cut off as Zen-Aku's spectral hand grabbed her mouth.

"ANYTHING... But that one..." Zen-Aku growled in a far more sinister tone than she had ever heard out of him before.

"OoOoOoOh" She sarcastically called to him. "Alright, mr Grumpy-bumpy pants." She sat down and huffed. Finally they closed in on the world that they were going to. A strange world that looked entirely made of jungle. As they arrived in the mists. Dotty walked out and into what looked like a giant tree canopy. Walking along a large branch, Taivas told her to ignore her base instincts. "Of course i'm gonna stay close, i'm not a complete idi-IIIIIIIIIIIIII" She screamed as she slipped on the slicked branch, falling out of the tree and straight down, screaming the whole way. Zen-Aku's spirit jumped off with her.

"PUT ON THE MASK!!!" He yelled, she grabbed the mask and pulled it to her face, but she was screaming too much to say the sacred incantations. Zen-Aku managed to grab her and put himself in front of her to cushion the blow as she fell straight through a wooden roof and into a house bellow her. Zen-Aku slowly got up and pushed her off of him. "You alright?"

"I'm good." She chirped. They looked around the house. An old, dilapidated looking house, completely devoid of any sort of life. She found an old photo of a regal looking man, woman and baby. "Think it's their house?" She asked. She then looked over at something in the corner. "Cool, leopard-skin rug." Dotty pointed at the Jaguar with enormous teeth that was staring at her like she was the last donut in the cop shop.

"Dotty... Put on the mask..." Zen-Aku replied as he stared at the angry jaguar. In one swift bound, it jumped straight at Dotty and with a single swipe of its mighty paw, sent her sprawling across the room, landing upside down. "THE MASK!!!" He roared at her, but Dotty had hit her head and seemed a little punch-drunk. Hitting the mask against her face.

"Ummm... I... Poodlewolf... Need to take a little nap now... You take him..." The Jaguar approached her licking his lips. Zen-Aku grabbed Dotty's arms and forced her to bring the mask to her face.

"SAY THE WORDS, SAY THE WORDS OR YOU'RE DEAD!!!" He yelled. As it jumped at her for the killing blow, a gust of wind blew through the house heralded by the sound of a Trumpeting Elephant. Zen-Aku turned around to see the Jaguar having been sent flying across the room and into the boxes and it struggled and writhed around in the boxes. Meanwhile the man who did it simply stood and looked at the Jaguar. It was an old man who stood, flourishing his arms and standing in a pose. He had long white hair and a stern face, he seemed to wear a strange martial artists outfit with a strange symbol on the back.

"MIGHTY SPIRIT OF THE ELEPHANT!!!" He roared, stamping his feet and the Jaguar fell over again. Zen-Aku sat and watched as the old man threw several powerful punches as the Jaguar charged him again, before grabbing it by the scruff and throwing it away again. At that point, Taivas made his entrance. The old man nodded to Taivas, but Taivas would be unable to see him. "I'll leave this to you, young one." He said, before fading away back into the aether.

"OLD MAN, WAIT!!!" Zen-Aku yelled running towards the man as he faded away. He then looked outside and saw a large cloud shaped like an elephant "OLD MAN!!! WHO ARE YOU!?!?!? TELL ME!!!" Zen-Aku bayed at the cloud. He saw flashes in his mind of a mighty, great mechanical elephant that made the same sound... Was it fighting him or was he fighting alongside it. He then turned around and watched Taivas fight the Jaguar.

@mattmanganon

Taivas

Taivas slapped his forehead as he watched Dotty fall out of the tree. Slowly, he followed behind her, hoping she would not get hurt too much. He started jumping from tree branch to tree branch, cutting down the branches in his way. “I told you to stay close to me." he said when he finally met Dotty. He scanned the area they were inside. It looked like an abandoned house, and he noticed a large portrait of a man and woman holding a baby. He wondered who was living here before it became abandoned.

His eyes peered over towards the figure in the corner of the room. “Shit.” Taivas got in front of Dotty, summoning his keyblade. “Get behind me.” He stood his ground as the jaguar was coming closer towards them. But, of course, she had gotten a hit in before it could pounce on them. “Useless.” He muttered while charging at the jaguar. The jaguar came running at him; its claws extended as it pounced at Taivas.

The jaguar’s claws dug into Taivas’ shoulder, making him be flung backwards. But his keyblade slammed into the jaguar’s body. “Son of a bitch.” He held his bloody shoulder. He held his hand out, firing some shadowy spears at the jaguar. “Eat this!” He screamed, but the spears were evaded as the jaguar dodged the attack. The jaguar again started running towards Taivas. But as it got closer to Taivas, a spear was thrown at the jaguar. A large shirtless man jumped down armed with a stone knife, screaming as loud as he could. The man jumped on the jaguar’s back, stabbing it once in the jaguar’s clawing arm. The beast fled the house with Taivas holding his wound.

“Tsk, I almost had em. Who are you?” He said, making the man turn towards them.

“Me Tarzan…” He stood upright, walking over to pick up his spear.

