World that Never Was

Story
John, Mickey and Pluto are walking through a light blue tunnel, which seems endless.

John: Where are we?

Mickey: Betwixt and Between. It’s not truly part of any world, but it connects them. (Pluto then stops, growling.) What’s wrong, boy?

Pluto: Ruff ruff ruff!

Portals open, Dusks appearing, filling the tunnel. John summons Rustic, as Mickey summons his Keyblade. The two charge in, slashing through the crowded Nobodies. Mickey jumps up, jumping off the head of a Dusk, slicing through several of them. Several Dusks slither out of reach, and launch forward to attack, blocked and destroyed by Mickey.

John spins, slicing through the Dusks, Rustic covered in mana, extending out. A Dusk comes up from underneath him, knocking him into the air. John spins Rustic, a wind tunnel forming and wiping out several Dusks. John comes down, destroying Dusks to make a landing spot.

John: There’s no end to them. (Dusks walk towards him, when a stream of fire rushes by, forcing the Dusks to back up. John turns, seeing Blaze Spear running, body lit aflame.) So, he did survive.

John turns into Xylofreeze, using his telekinesis on Blaze Spear. Blaze Spear spirals into a flaming drill, as Xylofreeze motions through, destroying the Nobodies. Blaze Spear’s flames increases in size, as more and more Dusks are destroyed. Soon, Blaze Spear spins standing tall, Xylofreeze making the fire wheel to expand across the whole tunnel. Mickey and Pluto are floating in the air, over the flames. The flames die down, as Xylofreeze lowers himself and the others down. Blaze Spear’s fire dies down, him spinning, so dizzy he can barely stand.

Blaze Spear: (Slurring) Hey, netxj time wont win me ike at. (Blaze Spear falls over, reverting into Axel.)

Mickey: Axel? Why are you helping us?

John: Especially since you’ve been pretending to play dead.

Axel: Well (Grabbing his head) After you destroyed my Replica, I had to stay low. Even Saïx thought I was dead. I was free from it all.

John: Why come back?

Axel: Kairi. She got herself captured, again, and, I don’t know. I guess I feel responsible now. Save someone’s life, then you’re responsible for them. (John gives Axel a big smile.) What’s that face for?

John: Nothing, nothing. Just thinking about how big of a softy you are.

Axel: (Sarcastically) Ha ha.

Mickey: Will you help us defeat the Organization?

Axel: Sure, why not? I’ve got no more care for it. Just know, I’m not dying here. Got it memorized?

John: Sure thing.

Pluto: Ruff! Ruff! (The group turns, seeing Pluto standing right in front of a portal. The three head over, as they go through the portal.) End Scene

The group enters a city that is filled with darkness. The tall buildings are pure black, a large grayish castle floating in the distance. In the sky is a moon shaped like a heart.

Axel: The World that Never Was. Like the Nobody, it shouldn’t exist.

John: That’s sorta depressing.

Axel: Be careful. This place.

Suddenly, Shadow, Mega Shadow, Neoshadow, and Novashadow Heartless come out of the shadows of the ground, surrounding them.

Axel: (Deadpan) Is filled with Heartless.

John stomps the ground, earth spikes shooting up everywhere, splitting the Heartless in half. He charges in, slicing through Shadows, going to Neoshadows. Mickey jumps from earth spike to earth spike, slashing through Mega Shadows. Axel turns into Heatblast, releasing a powerful flash of light. The Heartless turn into shadows and merge with the ground, retreating. A Novashadow attacks Heatblast from behind, stopping his powerful light, the Heartless returning. Heatblast destroys the Novashadow with fire, smirking.

Heatblast: How’d you like that? (He turns, seeing John and King Mickey had gone on, destroying Heartless in the distance.) Hey, wait!

John swings his arms, an earth ramp forming around the road, him skating across, shooting mana discs that tear through Heartless. He makes it to the ground, as he swings his arm up, an earth hand grabbing a Mega Shadow, who breaks into shadows. King Mickey slashes through it, as Heatblast arrives, releasing streams of fire. John airbends, and Heatblast shoots fire into the air stream, creating a blazing shockwave, melting through the Heartless. The group keeps moving, arriving in front of a giant skyscraper.

Heatblast: Memory’s Skyscraper. We’re getting close.

They keep going, Pluto standing at the edge of the path. He is barking at the Castle That Never Was, which was floating in the distance. Heatblast reverts, Axel looking upset.