“My name is Taivas…and this Id. This is Dotty.” Taivas said before continuing to speak. I am looking for two people, and i was told they were here before.” Taivas showed the image of his friends, hoping he had seen him.

“Yes…saw them speaking to Jane…I take you to Jane.” Tarzan said and motioned for them to follow him.

PJ, Max, and Daisy's trip was pretty uneventful so far. They managed to avoid the chaos in-between worlds via some "shortcuts" PJ knew. They were currently flying in the space near Traverse Town when Max finally asked, "Hey, PJ. How do you know how to get to Wonderland?"

"Oh, I don't." PJ replied confidently while keeping his eyes forward.

"Wait, you don't? Then where are we going?" Max asked.

PJ shrugged. "I thought I'd just fly until I found it. It's not that hard a world to spot."

Daisy's eyes widened. She couldn't believe she was trusting a teenager to actually take things seriously. "I rather not be lost in the Space Between Worlds. We're near Traverse Town. Let's stop there and get directions from Merlin."

"Merlin?" Max asked, sitting up in his chair. "I haven't seen him since my trip to Camelot with my dad and King Mickey. What's he doing there?"

"It's his home away from home as he travels between worlds. Go on, PJ. Straight to Traverse Town."

"Yes, ma'am." PJ nodded before making his direction to the world for marooned souls.

---

PJ stayed on the Gummi Ship while Max and Daisy entered the First District of Traverse Town and were met with another trio holding a sign that read, "ITEM SHOP: GRAND OPENING". This was a group of young ducklings Daisy was all too familiar with.

"Huey, Dewey, and Louie, what on Mickey's Magic Kingdom are you doing here?"

"Aunt Daisy!?" The duck trio yelled out in unison as they dropped their sign on their webbed feet. They jumped in shock in pain before falling back down to land crisscross applesauce to rub their injured feet. "First Uncle Donald and now Aunt Daisy. Who's next, Uncle Scrooge? We're just here trying to make money."

"Wait. Donald's here? They haven't found the Prince, yet?"

Huey shook his head and spoke. "Last we saw, he and Mr. Goofy were still looking for him."

"The last thing I need to hear is my dad telling me I should be home. Let's get to Merlin's." Max said, preparing to head to the next district.

"Or Donald worrying about me. Let's go." Daisy agreed.

"Before you go." Huey said, stopping them. "You should talk to Cid. He has a book of Merlin's that both are too lazy to cross districts to exchange. They call it being busy, but they're not the ones opening a new shop."

Daisy laughed to herself, forgetting that she wasn't in the court and didn't have to be a proper lady. "Just be careful, okay?" She said to her nephews before heading to Cid's shop with Max.

---

Meanwhile Donald and Goofy finished searching the Third District and there were still no signs of the keyblade wielding prince. Donald was beyond annoyed by this point. "WHERE IS HE!?" He yelled out to no one in particular with a bright red and searing face.

"Why don't we cool off and think? Aha! What if we asked Merlin to help us find him?"

"As if that old quack knows anything." Donald responded, his face now returned to normal.

"Well, we couldn't find him on our own so it doesn't hurt to try. And you know what they say. If you've searched everywhere, it's the one place you haven't looked." Goofy said confidently.

"It's always the last place that you look." Donald corrected.

"You sure? This is the last place we looked and he wasn't here."

"... Fine. We'll ask him." Donald said in defeat, heading to the otherworldly magician's home.

---

---

Someone didn't like how easy of a time Alias and Alice were having on their journey through Wonderland. Alias' presence alone was already providing a better experience for Alice than she was supposed to have, but Alice being here and happy kept Alias from falling into despair or thinking too deeply about not knowing where his friends were. He was able to compartmentalize and focus on keeping Alice safe and getting her answers from the White Rabbit and hopefully staying off the Queen's Radar. If it only it could be that simple.

The downside to having a carefree life back on Destiny Islands was the inability to discern when things have been going a little too well. Now he was about to learn just what it meant to wait for the other shoe to drop. It dropped hard when they arrived to the Queen's Court to see it and everyone in a state of distress. Flowers that were painted red were destroyed, card soldiers and their weapons laid flat across the yard. The Queen of Hearts was furiously yelling in the distance.

"My word. What could've happened here?" Alice asked. She had never seen anything like it. Things started off weird here, but they hadn't been this bad. "Could it be the heartless again?"

"I don't know," Alias replied while conjuring his keyblade. "But stay close to me." He walked forward to fully enter the Court with Alice following closely behind them.

The White Rabbit was frantically pacing back and forth until he noticed Alias and Alice. "It's them! It's them! The monsters have returned!"

"Monsters?" Alice asked, looking behind her and Alias. No one else was there besides them. "You can't possibly mean us."

"Only monsters could do this. You've upset the poor Queen!"

The Queen of Hearts turned into a fury to spy Alias and Alice. "The nerve. To return to the scene of the crime! Off with your heads!" A silence followed as she had no readily available soldiers to deal with these threats.