Axel: There used to be a a trail leading to it! (He turns, seeing a console, destroyed.) That's the only way over.

John: Watch out.

John walks over to the console, turning into Jury Rigg.

Jury Rigg: FIX FIX FIX FIX FIX! (Jury Rigg swings his arms rapidly, repairing the console. He activates it, as a blue energy trail forms, connecting to the castle.) All done! (Jury Rigg reverts.)

John walks up the trail, the others close behind. They arrive in the castle, seeing the stairwell.

John: Axel, you know where Kairi is?

Axel: Most likely in the dungeon.

John: Go rescue her then.

Axel: What? No, no. I’m going to stay dead to her. She doesn’t need to relive being angry at me. No, way.

John: (Chuckles) Let me ask you something. Do you have any feelings for her?

Axel: (Defensive) What? No! You remember that I don’t have a heart, right?

John: Maybe before. But you have one now. You came because you want to rescue Kairi, and it should be you to do it. Got it memorized?

Axel: (Groans) Fine. I’ll do it.

Mickey: Take Pluto. It’ll help you guys catch up to us later.

Pluto: Ruff! Ruff!

Axel: Fine. Figures I’m stuck with the mutt. Let’s go, boy. (Axel walks off in a different direction, Pluto following.)

Mickey: Does he really have a heart?

John: Yeah. I can sense it. End Scene

John and King Mickey walk into the Hall of Empty Memories, a large square room. A balcony is above them.

John: This place is huge. It’s a wonder these guys don’t get lost in here.

Xigbar: It’s called teleporting. (John and King Mickey look up, seeing Xigbar on the balcony above, smiling at them.) We travel by use of the Corridors of Darkness.

John: Xigbar. You ready to fight for real?

Xigbar: You know, everyone was saying what a big shot you were, so I’ve been watching. Sure, you could beat those low level villains like Demyx and Marluxia. But defeating Lexaeus, his Groundshaker, and my Dragon Nobody, well. They weren’t lying. Now, Kairi was an interesting fight. Let’s see how you handle it.

Xigbar turns into Shadow Lance, and swings his arm, a barrage of Chaos Lances fired from all corners of the room. John and Mickey summon their Keyblades, and swing in a circle, repelling Chaos Spears together. Shadow Lance teleports in between them, kicking them away from each other. Shadow Lance then spins, firing Chaos Spears. The two reflect the attacks, and John releases a burst of fire, though it was a small attack.

John: Firebending doesn’t work well at night. (He looks up, seeing the moon through the window.) Especially at the full moon.

Shadow Lance: Beautiful, isn’t it? Kingdom Hearts is almost complete, and the power to regain our hearts is almost ready.

Mickey: But you don’t need that. Your heart grows back from interactions with others, trying to embrace them.

Shadow Lance: I know that. But we had to tell those lesser Nobodies something to keep them in line.

John: You’re calling the other Organization members “lesser?”

Shadow Lance: Of course. They all had one purpose, to become Xehanort’s new vessels. But they were all weak. Well, enough digressing.

Shadow Lance fires a Chaos Lance at John, who forms an earth wall, which breaks on contact. John slides across the floor, as an earth wave travels towards Shadow Lance. Shadow Lance teleports, and is floating upside down off the ceiling. He fires Chaos Spears, and John forms a wind dome, protecting him. Mickey raises his hand.

Mickey: Pearl! (He fires a sphere of light, which flies at Shadow Lance. Shadow Lance teleports and dodges, reappearing standing on a wall.)

Shadow Lance: Too slow!

John turns into Crashhopper, hopping at Shadow Lance. Shadow Lance teleports, and Crashhopper lands and hops after him. Shadow Lance appears and teleports, as Crashhopper gives chase, hopping at a fast speed after him. Shadow Lance appears, as Crashhopper rams him, knocking him back. King Mickey appears behind Shadow Lance, striking him hard with the Keyblade. Shadow Lance falls forward, on her hands and knees. Shadow Lance laughs, as he glows, disappearing.

Mickey: Where’d he go?

King Mickey is punched, him going flying back. He flips and lands on his feet, when mana shuriken fly at him. King Mickey deflects them, as Crashhopper hops at the source, traveling straight through.

Crashhopper: Gone. (He turns.) There! (He hops again, flying straight into the wall.) Oof. That didn’t work so well. (He hops to the center of the room, as mana shuriken circle around the room, striking him several times.)

Crashhopper shifts to Eye Guy, as his eyes release a blinding flash of light. The room is enveloped, King Mickey holding his arm up to block out the light. He’s looking at the ground, and sees a shadow. King Mickey fires a Pearl spell, hitting Espionage, him turning visible. Eye Guy stops the light, and fires freeze rays, freezing Espionage to the ground.

Eye Guy: Caught you!

Espionage: Now you see me, (He turns invisible.) now you don’t.

Eye Guy: But you’re still there. (Eye Guy fires a laser, going through thin air.) Okay. Maybe you’re not. (One of his eyes is hit by a bioelectric blast, and he screams, all his eyes closing.) OW! My eye!

Eye Guy is hit by several more bioelectric blasts, Eye Guy powerless at the moment. King Mickey swings his Keyblade, releasing a gust of wind. The attacks stop, when they start on King Mickey.

Mickey: Hey! (He starts swatting the air with his Keyblade.) Stop that!

Eye Guy shifts to Lodestar, him shaking off the injuries. He fires a magnetic pulse wave, catching Nanomech, who is struggling.

Lodestar: I’m glad you find me so attractive, because now, you can’t escape me.

Nanomech: Don’t count on it.

Nanomech fires a bioelectric blast, hitting Lodestar’s head, causing it to spin like a ball. Nanomech shifts to Shadow Lance, and curls in. King Mickey charges at him, as Shadow Lance releases a Chaos Blast, knocking King Mickey and Lodestar away. Lodestar shifts to Sonic Boom, summoning Rustic.

Shadow Lance: Alrighty then. (His hands glow, forming a Chaos mana blades on his hands.) Close range.

The two charge in, attacking at high speeds. Shadow Lance parries Sonic Boom’s sword strikes with ease, as he backs away, Sonic Boom chasing, Shadow Lance teleporting away. Shadow Lance reappears, firing Chaos Spears, Sonic Boom easily parrying. Shadow Lance teleports again, and is hanging from the ceiling. Shadow Lance releases a barrage of Chaos Spears, Sonic Boom running in a circle to dodge.

Shadow Lance: Can’t run forever. And can’t get me here.

Sonic Boom stomps the ground, an earth trail forming up into the air. Sonic Boom runs up it, and strikes Shadow Lance, knocking him out of the sky. Shadow Lance hovers in the air with his hover shoes. He forms a massive Chaos Orb over his head, ready to slam it down. Sonic Boom lands on the ground, and shifts to Darkside, in his giant form.

Darkside: Two can play at that game.

Darkside forms an orb of darkness in his hands, expanding its size. Shadow Lance throws down the Chaos Orb, as Darkside slams the orb of darkness into it. The Chaos Orb is destroyed, and the darkness tears through Shadow Lance. Shadow Lance hits the ground, reverting. Xigbar starts fading away into darkness.

Xigbar: Hehe. Not bad. But you’re still no match for Xemnas. I’ve known him since he was an old man, and he’s only gotten stronger in his youth. You, can’t win. (He gives a sigh of relief, as his body completely fades away. Darkside reverts.)

Mickey: You conquered your own darkness.

John: Darkness can’t be conquered. It can only be channeled.

Characters

 * John Spacewalker
 * King Mickey
 * Pluto
 * Axel

Villains

 * Xigbar (death)
 * Nobodies
 * Dusk
 * Heartless
 * Shadow
 * Mega Shadow
 * Neoshadow
 * Novashadow

By John

 * Xylofreeze
 * Jury Rigg
 * Crashhopper
 * Eye Guy
 * Lodestar
 * Sonic Boom
 * Darkside

By Axel

 * Blaze Spear
 * Heatblast

By Xigbar

 * Shadow Lance (x2)
 * Espionage
 * Nanomech

Trivia

 * This episode begins the series of final boss battles.
 * Axel reveals that he's alive, and a Replica died for him at Castle Oblivion.
 * Axel has seemingly regained a heart, similar to how he does in the games.
 * The battle between Sonic Boom and Shadow Lance is a reference to Sonic and Shadow's rivalry in the Sonic the Hedgehog series.
 * Xigbar reveals that he knows the heart can regrow, and of Xemnas' origins.
 * This is the first time John uses Darkside in his true form, instead of having it morph into his body size.