"But we just got here!" Alias pointed out. "We couldn't have done this. Give us a chance to find the real monsters."

"They looked like you! But... since my other soldiers won't be here for a while I'll spare your life for now and give you one chance to find the true culprits and bring them or evidence back. But if you come back to attack we'll be ready to take those heads of yours!"

Alias gulped and nodded to show that he understood. Alice nodded nonstop like a bobblehead until Alias grabbed the back of her hair to get her to stop. "Yes, your majesty." He finally said, rubbing his neck. He grabbed Alice's hand to run them out of there so they could find these monstrous doppelgangers.

"Alias, how can heartless look like us?" Alice asked inquisitively as they disappeared into another dense forest.

Zen-Aku watched Taivas and the mostly naked man enter to prevent Dotty from being eaten. He thanked whatever creator that they had succeeded as the Jaguar jumped out of the window and ran. Dotty tried to stumble to her feet. "I'M COMING ELIZABETH!" She called before falling flat on her face, unconscious. Zen-Aku sighed and walked over to her. He stared down at her unconscious form. He poked her with his foot, before looking at Taivas.

"Can you pick her u... Ugh, you can't even see me..." He thought for a second. He tried picking her up, but after a few seconds, she phased through him and onto the floor. He then bent over and grabbed her hand, before curling her finger into a point and writing "She's out cold. You will need to carry her." In the dust on the floor. Well, while she was out, there wasn't much he could do. Tarzan walked straight through him as he approached Taivas, as if to punctuate his point. "I hate being incorporeal..." He growled. Maybe... Maybe while he was stuck in this state, he might still be able to do something useful... Running over to the window, he sniffed deeply and smelled the smell of spirit energy. He then catapulted out through the window, jumping through the forest.

Continuing to follow the smell of spirit magics through the jungle, he flashed through the tree's and up the large mountain in the middle of the island, getting near to the top of the mountain, the smell became inescapable. He stopped and looked around, before seeing a cabin in the side of the mountain. He approached the cabin, attempting to walk straight through the door, but ended up only bumping into it. He was used to phasing through doors like this... This was weird... He then knocked at the door and waited for a few seconds. Then, he heard a swooshing sound beind him. He turned around to see a man in a green and white outfit. "Who are you? Are you the old man from before?" The man then drew a weapon. It was an ornate handle with a chain leading down to a ball on the end of it. The man then flourished the weapon, not making a sound, swinging it around, as if dancing with it. He then smashed the ball on the ground and stared up at Zen-Aku. Zen-Aku then adopted his own fighting stance. "I am more than able to defend myself if you insist on this." He growled. The man rushed him, swinging the weapon, the chain wrapped around his arm with the metal ball striking him in the shoulder, Zen-Aku then spun, pulling the man into him, before backhanding him with the other hand, the man fell on his back, but quickly flipped back up and used the chain to pull Zen-Aku into a grapple, Zen-Aku flipped him over his head, with the man landing on his feet, a roundhouse kick followed from Zen-Aku next, the man backflipping, landing on his hands before flipping back in front of Zen-Aku with a punch straight towards his snout. Zen-Aku pushed the fist to one side, before the other fist came at his face, sending Zen-Aku spinning backwards, but the chain once again kept him in close quarters, pulling him back in, before wrapping his arm around Zen-Aku's throat and pulling him backwards, so that Zen-Aku was bent over backwards, Zen-Aku then swung his legs over their shoulder and landed on his feet. He rung the chain off before reached his arm out and his Creasant Moon blade appeared, he flourished it as he prepared for the next phase of the fight.

"ENOUGH!" A voice split through the mountain and the man in the suit stopped, before fading to dust before Zen-Aku's eyes. Zen-Aku looked around and saw the man open the door and walk out. It was the man who had saved Dotty. "Why have you come here?" The old man asked. Zen-Aku got down on one knee.

"You... You saved my host. I have come to thank you and to ask you about the power you possess. It is so very familiar to me." The old man shook his head.

"And what kind of power might a Duke Org find familair?" The man asked. Zen-Aku was taken aback.

"A Duke Org... You know about me?" He asked. The man looked him up and down.

"An Elephant never forgets..." He grunted. "But it seems the Wolf does... It's that horn, only Orgs have those. And your stance is fully humanoid, that indicates something higher, but you're not Nazor, Mandilok or Retinax, meaning you're not a General. So you must be a Duke." He answered. So, Duke Orgs were humanoids with a large horn like his. That was... Well, that was at least more than the Wizard gave him.

"Nazor... Who are they?" He asked, his face and voice more confused now than before. The old man looked him up and down before approaching and placing his hand on Zen-Aku's chest, closing his eyes. He suddenly opened them and took a few steps back.

"That's... Not..." He looked very visibly flustered, equally as confused about this as Zen-Aku. He looked down and then up as if contemplating something, he then turned around and walked back inside of his hut, not closing the door behind him. "Well, what are you waiting for? Come on in." He called. Zen-Aku took several brave steps inside, only to see that this house was... Well, exactly as it looked on the outside. Dusty, cold, scrolls laying everywhere, nobody had cleaned in here for some time, except for the dishes which were all immaculate. The old man sat down in a large chair and guestured Zen-Aku to sit in the smaller chair across from him. "So..." He began as Zen-Aku took his seat. "You don't know who you are... Where you are... Where you are going... Where you come from..." He grunted. "But... You have a Heart. Which is... Odd to say the least." He once again looked around as if still mulling over this moral choice.

"I am... Heartless?" He asked, looking at his hands.

"No, no, no. Heartless are not part of the natural order. They are abominations from outside of it. You are very much a part of your natural order... It's just that your kind tends not to have hearts... Although yours is very faint... Very whimsical. Almost-"

"Like a childs heart... No, that's not my heart. I am linked by a curse to the child you saved. You must have heard her heart through me." The old Elephant man simply stared at Zen-Aku.

"Perhaps..." He replied. "You faught my Dream Eater without problem. Most would have been easily destroyed. This makes you a... Interesting case..." He once again looked around. His mouth seemed to quibble quickly as if having a conversation with someone. "Tell me why your really sought me out?" He asked.

"Because i require answers and you may be the only one with them." Zen-Aku replied, matter-of-factly.

"No, that's why you followed me, but why did you come in here?" He asked. "I gave you answers and yet you followed. You assumed i had more, but that's not enough. Why did you REALLY follow me in here?" Zen-Aku cocked his head to the side, now very confused.

"Because... You invited me?" He asked, continuing to try and play through this game that he clearly hadn't been taught the rules of. The man nodded his head, mouthing Zen-Aku's words back to him.

"Yes, i invited you. You could have burst down my door and demanded answers, you could have given me a royal thrashing and demanded them, but you didn't, why not? You know i am not unarmed, so don't give me any of that honour warrior nonsense." He replied.

"Because..." He watched the man wait with bated breath. "Because that would have been rude..." The man mouthed the words along with him as they came out of his mouth.

"Because it would have been rude!" He laughed, repeating him, before laughing out loud. He then got to his feet and walked over to a scroll and opened it. He read it a few times, before rolling it back up again. "Alright. Your training begins now then." He said, looking rather excited. Zen-Aku got up, still very confused.

"I don't need training, i need answers." He protested.

"Just as one does not discuss business on an empty stomach, one does not answer questions on an empty soul. Come, you will need this if you are to continue." He walked out of the hut. Zen-Aku rolled his eyes and got up to follow the old man.

"Old man, i don't even know your name." He growled.

"You may call me Master... Master Phant."

@mattmanganon

Taivas

Taivas picked up Dotty and started following Tarzan. “Idiot.” He muttered to the girl while keeping an eye out for that jaguar. “So what was that thing that attacked us?” He asked Tarzan, whom he assumed knew what that animal attacked him was. A little part of him felt he had encountered that animal before.

“That Sabor. Been trying kill me since me baby.” Tarzan said while swinging from tree to tree. Taivas shook his head, swinging one hand, keeping Dotty close to his body. The three moved from tree to tree before finally settling on the ground.

“So that thing has it out for you eh. Why haven’t you just hunted it down and killed it?” Taivas was confused about why Tarzan hadn’t killed Sabor earlier.

The half naked man just shrugged his shoulders. Telling Taivas that he tried but could not because of how quick Sabor was. “Looks like I’ve had to do the job for you. Could be nice to have a jaguar rug in the ship.” Taivas said, chuckling softly. When they finally reached the tent, Tarzan was the first to enter. A few moments later, a tall man sporting a mustache carrying a double-barreled shotgun walked out of the tent. Glaring at Taivas, who was still carrying Dotty. Taivas followed Tarzan inside.

Taivas noticed a woman wearing a yellow dress. The woman was fumbling with what looked like a projector. She turned to face Taivas, smiling softly. “Hello, you must be the people Tarzan told me about. My name is Jane. “ She walked over, holding out her hand for Taivas to shake.

The blonde teenager shook her hand before speaking. “So I heard from Tarzan that you had seen my friends. When did you see them? And what did they do here?” He asked Jane showing her a picture of his friends.

“I did see them, but they weren’t here long since they couldn’t find you here. But I do remember they thought you could have gone to some place with a collisum. I’m sorry i couldn’t be much help.” Jane said sadly while returning the locket. "Although there was someone else looking for you. A man in a black cloak wielded some strange key shaped weapon.

“Damn it.” Taivas kicked over a nearby table, scaring Jane. But the mention of the other person did spark his interest. The memory of the old man from before came into his mind. Was it the old man. Why was he looking for him. “Tsk, thanks.” He said sarcastically while putting the locket back around his neck. “Looks like we're gonna have to go looking someplace else.” Of course, as soon as he said this, a large female gorilla came running into the tent.

Speaking some sort of strange langauge Taivas couldn't understsnd. Kala, the large female gorilla was looking quite distressed. Tarzan quickly moved to comfort Kala. When asked by Jane what what was going on, Tarzan mentioned his friend Terk was being chased by some shadowy creatures.

“Shadowy reatures?” Taivas thought the creatures from before might have infested this world as well. “Sounds like we got a big problem on our hands. I know how to deal with these things; i can help but for a price.”

“Well, I could give you some items and money if you help Terk.” Jane said, sounding conflicted about whether she should even give Taivas anything. He was a stranger to her. But if he had experience dealing with these creatures, perhaps he could save Terk.

“Here, make sure this idiot doesn't get into more trouble. ” Taivas handed Dotty over to Jane while leaving with Tarzan to save Terk.

Tik... Tok... Tik... Tok...

The rhythmic drone of the clock layered a blanket of tension over the otherwise silent hotel room. Sat in near perfect stillness at the table, Squall Leonhart, or "Leon" as he had become known, listened on to the timepiece as though he was counting to something, or measuring out the time elapsing. In a rare but subtle movement he cast a glance to the nearby bed. Yuffie, his young companion, was lounging atop the covers, feet and head bobbing to an unheard tune; contrary to Leon's intense focus, the girl seemed unbothered by the time spent waiting. Leon held his gaze upon her, perplexed, yet amused and, in a small way inspired by Yuffie's commitment to a carefree attitude amid such difficult times.

But even the ninja's lax demeanor couldn't rub off on him enough to clear him of all worry. They were short one person, and had been for several hours. Unable to continue containing himself Leon moved in a more sudden and sweeping manner. He kicked out from the table, the chair sliding back and tipping onto the floor with a loud thud. Yuffie's head perked up curiously, though unrattled. "Something getting you, Squall?" she asked, not rising from the bed.

"It's been too long," Leon began pacing. "Aerith should have been back from her rounds by now."

"Mhmmmm. You're not wrong. But it's not like she's never done this before. You know she likes to stop and appreciate things, smell the roses and all."

"I know. But this... tonight feels different. I can't explain it." Leon made his way towards the door, taking up his Gunblade as he crossed the room. "I'm gonna go look for her."

"Gee," Yuffie sat up, though stayed on the bed. "You want me to come with?"

"No. Stay here. Hold down the fort. I shouldn't be long."

"You got it boss!" Yuffie gave Leon a hearty thumbs up and resumed her lounging posture.

Leon exited and tread down the empty hallway. His footfalls seemed to echo through the silence as he made his way out to the streets. "Be safe out there tonight," a voice from behind a drawn curtain at the check-in desk called after him as he stepped outside. He emerged into a cool, crisp, and comfortable night, breathing in the fresh air to clear himself of the cramped hotel room. He scanned the plaza below, and along the raised walkways hoping to see Aerith, but saw no one. Deciding that Cid might have seen her, he hastily went to the First District.

---

"Leon." Cid recognized him just by the sound of him entering.

"Hey Cid. Aerith hasn't been through yet tonight, has she?" Leon cut straight to the chase.

"Nah. Haven't seen her." Cid gleaned Leon's disappointment and added, "but another old friend did come through."

Leon's interest was piqued. He stepped closer to the counter. "Who?"

"That Zac fellow. The Gummi ship pilot.

"Oh."

"And he says he's got a few refugees along with him. Scooped ‘em up on the last world he dropped into... dropped literally by the sound of it."

"Is he still around?"

"Probably. He mentioned needing to get that ship of his fixed up before leaving. Reckon you've got time to catch up with him. Speaking of catching up, did a kid named 'Hoshi' find you?"

"Nope. Haven't run into any newcomers tonight. But I guess that'll change once I find Zac."

"Likely so. Anyways I told Hoshi to find you. But she's apparently got friends with Zac anyways. So I'm sure she'll find someone before too long. You'd best check in with Zac in the meantime. I'll let Aerith know you're looking for her if she comes by."

"Got it." Leon nodded and left the shop. It didn't take him long before he found the familiar Gummi ship. Within the vessel he could hear the sound of tinkering and repairs being made. "Well this brings back memories," he spoke over the busy noise, reminiscing on the first time Zac had crash-landed in Traverse Town.

Zac was kneeling on the fuselage of his ship, busying himself with something with his back to Leon. ”Yeah, no salvaging that one,” he muttered, holding a part he had just disconnected to examine closely. ”I had a feeling. Looks like I was right to get an all-new one from Cid.” He was about to toss it over his shoulder when Leon’s voice startled him, causing him to drop the somewhat heavy part on his thumb. He yelped and held his hand as he turned back, breaking into a grin despite the pain when he saw his old friend. ”Long time no see, Leon!” he exclaimed as he hopped off of his ship.

As the pain subsided, he shook his hand as he approached Leon. ”What brings you by?” he asked. ”If it’s about that ten munny I borrowed, you’re gonna have to wait a bit longer. I already owe Cid a crateful for the parts he gave me.”

Leon held a hand up, saying “Don’t worry about the munny. Cid said you were in town; I figured I’d check in while I had the chance.” He took a good look at Zac’s Gummi ship and nearly cracked a smile in his facade. “By the looks of it, you’ve been roughing it again.”

Zac turned to look back at his ship just in time to see a panel fall from the underside. He let out a sigh and said, ”You could say that. Got into a dogfight and ended up crash-landing on some world on the same day it got swallowed by Darkness. Ended up playing emergency evacuation to a few people. It’s been an eventful day…or two? I’m actually not sure how long it’s been.”

He wiped the back of his hand against his cheek, leaving behind a streak of black grease. Either not noticing or unbothered by it, he turned to Leon and asked, ”Oh, by the way, Cid said he sent someone from that world your way. Hoshi. Was she able to find you alright?”

“Yeah. Cid explained about as much as that. I haven’t run across anyone named Hoshi yet. Doesn’t surprise me really; we’ve been getting more refugees lately. Sometimes it takes a day or two for us to find people. How many more did you bring along from that world?”

As he listened to Leon, Zac made his way back over to the ship and began working on something underneath the wing. ”I brought three more with me,” he said as he pulled a scorched component out of the wing and tossed it over his shoulder. He walked over to where Cid had left crates of parts for him and dug around until he found a replacement for the one he pulled out. ”Taivas and Levi, who wandered off on their own to explore when we landed, and Lucian. Lucian asked to see Merlin, so I took him over there before I stopped off at Cid’s, so he should still be there with him.”

He returned to the ship and began installing the part as he continued, ”There were a few more, too, like Hoshi. There was also Morgan, who even I could tell had more going on than it looked. And the last one was Alias, but all three of them were still on that world when it got swallowed, so other than Hoshi, I’ve got no clue where they are or if they’re even still alive.”

“With any luck the missing two ended up somewhere safe.” Though he wanted it to be true Leon knew he was betting against the odds. “The one with Merlin should be well enough where he is though, assuming Merlin is back. I’ll keep an eye out for the other two. In the meantime, do you have any news from around the worlds? Other than the one you just came from, what’s been going on? We’ve… heard rumors here; no way to confirm anything for sure.”

Zac shut the panel and stepped away with a sigh. ”Well…it’s not good,” he stated matter-of-factly. He walked over to the crates of parts and sat on one of them as he said, ”The Heartless have been getting more and more active lately. For every world I save, another gets lost to Darkness. The Ocean Between’s even getting pretty dangerous, as you can probably tell from how Sigrid looks.”

He then leaned forward, elbows resting on his legs as he laced his fingers together. “The Heartless have been acting a bit strange, too. I know they’ve been searching for the Keyholes, but it’s like they’re looking for something else. And I’m sure we both know what that something is.”

Leon grimaced. He knew too well what Zac spoke of. If the legends were true, the Heartless finding it and submitting it to Darkness would be an apocalyptic disaster. “And from the look and sound of it, they’re not as wild and disorganized as they usually are. A few people have even said that the attacks on worlds seem coordinated. The question is, by whom?”

”I’ve been trying to figure that out, but I haven’t had any luck,” Zac replied as he hopped off of the crate. At that moment, his stomach growled and he turned to Leon. ”You hungry? I haven’t eaten since before my crash landing.” Sheepishly, he added, ”And would you mind paying for me? I’m still out of cash…”

Leon shrugged. “I suppose I have some time to grab a quick bi--” the echo of a heavy bell chiming cut Leon off mid sentence. He tore his eyes away from Zac and in the direction of the Second District.

---

A searing pain cut through Hoshi’s chest. She awoke immediately, staring wide at the ceiling above her. Feverish, and still tired, she took in the space as enlarged and warped. Sluggishly, she lifted her head up and looked around. Leon had finished with his tinkering and retreated into his own room; Launchpad remained vigilantly perched upon the windowsill keeping watch upon the plaza below. Careful not to make a stir or too much noise, Hoshi slipped off of the couch, grabbed the black coat hanging nearby, and crept out of the apartment. She descended the stairs in zombie-like fashion, unsure of what deep instinct compelled her.

She didn’t come to her own senses until she stepped out into the back alley behind the building and felt a kick of wind brushed against her. Feeling more awake, she donned the black coat, mostly to stave off the chill of the night. She looked in both directions. To the right was a set of double-doors, marking the way to the Third District; to her right was the way to the open plaza of the Second District. Hoshi opted for the second, turning the corner and facing down the hotel across the way. There, clearly imprinted against the light from the Hotel, stood the silhouette of a dark figure, also adorned by a long, black coat.

All Hoshi could do was stare at the figure, and fight back the tempest that had started beneath her chest. She took a single step forward when a warm touch pressed against her shoulder.

“Ah!” she gave a yelp, but muffled it with her own hands before it had a chance to carry. She spun around on the spot, coming face-to-face with a kind looking woman with long, wavy brown hair and green eyes that felt like looking into a mirror.

“I’m sorry,” the woman said softly. “I didn’t mean to scare you. Are you new here?”

“Uh…” Hoshi lagged in thought before answering properly. “Yeah. Arrived earlier today… tonight? Why?”

“My friends and I have been trying to help refugees as they arrive,” the woman explained. “I’m sorry. My name is Aerith, by the way.”

“Hoshi.” Hoshi nodded and patted her shoulder.

“Well then welcome Hoshi. Have you by chance met Leon? He’s one of my friends.”

“Oh yeah!” Hoshi said, relieved that the woman wasn’t just a random person. “He found me as soon as I got here.”

“That’s wonderful,” Aerith said smiling. “Has he found you a place to stay? If not, we have a safehouse in town where people can stay while we sort all of that out.”

“Yeah. He set me up.” Hoshi pointed up towards the apartment. “He’s up there right now, actually. And Launchpad is there too.”

Aerith’s smile melted away into a confused, if not concerned expression. Hoshi, in turn, gave a quizzical look. “What is it?” She asked.

“Nothing,” Aerith said. “Just… who’s Launchpad?”

Hoshi fell to a loss of words. As she tried and fumbled with what to say, the shrill ringing from the bell tower cut her off. She wheeled back to the plaza, where the familiar masses of Darkness heralded the arrival of Shadows.

“We’ll talk later,” Aerith said. She stepped up next to Hoshi, heading the Heartless off. In her right hand she wielded what looked like a short staff, or a long baton. She flourished the weapon, projecting a wind-like force that cut through one of the Shadows.

Not wanting to be helpless, Hoshi summoned her Keyblade. In spite of a lack of rest, she called upon a burst of speed, and cut down a pair of Shadows that had circled behind Aerith.

“A Keyblade?!” Aerith exclaimed upon seeing the weapon.

“Long story,” Hoshi said. Aerith simply nodded in response.

“We have to get to the First District. We have safeguards there.”

“Right.”

Aerith pointed to the doors to the Third District. “It’ll be easier to go that way.” More Heartless emerged in the plaza before the pair. “You go. I’ll hold them off.”

“Got it!” Hoshi used her speed to rush down the alley towards the double doors.

---

It was a feeling all too familiar to the pair: a pressing weight in the chest, followed seconds later by the Shadows rising up from the cobblestone. Leon drew his Gunblade. “Looks like that meal will need to wait a bit longer. I’ll hold them off; you focus on getting your ship fixed up.”

Zac sighed and turned back to his ship as he said, “Alright, fine. It shouldn’t take too long, so save some for me, alright?” He tapped his foot on the ground a couple of times and a wall of stone erupted around him and his ship, giving him some added protection while he got to work.

“Huh. ‘Save some for me’ yeah.” Leon chuckled under his breath a bit. He swung hard, cutting down a Shadow in its tracks. “Yeah. I can do that..”

Dotty seemed to dance through her slumber, strange faces and places waltzing before her eyes. She seemed to struggle awake and found herself in a strange tent. "Poodlewolf?" She called. She then saw a pet look around at her. A tall woman in a yellow shirt and had long, brown hair. She was... Possibly beautiful, Dogs were a poor judge of human beauty. She yawned and stretched as the woman walked over to her. "Where's Han?" She asked. The woman knelt down next to her bed.

"Well, hello." She smiled. "I'm afraid i don't know a Han. But i'm Jane Porter" She replied. "Was that the name of that rather grumpy individual who dropped you off?" She asked. Dotty was about to confirm this, but then remembered about Han being in disguise at the moment.

"Y-... No, his name is Taivas." She said, not very convincingly.

"Oh, Taivas. Very odd name, but then again, Tarzan tells me that Mr Clayton is a very strange name to him. So, is that a London Accent i hear?"

"Oh yeah, i'm from Camdon." She replied.

"And Mr Taivas is... Your Father?" Jane asked. Dotty smiled, bit her lip, then began snickering, before fell back into the bed laughing maniacally.

"DON'T ME WEEEEEIRD!!!" She laughed maniacally. "Oooh dear... Nah, my dads name is Doug, he's a Fireman."

"Oh, brave man then. My father is..." She looked around and huffed. "Probably out looking for the Gorilla's, i do hope he's ok with all of these shadow monsters around."

"Shadow monsters?" She asked, suddenly stopping laughing, her head shot bolt upright and then looked around. "POODLEWOLF!!!" She yelled. "GET YOUR BIG BROODY BUTT IN HERE! WE GOTS HEARTLESS!!!" Jane looked utterly confused by this.

"Is... Poodlewolf some kind of pet?" She asked.

"Don't be silly, you're the pet." She replied, matter-of-factly. Jane frowned, assuming that to be some kind of insult.

"I will have you know i'm just as capable in this jungle as any man. Why, the other day, i escaped a horde of rampaging baboons." She crossed her arms. Dotty was now the one confused by that comment.

"Well, of course pets are capable." She replied, getting out of bed and running over to the tent entrance. She pulled back the flap and looked out. There didn't seem to be any Heartless around at the moment. "POODLEWOLF!!!" She yelled, angrily. She then rolled her head around letting out a long, annoyed sigh. "Ugggh, he's probably on one of his broody mountaintop grumbles." She growled.

****

Deep in the jungle, elsewhere, Master Phant stood watching Zen-Aku perform his Kata. With every movement of Zen-Aku's body, Phant seemed to either nod or shake his head. He then jumped out in front of him, striking a mighty pose, arms held aloft, before striking forward with both arms, then jumping, backflipping and bringing his foot down with a mighty boom. He then looked Zen-Aku in the face "The Wolf style is about swiftness, about surefooted strikes." He struck his first Kata pose. "From me, you will learn the Elephant style. Power, strength, brute force."

"Everything one thinks of about the elephant." Zen-Aku responded, before striking the pose. Master Phant then quickly grabbed his arms and corrected the posture a little.

"But tempered by wisdom." He replied, striking the second pose. Zen-Aku transitioned into the next movement. "A Rogue Elephant is a terrifying force, but without those around to support him, he's but a single boulder rolling down a hill. Ended by the first wall he runs into. He then struck the next pose and watched as Zen-Aku transitioned again. He shook his head. "No, those are the movements of the wolf. Cautious and ready for anything. The elephant moves with certainty. There is NO creature in this jungle that would dare attack the Elephant." He guided Zen-Aku's arms as he went through the Kata another time. "Better. Again. More certainty. You are a Duke Org, the very top of the food chain. No creature is going to attack you. So show your certainty!" He demanded. Zen-Aku ran through the kata again and again. "You learn quickly." He then extended his hand out and the same ball on chain that the Dream Eater from before had. He began slowly twirling it. He then motioned for Zen-Aku to try again. "Tell me, have you ever heard of the Power Rangers?" He asked. A twinge of pain seemed to resonate through his skull, like a migraine that only lasted a few seconds.

"It's... Almost familiar..." He growled. continuing to kata.

"An ancient order of warriors all across the many worlds. Tapping into powers. The key to the answer, becoming stronger than before, flying higher, when the signal is calling, timeless wonders they performed." He smiled. "I was one of the masters of the Order of the Claw. For generations, we trained these rangers. But now... Scattered, few... Those who use the Keyblade made us somewhat obselete. But you will prove to others that the order is still around. And still willing to take up the fight."

"You mean that this is for sheer damn pettiness?" He asked. "I suppose that there's worse reasons to train an apprentice." Master Phant laughed.

"I don't give a damn about how relevant we are. How many people thank us. The Power Rangers were always thankless warriors. We never asked for recognition and did our best to avoid it at all costs. What matters is that we saved lives whenever they were in trouble." He replied. He then twirled the maul and launched it at Zen-Aku. Zen-Aku ducked under it and twirled around, bringing his claws to Phants throat. "Stop fighting like a Wolf!" He demanded. "Use what i have taught you, face me as the elephant." Zen-Aku growled in response. Phant kicked him hard, he flew back, before clawing into the ground to stop his skid. Phant flourished the flail and then struck a pose. He then motioned to Zen-Aku who was about to charge, but then recognized the motion he had made. That was the same motion Phant made when he was ordering to follow. "MIGHTY SPIRIT OF THE ELEPHANT!!!" Zen-Aku suddenly understood. He struck the same poses as before, powerful, sure movements.

"MIGHTY SPIRIT OF THE ELEPHANT!" He growled, the same flail weapon then appeared in his hands. Phant smiled at him. He smashed the ball on the ground, before jumping, twirling around in the air and using his own bodys motion to send the ball hurtling at Zen-Aku at lightning speed. Zen-Aku threw the ball in the same direction, the ball smashing into the other and sending it off-course. Zen-Aku then followed the same motion, sending his own flail blistering towards Phant. Phant flourished his flail, before dropping it and stopping the ball with his bare hands. A mighty elephant trumpet sounded from him as he smashed his foot on the ground and then threw the flail head back towards Zen-Aku.

"Very good." He laughed, panting a little, before waving his hand that had caught the ball. "But your training has only just began. Next, we will need to work on yo-" At that point, a scared Gorilla seemed to run through the clearing, followed by a number of monkey-like Heartless. "They are here!!!" He roared. He then looked at Zen-Aku and grinned. "Enough training for now. Time for a field test."

"How? Dotty is no-where near here and i cannot interact with the material realm without use of her body." He replied. Master Phant ran up to Zen-Aku, before spinning him around, kicking the back of his knee's and forcing Zen-Aku into a kneeling position. He then grabbed the side of Zen-Aku's head and... It felt to Zen-Aku much the same as when he and Dotty were fusing.

As Terk ran through the jungle and into another clearing, she would see Tarzan and Taivas there to greet her. "TARZAN!!! IT'S SO GOOD TO SEE YOU!!! Now, if it's not too much trouble, GET THOSE MONKEYS!!!" She screamed at them. As the monkey Heartless burst through the tree-line, suddenly, the sound of an elephants Trumpet would be heard. "Tantor?" Terk asked. As suddenly, the green and white clad warrior appeared next to Taivas and Tarzan. He looked at his hands and then around his body. He looked at Taivas.

"It's me, Zen-Aku. Don't ask." He then struck his Kata poses again. "MIGHTY SPIRIT OF THE ELEPHANT!!!" The flail appeared in his hands and he prepared for battle.